Summer Vacation
by Twireader81
Summary: New couple, Bella and Edward, spend their summer break from university together in Forks, strengthening their relationship. Bella gets to know the Cullen family and becomes reaquainted with her dad. AH.
1. Introductions

**A/N - So, this is my first multi-chapter fic. I wrote this fic in response to the missing summer that Edward and Bella spent together in between Twilight and New Moon. I want the pointless details. I want to hear about the day to day happenings between Edward and Bella. What did they do all summer? I was so upset with the missed time. Don't gloss over it. I like pointless details. I don't want to hear, 'We had a great summer together.' What did you do? So...this fic is my All Human take on new couple, Bella and Edward's, four month summer vacation from university. It is rated T, nothing graphic, almost zero angst, and sweet Edward, or Sweetward. I enjoy the interactions between people. So I wrote this for me, and those of you that like the stress free relationship details between Edward and Bella. I hope you all like it. ****I do not own the Swans, Cullens or Hales - They are Stephanie Meyer's.**

Chapter 1 - Introductions

It was finally finished. The spring semester of my first year of university was complete. I had written my last final exam of the semester this morning. Now I had four whole months of freedom to look forward to. I couldn't wait. And it was made even better because I would have Edward by my side. As I sat on my bed, waiting for Edward to come over after his last exam, I thought back fondly to how we had met.

Edward and I had been officially dating for about a two weeks, but had spent the better part of the last six weeks together. We were in the same introduction to psychology course at the University of Seattle. Of course I had noticed him on the first day of class. He was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. Athletic body, silky bronze hair and a face that rivalled any celebrity heartthrob. He sat two rows in front of me and three seats to the left. I knew this because I watched him more than I looked at the professor. I didn't even know his name at the time.

I was incredibly quiet and shy around the opposite sex, so of course I had never actually spoken to him. I had spent two and half months just watching his every move, learning that often rubbed his hands up and down on his thighs after looking around the room. I was always amused by this, as it seemed that he was nervous or anxious. I couldn't understand why, as he seemed to be a confident looking guy. He always walked into class with his head high and his shoulders back. Confident, but not arrogant. I had locked eyes with him one day in the middle of February, as he walked in to room. Of course, my eyes were always on the door, waiting for his arrival. For some reason, he looked right at me. He stopped walking for a millisecond, cocked his head to the side, and then unleashed a glorious smile in my direction, before moving quickly to his seat. It was like a spark flashed between us from across the room. As he sat down, he lightly shook his head, and started rubbing his thighs.

For the last month, we had exchanged smiles twice a week when he walked into the class. Nothing had happened beyond those 3 seconds of pure heaven that was Edward's smile. I had become dependant on it. Our week off for spring break, was close to torture for me. I missed that beautiful smile that showed his soul to me. I missed that connected to another human being, however minute it actually was.

But that all changed the day after spring break.

All the students begrudgingly returned to classes, many of them tanned from trips to the beach. I, however, was as pale as ever, having spent spring break in the library. I wanted to get the majority of my papers written before all the good books were checked out by the last minute procrastinators. I was glad that, because of my eagerness, the only project I had left, besides studying for my finals, was the psych project that the professor wouldn't give out until we had returned from spring break.

Our obnoxious professor decided the we should do our final research paper of the semester with a partner. Just my luck. I absolutely hated working with others. My grade should not be affected, just because I happened to get paired up with a slacker. And, believe me. I always got stuck with a slacker.

My luck had apparently changed this time, though. When we walked into class that day, there were name tags sitting on each desk. Professor Banner announced that he would be calling out the partner assignments and we had to fill in and wear the name tag so we could find our partners. As if this could get anymore agitating, I thought.

I wrote "BELLA" on my name tag and stuck it to my chest, as close to my shoulder as possible. I didn't need complete strangers staring at my boobs, thanks.

Professor Banner began reading out names. Apparently he thought he was quite the matchmaker, as the majority of pairings were guy/girl. This was not the ideal setup for a shy girl. Just when I thought my name wasn't going to be called, and I'd have to join another group as the third wheel, I finally heard my name.

"And finally, Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen." I breathed a sigh of relief. I was matched with a partner. I hadn't been forgotten. "Okay, class. Find your partners. You have the rest of the class to come up with a topic. Leave a paragraph detailing your idea on my desk before you leave today."

Now I just had to figure out one thing: who was Edward Cullen?

I automatically looked to my secret crush to see which lucky lady got to work with him. When I did, I noticed that he was turned in his seat looking towards the back of the room in search of his partner. I glanced down at his name tag that I could partially see on his right shoulder and saw 'Edw…'!

No way! I raised my eyes to meet his gorgeous green ones. His eyes were flashing back and forth between my eyes and my chest a couple of times. A stunning smile spread across his face as he grabbed his black messenger bag, and sauntered over to my desk. Again, his confidence was evident.

"Am I to assume that Bella," he pointed to my name tag, "is the shortened form of Isabella Swan?" Edward asked the question, then turned and pulled up another desk towards mine as if he already knew the answer.

"Um…yeah. Sorry. I never thought…" I started to ramble before Edward interrupted.

"No, no. It's cool. Would you prefer me to call you Bella?" I could feel my face blushing at his attention.

"Whatever you want. I mean, yes. Um, Bella's fine." Wow. I was pathetic. I breathed out a sigh and looked down at my sweaty hands in my lap. I couldn't believe I was making such a fool out of myself in the presence Edward.

"Hey." I felt Edward touch my arm. I reluctantly looked up into his beautiful eyes. "I'm nervous, too, Bella." He smiled at me genuinely.

And, with that honest confession, I relaxed completely. From that moment on, I knew that I wasn't alone in my feelings of affection towards Edward. We spent the next two weeks meeting at least three or four times each week. It was clearly more than was necessary to complete a five page paper on gender differences in brain function, but with each meeting, we had spent more and more time getting to know each other. I found myself able to relax and be myself around him.

We were finished our research and had written the paper at the end of the second week, but we continued to keep getting together. However, our 'meetings' started taking place at the coffee shop, or the movie theatre. Two weeks before the end of the semester, Edward asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend. I had never been anyone's girlfriend.

The last two weeks had been pure heaven. Edward was the best boyfriend. He would bring me single flower every time he came over to the dorms, which was almost everyday. We spent all of our free time together, and even studied together. Edward would sit at his desk and read, while I would lay on his bed to study. He told me that I was too distracting to sit with after the first time we had tried reading together on his bed. That night ended up with a lot of kissing, but very little reading.

I was snapped out of my memories, by a knock at my door.


	2. Going Home

**A/N: So here's the next chapter! I'm too excited that some of you guys actually read it to make you wait! I have a few chapters stored up, so there shouldn't be much of a wait between chapters. Oh, and it's all BPOV, because I'm a girl and I think like one. If only I knew how boys' brains worked! haha! So, here's Sweetward...swoon!**

Chapter Two - Going Home

I flung the door open excitedly to find my very happy boyfriend smiling at me.

"We did it, baby." Edward said, as he pulled me off of my feet and into his warm and comforting embrace. Edward was 6' tall and I was only 5'2, so we made for an interesting pair.

"I'm so glad it's over. Let's go home." I spoke into his warm neck, before placing a kiss just under his ear, before he set me down.

Edward and I were both spending the summer in Forks. Edward, with his mom, dad, younger brothers and sister, and me with my dad. I had just moved to Washington from Arizona to go to university after my mom was remarried. She was moving out of state, so without her, I would be alone in Phoenix. Now that I knew that Edward had grown up in Forks, I wished I had made the move sooner.

Edward leaned down to touch his sweet lips to mine. "Are you all packed, honey?"

God, I loved the pet names he used for me. He was so affectionate. For us only being together for such a short time, we seemed to relate to one another as if we'd been together for years.

I was so excited to see Edward in his element, back in his home town. He was the oldest of four kids and seemed to be an amazing big brother. His brothers Emmett and Jasper were 17 and 15, respectively, and his baby sister Alice was 7 years old. He had pictures of all of them in his dorm room and he talked about them a lot. I could tell how much he had missed them. He told me that he had spent his spring break back home with his family. I thought that was the sweetest thing a college aged guy could do. No beaches and one night stands in Florida for him. He played baseball with his brothers and took his sister to her ballet classes.

He was important to me, and I hoped that his family would like me, as they were what he valued most in this world.

"Yeah. I just have a suitcase, a duffle bag and my back pack. Are you sure you have room for me?" I asked, looking up at him from under my eyelashes.

"Hmm. I don't know, angel. I guess we could always strap you to the roof." He winked. "Come on. Let's get your stuff to the car." Edward walked over to my bed, flung my back pack on one shoulder, my duffle on the other, grabbed my suitcase and his right hand and reached his left hand out for mine.

"Edward." I whined. "I can carry something."

"I know you can, Bella. Why don't you go grab your purse and your journal over there from off of your desk. Just let me carry this stuff for you, okay?"

"Okay." I quickly walked over to grab the last two items in my room. I can't believe I had almost left my journal. In it, I had pressed every single flower Edward had ever given me, and had taped my movie stubs from all our 'dates'.

"Come on, babe. Your stuff is not getting any lighter, here." He laughed. This boy was always happy. I had never seen him upset or angry about anything. Maybe he just hid things well. But, from what I'd seen, and I had been with him a lot, he was very content. I hoped that I'd helped him with that. Only rarely did I see him rub the tops of his thighs like he had when I had first met him.

I grabbed his hand, took one last look around what had been my home for the last 8 months, and followed him out the door.

When we got down to the car, his silver Volvo that his dad gave him as his going away present last August, I was reminded again why Edward was the perfect guy for me. He had half of his bags in the back seat, and half in the trunk, so there was room for my things. He put my suitcase in the trunk, and put my duffle bag on the back seat with my back pack on top. "Any breakables, sugar?"

"No. We're all good." I answered clutching my journal to my chest.

"Yes, we are." Edward answered, closing the car door, then leaning down to kiss the top of my head.

"You are so cute, Edward." I answered, looking up at him, squinting in the sun.

"I try." He winked at me and pulled me to his chest. "Now stop stalling and get your cute bum in the car. We have a couple hours on the road, and my family is dying to meet you." He opened the passenger side door and spanked my butt playfully, before walking around the front of the car to get in the driver's side.

As I got in, noticed two bottles of Coke, three large bags of chips, and a giant tub of gummy bears, all sitting on the console in between our seats. I looked up at Edward, to see him smiling at me. "What's a road trip without munchies?" he asked.

We spent the next three hours talking, laughing and eating. We stopped in Port Angeles so I could have a bathroom break. Edward laughed at me because I couldn't hold it, but I noticed on my way into the gas station bathroom that he was headed towards the men's room. Boys!

When I came out and walked back to the car, he was leaning against the hood, with his legs crossed, waiting for me.

"My brother called me."

"Which one?" I asked as I walked up and leaned next to him.

"Jasper. He's the younger one. Quiet, keeps to himself. Kind of like you." He nudged my shoulder with his. "He's the most sensitive out of all of us. I think he's really missed me. He used to come hang out in my room just to talk sometimes."

"What did he say?"

"Oh, just school stuff. Sometimes girls. You know, guy talk." Edward smiled at the memory.

"No, Edward. What did he say on the phone just now?" I laughed.

He started laughing with me. "Oh. Um, he was wondering where we were. He wants us to come to my house first. Is that okay?

"Uh, yeah, sure. My dad's probably working until around 6 tonight anyway, so I have a few hours to kill before he's expecting me." I grabbed his hand and pulled it up to my mouth, placing kisses on the back of it. "Edward?" I asked, still holding his hand in both of mine.

"Yeah?"

"I'm nervous to meet your family. They are so important to you. What if they don't like me?"

"Bella. I get that you're nervous. You're so shy." He added, tickling my side with his other hand. "But I promise you, they are going to love you. How could they not? They'll see what I see."

Okay. Now I had a whole new thing to be nervous about. Did Edward just imply that he loved me?

"Baby." Edward sighed, stepping in front of me, grabbing my hands in his. "Come on. Relax. Smile. Just be yourself."

"Thank you, Edward. What would I do without you?" I stood up and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I don't know, but let's never find out, okay?" Edward spoke into my hair.

Edward pulled me around to my side of the car and opened my door for me.

The rest of the drive was fairly quiet. I was admittedly nervous about meeting Edward's family, especially his mom and his brother Jasper. Apparently, his brother Emmett was a fun loving guy and loved absolutely everyone. Edward had assured me that once Alice had me in her sights, she'd never let me go. Apparently, she would love to have a girl around to style her hair and 'do all that girly stuff with,' to quote Edward. His father was always happy if his kids were happy, so I didn't anticipate a problem there.

Mothers were so protective of their children. I was focused on making a good impression with Edward's mom. And with Jasper, being the introverted one, I was worried that he wouldn't be able to express how he really felt, or would think I was taking his big brother, and confidant, away from him.

"Bella, babe, talk to me. You're making me nervous, and they're my family." Edward finally broke the silence in the car.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I'm fine. I promise. I'm just really excited for the summer and all the time we get to spend together. This is going to be an amazing four months."

"It is, honey." he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it, leaving his lips on my hand for while. "And don't apologize to me for your feelings. I know you're nervous. But, angel, you're going to be great." He placed another kiss on my hand before squeezing it.

We rode in silence for a another five minutes. Edward pulled off the road and started driving down a long side road that basically led us right into the forest.

"We're here."


	3. Family

**A/N - Okay, readers. Here's the next chapter. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the reviews and favorites. Thank you all so much! And I apologize for the double alert for Chapter 2. I'm still figuring out this multi-chapter thing. Let's meet the Cullens, shall we?**

Chapter 3 - Family

Edward was excited to be home. When he pulled into the driveway, he threw the car in park and was out of his door and around to my side before I had even realized we'd stopped.

"Come on, baby. They're waiting for us. I can't wait to introduce you." He didn't even try to hide the enthusiasm in his voice. It was contagious. My nerves were there, but had taken a back burner to my excitement now that we were here.

I hopped out of the car and Edward immediately pulled me into his side. I heard the front door swing open and looked up to see an adorable little girl with in fluffy pink dress. She had short, black hair with bangs pulled off to the side.

"Edward!" She yelled from the porch, before skipping over to us.

"Princess!" Edward yelled back. He squeezed my arm before letting me go and dropping to he knees, holding his arms opened to prepare for his sister, who was now running to him as fast as she could in shiny, white Mary Jane shoes.

She leapt into his arms. "I'm so happy you're back. I missed you so much." She had her little arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

Edward stood up with Alice in his arms and turned to face me. Immediately his smile fell. "Oh, baby, what's wrong?"

I hadn't even realized that I was crying. The love he showed to his sister, and the love she felt for him was so clear. It was emanating off of them in waves. It was a beautiful sight.

"Oh, I'm fine, Edward. She's just so beautiful." I answered, quickly wiping my eyes, so I didn't scare Alice.

Alice wiggled around in Edward's arms until she could see me. "Hi Bella. I'm Alice. We're going to be best friends." She stated matter of factly, holding out her little hand towards me to shake.

I took her hand in mine. "I think so, too. It's so nice to meet you, Alice."

"Did you forget about me already, Princess?" Edward asked softly in her ear, tickling her with one hand. She broke out in a beautiful, tinkling laughter.

Edward set her down on the ground. She grabbed Edward's hand and started pulling him to the door. "Come on, Bella," she called back, holding out her other hand for me to take. I grabbed her hand and looked up at Edward who was beaming at me. He winked at me and I knew things were going to be great. We walked into the entry way and I gasped. I looked up to see a huge banner hanging up. It read 'Welcome Home Edward and Bella!' I looked down and saw a group of people that I assumed were Edward's family. But one person stood out to me. My dad, in full uniform, was standing there with a huge smile on his face.

"Daddy!" I squeaked, half in excitement, half in surprise. I let go of Alice's hand and jumped into his arms.

"Hey, Bells." He wrapped me in his big, strong arms and I felt like a little girl again. I hadn't seen him since Christmas break, and I didn't realize how much I missed him.

He finally let me go, and looked down at me. "So, I hear you have someone to introduce me to?" He asked. I had told my dad on the phone that I had started dating Edward. He told me that he knew the Cullens well, which was not surprising, considering how small the town was, and that, as the police chief, my dad pretty much knew everyone. He said that all of the Cullens were good kids. I think that was his way of letting me know that he approved.

I laughed, suddenly nervous again, even though I had no reason to be. "Dad, I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Edward." I extended my hand out towards Edward, who was standing there smiling at me. "Edward, my dad, Charlie."

Edward reached his hand out to shake my dad's hand. My dad shook his hand and then pulled Edward toward him and patted him on the back in some sort of half hug. "Good to see you again, son."

"You, too, sir." Edward seemed completely at ease around my father.

"Hey, bro. Aren't you going to introduce us to your girl?" I heard a booming voice behind my dad. My cheeks flushed as I realised that there were other people in the room with us.

"Yes, Em." Edward grabbed my hand and walked me a little further into the living room.

"Bella, this is my mom, Esme and my dad, Carlisle."

Esme stepped forward with a glowing smile and pulled me into a gentle hug. "It is so nice to finally meet you, sweetheart." I guess this is where Edward got his habit of giving everyone endearing nicknames.

"You, too." I mumbled back, my nerves back in full force.

"Bella. We've heard so much about you. It seems our oldest here is quite taken with you." Edward's dad said, with a friendly smile on his face.

"Thank you, sir." I answered, looking back at Edward, who was watching me with a smile on his face. He winked at me and nodded in the affirmative.

"Okay, Bella." Edward took my hand again and squeezed it. "These are my brothers, Emmett and Jasper." They looked like polar opposites. Emmett was large and loud, and Jasper had a slighter build, and seemed to be hiding a bit behind his chin length, blonde hair. I could relate.

"Hey, Bella." Emmett spoke first. "Nice to finally meet you. Edward has not shut up for the last couple of months about you. It has been driving me mad not to meet you. I thought he was going to bring you home for spring break or something, but apparently he hadn't even talked to you, yet."

My face snapped over to Edward's. I had no idea that he was talking to his brother about me before we had even met. He just smiled at me and shrugged one shoulder, as if it shouldn't be a surprise.

Jasper was leaning against the back of the couch, silently shaking his head at his brother's outburst. Edward walked over to him and squeezed his shoulder. He looked up at me, his hair still covering most of his now reddened face. It seemed we had a lot in common.

"Hi, Jasper. Nice to meet you." I hoped maybe if I spoke first, he would feel more comfortable.

"You, too." He nodded. It seemed I was going to have to work hard to get him to relax around me.

"It is so good to be back." Edward was positively glowing with excitement. I loved seeing someone that was so content around their family. He truly did want to spend time with them and that warmed my heart, especially considering I was an only child of divorced parents. I was determined to spend a lot of time with my dad this summer and really reconnect with him.

"Can we eat now?" Emmett asked.

I laughed and looked up at Jasper who was still shaking his head at Emmett, but was looking at me. He gave me a shy smile, before looking back down. I was looking forward to winning him over. Quiet people, like Jasper, always had the most amazing insights, as they were such great observers.

"Come on, kids. Let's go barbeque." Carlisle added. Edward grabbed my hand and led me to the back yard.

It looks like I really had nothing to worry about with meeting Edwards family. It was going to be a great summer.


	4. One of Us

**A/N: So here's the next chapter. It is one of my favorites. I can't tell you how exciting I think this is. It is so cool to actually have you all reading this. I was just working on this for fun and to see it getting readers is just beyond insane to me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You all deserve chocolate sundaes with Edwards on top! Love you all!**

Chapter Four - One of Us

As we walked into the huge backyard, I noticed that Esme had picnic tables and lawn chairs set up. There were bunches of balloons tied throughout the yard and another welcome home sign hung up on the fence. One of the picnic tables was covered in food. Everything from corn on the cob, to salads, and chips. Thank goodness that is was unseasonably warm for the last day of April.

I turned around to see Edward's mom smiling at us. "Oh, Mrs. Cullen, this is amazing. Thank you so much." I felt myself tearing up again at the outpouring of love I felt in this house with this family.

"Oh, honey." She came over, wiped a tear from my cheek and pulled me into another hug. She started to whisper in my ear. "Bella. You belong here. It is clear that you make Edward so happy. Your dad is a great friend of ours and you would have been welcome here even if you and Edward weren't dating." She let go of me, but placed her hands on my arms. "Now, you must be tired from such a long drive. Would you like to go inside and freshen up?" Her concern for me was so sweet. I had really missed that mothering role in my life for the last year.

"Thanks, that would be great, actually." I answered. "Oh, I need to grab my bag from the car." I really wanted my hairbrush.

"Absolutely, my dear." She turned and called the boys. "Boys. Go help Edward bring in his bags while we wait for dad to finish up with the grill."

I looked up and saw my dad and Carlisle standing by the barbeque, and Edward, Emmett and Jasper all walking over to me and Esme. I didn't even notice that Edward had left my side, but I guess he was giving me some time with his mom.

"Race you to the car, Eddie." Emmett yelled. Edward looked back at me to make sure that I was alright, and I nodded at him to go ahead. The boys took off running down the path around the side of the house. I fell into stride with Jasper, as we followed the boys.

"Um, are you alright, Bella?" Jasper asked softly. Stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets.

I quickly wiped my eyes. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Jasper. Thanks. I was just really nervous to meet you all today. And I'm so surprised by the welcome home party, and my dad being here. That's all." I reached out and looped my arm around his. "Plus, I'm a girl. It doesn't take much to make me cry." I joked with him.

Jasper looked down at our joined arms, then back up at me. "You don't have to be nervous around us." He added quietly. I found that statement to be quite ironic considering how stiff, and clearly uncomfortable, he was around me. I was sympathetic.

"Thanks, Jasper. I can see that now. You know, Edward's really lucky to have you guys. I'm an only child and it was always just me and my mom. It was kind of lonely growing up like that. You guys seem to have a great family." I gave his arm a little squeeze.

"Well, you can be one of us now, too. If, um, you want." Jasper all but whispered as we finally made it around the huge house and back to the car.

"Oh, Jasper. That is so sweet of you. I course I want to." I said, as I turned and wrapped my arms around his waist in a tight hug. I felt him lightly pat my back.

"Took you guys long enough." Emmett's loud voice reminded me that we had an audience. I looked up at Edward to see him smiling warmly at me. I saw him mouth the words 'thank you' to me.

"Hey, baby. Do you need anything from the car?" Edward asked me.

"Yeah, just my purse. Thanks, Edward."

He reached into the front seat and grabbed my purse for me. Emmett had Edward's suitcase and I saw Jasper go over to grab his duffle bag from the backseat.

"Hey. Can you show me where the bathroom is?" I whispered to Edward who had walked over to me with my purse.

"Yeah. Come on." He grabbed my hand and led me back towards the front door. "Hey guys, you can just through my stuff in the front door. I'll unpack later. Thanks." Edward called back to his brothers.

"Do you want to see my room?" Edward asked with a cute smirk on his face.

"Sure. But we have to be quick. I don't want to make a bad impression." I answered warily.

"Babe, they love you." He threw he arm over my shoulder as we walked up to the second floor. "Oh, and thanks for being so great to Jasper. He has a hard time opening up with new people. He only has a couple friends at school."

"Well, I think he's great. He reminds me a lot of myself." I said as Edward opened the door at the end of the hallway.

"Here it is." Edward said. I looked around at his room and laughed. It was so typically boy. The green and blue plaid bedspread, the stereo system in the corner. "Hey. Are you laughing me?" Edward picked me up and tossed me on his bed, jumping on top of me. "Yes, you are, Bella." He started tickling my stomach.

"Stop it, Edward." I laughed. "I have to pee, remember?"

He stopped tickling me immediately. "I'm sorry, babe." He pulled me up to sit with him on the bed. "I just wanted to make you laugh. You seem to be crying a lot today. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Edward. Don't you boys know what happy tears look like?" I reached over and started tickling his stomach.

"Okay, my bathroom is right through that door." He said, pointing across his room. I stood up and walked over to it. "I'll wait right here for you. I missed my bed." Edward leaned back on his bed and closed his eyes.

I went in and noticed the plaid theme carried though his bathroom, with his shower curtain. I quickly used the bathroom and washed my hands, then brushed out my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. I splashed some cold water on my face and patted it dry. I put on my strawberry lip gloss and walked back out into Edward's room.

I went over and sat beside him. "Hey, baby. I'm ready." I reached out and rubbed his toned stomach.

He reached up and pulled me down to lay beside him, his eyes still closed. "Mmm. I smell strawberry lip gloss." A smile pulled across his face and rolled over on top of me. He looked into my eyes before leaning down to press a soft kiss to my mouth. Then he licked his lips. "You taste so good, sugar."

"Edward. You're crazy." I laughed, pushing him off of me. "Now come on, let's go downstairs, before my dad comes looking for me." I joked, with a wink in his direction.

He sighed before slowly sitting up. "Yeah, okay. I am starving, and now that I've had my appetizer…" He trailed off, winking at me.

We walked back downstairs, hand in hand, and went out the backdoor to join in on the barbeque.


	5. Getting to Know You

**A/N - So here's Chapter 5. I hope you all like it...It's twice is long as my previous chapters. I just couldn't find a place to end it any sooner. Is it wrong to swoon over your own Edward! Haha!**

Chapter 5 - Getting to Know You

"There you kids are. I was just on my way in to find you." My dad said as we walked out into the yard.

I looked over at Edward, and laughed at his stunned expression. "Told you." I whispered.

We all walked over and sat down at the two picnic tables they had put together. I sat between my dad and Edward, who had little Alice on his left. Emmett, Jasper, Esme and Carlisle sat across the table from us. Edward was helping Alice load up her plate.

I could not get over how much I loved the big brother side of Edward. Watching him with Alice, and even with his brothers, just warmed my heart. I couldn't help but think what a great father he be one day. It was such a odd thought for me, as I had never really thought about having kids, and I had only known Edward for six weeks. I guess it just revealed to me how much love he had for his family and how devoted he was to them.

"He's a really great guy, Bells." I was snapped from my reverie by my dad whispering in my ear.

I leaned over to him and wrapped my arm around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder. "I know." I whispered more to myself, than my father.

"I'm glad you're home, Bells. I've missed you." I knew he was referring to more than just my being away at school. He had missed so much of my life, while I lived in Phoenix.

"Me, too, Dad." My eyes starting tearing up again. I hadn't realized how lonely I had been at school without any family, or really any friends, besides a couple of classmates, until Edward came along. Now, I was reunited with my dad, and I was welcomed with open arms into Edward's family.

"Bella, seriously? Are you sure you don't hate us?" I heard Emmett laugh from across the table.

Edward turned around, to first glare at Emmett, then look at me. The love that radiated from his face was so intense. If I didn't know it before, I knew it now. Edward was in love with me. I hoped my eyes reflected the same thing back at him.

He reached his hand out to mine and took it in his. He gave it small squeeze. My dad still had his arm around me. I was sitting between the two most important men in the world to me, and I couldn't have been happier.

Esme passed me a paper towel to wipe my eyes, and gave me a warm smile. "Emmett, my darling, you have a lot to learn about women." She replied.

"Aw, come on, Mom. Bella knows I'm just teasing her. Right, Bella?" He turned to look at me with hope in his eyes.

"It's fine, Emmett. I really don't know what my problem is today." I added, dabbing my eyes, for hopefully the last time today.

I felt Edward squeeze my left hand again. "You're probably just tired, baby. You had an exam this morning and we were on the road all afternoon. Get something to eat and I'll take you home so you can get some sleep."

"Thanks, Edward." He winked at me and let go of my hand so I could eat.

I grabbed a hamburger, loaded it up with a massive amount of ketchup and a couple of pickles, and started to eat. I heard Alice laughing at my toppings. I turned to her and winked. She was so sweet.

"So, Bella. Tell us about how you and Edward met." I heard his mom ask.

I smiled. "I was just thinking about it this morning actually, Esme." I looked at Edward and he seemed to be eager to hear this story from my point of view. "Well, I noticed Edward on the very first day of our Psychology class. I thought he was the most beautiful man that I had ever seen." Emmett was chuckling and Edwards cheeks were turning pink. "I continued to enjoy the view for the first month and a half of the course. But, one day, in the middle of February, Edward finally looked up to the back of the room when he walked in the door and our eyes met. From that day on, we would smile at each other at the start of class, but it never went any further than that."

"Dude! What is up with that? Why didn't you say anything to her?" Emmett interrupted.

All eyes turned to Edward. He chuckled and shook his head. "Have you seen her? She is so beautiful. I was intimidated. I had no idea what to say to her." It was my turn to laugh, now. "What, Bella? It's true."

I rolled my eyes at him, and continued the story. "Anyway, the day after spring break, our professor assigned a project that we had to complete with a partner. Edward and I were paired up by the prof." I laughed. "If it wasn't for that project, who knows if we would have ever talked to each other."

I continued. "So, we would meet a few times a week to work on the project, and then when it was finished, we kept meeting up. And about two weeks ago, Edward asked me to be his girlfriend." I turned to smile at him, and he was watching me with a smile on his face.

"So when are you guys going to get married?" Alice asked. "Then I would have a sister. Right, mom?"

"Okay, little one. I think it's a bit early for wedding talk." My dad added, while Edward laughed nervously, his cheeks pink again.

"Alice. I can come over and play with you anytime you want. We don't have to be sisters to be friends." I tried to placate her, so Edward would stop acting so nervous. I looked up to see Carlisle and Esme silently giggling at Edward.

"Best friends?" She asked.

"Absolutely." I answered.

"Well, on that note," my dad chuckled, "I've got to be heading back to the station, Bells. I only took a couple hours off to surprise you."

"Okay, I'll see you later tonight, dad." I stood up with him and gave him a hug. "Thanks for being here."

"Of course, Bells." My dad walked over to Edward and patted him on the shoulder. "Good seeing you again, Edward. Welcome home."

"Thank you, sir." Edward stood up and shook my dad's hand.

"Thanks, Esme, Carlisle. I'll see you both later."

"We're so glad you could make it, Charlie." Esme stated as her and Carlisle both got up. "We'll walk you out."

"So, Bella. Do you want to come in and play some Wii with us?" Emmett asked.

"Um, how about I watch and you guys play?" I added, knowing I was too tired to play, but I didn't want to leave the Cullens yet.

Alice walked over and grabbed my hand as we all walked into the house. "The Wii is downstairs, Bella." Alice said to me. "If I go get some clips and stuff from my room, will you do my hair?"

I smiled down at her. It was clear, that while her brothers doted over her, she was already enjoying having a girl around. "Absolutely. Go get your things and meet me downstairs, okay?"

She was off and running before she could even answer. I looked back to the guys and Edward was smiling at me. "Come on, baby." He reached out and grabbed my hand. We walked down the stairs together.

I looked around and saw a long, black leather couch in front of a huge, plasma screen TV. There were two leather recliners on either side of the couch. The boys were already on the couch, leaving the right side of it free for Edward. I took the recliner beside Edward. "Are you sure you don't want to play, Bella?" Emmett asked. "We have some girlie games around here somewhere."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, guys. But I have my first hairdressing client of the summer on her way down. Maybe later? Just to warn you, I'm pretty good at Mario Kart."

"Bella, Bella. Look at all the things I got for my birthday." Alice came running towards me with a huge purse hanging over her shoulder. She sat down on the floor in front of me and emptied the contents on the rug. There were all kinds of hair clips, barrettes, head bands and elastics.

"Wow, Alice. That's great. How about you pass me the accessories as I need them, okay?" She nodded excitedly.

I decided to French braid her hair on both sides on her head, considering her hair was quite short. She passed me a hair brush and I began stroking it through her hair. "That feels so good, Bella."

All three of the guys turned to look at me. They looked a little jealous of all the attention that Alice was getting. I got a brilliant idea.

"Hey, guys?" I asked. "How would you feel about me doing your hair tomorrow afternoon?" They all frowned. "You know. It is almost summer and you all use a trim. How about one o'clock on the front porch?" I asked. I thought this might give me the chance to get to know Edward's brothers a little bit better.

"Do we have to, Bella?" Emmett asked, as if I really had any authority over them, anyway.

I thought I'd give it a shot, and see how far I could push it. "Yes, you do, Emmett. I want all three of you waiting on the deck with freshly washed hair at one o'clock sharp."

"Fine." Emmett sighed. I smiled to myself. I think I fit in here just fine. Jasper and Edward were snickering at him.

All attention turned back to the game, though I noticed Jasper running his fingers through his hair nervously.

"Comb." I said to Alice. She passed one back over her shoulder. I gave her a zigzag part and started braiding the left side of her hair. "Elastic." She passed one back. I started on the other side, braiding away to the sound of monsters or soldiers on the big screen. I was loving every second of being here. This is where I belonged. "Elastic."

"Okay, Alice. What do you have that's sparkly? Any clips?" I asked.

"What about these?" Alice asked, bringing me some rhinestone butterfly barrettes.

"Perfect." I added, as I took one and pinned it right above her ear. She smiled at me, missing front tooth and all. "You're all done. And you look beautiful." I told her.

"Guys? What do think?" Alice asked. They paused the game.

"You look so pretty, Alice." Jasper commented quietly.

"Like an angel." Edward added.

"You're not going to put sparkles in my hair, are you Bella? Emmett asked.

"Emmett." Both Alice and I said in unison, and then we started giggling.

"Okay, boys. I'm going to go get my camera. I left my purse in Edward's bathroom." I said.

"You remember how to find it?" Edward asked.

"I'll go with her." Alice answered for me.

I smiled at Edward and he winked back at me.

"Lead the way, supermodel." I said to Alice. She giggled as she grabbed my hand and pulled me up off the chair. As I walked by Edward, I ran my fingers through his hair. "Yeah. This definitely needs a cut." I added.

"Yes!" I heard Emmett yell. "Thanks for distracting him, Bella."

I laughed as I followed Alice up the stairs. "So, Alice. How much longer are you in school? Second grade?" I asked her as we walked down the hall towards Edward's room.

"Yes. I'm in grade two. The last day is June 15th. We're going to have an assembly and I'm going to do a ballet solo for the whole school." She told me and she started dancing around in Edward's room. I walked into the bathroom and grabbed my purse off of the counter. "Hey, Bella?" She asked shyly as I walked out of the bathroom.

"What is it, Alice?"

"Would you like to come and see me dance?" She asked nervously. It was cute, because I hadn't seen her shy all day.

"I would love to, sweetie." I answered, giving her a hug. "Now. Let's get a picture of your hair."

She hopped up on the bed and smiled widely for me. I snapped a couple of picture of her, mostly to make her feel special.

"Come on. Let's go bug your brothers." I told her. We headed back downstairs.

I walked up to the couch and all three boys were enthralled in the game. I snapped a quick picture of all three of them on the couch, the flash, finally getting their attention.

"Hey, Babe." Edward said, as I sat down on his lap.

"Hi. Um, would it be too much trouble for you to drive me home? I don't think I can keep my eyes open much longer." I asked. I didn't want to bother him, as it seemed like he bonding with his brothers.

"Of course it's no trouble." He answered, wrapping his arms around me.

"Wow. I do not want to be nineteen. You senior citizens can't stay up past eight o'clock." Emmett joked.

"Cute." I answered as I stood up off of Edward's lap. Edward stood up and grabbed my hand. "See you tomorrow boys. I'll be waiting with my scissors at one o'clock." I said, pointing at Jasper and Emmett with two fingers.

"Bye, Bella." Jasper said softly from his seat.

"Bye, guys, Alice. It was so nice to meet all of you." I said.

"Okay, guys. I'll be back in hour to take you both down." Edward said cockily to his brothers.

"Sure, Edward, sure." Emmett replied as we walked up the stairs.

I was leaning heavily on Edward as we walked out to the car. He had his arm wrapped tightly around my shoulder, holding me up.

"Bye, kids." I heard from behind me. I jumped and Edward laughed.

I turned around to see Esme and Carlisle sitting on the porch swing on the deck.

"Thank you so much for the barbeque and signs and just everything." I said to them. I truly couldn't believe how easily they had accepted me.

"I was our pleasure, dear." Esme answered.

"I'm just going to take Bella home." Edward added. "See you in a few."

We walked to the car. Edward opened my door and helped me in, giving me a kiss on the cheek before closing the door.

I looked up at the house and saw Esme and Carlisle smiling at us, approvingly.

"My parents seem quite enamoured with you." Edward chuckled as he slipped into the driver's side.

"I really like them, too. All of them. You have an incredible family, Edward." I said.

"I know. You are so great with my brothers and Alice. You fit right in. Teasing Emmett, being understanding with Jasper, humouring Alice. You are perfect." Edward added with a loving smile in my direction.

"Thank you, Edward. I had a really great time, and I wish I could keep my eyes opened."

Edward laughed. "Let's get you home and tucked in to bed."

I was only a fifteen minute drive from Edward's place to my dad's. I dozed off to the sound of Edward humming.

"Wake up, baby." I heard Edward's melodic voice calling me. I felt him press a kiss to my forehead. I opened my eyes and smiled up at him. "Come on. I would have carried you straight to your bed, but I don't have the key."

I blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep." I answered.

"That's fine, babe. You want to open up the door, and I'll bring in your bags?"

"Sure. Thanks, Edward." I got out of the car and walked up to the house. I spent the last week of summer and Christmas here, but other than that, I hadn't been here since I was a child.

I unlocked and opened the door, stepping aside to let Edward in with my bags. "Lead the way, sugar."

Edward followed me up the stairs. The second I got in my room, I grabbed a pair of sweat shorts, went into the bathroom. I took off my bra, but left my t-shirt on, and switched my jeans for sweat shorts to sleep in. I walked back into my room to see Edward sitting on my bed.

"Hey, babe." I saw Edward's eyes look over my outfit quickly, then they flicked back up to my eyes. I blushed. We had fallen asleep in each other's beds this last week, sometimes too tired from studying to keep our eyes opened. But, this was the first time he had seen me in my night clothes. I was a little self conscious, but I felt really comfortable around him. "You look beautiful." He added, as if he knew I needed a little reassurance.

"Thanks. I'm so tired." I said as I crawled into my bed beside him. He laid back beside me.

"Close you're eyes, honey. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He said softly. He leaned forward and placed a warm, soft kiss to my lips.

"Okay." I answered groggily. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight, my Bella." Edward said as he stroked my hair. I vaguely remember him pulling up my quilt over top of me and hearing my door close. I fell into a deep, comfortable sleep.


	6. Time for a Trim

**A/N - I've said before and I'll say it again! I cannot get over the sweet reviews and the hits this fic is getting! Thank you all so much. Keep expecting an update everyday as my thanks.**

Chapter 6 - Time for a Trim

I woke up around nine the next morning to the sun shining through my shear curtains. Twelve hours of sleep. Huh. I must have been tired. As I sat up, I saw a slightly droopy, yellow tulip laying on the pillow beside my head. Edward must have set it there for me before he left. He hadn't missed a day, yet.

I took the tulip and went to my journal. I turned to fresh page, wrote yesterday's date and pressed the book closed. I would always keep everything that Edward ever gave me. It was not just a simple gesture to me. With each flower, he was showing me how special I was to him. By keeping them, I would show him how much he meant to me.

I grabbed a black tank top and a pair of jeans and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. After I got dressed and dried my hair, I pulled it back into a ponytail. I decided to head downstairs to see my dad. I knew he had the day off, because it was Saturday.

"Hey, dad." I said enthusiastically. "Sorry that I fell asleep before you got home. I was exhausted."

"That's okay, Bells. What do you have planned for the day?"

"I was thinking of unpacking this morning, doing laundry. I want to get that all out of the way today, or there is no way that I'm going to want to do it." I laughed. "And this afternoon, I was planning on going to the Cullens' house. I promised to cut all the boys' hair."

My dad laughed. "You're sure fitting in well with those boys, huh?"

I blushed. "They are all so great. Even Alice had me do her hair last night after you left."

"I'm glad. The Cullens are good friends of mine. Actually, Carlisle and I were going to go fishing today."

"That's great, dad."

"Hey, do you think you'll still be at Edward's place at around six tonight?"

"Um, I guess. Why?"

"Well, Carlisle and I usually bring home pizza for supper after a day on the lake."

"Okay. But why pizza, and not fish? Not a good catch, dad?" I joked.

"I am actually, but Esme could never stand the smell of fish, so we had to come up with something to eat. Pizza was always popular with all those teenaged boys, too." My dad laughed. I was so thankful that he was so close with the Cullens. It made my dating Edward almost seamless.

"Okay. Sounds great. Have fun today, Dad." I gave him a quick hug. "Say hi to Carlisle for me."

"Will do, Bells. Have fun with the boys." He laughed to himself as he stood up to go to the door. "See you tonight, kid."

"Bye, Dad." I said as I grabbed a granola bar and headed back upstairs to unpack.

I spent the next three hours doing laundry and hanging up all my clothes from school Then I went through my closet to find all my summer clothes.

At around noon, I decided to head over to Edward's. I grabbed my dad's electric hair clippers from the shelf in the bathroom, a great pair of scissors, a few towels and some clothes pins. I also threw an extra t-shirt in my purse to change out of after I cut their hair. I was so excited to see Edward again. I was worried that once we were home, we wouldn't get to see each other as much as we did at school, which was everyday, at least for the last couple of weeks.

I knew that our relationship was new, but the way he acted around me, and treated me, it seemed as if we were together so much longer. I wanted to hold on to that feeling, but I didn't want to get in the way of his time with his family. I thought if I planned activities with all of them, then Edward and I could have the best of both worlds.

I hopped into my dad's truck and raced over to Edward's.

I left my grooming supplies on the porch swing and rang the doorbell.

"Good afternoon, Bella." Esme answered the door. "It is so great to see you again. Come in." I followed her into the kitchen, where she was making grilled cheese sandwiches.

"You, too." I replied. "I just wanted to thank you again for everything you did yesterday. It was amazing."

"Oh, Bella. It was my pleasure. It is just so nice to have everyone home again. And you are such a welcome addition to the group." She turned and flipped the sandwiches on the grill. "Edward has not stopped smiling since he got home, and I know that we have you to thank for that." She reached out and touched my shoulder.

"He has the same effect on me." I answered, then immediately blushed, realizing I was gushing about her son.

She smiled warmly at me. "Did you eat lunch, Bella?" She asked, thankfully changing that subject.

"Actually, I forgot. I was just so excited to come over here…" I trailed off in embarrassment.

"Oh, Bella. You are just the sweetest thing. Please, feel free to eat with us. It's the least I can do for you taking the boys off my hands this afternoon." She laughed. "Emmett tells me that he is under strict orders to be on the porch at one o'clock sharp."

I laughed. "I just thought it might be a good idea for us to get to know each other."

"It's a great idea, Bella. You are so thoughtful to include all the boys." She leaned against the counter. "And Alice couldn't stop talking about how you styled her hair and took pictures of her. She's quite fond of you."

"I keep telling Edward what a great family he has." I looked down at my hands. "You know, Jasper told me yesterday that I could be one of you. He is the sweetest boy." I added, blinking back the tears.

"Oh, Bella. He's right, you know. You are always welcome here. And, I know that your mom is out of state, so if you ever need another woman to talk to, you can count on me."

I stood up and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Esme. That means so much to me."

I sat back down in my chair and watched Esme finish lunch. "Do you want to go get the kids for lunch?" She asked.

"Sure." I replied, loving how she called them all kids. I got up and walked to the stairs. I knocked on each bedroom door, yelling 'Lunchtime.' Emmett, Jasper and Alice all ran out of their rooms, and after a quick hug for me, they all went down to eat. I got to the end of the hallway and knocked on Edward's door. "Edward?" I got no response. I knocked again. Nothing. I took a deep breath and walked into his room. He wasn't there. I walked over to the bathroom door and could hear the shower just shutting off.

I knocked on the door. "Edward?" I called out.

"Baby? Um, hang on just a second and I'll be right out." I heard Edward shuffling around. I went and sat on his bed, facing the bathroom door.

It opened about a minute later and Edward walked out rubbing his hair. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a white tank top. "Hey, honey." He said as he walked up to me and kissed my lips. I wanted to kiss him back, but I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. "Not that I mind, but what are you doing up here."

"Lunch." I answered with a laugh. "Your mom sent me up to get you guys. Everyone else is already downstairs."

"Who needs lunch. You look delicious." Edward smiled, pulling me to his chest. I breathed in deeply.

"Well, you smell delicious, but I'm hungry. Let's go." I grabbed his hand and pulled him to his door. He let me lead him down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"I've got the last one." I laughed to Esme, who smiled at me.

Edward and I took our seats and joined in. Lunch was comfortable. I felt at home with them.

"So, Bella. Your not going to shave our heads or anything, are you?" Jasper asked quietly.

I laughed. "Well, I have plans for your brother, but I wouldn't do that to you, Jasper." I answered with a wink. He blushed and looked down. "Thanks." I could tell that he used his hair to hide behind when he was nervous, so I wouldn't take that away from him. I also hid behind my hair at times, so I understood.

"Wait. Which brother do you have plans for? You're not going to shave my head, are you, babe?" Edward asked, looking panicked.

I just laughed at him. As if I would shave off his gorgeous locks. His hair was one of my favourite features on him.

Alice and Esme got up. Alice ran over to me and gave me a hug. "Bye, Bella. We're going to go pick up my costume for my dance recital on Friday."

"That's great, Alice. Are you going to model it for us when you get home?" I asked her.

"Yeah. That would be so fun. Hey, can we make the boys model their haircuts, too?" She asked in excitement.

I laughed. "We'll have to see if we can convince them." I told her, winking. I knew I could get them to do it for her. After all, I had convinced them that I was cutting their hair only an hour after we had met.

"Yay." She yelled as she ran to follow her mom out of the kitchen.

"Have fun this afternoon, kids." Esme called out as she and Alice left.

"Bye, mom." Emmett, Jasper and Edward all yelled.

"So, boys. Who wants to go first?" I asked.

"You better cut Emmett's hair first." Edward answered. "I don't think he can sit still for too long." He laughed.

Jasper smirked and nodded his head.

"Okay, do you have a small chair we can use out on the porch?" I asked Edward. I would never be able to reach their hair if they sat on a taller stool, like those in the kitchen.

"What about my mom's step stool? You should be tall enough to do our hair if we sit on this, right babe?" Edward laughed as he held up the small bench.

I smirked at him. "You know, it's not my fault that you guys are so freakishly tall."

"Hey, Bella. You're just freakishly short." Emmett added, while Edward and Jasper just laughed at me.

We all walked out onto the porch. "Okay, Emmett. Park your butt on the bench." He did as he was told. I grabbed one of the towels off of the swing and wrapped in around his shoulders, pinning it closed with a clothespin.

I grabbed the clippers and started trimming the sides and back of Emmett's hair.

"Bella?" Emmett asked nervously. "Um. There's a girl at school. You're not going to do anything crazy right?"

Edward burst out laughing from his seat on the top step of the deck.

"Shut up, Edward." Emmett answered, flustered.

I was trying to hold back my laughter. "Sorry, Em." Edward replied, still laughing. "You caught me off guard. Who's the lucky lady? Haven't heard anything about this."

"Oh, um, her name is Rose. You should see her. She is gorgeous. Blonde hair, blue eyes, amazing, um, figure." Emmett was stammering. It was adorable to see the usually boisterous boy feeling a little self conscious.

"Okay. Have you talked to her?" Edward was all big brotherly, giving him advice. It was so sweet.

"No. Well, sort of. But I think she's really shy, because I'll smile at her in the hallway, or say hi, and she just looks down, blushing."

"Sounds like you and me, Edward." I added with a laugh. Edward winked at me, flashing that gorgeous smile.

"Well, Em. The best advise that I can give, is to learn from my mistakes, and don't wait. I lost a whole month with Bella by being too nervous to talk to her. On Monday, ask her is she wants to come hang out here. That way, maybe she'll feel a bit more comfortable in a group setting. I know you'll definitely feel better on home turf."

"Uh, yeah. That sounds okay. Will you guys be here, so it's not just mom?"

I was my turn to laugh. "I wouldn't miss it, Emmett." I added. I took out the scissors to trim the top of Emmett's hair. "Do you think she would feel more comfortable if she brought a friend, or something?"

"She has a sister." Jasper added quietly.

We all turned to look at him, surprised he had spoken about a girl. He was sitting on the swing, with his arms resting on his knees and his head tipped forward, hiding behind his hair.

"Yeah, isn't it like Marnie, or Melissa?" Emmett asked.

"Maria." He answered quietly. "She's in my math class."

"Do you think she would like to come over, too, Jasper?" I asked.

"I don't know, Bella." Jasper replied, still looking down.

There was more to this story, and I was going to get it out of him.


	7. Confessions

**A/N - Here's the next chapter! It's an imortant one to Edward and Bella. Broken record here, but I can't tell you how much I love your reviews! Thank you all so much for encouraging me to continue! Enjoy.**

Chapter 7 - Confessions

"Okay, Emmett. You're all done." I told him, taking the towel off of his shoulders and walking over to the edge of the balcony to shake it out.

"How do I look?" Emmett asked. I had cut the sides of his hair really short, but left the top a bit longer, so he still had a few curls.

"Well, I don't want to brag, but I think I'm pretty good at cutting hair." I joked. "Go inside and take a look."

"Thanks, Bella." He came over to me and kissed my cheek with a loud smack.

I laughed at him, pushing his chest. "You're welcome." Emmett ran into the house. I turned to look at Jasper. "You're turn."

He got up from the swing and sat on the bench. I grabbed a fresh towel and wrapped it around his shoulders, pinning it closed.

"So, Jasper. You're in the hot seat, now. Tell us about Maria." I asked, hoping he wouldn't be too shy to open up to me.

He face and ears were bright red. He couldn't hide behind his hair, because I had just pulled the sides and front back with a clip, so I could cut the bottom. His eyes flashed to Edward, then back to mine. He really was cute boy when he wasn't hidden behind his hair. "I don't know. She has dark brown hair. It's really long and shiny. She has hazel eyes, I think. Is that the kind of stuff you want to know?"

"Sure. So, what's she like?" Edward asked with a genuine smile on his face.

"Oh. She's really happy, like all the time. She is always laughing and smiling. She seems to be friends with everybody."

"She sounds really nice, Jasper. Does she talk to you, too?" I asked. It would be nice if Jasper had a friend, and this Maria sounded like a great person.

"Um, yeah. She always says hi to me when she comes into class. Oh, and when the teacher asked us to pair up for a worksheet last week, she pulled her desk over to mine."

"Well, it sounds like she likes you, Jazz." Edward added. "Bella, give us the girls perspective on this."

Jasper laughed nervously. I took his hair out of the clip and combed his curls back to trim the sides up to just below his ears.

"Well, I'm going to have to go with your brother on this one. The girl is smitten." I added. "Just wait until she sees your hair." I ran my fingers through it to shake out the loose hair. "Do you use any hair products?"

"Um, no."

"Okay. How about we run out to the drug store later this afternoon and get you some gel? I think if you put a little in when it's wet, then let it air dry, your natural curls will really take some shape."

"Thank you, Bella." Jasper said, blushing again.

"You are most welcome. It looks really good, Jasper." I told him, taking the towel off of his shoulders and taking it to shake out.

"It really does, Jazz." Edward added. "Good job, baby."

Jasper nodded and headed in the house. I think we embarrassed him a bit with all of the girl talk.

"Is it my turn yet?" Edward asked with a sexy smirk on his face. "I can't wait until your fingers are in my hair."

"Me either. Now get over here." I said with a smile.

He got up and had his arms around me in a matter of seconds. He leaned down and pressed his cool lips to mine. I kissed him back quickly. "Don't distract a girl with scissors, Edward." I said teasingly.

"I'm at your mercy." Edward said as he sat down. I wrapped the last towel around his broad shoulders and clipped it closed.

"Yes. Yes you are." I added, standing behind him and running my fingers through his soft locks.

"Mmm." He hummed.

I laughed at him. "You are enjoying this way to much, Edward." I took the scissors and decided I was just going to trim his hair a bit. I loved how it looked a little out of control all the time.

"I'm not denying it." He answered with a laugh.

I started cutting his hair. "So, what do you think of these sisters that Emmett and Jasper are into?" I asked him. To be honest, the Cullen boys were a good looking group and I was surprised they weren't dating anyone.

He chuckled to himself. "You know, to be honest, it's a little weird for me. I know they're growing up, and in high school, but they'll always be my little brothers." He shook his head slightly, but stopped quickly, remembering why he was sitting there. "Sorry, babe."

"It's alright, Edward. You are so sweet with them. I love watching you interact with the boys, and with Alice." I walked around to trim the front of his hair. "You know, it's nice that they come to you for advice. How cute was Emmett when he got flustered?" I laughed.

"Yeah, he won't be living that down. I'm just surprised at how much Jasper talked about the girl from his class. You have a really good effect on them, you know." He added.

I looked down at him and he was smirking. "What?" I asked.

"I was just thinking of the effect you have on me, angel." He said in a low, sexy voice. "And I especially like the view from this seat." He laughed.

I realized he was eye level with my chest. "Edward." It was my turn to blush.

"I'm sorry, Bella. Come here." He pulled me down to sit on his lap, wrapping his arms around me. "I didn't mean to embarrass you." He stroked my hair. "You're just so beautiful. And, I missed you this morning."

I was surprised by Edward being so bold. He was always affectionate and loving, always calling me by pet names, and he was always polite. This was definitely a new side to him.

I was okay with it though. I was quite sure that I loved him, and it made me feel confident in our relationship, and in my own body, that he was looking at me that way.

I smiled at him. "I miss you every second that we aren't together." I confessed. "But, Edward, I'm covered in hair now." I pointed out.

"I'm sorry, babe." He leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the lips. "Let's go upstairs and change, okay?" He stood up and after removing the towel from his shoulders, he shook it out and laid it in the pile with the other two.

He reached out and took my hand in his, leading me upstairs. When we got into his room, he closed the door, spun me around and pressed me into the door with his body. His lips attacked mine, before moving down my neck.

"Edward." I moaned in response. I moved my hands up his solid chest to his shoulders, pressing him back. "I thought you said we were changing clothes?" I laughed.

He chuckled shyly, and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to just attack you that way." I knew Edward was serious when he used my real name, instead of one of his pet names.

"Who said I didn't like it?" I answered slyly.

"Bella." Edward added, sounding quite serious all of a sudden, as he reached down and took both of my hands in his. "I know this may not be the most romantic setting, or anything, but," He took a deep breath and looked me right in the eyes. "I love you. I know it's probably too soon, or whatever, but I don't care. It's how I feel. And seeing you outside with my brothers today, and how you took Alice under your wing yesterday, it just proves what a perfect fit you are for me."

I was truly happy in that moment. I knew I felt it, too. "Edward, baby, stop rambling." I giggled. "You don't have to explain yourself. I completely understand what you're saying."

"You do?" Edward interrupted.

"Yes, Edward, I do." I smiled up at him. "Because I love you, too." I pulled him close to me and hugged him with everything I had. "I love you, Edward." I said again, into his chest. I kissed his chest, right above his heart.

"Oh, sugar." Edward sighed, before leaning down and picking me up bridal style. He carried me over to his bed and set me down before crawling up to lay beside me. He pulled me close to him and wrapped me in his arms. "I am so happy right now." Edward whispered in my ear.

"So am I."


	8. Making Out and Making Up

**A/N - Here's the next one. I had my most hits ever, yesterday! Thank you all for reading and for your great reviews. I've been a happy girl for the last week because of you all! Thanks again. This is my favorite chapter so far. I hope you all llike it. *Hugs***

Chapter 8 - Making Out and Making Up

Edward leaned over me and started to place little kisses all over my face. "Edward, that tickles." I giggled. He laughed and rolled over on top of me, leaning in to deepen the kiss. "Edward." I sighed, as his hands started to move down, over my shoulders and down my arms, moving onto my stomach and stopping on my sides.

"I love you so much, Bella." Edward whispered in my ear, before placing delicate kisses along the column of my neck.

The quiet of the moment ended abruptly when the bedroom door flew opened and Alice came running in. "Hey, Edward…" She yelled excitedly, but quickly stopped when she saw us, her face turning red in embarrassment. She quickly turned and ran out of the room.

"Alice." Edward called. "Ugh." He dropped his head down on my chest. "This is my fault. I should have locked the door."

"Come on, Edward. Let's go talk to her." I said, giving him one more quick kiss on the lips.

Edward sighed and rolled off of me. He pulled his shirt off as he walked over to his dresser. I watched as he pulled a clean white t-shirt over his head. I grabbed my purse and ran into his bathroom. I pulled off my tank and grabbed a face towel from Edward's linen closet. I dampened it and ran it over my chest and shoulders to get the loose hair off of my skin. I threw on my clean t-shirt and went back out into Edward's room.

"Come on, big brother. We've got some explaining to do." I grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hallway. Alice wasn't in her room, so we continued down the stairs. We saw Alice sitting at the kitchen table with Esme beside her.

Esme looked up at us with a knowing smirk. I blushed, even though I really didn't have a reason to feel guilty. Edward sighed again and sat down in the chair beside Alice. I stood behind him and put my hands on his shoulders.

"Alice, sweetie, come here." He said, putting his arms out. She slipped off the chair and crawled up onto his knee.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I should have knocked on your door first. Are you mad at me?" She peaked up at him nervously.

"Of course I'm not mad at you. I love you, Alice. And I've missed you so much." Edward pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "I should be apologizing to you, baby sister." Edward looked up at me, with a helpless look on his face. I held back a laugh. He really didn't know what to say to his seven year old sister about our make out session on his bed.

"Alice." I said, saving Edward. What are girlfriends for? "Edward just told me that he was in love with me." I looked up at Esme and she had such a huge smile on her face.

"You didn't know?" Alice asked in surprise. "I could tell." She said proudly.

"That's because you're such a smart cookie." I answered. "But, Edward and I were just giving each other a kiss because we are so happy." I knelt down beside her and Edward. "You might see us kissing every now and then, but that's just how couples in love act around each other. But Edward, will try to keep his hands to himself. Right, Edward?"

"Yes, Bella." Edward sighed.

Esme laughed, shaking her head. "You kids are just so adorable."

"So, Alice. What did you want to tell me?" Edward asked, changing the subject.

"I got my costume? Do you want to see it?" She asked excitedly.

"Sure, let's go." He stood up and gently tossed Alice over his shoulder, holding tightly to her legs. She was giggling as he walked over to the stairs. "You coming, babe?"

"Um, I'll be up in bit. I'm just going to talk to your mom for a minute." I told him. He smiled at me and kept going up to Alice's room.

"Oh, Bella. I'm so excited for you both." Esme said, pulling me into a hug.

"So am I." I couldn't get the smile off of my face. "But, I'm really sorry about Alice. Is what I said okay?"

"Oh, Bella. You were perfect. Edward had no idea how to handle that, did he?" She laughed. "She was really embarrassed when she came down here. She didn't see anything, did she?"

My cheeks heated up. "No, Esme. You have nothing to worry about. Just innocent kisses." I giggled nervously.

She took my hand and squeezed it. "So, what did you want to talk to me about, Bella?"

"Oh, well, this morning, Emmett and Jasper were talking about some girls from their classes that they like."

"Really? Jasper?" Esme asked with surprise.

"Yes. I guess they are sisters, Rose and Maria. Anyway, they've got the boys quite smitten I think." I laughed. "Even Emmett was flustered."

"That's so sweet. My boys are growing up." Esme sighed.

"It's pretty cute. Anyway, Edward suggested they invite the girls over for supper on Monday night. I just wanted to make sure that was okay with you. I was thinking of maybe making pizzas for the kids and we could all watch a movie together. Edward and I will be with them the whole time. So, what do you think?" I asked.

"That sounds fine, Bella. You are so responsible."

"Thanks, Esme. I'm pretty excited about it actually. Do you and Carlisle want to have a date night? I can watch Alice, too." I suggested.

"That sounds great sweetie. I'll run it past Carlisle, but I think I might take you up on that."

"Yeah. I think Emmett is really nervous about it, though. I thought he might feel better if it was a group of us."

"Sounds great, Bella." She leaned forward to give me a hug, whispering to me. "And just so you know, Bella, we all love you, too."

"Thanks for making feel so welcome." I let her go and stood up. "I guess I should go see Alice's costume." I said happily. I really loved that little girl.

"Have fun, Bella." She answered.

I walked up the stairs and walked to Alice's room. I peaked in the door and started laughing at the sight in front of me. Edward was sitting on Alice's little single bed, his long legs hanging over the end of the bed, with a little rhinestone tiara sitting in his mass of bronze hair. Alice was dancing around her room in a purple leotard with a white frilly tutu around her waist.

Both Edward's and Alice's eyes snapped up to the door. Edward chuckled with me. He was so sweet. "Bella!" Alice yelled excitedly, running over to me and grabbing my hand. "I was just showing Edward my routine for the recital on Friday. Do you want to see? I can start again." Alice added with big smile.

"Absolutely, Alice." I said, pushing Edward over, so I could squeeze beside him on the bed. He wrapped his arm around me.

She started dancing and I watched her effortlessly dance to the music she must have been hearing in her mind. She was perfect. I felt something touch the top of my head and I looked up to see Edward placing the tiara from his head onto mine. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my cheek.

Alice finished her routine after about two more minutes. She curtsied in front of us, and we applauded her. She really was good. I envied her grace.

I grabbed Edward's wrist and looked at his watch. It was almost 4 o'clock. "Hey, Edward. I promised Jasper we'd take him to the drug store before supper."

"Okay, yeah. We better go get him." Edward stood up and delicately took the tiara off of me and placed back on Alice's head. "You were wonderful, Princess. I can't wait to see your recital on Friday." He crouched in front of her and kissed her forehead. "Do you want to come with us to the store?"

"Yeah. Is that okay?" Alice asked.

"Of course it is, Ali." He pulled her close, and lifted her up on his hip. "Come on, babe." Edward reached back and took my hand.

We walked across the hallway and knocked on Jasper's door. "Hey, Jazz?" Edward called out. "We're going to the store, now."

The door opened and Jasper walked into the hallway. "Okay." He answered shyly.

Edward went and knocked on Emmett's door. "Em, we're going to the drug store. You want to go?"

"No. I have to finish this assignment." He called back.

"Okay. See you later." Edward said back.

"I love your hair cut, Jazz." Alice said, looking over Edward's shoulder as we walked down the stairs.

"Thanks, Al. I like your dance clothes." He smiled at her.

We got to Edward's car and he set Alice down by the backdoor, opened it up and let her crawl into the backseat. "Hey, Jasper. You can sit upfront with Edward. I'll sit with Alice."

"Oh, okay." Jasper answered.

Edward came around to my side and opened the door for me, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "Thanks, Edward." I said before getting in.

The drive to the drug store was entertaining, as Alice told us about the other dance numbers at the recital. It was cute how excited she was.

When we got to the store, the first thing I grabbed was celebrity tabloid magazine for some lazy summer reading and passed it off to Edward to hold. I walked ahead with Jasper to the hair products, and Edward followed behind us, holding Alice's hand.

"Okay, Jasper. I'd use something like this." I pulled styling crème off of the shelf that was designed to hold curls and passed it to him. "Don't look so overwhelmed." I laughed as he looked over the aisle of products. "Just trust me."

"Come on, Alice. Let's go get you some nail polish to match that outfit." I took her hand and started leading her to the make up section. Her face lit up in excitement.

Edward and Jasper followed behind us. I could hear them talking quietly about baseball. Jasper was on his high school's junior team and played in the shortstop position.

"Okay, Alice. What about this one?" I asked as I grabbed a metallic purple hue off the shelf that looked almost identical to her outfit.

She held it up to her stomach to compare the colours. "I love it, Bella." She replied, wrapping me in tight hug.

"Oh, hey, Alice. What about these nail decals? There's some little white daisies that would match your tutu." I took them off the shelf and showed them to her.

"Those are so cool. Will you put them on for me?" She asked.

"Of course I will. But we'll do it the night before the recital, so they don't get ruined. Okay?" Alice nodded in excitement. I really should have asked Esme if it was alright that I was doing this for Alice. I didn't know what rules she had for her. I instantly felt bad for promising this to Alice.

Edward must have noticed the concern on my face. He walked over and put his arm around my shoulder. "What's wrong, honey?" He whispered in my ear.

"Oh, nothing. We'll talk about later, okay." I smiled up at him, not wanting him to think it was serious, but at the same time, not wanting to bring my concerns up around Alice.

"Hey, Jasper." I heard from behind me. It was a bubbly, but sweet girl's voice. Edward and I both turned to see a really cute girl about Jasper's age walking towards us.

"Oh, my gosh! I love you hair. When did you get it cut?" She gushed at him before he could even say hello.

"Um, hi, Maria. Thanks. Uh, Bella just cut it this morning." He stuttered out, his cheeks blushing darker by the minute. It was priceless. So this was the girl that he was telling us about this morning.

Jasper was right, she had gorgeous, long dark hair, and a really pretty face. She was quite short, only about 5' or 5'1" and she was a little bit chubby, but it took nothing away from her beauty. Her personality, however, was what I liked about her the most. She seemed to know that Jasper was shy, but didn't treat him any differently. She just kept asking him questions and was patient, waiting for him to answer her. There were no teenaged eye rolls, or snickers.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She turned to face Edward and I. "I didn't introduce myself. How rude of me." She giggled sweetly. "I'm Maria Hale, Jasper's friend. We have math class together."

Edward extended his hand out to shake hers. "I'm Edward, Jasper's brother, and this is my girlfriend, Bella. That little one doing pirouettes in the aisle is Alice, our little sister. It's a pleasure to meet you, Maria."

"Hi guys, nice to meet you. Bella, you did such an amazing job on Jasper's hair." I really liked her. She was Jasper's polar opposite, being so outspoken, but it seemed to be quite a perfect balance.

"Thanks, Maria. You have beautiful hair, yourself." I added, knowing that, at 15 years old, complements were always needed to help out a girl's self image.

"Thanks. I've always had it long. I think I'd be way to scared to cut it, you know?" She answered, before turning back to look at Jasper, who was hanging on every word she was saying. This was so sweet. I wondered if this is what Edward and I looked like to everyone else.

"Yeah, um, Maria?" Jasper spoke up on his own. I was so excited. "I was, uh, do you, um, would you like to come over after school on Monday?"

He spoke quickly and quietly, but by the glowing look on Maria's face, I knew she had heard every word. "Yes." She blurted out immediately, then giggled again. "I mean, I would love to, but I have to ask my mom. Is that okay?" She turned and looked at Edward and I.

I decided I'd help Jasper out a little with the details. "That sounds fine, Maria. We're all going to be there, making pizzas, watching a movie. It will kind of be like a group thing, you know?" I asked, hoping to aid in her explanation to her mother.

"Okay. I'll let you know on Monday, Jasper." She added. "Well, it was nice to meet you guys, but I have run. Oh, and I really like your hair." She said for what must have been the third time, before she quickly reached out and touched his hair by his cheek. "Bye."

As she walked away, Jasper let out a sigh. Edward walked up to him and put his arm around his shoulder. "Good job, buddy." He laughed, patting Jasper's shoulder. "Now we just have to wait and see if Emmett has the guts to ask Rose to join us."


	9. Girl Talk and Catch of the Day

**A/N - Thanks again, everyone. I love getting your reviews! Here's a little family time!**

Chapter 9 - Girl Talk and Catch of the Day

We got back to Edward's house around five. Carlisle and Charlie would be back within the hour. I really needed to talk to Esme about my promise to Alice. I was really worried about it. Even though I was so comfortable around the Cullens, I had to remember that I had just met them yesterday.

Edward and Jasper went upstairs to fill Emmett in on the new 'Maria development.' Alice went up to her room to change before supper. She didn't want to get pizza on it.

I walked into the kitchen to find Esme pulling a batch of cookies out of the oven.

"Esme?" I asked tentatively.

She looked up at me with a warm smile, that was quickly replaced with a look of concern. "What is it, Bella? Is everything okay?" She asked worriedly.

"I hope so. Edward and I took Jasper and Alice to the drug store. We were getting Jasper some gel for his hair." I looked down. "Anyway, I promised Alice I would paint her fingernails for the dance recital, and then I bought her some nail polish. I know I should have asked you first. I shouldn't have just assumed that I could do it for her. If you don't want me to, I can explain it to her." I was rambling. I was nervous. This was the mother of the man I loved, and I didn't want to cause problems.

"Bella, sweetheart. Don't worry so much." She came over to me and wrapped her arm around me. "If this is something you want to do with Alice, then go right ahead. I'm not very strict with my kids and let them express themselves however they see fit. But, thank you so much for coming to me." She turned and gave me a tight hug. "I'm so glad that you and Edward found each other. You're perfect." She whispered, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

I wasn't used to the affection that the Cullens were so comfortable with, but I was finding that it was something that I had definitely missed with my own mother.

I visibly relaxed. "Thanks so much, Esme. I cannot believe how welcoming you all have been, and how comfortable I feel around you all." I blushed. "It's the same way with Edward. I mean, we only met after spring break, and I feel like I've known him and loved him for so much longer."

"You know, Bella. I think Emmett hinted at it yesterday, but Edward did talk about you for weeks before he met you." She laughed. "He called home one day in February and said 'Mom, I think I've found the woman of my dreams.' It was so sweet. His brothers kept bugging him to talk to you, but he was so nervous." She turned and grabbed my hand. "You know, Emmett almost drove him crazy over spring break. He went back to school determined to make his move. He called home that night that you were paired up in class. He was so excited. We all couldn't believe that you were Charlie's daughter."

"I know. Really, what are the odds that he grew up about fifteen minutes from my dad's place?" I giggled. I loved hearing all this about Edward. I knew he loved me, but it's always nice to hear it from someone else. I had no idea that he was telling his family about me since that first day we made eye contact.

"It's funny, Charlie and Carlisle have been friends for years, and he would often talk about you, Bella."

"Why didn't I meet you all on Christmas break? I was home for two weeks." I asked curiously.

"Well, we all went to Chicago to visit my parents. Edward is named after his grandpa Edward Mason, my dad. They have always been really close, despite the distance."

"That is so great. I really love how large your family is, and how close you all are. I am so used to being alone. My mom was always at work, and I would see my dad sometimes when he came to visit, but not nearly enough." I decided that this summer, I was really going to get to know my dad. It almost seemed that Cullens knew Charlie better than I did. I was going to start tomorrow. It was time for a father/daughter day.

"Oh, Bella. I already see you as part of the family."

"Kids. We caught dinner." Carlisle called out as he and my dad walked in the kitchen door with four large pizza boxes.

I laughed, as Esme whispered to me, "He says the same thing every Saturday."

I have no idea how all four of the Cullen kids heard their dad from upstairs, but we heard the stampede of feet running down the stairs for dinner.

I turned to watch them all run into the kitchen, laughing and pushing each other out of the way, to make it in the room first.

Edward came straight over to me and kissed my forehead. "Hey, Bella. Is everything okay?" He whispered in my ear, before looking at my eyes to read my expression.

I smiled at him. He remembered my worried expression from the drug store and was still concerned about me. I loved this man. "Yes. Edward. I couldn't be better." I wrapped my arms around his waist and gave him a quick squeeze. "I love you." It didn't hurt to keep affirming my feelings for him.

He put his hands on my face, and lowered his face to mine. "I love you, too, Bella. So, so much." He leaned forward and kissed my lips so softly.

"Okay, lovebirds. Are you going to come and eat? Emmett's already eyeing his third slice." My dad called from the dining room.

I blushed, feeling my cheeks on fire. When I was with Edward, I could easily forget there were others around us. Edward smiled and me, took my hand, and led me into the dining room.

I sat between my dad and Edward, and grabbed a slice of Hawaiian. "So, dad. Catch anything besides pizza?" I asked him, trying desperately to take the attention off of me and Edward. This love stuff was new territory for me.

"Ha ha, Bells. As a matter of fact, we each brought home two nice sized trout." Charlie said proudly.

"That's great, chief." Edward added.

"Bella, you did an incredible job on the boys' hair." Esme added.

"Thanks, Esme. They were all good sports. I had fun." I answered proudly.

"So, we're playing baseball tomorrow, boys?" Carlisle asked, thankfully keeping the subject off of mine and Edward's earlier PDA.

"Yes. I can't wait to play again." Edward added. "We'll go over some of the plays for Jazz's practice on Tuesday." He turned to look at me. "Did you want to come out with us, tomorrow, honey?"

"Um, actually, I was thinking of spending the day with my dad, tomorrow." Edward nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. I looked up at Charlie to see a slow smile spreading on his face. I knew he had missed me, as much as I had missed him.

"That's great, Bella." Esme added with a smile. She knew that our talk about Edward's family earlier had really made me long for time with my own.

"Dad, maybe I can cook up some of that fish for supper, tomorrow." I added, not really knowing what to say. I really didn't want Edward to think I didn't want to spend time with him, especially after our declaration of love this afternoon. But, at the same time, I had to work out a healthy balance between getting to know my dad after years apart, and developing a new, but serious relationship with Edward.

"Sounds good, Bells." My dad looked over at Edward with a knowing smirk. "Edward, would you like to join us for supper?"

Edward's face lit up, and I'm sure mine did, too. It was so important to me that my dad, not only approved of this relationship, but was encouraging it as well. "I would love to. Thank you, sir." I felt Edward's hand grab and squeeze mine under the table.


	10. Father Daughter Talk

**A/N - This one is a bit of a shorty, but it's important. We learn a little more about Bella's past. This is my take on Charlie, as well. He's not as shy as the traditional Charlie. Thanks again for the reviews and for all the favorites and alerts. Big hugs to you all!**

Chapter 10 - Father/Daughter Talk

I left the Cullens' house about an hour later with my dad. It was nice spending time together with everyone I loved in one room. It was too bad that my mom couldn't be here as well, but I hoped that maybe I would get a chance to go visit her later this summer.

On our way out of the house, my dad and I were standing at the door, get hugs from everyone. I was looking around for Edward, but I didn't see him. I wasn't going to leave without seeing him, and I couldn't believe he wouldn't be here to kiss me goodbye. I heard my dad open the front door and turned to tell him that I was going to find Edward before we left. But, I didn't have to, because standing at the door, was Edward with a white daisy. He must have picked a small wildflower from the front yard. He was so sweet, keeping up our tradition from school.

"I didn't forget, sugar." He said into my hair, after I ran up to him and wrapped my arms around him. He looked down at me and kissed the end of my nose. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Thank you, Edward. It's beautiful." I told him as he walked me to the truck, holding my hand in his.

"You're welcome, Bella. I'm sorry that I'm trying to monopolize all your time. I didn't mean to try and keep you from your dad. Just tell me if you get sick of me and you want…"

I didn't let him finish. "Edward, stop. You're not monopolizing me, you're not keeping me from my dad, and I definitely won't get sick of you. You are the sweetest boy on the planet, and I love you with all my heart. Just talking to your mom this morning, got me thinking how much I've missed my dad."

"You getting in Bells?" My dad asked through the opened passenger side window from inside the truck.

"Yes, dad." I turned back to Edward and reached my hands up to his face, signalling to him that I wanted him to lean down to me. He complied. I gave his lips a quick kiss. "I love you." I whispered.

"Thank you, Bella. I love you, too." He reached up and opened the truck door for me. He surprised me by grabbing my waist and lifting me up into the truck.

"Edward!" I laughed.

"Goodnight, Edward." My dad said, with a chuckle. "We'll see you tomorrow night around six. You think you'll be okay without her?" My dad nodded his head in my direction.

Edward laughed, but I sensed he wasn't joking when he answered. "I'll try, sir. You two have a good day tomorrow." He stepped back and closed the truck door.

"See you tomorrow night, Edward." I called out the window, as my dad backed out and turned to drive back out the narrow road and onto the main highway.

I watched in the side mirror, as Edward stood outside waving until I couldn't see him anymore. My dad was still laughing quietly to himself. "You've got that boy wrapped around your finger, Bells." He added.

"Dad!" I sighed, embarrassed to be talking about Edward with my dad.

"It's true, Bells. He hangs on your every word."

"Really?" I asked him, now more curious than embarrassed.

"I was watching him over dinner. He loves you, Bell. He looks at you the way I looked at your mom." That comment meant a lot to me. I always knew how much my dad loved my mom. I'm almost positive that he still did love her that much.

My mom, however, was a workaholic, working close to eighty hours a week in the corporate world. She went to school for management right after I was born. There weren't any opportunities for her here. Forks was holding her back. She took me and left Charlie when I was four years old. She was a partner in an accounting firm in Phoenix, and I grew up alone and without my dad. Last summer, she had married a co-worker, Phil, and they decided to transfer to Jacksonville, Florida to open a new branch of the office.

I wish that she reciprocated the love that Charlie had for her. I wish she loved me as much as her work.

When the choice came for me to choose a college, I didn't hesitate to leave Arizona. I missed my dad, and I was happy to come back to where I always felt I belonged.

But, now, not only did I have my dad's love, I had Edward's, and that of his entire family. I will never regret leaving Arizona.

"I love him, too, dad." I said quietly.

"I know you do." He chuckled again, this time a little nervously. "You're feelings were easier to read then Edward's."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"I missed you, dad." I said, getting a little teary eyed.

"I missed you, too, Bells." He cleared his throat. "Okay, we're home. Let's get these fish into the freezer."

I was glad that he changed the subject. It was good that we got the sentimental subjects out of the way now, so that tomorrow would be light-hearted and fun.

After putting the fish away, we sat in the living room and watched the last half of the Mariners game together.

At nine-thirty, I headed up to my room. I threw on a pair of cotton sleep pants and a black tank before crawling onto my bed. I picked up my phone and sent Edward a quick text. 'I love you and I miss you already. See you tomorrow. B.'

I sent my phone down on my pillow and grabbed the gossip magazine I got at the drug store from my nightstand. After eight months of university, there would be no involved reading for this girl.

I just flipped open the cover, when my phone vibrated.

I opened the text. 'Thank god you sent the first text. I didn't want to seem too clingy. I'll see you in just over 20 hours. I love you, baby. Sweet dreams. E.'

He was actually counting down the hours until dinner. I rolled over onto my back, clutching the phone to my heart. I was in love.


	11. A Day with Dad

**A/N - Thanks again for all the hits, reviews, alerts and favorites! I'm honoured! Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! This chapter is dedicated to Charlie!**

Chapter 11 - A Day with Dad

I woke up the next day at eight o'clock. I took a quick shower, dried my hair and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a nice t-shirt.

I headed downstairs to see my dad at the stove scrabbling eggs. "Smells great, dad." I said.

"Hey, Bells. I'm pretty excited about today." He answered, though still facing the stove.

"I can see that. Thanks for breakfast." He turned and scooped out some eggs on plates for each of us. He sat down across from me. "So what's the plan for today?" I asked.

"Well, I was thinking of taking you down to the station to meet the guys. I talk about you all the time. It will be nice to prove you're real." He laughed. I was looking forward to meeting the guys. My dad's work was really important to him. It was pretty much all he had after my mom and I left.

"Sounds good."

"I'm glad you think so. Then, I was thinking of taking you down to the shooting range. Everyone should learn gun safety." He looked at me warily. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think it sounds perfect." I was willing do anything my dad had in mind. I was going to use this summer to learn about my dad and what I had missed for fourteen years.

We pulled into the station at about ten o'clock. I was a little nervous to meet the guys. I know dad's bragged, but I had no idea what they thought of me.

"You won't get to meet Heidi or Mark today because it's their day off, like it is mine. But, I'm sure you'll get to meet them some time soon."

"Okay, sounds good." I answered. That meant I only had three cops to meet. The Forks police department only had six officers because the town was so small.

I followed my dad in the door. We walked up to the front desk and were met by the receptionist. "Hey, Sue." My dad said to the Native American woman, about forty-five years old.

"Hey, Chief." She said with a warm smile. "Is this the beautiful Bella, we've heard so much about?"

I blushed. "Yes it is, and I've got her home for a whole four months." My dad answered proudly.

"That's great. Nice to meet you Bella." She said warmly.

"It's nice to meet you, too." I stuck out my hand and she took it in hers, covering both with her other hand. It was such a motherly gesture. I liked her already.

"Come on, Bells. Come meet the guys." I smiled warmly at Sue, before following my dad around the desk and back into the office. There were six desks in the large room, three along the left, and three along the right side of the room. They all faced towards the main center aisle. My dad led me to the largest desk at the back left of the room. I guess being the chief had its perks.

He wheeled up a chair from the desk beside his. "Have a seat, Bells." He sat down in his chair beside me.

I looked around the place he spent most of his time. There were papers in fairly neat stacks all over the desk. I reached forward and grabbed a hinged photo frame off of the corner of his desk. There were two photos. One was of me and my dad from when I was around four years old. It must have been taken just before my mom and I moved. The photo on the right was my high school graduation photo that I had sent him last year.

"So, this is it This is where I work." My dad said with a sigh, reclining back into his chair.

"It's great, dad." I giggled to myself. "I can't believe you keep it so neat."

"Oh, that's just because he knew you'd be coming." I turned to my right to see a young officer, maybe about twenty-five, leaning against the front of his desk. He stepped forward, extending his hand to me with a large smile on his face. "Officer Black. A pleasure to meet you, Bella."

I shook his hand lightly. "Nice to meet you, too, officer." I replied. He was Native American and had short cropped, black hair and a huge, white smile.

"You can call me Jake." He answered with a laugh.

"Okay, Jake I'm sorry I took your chair." I really didn't know what to say to him. He seemed really friendly, but I was never one for easy conversation with people I didn't know. Plus, he kept smiling at me.

"That's fine, you keep it." He answered politely.

"Yes, Bella, you keep it. This kid sits enough." My dad laughed.

"Hey. We've got company." I heard. I looked up to see to two more officers walk towards my dad's desk. The one on the left, was a older man, around his mid-fifties, with salt and pepper hair. On the right, was a young dark haired man, in his mid-thirties.

"Guys, this is my daughter, Bella. Bella, this is Sergeant Felix Robertson and Deputy Alec Barrelli." My dad introduced me proudly.

"Hey, Bella, it's so nice to finally meet you." Felix said.

"You guys, too." I said quietly.

"So, you're in college, Bella?" Jake asked, even though I was almost 100% confident that he already knew the answer to this question.

"Yes. Just finished my first year. I'm really looking forward to the break this summer." I laughed nervously.

My cell phone beeped in my coat pocket. "Excuse me." I said, looking down at my new text message. 'Seven and a half hours. We're just heading out to the diamond. Love you. E.' I couldn't help the huge smile that broke out across my face.

"Edward?" My dad said, more of a statement than a question.

"Yes." I could feel my face burning, as all three of the officers were watching me, too.

As if my dad could sense my unease, he stood up. "Okay, guys. We're heading out. We've got things to do today."

He walked around to the front of his desk. I followed behind him.

"It was nice to meet you all." I said as we were leaving.

"You, too, Bella." Jake answered.

"Yeah, Bella. Come back when you have time to hear some embarrassing stories about your dad." Alec laughed.

"Okay, okay." Charlie laughed, even though he was trying to be serious.

"See you both later." Felix said and we made it to the front desk.

"Have a good day, Chief, Bella." Sue said as we walked out the door.

"Bye, Sue." I said as we left.

We got back in the truck and my dad drove about ten minutes until we made it to what looked like an outdoor shooting range.

We both hopped out of the truck and made our way inside the hut. It had walls on three sides and was opened in the front, facing out to the targets.

My dad brought out his service weapon. "Okay, Bella. This is a .40 calibre handgun. It packs a bigger punch than the 9mm, but there's not as much recoil as the .45 calibre. The clip is loaded with fifteen shots. Okay, Bells. Put on your hearing protection." He said as he passed me what looked like large headphones.

"Now, aim at that thirty yard target. Take in a breath, let it out, take in your next breath and hold it. Gently squeeze the trigger. Don't pull it back hard. It should surprise you when it fires." My dad was saying these instructions loud, so I could hear him with my hearing protection on.

I was nervous, but excited. He passed me the gun and I held it out with shaky hands.

"I'll take the safety off." He moved the little lever down with his thumb.

"Calm down, Bells. You're doing everything right." My dad yelled so I could hear him. He was standing just behind me and to my right.

I did as he instructed, taking an extra deep breath for good measure. I squeezed off the first shot. He was right, I was surprised. The gun kicked back a little, the recoil illustrating how much power I held in my hands.

"Wow." I said, more to myself.

"Great job, Bells. You hit the target, but you were a bit high. Try it again." He sounded excited. I was happy that he was happy.

I took in another few breaths. This time, I was closer to the mark. By the fifteenth shot, and a lot of encouragement from my dad, I had managed to get one shot on the edge of the bull's eye.

My dad took the gun back from me, removing the clip and setting it down on the bench.

While my dad went to get my target for me, I bent down and picked up one of the spent casings and putting it in my pocket. Let's face it. I loved mementos.

"You did good, Bella." My dad said beaming.

"Thanks, dad. I guess I had a great teacher." I said before hugging him.

I took the target and folded it up. I couldn't wait to show it to Edward.


	12. Dinner with my Boys

**A/N - Edward is back! I apologize for the lack of our favorite boy last chapter, but sometimes it need to be done! Summer Vacation got 400 hits yesterday! So exciting! Thank you all!**

Chapter 12 - Dinner with my Boys.

After watching my dad shoot a few targets, and give me demonstration of how to use the 12 gauge shotgun, we decided to head in to the diner for a quick lunch at around one o'clock. We talked easily about some of our most memorable stories over the last years.

I told him how laughable I was in ballet class when I was six, and he told me about how he and Carlisle had flipped their boat last summer.

After lunch, we went to the grocery store to stock up on supplies for dinner. I decided to make tomato basil chicken with roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables. I chose not to go with the fish, like I had originally planned, because I had no idea if Edward liked it. I knew Esme didn't, but I thought chicken was a safe option.

We got home at around three, and after unpacking all the groceries. We sat at the table together and I watched as my dad took apart and cleaned every nook and cranny of his .40 cal. He explained all the pieces and how they worked. While anyone else might be bored, I paid very close attention. I was interested in this because my dad was.

After about an hour, I decided to get the chicken in the oven. Nothing like slow roasting. My dad laid down on the couch for a nap, and I got to work in the kitchen. I wanted this to be perfect. This was the first time I'd be cooking for my two favourite guys.

After putting the chicken in the oven, I sent Edward a text. 'Two hours. XOXO.'

I got out all my ingredients and started coarsely chopping my potatoes. I seasoned them and put them on a baking sheet.

I headed upstairs to change. I pulled on a knee length black skirt and a pink sweater with a scoop neck and three-quarter length sleeves. I brushed out my hair and pulled the front back with couple of pins.

I came back down the stairs and set the table. I was just setting out the last of the silverware when my dad walked into the kitchen.

"Good nap, dad?" I asked, laughing quietly because he looked a little rumpled.

"Yeah." He stretched. "You look nice. I'd better go make myself presentable." He laughed.

"Supper will be ready in about an hour." I called.

I walked back over to the counter to prepare the tomato sauce and vegetables.

My phone beeped. I grabbed it off the counter. 'I can't wait. Can I come early? E.' I laughed. He was so sweet

I wrote back. 'Of course. B.'

Just as I set my phone down, the doorbell rang. I ran to the door and opened it. Edward was standing there with a single red flower in his hand. "You really missed me, huh?" I laughed.

"Every second." He chucked, stepping closer and pulling me into his arms. "You look stunning, sugar."

I pulled back. "Thank you." He gave me the flower. "It's beautiful, Edward. What kind is it?" I asked, knowing it wasn't one he had picked from the garden.

"It's an aster. They symbolize patience. Thank you for being so understanding and patient with me." He traced the back of his finger along my cheek. "I tried not to bother you too much today. But, Bella, being apart from you today illustrated to me just how much I love you."

"Aww. I love you, too, Edward. I missed you today." He leaned down and kissed my lips softly.

"Okay, sit down. Out of my way, Edward. I'm cooking and you're distracting me." I laughed, only partially joking.

"Yes, darling." Edward chuckled, as he sat down sideways on a kitchen chair so he was facing me.

I turned back to the counter, mixing up the sauce and then opening up the oven and pouring the mixture over the chicken.

I put the vegetables in the steamer and turned back to look at Edward.

He had a lazy smile on his face. "I could watch you all day, angel. Did I tell you how beautiful you are, yet?

"Um, no. Stunning, yes. But, I don't think you've said beautiful, yet." I joked.

"Then I apologize. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on." He said smoothly.

I laughed at his attempt at flattery, even though inside I was squealing in excitement.

"Hello, Edward." My dad said as he walked into the kitchen. "Couldn't stay away, huh?" He chuckled.

"No, sir." Edward answered shyly, his face turning a little bit pink from my dad's teasing. My dad patted Edward's shoulder as he came around the table to sit in the other seat. I thought it was cute that Edward was acting a little shy around my dad today. Normally, he seemed so relaxed around him.

"So, what are you making us, Bells. It smells amazing." My dad asked.

"Oh, thanks dad. It's tomato basil chicken, roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables."

"That sounds so good, babe, um, Bella." Edward stammered. I couldn't hold back and I burst out laughing. My dad was chuckling, too. "What?" Edward asked nervously, rubbing his hands on his legs. That was the first time I had seen him do that since we had been home.

"You are so cute. Relax, Edward." I said, coming up behind him and rubbing his shoulders. "Now you know what I felt like meeting your family on Friday." I said softly by his ear.

He laughed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"So, Edward, how was baseball practice?" My dad asked, trying to get Edward to feel more at ease.

"Oh, It was great to get out there and play again. Jasper is incredibly talented. He's going to go far in this sport, for sure."

"Did you play baseball in high school, Edward?" I asked. The more I thought about it, today, the more I realized that I didn't know about him. And I wanted to know everything. It was weird for me to think that my dad knew more about my boyfriend than I did.

"Yeah. I played second base in high school for all four years. But I've been playing all my life, really. I was in little league since I was six. Both Em and Jazz were, too. But when he got to high school, Emmett switched over to football. He still likes to play baseball with us, but he likes the contact sports more."

"That's really cool, Edward." I said. "I would love to watch you guys play sometime."

"We'll be playing all summer if I have anything to say about it. I had really missed playing. Today was amazing. I loved just getting out there in the fresh air." Edward sounded so excited when he talked about baseball. I couldn't wait to learn more about his past.

"When's Jasper's next game?" My dad asked.

"Saturday afternoon." Edward answered. "I'm excited to see him play competitively."

Who would have thought that getting him talking about sports would have relaxed Edward so much.

I got from the table and took dinner out of the oven. I put everything out on the table. "Dig in guys."

"Thanks, Bells." My dad said.

I felt Edward squeeze my knee and smile up at me. "It looks so good. I can't believe I've never tried your cooking before."

"That's because there's no stove in the dorms, Edward." I laughed. "I wish there was. I really missed cooking." It was true. I had always cooked for myself back in Phoenix, as my mom was rarely home. "You know, it's nice cooking for someone other than myself." I said.

"Well, you're welcome to cook for us anytime, right Edward?" My dad laughed. I knew he didn't like to hear about how my mom had left me alone.

"I'll have to agree with that, sir." Edward answered with a laugh. "This is amazing, honey."

I blushed at all the attention, yet I loved every minute of it.


	13. Memory Lane

**A/N - You are all incredible! I am overwhelmed by the hits this little fic is getting! Thank you so much! Have some Sweetward!**

Chapter 13 - Memory Lane

After dinner, my dad went to watch some TV and left me and Edward in the kitchen, so we could spend a little time alone. I got up to wash the dishes. I felt Edward come up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist. He rested his cheek on the top of my head. "It feels good to have you back in my arms, angel." Edward sighed in contentment.

"Well, I like being in your arms." I answered back.

"Thank you for dinner. It was amazing. You are an artist in the kitchen, babe."

I laughed. I felt his lips press on the top of my head before he let me go. "Hey, come back. I was comfortable." I teased.

"Don't you want me to dry these dishes for you?" He said with an innocent smirk.

"No, come back. I missed you." I pouted.

Edward leaned in and kissed my bottom lip. "You're cute when you pout, you know." He laughed. "Now, get busy, sugar. I want to take you for a walk before I go home."

I started washing the dishes and just before I could set a plate or fork on the draining rack, Edward would take it from my hand. We would laugh every time. Even something as monotonous as washing dishes was fun with him.

While we were standing at the sink, I told Edward about my day with my dad. He listened intently to every word I said when I spoke. Edward and I were not just dating. He was my best friend. I could tell him anything and know that he was truly listening.

After the dishes were dried, I put them away. Edward tried, but couldn't find where anything went. "It isn't that confusing, Edward." I laughed. "The kitchen is fairly small."

"Okay, okay, smarty pants." Edward laughed, spanking me as he walked by to sit in chair and wait for me.

"Come on. I want to show you my target." I grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him up. He followed me up to my bedroom.

When we got to my room, I closed my door and went over to my desk to get my target. Edward sat on the edge of my bed. I turned around and held it up. "I hit the edge of the bull's eye, Edward. Can you believe it?" I told him excitedly.

Edward took it from me, looking it over. "You are a pretty good shot, babe." Edward had a smirk on his face. "What I wouldn't give to watch you shoot." He laughed.

"That's a good idea, Edward. My dad could take both of us sometime. I'll ask him, okay?"

"Absolutely. I wouldn't miss that opportunity for anything." Edward said.

"You're crazy, Edward." I laughed.

"Crazy in love." Edward answered with a smile.

"You're cheesy, too." I said. Edward opened his mouth in shock, then he started laughing.

I took my target and set it back on my desk. I walked over to him and stood in front of him. I leaned down and kissed him. "I love you, too, Edward." I said against his lips.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer, laying his head on my stomach. "Mmmm." Edward hummed. "I could stay like this forever."

"I could, too, in theory. But, since this is real life, I have to use the bathroom." I laughed, a little embarrassed. I hated that I had to pee, but with Edward squeezing me all the time, I just couldn't hold it.

"God, I love you, Bella Swan." He laughed, letting me go. "I'll go after you, if you don't mind, then I'd like to go for a walk, if you want."

"Of course I want to, Edward. I'll be right back." I said as I walked out of room, and into the bathroom. After washing my hands, I brushed out my hair, and put on Edward's favourite strawberry lip gloss. I knew he would just kiss it off, but that was sort of the point of putting it on in the first place.

I walked back into my room. "You're turn." Edward stood up, and walked over to me. He leaned down and kissed me quickly, licking his lips. "I'm going to change into jeans."

"Okay. I'll be back in a sec." Edward closed my bedroom door as he left so I could change.

I pulled my skirt off and walked over to my closet, grabbing a clean pair of jeans off of a hanger. I pulled them on, then went over to my sock drawer and started putting on my socks and running shoes. "Baby? Can I come in?" Edward asked through the door.

"Yeah." Edward came back in my room. "Okay, I'm ready. Where are you taking me?" I said standing up and walking over to him, taking his hand in mine.

"I'm going to show you my Forks. The places that were special to me when I was growing up."

"Oh, Edward. That is so sweet. I'm excited."

"I'm glad you think so. I hope one day, you can show me your Phoenix." I squeezed his hand.

"I would love to."

I loved the idea that same city could be different to everyone in it. The locations that mean nothing to someone else, can be sites of monumental importance to someone else. A city changed depending on the eyes you looked at it through.

We walked down the stairs. I looked in the living room, and my dad was asleep on the couch. I grabbed a notepad from the counter and wrote a note for him so he would know where I was. 'Went for a walk with Edward. Bella.'

I grabbed a light coat on the way out, grabbed my house keys and locked the door behind us. Edward led us to his car, and opened the passenger side door for me. "I thought we were going for a walk." I laughed as I got in.

Edward walked around to his side of the car and got in. "We are. But we have to drive to our starting point. Is that okay?" He chuckled.

"Of course. So where to?" I asked.

"Well, since Forks is so big, and we have all summer, I thought we'd start small and just go to a couple important sites." He joked.

We pulled up outside the diner where my dad and I had lunch this afternoon. Edward got out of the car and came around to open my door. "The tour begins." We walked into the diner. "This is where I had my first job. I was a busboy and dishwasher here during the summer when I was sixteen."

We walked up to the counter. "Hey, Billy." Edward said. "Can we get a small coffee and small hot chocolate to go?" I hated the taste of coffee. After our dates at the coffee shop at school, Edward had learned that I always drank hot chocolate instead of coffee.

"Absolutely, Edward. Coming right up." As Billy got our drinks, Edward and I sat on the little red stools along the counter.

"So, what did you spend all your hard earned money on?" I asked, honestly curious.

"I bought an acoustic guitar." He answered.

"Really? I didn't know you played." I was honestly surprised. I had never heard Edward play, or even talk about his guitar. And I know he didn't have one in his dorm room.

"I do. I saved up, bought the guitar at the end of the summer and then took lessons once a week during my junior year."

"You're drinks, Edward." Billy said from behind the counter.

"Thanks, Billy. See you later, man." Edward put five dollars on the counter, got off his stool, and took my hand, helping me down. We each grabbed our drink and walked back out of the diner.

"Why didn't you bring your guitar to college with you?" I asked as we held hands and walked down the street.

"I don't know. It sort of feels like home to me. So, I left it at home to remind me that, while I did I go away to school, I wasn't gone for good." He shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense out loud, does it?"

"Yes, Edward it does. I can only imagine how hard it was on you, and your family, when you left for college. You're guitar shows them that you're not gone forever. Because if you left for good, you would take what was most important to you. You would have taken the guitar."

"I love you, baby. I can't get over how well you understand me." Edward said.

"I love you, Edward. Thank you for sharing that with me." I said, happy to be learning more about him.

"I want you to know everything. That's why I brought you here. I'm not trying to keep things from you, Bella. It's just that I have never had anyone I wanted to open up to, until you."

I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and wrapped my arms around his waist, being careful not to spill my drink. "Will you play for me, sometime?" I asked him.

"Absolutely, angel. Anything you want, you can have." He rubbed my back. "Now, come on. I'd like to go one more place tonight and it's going to get dark soon."

He took my hand and we walked about six blocks until we got to Forks Elementary School. "Alice's school?" I asked.

"Yeah. We all went here." Edward kept walking until we ended up in the small playground. We walked up to a swing set. I sat down on one of the swings. Edward came up behind me and started pushing me.

I laughed. I loved how carefree I felt, flying through the air, with Edward behind me. "So, why is this playground so important to you?" I asked.

"Well, see that baseball diamond to your left? That's where I played my first little league game. It's where I taught Jasper to hit a baseball."

"That's so sweet." I added.

"These school grounds are where I was in my first fist fight, when I was ten years old." He continued.

"What was the fight about?" I asked, trying to imagine Edward as a little boy, with his beautiful green eyes and messy bronze hair.

"A girl." He laughed. "I was just defending myself, really. Little Lauren Mallory walked up to me out of no where, with no warning and kissed me right on the lips, my first kiss. It was right over there, by the jungle gym." He stopped pushing me and I began to slow down. "Anyway, this kid, Tyler Crowley, walks up to me at the end of recess and tells me that Lauren was his girlfriend. Then, he punched me in the stomach."

"Aww, Edward." I came to a stop and got off the swing. Edward walked over to a bench at the edge of the playground. I walked with him and sat beside him, snuggling up next to him, as it was getting cool. "What happened next?"

"Well, I punched him back, hitting him right on the nose. His nose just started bleeding like crazy. It scared me, to be honest." He laughed. "We both got sent to the principal's office."

"So, you were always this cute, huh?" I teased, pinching his side. "The girls loved you and the boys were jealous of you."

"I don't know. It only matters if you think I'm cute." He laughed.

"Edward. You are the cutest boy I've ever seen. I wish I could have grown up with you." I added longingly.

"Oh, baby, I would have had to have been in a lot more fights to keep the boys away from you." Edward said, trying to cheer me up. He wrapped his arm around me and gave me a squeeze, looking down at my face.

I laughed. "Well, we wouldn't have wanted that, would we?"

"No. Now come on. Let's get you home. It's getting cold out here." He stood up. I stood with him. He wrapped his warm arm around me and we started our walk back to his car.


	14. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

**A/N - I will start every chapter with my thank yous. You are all amazing! Over 500 hits for the last two days! I'm blown away! Thanks to everyone that is reading this and to those that review, alert and favorite.**

**I would like to give a special thanks to Lady Lily of the Darkness, A is for Angel, jerseyhalliwell and misscullenwannabe95 for reviewing after every chapter! I really appriciate it!**

**Also, thanks go to my friend Trixxie for all her kind words and encouragement when I was starting this fic.**

**And, my sister is now reading this! I laugh hysterically watching her face as she reads my writing for the first time!**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 14 - Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

After driving me home, giving me a warm kiss on the porch, and with a reluctant goodbye, Edward went home. I walked in the house and found my dad watching the sports channel.

"Hey, dad. You're awake." I said with a laugh, going to sit with him on the couch.

"Yeah, yeah. After a good meal, I always need a nap." He chuckled.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it, dad."

"Did Edward go home?" My dad asked. I think he was trying to get information on where we went, without actually asking for it. It was cute and it made me feel like a teenager. I loved it. This is what I missed with my dad.

"Yeah. He just dropped me off." I thought I might help him out, and give him a little more information. "We went to the diner for hot chocolate and then we went to the park."

"Oh, yeah. That sounds nice." My dad said.

"It was." We sat quietly for a while. It was nice just being home.

"So, dad? What's you're shift this week at the station?" I wanted to know how to schedule my time, so I could balance time with my dad and Edward.

"Oh, yeah. I'll bring home a copy of the schedule from work for you. But this week, I work from noon to eleven." Being chief, he tended to work ten hour days, with an hour meal break.

"Okay, cool. So what time do you want me to make breakfast?" I wanted to be as helpful as I could, seeing as I would just be relaxing and hanging around my house, or Edward's, this summer.

"You don't have to do that, Bells." My dad said.

"I want to. Now what time?" I teased.

"Eight is fine. Are you sure you can be up that early?" He joked.

"Dad. I used to have an eight o'clock class." I laughed. "Okay, so I'm going to be at Edward's tomorrow afternoon. Emmett and Jasper are having two girls from school over, so we're going to chaperone."

"The Cullen boys have dates, huh?" My dad chuckled to himself.

"Yeah. They're so cute. You should have seen how nervous they were." I smiled, remembering their confessions during their haircuts.

"Well, Bells, girls can be intimidating for guys, especially teenagers. Just take Edward for example. It took him weeks to get the courage to talk to you."

I laughed. "I still don't get that. I mean, how am I intimidating?"

"You're a pretty girl, Bells. Edward was probably scared of getting rejected." My dad added.

"Thanks for thinking that, dad, but really, what did Edward have to be worried about? As if I would have rejected him." I laughed. It was weird, but I found myself completely comfortable talking to my dad about guys. He had some great insights.

"Yes, Bella, you know that, and he knows that now, but he had no way of knowing what you were thinking before that. Being unsure of the outcome makes a guy insecure. That's what poor Jasper and Emmett are going through right now." He patted my foot and stood up. "Okay, Bells, I'm heading to bed. Good night."

"Good night, dad. I had a really great time today."

"I'm glad. I did, too. See you tomorrow." He walked up the stairs.

I laid back on the couch and closed my eyes. I had never been happier and more content in my life, as I was at that moment. I had a great boyfriend who loved me as much as I loved him, and I was getting reacquainted with my dad after fifteen years. I was living in Forks for the next four months, and I loved it here. Tomorrow, I was spending the day with the Cullens, who had become like a second family to me. Life was good.

I headed upstairs and got ready for bed. Once I had washed my face and got my pyjamas on, I laid in my bed and grabbed my phone. I dialled Edward's number. I rang twice.

"Hey, Bella. Is everything okay?" Edward answered, sounding a little concerned.

"Yes. Everything is perfect. I just wanted to thank you again for opening up to me tonight. I love you so much, Edward. I just wanted to say that before I went to sleep."

"Oh, honey. I love you, too. Thanks for calling. I love hearing your voice."

"I love hearing your voice, too, Edward."

"So, what time are you coming over tomorrow?" Edward asked excitedly.

"I was hoping you could come pick me up at around noon. My dad is working the afternoon shift this week."

"Sounds, great, baby. I'm excited that I get you sooner than I thought I would." He laughed. I loved his laugh. It was so natural and carefree.

"Maybe, we could stop at the grocery store and pick up the ingredients for the pizzas. Oh, and some munchies. Definitely munchies."

"You're really excited about this, aren't you?"

"I am. It's like a triple date, plus one." I laughed. "Hey, do you think Emmett's even going to ask Rose to come over?"

"I'm sure he will. He was inspired by Jasper." He laughed. "He doesn't think he would live it down, if Maria came over, and Rose didn't."

"Aww. You boys tease each other too much."

"Come on, Bella. Don't feel bad for him. He teased me mercilessly about you for weeks. He knows he's got this coming."

"Well, Edward," I teased, "maybe if you would have listened to him, we would have been together sooner."

"Oh, sugar, not you, too." He sighed.

"Edward, I'm kidding. You know, I wouldn't trade that month for anything. I waited for that smile you gave me twice a week." I sighed. "Do you know how hard spring break was for me? I missed you're pretty face, Edward."

"Pretty? Really, baby?" Edward laughed. "You are the pretty one out of the two of us."

"Say what you want, Edward, but those sexy, green eyes, that gorgeous hair, your chiselled cheekbones and pouty lips make for a very pretty combination."

"Well, if you put it that way, I guess I'm okay with you calling me pretty."

I laughed. "You are so adorable."

"You have a beautiful laugh, angel."

"So do you." I couldn't help, but yawn. I was so tired.

"Bella, you're tired. Hang up and get some sleep. I'll see you at noon on the dot. Okay?"

"Okay. But, I don't want to hang up." I whined. Wow. I must have been tired. I rarely whined.

"Bella, do I have to come over there?" Edward said teasingly.

"Yes." I laughed.

"Goodnight, baby. I love you."

"I love you, too, Edward. See you tomorrow."

"Sweet dreams."

'Bye." I reluctantly hung up the phone.

I guess the saying, that absence makes the heart grow fonder, was true. The second I was away from him, I was counting down the minutes until I saw him again.


	15. Preparations

**A/N - I cannot properly express in words how exciting this whole process is to me. Thank you all for being a part of it! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 15 - Preparations

I woke up at seven o'clock and hopped in the shower. I grabbed a white, short sleeved blouse and pulled on a cute, navy blue skirt and a pair of mid-calf, flat boots. I wanted to dress up a bit because tonight was special for the Cullen boys.

Just before seven-thirty, my cell phone rang. "Hello?" I asked, not recognizing the number.

"Hey, Bella, it's Emmett."

"Hey, Emmett. What's going on?" I was a little concerned that he was calling me, not that I minded. I was just worried about Edward.

"Oh, I was just trying to figure out what to wear today." He chuckled nervously. "I know, I know. Don't laugh, Bella. Jazz and Edward already are, but I thought maybe you could help me."

"I won't laugh, Emmett. What were you thinking of wearing?"

"I was torn between just dressing casually in a t-shirt and jeans, you know, acting normal or, should I dress up a little?" He sounded really serious.

"Hmm. Why don't you just wear a nice pair of jeans, which would keep things casual, but pair it with a dress shirt. Do you have a polo shirt? That's not too dressy, but it's classier than a t-shirt."

"Thanks, Bella. I can do that." He laughed nervously.

"No problem. Good luck, Emmett. You'll be fine, okay?" I reassured him. "I'll see you after school."

"Okay. Thanks again. Bye." He hung up. I could finally laugh. These Cullen boys were such sweethearts.

I went downstairs after I dried my hair, and started breakfast. I decided to make my dad French toast today.

I heated up the frying pan and was just dipping the bread in the egg, milk and vanilla, when my dad came into the kitchen.

"Hey, Bells. You look nice." My dad said.

"Thanks, dad. It's the day of the big date." I laughed. "You know, Emmett already called, needing help with what to wear."

"Should be a fun night. I can't wait to hear about it." He chuckled.

"It should be good." I agreed, putting the bread in the frying pan. I poured a little icing sugar on a plate to coat the toast with.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack, there Bells." My dad joked.

"Of course not, dad. Just try it. It's so good." I laughed.

After we ate, and my dad admitted that my sweet, French toast was the best he'd ever tasted, I went upstairs and got my photo album.

We spent the next couple of hours going through my photos. I showed him pictures of my birthday parties, and even my best friend from high school, Angela. I missed her a lot. We e-mailed each other every few weeks, but it would be really nice to see her again. She was still in Arizona.

"Have I mentioned how glad I am that you're home, Bells?" My dad asked, giving me a hug.

"Yes. And I am, too. I really like Washington, dad. I think I'd like to be here permanently. Even after college." It was the truth. This just felt right to me. I don't think I could ever leave, now that I was finally home.

"I'm glad to hear it, Bells." My dad said, standing up with a smile on his face. "Now, I'd better go get my uniform on, and head down to the station. Have fun tonight."

"I will. Have a great night, dad."

My dad went upstairs to get ready, so I went into the kitchen and grabbed a pad of paper off of the counter to make a shopping list for this afternoon.

My dad left at eleven-thirty. I went upstairs to get my purse and a sweater.

I grabbed my keys and went to sit out on the front step to wait for Edward. I liked the fresh Washington air. Five minutes later, Edward pulled up. I got up and ran over to his car, hopping in. "Hey, Edward." I said, leaning over the center console to kiss him. "I missed those lips."

He laughed. "I missed yours, too, baby. You look beautiful. Were you waiting long?"

"Thanks. No. I was just getting some fresh air."

"Okay. This is for you, my darling." He said as he passed me a variegated pink and white carnation.

"Thank you, Edward." I said. I was surprised that I didn't notice he was holding it when I got in the car.

"You're very welcome. Hey, I'm sorry about Em. He went through my phone to get your number after he said that we were being no help to him." He laughed. "He didn't wake you, did he?"

"No, I was up. I made my dad French toast for breakfast. Then we went through one of my photo albums together."

"That sounds nice. I bet he's so happy to have you back home." Edward added with a smile.

"Yeah. I think he is, too." I hesitated. "Um, Edward?"

"What is it, honey?"

"I've been thinking about it, and I told my dad this morning that I'm going to stay in Washington permanently."

"That's great, Bella." Edward sounded happy about it.

"Baby, I know we love each other, and it's probably way too early to be talking about the future, but you were planning on staying close to home, too, right?" I sighed. "I mean, you didn't have plans to leave the state after college, or anything? You know, if you wanted to, that's fine, I would just hate to promise my dad I would stay and then leave, you know?"

I was rambling, I knew it, but in my head, I had my life with Edward all planned out. We would return to Forks after graduation and build our lives together. I didn't think I could be separated from my dad again. It would hurt us both.

I looked up from my lap and out the window to notice that the car was stopped and we were parked in front of the small grocery store. Edward was being so quiet. I hoped I hadn't ruined everything between us by talking about three years in the future.

I slowly raised my eyes to look at his. I was surprised by his expression. I had expected doubt or nervousness. I was way off.

Edward had a beaming smile on his face and his eyes were sparkling. "I love you with all of my heart, Bella." He said, his voice full of emotion. He leaned forward, placing his hand gently on my cheek, before pressing his lips firmly to mine. He pulled back, smiled at me, then leaned forward to kiss me again.

I raised my hand up to touch his cheek. He pulled back and sat back in his seat, taking my hand in his, tracing his thumb along my fingers. "Bella. You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that you want to stay in Washington, and that you want to be here with me." A single tear ran down my face. I was so happy, yet so surprised that Edward wanted this, too.

He reached forward with his other hand and wiped my tear away with his thumb. "Yes, Bella." He continued. "I want to stay as close to home as I can. I want to build a life here. And, I would love it if you were here with me."

He sighed. "Don't ever doubt my love for you, Bella. If Forks is what you want, then this is where I'll be. I would follow you anywhere, baby. And if I only have to drive fifteen minutes to your dad's place, then that's fine with me."

Thankfully, he continued, as I couldn't speak, yet. "But, as much as I would miss my family, if you decided that you want to move back to Arizona, or go to Florida with your mom, I would pack up and move in a heartbeat."

"Oh, Edward." It was my turn to initiate the kiss. I leaned over and repeatedly placed small kisses on his lips, chin and cheeks. He laughed.

'And, sugar. You don't have to be nervous to talk to me about things like that. I always want to know what you're thinking."

"I love you, Edward Cullen." I said. "And I'm sorry for getting so serious all of the sudden." I laughed.

"What, baby?" Edward smiled.

"You've made me a happy girl, Edward." I sat back and took a deep breath. "Come on. Let's go shopping. We've got a big night ahead of us."

We got out of the car and walked hand in hand into the store. Edward grabbed a shopping basket and followed me as walked ahead with the list.

"Pepperoni, ham, pineapple, mushrooms, bacon, peppers, tomatoes, onions, chicken, olives and cheese. Do you think that's enough toppings?" I asked Edward, looking at everything we had collected in the cart for the pizzas.

"Yes, sugar. I think you went a little overboard, but I'm sure everyone will be happy." He laughed.

"Edward. This is important. We're trying to impress the Hale girls and I don't want to disappoint Emmett or Jasper." Edward squeezed my hand and I instantly relaxed.

"What else do we need, babe?"

"I need some flour and yeast from the baking aisle, some pizza sauce, and then we can head over to the snack foods."

"Lead the way." Edward was such a great boyfriend. It felt so domestic grocery shopping with him. I couldn't help but imagine doing this with him for years to come.

"What kind of chips do Emmett and Jasper like?" I asked.

"Em likes nacho cheese and Jasper likes barbeque." I grabbed a bag of each.

"What about you, Edward?"

"Sour cream and onion, all the way." He laughed.

"I knew I loved you for a reason." I teased, grabbing a bag to add to our stock pile. "I'd better get original, too, just in case." I added a couple of packages of microwave popcorn to the cart for the movie.

"Okay, one last stop. Sugar." I laughed.

"Get in the basket." Edward joked.

"You're lucky I love you, Edward." I teased. Sometimes his sense of humour was so cheesy, but it only made me love him more.

"Well, we need gummy bears. You and Emmett love those. Oh, and Jasper is addicted to Twinkies." I added liquorice, jelly beans and chocolate covered raisons.

"Honey, I think I'm going to put on twenty pounds tonight." Edward said.

"Oh, well. Just more of you to love." I added, laughing. "Oh, does Alice like all this stuff? We can't forget her."

"I'm sure she'll just eat whatever you do, but yes. She's crazy about liquorice and popcorn. So, the baby sister is covered."

"Okay. I think we have everything, then." I said, walking towards the cashier.

I was so excited for tonight. And even though they were still young, I could only hope that Emmett and Jasper had found their soul mates like I had.


	16. Afternoon Date before Date Night

**A/N - Summer Vacation got over 600 hits yesterday! I'm so excited! Thanks again for all you're great reviews! I love this chapter, and I hope you do, too! Happy Reading!**

Chapter 16 - Afternoon Date before Date Night

Edward paid for everything, because, he said, seriously, it was his idea to have the girls over in the first place. Plus, I was cooking.

"You know, Edward," I said as we were loading the groceries in the trunk of his car, "you're not getting out of helping me in the kitchen."

"Of course not, babe. Why would I want to be anywhere, but where you are?" He laughed. He thought he was being smooth, but I still didn't think he was going to help me in the kitchen until I mentioned it.

"Okay, let's get these groceries back to your place. We only have two and half hours before school gets out. I want to make sure everything is ready for the kids when they get home." Edward opened my car door for me and I got in. He took the cart back to the store, and then got into the car.

He leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. "Don't worry, honey. Have fun with this. Everything will work out great."

Edward started driving back to his house. His phone, sitting in the cup holder, started to beep. "Hey, babe. That's a text. Will you check if it's from Em or Jazz?"

I grabbed his phone and opened the text. "It's from Emmett." I said excitedly. "Okay. It says 'Rose said yes! Maria's in, too. Rock on.'" I laughed.

"Thank goodness. I wouldn't have wanted to deal with them if the girls couldn't come over." Edward said, relieved.

"I'm so happy for them. I can't wait to meet Rose, and I really like Maria."

"Yeah. I liked her, too." Edward said as we pulled up to his place.

We got out of the car and each took a few bags into the house.

"Hey, mom." Edward said as he walked into the kitchen. "Bella cleaned out the grocery store." He set his bags on the counter.

"Hi, Bella. You look so pretty." Esme said to me. She walked over and gave me a hug. "Did you have a good day with your dad, yesterday?"

"Thanks, Esme. Yes. I had a great day."

"Hey, doesn't your first born get a hug?" Edward laughed.

She walked up to him and slapped his bum teasingly, before she wrapped her arm around his waist. "Of course, Edward." She laughed. "Now are you two sure about watching, Alice? We can stay home if you want us to."

"No, Esme. Go. Have fun. We've got this handled. What time does Alice get out from school?"

"Three o'clock."

"Mom, why don't you get ready. You're going to Seattle, right?"

"Yes. You're dad's coming home within the hour."

"Well, why don't I go get Alice for you?" Edward offered. "Then you two can leave sooner. It's a long drive, mom. I don't mind."

"That sounds great, sweetie." Esme looked so excited. "I'll be upstairs then." She left the kitchen to go get ready for her date.

"You are so sweet, Edward. You're always thinking about everyone else." I went over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on top of mine.

"I love you, Bella." He sighed. "But, now I don't want to move."

"Me, neither, Edward." I said into his chest. He kissed the top of my head. I kissed his chest. "Mmm." I squeezed him tighter.

"Come on, Edward. Let's get all this ready." I said, reluctantly letting him go.

"Okay, boss. What do I do?" Edward said, leaning down to kiss me.

"Why don't you get all the snacks into bowls? I'll prep all the pizza toppings."

"Sounds good." Edward went to the cupboard above the sink and brought down six large, plastic bowls. He opened all the chips and poured them into bowls, leaving two empty for popcorn.

I chopped the green peppers and onions, put the sliced pepperoni and ham on small plates, drained the pineapple and sliced the mushrooms.

Edward was emptying the candies into small bowls and placing them on the coffee table in the family room.

I started to set up all my ingredients to make the pizza dough. "Okay, sugar. What's next?" He came behind me and wrapped him arms around my shoulders, leaning down to kiss my neck.

"Hey, kids. Getting ready for date night, I see." Carlisle said with a teasing smile on his face, as he walked in the kitchen, now home from work. I could feel my face turning red.

"Hey, dad." Edward chuckled at getting caught by his dad, but didn't let me go. "I guess you and mom are leaving early. I'm picking up Alice."

"Oh, thanks, Edward. See you both later tonight." He turned to head upstairs. "Thanks for doing all of this, Bella. The boys are pretty excited about tonight."

"You're welcome, Carlisle. I'm looking forward to it, myself. Have a nice evening."

Edward started kissing my neck again. "Are you blushing, baby?"

"Of course, I am, Edward. You couldn't have let me go when you're dad came in?" I asked, seriously, a little embarrassed at being caught by his dad.

Edward unwrapped his arms from me, but turned me around by my shoulders, so I was facing him. "If I let you go, it would imply that I was doing something wrong, Bella." He was looking right into my eyes. "I love you. I won't apologize for it and I won't hide it." He smiled at me. "Are you okay? You're not mad at me are you?"

I stood up on my toes and kissed his chin. I could never quite reach his lips. "Of course I'm not mad, Edward. I love you, too. I'm just not used to the whole PDA thing, that's all."

"Okay." He kissed my lips. "I'd better go pick up, Alice." He kissed me again. "Are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

"Yeah. I'm just going to make the pizza dough and grate the cheese. Then everything should be ready for the boys."

"Great. I'll see you in twenty minutes, okay?"

I laughed. "Go, Edward." I pushed his chest lightly. "You're going to be late to get your sister."

"Okay. Love you." Edward said, as he walked out of the kitchen.

"Love you, too." I called out behind him.

I got the cheese and grater and prepared a large bowl of mozzarella cheese. I had a about an hour until Emmett, Jasper, Rose and Maria got home.

Carlisle and Esme walked into the kitchen, looking gorgeous. "Bella, honey, we're on our way. We won't be back until late. Have a great night and thanks so much for letting Carlisle and I have our first night out in a long time."

"Oh, no problem. Have a great night." I replied, as they left, hand in hand.

I decided to set the table before making the pizza dough. I had just gone back into the kitchen and measured out the water, oil, sugar and yeast, when Alice came running in the house.

"Bella." She called, running up to me and hugging me around the waist.

"Hi, Alice." I said excitedly. "How was school?"

"It was good. But, I have homework." She pouted, as Edward walked in the room, carrying Alice's backpack. He looked so cute carrying a pink, cartoon princess bag. He winked at me, sitting down at the kitchen table. I smiled back at him.

"Well, you've got some time before you're brothers get home. Do you need some help?" I asked, while stirring in the flour.

"I have to write one page about my best friend. I wanted to write about you. Is that okay?" She asked, looking up at me.

"Of course it is, Alice. Thank you for choosing me." I said.

"Okay, Alice, come sit down at the table." Edward said, pulling out her book from her bag. "Let's get this done, okay, princess?"

"Okay." She climbed up on the chair beside Edward. He passed her a pencil. She started writing. I flipped the dough out onto the counter and started kneading it.

"What's your favourite color, Bella?" Alice asked.

"Green." I answered, looking into Edward's eyes, the inspiration for my answer, with a smile.

"When's your birthday?"

"September thirteenth." I answered, as I divided the dough into seven sections to rise for about ten minutes.

I got out a couple of large cookie sheets and coated the bottoms with oil, flour and corn meal.

Edward was reading over Alice's shoulder with a smile on his face.

I stretched out the dough into miniature sized pizzas and set them on the pans. I covered them with some towels to rise again and preheated the oven. I was ready for this date.

I came over to sit with Alice and Edward. Edward pulled me onto his lap and hugged me around the waist.

"Okay, I'm done." Alice said proudly. "Do you want to read it?"

"I would love to, Alice." I took the book from her hand and held it up so both Edward and I could read it together.

'My best friend is Bella Swan. She used to live in Arizona, but she moved to Washington last year. She is eighteen years old and she goes to college in Seattle. She is my brother's girlfriend. She is short and she has long, brown hair and brown eyes. Her favourite color is green. Her birthday is on September 13. She is very nice to me and she is going to come watch me dance. She braided my hair for me. She is going to paint my fingernails for my dance recital. I am happy that she is in Forks for the summer with Edward. Edward and Bella love each other. They are letting me have pizza with them tonight. I love Bella. She is my best friend.'

"I love you, too, Alice." I said, placing her book down. I got up off of Edward's lap and kneeled down by her chair to give her a hug. "Thank you for writing such nice things about me." I told her sincerely.

"You're welcome."

"Okay, princess. Good job. Now go take your homework upstairs and wash your hands. Em and Jazz will be home anytime, now." Edward told her with a smile.

"Okay." She said, hopping off the chair and running upstairs.

Edward and I stood up. He leaned down and placed a long, soft kiss on my lips.

We heard the front door open and Emmett laughing.

"This is it." Edward said with a smile.


	17. Pizza Night

**A/N - Thanks again to you all! Over 700 hits yesterday. And if you must know, I sit and watch the traffic chart almost all day! So it's a big deal to me! Well, back to the story. Let's meet Rose, shall we?**

Chapter 17 - Pizza Night

We waited in the kitchen for Edward's brothers and the Hale girls to come in. Emmett led the way, followed by Rose, Maria and then Jasper, who was looking a little overwhelmed. It was adorable.

"Hey, guys. Maria, nice to see you again." Edward said with a warm smile. He turned to the beautiful blonde, standing next to Emmett, with her shoulders slightly curved forward. She looked a little self conscious. "And you must be, Rose. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hi, Edward. Hi, Bella." Maria said in her bubbly voice.

"Hi, Maria. It's nice to meet you, Rose. This is Edward, Emmett and Jasper's older brother, and I'm Bella, Edward's girlfriend."

"Hi. Thank you for having us." Rose answered in a soft voice, with a shy smile.

"No problem. Make yourselves at home." Edward said.

"I see food. What are we eating?" Emmett added with a laugh. You could tell that he was trying to act normal, but was a little bit nervous.

"Well, I made us each a pizza crust, so you can each decide which toppings you want." I said, excitedly, hoping that these teenagers thought it was a cool as I thought it was. "Come on over to the island, and then we can get these in the oven, okay?"

I went over and took the towels off of the pizza crusts. I stood back to let the kids top theirs first. I felt Edward come up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist. He kissed the top of my head.

I liked watching them. Emmett was loading his pizza with every available topping and Rose was laughing quietly at him. I think the attention she was giving him was encouraging him to put even more on his pizza. I could hear Edward laughing behind me.

"Bella." I heard Alice yelling as she ran into the kitchen. She was wearing a frilly pink dress. It looked like she had decided to dress up for dinner. She grabbed my hand and pulled me off to the side of the room. I looked at her and saw that she only had the zipper on the back of the dress pulled up halfway. "Can you help me zip this up?" She asked in a whisper.

I giggled a little at how cute she was. "Of course, Alice. That's what best friends do." I zipped her dress up and she turned around. "You look beautiful, by the way." I smiled at her.

She walked over to Jasper and Maria. "Hi." She said, to draw attention to herself.

"Alice. You look pretty, today." Jasper told her. "This is my friend, Maria. Maria, this is my sister, Alice."

"Hi, Alice. It's so nice to meet you. I love your dress." Maria added enthusiastically.

"Thanks." She curtsied, then skipped over to Emmett. "Hi, Em."

"Hey, munchkin." Emmett picked her up with ease. "This is Rose. Rose, this is my baby sister, Alice."

"Hi, Alice. Emmett told me you were in ballet. I am, too." She told Alice.

"Really, that's so cool." Alice answered. Emmett kissed her on the cheek and set her back down.

"Okay, princess." Edward said, as Alice walked over to us. "Let's get your pizza topped up." He picked her up and carried her over to the island, setting her on one of the high stools.

I got a kick out of how much Alice got carried around. She was seven years old, but because she was so tiny, and the only girl in the family, it seemed that her brothers babied her. She didn't seem to mind a bit. In fact, I think she loved it.

I took the spoon and spread sauce on her pizza crust, then topped it with cheese. "What toppings do you want, Alice?" I asked her.

"Can you make it Hawaiian?" She asked.

"Absolutely. Do you want to put the ham and pineapple on, or do you want me to do it?"

"You." She giggled.

I started putting the toppings on her pizza and glanced up to see Emmett and Rose still laughing together. Rose was putting chicken and pineapple on her pizza and Emmett was teasing her. She was blushing, but seemed to be feeling more comfortable. Jasper had just put pepperoni on his pizza and Maria put pepperoni on hers, too, but added a few green peppers.

"Um, do you guys want to come sit in the family room, until these are ready?" Emmett asked.

"Sure." Rose answered. Emmett reached forward and took her hand gently. She smiled at him and he had a huge smile on his face as he led her to the family room.

"Bella? Do you need any help in the kitchen?" Maria asked sweetly.

"No, no. You guys go have fun. We'll call you when it's ready." I said with a smile.

"Thanks, Bella." Jasper said, quietly. Maria grabbed his arm and pulled him to follow after Emmett and Rose. He looked over his shoulder at us, his face looking both excited and nervous at the same time. Edward nodded his head at Jasper in encouragement.

"They are so cute." I giggled, spreading sauce on my pizza. Edward came beside me and started to put sauce on his, spilling it over the edge. I laughed at him.

"Bella." He whined, setting his spoon down and tickling my sides. "I grew up with a very domesticated mother. She did everything for me. You should know that my culinary skills are limited to the use of the microwave and paying the delivery guy." He laughed. "It's the only way I survived the last eight months."

"Do you want me to make yours, too, Edward?" I teased.

"If you wouldn't mind, babe." Edward pouted.

I laughed. "Like I could say no to that face." I turned to look at Alice, who was smiling at us. "Can you believe him, Alice?" I laughed, spreading the cheese on his pizza.

"Yes." She laughed. Edward went around the island to tickle Alice. "Stop it, Edward." She giggled.

"Edward. Stop tickling innocent girls and tell me what you want on your pizza."

He winked at me from across the island, wrapping his arms around Alice's shoulders. "Pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers and pineapple."

I laughed at him. "I can tell you're related to Emmett. Anything else?"

"No, that's fine. Thanks sugar." He flashed his gorgeous smile at me, knowing I would do anything for him.

"No problem." I threw a few pineapples on my pizza, keeping it simple tonight. I sprinkled a little cheese over everyone's toppings, before sliding both trays into the oven. "These should be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"Should we go sit with Em and Jazz?" Alice asked. We heard laughing from the family room.

"Let's just leave them until dinner's ready, okay, Alice?" Edward added sweetly.

"Okay. Rose and Maria seem nice." Alice said.

"They really do." I answered, so happy that Jasper and Emmett had found two great girls.

I started putting all the leftover toppings in the fridge, while Edward and Alice sat together eating out of the bowls I hadn't got to yet. Alice was nibbling on pineapples and Edward was eating pepperoni slices.

"Okay, you two. Snacking is over." I laughed, taking their bowls and putting them in the fridge. "These pizzas should be finished right away. Alice, will you get everyone into the dining room, please?"

"Sure." She answered, clearly happy to have a job to do. Edward lifted her off of the stool and she went skipping into the family room.

"A minute alone with my girl." Edward said with a smirk, walking around the island towards me. "Whatever should I do with it?" He teased.

"You could kiss her." I added a with a laugh.

"Great idea, angel." He said, as he wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to press a warm kiss on my lips.

"You taste like pepperoni." I giggled, pressing another kiss to his lips.

"Now you know why I stayed away from the onions." He laughed.

"Good boy." I said with a smile, as stepped away from him, put on the oven mitts and pulled the pans of pizza out of the oven. I took Esme's largest knife and cut each pizza in half and then in half again, to make four slices. Edward set them on the plates and we started bringing them into the dining room.

"Okay, everybody. Let's eat."


	18. Getting to Know the Hales

**A/N - You are all amazing! Over 950 hits yesterday! Craziness! Thanks so much! Enjoy!**

Chapter 18 - Getting to Know the Hales

We all sat around the dining room table with our pizza creations. The boys dug in right away, causing Maria, Rose and I to laugh.

"Hungry?" I asked with a laugh.

"Yeah." Edward said with a smile. "You know, angel, now that you've got me hooked on your cooking, I'm ruined for everything else."

I shook my head at him and laughed. "Stop exaggerating, Edward."

"No, Bella. He's right." Emmett agreed.

"It's a really good pizza crust." Maria agreed. "Would you mind sharing your recipe?"

"Not at all. I'll write it out for you later, okay?" I answered. "Now, enough about my incredible talents." I teased. "Tell us about yourselves, girls."

"Yeah, I'm curious to learn about the girls that caught my brothers' attention." Edward added.

"Well, besides school, I really like listening to music and reading." Maria said. "I'm not that exciting." She giggled.

I laughed a little, too, because as she said she wasn't interesting, Jasper was focused only on her. It was so cute. She really had no idea how interesting she was to him.

"Yes, you are." Jasper added quietly.

She giggled again. "Thanks, Jasper."

I looked at Edward and he was watching them with a smile on his face. You could see the love he had for his brothers all over his face.

"What about you, Rose? You were saying something earlier about being in ballet?" I asked, trying to include her in the conversation.

"Yeah. I've been dancing since I was five." She smiled. "I've always been really comfortable on stage. Next year, I'm going to get to teach a beginner ballet class." She sounded quite excited about it.

"That's very exciting, Rose." I added. "Are you thinking of making dancing a career?"

"I think I might. It's what I'm best at." She answered with a smile.

"I'd love to see you dance, Rose." Emmett said.

She blushed. "Um, well, I have my end of the year dance recital this Friday. If you want to come, you are more than welcome to."

"So do I." Alice added excitedly. "Do you go to the Port Angeles Dance Academy, too?"

"Yes. Is that where you go, too?"

"Yeah. I go every Friday afternoon. When do you go? I've never seen you there."

"I go on Tuesdays, Thursdays after school, and Saturday mornings. I'm in a few classes." I was glad to see Rose feeling more comfortable. It seemed that talking about dance made her feel at ease.

"Well, Rose. It looks like I'll be at your recital, then." Emmett said cheerfully.

"Would you guys like to sit with me and my parents at the recital?" Maria asked, looking excited that she may get to spend more time with Jasper.

Jasper looked up to Edward. Edward smiled at him and nodded. "That sounds great." Jasper said, looking at Maria with a smile, then looking back down, shyly. He was getting better around her, but he still seemed quite overwhelmed.

After we had finished off our pizzas, Edward eating the last slice of mine, I got up to clear the table.

"Here, baby, let me help you." Edward said, getting up to help me.

"We're going to go pick out a movie." Emmett said, getting up and holding out his hand for Rose. Jasper and Maria got up and followed behind them. They both tentatively reached out for each other's hand and linked their fingers together, lightly. Alice ran ahead of them, probably hoping to have a say in the movie choice.

"Thanks, Edward." I said when we got into the kitchen, standing on my toes and reaching up to pull his face to mine for a quick kiss. "Okay, my microwaving master. Do you want to make up some popcorn for the movie?" I teased, calling attention to Edward's earlier admission that the only cooking he could do was in the microwave.

"Yes, ma'am." Edward said, placing a kiss on my forehead, before starting to heat the first bag of popcorn.

I put all the plates into the dishwasher and washed off the cookie sheets, while Edward made a couple of bags of popcorn, making sure to pour a small bowl just for Alice.

"Okay, babe. Come on. Let's go see what movie they've picked out." We each grabbed a bowl of popcorn and I followed Edward into the living room.

"Alright, popcorn." Alice yelled. Edward was right. Alice loved popcorn.

The Cullen family room had a huge sectional couch, that looked like three sides of a square. The coffee table, with all of the snacks, was in the center. Maria and Jasper were sitting in the middle, directly facing the large flat screen TV. They still had their fingers touching in between them. Emmett and Rose were sitting on the left side, with Emmett in the corner and Rose leaning back onto his side. Alice was on her knees on the floor in front of the snacks, smacking away at the liquorice.

Edward laughed and gave a bowl to Emmett and Rose, and the other to Jasper and Maria. I set Alice's bowl on the table beside the liquorice. Edward sat on the right side of the couch, with his feet straight out in front of him and his knees bent. I zipped off my boots, grabbed the bowl of sour cream and onion chips, and crawled between his legs, leaning my back against his chest, and my head on his shoulder. He moved his arms around my stomach and held me close. I never wanted to move.

Emmett looked over at us, then back to Rose. He brought his arm up and draped it over her shoulder. I giggled quietly into Edwards shoulder, and he was trying not to laugh, by putting his face in my hair.

"Um, ready?" Jasper asked, holding out the remote.

"Anytime." Edward said.

Jasper started the movie, and as soon as I saw the opening credits to 'The 'Burbs,' I started to laugh. "This is my favourite movie of all time." I said excitedly. Who could resist a 1980's classic comedy with Tom Hanks?

Edward leaded down and whispered in my ear. "I knew you were a keeper." He kissed the top of my head.

"It's a Cullen family staple." Emmett added. "And the girls, here, have been deprived. They haven't seen it So, we have to watch it."

"I'm going to go shut out the lights." Alice said, jumping up and running over to the light switch. I wasn't sure if the lights should be out, because I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on the kids, but then again, I thought maybe everyone would be more comfortable that way. It was a lot of responsibility being a chaperone.

We watched the movie, everyone laughing hysterically throughout. I had the bowl of chips on my stomach and would periodically reach above my head and feed them to Edward.

When the room was lit from the TV screen, I would check over at Emmett and Jasper. Maria and Jasper were still holding hands, and would look at each other, periodically, and smile. Emmett and Rose looked quite cosy together and Emmett couldn't stop smiling.

I don't know why I was so worried about them. Emmett had just turned seventeen. He should be allowed to have a girlfriend without his brother's girlfriend watching his every move. My concern may have stemmed from the fact that I had never dated in high school, so maybe I was being overprotective of the boys.

Halfway through the movie. I set the bowl down on the floor and rolled onto my side, resting my cheek on Edward's chest. "Is everything okay? You didn't laugh at the sardine and pretzel scene?" Edward whispered to me, running his fingers through my hair.

"Oh." I answered, turning my head to kiss his chest. "I'm fine, Edward. Just thinking." I wanted us to talk about our pasts, later. He didn't know that he was my first boyfriend. We were so committed to each other, yet I didn't even know about his ex-girlfriends. I rubbed my hand along his stomach. I had better snap out of it, though. I didn't want to ruin the night.

We watched the last half of the movie and everyone was laughing and having a good time. When it was over, Jasper stopped it, and Alice ran over to turn lights back on.

I sat up and stretched. "Well, Rose, Maria? What did you think?" I asked.

"I loved it." Maria said.

"It was hilarious." Rose added.

"Good. I'm glad you liked it." Emmett said with a smile.

"What time do you girls need to be home tonight?" Edward asked.

"Well, my mom said I had to home by nine." Maria said. "But, Rose can stay out until ten."

"Do you want to watch another movie? It's only seven." Jasper asked Maria.

"Sure." She said excitedly.

"Edward. Let's leave them alone. We could take Alice downstairs for while." I whispered to him. I thought it would be good to let them watch a movie that they wanted, without having to have to worry about it being kid friendly.

Edward smiled at me. "Sure, baby."

"Come on, Alice. Do you want to come play Mario Kart with me in the downstairs?" I asked.

She looked a little torn. She clearly wanted to play with us, but at the same time, she didn't want miss anything upstairs.

"Um, okay." I was glad that worked out so easily.

"Great. You can bring the liquorice if you want." I told her, making sure she was happy. "I'll leave you the gummy bears, Emmett, but you owe me." I teased.

"Thanks, Bella. You're the best." Emmett answered, grabbing a small handful and dropping them in his mouth.

"Okay, guys. We'll be downstairs if you need anything." Edward added.

"Thanks, bro." Emmett answered with a smile.

I felt good about my decision to let Emmett and Jasper hang out with their friends without us hovering.

I took Alice's hand and led her downstairs. Edward followed behind us, with his hands full of candy.


	19. Races and Track Records

**A/N - Thanks again for all the reviews. My traffic counter isn't working and it's literally driving me crazy! haha! Here's the next one! We get to learn a bit about Bella and Edward's pasts. I hope you like it!**

Chapter 19 - Races and Track Records

"How come we had to come downstairs when Rose and Maria are still here." Alice asked, sitting in the middle of the large couch.

'Well, princess, sometimes people feel more comfortable in smaller groups, especially when they are just getting to each other." Edward explained to Alice. "You can go up and say goodnight before you go to bed, okay?"

"Okay." She said, sounding a little less left out.

Edward and I sat on either side of Alice on the couch after Edward had put the game in.

We had a great time racing each other and probably eating way too much candy. At about eight o'clock, it was time for Alice to go to bed.

"Okay, princess. It's eight. You want to go say goodnight to Em and Jazz?" Edward said, shutting off the game.

"Do I have to go to bed?" Alice whined.

"Yes, you do. It's a school night. You'll see Rose and Maria again on Friday, okay?" Edward was so good with her. I could tell that it was hard for him to be strict with her. He was the type to spoil her and give her anything she wanted.

"Okay. Bella, will you come tuck me in?"

"Of course. Let's go." I said, standing up and heading to the stairs. I walked into the family room to see the lights out again. Emmett and Rose were cuddled up together on the couch and Maria was leaning her head on Jasper's shoulder. They were both such cute couples.

Jasper heard us walking in and paused the movie. He looked up at us, and though it was dark in the room, I see the blush on his cheeks.

"Goodnight, guys. I have to go to bed, now." Alice said sadly.

"It was nice meeting you, Alice." Maria said, looking over the back of the couch.

"I'll see you on Friday at the recital." Rose said sweetly.

"Okay. It's going to be so fun." Alice cheered up instantly at the mention of dancing. "Goodnight Jasper. Goodnight Em."

"Goodnight, munchkin." Emmett said, blowing her an exaggerated kiss, which caused us all to laugh.

"Goodnight, Al." Jasper said.

Edward picked her up and carried her upstairs. He set her down by the bathroom. "Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed, then come get us, okay? We'll be in my room."

"Okay."

Edward grabbed my hand and led me to his room. We walked in and sat on his bed, the only light was the glowing oranges from the sunset.

"Do you want to talk about what was bothering you earlier? Edward asked softly, wrapping his warm arm around me.

I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder. "I was just thinking that it was weird how overprotective I was being with your brothers downstairs.'

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, looking at me with a look of confusion on his face.

"I found myself checking on Emmett and Rose throughout the movie. They're seventeen." I sighed again.

"You care about them. It's sweet, Bella. I don't see what's wrong with that." Edward said seriously.

"Edward, I …" I was interrupted by Alice knocking on the door.

"We'll pick this up in a minute, okay?" Edward said, looking into my eyes. I nodded with a smile. We got up and walked to the door. Edward grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

We walked into Alice's room and she was already in her bed, covers pulled up to her chin. I laughed at her. She was really a delightful child.

"Goodnight, princess." Edward said, leaning over her to kiss her forehead.

"Goodnight, Edward. I love you." She said.

"I love you, too." He replied with a smile.

I walked over and gave her a hug. "Goodnight, Alice. Thank you for choosing me to be your best friend." I told her sincerely.

"You're welcome, Bella. I can't wait to read my homework in front of the class tomorrow." She smiled.

"You're going to do great. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She said sleepily.

Edward and I walked to the door and turned out her light. We walked back into his room and closed the door. Edward laid on his bed and held his arms out to me. "Come here."

I crawled over to him and laid beside him in his arms, comforted by his warmth and his touch. He didn't say anything. He was waiting for me to speak.

"Edward." I finally said, after a few moments. "You are my first boyfriend. I didn't date in high school, or in college before I met you. This whole thing is new to me. That's probably the reason I worry about your brothers, because I have no idea what's it like to date as young as they are." I just kept talking, because I wanted to get out everything I was thinking at once. "It's also the reason that the PDA stuff makes me a little nervous. I'm still trying to figure it all out." I took a deep breath and looked up at Edward.

He smiled down at me, hugging me a little tighter. "You're perfect, honey. Don't worry about anything. You're doing great. I think I've told you before, but I love that you worry about Em and Jazz. I love how you honestly care about Alice. I love how you went out of your way to make tonight perfect for them. I love that you want to share your thoughts and dreams and fears with me." He leaned over and kissed my temple. "I love you, Bella. I've never felt like this with anyone else before. I know we haven't known each other long, but I truly believe we'll be together forever."

I leaned forward and kissed him. The connection we had with each other was so strong. I truly believed him when he said we were forever. I felt it, too. "I love you, too, Edward." I said, before kissing him again.

'I know you do, baby." He began running his fingers up and down my arm. He cleared his throat. "I wish I could tell you that you were my first girlfriend." He sighed.

"Edward, relax. You can tell me anything." I said, hoping he felt that he could open up to me again, like he did last night.

"I know. I was incredibly shy in high school, too. I was a lot like Jasper in that way. I had a couple of close friends, but mainly I hung out with my brothers. I worked, got the guitar, hung out around the house. I was way too nervous to ask any girls out." He chuckled. "I guess you know a bit about that. Thank you, Professor Banner." He laughed again.

"Anyway, in my senior year, this girl, Jessica, asked me out. She was cute and stylish, I guess. Well, she was really popular in school. I agreed to go out with her. I'm not really sure why, exactly. We went out a few times, to movies, ice cream, dinner, and things like that. She was nice, I guess. Well, to me anyway. About a month after we started dating, I found her in the hallway teasing another girl from our classes. I approached her about it and she started screaming at me, saying I was no better than the rest of the losers in this town."

"Oh, Edward. That is so cruel." I took his hand from my arm and brought his fingers up to my lips, kissing the back of his hand. "You know she's not right, don't you?" I said looking into his beautiful eyes.

"Yeah. But after her, I sort of kept away from girls altogether. I mean, I was fooled into thinking she was something she wasn't. I sort of had some trust issues after that." He turned our hands and brought mine to his lips. "I think that's why I'm so close with my family. I know I can trust them. They are always there for me."

I reached my hand up and ran my fingers through his hair. "I love you, Edward." I felt the need to affirm my feelings at that point.

"Oh, I know you do. I've known from the first time I laid eyes on you, that you were different." He smiled at me, showing all the love he had for me in his eyes. "Things with you just seem so easy. You are the one for me. I know it in my heart."


	20. Pillow Talk

**A/N - The traffic counter is still down and it's killing me not to know how many of you are reading this. I am still getting youor reviews, so thanks for those! Here's a nice, light chapter after the seriousness of the last. Enjoy!**

Chapter 20 - Pillow Talk

"Edward?" We heard Emmett say through the door.

"Yeah, Em. Come in." Edward responded, sitting up on the bed.

Emmett opened the door. "Hey, guys. It's almost nine o'clock. Me and Jazz are going to take the girls home, okay?"

"Sure. Did you have a good time?" Edward asked with a smile.

"It was awesome. Thanks guys, for everything." He said sincerely.

"You are very welcome, Emmett." I said.

"Drive safely and let me know when you get back, okay?" Edward added.

"No problem. See you in few." He closed the door of Edward's room and a couple minutes later, we heard the front door close.

Edward laid back down beside me and pulled me back into his arms, tucking my head under his chin. "I'm glad that went well for them." He said into my hair.

"I am, too. I really like Maria and Rose. They're sweet girls." I added, kissing his neck.

"They are. But, you're the sweetest." He said, rubbing his hand along my back.

"Thank you, Edward." I said sleepily, snuggling closer to his chest. I was almost hypnotised by the rise and fall of his chest. I was so comfortable and so tired. I didn't want to move. I closed my eyes and must have fallen asleep.

I opened my eyes to a dark room. I couldn't remember where I was, but I knew it wasn't my room. I was still in my clothes. I was on Edward's bed. Oh my gosh. What was the time? Would Charlie know where I was? Where was Edward?

I sat up and crawled to the end of the bed. I opened his door and walked quietly down the hallway and down the stairs. I could see that the light was on in the kitchen.

I walked in and was surprised to find Edward sitting at the island with his parents.

"Hello, sweetheart." Esme said with a warm smile. "We didn't wake you up, did we?"

"Oh. Um, no, not at all." I answered, still a little confused. "Um, what time is it? I have to call my dad."

Edward hopped off the stool and came over to me, kissing my forehead. "It's okay, baby. I already called him." He took my hand and started leading me out of the kitchen and back upstairs. "Goodnight." He said to his parents.

"Goodnight, kids. See you in the morning." Carlisle added.

"Yeah, um, goodnight." I said, feeling a little embarrassed and disoriented.

We walked up the stairs and through the hallway in silence, not wanting to wake Emmett, Jasper or Alice.

When we got to Edward's room and closed the door, he pulled me to him for a hug. "Edward. What time is it?" I asked, pulling back from him, getting a little impatient from the lack of information. I hated feeling confused.

"It's just after midnight. My parents got home about twenty minutes ago." He explained. "You looked so peaceful, so I thought I'd let you sleep." He looked at my face. "You're not mad at me, are you? Should I have woken you up?" He asked, concerned.

"No. Yes. I don't know." I sighed. I went and sat on his bed. "I just woke up and I feel confused, Edward. I didn't know where I was. I'm not mad at you." I said, reaching out my hand so he would come sit beside me. He came over and took my hand.

"At ten, I called your dad's cell phone and let him know that you fell asleep. He said that it was okay to let you sleep. He doesn't mind if you want to stay here. I can bring you home in the morning, so you can still have breakfast with him, Bella."

"Oh, Edward. Thank you so much for calling him." I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Do you want me to take you home, now?" Edward asked, still looking a little worried.

"No. I'm still tired." I said, stretching. "And, Edward, calm down. I'm not mad." I laughed.

He smiled in relief. "Do you want something else to sleep in?"

"Yeah. I'm feeling a little rumpled." I laughed.

Edward got up and opened his dresser drawer and pulled out a black t-shirt and pair of blue boxers. "I don't know, is this okay? I don't really have anything else."

I laughed at him. "You're priceless. It's fine, Edward."

I got up, took the clothes from him and walked into his bathroom to change. I washed my face with his soap and changed into his clothes. I came out and found Edward laying in his bed, wearing a white t-shirt and green boxers. "You look adorable, babe." Edward said, looking at me in his clothes, that were hanging off my hips.

"Thank you, Edward." I laughed with him. I climbed into bed beside him, and wrapped my arm around his waist, laying my head on his chest. I sighed. This was the life.

"You comfortable?" Edward chuckled, as I cuddled closer to him.

"Very." I said. "This isn't weird, is it?" I asked him, pulling back to look at his face.

"Is what weird?" Edward asked.

"That I'm sleeping in your bed with you? You're family is home."

"No." He laughed.

"That's it? No."

"That's it. We love each other, your tired, so we're sleeping." He said, as if this was no big deal.

"Okay, so it's not weird, but it's kind of a big deal, though, right?" I just wanted to clarify that this was an important step for us.

"Yes. It's a big deal. In a good way, though." He chuckled as he brought me closer to him. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep in this bed alone, now."

"Well, you're going to have to learn." I kissed his chin. "Because, I still think it's weird."

Edward started laughing again, but was trying to keep quiet, as to not wake his family. "Have I told you how much I love you, Bella Swan?" He said, running his hands through the length of my hair.

"Every five minutes." I teased, tickling his side.

"So, not enough then?" I laughed and he kissed the end of my nose.

We laid in each others arms quietly for the next few minutes, just enjoying the company.

"So, no boyfriends, huh?" Edward said, breaking the silence.

"No. Just you." I said, starting to get tired again. I had no idea how he was still awake.

"I'm a lucky guy, babe. I'm glad no one snatched you up before we had a chance to meet."

"Okay." I was barely awake now.

"You are quite the girl, angel. I love you."

"Me, too." I slurred out.

"Goodnight." Edward said. The last thing I remember before falling into a deep sleep, were Edward's lips lightly pressing into my hair, his arms secured tightly around me.


	21. Morning Routine

**A/N - Chapter 21 marks three weeks since I started posting this fanfic! Thank you all so, so, so much for reading and reviewing! Here it is! Enjoy!**

Chapter 21 - Morning Routine

As I woke up the next morning, I noticed it was still fairly dark. I could, however, see a sliver of light coming from under Edward's bathroom door. I heard the water start running in his shower, so I knew that I should be getting up soon. I stretched out. Edward's bed was so comfortable.

I thought, maybe I should get dressed, so Edward could take me home. I got up and walked over to his bathroom door.

I knocked. "Edward?"

"Yeah?" I heard him answer.

"Can I come in? I left my clothes in there." I didn't want to go downstairs dressed in Edward's boxers and I was worried that someone may see me like this.

"Um. Yeah, sure." I giggled a little bit. He sounded so hesitant. I opened the door. The room was warm and steamy, and smelled spicy like Edward's shampoo.

"Hi." I said as I walked in and closed the door behind me.

"Hi, baby. I didn't mean to wake you up. It's just after six." He said through the shower curtain.

"That's okay. You didn't wake me. I just wanted to get dressed." I said as I slipped his boxers off and pulled my skirt on. "Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah?" I thought it was cute that he was being so shy.

"Can I keep your shirt for now? I don't want to put my wrinkled blouse back on."

"Sure, babe. You can take whatever you want." He said.

"Thanks." I grabbed my brush from my purse on the counter and combed through my messy hair, pulling it back into a messy bun. I washed my face again, just so I'd look a little more refreshed before I had a shower at home.

"Edward? Do you have an extra toothbrush?"

"Yeah. Just open the mirror above the sink."

"Okay. Oh, there it is. Thanks." I grabbed the yellow toothbrush and took it out of the package. I brushed my teeth quickly and set the toothbrush in the blue cup he had his in.

"Um, Bella?" Edward stammered. I giggled again. "Can you pass me a towel, please?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." I grabbed his towel he'd set out on the counter, and passed it to him. He had a wet hand sticking out from the end of the shower curtain.

"It's okay. Thanks, babe." He took the towel and shut the water off.

"I'll get out, so you can get dressed, okay?" I said.

"Okay. You were done in here right? I don't want to rush you."

"No, I'm done. I'll wait for you on your bed. Thanks, Edward." I grabbed my purse, opened the door and went back out into his room. I loved that I had caught Edward off guard. But, I really was comfortable enough with him to get ready while he was in the shower.

I sat on the edge of Edward's bed and folded my blouse. I shoved it in my purse, so I wouldn't forget it. I checked my phone and saw that it was just past six-thirty. I wanted to be home in an hour, so I could make my dad breakfast again. I didn't want to start skipping out on our routine. Mornings with dad, afternoons with Edward. I needed that balance.

The bathroom door opened and Edward stepped out, dressed in faded, light blue jeans, a grey t-shirt and towel dried hair. He looked gorgeous.

He chuckled. I may have been staring. "I can't believe you're mine." I said quietly, more to myself than Edward. He heard me though.

"I am." He said, as he came to sit beside me on the bed. "I'm yours, for as long as you want me to be."

"I like that. How does forever sound to you?" I laughed.

"It sounds perfect, angel." He kissed my cheek.

"Good. Um, Edward? Was it okay that I came in and got ready while you were in the shower?" I giggled again. "You sounded a little nervous."

"Oh, yeah. It was okay." I looked up at him and he was blushing a bit. I reached up and cupped his warm cheeks in my hands. I traced my thumbs along his flushed cheeks. He looked down and laughed. "I just didn't think you would be okay with that. You caught me off guard, that's all."

I brought my hands down and took his in mine. "I love you, Edward." I shook my head. "I don't know. It's weird, you know. We've only been together for about two and half weeks, but we've spent almost all that time with each other. It's not just a date here and there, like most couples. And I love that. It just seems that we're so much further into our relationship than we are. I'm totally comfortable around you. I love you, and I trust you." I leaned up and kissed his lips.

He laughed. "I love you, too. And I agree with you. It's like we've just fallen into a comfortable routine together. I've never been happier." He kissed my lips again. "You want to go downstairs and see Em, Jazz and Alice before they leave for school?"

"Sure." We joined hands and walked downstairs to the kitchen.

The whole Cullen clan was sitting either at the island, or at the small table in the kitchen. The room smelled of fresh waffles and maple syrup. It was amazing.

"Hey, kids." Carlisle smiled at us. "I'm surprised to see you both up."

I blushed. Spending the night here was still a little strange for me. We sat at the table with Carlisle. Emmett, Alice and Jasper were at the island and Esme was at the counter, cooking more food.

"Hi, Bella" Alice said, excitedly.

"Hi, sweetie." I answered. "Good morning everybody."

"Nice shirt, Bella." Emmett teased. "Are you moving in with us?"

"Emmett." Edward said, a touch of warning in his voice, but with a bit of smile.

"I fell asleep, Emmett." I said in defence. "Preparing for your date night took a lot out of me." I laughed.

"Touche." Emmett said. "Thanks for that, by the way. It was great."

"I'm glad. Did Rose and Maria have a good time?"

"Yeah. Um, Maria said she'd like to come watch my baseball practice tonight." Jasper said. I was so glad he was feeling more comfortable around me; talking more freely.

"Oh, that's so cool, Jasper. I'm glad you two are getting along so well." I said, happily.

"Well, who can resist a Cullen?" Emmett laughed. "Just ask mom and Bella."

Esme walked back over to the table with another plate of waffles. I guess feeding three teenaged boys required a lot of food. She laughed. "He's got us there, doesn't he, Bella."

I looked over at Edward and smiled up at him. He winked at me and smiled. "Yes." I sighed. "He's got us there." I laughed with Edward. He squeezed my hand under the table.

"Dig in, Bella. Esme always makes too much food." Carlisle said, noticing I wasn't eating anything.

"Oh, that's okay. I was going to go home and make breakfast for my dad, but thanks anyway." I answered.

"Oh, Bella You are such a sweet girl. Eat. I'll send some home with you for your dad." Esme said, getting up and packing four large waffles in a Tupperware container.

"Thanks, Esme. I'm sure he'll love that." I said, as I took a waffle for myself.

I looked in the middle of the table and saw whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries and syrup. It was like I was at an IHOP, only better.

I poured a little syrup on my waffle and dug in. I didn't realize how hungry I was.

"This is great, mom. Thanks." Edward said with a smile on his face. "I sure missed this at school." He took another waffle and topped it with strawberries.

"So, Jasper? Can anyone come to practice?" I asked. I really wanted to see him in his element, where he felt the most comfortable.

"Yeah. There are bleachers there, so anyone can come and watch." He answered.

"Did you want to go, babe?" Edward asked, looking excited.

"Yes. I think that would be great." I answered. "You wouldn't mind, would you Jasper?" I didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

"No. That's cool." He said, looking a little shy again.

"Great." I said.

I finished my waffle. "You ready?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. Thanks, Esme. This was amazing." I said, getting up and taking mine and Edward's plate to the sink.

"You are very welcome, sweetie. You don't need to clean up, Bella." Esme replied.

"Oh, okay." I walked over to the island and leaned over to kiss Alice on the cheek. "Good luck with your presentation today." I said. She giggled.

"Thanks, Bella."

I walked down the line, giving each Emmett and Jasper a kiss on the cheek, too. "Bye, guys. Have a good day at school. Say 'hi' to Rose and Maria for me, okay." I said,

"No problem." Emmett answered.

"Bye, Bella." Jasper said, with flushed cheeks.

Esme came over and gave me a hug. "Thanks again for last night, Bella. Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?"

"Sure. That would be great." I answered enthusiastically. I couldn't have asked for a better relationship with Edward's mom.

"Bye, mom." Edward said, kissing his mom on the top of her head. "See you guys after school."

As we walked past Carlisle, he stood up and patted Edward of the shoulder and then came over to me and gave me hug. "Thanks, Bella. We'll see you tonight."

The love in this family was amazing to me. I had never seen anything like it. I'm sure I had received more hugs from Edward's mom in the last five days, than I had from my own mom in the last year before I had left Phoenix.

"Bye." I said one last time as Edward and I walked to the front door. Edward held the waffles for my dad as I zipped on my boots. I grabbed my purse, and walked out the front door, that Edward had opened for me.

"I love your family, Edward." I said, as we walked to his car.

"They love you, too." He said with a smile as he opened my car door. I got in and he passed me the waffles. He kissed my cheek before closing the door and going around to the driver's side.

During the ride home, Edward and I decided that he would come over for lunch and hang out at my place for the afternoon, before heading over to the high school to watch the baseball practice.

We pulled up to my house at about ten minutes to eight. "See you in four hours, Edward." I said, kissing his lips.

"I'll be here. I love you, baby." He said against my lips, not wanting to end it.

"I love you, too." I hopped out of the car, gave a quick wave and walked up to the door. Charlie was waiting on the doorstep. He waved as Edward pulled away.

I held up the Tupperware container. "I brought breakfast, courtesy of Esme." I said, hoping my dad wasn't too worried about my unexpected sleepover with Edward. The look on his face, however, suggested we may have something to talk about over this delicious breakfast.


	22. Tears and Togetherness

A/N - Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians! But, wouldn't the fireworks be just that much greater if Edward were there? haha!

(Yesterday, my friend Trixxie wrote her prediction for what was going to happen in this chapter! It's cute! Here's the link, if you want to check it out. www. dot. fanfiction. dot .net/s/6099129/1/The_Sex_Talk)

Here's the next chapter, the real Chapter 22!

Chapter 22 - Tears and Togetherness

I walked into the kitchen and put two waffles on a plate for my dad and put them in the microwave for thirty seconds to make sure they were hot. My dad came in the kitchen, got himself a cup of coffee, and sat down at the table. He was quiet. I didn't like that. I didn't want things to be strained between us. I had an almost non-existent relationship with my mom. I really needed to be close with my dad. I didn't have any other family. I hoped I didn't ruin anything.

I took his waffles out of the microwave and set them in front of him. I took the syrup from the fridge and set it in on the table. "Thanks, Bells." He said. He started eating.

He kept eating in silence. I was not going to let this go on. I sat down across from him. "Dad?" I said.

"Yeah." He said, still looking down at his waffles.

"Can you say something?" I said softly, as my eyes started to tear up a little. I sniffled. "Are you mad at me?"

My dad's head shot up and he looked at me intently. "Oh, Bells, honey, don't cry." He got up from his chair and crouched in front of me. He took my hands in his. "I'm sorry. No, Bella. I'm not mad you."

I let go of his hand and wiped my eyes. "Okay." I didn't want to make a scene. I guess I was just really worried.

"I just didn't know what to say." He sighed. "This is all new to me, Bells."

I was relieved that his silence was just due to his nerves about his daughter spending the night at her boyfriend's house and nothing more.

I laughed, mostly in relief, a bit in embarrassment over the situation.

"For me, too, dad."

He joined in with my nervous laughter. He squeezed my hand as he got up and went to sit back in his chair.

"We'll figure it out together, okay?" He said with a smile.

"Okay." I agreed, feeling way better about things. "You know, dad, I did just fall asleep. It's not a big deal, okay?" I just wanted to clarify things, so there was no awkwardness between him and Edward.

"Okay." He sighed again. "I know you're an adult, Bells. You don't have to explain yourself to me, but I am still your dad, so I'm going to worry. I can't help it. It's my job."

I smiled back at him. "Thanks, dad. It's nice having someone here to worry about me."

"You're welcome, Bells." He popped the last piece of his second waffle in his mouth. "Are there anymore waffles?"

"Yeah. They're good, aren't they?" I got up, put the last two on his plate, and threw them in the microwave.

"Sure are." He answered with a smile. "So, how did the date night go last night?"

"It was great." I laughed. "Emmett and Jasper were so nervous, but as the night went on, they really started to hit it off with the girls. I think it's going to work out for them."

"That's good to hear. All the Cullens are great kids." He said.

We spent the next hour talking about our evenings. He told me about his shift. It was a slow night for him, and I was glad. I worried about him while he was at work, even though we lived in a small town.

At about nine-thirty, I went upstairs and had a shower. I dried my hair, pulled on a pair of jean capri pants and a couple of layered t-shirts. I grabbed a white hoodie from my closet and put it with my purse, so I wouldn't forget it later.

I gathered up my laundry and went and grabbed my dad's laundry hamper from his room. I came back downstairs and took the laundry into the laundry room. I sorted out the clothes and put in the dark load first, so I could give Edward his shirt back.

My dad was watching the baseball game he had missed last night. I went and sat with him between laundry loads. We laughed together and had a great morning. I was glad that we had gotten over the uncomfortable moment from this morning. I completely understood where he was coming from, but I'm glad that we had talked it out. My dad and I were getting better at communication.

At eleven-thirty, my dad left for work. He gave me hug and apologized again about this morning. "Dad. It's fine. We're figuring it out together, remember." I said, quoting his words from earlier this morning. He chuckled and headed out.

I went in the laundry room and put in my last load of laundry. I heard the doorbell. Edward. I ran to the door, opened it and was met the beautiful face I had been missing for the last few hours.

"Hey, baby." He said as he leaned down to place a soft kiss on my lips. "This is for you." He said, holding out a small purple crocus.

"Edward. Thank you. You know, your mother is going to kill you if you keeping picking all the flowers from her garden." I teased.

"Hey, I've only done that a few times. I'm sure she doesn't care, babe." He laughed.

"I missed you." I said. I took his hand and started pulling him in. "Come in, Edward."

"Thanks. So how was your morning?" Edward asked with a hint of concern in his voice. "Your dad was waiting for you, huh?"

"Yeah." I said, walking into the living room, so we could sit on the couch together. Edward sat down and pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his strong arms around me. I felt safe, warm and complete. I rested my head on his shoulder. "It was bit rough, but we worked it out." I said.

"Are you okay? I probably should have came in with you." Edward. He was always trying to save the day.

"Yes, I'm fine. Me and my dad are great." I leaned forward and kissed the side of his neck. He squeezed me tighter in response. "It was probably best you didn't come in, though."

"Why's that? I could have backed you up."

"That's just it. There were no accusations, no disappointment, no lectures. Nothing. When I came in, he just didn't say much." I sighed. "I got a bit teary eyed, thinking he was upset with me, but, it turns out, he was just embarrassed to talk about me spending the night with you. We talked it out. Everything is perfect. It's even better than it was, because now we know we have to communicate with each other. Our father/daughter relationship is new to both of us."

"Oh, angel. I hate it when you cry." Edward said, reaching up and stroking my hair.

"Well, you should see how uncomfortable it makes, my dad." I laughed a bit. "He was in panic mode."

"I think your dad and I can agree on the fact that we both want you to be happy." He said, pulling back to look at me.

"And, I am, Edward. I've never been happier." I answered, looking into his glowing, green eyes.

"Good." He said with a smile, leaning forward for a quick kiss.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, getting up from his lap.

"If you're cooking, I'm always hungry." He said, as he followed me into the kitchen.


	23. If You Can't Take the Heat

**A/N - Okay, I love this chapter! It illustrates that despite the fluff, Edward and Bella are real people! I hope you all like it, too! Let me know in a review! Thanks for all the feedback on yesterday's chapter!**

Chapter 23 - If You Can't Take the Heat…

"Edward. I'm going to teach you how to cook this summer." I teased, leaning up against the counter.

"Okay. That would be cool, actually." He said with a smile. "Do we start today?"

"If you want. I was just teasing, Edward. You don't have to do this." I explained.

"I want to, honey. Don't worry so much." He said, kissing the top of my head. "So what are we making?"

"I was thinking of maybe meatball subs? Does that sound okay?" I asked.

"Sounds amazing." He said. "What do I do?"

"First, we cook the meatballs. We're going to cheat. I bought some pre-made meatballs from the grocery store on Sunday. I have them in the freezer." I went got them out of the freezer and put them in a frying pan, then I washed my hands. "Okay, Edward. Do you want to baby-sit the meatballs?"

"Sure. What do I do?" He sounded a little nervous.

"Just stand there and watch them. Make sure they don't burn. Keep flipping them over so they cook evenly." I giggled. "Plus, I'm right here. Nothing is going to happen." I assured him.

I grabbed an onion and a green pepper and started dicing. I looked over at Edward and he was watching the pan intently.

I went over to him and grabbed his hand, holding the spoon. I guided his hand and we flipped the meatballs around together. I kissed his bicep and went over to the spice rack to grab some mustard powder. I got the chilli sauce, flour and brown sugar from the pantry and brought them over to the stove. I grabbed a package of submarine buns out of the freezer and set them out to defrost.

"Babe. These are looking done." Edward said, looking a little proud of himself.

I came over to take a look and the meat was nicely browned. "Good job, Edward." I praised. He leaned down and kissed me.

"Thanks. What's next?" Now, he was really into this.

"Okay, let's take these out for now." I said as I scooped them out and set them on a plate. "Now, we'll saute the onions and peppers in the oil." I said, putting them in the pan. I gave Edward a fresh wooden spoon to stir the vegetables around.

"You're doing so good. You're a natural, Edward." I said. "Now scoop those out and put them on the plate with the meatballs."

"Now we stir in the flour, chilli sauce and some water." I said, while I was doing it. "After it comes to a boil, we put in a little mustard powder and brown sugar."

"Okay. That's not too hard, I guess." He said, looking adorable standing in the kitchen with a wooden spoon in his hand and a look of determination on his face.

"No. It's not bad. I have to say it's a lot more fun with you here, though." I said with a smile, reaching over to pinch his side. "Okay, do you want to put the meatballs, onions and peppers back in the pan?"

"Yes, ma'am." He joked, dumping the contents of the plate into the sauce. It splashed back on his shirt and the stove. He turned around slowly and looked at me with a sad puppy dog look on his face and chilli sauce splatters on his grey t-shirt. "I'm sorry, sugar. Did I wreck it?" He asked, sounding so concerned.

I giggled. "No, Edward. It's fine. Are you okay, though? You didn't get burnt through your shirt did you?"

"No." He was still pouting.

"Aww. It's okay. Let me just stir this and turn it down to simmer." I quickly stirred our lunch, put the lid on and went over to cheer up my boyfriend, who was now sitting on the kitchen chair. "It's fine, Edward. Now take your shirt off."

"Um, okay?" Edward said, sounding a bit unsure.

I blushed, not really realizing how that might have sounded. "I'm going to try and get those stains out, Edward." I said quietly.

"Oh." I think I detected a little disappointment in his voice. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and raised it over his head, messing his hair slightly.

I will admit that I stared at his toned chest a little, before I realized he was holding his shirt out to me. He wasn't saying anything to me, and all of the sudden, the room felt really small and stuffy. The air was charged with electricity. I took the shirt from him and quickly turned and ran up the stairs to the bathroom.

I took a deep breath and looked at myself in the mirror above the bathroom sink. My face was flushed and my eyes were wide. I hadn't felt that nervous around Edward since the day we first met. I didn't like the awkwardness between us. It shouldn't be like that with us. We were in love.

I knew I shouldn't have just ran out of there like that, but I couldn't breathe. I was upset with myself. I didn't know what Edward was thinking. He probably thought that I was upset with him. I wasn't at all.

I had seen Edward with his shirt off briefly, and only from behind, the day I had cut his hair. But, this felt different.

I sighed and looked down at his shirt that I had balled up in my hands. I grabbed a bar of soap and started scrubbing the stains. They were coming out surprisingly well. I rinsed the soap out with cold water. I sighed again, before turning to go down to the laundry room to wash his shirt.

As I looked up, I saw Edward standing in the hallway watching me. He was still bare chested, his hands were in his pockets and he had a look of regret on his face. "Bella?" He said softly. "I'm sorry. I just didn't…"

"No, Edward. Stop it. Stop apologizing to me. It was my fault. I left." I said, walking out of the bathroom. I was so mad at myself. Not only did I run out on him, I left him thinking he was to blame.

I tried to slide past him, so I could go downstairs to the laundry room, but he reached his hands out and grabbed my shoulders, stopping me. "Stop running away from me." He said firmly. "I love you, Bella. Talk to me." His tone was worried and desperate.

I looked up into his eyes. I saw the concern for me, for us, reflected there. "I don't know what to say." I whispered.

"Try." He said, running his hands gently up and down my arms. He was trying to calm me down. It was working.

"I just… I was…" I sighed. This is Edward. Talk to him. My heart was making way more sense than my mind. So, I decided to speak from my heart.

"I was seriously only thinking about the stains on your shirt, Edward. I didn't mean to imply anything more. Then, when you took your shirt off, I was just mesmerized. You are beautiful." I looked up at him and he still looking down at me, reassurance in his eyes, now. "Then, the room just felt really hot and small, and I couldn't breathe, so I left. I know I should have stayed, but I panicked. I guess, it was just the first time that my feelings felt out of control. I don't really know how to explain it." I shook my head at my lack of ability to explain myself. But, how could I, if I didn't understand.

I dropped Edward's t-shirt and wrapped my arms tightly around his bare waist, pulling myself closer to him. "I love you, Edward. I'm sorry. I just got overwhelmed by how much I love you, how attracted I am to you, how amazing you are, and that you're mine." I said into his chest. He lowered his hands from my shoulders to my back, pulling me closer to him.

"God, Bella. I was so worried." He sighed in relief. "I am yours. You know that. And, I know this is all new to you, but I love you. Just talk to me, okay." He placed a kiss on the top of my head.

I looked up at him and smiled at his beautiful face. "Okay." I brought my hands up to his face.

Edward leaned forward and kissed me. As we kissed, I brought my hands down his warm neck, to his shoulders and down his strong back, loving how his bare skin felt on my hands. Why was I nervous? Right now, I couldn't figure it out. This was right. We were perfect.

Edward pulled back slowly. He looked into my eyes, trying to gauge what I was feeling. He smiled. I knew he could see that I was okay; that we were okay. I hoped he could see all the love I had for him. He leaned forward and pecked my lips once more.

"Come on, angel. Let's go eat." He took my hand in his, squeezing it lightly, affirming our love.

I reached down and grabbed his shirt from where I'd dropped it.

"Did it come clean?" He asked looking down at his shirt.

"Yes. It's perfect." I said, looking up at him with a smile. "Everything is perfect."


	24. Edward's Payback and My Phoenix

**A/N - Thanks so much for all your reviews! I'm glad you all liked the last chapter! Also, hello to my new readers! Summer Vacation got over 1000 hits yesterday and I can't tell you how exciting that is!**

**One last thing. I would just like to address a couple of unsigned reviews. I don't think they say 'I love you' too much. Remember, this is Sweetward! Also, Edward's use of nicknames is his way of showing Bella affection. He did this even before he admitted that he loved her. No big deal. I just wanted to clarify. Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

Chapter 24 - Edward's Payback and My Phoenix

We came downstairs and into the kitchen. I took Edward's shirt into the laundry room and threw it in the hamper. I looked over to the small table by the dryer and saw the black t-shirt I had worn home this morning sitting on top of the clean clothes. I took it and brought it out to him.

"Edward. I washed your black t-shirt that I slept in last night. Do you want to wear that today?" I asked.

"Yeah, that would be great, baby. Thanks. Now I don't have to go home and explain to my mother why I'm driving around town half naked." He laughed. He pulled the shirt over his head and pulled it down, covering his chest.

I was glad we were back to normal. Everything felt right again. I guessed that all relationships took little detours from time to time. We were young, and we were learning. I walked up to him and kissed his chest, right over his heart. "I love you." I whispered.

He wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to kiss the top of my head.

"So, do you want to try our little creation?" I asked him, reluctantly pulling away and going over to the stove to give the meatballs one last stir..

"I'm starving, honey. Let's see how we did." He laughed.

I sliced the submarine buns in half and filled them with meatballs and sauce. I brought our plates to the table and sat down across from Edward.

He took a big bite and started chewing. "Mmm." He hummed. I took a small bite to try it out. I hadn't made these in quite some time. We must have done something right. They were so good.

Edward smiled at me. I laughed at him because he had sauce on his chin, and had no idea. "They're really good, babe." He said taking another bite. I kept laughing. I could hardly eat. "What?" Edward asked after he had swallowed, starting to laugh with me.

I walked over to the sink and wet the corner of a dish towel. I came and sat down on Edward's knee, wiping off his face. I kissed his chin. "You're so cute, Edward." I laughed.

"I'm glad you find me amusing." He laughed, his cheeks turning a little pink.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at you. You were just so cute." I explained.

"Oh, no. Don't try to back peddle, now, angel." Edward said, getting a serious, almost predatory, look on his face. He put his right arm under my knees and his left around my back and stood up from the table, taking me with him. "You're in for it now." He said.

"Edward, put me down." I said, slightly panicked at being carried. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hung on for dear life.

He carried me into the living room and lightly dropped me onto the couch. I started laughing, which caused Edward to laugh. I was laying on my back and Edward crawled on top of me, kneeling above me. With a wicked smile on his face, he started tickling my sides and stomach. "Now who's laughing?"

I was squirming and hitting his chest with my hands. "Edward, stop it, I can't breathe." I was laughing so hard, tears were streaming from my eyes. One thing about Edward, was that he always stopped when I asked him to.

"Okay, Bella. I think you've been punished enough." He said with a wink, dropping down beside me on the couch. He pulled me into his arms and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

I snuggled into him, placing my hands on his chest. I could feel his heart beating fast on my palms. "Do you want to finish lunch?" I asked, remembering our half eaten sandwiches left on the kitchen table.

"Oh, yeah." He laughed. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright. Let's go eat." I said as I stood up.

Edward stood up and walked in front of me. He crouched down a bit in front of me. "Hop on, babe." He said.

"What? Why? We are like twenty feet from the kitchen. I can walk." I said.

"I know, but I carried you out of there. Now, I'm going to carry you back in." He said it as if it was the most logical explanation for his request.

I decided to humour him. I leaned onto his back and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He reached back and grabbed my legs under my knees as he stood up, pulling my legs up by his hips. "You are so light, Bella. I could carry you everywhere."

"As much as I'm loving this, you will not be carrying me everywhere." I said, kissing his neck.

He laughed. "Don't distract me, babe. I've got precious cargo that I don't want to drop."

I kissed him again in the same spot, just as we got back into the kitchen.

"Okay. I'm putting you down before I drop you." He said, letting go of my legs. I slowly loosened my grip on his shoulders and hopped down from his back. I walked back to my seat and picked up my sandwich. We worked hard on these, and darn it, I was going to enjoy it.

We finished our lunch, smiling at each other the whole time, just enjoying the company of the other. "You want another one, Edward?" I asked.

He smiled. "Okay." I made him another sandwich and set in front of him. He took a bite. "Babe, these are so good."

"Well, it looks like you can cook." I joked. "Hey, there's enough here for another one. "Do you think we could stop by the station and drop it off for my dad's supper?"

"That's fine with me. Did you want to go now, or wait until we leave for baseball practice?" He asked, as I stood by the counter making my dad's sandwich and wrapping it in plastic.

"Um, let's wait until we leave this for practice. I want you to myself for a while this afternoon." I said, putting it in the fridge.

"Okay. What do you want to do this afternoon?" He asked, bringing our plates to the sink.

"Well, I had an idea." I said, hoping he thought it was okay.

"Bella. We just went through this upstairs. Tell me. I'm never going to question you. I would sit right here in this chair and look at your pretty face all afternoon if you asked me to." He said, coming up to me and pulling me to his chest.

"I know. I'm sorry. I was just thinking that I could show you my photos from Phoenix and maybe show you my life before I came up here, sort of like how you showed me some special places to you on Sunday night."

"I would love that, baby." He said, leaning down to kiss me.

I took his hand and led him upstairs to my room. Edward went and sat on my bed, while I went in my closet and pulled out my photo albums. I came over and crawled on the bed, sitting beside him, with our backs to the headboard.

I opened the album to the first page and set it across our legs.

"Oh, look at you, sugar. You were such a cute baby." Edward said enthusiastically.

"I can't believe I'm voluntarily showing you my baby pictures." I laughed, blushing.

"I'm glad you are, angel." Edward said, still looking down at the photo of me in a yellow dress with a big yellow bow clipped into my hair. I must have only been a couple of months old.

"Okay, next page." I said quickly flipping the page to the next pictures. "This is me and my dad at the zoo in Seattle. We went for my second birthday." I pointed to the picture of me on my dad's shoulders. "And here's me and my mom at her graduation, when I was four." I added as I pointed to the picture of my mom in cap and gown, with me standing beside her looking up with a smile on my face. If only I would have known that her graduation would be the catalyst that took me away from my dad.

"You've always been beautiful, baby. Look at that smile." He said, looking up at me. He placed his hand on my cheek and brought his lips to meet mine. "Thanks for showing this to me, Bella. I love you."

I kissed him back. "You're welcome." I reached forward and flipped the page. "After we moved to Phoenix, I wasn't adjusting that well, so my mom thought it would be a good idea to put into ballet when I was around six years old. So, here's me at my dance recital." I said, pointing to the picture of me in a outfit very similar to the one Alice had for her recital.

"Aw, look at you." He said with a chuckle. "Why are you pouting?"

I laughed. "I hated that dance class. I couldn't remember the steps, I tripped all the time and I was nervous to go on stage."

"I bet you were adorable." He said, kissing my cheek.

"I was horrible." I laughed. "Anyway, here are my class pictures." I said, as I flipped through twelve years of school photos. "Don't laugh at my awkward years, Edward." I said seriously, as we got to my seventh and eight grade pictures.

"Why would I laugh? You were beautiful. You are beautiful." He said, smiling at all the pictures.

"I wasn't, but thanks for saying that, Edward." I said, as I turned the page. "This is my graduation."

"Oh, look at you. Who is that beside you?" He asked, pointing to picture of me and my best friend, Angela. We were standing in our caps and gowns and had our arms around each other's shoulders and big smiles on our faces.

"That's Angela. She's my best friend. We went through school together, right from first grade, all the way to graduation." I said a little sadly.

"She looks like a nice girl." Edward added, reaching over to squeeze my hand. "What's she been up to this last year?"

"She goes to the University of Arizona. She has a huge family, lots of brothers and sisters, and she wanted to stay close to them. I didn't want to leave her, but I had to come see my dad." I laid my head on his shoulder. "I miss her so much." I whispered.

"Aw, baby. Come here." He said, as he set the album down on the bed and pulled me closer to him, wrapping me in his strong arms. "Maybe we could go visit her this summer."

"That would be nice, but the money I saved up is to pay for my visit with my mom." I said, disappointed.

"We'll figure it out, okay, babe." He kissed my cheek and gave me a tight hug. "I'd love to meet her."

"You'd like her. We're a lot alike. She knows more about me than my own mom. We e-mail each other every few weeks, but not, enough."

"Does she know about me?" Edward asked with a smile.

"Of course she does." I laughed. "She knew about you before I knew your name."

"Oh, really? What did you tell her?" He smirked.

"I told her that there was a gorgeous guy in my Psychology class. Messy bronze hair, beautiful green eyes. That kind of stuff."

"Yeah? What did she say?" Edward said, twirling my hair around his fingers.

"She said I should talk to you, which is hilarious, by the way, because she is just a shy around guys as I am." I said with a laugh. He laughed with me.

"Did you tell her we were dating now?" He asked.

"Yeah. She couldn't believe it." I laughed. "She would love to meet you, too." I sighed. "Thank you, Edward."

"For what, angel?"

"For being here. For cheering me up. For listening." I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said, kissing my head.


	25. The Station

**A/N - Thanks again for the reviews and to everyone for reading it! Over a thousand hits again yesterday! Happy Independence Day to my American readers! Enjoy!**

Chapter 25 - The Station

"Hey, Edward? What time is it?" I asked, my head still on his chest.

"Um, three o'clock." He said.

"What time does practice start?" I asked, not wanting to miss it.

"About quarter after four, four thirty. Somewhere in there."

"Okay. Do you want to head down to the station and drop off the sandwich?" I asked, excited to surprise my dad.

"Sure, baby." Edward said. We both got up. "I'm just going to use the bathroom, okay?"

"Okay." I said, taking the album and putting it back on the shelf in my closet. I grabbed my purse and hoodie and headed into the hallway. Edward opened the bathroom door just as I was walking by.

"Hey, babe. You ready to go?" He asked, taking my hand in his.

"Yeah. I'm just going to throw the pan in the sink to soak while we're gone." I passed him my purse and sweater and filled the sink with soapy water. I put the pan and our plates in the water. I grabbed the sandwich out of the fridge and put it in a paper bag. "Okay. I'm ready." I said, taking my purse and sweater from him. He leaned down for kiss.

I grabbed my house keys, and Edward and I walked to his car. He opened the door for me and I got in. "Do you want me to put your purse and hoodie in the trunk?" He asked.

"Yeah, my purse, thanks." I didn't want to bring my purse into the station, or with me to practice.

He got in his side and leaned over to kiss me again. I giggled at him. "What? I'm not allowed to kiss my girlfriend?" He teased.

"You're allowed." I smiled. "I'm just enjoying it."

"Good. So am I." He said, as he pulled onto the road. We drove to the station, holding hands and just enjoying each other's company.

We pulled up to the station and I hopped out. Edward came over to me and took my hand as we walked in. "Hi, Sue." I said as we walked up to the front desk.

"Hello, Bella. Nice to see you again so soon." She said, excitedly. "Edward, honey. How are you?"

"I'm doing great, ma'am. Home for the summer." He said. I was not used to living in a small town where everyone knew each other.

"That's nice. Tell your mother I say 'hello.'" Sue said with a smile.

"I will." Edward said.

"Is my dad in?" I asked Sue.

"He sure is. He's at his desk. You two are welcome to just head right back." She said with a smile.

"Thanks, Sue." I said, pulling Edward with me around the desk. He stopped walking. "Edward? Come on."

"You want me to go with you?" Edward said nervously.

"Of course I do." I giggled, realizing that maybe Edward was as embarrassed to face my dad after our sleepover last night, as I was with his family this morning. "He's fine with it, Edward. Don't worry, okay." I whispered, as I noticed Sue had stopped typing and seemed to be listening. Small towns.

His cheeks turned a little pink that I had figured out the reason for his hesitation. He gave me a small smile, squeezed my hand, and we started walking again. It was so sweet.

"Hey, Bells. Edward." My dad called loudly, as soon as he saw us walking up to his desk. This drew the attention of everyone else in the room, and I hated being the center of attention.

We walked up to his desk. "Hi, dad. We made lunch and had some leftovers. I thought you might want something for your supper break." I set the paper bag on his desk. "It's a meatball sub." I said as he excitedly opened the bag and peaked inside.

"It looks great. Thanks for thinking me, kids." He said, looking pretty pleased with himself that got both visitors, and food, this afternoon.

"No problem, sir." Edward added, quietly, looking down at the desk.

My dad looked from Edward, over to me with a questioning look on his face. I just shook my head, hoping he wouldn't embarrass Edward more than he already was.

"Something wrong, son?" Charlie asked. I knew he wouldn't let it go.

Edward's head snapped up to look at Charlie, and then at me. I gave him a reassuring smile. "No, sir." Edward answered quickly. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, his face cheeks still a light shade of pink. "Um, actually, sir, I just wanted to make sure that things were still okay between us." He cleared his throat and continued. "I mean, I love your daughter with all of my heart and I would never do anything to hurt her." He sighed, frowning slightly. "I just wanted to…"

My dad starting chuckling from his seat, where he sat with his arms crossed over his chest. He had an amused expression on his face. Edward stopped talking and looked up at him. "Relax, Edward." He chuckled again. "Everything is fine. Bells and I talked about it. I trust you, Edward. I've known you and your family for quite sometime. No need to worry, kid."

I have never loved my dad more at that moment. He could have very well made that conversation a lot more embarrassing for Edward, but he didn't. And, I was also so proud of Edward for putting everything out there in the open.

Edward let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir." He said, looking over at me with a smile.

"So, she's got you cooking, does she?" My dad said with a laugh.

"Yes, she does. I'm actually surprised how well they turned out." Edward said gesturing to the bag sitting in front of my dad, starting to relax a bit more.

"Hey, Bella. Nice to see you again." We all looked over to see Officer Jake Black approaching his desk. "And, you are?" Jake asked, looking at Edward with a bit of a scowl.

I was surprised by his rudeness, especially in front of my father, his boss. "Hi, Jake. This is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. I'm surprised you don't know him. It seems that everybody knows everybody else around here." I squeezed Edward's hand.

"Oh, yeah, the Cullen boys. I remember you kids." He said, emphasizing the word 'kids.' "You must have been in middle school when I left town to study criminal justice." He added.

"I guess so, man. Nice to meet you, though." Edward said, letting go of my hand and reaching it out to Jake, so they could shake hands. I loved how Edward wasn't letting Jake's attitude get to him. He seemed a lot more confident now that he knew everything was okay between himself and my dad.

"Yeah. You, too." Jake said, reluctantly shaking Edward's hand. "Excuse me." He said, as he turned and walked out of the building. I looked at my dad and he had a knowing smirk on his face as he watched the drama unfold.

Before I could ask him if he knew why Jake was being so rude, another officer walked up to us.

"Hey, Cullen, man. How's it going?" He said, walking up to Edward and giving him a half handshake, half hug.

"It's going great, Paul. So you're a cop, now, huh?" Edward said, with a smile.

"You know it, man. But, I'm the rookie. Just started about a month ago." He said with a laugh. "So who's this pretty little lady?" Paul said with a smile.

"That 'little lady' would be my daughter, Bella." My dad said in his authoritative tone.

I couldn't help but laugh. My dad was never that serious, but in his uniform, he could be intimidating. Paul's mouth opened in shock. "Oh, uh, I'm sorry, sir." He stammered.

"Nice to meet you, Paul." I said, reaching out to shake his hand, trying to make him feel better about his unintended slip-up. "I'm Edward's girlfriend."

He shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, too, Bella."

"Paul was the one that taught me how to play guitar during my junior year." Edward added proudly.

"Oh. That's so cool." I added, happy to meet one of Edward's friends.

"Yeah. It's been a couple of years." Edward said, looking excited to see his friend.

"We'll have to get together some time to jam." Paul said. "I play open mic nights out in Port Angeles on my nights off. You guys should come down and check it out. Maybe you could play, too, Edward."

"That would be great. I'd like that." Edward said, looking over to me.

"I would love to see you both play. Give us a call the next time you're going out there, okay?" I said. "Do you have Edward's number?"

"No, I don't. But, I'll tell you what, Bella. I'm on the day shift this week and I'm thinking of going out to Port Angeles tomorrow night. You guys free?" Paul asked.

Edward looked over to me. "Sure. That would be great." I said. "When and where?"

"How about I send you a text later tonight with the details, okay? Paul said.

I reached over on my dad's desk and grabbed a post-it note and a pen and wrote Edward's number down for him. "Thanks, babe." Edward said as I passed it to Paul.

"Well, good to see you again, Edward. Nice meeting you, Bella." Paul said. "I've got to get this report filled out, so I'll see you both tomorrow, okay?" He gave us a friendly smile and headed over to the desk next to Jake's.

"Okay, dad. Enjoy your sandwich. We're heading over to watch Jasper's practice." I said, going around his desk to give him a hug.

"Thanks, Bells. Have a good time." He said giving me a hug. He patted Edward's shoulder. "See you later, son."

"Yeah, we'll see you later, sir." Edward said.

"Bye, dad." I said, taking Edward's hand in mine as we started walking out.

"Bye, Paul." I said, as we passed his desk. He raised his arm and waved at us, not taking his eyes off his paperwork.

"See you later, Sue." I said we walked out the door.

"Bye kids. It was nice seeing you again, Edward." She said.

"You, too, ma'am." He answered.

We walked out to his car and he opened my door for me. I got in and he hurried around to his side and got in. He leaned over to me and kissed me. "Oh, Bella. I was so nervous." He laughed, leaning his head back against his seat.

"You were fine. I told you everything would be okay." I said, leaning over and kissing his shoulder.

"Yes, babe, you were right." He laughed, as he put the car in reverse and we headed over to the high school.


	26. Play Ball

**A/N - Thanks again for the hits and reviews! Love you all! Well, I finally saw "Eclipse" yesterday! Amazing! So, here's the chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 26 - Play Ball

We pulled up to Forks Senior High School and parked in the lot. "So, this is where you went to high school." I said, looking around at the campus. "It's bigger than I thought."

Edward took my hand and led me behind the main campus. "It's a nice school. I focused on my school work and baseball. Like I told you before, I wasn't much for socializing."

"I was a lot like you." I squeezed his hand. "Except for the baseball thing."

He chuckled. "We'll see if we can change that. The Cullens are all very much into the sport, so I'm sure if you hang around us long enough, you'll learn a lot about it."

"I'm excited. I love learning about you, Edward. If baseball was your life, then I want to learn about it." I laughed. "You know, I've been watching the Mariners games with my dad."

Edward laughed. "What a good student." He teased. "I'm glad you suggested this. I haven't been to see one of Jasper's practices since spring break."

I sighed. "I just worry that because you're with me all the time, I'm keeping you away from your family."

He let go of my hand and put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to his side. "Don't worry so much, babe. This is our first summer together. We'll just play it by ear." He laughed. "I'm sure by the end of the summer, my family will be trying to get rid of me."

"I doubt it, Edward." I said as we walked over to the bleachers.

We started walking up the stairs on the side. Emmett and Maria were already there, sitting together. "Hey, guys." Emmett said as we made our way over to them.

"Hi, Emmett. Nice to see you again, Maria." I said as I sat beside her. Edward sat beside me and leaned forward. "Hey, Em. Hi, Maria.

"Hi. Thanks again for last night. I had a great time." Maria said, with a big smile on your face.

"Oh, you're very welcome. So, have you ever been to baseball practice before?" I asked.

"No. I've always wanted to though." She blushed at her admission. I was surprised considering how outgoing she was last night.

"I'm excited, too." I added with a smile.

Emmett got up from beside Maria and moved to sit behind us. I assumed he did that so he could talk to all of us at the same time. "Well, you girls have come with the right guys." Emmett laughed.

"So, I hear." I teased.

We looked up and saw the boys running out to the field. "Oh, look. There's Jasper." Maria squealed, pointing at Jasper, as the boys starting running laps around the diamond. Edward and Emmett chuckled quietly.

All the guys were wearing sweatpants or basketball shorts and t-shirts. Jasper was wearing black sweatpants that were cut off at the knee, a long-sleeved, grey t-shirt and a Chicago White Sox cap. He was running beside one of his team mates, talking as they ran. This boy had short, blonde hair and was a little shorter and pudgier than Jasper, which actually wasn't that surprising, considering how tall and lanky Jasper was.

Maria turned to me and told me that the boy's name was Mike Newton. "I think he's one of Jasper's friends. They sit together at lunch." She added, blushing.

"Yeah, they hang out at our house every once and a while." Emmett added. "He's alright."

"Don't they wear uniforms?" I asked.

"Yeah. But, they only wear them on game day." Emmett answered over my shoulder.

"How long do they run?" Maria asked, turning around to look at Emmett.

"Um. Just about five laps. Nothing major." He answered.

"So, Emmett," I asked to break the monotony of watching the guys run in circles, "why didn't you try out for baseball this year?"

"Well, I just sort of got into football and I like that it's at the beginning of the school year. It's fun, so it makes going back to school in the fall not so bad." He said.

"Plus, we all promised mom just one extracurricular activity a year, so we had time to focus on studying." Edward added with a laugh.

"I guess that's a lot of scheduling for your mom to keep track of, with four kids, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah. That's probably the real reason we were limited to one sport. She has never missed a game or recital." Edward said, proudly.

"Yeah. She's a great mom." Emmett added.

"I'd love to meet her." Maria said. "She sounds great." I thought it was cute that Maria wanted to get to know the Cullens. She must really care about Jasper.

"Well, you'll see her on Friday at the dance recital, and if you come to Jasper's game on Saturday, she'll be there." Emmett said with a smile.

"I would love to. Hey, Bella?" She said, sounding a little nervous. "Are you going to be at the game on Saturday?"

"I think so." I looked over at Edward. He smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Edward leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Babe, I think your dad is going to be there, too. He comes to our games every now and again. I just assumed you wanted to go. Is that okay?"

"Oh, I do." I leaned forward and kissed his lips quickly.

"Okay, enough PDA, you two." Emmett teased from behind us. "You do realize that the field full of teenage boys in front of you is very curious why there are two pretty girls out here watching them, don't you?" He laughed.

Maria and I both blushed.

"Okay, guys. Pair up." We heard the coach yell." The boys all ran over to the backstop to get their gloves and baseballs. The blonde boy, Mike, was still with Jasper, so I assumed they would be partners. Jasper finally looked up at us. Maria starting waving frantically, as if he would miss her. It was priceless. I could see the blush on his cheeks as he waved back quickly.

Mike's head snapped up to look at us as he realized we were all there to watch Jasper. I would have thought he would have recognized Emmett. He gave us all a smile and then turned to follow Jasper out to the field. It looked like they were practicing throwing and catching.

"They're just warming up their arms." Edward added, taking my left hand in both of his, tracing my fingers with his.

"He's really good." Maria added, probably more to herself, than to us.

"Well, yeah. I taught him everything he knows." Emmett laughed.

Edward starting laughing at that and shaking his head. I could see, even those small moments, how much Edward loved his brother. I smiled at them, glad they had this summer to spend with each other.

"Hey, Edward. We are going to have to make a trip home this fall to see Emmett play football. I have to see for myself how amazing he is." I said to tease Emmett. But, I seriously did want to come home more often next year. I didn't think it would be possible for me to stay away from all these great people that I was starting to consider a part of my own family.

"Definitely." Edward added with a smile.

"That would be so cool. You guys are really going to come?" Emmett asked, clearly having missed his older brother this last year. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around us, his head between ours.

"We wouldn't miss it, Em." Edward replied, laughing.

Emmett turned his head and kissed my cheek, then quickly turned and kissed Edward's cheek, before sitting back in his seat, laughing hysterically.

This caused us all to laugh, especially at the shocked look on Edward's face. It was priceless. I was glad that I was fitting in so well with Edward's family and that they were so accepting of me being a part of their lives.

"Oh, now what are they doing?" Maria said, sounding excited.

"Uh, it looks like they are going to work on batting today." Edward said, looking out at the guys. They had all come in and were standing behind the backstop, with the exception of the pitcher, and three guys in the outfield.

Jasper and Mike, were talking and laughing while they were waiting for their turn to bat. Mike started to do tricks with his bat, trying to flip it around, but kept dropping it. Jasper took the bat and was able to flip the bat from end to end with one hand without dropping it. It was pretty impressive. I looked at Maria. She was clearly swooning. I smiled at her. She was a sweetie.

Finally, Jasper came up to bat. They each had three chances at bat. Jasper hit all three of his. One was a ground ball out along the first base line and the other two were pop flies to the outfield.

Every time we heard the crack of the bat on the ball, Maria and I would cheer and clap. Edward and Emmett would chuckle at us. Baseball was so much more exciting live, than it was on TV.


	27. Kisses

**A/N - Thanks again to everyone reading this! The most hits so far yesterday! Someone asked for longer chapters. I'm doing the best I can, but if I continue to post daily, the chapters need to stay the length they are! Sorry!**

**Here's the next one. Enjoy!**

Chapter 27 - Kisses

After the everyone on the team had batted three times, and the outfielders came in for some practice, they all gathered in around the coach. He seemed to be talking about the next practice. The did a cute, group cheer about the Spartans, which I figured was the team name, and then they all started running back to the main building. Jasper ran over to the bleachers, with Mike in tow.

"Hey, Jasper. You were really good." Maria said with an excited smile, walking closer to him.

"Thanks." He said, looking down at his glove.

"Yeah, Jazz. That was some good hitting, today." Edward added proudly.

"So, are you going to introduce me?" Mike whispered to Jasper, but loud enough that we could all hear him.

"Oh, yeah." Jasper said, his cheeks turning pink again. "Well, you know, Maria. These are my brothers Emmett and Edward. And this is Bella, Edward's girlfriend." As he introduced us, he sort of pointed in our direction with his baseball glove. "Guys, this is my friend, Mike."

Mike was smiling at me. "Well, it's nice to meet you all." He said, winking at me. I was trying my hardest not to laugh at his obvious crush, because it would have been rude, but he was acting as if Edward didn't his have his arm around my waist, and his hand on my hip.

"You, too, Mike." I said, before I turned to Jasper. "You did really well, Jasper. I was very impressed. Do you want to ride with home with us?"

Emmett answered for him. "I'll take him. I have the truck here. Do you want us drop you off, Maria?"

"Okay. Is that alright?" She asked, sounding like she didn't want to be an inconvenience.

"It's alright. We don't mind." Jasper said with a shy smile. "I just have to go have quick shower and change. I'll be right out, okay?"

"Okay." Maria said with a wide smile. She leaned over to him and kissed his cheek.

Jasper's hand shot up to touch his cheek, as if he was shocked by her lips. His face flushed bright red. "Um, okay." He said before he turned and jogged to the school. Mike followed behind him, but turned and waved at us.

Edward burst out laughing. "Someone has an admirer." He teased, squeezing my hip.

"Oh, be quiet, Edward." I laughed. He leaned down and placed a kiss on my neck.

"Okay, Em. We'll see you back home." Edward said, patting his brother's shoulder. "We'll see you soon, Maria."

"Okay. I'm glad I had someone to sit with today. Thanks." Maria answered, with her ever present, but always genuine, smile. "Um, could I have your number, you know, in case I ever need to talk, or anything?" She whispered to me.

"Of course, Maria." I said, writing it down on her outstretched hand with the pen she handed to me.

"Thanks. Bye, Bella." She said before giving me a tight hug.

I hugged her back. I had never been a hugger. My mother wasn't the affectionate type. But, it seemed that the good people of Forks were a loving bunch. I liked it. "Bye, sweetie. We'll talk to you later, okay? See you in a few minutes, Emmett." I added before Edward and I started heading back to the car.

"Bye." Emmett called, as he plopped back down on the bleachers. Maria sat beside him, already laughing at something he said. It was nice to see that all the Cullens and Hales got along so well with each other.

"So, Emmett has a truck?" I asked Edward, as we walked hand in hand back around the school.

"Yeah. My dad bought an older quarter-ton truck when I got my licence at sixteen. I drove Em and I to high school after that. It saved my mom from having to do it." He laughed. "I was the only one with a licence, but the truck was for all of us. I sort of became the family chauffer. When I graduated, the truck went to Emmett. Now he takes Jazz to school with him. When Em goes to college, Jazz will get the truck."

"That's sweet." I said, squeezing his hand as we got to the Volvo. He unlocked and opened my door for me. I got in and he leaned forward to capture my lips in a warm, soft kiss. He gave me his heart-warming smile, before closing the door. He went to get my purse for me out of the trunk and then went around to his side.

"So, what did you think of practice?" He asked me, as we backed out, and headed back to the main highway that led to the Cullen house.

"I loved it." I answered excitedly. "Jasper is amazing. I'd have to say he's one of the best on the team."

"Yeah. He's got some real talent. The senior team can't wait to get him, but they'll have to wait until he's a junior. The school keeps the freshmen and sophomores on one team and the juniors and seniors on another. It gives the younger kids a chance to stand out without having to compete with the older boys."

"That's a good idea. Jasper really shines out there. This is his element." I added.

"Yeah. I'm really proud of him" Edward beamed.

"I bet they are so happy you're home." I said.

"They are. Jazz used to call every night for the first few months when I left in September. I will admit, I was on the verge of tears when I heard his voice. He was fourteen years old, just starting high school and I left for college. It was a big adjustment for him." Edward reflected.

I was trying to blink back my own tears at that story. I could not get over how much I loved the entire Cullen family. After only five days, they had all stolen my heart.

I cleared my throat. "I meant what I said to Emmett. I would really like to come home more next year. I mean, we're only a few hours away. We could come home once a month for the weekend. And, maybe, your family and my dad could come up to see us." I was excited by my new plan. Even though summer had just started, I was already starting to dread the return to school in the fall.

Edward reached his hand over and squeezed my knee. "I think that's a great idea, angel. My mom will love that, by the way." He chuckled. I put my hand on his, stroking his fingers. He turned his hand and interlaced our fingers, before bringing my hand up to his lips. He pressed a kiss to the back of my hand.

"Good." I said with a smile. "So, what did you think of Maria kissing Jasper? Wasn't that adorable?"

Edward laughed. "That poor kid. No. He's really lucky Maria knows what she wants, and that she's so persistent."

"But, you think he likes her, too, right?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sure he does. This would be his first girlfriend. I think he's just really nervous. He has no idea what to expect." Edward said.

"Do you think he would come to you with questions, or do you think he's too shy to ask?" I asked.

"Maybe I can talk to him tonight after dinner." Edward thought out loud. "If he has some questions for you, would you be willing to talk to him?" He looked over at me.

"Of course, Edward. You know I love your brothers like they are mine. I grew up alone. I am loving this whole family environment. There is never a dull moment." I giggled.

"You're perfect for me, Bella." He said as we pulled in front of his house. He put he car in park and turned to face me. He put both his hands on my face and leaned in to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back.

We were snapped from our own world of soft lips and gentle touches by a knock on the driver's side window.

Edward laughed against my lips, before kissing me quickly one more time. He traced his fingers over my cheeks, before turning to look out the window. Carlisle was smiling at us. I didn't even hear him get home from work.

Edward opened his door and got out. I got out, too. Edward wrapped his arm around his dad's shoulder. "I can't catch a break today, dad." I heard him laugh.

"I wouldn't normally stop you, son, but your baby sister is watching you out the front window." He said as he pointed up to the house. We all looked up to see Alice smiling and waving at us. She had probably heard us pull up and was waiting for us to come in.

I waved back at her. She took this as her invitation to come running out towards us. "Hi, daddy." She said, running up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hi, pumpkin." Carlisle said, lifting her up onto his hip.

"Edward's supposed to keep his hands to himself, right Bella?" She said, laughing.

Carlisle started laughing at that. I blushed, knowing I had told her that on Saturday.

"You heard her, son." Carlisle chuckled, as he turned to walk into the house with his daughter.

Edward looked over at me and shrugged his shoulders, before leaning over to kiss me one more time. "I love you, babe."

I took his hand as we followed Carlisle into the house for supper.


	28. Lucky

**A/N - Chapter 28 marks 4 weeks since I've been posting Summer Vacation! Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. Knowing you are all liking the story makes me want to keep writing, what seems to be, a summer long, epic length fanfic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 28 - Lucky

We walked into the kitchen to see Alice sitting at the kitchen table and Carlisle giving Esme a hug in the kitchen.

"Alice? Why doesn't dad have to keep his hands to himself?" Edward teased. Esme and Carlisle started giggling quietly.

"'Cause it's mom and dad." She said seriously, as if that explained her logic.

"Hi, Esme." I said, trying to take the attention off of us, again. "Do you need any help with dinner?"

"No, Bella. Thank you. I've got it all under control. We can eat as soon as the boys get home." She said sweetly.

"Hey, mom." Edward said, sitting down a the table beside Alice. "Bella taught me how to cook today." He sounded so proud of himself.

"Really?" She said, looking intrigued.

"Yes, he did really well. We both survived." I teased.

"What did you make, Edward?" Alice asked.

"Meatball subs." He said, looking at me, before winking.

I smiled back at him, remembering our afternoon, and how much closer we felt because of what happened. Even though I had a mini panic attack, this afternoon was so important to our relationship. We were learning about each other and it made us stronger. I knew Edward was thinking about it, too.

I finally broke eye contact with Edward after a moment, when I realized how quiet it was in the kitchen. I looked over at Esme and Carlisle, who were standing side by side, watching Edward and I with contented smiles on their faces.

I blushed at being caught. So, I did what I do best. I deflected the attention, by changing the subject. "Hey, Alice. How did the presentation go?"

"It was really cool. I got an 'A' from my teacher and the other kids in the class thought I was really lucky that you were my best friend." She told us with a smile.

"That's great, Alice." I said. "Did you tell them that I think I'm the lucky one?"

She laughed. "No."

Edward laughed with her. "Well, maybe I'm the luckiest one out of all of us, because I have both of you." He added with a smile.

Alice thought about it for a minute. "Hey. I guess you are the luckiest." She turned to look at Carlisle, as if to check if Edward was right.

"Well, pumpkin. I think we're all lucky. There is a lot of love in our family, and we should all be happy that we have each other." Carlisle said.

Just then, we heard the front door open and heard the sound of Emmett and Jasper laughing with each other. It was so nice to hear brothers laughing instead of fighting.

"Hi, boys." Carlisle said.

"Hey, dad. Hi, mom." Emmett said, picking up Alice and sitting in her chair with her on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. "How's my favourite sister?" He asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Good." She giggled.

I looked up to see Jasper walking over to his mom. She pulled him into a tight hug, even though he was taller than her. "How was practice, sweetie?" She asked.

"It was pretty good. My batting was perfect today." He said.

"Good job, son. Are you ready for the game on Saturday?" Carlisle asked him, patting his shoulder.

"I think so, yeah." He said.

"Jazz, I think what she really wanted to know was how practice was with Maria watching?" Emmett added.

Jasper blushed. "Oh, that was okay, too. Em, Edward and Bella came, too, so that was pretty cool." He added, changing the subject off of Maria.

"I had a really great time, Jasper." I added, trying to make him feel more comfortable. "I had never watched a practice before. And Saturday will be the first live baseball game I get to see. Maria seems pretty excited about it, too."

"Yeah?" He asked. I found it so interesting how much reassurance that guys needed. Hanging around the Cullen boys really gave me a new perspective on relationships.

"Jazz, she kissed you." Emmett announced.

"Wow." Carlisle said with a chuckle, as Jasper's cheeks burned brighter with his brother's comment.

"Yeah." Jasper said with a nervous chuckle, as he walked over to the table to sit beside Edward.

Edward put his arm around his brother's shoulder. "Girls keep you on your toes, huh?" Edward said, quietly.

Jasper sighed. "You're telling me."

Edward leaned and over and whispered something to him. Jasper nodded. I assumed that Edward told him they would talk privately after dinner.

"Okay, kids. Dinner's ready." Esme called, carrying two plates of food into the dining room. Carlisle followed her, carrying the rest of the food. She had made a roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn.

Emmett set Alice down on the floor and she ran over to me, grabbing my hand. We all walked into the dining room and sat around the table. Everyone talked about their days at school and work over a delicious dinner. Edward told them about seeing Paul again.

"So, you two are going to Port Angeles, tomorrow?" Esme asked.

"Yeah. I was hoping to leave around eleven-thirty and maybe make a day of it?" He looked over at me, making sure that I was alright with his plan.

I smiled and nodded, excitedly. "We're going to check out an open mic night with Paul." I added. "I have never heard Edward play before."

"He's very talented." Esme told me proudly.

"Well, don't get her hopes up too high, mom. I haven't played for the better part of the year." Edward laughed as he turned to me and winked.

"I'm sure you'll be great, Edward." I said.

"Well, Esme. That was a great dinner." Carlisle said, leaning over to kiss his wife on the cheek.

"Yes. Thank you, Esme." I said.

"You're welcome, sweetie." She said, standing up to start clearing the dishes.

"Let me help you with these, Esme." I said, grabbing a couple of plates with me as I stood.

"No, no. Honey, don't worry about it." She said, as we got into the kitchen.

"Actually, I think Edward wanted to talk to Jasper for a while, so I really don't mind." I said quietly.

"Oh. Okay. In that case, I would love some company." She winked, with a sincere smile.

"I'm going to go do some homework." Emmett said, as he got up and kissed his mom on the cheek. "Thanks, mom." He added, as he walked by.

"We're going to head upstairs for a bit, too." Edward said, as he and Jasper got up and walked to the stairs. Edward looked back at me and nodded. I smiled back. We were getting pretty good at wordless communication. "Thanks, mom. Dinner was great." He called back.

Carlisle took Alice's hand and led her to the family room. "Let's go do your homework, okay?"

"Okay, dad." She said with a big smile on her face.

Esme and I finished clearing the dishes from the dining room table and went into the kitchen. "So, Bella. You had a good day?" Esme asked.

"Yeah. I swear I have never done so many things in a day, as I have since I got home on Friday." I laughed. "But, I have to say, I'm loving every minute of being here in Forks."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Bella. I have honestly never seen Edward happier than these last five days. I think we owe a lot of that to you." She said, causing me to blush. "It's just so good to have him home."

"Actually, Esme, I was just talking about that with Edward today. I would really like to come home at least once a month, when we start back up at school. Also, maybe you guys, and my dad, could come see us, too?" I suggested, putting the plates in the dishwasher.

"Oh, sweetheart. I would love that." She said, coming over to give me a quick hug.

"Hey, babe?" Edward said, walking into the room. "Can I steal you for a minute?" He walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"Sure. We were just finishing up, anyway." I said, kissing his arm.

"Thanks for your help, Bella. We'll see before you leave?" Esme asked.

"Absolutely. Thanks, for dinner. I have a lot to aspire to." I said, as Edward unwrapped his arms from me, taking my hand.

"You're welcome anytime, sweetheart." She looked up at Edward. "Is Jasper, alright?"

"Oh, yeah. Just guy stuff, mom." Edward chuckled, winking at his mom.

"Okay." She said with a smile.

Edward and I walked, hand in hand, up the stairs.


	29. To Text or Not To Text

**A/N - I am having so much writing this fanfic. I'm very attached to my characters and they seem to have taken on a life of thir own. I have also just realized that after twenty-nine chapters, we've only covered five days of the story line. We have a lot of summer left to cover, so I hope you're up for a summer long adventure!**

**Here's the next chapter...Enjoy!**

Chapter 29 - To Text or Not to Text

"Does Jasper want to talk to me?" I asked, quietly on the stairs.

"We just want your opinion on one thing, okay?" Edward laughed as we walked up to Jasper's door. "Jazz?"

"Come in." He said, through the door.

We walked into Jasper's room. I looked around quickly, not wanting to intrude. His bed was facing the door, in the middle of the back wall. He had a black comforter with white pinstripes. His desk and computer were along the wall to the left of his bed. On the right side of his bed, he had a bookshelf filled with CDs, comic books and a couple of autographed baseballs. There were two black, beanbag chairs on the floor in front of it. There were also a few Chicago White Sox posters on his walls.

"Hey, Jasper. I like your room." I said as I walked in with Edward.

"Thanks." He said, quietly. He was sitting in one of his beanbag chairs. "You can sit wherever you want." He said. I was happy that he didn't mind me being in his own personal space.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks." I laughed, realizing I was just standing by the door. Edward walked over and sat on the side of Jasper's bed, so I followed and sat beside him.

"So, Bella. Let's get down to business, shall we." Edward said, turning on the bed to face me.

I smiled at his attempt at seriousness. "Go for it. I'm an opened book, but remember, this dating game is new to me, too, okay?" I said looking over at Jasper, who was looking up at me. He nodded.

"Okay, so Jasper made the first big move, inviting Maria over here last night. But, then today, she, not only came to baseball practice, but she kissed him." Edward said, sounding a little bit like he was talking about a soap opera.

"Yeah." I said, turning my attention to Jasper. "That was a bit surprising, but she really likes you, Jasper." I continued. "I know she had a really great time watching you. I think she was impressed, and she wanted to show you that. That's my take on why she kissed you."

Jasper nodded again. He seemed to be thinking over my explanation.

"Thanks, babe." Edward said. "But, that wasn't what we need to know." He laughed, reaching over and squeezing my hand.

"Okay, what did you need to know?" I said, shaking my head at him.

"From a girl's perspective, would you expect a call tonight?" Edward asked, before clarifying. "Her coming to practice wasn't a date or anything, but do you think it would be awkward for Jazz to call her and thank her for being there, or would it be rude if he didn't say anything?"

Both Jasper and Edward were looking at me, as if I held all the secrets to a woman's mind. "Guys." I laughed. "All girls are different, and Jasper, Maria likes you for you. So don't try to act like someone else. Do what feels right. You know what might be nice, though?"

"What?" Jasper asked, speaking for the first time.

"Maybe send her a text message. It's kind of casual. That way, you can thank her for coming to the practice, but not be forced into a phone call, if you're not sure what to say. What do you think?"

"Yeah. Okay. That sounds good. But, what should I say?" Jasper asked, sitting up a little straighter.

"Hmm. Well, why don't run some things past me. It should be in your words." I said.

"Okay. What about: I'm glad you had a good time at practice. Thanks again for coming." Jasper said, looking at me hopefully.

I smiled at him. "I like it Jasper. But you could also invite her back on Thursday."

"Yeah. That's a good idea." Jasper got up and walked across his room to his desk and grabbed his cell phone.

"Okay, bro, we'll leave you to it." Edward said, standing up, and pulling Jasper into a quick hug. "Love you, Jazz."

"Love you, too, Edward." Jasper said. He turned and surprised me by pulling me into a gentle hug. "Thank you, Bella" He whispered in my ear.

"You are so welcome, Jasper." I replied, returning his hug.

"Come get us if you need anything." Edward said as we walked back out into the hallway. We went to Edward's room and locked the door, having learned from previous experience. Edward pulled me onto his bed and hugged me close to his chest. "Do I still have to keep my hands to myself?" He laughed in to my hair.

"No." I laughed "I can't believe Alice remembered that." I wrapped my arm around his back and started running my nails up and down his spine.

"That feels so good, baby." He said, running his fingers through my hair.

"Good." I said, snuggling my face into his neck, before placing a kiss at the base of his throat. I started trailing kisses up his neck to his ear.

Edward rolled me onto my back, before he started to place little kisses all over my face. "I love you, baby." He said between kisses. He leaned down to kiss down my throat. He reached down and took my hands in his, bring them up to his lips. He started kissing my fingertips.

I laughed. "That tickles, Edward." I said, as I tried to pull my hands away from his grasp.

"Are you trying to get away?" Edward teased, letting go of my hands and tickling my stomach.

"I wasn't. But, I am now." I said, trying to grab his hands, so he would stop. Just then, my cell phone started to ring in my purse. "Saved by the bell." I said, as I hopped up and ran over to answer it. "Hello."

"Hi, Bella. It's Maria." I looked over to Edward, laying on his side, propping his head up with his hand. I mouthed 'Maria' to him. He smiled, knowing that Jasper must have sent the text message.

"Oh, hi, sweetie. What's up?" I said.

"I just needed to talk, and Rose isn't home from dance class, yet. Last minute rehearsals, or something. Are you busy?" She asked.

"No, no. I'm not busy." I said, trying not to laugh, as Edward sighed and rolled over on his back.

"Okay, good. Well, anyway, I just got a text from Jasper." She squealed. "I am so excited."

"That's great, Maria. What did he say?" I asked, trying to be a good friend, but not reveal that I already knew what the text said. My loyalties were with Jasper, first.

"Okay. He said that he was glad that I came to practice this afternoon and he wanted to know if I would come again on Thursday. Can you believe that? I'm so excited." That was an understatement. I was happy for her. She was a genuinely sweet girl. "So, do you think I should text him back, or tell him that I'll come the practice, at school tomorrow?" If only she knew how similar her questions and doubts were to Jasper's.

"Well, you sound pretty excited about it, Maria. I'm sure he's waiting for a reply. I don't think it would hurt to let him know tonight." I added, knowing how nervous Jasper was about the whole situation.

"Okay. Yeah. I'll text him now. Thanks, Bella." She said, before hanging up.

I sighed. I was excited that I had apparently given Jasper some good advice.

I walked back over to Edward's bed and laid back down beside him. "You weren't busy, huh?" He teased, taking my hand in his and interlacing our fingers, before bringing my hand up to his lips.

I laughed. "Well, what was I going tell her, Edward? She might act confident around him, but she is just as nervous about this whole thing, as Jasper is."

"I know, baby. You're so good to all of them." He said, before leaning over me and brushing my hair off of my face. I looked up into his gorgeous eyes, as he gazed back into mine. We laid there for a few minutes, not speaking and just admiring each other, revelling in the love we shared. It was one of the most intense moments of my life. Our feelings were almost palpable in the air between us.

Finally, a slow smile spread across his lips and he leaned down and kissed my lips. "I love you, Bella." A tear rolled from my eye and travelled down my temple and into my hair.

"Oh, honey." He said, leaning down to kiss my temple that was wet from my tears.

I turned my face up to reach his and kissed his lips. "Did you feel that, Edward?" I said with a smile.

"I did, baby." He said, leaning down to kiss me again.

"Edward?" We heard Jasper call through the door.

"Yeah, Jazz?" Edward said, getting up to go unlock the door.

I got up and went into Edward's bathroom. I needed a minute to compose myself. I had never felt love like that before. I splashed some cold water on my face and patted my face dry on one of Edward's plaid face cloths.

"She texted me back, Edward." I heard Jasper tell his brother, excitedly. I looked up in to the mirror and smiled.


	30. Cullen Domination

**A/N - Hey, readers! Thanks again for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and signing up for alerts! Enjoy the next chapter! **

Chapter 30 - Cullen Domination

"Bella?" Edward said through the door. "Are you alright, beautiful?"

I smiled to myself, again. "Come in, Edward."

He opened the door and I watched him walk up behind me in the mirror. He wrapped his arms around my waist, my back to his chest. Our eyes locked I the mirror. He smiled at me. "We just had a moment, didn't we?" He chuckled.

"I think we did." I said as I rested my hands on his. "So, Maria sent a text back to Jasper?"

"Yeah. He's pretty excited." Edward rested his chin on my head. "You give pretty good advice, angel."

"Well, I do what I can." I teased. "So, do you have any plans for the rest of the evening?"

"Well, Em just told Jazz that they were going to go down and play some video games, and they wanted to know if you were ready to take them on." Edward laughed.

"Sure. Why not? It's early." I said, taking Edward's hand and walking with him to the hallway.

Esme and Carlisle were just walking out of Alice's bedroom. "Oh, did my princess go to bed?" Edward asked his parents.

"Yes, she did." Carlisle said, looking closely at us. "Is everything alright, Bella?"

"Oh." He caught me off guard. I was overwhelmed and incredibly in love. Apparently, my emotions could be read on my face. "Yes. Everything is perfect."

Esme smiled at us. "You two are just so sweet. We'll be down in the family room if you need anything."

"Thanks, mom." Edward replied. We walked into Alice's room, and saw that she was still awake, but just barely. "Goodnight, princess." Edward said as he kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"Goodnight, Edward. Goodnight, Bella." She replied, her voice slurred with sleep.

"Goodnight, Alice." I said. We walked out of her room quietly and went downstairs.

"Do you want anything to drink, babe?" Edward asked as we passed the kitchen to the basement stairs.

"Um, whatever, you're having is fine." I said. Edward opened the fridge and grabbed a six pack of coke. I laughed. "Boys." Poor Esme must spend a fortune on her grocery bill to keep all of her kids fed.

"Hey." Edward said, feigning offence. "You're not complaining when this boy's lips are kissing you."

"Okay, Edward. Point made. I love your lips. Now lets get downstairs so this girl can show you boys how to play." I teased, running down the stairs, with Edward close on my heels.

"Hey, guys. I'm willing to play Mario Kart, Bella, on one condition." Emmett said as I sat beside him on the couch. Edward sat beside me at the end of the couch, and Jasper was sitting to Edward's right in a chair.

"Okay, Emmett, what's the condition?" I laughed.

"I get to be Yoshi." He said, a serious look on his face.

I started laughing at him. "Deal."

Emmett got up and set up the game, passing each of us a steering wheel. Jasper reached forward to the coffee table and took a coke. Edward opened one and I took it, taking a sip. He started laughing at me, before taking a drink. "Fine, we'll share."

"Fine with me." I said, pinching his side. I was feeling kind of playful and feisty. Upstairs, Edward and I felt truly connected. I could tell how deep our love was. The idea of actually finding the man I was meant to spend my life with, my soul mate, made me absolutely giddy.

"Who are you going to be, Bella?" Jasper asked, pulling me back to reality.

"Daisy." I said. "She's the cutest."

"She is the cutest, babe, because she looks just like you." Edward said.

"Okay, Edward. You should be Luigi. He's the closest to you." I laughed.

"How do you figure?" Edward laughed with me.

"Well, he wears green, like you're pretty eyes, he's cute and he's tall." I looked at him and he was smiling at me. "That's all I've got."

"At least she didn't compare you to the monkey." Emmett laughed.

Jasper picked Mario and we got the race going. As I predicted, I won the first race. "Yay, me." I said. I was excited, but I didn't want to gloat.

We played for the next hour and a half, in which I won the majority of the races. After a few races, all the Cullen boys ganged up on me and tried to knock me out of every race, sometimes even sacrificing the win, just to keep me from taking the race. It was working pretty well for them, too. Good thing I wasn't a poor sport. We were all laughing so much, we could hardly play.

"Hey, kids." Carlisle walked over to us. "Guys, it's past ten o'clock. School night." He said with a smile, obviously happy to see all three of his boys together again.

"Okay, dad." Jasper said, getting up and setting his controller on the coffee table.

"I'm sorry, Bella. We'll have to continue our Cullen domination another night." Emmett said with a laugh as he got up and started heading to the stairs.

"I'm up for a rematch." I said. "What are you doing Thursday night, same time, same place?"

"Oh, you're on, short stuff." He laughed. "Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight, Em. Goodnight, Jazz." Edward said, holding his arm up. His brothers gave him a high five before they left.

"Goodnight, Bella. Jasper said. "Thanks again, for earlier."

"You're welcome. Goodnight, Jasper." I said. The boys went upstairs. I set my controller down and leaned over, resting my head on Edward's chest.

"You tired, sugar?" Edward asked, before placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"Yes, but I don't want to go home, yet. My dad's at work for another hour and a half." I said, turning my head and kissing his chest. "Am I being whiny?" I asked, looking up at his face.

"No, baby. I don't want you to leave either, but I don't want to put you through another awkward morning with you dad." He said. "Hey, we have about an hour before I take you home. Do you want to help me pick out some songs to play in Port Angeles tomorrow night?"

"Oh, I would love to, Edward." I said sitting up, no longer feeling tired. I was so excited to see Edward play his guitar. I knew how important it was to him.

"Good. Let's go up to my room and get my guitar and your things, and we'll go outside on the porch, so we don't wake everybody up, okay?" Edward said, standing up and taking my hand to help me up.

When we got to his room, I put my hoodie on and grabbed my purse from his desk. He picked up his guitar case and pulled the comforter off his bed, folding it so he could carry it. I laughed quietly at him. He was so extreme. We could have just worn jackets, but he rips the blanket off his bed to bring outside.

He just winked in response and I followed him down the stairs.


	31. Serenade

**A/N - I cannot get over how many hits this facfic is getting! I know I keep saying that, but really, I'm amazed! Thanks so much! And thanks to my reviewers! I really like this chapter, because who doesn't like a pretty boy with a guitar? Enjoy!**

Chapter 31 - Serenade

On our way outside, we walked passed the family room, where Carlisle and Esme were sitting together, reading.

"We're just going out on the porch." Edward said quietly when his parents looked up at us.

"Okay." Esme said with a smile.

We went onto the deck and I sat on the porch swing. Edward set his guitar case down and walked over to me, unfolding the blanket. He wrapped the blanket around my shoulders and pulled it tight around me. "Edward." I laughed. "I feel like I'm in a cocoon."

"You look adorable, baby." He laughed with me, leaning forward to kiss me. It was quite cool outside this late, so I was glad to be all wrapped up.

"Okay, Edward. Don't keep me in suspense any longer. I am dying to hear you play." I said, swinging lightly.

He sat down on the porch, facing me, with his back leaning against the railing. He opened his guitar case and pulled out a beautiful redish-brown guitar, with dark brown, almost black, coloring around the edges.

He grabbed a pick, and started randomly strumming.

"Oh, Edward." I sighed.

I was blown away by the scene in front of me. A handsome man, my boyfriend, with his tousled hair, his knees bent up, leaning casually on the porch at night, his face illuminated by the small, yellow porch light above him, highlighting his chiseled facial features, holding his guitar, lovingly across his lap. He had a contented and proud smile on his face, illustrating just how happy he was to be playing again.

"It's beautiful. You're beautiful." I said quietly, more to myself, than to Edward.

"I love this guitar, Bella." He said proudly. "It's a Martin guitar. A Marquis Sunburst. Cost me three and half thousand dollars."

"Wow." I said, surprised at the value of it. I knew absolutely nothing about music, and musical instruments, so I was glad that he was telling me about it.

"I know. I saw it in a magazine when I was fifteen and I knew I had to have one." He laughed. "I could have just bought a cheap guitar, but I was stubborn, and I wanted it, so I got the job at the diner and saved up for a whole year. My dad told me if I wanted it, I should get it. If I worked for it, then I would treasure it. He was right. This is the only guitar I will ever need, and I will keep for my entire life. It's the only physical thing that I own that I love."

It was beautiful to hear him talk about things he was so passionate about. The only other times I had ever heard him speak that enthusiastically about anything, was his family, and me.

"That's amazing, Edward." I said, smiling at him. "It suits you, too."

"It feels good to have it back in my hands." He said with a smile. He looked up at me and winked. "Okay, sugar, what do you want to hear?" Every time he winked at me, I felt a fluttery feeling in my stomach. No matter how comfortable we were getting around each other, and much we were getting to know one another, when he winked, I felt like a little girl in the presence of a rock star. I could think of no other way to describe it. I wonder if he knew how much power that wink held over me.

"It doesn't matter, Edward. Play what makes you feel the happiest." I said as I snuggled deeper into his comforter, bringing my feet up on the seat.

He started to play. Some songs I recognized, others I didn't, but they were all incredible. The most amazing part of the night, however, was when he started to sing. I had never heard his singing voice, and I got chills. It was so confident and powerful. In that moment, I couldn't look away from him, even if my life depended on it. I was captivated by him. I fell in love with him, even deeper.

He played for about an hour, each song transitioning into the next. I lost count of how many songs he played, but it didn't matter what he sang. They were all fabulous. Esme was right at the dinner table. Edward was talented.

He finished the song he was singing, and then looked up at me. "Well, do you think I should play tomorrow night, or should we just go watch Paul play?" He asked this seriously, as if he wasn't sure he was good enough to play for a crowd. He set the guitar carefully back in the case and closed it.

"You were amazing, Edward. You should definitely play, even though I kind of want to keep you to myself." I teased. He chuckled a little self consciously. "I really like the original songs you played."

"Yeah? Okay, I'm just going to do two or three songs, I think. I'm not used to playing in front of crowd."

"That sounds great, Edward. I'm so proud of you." I got up off the swing and sat beside him on the deck floor, bringing the comforter around his shoulders and snuggled into his side.

"Mmm. You're so warm." He said, wrapping his cool arms around my waist under the blanket. He kissed my neck, then snuggled his face into my neck.

"Edward. You're cold." I laughed, wrapping my arms around his waist to pull him closer. "You didn't have to play so long if you were that cold, Edward." I said. "Now I feel guilty for just sitting there, cuddled up in a blanket." I whispered into his cold ear, before kissing his cool cheek.

"It's okay, angel. I loved every second of playing. I missed it." He said into my neck.

"I knew you would be great, Edward, but I am blown away. You are amazing, baby. So, so talented." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair, lightly scratching his scalp.

"I like it when you call me baby." He chuckled. "That feels so good by the way. But, if you don't stop doing that, I'm going to fall asleep right here." He said, before placing another kiss on my neck.

"Sorry, baby." I said, laughing. "So, are you going to let go of me and take me home?"

"I don't want to." He whined. He finally raised his face from my neck and looked up at me, with a smile on his face. "I'm so excited for tomorrow, babe."

"So am I. And I really liked Paul. He seems like a nice guy." I added.

"Oh, yeah. He's great. He went to study criminal justice in Tacoma when I started my senior year, so I haven't seen him in almost two years. We were pretty good friends before he left, but you know guys. We're not that great at correspondence." He laughed. "I'm glad he came back to Forks, though. It's nice to have some good people around."

"It should be fun, Edward. So, you're going to pick me up at eleven-thirty tomorrow morning?" I said excitedly.

"On the dot. Maybe let your dad know that you might be a little late. It's about a forty-five minute drive, but it will be dark, so I'm not going to be speeding." He said, sounding a little nervous.

"Don't worry about it, Edward. I'll let him know that I don't know when we'll be home, but I'll call him when we leave, so he doesn't worry, okay?"

"Okay." He said, leaning forward for a kiss. "You ready to go home?"

"No." I laughed. "But, I'm pretty tired, so we better go."

"Just let me put my guitar inside." He said, finally unwrapping himself from me, standing up. He reached above his head to stretch, which caused his shirt to lift a little, giving me a peak at his abs. I must have been staring, because, he looked down at me and laughed quietly to himself.

He picked up his guitar and went to set it right inside the door. I unwrapped myself from the blanket, and folded it up. I walked in the house and set his blanket on his guitar case. Edward grabbed his keys and locked the door.

I reached out and took his hand, and we walked to his car.

He opened the door for me. I would never get tired of his perfect manners. It was rare to see with guys our age. I loved that about Edward. In fact, all of the Cullen boys were very courteous. They were the products of terrific parents. He slid into his seat, and leaned over the center console for a quick kiss, before starting the car and backing out.

I leaned my head back, but turned it to watch Edward as he drove. He looked so content. He looked over at me a couple times and smiled.

We pulled up to my house and my dad was just getting out of his cruiser. He waited for me. Edward leaned over and gave me a goodnight kiss. "I love you, babe. Thanks for today." He said, kissing me one more time.

"I love you, too. See you tomorrow." I said, before getting out and walking over to my dad. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we stood together, waving at Edward as he drove back home.

"You have a good day, Bells?" My dad asked, as we walked inside.

"Yeah. I really liked baseball practice. Jasper's really good."

"He sure is. We're going to check out the game on Saturday, right?" My dad asked, going to the sink. He started washing the pan I had left soaking from the meatball subs.

"Definitely." I said, excited for another Swan/Cullen activity. "Then we had supper at the Cullens', played video games with Emmett and Jasper, and then Edward played his guitar for me." I laughed. "It was a busy day. I'm exhausted."

"Why don't you just head up to bed. I'll finish the dishes, Bells." He said with a smile. "That sub was really good, by the way. All the guys were pretty jealous." He chuckled to himself.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it." I stood up on my toes to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for doing the dishes. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, Bells. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." I said as I turned to head up to bed.


	32. Road Trip

**A/N - Here's the next chapter. I just wanted to clarify the dates when this fanfic takes place. It started on Friday, April 30, 2010, when Bella and Edward came home from school. This chapter begins on Wednesday, May 5. My friend was asking me, and I think the only time I ever mentioned the date, was Chapter 4.**

**Thanks again for all the reviews...It is such an amazing feeling to read feedback for your writing! It brings a smile to face everytime! Thanks for reading...Enjoy!**

Chapter 32 - Road Trip

I woke up at bright and early, at about seven o'clock, feeling refreshed and happy. I looked out the window, hoping for a day that matched how I felt. I guessed a girl couldn't get everything she wanted. It was overcast and dark, and looked like it was going to rain anytime. We had been lucky so far this summer, having fairly warm and sunny days.

I went and had a quick shower and then came back into my room to blow my hair straight. I pulled it back into a high ponytail, hoping that would help prevent it from getting too frizzy in the rain. I put on a little bit of mascara today, wanting to look a little more fancy for Edward's performance tonight. I slipped on a pair of yoga pants and a tank top for the morning, as I planned on getting dressed at around eleven.

I ran downstairs to make pancakes for my dad and I. When I walked into the kitchen, he was sitting at the table, reading the paper. "Hi, dad." I said, walking to the stove to get started on breakfast.

"Hey, Bells. You seem well rested." My dad chucked.

"Yeah. Those Cullens are wearing me out. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow." I joked. "Oh, speaking of the Cullens, Edward and I are going to Port Angeles for the day. He's going to play the open mic with Paul later on tonight."

"That's right. When are you leaving?" He asked.

"Edward's going to pick me up at eleven-thirty this morning and we'll be gone all day. We'll probably be late tonight, too."

"I worry about you on the highway, especially if it's going to rain today." He added in his fatherly tone.

"I don't like driving in the rain either, but I'll give you a call before we leave tonight, okay?" I said, hoping to placate him.

"I would like that, Bells." He said, sounding a little more relaxed.

I brought the pancakes to the table and we shared breakfast together. "So, dad?" I asked, while poring syrup on my pancakes. "What was up with Jake, yesterday, when Edward and I were at the station?" His rude behaviour had bothered me, but I didn't want to make a scene at the station.

Charlie shook his head. "The kid's a hothead. Always had a bit of temper, but he is a good cop. Don't worry. I talked to him about that, though, after you both left." He chuckled a little. "I think he was bit jealous of Edward."

"Why? He's older, finished school, he's got a good career. What does he have to be jealous of?" I asked.

"You, Bells. Edward has you, and I think Jake is a little envious. I keep telling you, you're a very pretty girl, Bella." He said, smiling at me.

"Jake likes me?" I asked surprised. He was really nice to me on Sunday when I had first met him, but yesterday, he was acting so differently. I guess the only difference between the two days, was Edward being with me the second time we met. I guess my dad was right.

"I think so, kiddo." My dad said reluctantly.

"Well, I'm happily in love with Edward, so he doesn't need to waste his time with me." I said. No other man compared to Edward in my eyes.

"Oh, I think Jake noticed that. It's probably why he was so upset." My dad laughed.

"Well, I'm glad he noticed. This girl's off the market." I said with a smirk.

My dad and I spent the rest of the morning, just sitting together in the living room, watching TV and enjoying our time together. My dad liked to rest in the mornings so he was well rested for his ten hour shift. I didn't mind just hanging around the house with him. It was nice spending these few hours together before he went to work.

At around eleven, I headed upstairs to get ready. I grabbed a pair of dark, skinny jeans and a pair of tall, black leather boots and paired it with a flowy, black blouse. I slipped on a couple of silver bangles on my wrist.

I felt a little strange, dressing up for a night out, this early in the day, but I wouldn't have a chance to change clothes in Port Angeles. I had a black rain coat that was pretty dressy, so it looked alright with my outfit. I wrapped flower printed cotton scarf around my neck, in case the weather stayed cool today.

I put on a little lip gloss, grabbed my purse, and headed downstairs to wait for Edward.

"You look nice, Bells." My dad said, standing at the door, strapping on his gun belt.

"Thanks, dad. Have a good day." I said, giving him a hug.

"You, too. Have a safe trip, and call me before you leave, okay?" He repeated.

"For sure, dad." I said, as he walked out the door. I stood in the doorway and waved as he drove off to work. I was just about to go back in, when I saw Edward's car pull up out front. He parked the car and got out, jogging up to me, with a small bouquet of red roses.

"Oh, Edward. They're beautiful." I said, as he walked up the steps. He pressed a quick kiss to my lips and handed them to me.

"I'm glad you like them. This is sort of our first real date since we've been home, so I wanted to start it our right." He explained.

"I love them." I said, bringing the roses up to face to smell them. "Come in for a minute. I just want to put them in water before we go, okay?"

"Okay." He smiled, following me into the kitchen. "I missed you this morning." He said, as he sat at the kitchen table.

I grabbed a vase out of the cabinet and filled it with warm water. "I missed you, too." I said, as I placed the half dozen roses in the vase. "Edward. You didn't have to buy me roses." I said, as I set them on the table.

"I wanted to, angel." He smiled, pulling me onto his lap. "I love you." He said, wrapping his arms around me.

"You are so sweet, baby. I really love the roses. Thank you, Edward." I leaned forward and kissed him.

"You're welcome. Are you ready to hit the road, babe?" He asked, as we both stood up.

"Absolutely. I've never been to Port Angeles. Well, besides the rest stop bathroom." I laughed, grabbing my keys and purse from the table by the front door.

"I think you'll like it." He said, taking my hand as we walked to the car.

I got in and Edward closed my door for me and then went around to the driver's side.

He started the car and started driving to the highway. "You look amazing, Bella." Edward said, glancing over at me.

I blushed. "Thanks." You would think I would have been used to his complements by now, but I had never been called amazing.

Edward looked incredible today, as usual. He was wearing black jeans, black leather shoes, a white button-up, and a black leather jacket. He looked hot.

"So, babe, what happened to our perfect weather? I'm a little disappointed that it's probably going to rain. We'll have to come back another time to do some site seeing." Edward said, turning onto the main highway.

"I know. I was hoping for a sunny day myself, but we do live in Forks." I laughed. "My dad was a little worried about us driving in the rain, but he's okay if we call him before we leave."

"I'll be careful, sugar." He said, bringing his hand over to take mine. "So, Port Angeles has a couple of really cool outdoor art and sculpture galleries. We'll have to come back and check them out."

"Have you seen them?" I asked.

""We went once when I was a kid, but I always thought it would be a great place to bring a girlfriend." He laughed. "I could just imagine walking hand in hand through the sculptures."

"Aww, Edward. You are so romantic." I said, squeezing his hand.

He laughed. "Well, romantic Edward's going to have to wait for another day."

"I don't care which Edward I get. I just love being with you." I said, tracing designs on his hand.

"I love being with you, too, babe." He cleared his throat. "Um, Bella?" He sounded nervous all of the sudden.

"What's wrong, Edward?" I said, turning in my seat, to look at him.

"Oh, um, there's nothing wrong. I just wanted to ask you something." He said, glancing over at me.

"Ask me anything, Edward." I said. He always said that I shouldn't worry about opening up to him, and yet he was worried about asking me something.

He smiled nervously. "Do you want to go to Arizona with me next week?" He said rather quickly.

"What?" I asked. I did not see that question coming.

"We don't have to. I can get a refund on the tickets. Or, if not I think I could exchange them." He started rambling nervously.

"Edward. You bought us tickets to Arizona? When? When would leave? How long would we be gone for?" I needed some details. I was excited, though.

"Uh, I bought them last night online. Yesterday, on your bed, you were saying how much you miss Angela. And, now you're coming with me to Port Angeles to support me while I play, and hang out with my friend." He sighed. "I just wanted to do something to make you as happy as I am. I have my whole family here, and you had to leave your home and your friends to move up here. I know you have your dad, but I thought it would be good for you to see your lifelong friend again." He looked over at me and smiled.

"I can't believe you did that for me, Edward. Thank you so, so much. I love you." I said, excitedly, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

He let out a deep breath. "Babe. You had me worried there for a minute. I know I should have asked you first, but I wanted to surprise you."

"Oh, Edward. You are the sweetest man on the planet. I can't wait to see her again. I can't wait for you to meet her." I smiled.

We turned off the highway and pulled into a parking space in front of the water. Edward shut off the car and turned to face me. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips.

"And, Edward. I do feel at home here. I love being here with my dad and with your family. I have never been happier."


	33. Port Angeles

**A/N - Here's the next chapter, Edward and Bella's day in Port Angeles. I have never been there, but I did a lot of research to make it as accurate as possible. It actually sounds like a great little town. All of the menus, stores and attractions mentioned are real. Hope you like it! Thanks again for the reviews! **

Chapter 33 - Port Angeles

"Do you want to get some lunch?" Edward asked as we got out of the car.

"Sure. What do you want to eat?" I asked as we walked hand in hand down the street. The sky was still overcast, but it hadn't started raining, yet.

"I don't care. Nothing too heavy." He said. We turned a corner and I saw a hot dog cart at the end of the street. It seemed like something you would see in New York, not Washington. I loved it.

"What about a hotdog?" I asked him with a smile.

"Sure. Is that what you want? I'll take you to a restaurant, sugar." He said.

"No, Edward. I want one. Don't you think it's neat that they have a hot dog cart on the street?"

He laughed. "Yes, baby. Come on." We walked up to 'The Dawg Cart' and Edward ordered us each a hot dog and a bottle of iced tea. "Let me guess. Ketchup and pickles?" Edward said, referring to my preferred hamburger toppings at out welcome home barbeque.

"You know me so well." I said, laughing, as he passed me my hotdog. Edward got mustard on his.

We took our lunch and walked back to the water. We sat on a bench, looking out at the water. "It's so pretty here." I said, watching the boats on the water as I ate.

"It is." Edward smiled, finishing his hotdog. "So, you're excited about going to Arizona?" He asked, as I finished eating.

"Very." I smiled. "So, when do we leave?"

"Sunday? I chose next week so we wouldn't miss Alice's dance recital and Jazz's game." He said, still sounding worried about not asking me first.

"Sunday's perfect, Edward. I'm so excited. How long are we there for?" I asked.

"I was thinking we could spend Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in Phoenix. Then, if we left on Wednesday morning, we could fly to Florida to see your mom for a few days, and fly home on Saturday." He said, taking my hand, as we stood up to walk along the pier. "Is that okay? I mean, is it alright if I go with you to see your mom?"

I squeezed his hand. "Of course it is. She probably won't have much time for me anyway, so it will be nice to have you there with me. I should call her tomorrow, though, so she knows we're coming." I sighed. I missed my mom, but that feeling was really no different than I felt, even when I lived with her. She was such an amazing person, if only she would spend some time with you to show those qualities.

"I'm sorry, beautiful." Edward said, letting go of my hand and wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "I didn't mean to upset you. Let's just enjoy today, and we'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?"

"Good idea." I said, smiling up at him. "But, I'm not upset, Edward. I'm actually really excited. Thank you so much for planning this. We are going to have an amazing week." I said, standing on my toes and kissing his chin, which made him laugh.

"Do you want to check out the Landing Mall?" He asked as we walked up to large red, beige and blue building. "It's got all sorts of shops and galleries."

"Sure. As long as I'm with you, it doesn't really matter where we go." I said, wrapping my arm around his waist.

He laughed. "That's my line."

We spent the next hour wandering through the art galleries and the gift shop, looking at all of the beautiful carvings, paintings and jewellery. I bought my mom a pair of handmade earrings. I thought it might be nice to bring her a piece of my new home.

It had started pouring rain outside, so Edward bought us an umbrella. We braved the weather and kept walking up the street, stopping at various shops that caught our eyes. We stopped in a stationary shop, and Edward bought me another journal, as mine was filling up quickly with all the flowers I had been pressing.

Later, we went into a candy shop to buy homemade fudge and candies for Emmett, Jasper and Alice. We stopped at Captain T's and bought our dads some tacky fishing t-shirts. It probably wasn't that funny, but we laughed hysterically. Just spending time with Edward was fast becoming my favourite thing to do. We got along perfectly.

At about four-thirty, we walked back to the car under the umbrella to drop our bags off in the trunk. Edward walked me to my door with the umbrella, then walked around to his side. He closed the umbrella and threw it on the floor in the back seat. He let out a deep breath and leaned back in his seat. "I hate the rain, babe." He chuckled, turning his head to look at me.

"I know. I do, too. I grew up in Arizona, remember. I am not used to this." I said, pointing out the windshield at the rain, that seemed to be picking up. "But, I'm having so much fun with you. I love Port Angeles." I smiled back at him and picked up his hand in mine, giving it a squeeze.

"I like it here, too. It's so touristy, and it's so close to home. It's a nice little getaway." He brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of my hand. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah. Where do you want to eat?" I asked.

"Hmm. Let's go somewhere nice. You look so pretty, I want to show you off." He said smiling at me. "Plus, I feel bad just buying you a hotdog for lunch."

"Hey, I wanted a hotdog." I laughed. "It was really good."

He laughed with me. "Well, I'm happy if you're happy. I think we walked past a Grill this afternoon. Do you want to check it out?"

"Sure, baby." I said. "I'll just be happy to be somewhere warm and dry."

"Oh, are you cold?" Edward kissed my hand again, before starting the car and turning the heat on high.

"A little, but I'll be okay." I said. I wished Edward wouldn't worry so much about me. He was just so considerate and selfless. He really was the perfect boyfriend.

"Okay, let's go eat." He backed out of our parking space and drove down a few blocks. It was hard to see, as the rain was coming down so hard. Somehow, Edward found the Wild Fire Grill, the restaurant he had seen earlier. We parked and Edward took the umbrella and walked around to my side of the car to get me. We ran to the door and waited to be seated.

Edward helped me take my coat off, and then took his off, revealing that he had the sleeves of his shirt rolled to his elbows. He looked amazing. He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "You look gorgeous, baby." He kissed my cheek, but pulled back when the hostess walked up to greet us.

"For two?" She asked politely.

"Yes." Edward said, taking my hand. She led us to a cozy booth at the back of the restaurant. We could see both, the rain outside, and a nice, roaring fire inside.

"Here are your menus. Take your time. Your server will be with you shortly."

We looked over the menus and Edward decided on the Char Broiled Sirloin, and I chose the Fire-Roasted Chicken. After we placed our orders, we talked about the day we had so far and how much we were enjoying it.

Right after our meals were served, Edward's phone beeped. He pulled it out to check his text message. "It's from Paul. He said to meet him at around six-thirty at The Junction Roadhouse."

"Sounds good. Are you excited?" I asked, looking forward to tonight.

"Yeah. You're okay to hang out in a bar, right babe? I mean, I won't leave your side all night, and when I play, you'll be with Paul, okay?" Edward sounded so worried about me. I loved him for it.

"I'm fine with it. I've never been to a bar before, but I'll be okay with you." I reached over and grabbed his knee. "Thank you for being concerned, though, Edward. I love you."

"I love you, too, angel." He said, leaning over to kiss me.

We finished our meals, which were amazing, and then I headed to the bathroom to fix my hair before we left. It was starting to get slight waves through it because of the rain, but I thought it still looked pretty good.

I went back to the table, where Edward was setting out money for the bill. "Ready?" He asked. It was just after six, so we decided to head over to meet with Paul.

We put our coats on and stepped outside in the pounding rain. We huddled together under the umbrella and ran back to the car.


	34. Friends, Old and New

**A/N - Hey, readers. Thanks for all the positive reviews! Love 'em! **

**This chapter takes place at the bar. I'm from Canada, and the legal drinking age in my province is 18, not 21 like it is in Washington, so I'm not 100% sure of the rules in the USA. I know that some places allow 18 year olds in, but they can't drink. We'll go with that for this story, keeping in mind its fiction, just in case.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 34 - Friends, Old and New

We pulled up to the Junction Roadhouse, which had about twenty other cars in the lot. It seemed pretty busy for being just after six pm. Edward got out with the umbrella again, went around to the trunk to get his guitar, and then came to my door so I wouldn't get wet. We were developing quite the system.

We ran to the door and went in. We both brought out our ID to prove we were old enough to enter, but not to drink. Edward took my hand protectively in his left, and held his guitar with his right hand.

We walked over and sat a table close to the stage. The bar had low lights and was kind of dark, but the stage was lit with white lights and the bar, on the opposite wall as the stage, had little, red twinkle lights above it. The crowd was mostly men, in their twenties and thirties. They all looked like they had just got off from work. There were a few women in the crowd, who I assumed to be girlfriends or wives.

I took off my coat and hung it over the back of my seat. Edward pulled his chair close to mine and sat beside me, leaning over to kiss my cheek. "Hey, Edward." We heard Paul say, as he sat down with us, leaning his guitar against the stage. Paul was wearing a burgundy dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black jeans. He had both of his ears pierced with small, wooden hoops. He had a couple days worth of facial hair, but it suited him. He reached forward and shook Edward's hand. "And, the beautiful Bella." He added as he took my hand and kissed it.

"Hey, man. This rain is crazy, huh?" Edward said.

"God, is it ever. I'm actually surprised with the turnout so far. It was already pouring when I left work this afternoon." He said, as a waitress came up to the table.

"What can I get you all?" She asked in sugary voice. She was really beautiful. She had long, shiny, black hair that was parted off to one side, with long bangs swept over her face. She had dark brown eyes and full lips. She was wearing a tight, black t-shirt that was knotted at her hip and a short, white skirt, which showed off her long legs.

"I'll have a coke." I said.

"Make it two." Edward said, smiling at me. I loved how he didn't look at other girls. I was one-hundred percent confident in our relationship.

"I'll have a beer." Paul said.

"Bottle or glass, sugar?" The waitress asked with a wink.

"Bottle. And can I ask one more thing?" Paul said with a flirty smirk. She nodded, smiling back at him. "Your name, honey?"

"Rachel." She said with a wide smile, before turning and heading back to the bar. Paul watched her for a few minutes before turning back around to face us at the table.

Edward was chuckling quietly at Paul. "Hey, Edward, we all can't be as lucky as you are, my friend." He said nodding his head towards me. "Us singles guys, do what we can." Paul started laughing with Edward, as I blushed. I had never really hung around with guys before, so I was not used to the flirting and extra attention. It didn't bother me, though. I felt really comfortable around Paul. I could tell he was a really nice guy.

"Okay, Paul. Do we have to sign up to sing, or what?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. I can go sign us up at the bar. You want to go on after me, or before?" Paul said, standing up.

"After." Edward said without hesitation. Paul chuckled and left to go sign them up. Edward started rubbing his hands up and down on his thighs.

"Are you nervous?" I asked him, taking one of his hands from his leg and pulled it to my mouth.

"Yeah." He said, letting out a deep breath. "I've never played on a stage before. It should be okay, though. I mean it's only fifteen minutes, right?"

"Edward. Look at me. You are very talented, and I'll be right here. You look amazing, your voice is incredible and you play like a professional." I leaned forward and pressed a kiss firmly on his lips. "I love you, and I'm so proud of you."

His smile lit up his face. "Thanks, baby. How did I get so lucky?" He said, pulling my hands until I stood up, and then sat on his lap.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped his around my waist. I kissed his forehead.

Rachel walked up to the table with a tray of our drinks. "Here you go." She said, setting them on the table. "So, are you and your friend playing tonight?"

"Yeah." Edward said. "I'm just doing a short set, but Paul will probably play a bit longer."

"Paul, huh?" She said with a smile. "He is one good looking boy." She probably didn't mean for us to hear that part. She headed back to the bar, just as Paul was coming back.

"Wow. I think I'm in love, guys." He laughed, looking back over his shoulder at Rachel.

"She seems like a nice girl, man." Edward said with a smile. "And she was asking about you."

"Awesome." He said, taking a drink of his beer. "So, you two. What are you studying in Seattle?"

"Edward is studying to be a pharmacist, and I'm taking education." I told him, proudly.

"Very nice. You always were a smart, kid, Edward." Paul said with a smile.

"Well, we'll see. This is one tough program." Edward said seriously.

"You'll be fine." Paul said to him, confidently. "So, beautiful Bella, you want to be teacher?"

"Um, yeah. I would like to teach at the elementary level. Mould them while they're young." I said, still blushing from his nickname for me. Edward gave me a little squeeze.

The first singer came up to the stage. He was a man in his mid-thirties and sat in front of the microphone with an older guitar. He sang some bluesy type songs. He was really good, and I could tell Edward was relaxing and enjoying himself, as he tapped out the beats on the side of my leg. I had turned so I was sitting with my back to his chest. "Are you sure you don't want me to sit in my own seat." I asked him. He just shook his head, which was resting on my shoulder. He didn't seem to want to let go of me, yet. Maybe I was his security blanket.

The man, who was dressed in dark blue jeans and a red and black plaid shirt, finished his set after about a half hour. We all clapped for him. I had really enjoyed it. The next man was in in his late fifties and was playing the harmonica. I didn't really care for it, but it wasn't too bad.

Paul tipped back his beer bottle, finishing it off. "I'm up after this guy." He said, leaning over to talk to us. "I'll play for a half hour, then it's all you, buddy." He gave Edward a pat on the shoulder, before, he got up and left the table. I looked over my shoulder and saw him go back up to the bar, leaning forward on both arms. He was talking and laughing with Rachel. They would make a perfect couple, and it seemed like they both liked each other.

Paul came back to the table with a coke. He picked up his guitar case and opened it up, taking out a beautiful black guitar, with white detailing. Finally, the harmonica stopped. I breathed a sigh of relief, which caused Edward to chuckle underneath me. "Didn't like that one?" He laughed.

"Not really." I said, running my fingers along his arms that were still wrapped around my stomach.

As Paul walked onstage, Edward and I clapped and cheered. He looked over at us and smiled. He was incredible. It was easy to see how Edward became so proficient on the guitar with Paul as his teacher. Paul was amazing.

Half way through his set, We heard the chair next to Edward's being pulled out. We both turned to look at who was joining us. "Mind if I sit with guys for a few minutes? I'm on my break."

"Hey, Rachel." Edward said with a smile. "No, not at all."

"Thanks." She looked up at Paul on the stage with a look of admiration on her face. She sat with us for the last fifteen minutes of Paul's set. She went back to the bar, just as he was finishing his last song.

When Paul finished his set, the crowd erupted in applause. He raised his hand casually in appreciation and then walked over to us. "You were great up there, Paul." I said as he came and sat beside us.

"Yeah, man. How am I supposed to follow that?" Edward laughed. I stood up off of his lap and Edward got up and picked up his guitar.

"Good luck, baby." I said, leaning up to kiss his chin.

Edward smiled at me nervously, slung his guitar over his shoulder. He whispered something to Paul, before walking up onto the stage.


	35. Captivated and Captives

**A/N - Summer Vacation has been favorited by over 100 readers and alerted by over 80! You are all so amazing! This has exceeded my expectations by miles! Thanks for the reviews, as well. It's such a rush to hear that someone likes the inner ramblings of my mind. Here's the next chapter. Edward with a guitar...swoon!**

Chapter 35 - Captivated and Captives

Paul and I sat down and watched as Edward, strummed a couple chords, making sure his guitar was in tune. "What did he say? Is he okay?" I asked Paul nervously.

Paul just chuckled and leaned over to me. "He just told me not to leave your side." Paul shook his head. "That boy sure loves you, Bella."

I blushed and laughed with him. "The feeling is mutual."

I heard Edward start strumming, and my head snapped to the stage. He was smiling at me, as he started singing. He was playing one of the songs he played for me last night that I hadn't heard before. It sounded like folk rock. Edward's voice portrayed so much feeling. When he sang, it was like I could see into his soul. He played three more songs, all slow, folk type songs. He never took his eyes off of me. Despite the fact that he was singing to a crowded room, now full with about fifty people, it was as if it was just Edward and I, alone on his porch again.

"Okay, um, this is last song tonight." Edward said to the crowd. "It's called 'Captivated,' a song I wrote for my beautiful girlfriend. I love you, baby." He looked into my eyes and smiled at me, winking, as he started playing. He hadn't played this song for me last night. I would have to ask him when he wrote it.

The song was beautiful, and somehow captured all of the love we shared with each other. It had warmth and depth and the lower notes pulled me in. I didn't know how everyone else reacted to the beauty of the song, as I was hypnotized by it, by him. The depth of the connection Edward and I shared was intense. But instead of feeling scared and overwhelmed by my emotions, I felt safe and secure in them.

Unfortunately, the song ended after a few minutes. I wiped a tear from my eye, as Edward thanked the crowd, hurried off of the stage and came back over to our table.

"Great job, buddy." Paul said, standing up and patting Edward on the shoulder.

"Thanks, man. It's not too bad once your up there." Edward replied with a shrug.

Edward walked up to me and I immediate pulled his face down to mine for kiss. "I love you, Edward. That was incredible." I said, after I had finally pulled away from his lips.

Edward chuckled. "So, you liked it?" He asked, his cheeks a little pink.

"I loved it. When did you write it?" I asked, as he shrugged out of his guitar strap, and set it back in its case.

"Oh, uh, I've been working on the lyrics and melody, since I first saw you in class, but I just played it for the first time last night after I took you home and bought the plane tickets, and I practiced it again all morning before I came to pick you up." He said, sitting back down. I sat beside him, reaching out and taking his hand.

"Thank you so much, baby. I can't believe you did all that for me." I said, leaning over to kiss him, again.

"Well, I just want to make you as happy as you make me." He said quietly.

"Edward. Just being here with you makes me happy. I have never been happier, or felt more loved than I have since I met you."

"Good." He said with a smirk, lightening the mood a little. "Then I'm doing my job."

I laughed at him. "Hey, lovebirds. Do you want some chicken wings or something? We have to celebrate." Paul said, looking longingly at the bar.

"Yeah, sure." Edward said, as I giggled at them. Only guys would celebrate with chicken wings.

"Maybe some sweet potatoes fries?" I added.

"Sure." Paul said, getting up and walking to the bar to place our order.

Edward let out a deep breath. "That was a rush, babe." He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips. "I was so nervous, but once I started playing, I felt like it was just you and me, like last night."

I smiled. "I felt the same way, Edward."

Paul came back with a basket of hot wings and another basket of sweet potato fries. We spent the next hour eating, laughing and sharing stories. I had a great time with Paul, and Edward seemed to enjoy reconnecting with his friend.

At around nine-thirty, Paul decided to leave. He figured it might take him twice as long to get home with all the rain, and he had to work tomorrow morning. Edward and I decided to stay a little longer and listen to a couple more performers. We were both really enjoying ourselves.

At about quarter after ten, Edward's phone vibrated with a text message. "It's from Paul." Edward said. "He said the conditions on the highway are really bad. He can hardly see, the rain is coming down so hard."

"I hope he gets home, alright." I sighed, worried about Paul, and driving home ourselves. "Let's go out to the car. I want to call my dad."

"Okay, babe. Come on." Edward said, picking up his guitar and taking my hand in his. I waved at Rachel, who was at the bar, as we left. I opened the umbrella and Edward and I ran out into the rain.

After we put Edward's guitar in the trunk, I got in to my side and Edward ran around to his. "I'm worried about driving home, Edward." I said, as I looked outside. The rain was still coming down in sheets and the wind was picking up.

"I am, too, babe. I didn't think it would get this bad." Edward said, reaching up to stroke my cheek.

I took my phone from my purse and called my dad. "Hello?"

"Hey, dad. We're still in Port Angeles and the rain is coming down really hard." I told him, hearing the concern in my own voice.

"It's pretty bad here, too, Bells. There have been a couple of accidents out on the highway tonight." he said, sounding tense. "Bella. I don't think you two should risk it. Can you get a room for the night?"

"Um, okay. Just a minute." I turned to Edward, who was looking at me, waiting to see what my dad said. I lowered the phone to tell Edward what my dad said. "He said we should stay here tonight. There have been a few accidents."

Edward nodded. "Okay."

I brought the phone back up to my ear. "Okay, dad. We'll stay here. I'll call you in the morning."

"Okay, Bells. Be careful. I love you." My dad said, still sounding really worried.

"I love you, too, dad. Goodnight." I said, before hanging up. I looked at Edward, a little teary eyed. I was upset that my dad was worried, and I was worried about Paul on the highway. "Well, I guess we're stranded."

"It's okay, honey. Don't look so worried. We'll be fine." He said leaning over to kiss my forehead. "Let's stop a the gas station and get some snacks and toothbrushes, and then we'll go find a room, okay." He sounded so calm. I was glad that one of us was.

He pulled out of the parking lot and drove up the street until we saw the lights of a gas station through the wall of rain and darkness of night. We parked by the door and ran in. We walked up and down the aisles, and found some toothbrushes and toothpaste. Edward walked over to a rack with touristy Washington t-shirts. He pulled out a large, green shirt and held it up to me. "Pyjamas?" He asked, with a cute smirk on his face.

I laughed. Leave it to Edward to make me feel better about our situation. "Sure." He draped the shirt over his arm and took my hand, walking to the next aisle. "Oh, peanut butter." I said, picking up a jar. It was my comfort food. Edward smiled at me and picked up a package of plastic spoons.

"Anything else, babe?" He asked. He was doing this all for me. I could see it in his face. He knew I was nervous and upset, and he was trying to distract me. It was working.

"No, I'm good. Thank you, Edward. For everything." I said, smiling up at him. "Do you want anything?"

"Hmm. Maybe a slushee?" He said, looking like a kid in a candy store. I laughed at him. About fifteen minutes, and thirty dollars, later, we ran back to the car, through the rain.


	36. Safety from the Storm

**A/N - Thanks for all of your reviews, alerts and favorites! You are all the ultimate motivators! Here's the next fluffy, sweet chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 36 - Safety from the Storm

We had passed a Super 8 Motel on the way to the gas station, so we figured we would just head back there for the night. I slipped our convenience store bag and my purse over my arm, took a slushee in each hand and waited for Edward to get his guitar from the trunk. He opened my door and I got out under the safety of the umbrella. We walked into the lobby and up to the desk.

"Hey, can we get a room for tonight, please?" Edward asked the clerk behind the desk. She had short, chin length, black hair and beautiful dark eyes. Her name tag said Leah. She was professional to us, but not overtly friendly.

"Yes, but I'm going to have to see some ID. Do you have a driver's license?" She asked curtly.

"Yeah." Edward answered, taking out his wallet, and giving her his licence and his debit card to pay for the room.

"Okay, Mr. Cullen. Would you like single, deluxe or a suite?" She asked looking over at me, likely noticing we didn't have luggage. I could only image what she was thinking of us.

"Just give us the cheapest room you have." I said, feeling bad that Edward was paying for this. "We just need to wait out the storm."

She sighed. "Okay, so I can put you in a queen single, then. That's a standard room with one queen sized bed, and a TV. It will be $68.88."

"That's sounds good. Thanks." Edward said, reaching over to me and tracing his finger along my cheek.

Leah finished typing our information into the computer. She slid Edward's cards and two room key cards across the counter at us. "Room 311. Enjoy your stay." She said in a monotone, uninterested voice.

Edward took all the cards off the desk and stuffed them in his back pocket. He took his slushee from me and picked up his guitar. We walked together to the elevator and pressed the up-arrow. I leaned my head against his arm and closed my eyes. "Tired?" Edward said softly.

"Yeah." I said. The doors opened and we walked in together. We got to the third floor and walked down the hallway together, which was carpeted in tacky, yellow and blue checkers. We got to 311 and Edward set down his guitar to take the key card from the back pocket of his jeans. He swiped the card and opened the door. "After you, babe." He said. I walked through the door and took in the room that would be our safe haven for the night.

The bathroom was to the left as soon as we walked in. The main room had a blue carpet and beige walls, with the typical scenic painting above the bed. Just as we expected, there was one queen sized bed with a pink and yellow floral bedspread. There was TV on the wall opposite the bed with a desk and chair to the left, and a small dresser to the right. There was a nightstand with a lamp on either side of the bed.

I walked over and set my purse and our bag from the convenience store on the desk, then I set my slushee on one of the nightstands.

"Home, sweet home." Edward said, coming up behind me to wrap his arms around me. He leaned down to kiss my neck. "You want to get out of our wet clothes, and break into that peanut butter?"

I laughed. "Yes. That sounds good, actually." I said, turning around in his arms and kissing his chest. I reluctantly stepped away from him, and went to get my new sleep shirt from the bag on the desk. I took my purse and went into the bathroom.

I stripped out of my jacket, boots, and wet jeans, and hung them over the shower rod to dry. Thankfully, my blouse was dry, so I took it off and folded it to wear home the next day. I pulled off the tag of my new Washington t-shirt and slipped it on. It was long on me and fell just above my knees. I washed my face with the hotel soap and took my hair out of the ponytail. I put in a loose braid to keep it back from my face. I took my blouse and went back in to the bedroom.

Edward was sitting on the side of the bed, facing away from me, looking towards the opened window. He had taken his jacket off, having hung it on the back of the desk chair. His shirt was on, but it was unbuttoned, hanging loosely from his shoulders. His jeans were in wet pile on the floor. I giggled at that. In my eyes, Edward was perfect. But every once in a while, I would notice a little quirk or bad habit. Those were my favourite qualities of his. They made him human and they made me love him more.

My giggling caught his attention. He turned on the bed to look at me. His eyes flicked down to look at my outfit, and smile spread across his face. I hadn't even noticed he had his phone to his ear. "Yeah, mom. We're okay. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I love you, too. Okay. Bye."

He flipped his phone closed and stood up, walking around the bed to me. "My mom says 'hi.'" He said, as he walked up to me, taking my hands in his. He lifted my left arm and spun me around. "You look beautiful, sugar." He whispered. I blushed at the compliment. I felt silly in this shirt, but he made me feel comfortable in it.

"Thanks, Edward." I leaned up to kiss his chin. "So is your mom worried?" I asked.

"Yeah, but she's glad we didn't try to drive home in the storm." He said. "Oh, and Paul called, too. He made it home safely. Took him almost two hours, though."

I smiled. "I'm glad he made it home okay. I was worried about him."

"I was, too. But, he's fine. And, we're fine." He pulled me towards the bed, but I pulled back. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I have to go hang up your jeans with mine, so they're dry tomorrow morning." I laughed at the concerned look on his face. "Get that peanut butter ready." I said, going over to pick up his jeans and taking them to the bathroom.

"Thank you, angel." I heard Edward call, while I flung his jeans over the shower rod. I walked back into the bedroom to see him laying on the bed in his black boxers, legs crossed at the ankle. He had taken his shirt off, too. He was breathtaking. He was holding an opened jar of peanut butter with two plastic spoons sticking out of the top. He patted the bed beside him.

I flicked off the overhead lights, walked over to the bed and crawled in beside him. He reached over and turned on his bedside lamp. "Are you cold, babe?" He asked.

"Yeah. I feel like I have a bit of a chill from the rain." I said. He passed me the peanut butter and we got up, pulling back the comforter. We crawled back in and pulled the blankets up. I snuggled in close to Edward's side.

"Ah, Bella. You're feet are cold." He laughed, trying to wiggle away from me. I laughed with him, trying to keep my feet pressed against his bare legs.

"I told you I was cold." I said.

"You did, baby." He said, leaning over for a quick kiss. "Let's warm you up." He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close to his side. I curled up against him. I scooped out a spoonful of peanut butter and lifted it up to his mouth. He opened his mouth and ate it all off with one bite. I had to laugh.

I scooped out a huge spoonful for myself and set the jar on the nightstand. I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. I flipped through the channels and found "I Know What You Did Last Summer." It was part way through, but, I loved this movie. I grabbed the peanut butter and passed it back to Edward. I snuggled in close, resting my head on his chest, and wrapping my arm around his waist.

We spent the next hour cuddled together in a lumpy motel bed, with stiff sheets and damp hair from the rain, eating peanut butter with plastic spoons and watching a grainy TV. I had never been more content. We belonged in each other's arms.

When the movie was over, and I was almost asleep, Edward took the peanut butter and set it on his nightstand. He slipped out of my arms and pulled the covers around me. I heard him rustling in the bag from the convenience store. "Edward?" I asked groggily.

"Go to sleep, babe. I'll be right back." He shut out the lamp and walked to the bathroom. I closed my eyes and started to drift off. I woke up to a loud bang. "Shoot." Edward said, quietly.

"Baby? What was that?" I asked, opening my eyes, only to find complete darkness.

"Sorry, Bella. I just hit my knee on the dresser." I rolled over and flipped on the lamp.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"It hurts, but I'll be okay. I didn't want to wake you." He said, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine, Edward. Just come back to bed. I'm cold." I laughed.

"Yes, ma'am." He teased, shutting off the lamp and crawling back in beside me. He wrapped me tightly in his arms, pulling me to his chest. "Better?"

"A lot." I said, kissing his chest. "You smell like peppermint."

"Toothpaste." He said, kissing my hair.

"Oh, shoot. I have to go brush my teeth." I moaned, half asleep.

"But, you smell like peanut butter." Edward whispered into my ear, chuckling softly. "Just go to sleep. I love you."

"I love you, too, Edward." I mumbled, falling asleep in his strong arms for the second time this week.


	37. Back to Reality

**A/N - You are all amazing...over a thousand hits a day for the last week! Wow! Here's another dose of Sweetward, because, who can get enough! Enjoy.**

Chapter 37 - Back to Reality

I woke up to the sun blaring in my eyes. We had left the curtains opened. I blinked a few times to adjust my eyes to the light. It was nice to see that sunshine was back and the torrential rains had stopped.

I looked beside me to realize that I had actually woken up before Edward. He was still with me. The last couple of times, I had woken up alone.

He was on his back, with his head turned to face me, and his arm was under my head. I was laying on my side, with my arm across his chest. His left arm was raised above his head and his hand was fisted into his hair. Edward was absolutely adorable when he slept. This was the first time I had ever seen him sleep. I wanted to enjoy the moment.

Of course it was cut short, when Edward started to wake up. He groaned, and started to blink, slowly opening his eyes. I rubbed my hand along his stomach, and turned my head up to kiss his lips. A smile spread across his face.

"Good morning, Edward." I said.

"Mmm." He rolled over onto his side and wrapped his other arm around me. I snuggled my face into his warm chest. "Good morning, beautiful." He said into my hair, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Do we have to get up?" I giggled. "I never want to move."

"Me, neither." He laughed.

Edward's phone started to ring on the nightstand. He sighed. "Come on, Edward. It's probably your mom." I said, pulling back from him.

Edward rolled over and reached over and grabbed the phone. "Hello." He mumbled into the phone, closing his eyes again. "Hi, mom. Yeah. No. We just woke up. It's nine-thirty?"

When I heard the time, I figured we should get going, so I could see my dad before he left for work. I slid out of bed, quickly pulling my t-shirt down. I walked over to the desk and picked up my blouse, before walking into the bathroom. Edward was still talking to his mom, so I figured I would get ready to leave. I got dressed and washed my face. I found my toothbrush on the counter, and brushed my teeth. I brushed my hair out and put it back in a messy bun.

I walked out and saw that Edward was off the phone, and was laying on the bed in his boxers, flipping through the channels on TV. He looked up and me and smiled. "Hey, babe."

"Hi. How's your mom?" I said, crawling into the bed with him.

"She's okay. She just thought we would be on the road by now." He laughed. "I never sleep this late."

"Well, we were up late last night, Edward." I said, laying my head on his chest.

"Oh, no you don't, Bella." Edward laughed, sliding out from underneath me, and standing beside the bed. "If you start snuggling, we'll never leave." He teased. "I won't have the power to stop you, either."

I laughed with him. "Do you think we'll make it home before eleven-thirty? I know my dad was worried, so I want to see him before he leaves for work." I said, as he walked to the bathroom.

"Yeah. Just let me get dressed, then we'll pick up some breakfast and head out. We should make it home just after eleven, okay?"

"Sounds good." I said. "Oh, and your jeans are dry."

"Thanks, babe." Edward said as he closed the door to the bathroom. I pulled up the sheets on the bed, threw our spoons and slushee cups in the garbage by the bed and brought Edwards guitar case to the door.

Edward came out of the bathroom in his jeans, without his shirt. I laughed at him. "I can't seem to keep you in a shirt, since yesterday, can I?" I teased.

He walked over to the desk and picked up his shirt. "Oh, you love it." He laughed, slipping it over his shoulders, but leaving it opened.

"I'm not denying it." I said, as I walked into the bathroom to grab my purse. I folded my new pyjamas and picked up the toothbrushes. I brought them out and put them back in the plastic bag from the store.

"You ready?" Edward said, standing by the door, holding his guitar case. He had buttoned up his shirt, leaving the top few buttons undone.

"Yeah." I picked up our coats and walked with him out the door. We walked down the hallway and took the elevator to the main floor.

As we made our way to check out, I noticed an older man behind the desk. "Checking out?" He asked with a smile.

"Yes. Thank you." Edward said, returning the key cards.

"Have a nice day, and thank you for staying with us." He said, as we left, and went back to the car.

Edward put his guitar back in the trunk and then came and opened my door for me. After he got in, he turned to face me. "There's a bakery in town. We always stop and get Alice something on the way home from her dance classes. Do you want to stop there and pick something up for breakfast for the drive home?"

I smiled at him. He was such a sweet big brother, and an even sweeter boyfriend. "That sounds great." I leaned forward and kissed his soft lips quickly, before sitting back and putting my seatbelt on.

He was looking back at me with a shocked look on his face. "That's teasing, sugar." He said, before leaning over me and giving me a real kiss. "Okay, now we can leave." He laughed.

I smiled back, but I was blushing, so I turned my face to look out the window. He reached over and grabbed my hand as we drove through the streets of Port Angeles. I could tell that he knew I was embarrassed, which was why he was rubbing his thumb on the back of my hand. It was strange, even to me, that something like a kiss would leave me blushing, but I was alright with spending the night with him in our pyjamas.

We pulled up to Bella Rosa. It was a cute little coffee shop that was buzzing with activity. "This is it, babe. They have smoothies, coffee, pastries, you name it." He brought my hand to his lips, pressing a long kiss to the back of my hand. "Come on. I'm starving." He said with a smile, getting out of the car. He came around to the other side of the car as I was getting out. He took my hand and led me to the door. He opened the door for me, and we stepped in.

We stood in line, and while I was looking up at the menu, Edward wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to put his head on my shoulder. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. "I'm sorry about before. You know, in the car." He whispered in my ear.

I laughed. "Don't apologize for kissing me. I don't know why, but every once in while, I just get overwhelmed." I turned my head and kissed his lips. I pulled back and smiled at him. "You're just so cute."

"And, you're beautiful." He said. He stood up straight behind me. "So, what are you going to get?"

"Um, I think I'll get a strawberry banana smoothie." I said.

"That's it?" Edward looked at me like I was crazy.

I laughed. "Yeah. Why?"

"Because you have to try the apple turnovers. They are so good." He said. I loved how excited Edward got when he was talking about sugar. Last night with the slushees, and today with the turnovers, he couldn't hide his enthusiasm. It was priceless.

We got to the counter and Edward order my smoothie, a large black coffee for himself and a dozen apple turnovers. A dozen. As he ordered them, he looked over at me and winked. He took the box and I carried our drinks back to the car. I got in and put our drinks in the cup holders. Edward set the box of pastries on my lap.

"You know, you're crazy, right?" I asked as we pulled onto the highway at about twenty after ten. "A dozen?" I teased.

"Well, you haven't tried them, yet." He smiled, picking up his coffee and taking a big drink.

I opened the box and they looked delicious. I took one out and took a bite. I knew he wouldn't leave me alone until I tried it. "Oh, my god, Edward. This is so good." I moaned.

I looked over and he had a smirk on his face. "Do you always have to be right?" I laughed. He just looked at me and unleashed his rock star wink. "Open." I said, bringing the turnover to his mouth. He did, and took a huge bite.

"Mmm."

"I can see why you bought a dozen." I said, as I took another bite. We had a fun ride home, sharing three turnovers by the time we hit the welcome sign for Forks. I had, also, called my dad from the road to let him know we were on our way home.

Edward dropped me off at my house at ten after eleven. I had twenty minutes to hang out with my dad before he went to work.

"Bye, baby. Call me later, okay?" Edward said, before giving me a quick kiss.

"Bye, Edward. I love you." I said as I got out of the car and ran to the door.


	38. Encouraged and Discouraged

**A/N - Hey, readers. So far, this fic has been all fluff. Let's add a little more to the plot and get deeper into the characters' history. I love this chapter. I'm hoping you all do, too!**

Chapter 38 - Encouraged and Discouraged

"Dad?" I called out, as I walked in the house.

"Oh, hey, Bells. I'm glad you made it home." He said, coming down the stairs in his uniform. He walked over to me and gave me a tight hug, and kissed the top of my head.

"I don't think I've ever seen that much rain." I said, walking into the kitchen and sitting at the table with him.

"Yeah. It was a busy night at work, that's for sure." He sighed. "I'm so glad you didn't try to drive home last night. We had a few cars go into the ditch."

"I'm sorry you were so worried." I said. I really hated that I was out in the storm and he had to worry.

"Oh, I'm fine. But, enough about that. How was the trip? Did you have a good time?" He asked, looking genuinely interested.

"It was a really nice day. We had lunch, then we walked through some shops and galleries. Oh, I got you a souvenir, but it's in Edward's car." With everything that happened since we bought the tacky t-shirts, I had forgotten about them.

"That's okay, Bells. You didn't have to get me anything." My dad said, trying to make me feel better.

"I know, but we wanted to. We got one for Carlisle, too." I said.

"What else did you do?" He asked.

"Edward bought me dinner at this nice grill, and then we went to the bar and hung out with Paul. Both he and Edward played and sang on stage. You should have seen them. Oh, and Edward wrote me a song. Can you believe that? It was so pretty." I knew I was gushing, and this was probably a conversation to have with a girlfriend, or even a mother, but my dad was here for me, and I knew he didn't mind.

"Well, it sounds like you had a great time." He rubbed the back of his neck, nervously. "So did you find a place to stay, alright?"

"Oh, yeah. We just stayed at Super 8." I laughed. "Edward and I stayed up watching a movie and eating peanut butter from the jar." I didn't want my dad to worry about us. Our relationship was still new, and I didn't want to rush anything.

He let out a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

"Oh, but dad. There is something I need to talk to you about." I said, remembering Edward's surprise trip next week.

"What is it, Bells?" My dad leaned forward.

"I'm going to go visit mom in Florida for a few days next week." I told him. "I haven't seen her since August last year."

"Well, I think it's good for you to see your mother. Is she taking time off of work for you?" He asked, with a frown.

"I don't know. I haven't told her I was coming, yet." I said.

"Why not?" Now he looked confused.

"Well, Edward is taking me. It was a surprise. First we're going to go visit my friend Angela for a couple days and then, we're going to fly from Arizona to Florida." I explained. "I'm going to call mom today." I was really worried. What if we flew all the way to Florida and she didn't even want to see me, or meet Edward?

"Oh, that's sounds nice. I'm glad you're going to get to see your friend again. I know you miss her." He said. I was so glad that he was supportive of the whole trip. "When are you leaving?"

"We leave Sunday morning and get home on Saturday." I told him. "I'm going to miss you, dad." I said, already getting used to being here in Forks with him.

"Oh, you'll be back before you know it. We've got a lot of summer left, Bells." He said, standing up. "Okay, I've got to head to work. I'll see you tonight, kiddo." I stood up and gave him a hug.

"Have a good night, dad." I said, walking with him to the door.

As soon as he drove off, I came back in the house and ran upstairs to have a shower. After I got dressed and dried my hair, I decided to stop delaying the inevitable, and call my mom.

I sat on the edge of my bed and grabbed my phone. After staring at it for a few minutes, I finally dialled the number. I rang about five times before going to voice mail. I was actually relieved. I could tell her what I needed to say without worrying about her immediate reaction, or hearing her excuses.

"Hi mom. It's Bella. I'm going to be in Florida next Wednesday through Saturday. I was hoping we could get together and catch up. I'd, also, like you to meet my boyfriend, Edward. Okay, call me back soon, or send an e-mail, whichever is better for you. Bye. I love and miss you." I hung up, flopping back on my bed and staring up at the ceiling. I felt tears starting to sting my eyes. It shouldn't be like this. I shouldn't have to make an appointment to be in my mom's life.

I went over and turned on my laptop. Moments like this called for a best friend. Angela knew what I had to put up with concerning my mom. Even though her family was a lot like Edward's, very family oriented, she understood, because she had seen my heartbreak and loneliness, first hand.

I decided to send her an e-mail and let her know we were coming for a visit.

_Hey, Angie!_

_Guess what? Edward surprised me yesterday. He is flying me down to Phoenix on Sunday to see you! Can you believe it? _

_I am so excited. I miss you so much, Ang. _

_Edward is coming, too, so you get to meet him._

_We are staying until Wednesday. I don't know all the details, yet, but I'll call you when I know more._

_On Wednesday, we're flying to Florida to see my mom. _

_I'm kind of nervous about it. What is Edward going to think if my own mother doesn't make time to see me? I don't really know why I'm worried. He is so supportive and loving. You know how I get when I talk about my mom. Does it make me horrible daughter if I say that I'm really happy I decided to move to Washington instead of Florida? _

_I miss you to death, but I have never been happier. My dad is amazing, and I can just tell how happy he is that I'm here with him. Edward, well, he is my whole world. I love him so much. And I can tell he loves me, too. And, it's not even just Edward. His parents, brothers and little sister have included me into their family with open arms. It's amazing. I love them all._

_Anyway, I'll see you in a few days!_

_Love ya, girl._

_Bella._

I sighed and got up from the computer. Both Angela and I hated talking on the phone. We always felt so awkward. Plus, as students, the long distance costs would have been outrageous. So, we had decided, when I moved, to use e-mail to keep in touch.

I hoped that she e-mailed me back soon. I needed a little encouragement from my best friend. I decided to go down to the kitchen and write out the pizza recipe that I had promised Maria on Monday night. I found a recipe card and wrote the recipe out from memory. I put it in my purse, so I would have it whenever I saw her next.

It was about two o'clock, so I went back upstairs to check my e-mail. I opened my account and noticed that Angela had already replied.

_Bella,_

_I'm SO excited to see you! Tell Edward that I love him already for bringing you back to me! _

_You are not a bad daughter. She's a bad mother, Bella. You'll get to see her, Edward will meet her, then go back to your life. You finally sound happy. Don't let that go. I mean it! There are people in this world that love you and appreciate you for the wonderful person that you are._

_I spread the news around the house, and my whole family is excited for you to be back! Apparently, you and Edward are having dinner here on Sunday night. Don't try to get out of it. My mom insists._

_I'll see you soon, Bella. Is it Sunday, yet?_

_Love you, too._

_Ang._

I really loved her. She always knew what to say to make me feel better. I noticed another e-mail in my inbox. It was from my mom.

_Bella,_

_I wish you had given me more notice of this trip. I have meetings scheduled all week. Perhaps we can meet for dinner on Thursday. Will that work for you?_

_Let me know your itinerary, so we can synchronise our plans._

_I miss you, too._

_Mom_

I was expecting that answer, but it still hurt me to read it. I crawled onto my bed and broke down in sobs.


	39. Comfort

**A/N - I have to apologize for making the last chapter a little sad. I promised a low stress story. But, at the same time, I want it to be real. Bella is a real person, with a history, so that is going to come into play. Her adoration for the Cullen family and the relationship with her dad and Edward are made stronger because of it.**

**Thanks for the reviews, favorites and alerts! I love them! I need them!**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 39 - Comfort

My cell phone rang on the desk. I let it ring. I was moping and I didn't want to get up. It rang again. I sighed. If it was Edward, and he heard me crying, he would probably panic. But, then again, if I didn't pick up, he would still panic. I took a deep breath and answered.

"Hello." My voice sounded shaky, even to me.

"Bella. What's wrong? Are you okay?" I was right. It was Edward, and he was panicking.

"It's just my mom, Edward. I'm fine. Don't worry about me." I said.

"I'm already on my way over, Bella." He stated, matter-of-factly. "Do you want me to hang up, or keep talking until I get there?"

"Um. Maybe, I'll clean myself up a little." I sighed. He was being so sweet, but I needed him to be here, to hold onto me, before I told him why I was so upset. "Edward. I'm sorry. We'll talk about when you get here, okay?"

"Okay, baby. I love you. I'll be there in five minutes." He said, sounding reluctant to hang up.

"Thanks, Edward. I love you, too." I said, before I hung up. I walked into the bathroom and washed my face. I still looked horrible, but I felt a bit better. I walked back downstairs and sat at the kitchen table.

I looked at the roses Edward brought me yesterday. Angela was right. I had to be grateful for those that loved me. Edward was likely speeding over here right now because I was sad. His love meant everything to me.

I heard his car pull up, and got up to open the door. Edward was running up to me when I opened to door, with a single purple wildflower in his hand. "Oh, Bella. Come here." He said as he pulled me into his chest. He started stroking my hair. He walked us in the door and kicked it shut. "Do you want to talk about it." He said, kissing the top of my head.

"Yeah. Do you want to come upstairs?" I asked. I wanted to show him the e-mail she sent me.

"Okay." He said, passing me the flower, taking my hand and following me up the stairs. We went in my room, and I set the flower on my desk, then laid down on the bed. He crawled up beside me and pulled me back into his arms. "So, Bella. What happened to the happy girlfriend that I dropped off a few hours ago?" He asked, running his fingers up and down my arm.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I feel so horrible that I'm always crying, or upset, or worried. I hate feeling so needy all the time. It's like I'm always taking from you."

"Bella, baby. Stop that right now. Let's get one thing straight. I love you so much. A few tears aren't going to change that." He said seriously, before leaning forward and kissing right under my eyes. "You're human, Bella. You have feelings. You don't have to hide them from me. I want you to talk to me. If you're sad, cry on my shoulder. You were there for me last night when I was nervous about playing at the bar. Let me be here for you, now."

I always thought that Edward couldn't get sweeter and more loving than he was, but everyday, he proved me wrong. My love for him was multiplying everyday.

"I called my mom." I said into chest. He reached up and ran his fingers through my hair, like he did at the door. He didn't say anything. He just waited for me to tell him what was wrong. I sighed. "My call went to voicemail, so I told her we were coming to visit on Wednesday and staying until Saturday." I squeezed my arms around him a little tighter. "She e-mailed me back right before you called. She said she has meetings all week and we should have given her more notice. She might be able to fit us in Thursday." As I said that, I started to cry again.

"Oh, honey." Edward said, sliding me over onto his lap. I leaned into his shoulder, and he rocked us both back and forth.

"She hasn't seen me in nine months, Edward. You would think she would care." I whispered.

"I'm sure she cares, baby. This is who she is, though." He leaned back and brought his hand under my chin so I looked at him. "We will have a great trip, okay? I've never been to Florida. We can look up all sorts of touristy things to do and sites to see." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "This week is for you. It's for us. We'll still get to see your mom. Maybe not as much as we thought, but we'll take what we can get, and make the best of it. It's going to be okay, Bella, I promise." He said, pulling me to his chest again.

"I love you, Edward, more than I ever thought I could." I said quietly.

"I know how you feel, angel." He said, still stroking my hair.

We sat like that for about ten minutes. We were both quiet, and I was enjoying just being in his arms. I felt comforted and safe.

I sat up and looked at Edward who had his head back against the headboard and his eyes closed. When I moved, he opened his eyes. A smile spread across his face. "Feeling better?" He asked gently.

"Yeah. Thanks, Edward. Oh, and I love the flower. It's so pretty." I leaned forward to kiss his chin. I used to do it because it was the closest to his mouth that I could reach because of our height difference, but now it had become a habit, and my favourite place to kiss Edward, besides his lips. I smiled back at him. "I e-mailed Angela. She is so excited to meet you."

Edward looked relieved that I was smiling again. "Well, I have to say, I'm looking forward to it, too."

"Oh, and we're having dinner with her family on Sunday night." I told him, proudly. "Her family is amazing. They remind me of your family. They are all so loving and warm. I'm sure, you'll fit right in."

"That's great. I'm glad you have them in your life, babe." Edward said.

"Me, too." I said. I just leaned my head back on his chest, when I remembered Jasper's practice. I sat up straight. "Oh, Edward. I almost forgot, Jasper has practice today. Did you want to go see him again?"

"You scared me." He laughed. "They cancelled practice today, because the field was too wet from the rain. Jasper phoned me at lunch to tell me. He didn't want us to come out when no one was there."

"He's such a sweet boy." I said. "So all that texting with Maria and now there's no practice. That's too bad."

"Actually, Jasper wanted to know if you wanted to come hang out at our house after school. Maria is going to come over for a couple hours, and I think Jazz is still a little nervous around her. He though maybe she would, and I quote 'want another girl around.'" Edward chuckled.

"Of course I'll come over. But do I look horrible?" I asked. I didn't want anyone to worry about me.

"You look beautiful." He stated confidently.

"Edward. Be serious." I said, getting up to walk into the bathroom.

"I am." He called out from my room.

I washed my face again, and put some eye drops in my eyes to get rid of some of the redness. I came back into my room and put a little foundation on my face to cover up some of the blotchiness. Edward just sat on the bed watching me.

"Stop worrying, baby. You look perfect." He said.

"I'm glad you think so." I said.

"I know so." He told me, standing up and coming up behind me to wrap his arms around me. "You ready?"

"Yeah. I've missed your family." I really felt like I was a part of the family, and I liked being around them. Plus, I sort of needed a hug from Esme.

"They've missed you, too. I think they're a little jealous that I took you to Port Angeles and kept you to myself all day yesterday." He laughed.

"Well, they're going to be seeing a lot of me over the next three days before we leave." I said.

"Good. Come on." He said, taking my hand and leading me back downstairs.

I grabbed my purse and locked the door. I was ready for another afternoon with the Cullens.


	40. A Mother's Love

**A/N - Alright, readers. I'm heading to the hills for a couple of days. I should have access to the internet, and I'll try my absolute hardest to get my chapters up everyday. The only diffence might be the time I post them. Thanks again for all the reviews. I really do love reading them. I can't, however, reply to reviews that aren't signed. Sign up for with a user name, and I'll be happy to respond to your questions and comments. Thanks again...Summer Vacation had the most hits ever yesterday! I am loving this experience. You are all amazing! Oh, and to answer one question, I don't see an end in sight for this fic...I have so much planned for these two!**

Chapter 40 - A Mother's Love

When we got to Edward's house, we walked straight to the kitchen. Esme was taking a cake out of the oven. She was the stereotypical stay-at-home mom. I could tell that she loved her family and she loved her life. She was everything that my mother wasn't, and everything I needed right now. She set the cake down and looked up at me. With one look at my face, she walked up to me, and pulled me into a hug. I guess she could tell I needed it.

"Oh, Bella, sweetheart. Are you alright?" She asked, sounding really worried.

"I'm perfect." I answered honestly. Sometimes a girl just needed a mother. Esme seemed more than willing to step into that role for me. "But, thank you so much for the hug."

"Anytime, sweetie." She smiled back at me lovingly. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine, thanks. It's just my mom. She really busy next week when we are going to be there. But, we're going to have a good trip, regardless." I told her, looking over at Edward who was standing beside me.

"Yes, we are." He said, smiling back at me. "I'm just going to run and have a quick shower, okay? I'll be back in a ten minutes." He leaned over and kissed the top of my head.

"You don't have to rush. I'm fine." I told him honestly.

"Okay. I'll be right back." He said, again as he jogged over to the stairs.

Esme and I laughed together. "He's such a good guy." I said.

"Yes. He's a lot like his father." She added with a smile. "Very attentive and caring."

"Yes, well, it's my fault he's being so overly protective of me right now. I kind of broke down this afternoon." I said, looking down at my hands.

"Come here, Bella." Esme said, linking her arm with mine and leading me into the family room. We sat side by side on the couch. "Now, let's get one thing straight, sweetie. It is not your fault for getting upset. No matter how old we get, we always want our mother's approval, love and encouragement. I know you don't have the closest relationship with your mom, but try to enjoy what time you do get to spend with her." She took my hand in hers. "Bella. I'm sure Edward has told you this, but I'm always here for you. You fit with this family as if you have always belonged. I know the kids adore you, Edward is crazy about you, and Carlisle and I love you like you're our own. If you need me, Bella, please come to me. Don't worry that I'm Edward's mom. Don't be embarrassed to talk to me about anything." She laughed her beautiful, bell-like laugh. "And we all know I could use a little girl talk. I'm surrounded by boys, and Alice is too young for that, yet."

I laughed with her. "Thank you so much, Esme. I love you all, too. I think part of the reason I was so upset, was that Edward went out of his way to plan this trip for me, to meet my best friend and my mom, and now it feels like my own mom is ruining it. I don't want Edward to feel like he's to blame for me being upset."

"Bella, Bella. Don't ever think that way. Edward is giver. He always has been. With three younger siblings, he has always done what he could for them, helping them, spending time with them, teaching them. I always knew he would be the perfect partner, when he found the right girl. It makes him happy to do things for you. Just enjoy your trip and your time together. If you only get to see your mom for one night, make that night count." She patted my hand, and got a devious smirk on her face. "And then come home and tell me all the details."

I laughed with her. "You are amazing." I leaned forward and gave her another hug. "Although, I shouldn't be surprised. Edward is just as loving as you, and I fell in love with him."

"Did I hear my name?" Edward said, walking into the family room, and coming to sit beside me.

"Sorry, darling. This is girl talk. We'll never tell." Esme told her son, with a smile on her face. I hadn't realized how much my relationship with Esme meant to her. I think we were good for each other.

Edward stuck out his bottom lip. "Are you pouting?" I asked, giggling at him and how silly he was acting. Again, I'm sure it was all for my benefit.

"Maybe." He said, sticking his lip out again. I leaned forward and kissed him, right on his pouting bottom lip. A smile pulled across his face. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too." I patted his stomach. "But, we're still not telling you what we talked about." I teased.

Esme laughed. "That pretty face can only get you so far, Edward."

"Not you, too, mom. Bella said the same thing." Edward said, with a smile, and a bit of a blush.

She giggled. "Well, you're mine, and I think I make beautiful children."

"You do, Esme." I said, looking at Edward. "Beautiful on the inside, too." I sighed. "Thank you both for making me feel better."

"You are so welcome, sweetheart." Esme said, leaning over to kiss my cheek. She stood up and kissed Edward's forehead. "Okay, you two. I'm going to run and pick up Alice from school. I'll see you guys in about a half hour."

"Bye, mom. Love you." Edward said.

"Bye, Esme. Thanks again." I said.

"You are so welcome. Bye, kids." She left with a smile and a wave.

I leaned over and laid my head on Edward's lap. He started stroking my hair. "Feeling better, angel?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. I really am excited for next week, Edward. Thank you so much for doing this for me." I said.

"I just want to make you happy." He said. "I love you so much."

"You know I'm happy just to be with you, Edward. But, I really can't wait to see Angie." I said, sitting up and leaning against his chest. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

We snuggled in together and watched infomercials on TV for about twenty minutes. I enjoyed listening to his heartbeat, while he ran his hand up and down on my arm.

"Bella. Edward." We heard Alice before we saw her. She ran into the family room and jumped on the couch beside Edward. "I was so scared when you weren't here this morning, Edward. Mom said you were stuck in Port Angeles because of the rain." She said, crawling onto Edward's lap, and wrapping her little arms around his neck.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, princess. It was too late at night to call you, and you were at school before I woke up. We're okay, though. It was just too dangerous to drive on the highway." Edward explained to her.

"Well, I'm glad you're both home." She looked over at me. "Bella? Are you still going to paint my fingernails tonight? I have my recital tomorrow night."

"Of course, Alice. Do you want to do it now? That will give it some time to dry before dinner." I suggested.

"Yeah. I'll go get it. I put the nail polish in my room." She said. Edward lifted her onto the ground and she went running to her room.

"And so it begins." Edward exaggerated a sigh and leaned his head back on the couch.

"What?" I asked.

"My family stealing you." He sat up and turned to face me. "Quick. Give me one last kiss before we have an audience." He smiled.

I leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips, his chin, and then over his heart. I looked back up into his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby." He said, placing his hands on my cheeks and leaning in to kiss me.

"Really? We haven't seen you guys in almost two days and this is what we walk in on?" I guess the rest of the Cullen kids were home. Leave it to Emmett to try and embarrass us.

Edward placed one last kiss on my lips, ignoring his brother, before leaning back on the couch. "It begins." He sighed, looking over at me with a wink and a grin.

I laughed. This house held so much love. I was so grateful that I was welcomed here with open arms.


	41. Moments and Realizations

**A/N - Hey everyone! So, I'm sitting in my hotel room in the mountains and I'm on my way to go canoeing! I'm pretty excited. But, before I leave, I have to post the next chapter for you!**

**Thanks again for the reviews, alerts and favorites! You all blow me away...I'll respond to all your reviews ASAP. Enjoy!**

Chapter 41 - Moments and Realizations

"Hi, Emmett. I missed you, too." I said with a laugh. I got up and walked over to him, giving him a hug. He patted my back, awkwardly. I smiled at him. He really wasn't used to girls being around. He was the loudest of the three brothers, but he still had a shy side.

"Hi, Bella." I heard Maria's bubbly voice. I looked up behind Emmett and saw her and Jasper standing side by side. They were so cute and reminded me of Edward and I, when I looked their height difference.

"Hi, Maria. It's so good to see you again." I said. She walked over to me and pulled me into a hug. "I have that pizza recipe for you." I told her.

"Oh, thanks." She said.

"No problem." I turned to give Jasper a hug, too. He leaned down and gave me a gentle hug. "Hi, Jasper. So they cancelled practice, huh?"

He ran his hand through his hair, nervously. "Yeah. It's too bad. We could have used one more practice before the game."

"You guys are great, Jasper. It's going to be a great game on Saturday." Maria added.

"She's right, Jasper. You are very talented." I added. He was blushing, likely from all the compliments.

"Listen to the girls, Jazz. They are always right." Edward added from the couch.

"Don't you forget it, Edward." I teased, walking back over to sit beside him. Emmett was sprawled across the back of the sectional and Jasper and Maria came to sit across from Edward and I.

"I'm ready, Bella." Alice said, running into the room with the nail polish.

"Hey, kiddo." Emmett said, holding out his arms.

"Hi, Em." She said with a smile, crawling up on the couch beside him, and into his arms.

"How was school?" He asked her.

"Good. Bella's going to paint my nails for me for the recital tomorrow." You could see how excited she was for the recital.

"Oh, that's cool." Maria said, looking down at her nails.

"Do you want me to paint yours, too?" I asked Maria with a smile.

"Yeah, do hers, too. That would be awesome. Oh, and if you painted yours, we would all match." Alice said. She was the one Cullen that did not hold her feelings back.

"I wouldn't mind." Maria said, looking over at Jasper. "Unless you wanted to do something else?"

"Oh, um. No, go ahead." Jasper answered, looking a little flustered.

I smiled at Jasper. He was a really sweet guy. He kissed Alice on the head when she walked passed him on her way to Maria. She giggled at that. Alice took Maria's hand and Maria stood up. "Okay, Bella. Where should we do this?" Maria asked.

"You guys can sit right here, and use the coffee table, if you want." Edward suggested, when I looked over at him. He smiled at me. It still seemed like he wanted to stay close to me, after how upset I was this afternoon.

"Okay, girls. Let's sit down on the floor." I said, going to sit with Alice and Maria in front of the coffee table. "Okay, Alice. Left hand, first." I said, shaking the bottle of nail polish. I held her hand still in my left hand, while a painted her nails. "All done. Right hand, please." I loved that I could do this for her. She grew up with boys, so I liked stepping into the big sister role for her. She couldn't seem to wipe the smile off of her face.

Emmett had turned on the sports channel, but it seemed that he was the only one watching it. Jasper was sneaking glancing at Maria, and Edward was watching us with a smile on his face.

"Alright, Alice. You're done. When they're dry, we'll put the decals on, okay?" I told her, smiling back at her.

"Thanks, Bella. Look guys." She said, standing in front of the TV, so, really, they had no choice but to look at her.

I looked up at the guys and they were all smiling at her. She had her brothers wrapped around her little finger. "Looking good, Ali." Emmett said.

"You look great, Al." Jasper said with a smile.

"Beautiful, princess." Edward added.

I painted Maria's nails next. When I was done, she went to sit by Jasper. She set her hands on her knees and leaned her head on his shoulder. He leaned his head back on hers. It was the cutest thing, ever. I wished I had known Edward in high school.

I decided to paint mine after everyone else's were done. "Let's put the stickers on, Alice." I told her. She came over to me and sat in front of me. I put a daisy sticker on each of her thumb nails. She looked adorable. "Finished." I said, as I put the last sticker on. "You look amazing." I said, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you, Bella. I love it." She said. "I'm going to go show my mom." She got up and ran into the kitchen. I put a quick coat of polish on my fingers to make Alice happy. I usually didn't wear it, but if Alice wanted us to match, then, who was I to object?

I went and sat beside Edward. He took my wrist and brought my hand up to his mouth, lightly blowing on my fingertips. It was, without a doubt, the most intimate experience I had ever had. It seemed so minor, but in that moment, it felt like we were one being. The fact that he took it upon himself to do that for me, as if my hand was an extension of himself, was beautiful to me. I was glad that Emmett was watching TV and Jasper and Maria were in their own little world. I leaned over and kissed Edward's cheek. "I love you." I whispered in his ear. He looked at me and smiled.

"Ugh. I can wait until Rose is finished with dance class." Emmett sighed, rolling over on the couch, facing away from us. I guess Emmett was paying attention to us after all.

"Sorry, bro." Edward said, with a laugh, setting my hand back on my leg. "This is the last night, though right?"

"Yes. I miss her." He said, in a moment of brutal honesty and vulnerability.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder, son." Carlisle said, walking in the family room, and patting Emmett's leg. Emmett groaned and covered his face with his arm when he heard his dad. Jasper's head shot up and Maria followed suit. Edward and I tried to hold back our laughter. "Don't mind me." Carlisle laughed. "Just passing through to the kitchen to help your mother with dinner."

"Actually, can someone take me home?" Maria asked.

"Oh, yeah sure. Emmett or I can take you. Did you want to stay for dinner? You are more than welcome to stay." Edward said, sincerely.

"Thanks, but we're having a family night tonight, and Rose should be home soon." She said.

At the mention of Rose's name, Emmett sat straight up. "I'll take you." He said with a smile. Jasper, Maria and Emmett all stood up to go.

"Thanks for painting my nails, Bella." Maria said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow night."

"Oh, Maria. Your recipe. Edward, can you get it out of my purse for me, please? My nails are still tacky." I asked. "It's in the kitchen."

"Sure, baby." Edward got up, kissed my head, and went to the kitchen. He came right back with the recipe and passed it to Maria.

"Thanks, babe." I said to him.

Edward and I said our goodbyes, then went into the kitchen with Carlisle, Esme and Alice. Carlisle came over to us and pulled us both into a hug. "I'm glad you kids got home safe today." Carlisle would have been at work before Edward got home today.

"Thanks, Carlisle. It was an adventure, that's for sure." I said with a smile.

I sat down at the table, watching the Cullens make dinner together. I was so lucky to have these people in my life. No matter what I faced next week in Florida, I knew I would have this wonderful support system waiting for me back in Forks, my home.


	42. Sugar

**A/N - Thanks for all the reviews! I'm trying to get to all these events that Bella and Edward have coming up, but I keep getting distracted. Edward and Bella have a conversation and it turns into a chapter. I love these characters and I like spending time with them, hence the details. We'll get there. Here's the next one!**

Chapter 42 - Sugar

A half hour later, Emmett and Jasper got home from dropping off Maria. I could tell by the size of the smile on Emmett's face, that he had a chance to see Rose.

We all sat down to a wonderful dinner of roasted chicken and baked potatoes. I knew I was welcome here, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I wondered if the Cullens wanted a family dinner with just the six of them. But, the minute the thought popped into my head, it vanished, as Esme smiled warmly at me and Edward squeezed my knee under the table.

After dinner, Edward went upstairs to get the fudge and candy we bought Emmett, Jasper and Alice in Port Angeles. I helped Esme clear the table.

"Okay, guys. Dig in." Edward said, emptying all of the bags in the middle of the dining room table. "Here's the munchies we got in Port Angeles."

"Awesome. Thanks guys." Emmett said, going straight for the gummy bears.

"You bought fudge? Thanks, Edward. Thanks, Bella." Jasper said, breaking off a piece of maple walnut fudge.

Alice grabbed a long string of liquorice and started smacking on it. "Thank you." She mumbled.

We all sat together for the next half hour, eating our candy and telling the Cullens about our trip. Edward blushed when I told them how good he was at the open mic night. It was nice spending time with them. They really did include me and want me there.

After eating probably way too much sugar, Emmett and Jasper went upstairs to do some homework, and Alice was going to practice her dance routine one more time for her mom and dad.

Edward took my hand and led me upstairs. We went in his room and closed the door. We crawled on his bed and cuddled, our legs tangled together.

"Thank you for today, Edward. Thank you for coming over, for being there for me, for holding me and just for listening." I told him, running my fingers through his hair, and looking into his eyes.

"You're welcome, baby. You know I would do anything for you. Holding you in my arms wasn't too much to ask." He said, leaning forward to press a light kiss on my lips.

"I know. I am just so lucky and so, so happy to have you in my life. I couldn't image what this summer would have been like without you. I would still have my dad in the mornings, but then I would just be sitting around, waiting for school to start again." I kissed his nose. "Because of you, my life feels whole."

"Oh, Bella. I love you so much." He said, leaning forward, kissing from behind my ear and trailing kisses down the column of my throat and across my collar bone, over to my shoulder, and back again.

"That feels so good, babe." I whispered, rubbing his back.

"Yeah?" He asked, moving back up to my lips.

"Mhm." It was all I could say as Edward deepened the kiss.

He hands trailed across my back and up into my hair, cradling the back of my head as he continued to kiss me. He finally pulled back, breathless. I smiled up at him and he winked at me, with a sexy smirk on his face. As much as I loved cute and shy Edward, this cocky, confident Edward was amazing.

"I could kiss you all day, sugar." He said, leaning back to kiss down the other side of my throat.

"Well, I wouldn't mind being kissed by you all day, either." I giggled. "So, it looks like this relationship is going to work out."

"Good." He said, between kisses. "Because, I don't think I could ever let you go."

I started to giggle. The feeling of his breath on my neck tickled.

He stopped kissing me and looked up into my eyes. His beautiful eyes were sparkling, his face was lightly flushed and he had a gorgeous smile spread across his face. "What? You don't believe me?" He asked. He obviously thought that I was laughing at his declaration that he wouldn't leave me.

I pushed his shoulders lightly and he rolled onto his back. "Oh, I believe you." I said, kneeling beside his chest and leaning over him as I started to kiss his throat. My hands were resting on his shoulders, and he was running his hands up and down my arms. His head was tilted back but his eyes were locked on me, watching me.

I started to place open mouth kisses from his ear, down to the v-neck of his t-shirt. Then I lightly blew a breath, back up his throat. I watched as goose bumps broke out across his neck and arms. I loved how I could affect him. He moaned, his eyes closing.

He rolled back over on top of me, quickly, surprising me. I started to laugh, uncontrollably. Edward sighed, and dropped his head down onto my chest. He turned his face to look up at my face, a huge smile on his face. I looked down and him and smiled back. "That was nice." He said.

"It was." I answered, a little breathlessly. We kissed each other all the time, but that was the most intense make-out session we had ever had.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" Edward asked.

"Well." I said sitting up, causing his head to drop down onto my lap. "I did promise your brothers a rematch in Mario Kart."

He groaned. "Do I have to share you?" He laughed.

"Yes, Edward." I said, running my fingers through his hair. "I feel like I'm always stealing you away from them. Let's go play for an hour, then we can come back up here."

"That sounds like a compromise I can make." Edward said.

"Maybe you should wait until you hear what we're going to do when we come back up here." I teased.

"What's that?" He asked, intrigued, sitting up beside me.

"I'm going to help you pack for our trip." I said, excitedly.

"What? It's only Thursday." He complained, leaning over to kiss me.

"Stop trying to distract me." I laughed. "Tomorrow is Alice's recital, Saturday is Jasper's game, and I want to spend some time with my dad before we leave. We'll pack your stuff tonight, and mine tomorrow afternoon. That way, we won't have to worry about it."

"You're so logical and efficient." Edward teased, pushing me back onto his pillows.

"And, you're insatiable." I said, kissing him once more, before I slid out from under him and walked to his door. "Come on. Let's go have some fun."

He got off his bed and ran his hands through his hair. "I was having fun." He muttered under his breath. He came and took my hand. We headed passed Alice's room, to see her just getting tucked in by Esme and Carlisle. "It seems like we have a routine going here, Princess." Edward said, walking into his sister's room.

"Where did you guys go all night?" Alice asked. I could feel my face heat up, just thinking about Edward kissing me. I had no idea what to say to her, so I just stayed silent, looking down. I could hear Esme laughing quietly.

"Oh, um, Bella and I were just talking in my room." Edward told her.

"Oh, okay." She said, seeming to believe her brother. I thought we were in the clear, but then Alice's eyes started to tear up and a lone tear ran down her pretty face.

"Alice, honey, what's wrong?" I asked her, going to sit beside her on the bed.

"I heard mom saying something about you guys going away again. You just got back. I don't want you to leave already." She cried.

Edward came over to the bed and picked Alice up, sitting down beside me, with Alice on his lap. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. Esme and Carlisle were standing by the door, watching us. Esme's eyes looked glassy. I could relate. Seeing happy, little Alice with tears in her eyes was enough to make anyone cry.

I sniffled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "Alice. You're my best friend and I would never leave without telling you first, okay?" She nodded at me, then leaned her head on Edward's chest. "We're just going on a little trip next week. We're going to go and see my mom and my friend, Angela. I haven't seen them since last summer and I miss them. But, we'll be back before you know it, okay? We have the whole summer to spend together." I reached over and stroked her hair, telling her exactly what my dad had told me this morning.

"Okay. I'm glad. You're still going to come and watch my recital tomorrow, right?" She asked, looking up at Edward.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, princess. I love you." He told her, kissing her nose. "Now, let's get you back to bed. I hear ballerinas need lots of sleep." He said, setting her back down on her bed. He kissed her forehead, and wiped the tears from under her eyes with his thumbs. "Goodnight, princess. I'll see you bright and early for breakfast."

"Goodnight, Edward." She turned to me. "Goodnight, Bella. I'm glad you get to see your mom and Angela."

"Me, too." I told her, brushing the hair back from her face. "I'll see you tomorrow." I said, standing up and walking over to Esme at the door. The tears were streaming down my face again. Alice's tears, and the thought of the heartbreak I faced with my own mother, was too much for me to take. She pulled me into a quick hug, before I walked out of Alice's room and ran back to Edward's room. I didn't want Alice to see me upset. She didn't need to worry about this.

I walked into Edward's bathroom and shut the door. I splashed my face with cold water.

"Bella. Are you alright?" I heard Edward ask through the door. "I'm sorry. I guess I should have talked to her about it at dinner."

I opened the door and walked out into his arms. "I'm fine. It was just hard to watch her cry." I said into his chest. He was running his hand up and down my back.

"I know, sugar. I know. But, she's okay. It was just a misunderstanding." He said, leaning down to kiss my head. "You still up for some video games?" He asked, clearly trying to cheer me up.

I looked up at his worried expression, and smiled to show him that I was alright. "Absolutely."


	43. Packing and Dancing

**A/N - First, I have to apologize for posting this a few later than normal. I couldn't get wireless internet at my hotel this morning...apparently, and I quote, 'that's normal in the mountains.' But, the good news is, I just got home! Yay! Had fun, but I'm back on the love seat in my living room where I do my best Bella and Edward writing! Thanks so much for sticking with me. Love you all! *mwah***

Chapter 43 - Packing and Dancing

We walked hand-in-hand down the stairs. We ran into Esme and Carlisle in the kitchen. "Oh, Bella. I'm so sorry. I was just talking to Carlisle about your trip. I didn't know she overheard me." Esme said, walking over to us and pulling us both into a hug.

"It's alright. Don't worry about it. It was just hard for me to see her cry, that's all." I sighed. "Plus, I've been overly emotional all day."

Esme cupped my face in both her hands and leaned forward to kiss my forehead. It was such a motherly gesture. I loved it. "If you need to talk, sweetheart, remember that I'm always here to listen." She whispered to me. I nodded back and smiled.

"So are Em and Jazz downstairs?" Edward asked his parents, giving my hand a light squeeze.

"Yes. They went down about a half hour ago." Carlisle answered.

"Okay. We'll see you guys a little later." Edward said.

"Have fun, kids." Carlisle added with a warm smile.

"Thanks." I said, following Edward downstairs. "Hey, guys. Are you ready for a rematch?"

Emmett paused the game, and he and Jasper turned around to look at us with a smile. "You're on, Bella." He laughed, getting up to change the game.

We sat beside Jasper on the couch. He leaned over to whisper in my ear. "Are you alright, Bella?"

I reached over and squeezed his hand. "Yeah. I'm fine." I smiled at him in reassurance. Edward was looking over at me with a smile.

We started playing and I was sure that they were letting me win. I mean, I know I was awesome at this game, but this was ridiculous. "Guys, you're not even trying." I said, looking at their guilty faces. They were almost too good to me. They knew I was upset, so they were going easy on me. "Come on. Play this properly, or I'm going to sit with the adults upstairs." I teased. "I'm fine, really. I appreciate your concern. Really, I do. But, don't go easy on me."

"Sorry, Bella. Let's do this thing." Emmett said, starting up a new race.

We laughed and played for an hour. Just being around the Cullen boys made me feel loved and included. They both gave me a hug before heading up to bed around ten o'clock. We had told the boys that we were going to Arizona and Florida next week. They both thought that the trip sounded fun. Jasper was glad we were going wait until the day after his game before we left.

After they left, Edward and I laid back on the couch together, my back to his chest. He wrapped his warm arms around me, and set his chin on my shoulder. "You sure you're okay, baby?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine, really. I just love your family so much. I'm just amazed how quickly and easily they have accepted me. You're mom is so incredible."

Edward squeezed me a little tighter. "That's because you're just so darn lovable." He said, kissing my neck.

"No, seriously. I can't even imagine my life without all of you, now." I answered.

"Like I told you before, baby, you are amazing. And, Bella, you don't have to worry about life without us. You're stuck with us. You've got me forever." He spoke softly into my ear.

"I love you." I said back, turning my head to kiss him.

"Do you want to go back up to my room and help me pack?" Edward asked.

"Sure, babe." I said, sitting up.

"I still love it when you call me that." Edward said into my ear as we stood up.

We walked up the stairs and went into his room. He pulled out his suitcase and opened it on his bed.

"Okay. What should I bring? Edward asked, standing in front of his opened closet door.

"Uh, bring a couple of dress shirts, in case we go out anywhere. Other than that, it's pretty warm down south, so just pack t-shirts and shorts. Also, a bathing suit, a pair of jeans, underwear, socks, sunglasses, toothbrush, hair products. Can you think of anything else?" I asked, laying on my stomach on his bed.

"So, dress shirts." Edward said, looking a little overwhelmed, but still smiling.

"Aw, Edward. Let me help." I said, getting up. I went into his closet and took out a few polo shirts, a couple of t-shirts and two button-ups, one black and one white. I brought them all to his bed, folded them and set them in one half of his suitcase. While I was doing this, Edward turned on some soft classical music. "Okay, Edward. Pick out some jeans and shorts." I told him.

Edward walked into his closet and came out with two pairs of jeans, one dark and one light wash, a pair of khaki dress pants, and four pairs of shorts. I took them from him and folded them, setting them in the other side of his suitcase. Edward came back over and dropped a pile of socks and underwear on the bed. "I can pack this stuff, Bella." He said, nervously.

"If you don't want me to, I won't, but it doesn't bother me." I told him, honestly.

"Oh, um, okay, then." It was cute that Edward was embarrassed for me to see his underwear. I saw him in nothing but his boxers twice, now. But, I could see where he was coming from. I think I would feel the same way if the tables were turned.

I packed the rest of his clothes and the swimming trunks he brought over. "Do you have a pair of sandals?" I asked. He brought over a pair of black flip flops.

"I never wear those, but if its going to be hot, I'll bring them." He said, as I put them in his suitcase. I zipped it up. "Okay, you're all packed. Just don't forget to pack all your toiletries on Sunday morning." I said.

"Thanks, angel." He said, leaning down to kiss me. He took my hand and set it on his right shoulder, wrapped his right hand behind my back and took my other hand in his. We started dancing around his room to the beautiful classical music he had playing. I kept stepping on his feet, but he would just lean down, kiss the top of my head, and keep dancing as if I hadn't done it at all.

I wasn't a good dancer, as I had never had a boyfriend, and therefore, no one to practice with. Edward was incredibly patient, though, and I had to admit, I was enjoying this.

After about ten minutes, the song ended and Edward pulled me in his arms. "Thanks for the dance, beautiful." He whispered.

I looked up a his handsome face and blushed. "No, thank you, Edward. I think that's the first time I've ever danced like that." I told him.

"Well, you were amazing." He said, clearly forgetting his sore toes. I laughed. "It's after eleven. I'd better take you home."

"Okay, thanks, Edward. For everything today." I kissed his chin. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Bella. I was happy to be there for you." He said.

Edward and I walked hand in hand down the stairs. I gave Carlisle and Esme each a hug on our way out the door.

The drive home was quiet, but Edward held my hand, stroking my fingers all the way to my house. When we got there, he walked me to the door and we sat together on the front steps until Charlie pulled up in the cruiser.

Edward leaned over and gave me a kiss on the lips before walking over to Charlie at the cruiser. He looked back at me and winked, before talking to my dad for a minute. I couldn't hear what he said, but I assumed it was about my call to Renee. I appreciated the fact that he was so worried about me, and loved me enough to talk to my dad about how upset I was.

Edward waved before getting back in his car and driving home.

My dad came over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Come on, Bells. It's getting cold out here." He said, as we walked into the house. I had never felt so safe and loved as I did, having the both Edward, and my dad in my life.


	44. Sundresses and Silver

**A/N - You don't realize how much you depend on the internet, until you can't have it! It's good to be home. **

**Thanks for all your reviews, favorites and alerts. They keep me motivated. Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 44 - Sundresses and Silver

I woke up Friday morning with the sun shining through the window, and a smile on my face. My dad and I had talked last night. I told him about my mom's e-mail, and we talked about my concerns that she didn't want me there. My dad reassured me that, despite the way she came off, she did love me.

"You've got a good man with you, too, Bells." He said. "You and Edward will have a great trip, regardless." I loved that my dad recognized how perfect Edward was for me. He easily could have gone with the overprotective route, and been difficult about the whole relationship. But, I think the fact that one of his best friends was Carlisle, and he had spent time with the Cullen boys, really convinced him how great they really were.

My dad and I had decided to go out for breakfast today, since we were spending Saturday with the Cullens, and Edward and I left on Sunday. We went to the diner and had greasy bacon and hash browns. It was delicious. I told him more about Angela and the Weber family, and some of the places I wanted to take Edward in Phoenix. We had a great breakfast.

We went home and I did the laundry, making sure my dad had enough clean clothes for the week I was gone and I had something to pack this afternoon.

My dad left for work at eleven-thirty. Edward pulled up five minutes later. "Hey, baby." He said, when I opened the front door for him. He leaned down to kiss me.

"Hi, Edward." I said. He brought a pink lily from behind his back and gave it to me. "Oh, babe. It's beautiful. I love it. I love you." I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair.

"I love you, too, angel." He said with his stunning smile.

"Come in." I said, closing the door behind him. "How was your morning?"

"It was good. Breakfast with the family, I drove Alice to school, and then I just hung around the house, bugging my mom." He laughed.

"Oh, I'm sure she loves every minute of having you home." I said.

"Yeah. So, what do you want to do today? We need to be at my house at about four-thirty. We're going to Port Angeles to eat, then we go to the recital at seven." He looked at his watch. "So, we have about five hours. You have me at your disposal." He said with a smirk.

"Hmm. What could I do with you for five hours?" I asked with a wink. "Come on. Let's go upstairs." I said, reaching out to take his hand. He smiled at me and followed behind me up to my room.

He crawled onto my bed and reached his arms out to me. "Come here. I missed you. Twelve hours is way too long to be away from you."

I sat beside him and he pulled me over to his chest. I buried my face into his neck. "Edward, you smell so good." I sighed, before I kissed from his chin to his shoulder, and back up. I placed a long kiss on his lips.

"And, you taste so good." He said against my lips, before pulling me back into another kiss.

"Babe?" I said. "It just occurred to me that this Sunday is Mother's Day."

"My kisses are that boring, that you're thinking of national holidays?" Edward teased, tickling my stomach.

"Edward." I laughed. "No, I was just thinking about what you said, how you spent the morning with your mom." I sat up. "I want to go out this afternoon and get Esme something, okay?"

"You don't have to do that, Bella, but she would love that you thought of her." Edward said, sitting up beside me.

"I want to, and I want to get something for Angela's mom, too." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. "I'll just send my mom an e-mail or something, and give her the earrings I got her in Port Angeles when we see her on Thursday."

"Okay, do you want to pack first, then run out to pick something up?" Edward asked, putting his arm around my shoulder. He leaned over and kissed the top of my head,

"Yeah. Do you want to have some lunch first?" I asked.

He leaned down to kiss my lips. "Sure." He said, before kissing me again.

We got up and went downstairs. "I'm not that hungry, baby. Don't go crazy." Edward said with a smile.

I made two turkey sandwiches and brought them over to the table. We ate together, then headed back upstairs to pack my suitcase.

"What do you need me to do?" Edward asked, taking the suitcase from my hand, and lifting it up on the bed for me.

"Um, I could use your opinion?" I said, walking to the closet and pulling out two sundresses. "Which one do you like better?" I asked, holding one to me, then the other. One was a navy blue halter dress that came to my knees, while the other was white, with spaghetti straps and ended mid calf.

Edward leaned back on my bed with his arms behind his head. "Can I get a fashion show?" He asked with a wink.

"Edward." I whined. "Be serious here. I'm going to wear this to see my mom on Thursday." I don't know why, but I was a little anxious to see my mom again.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sure you look beautiful in both of them. I think the blue one. It looks amazing against your skin." Edward said, sitting up. "But, bring the white one, too. If you're not going to give me a fashion show, I'll just have to find other ways to see you in those dresses."

"Really? Like what?" I asked, smiling at him. He always knew how to make me feel better. I walked over to my suitcase and packed both dresses.

"I don't know. I'll take you out to eat, or we'll go dancing, or you could just wear it in the hotel for me." He said with a wink.

"Sounds good, Edward. I really can't wait for this trip." I said, going to sit on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. He started kissing my neck.

"Get going, baby. So far, you have two dresses. What else do need?" He said, standing up and walking with me back to my closet.

"I guess, a few tank tops, some t-shirts, shorts, skirts." I said, pulling things from out of the closet and passing them back to Edward.

"I think I'm going to like being around you in these hot, southern states." He said, holding up my shorts.

I just shook my head at him, laughing, as I went back to my bed with a couple of pairs of sandals and then started folding my clothes. I turned and went to my underwear drawer and pulled out what I'd need for the week. I noticed Edward watching me, as I packed them, but he didn't say anything. I was glad, because I was embarrassed enough as it was.

I walked over to the window and noticed it had clouded over. I grabbed a black wrap dress from my closet with three quarter length sleeves, and some black ankle boots. "I'm going to bring my clothes to your house to change before we go, okay? I don't want to get dressed now in case it rains."

"Sure." He said, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "You ready to go shopping?"

"Yeah." I said, grabbing my purse and a light, black jacket. Edward took my dress and shoes for me, and we went downstairs and to his car.

We went to a small gift shop, called the Fern Gallery, and I found some beautiful, locally painted stationary. I thought Angela's mom would like it, so I bought her a set.

I asked Edward to take me to an antique store, to find something unique for his mom. We walked up and down the aisles and I couldn't find anything. "What am I going to get her, Edward?" I asked, worried that I was running out of time to find something.

Esme was so important to me, even though I had only known her for week. I had to get her something to show her how grateful I was for the acceptance, support and love that she had shown to me. "Don't worry so much, babe. We'll find something. There is another antique store in town we could check." Edward suggested, squeezing my hand.

We were just going to leave, and as we walked by the front counter to go to the door, I saw it. Sitting on the desk, was a beautiful sterling silver jewellery stand. It was sculpted to look like a leaning tree. It was beautiful and classy. It was perfect for Esme. "Do you think she'll like this Edward?" I asked, holding it to my chest. I really loved it.

"She will love it, angel. But she'll love it more because it's from you, and because you thought of her on Mother's Day." He said, leaning over to kiss my cheek.

I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. I walked to the cashier to buy it, and I set it down on the glass display case to get my wallet. I looked in the display case and saw a beautiful silver bracelet. It was two strands that were twisted together. When I saw it, I thought of Angela. "Excuse me." I said to the saleswoman. "I'll take the bracelet, too." We were best friends for life.


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N - You all amaze me. Thanks for all the favorites, alerts and reviews! It really keeps me writing! Enjoy the next one...I kind of love Edward in this chapter! Let me know what you think! Thanks!**

Chapter 45 - Drama and Delivery

Edward and I stopped at the flower shop and Edward picked up a bouquet of mixed flowers for Alice. Every day with Edward I learned, even more, just how amazing he really was. Esme was right. He was a giver, always wanting everyone else to be happy. Alice would be thrilled with the flowers.

We drove to his house to get ready for dinner and Alice's dance recital. We left the gifts in the trunk, so I could wrap them the next morning. I grabbed my dress, shoes and purse from the back seat. Edward came over to me and took my purse and shoes from me. "Thanks, Edward." I said, standing on my toes to kiss his chin.

"You're welcome, angel." He said with a smile, placing his free hand on the small of my back and leading me up to the house. I noticed Esme's car was gone, so she must have left to pick up Alice from school. Edward was unlocking the front door, when we heard Carlisle pull up. He must have got off early from work for the recital.

"Hello, kids. Did you have a good day?" He asked, walking up the porch steps.

"Hey, dad." Edward said. "My days are always good when I'm with Bella." He said, looking at me with a smile, causing my face to heat up.

"I absolutely believe that." He said with a chuckle, keeping me blushing. "I'm going to head up and get ready. See you kids in about an hour." He said, walking up the stairs to his room.

"Okay, sugar. I'm going to have a quick shower, and then get dressed. Do you want to get dressed in my room?" Edward asked, looking a little unsure, despite our growing closeness.

"Of course, babe. Let's go." I said, walking up the stairs, hoping to reassure him how comfortable I was with him. Edward followed behind me.

When we got to his room, Edward set my purse on his bed and my shoes on the floor beside it. He was standing there, stiffly. I laid my dress on his bed and walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I kissed above his heart, then laid my head on his chest. He sighed and wrapped his arms around my back, holding me close to him.

"What's going on inside that beautiful head of yours, Edward?" I asked, softly.

"I don't know. It's nothing, really." He said, trying to reassure me.

I pulled out of his arms and took his hand, leading him to his bed. I sat on the edge, and pulled him down beside me. "Edward, please tell me what's bothering you."

"Bella, I just worry that I'm pushing you too much." He sighed again.

"Edward, what are you talking about?" I asked, totally confused. Where was this coming from?

He starting running his hands along his thighs. "I don't really know." He laughed nervously. "It's like I can't stand to be apart from you. I come over to your house, the minute your dad leaves for work, and then I keep you with me until he gets home. I'm taking you away with me next week." I just let him talk. I wanted him to get out all of his concerns before I responded. "And, even my sister thinks I'm leaving her. I mean, I feel so selfish. I want you with me all the time. What if you wanted to be by yourself for the afternoon? And then, I just assume you want to get ready in my room." He was looking down as he spoke.

"Edward. Look at me." I said, firmly. He slowly turned his head to face me. "I love you, more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. I love how you want me to be around. I love how you include me." I look his hand off of his leg and held in in both of mine. "Edward. I've been alone for most of life. I mean, I had Angela and her family, but basically, I was on my own. The whole first semester of college, I was alone. The spring semester, you walked into class and gave me something to look forward to. When I finally got to meet you, my whole world changed. I have never felt so wanted and loved. You are perfect for me. I want to be with you. I want to spend time with you. I would tell you if I wanted to be alone, Edward, so don't worry about that. I feel like I finally belong somewhere. Don't doubt that, please." I said, looking into his glassy eyes.

Edward leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my lips. "I'm sorry. It's just that you're so perfect, and I love you so much. I just don't want you to get tired of me."

"I don't think that will ever happen, babe." I said. "And Alice is fine, but she'll be pretty upset, if we're not ready to go to her recital."

Edward laughed. "Good point." He got off the bed and went to his closet to get his clothes. He walked to his bathroom door, but turned around to look at me. "Thanks, angel." He smiled that gorgeous smile that made my heart flutter.

"You're welcome. I love you." I said, with a smile. I was glad to see him smiling, again. I was glad that he was so willing to talk to me about his concerns, too. Communication was the key to preventing misunderstandings. If he hadn't said anything, I would have thought that I had done something wrong. We were handling this relationship thing pretty good, I thought.

"I love you, too, baby." He said, before going into the bathroom for his shower. I got up and locked Edward's door, before changing into my dress. I loved it. It was very soft and wrapped around me, tying on the side. It came to my knees and had a deep v-neck, but was still very classy. I slipped on my black, suede ankle boots and zipped them up. I heard Emmett and Jasper running up the stairs and closing their bedroom doors. I figured it must have been around four o'clock, if the boys were home from school.

While I waited for Edward, I sat at his desk, and turned on his computer. I typed in Jacksonville, hoping to find some fun things to do, to fill our three days in Florida. Unfortunately, we were free, except for dinner with my mom on Thursday night. I started making notes on a pad of paper Edward had on his desk.

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens sounded nice. Maybe we could hang out there on Thursday before dinner. I felt Edward walk up behind me before he wrapped his arms around me. "What are you up to?" He whispered in my ear, before kissing the side of my throat.

"Just researching for our trip." I said, spinning around in his chair to face him. When I looked at him, I was speechless. He was indescribably gorgeous. He was wearing grey dress pants with a crease up the front of each leg, a starched, white dress shirt and a thin black tie. His hair was a controlled mess. He smelled so spicy and clean. But the most beautiful part about his look, was the genuine smile on his face. "You're so handsome." I said, standing up to kiss him.

"Thanks, sugar. You look incredible in that dress." He said, taking my hand and twirling me around, causing me to laugh.

"Thanks, babe. I'm just going to finish getting ready, okay?" I said, reluctantly letting go of his hand, and walking to the bathroom.

"Sure." He said, sitting down in the desk chair. "Mind if I look around this site?" He asked, pointing to the computer screen.

"No. Go ahead." I said before closing the door. I brushed my teeth, then I combed my hair. I braided it off to one side. It was simple, but it looked elegant at the same time.

I walked back out to Edward's room, noticing that he was taking notes on Jacksonville, too. He looked back. When he saw me, he smiled and stood up. "You look amazing, beautiful." He took my hands and leaned down to kiss me. "Shall we?" He said, holding out his arm.

I laughed. "You're so cute." I said, slipping my arm in his.

We walked down the stairs together to see the rest of the Cullens all sitting in the family room. They were all dressed up, and looked even more beautiful than usual. "We didn't keep you waiting did we?" I asked.

"Oh, no. I just finished Alice's hair." Esme said. Alice bounced over to us. She was wearing a purple dress, and had her hair pulled up tight in a bun. She looked adorable.

"Hi, Bella. Hi, Edward." She said. Edward leaned down and picked her up.

"Hi, princess. Are you ready for the big night?" He asked her, kissing her forehead.

"Yes. I'm so excited." She said. "Bella, I love your dress."

"Thanks, Alice. I love yours, too." I said, squeezing her hand.

The doorbell rang. Edward walked to the door with Alice. "Flower delivery for a Miss Alice Cullen." The man at the door said, holding a small bouquet of five pink tulips, tied with a purple bow.

"I'm Alice." She said excitedly.

"There you go, cutie pie." The man said, passing her the flowers.

"Thank you." Edward said, setting Alice down, so he could get his wallet. He tipped the delivery man a few dollars before closing the door.

"Who are they from, Alice?" Esme asked, walking over to her daughter. She pulled out the card and read it out loud. "Good luck on your recital. Sorry I couldn't be there, Chief Charlie Swan."

"Bella. They're from your dad." Alice said excitedly. She went running in the kitchen with Esme to put them in water.

"I had no idea he was going to do that for her." I said, smiling. My dad was so sweet. That had really made Alice's night. I really loved the fact that my dad was so close with the Cullen family.

"Okay, is everyone ready for dinner?" Carlisle said, standing up. Jasper and Emmett stood up and we all walked out to the cars.

I was really looking forward to tonight.


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N - I love reading your reviews. You each have a unique opinion, and I love how you all like different parts of the chapter. I really do love them! Here's the next one!**

Chapter 46 - Family and Flowers

Carlisle, Esme and Alice all rode together in Carlisle's car. Edward, Emmett, Jasper and I followed them in Edward's car. Luckily, I had called shotgun, and got to ride in the front seat with Edward. Emmett had laughed at me, claiming he didn't call it, because he had assumed Edward was going to make him and Jasper ride in the backseat regardless.

We had a great trip out to Port Angeles. The boys had me laughing the entire way there. They were telling me stories about growing up together and all the trouble they had gotten into. "I don't believe you guys at all." I said, when I had finally stopped laughing. "You are all such good boys."

"It's true, Bella." Jasper said from the backseat. "I have pictures."

"I would love to see those sometime, Jasper." I laughed.

"Some of the best pranks we pulled were on our dad." Emmett said laughing.

"Yeah, remember when we dressed up in our Halloween costumes and hid in the woods?" Edward chuckled.

"That sounds mean." I said, even though I was smiling at Edward. "How old were you?"

"Um. I think I was fourteen, Em was twelve and Jazz was ten.." Edward said, looking over at me with a smile. "Come on, Bella. We're boys; we were kids."

"I know. What happened? You know, with the Halloween costumes?" I asked. They had me intrigued with this prank.

Emmett leaned forward excitedly to tell the story. "We went in the basement and found all of our old monster costumes. I think we dressed up as werewolves. Anyway, we all hid in the woods in the backyard. Dad was outside setting up some kind of plastic playhouse for Alice." He started laughing again. "Edward started growling, then Jasper started shaking some branches a few feet away. He was looking out at the trees where Jasper was, and then I ran out from the other side." All the boys were laughing now. "You should have seen his face, Bella."

"No, the best part was when he screamed." Jasper said.

"So, how much trouble did you get in for that one?" I asked. I still couldn't believe these shy boys would have played so many pranks.

"We were grounded for a week. No video games, no TV. Straight to our rooms after school. We were only allowed out to eat and go to school. We thought it was pretty severe." Edward said, reaching out and grabbing my hand. "We're here."

I looked out the front window and noticed that we had pulled up to The Golden Gate Chinese Restaurant. "Alice loves Chinese food." Edward said. "It's her night, so she picked the restaurant."

Emmett and Jasper got out of the car and walked over to Carlisle's car. Edward came around to my side and helped me out. He took my hand and we walked over to his family.

Alice ran over to us and grabbed my other hand. As we walked into the restaurant, Alice told me all her favourite things to order when she got Chinese food. She was so cute. I loved the little chatterbox.

"Cullen. Table for seven." The hostess called. We followed her over to large, horseshoe shaped booth in the back corner. Alice slid in to the middle. I slid in next to her, with Edward and Jasper finishing out the right side of the booth and Esme, Carlisle and Emmett sat across from us on the left.

"Bella, we just order a whole variety of food, and then serve ourselves. If you want anything that I don't order, you let me know, okay?" Carlisle said to me.

"Thanks, but I'm sure I'll be fine." I said. Edward squeezed my knee, and leaned down to kiss my cheek. Esme smiled warmly at us.

The waiter came by and Carlisle ordered an incredible amount of food. All sorts of chicken, pork and beef dishes, as well as a few different kinds of rice and noodles. Carlisle looked over at me and raised his eyebrow. I nodded, reassuring him that I was fine with what he had ordered. He also ordered a few of pitchers of coke.

We sat around talking and laughing. Everything just felt so natural with the Cullens. I asked Carlisle about the pranks the boys were telling me about, and he laughed with us. "That's what happens when you have three boys." He chuckled. "Just wait, Edward. One day you'll have kids, and if they're anything like you boys, I'll get retribution."

I looked down and blushed. The more time I spent with Edward, the more I thought that a family with Edward was what I wanted. Definitely not now, but maybe after five years, or so. I couldn't imagine my life without him, and he constantly told me how he felt the same. Edward reached over and took my hand, giving it a light squeeze. It was almost as if he could read my mind. "I love you." He whispered in my ear. I looked up at him and smiled.

I noticed the table had gone silent, and I tentatively looked up at Esme and Carlisle. They were smiling at each other and at us. It was an amazing moment and it was almost as if there was an unspoken understanding between all of us that Edward and I had every intention of staying together forever.

The rest of dinner went well. Conversation mainly revolved around Alice's dance recital and the friends she had made in her class.

"My best friend, after Bella," Alice said, smiling at me, "lives in Port Angeles. Her name is Bree and she has long, black, curly hair. She's really nice and she's in grade two, like me."

"She sounds really nice, princess." Edward said. "Maybe you two can get together sometime in the summer. I can drive you out here if you want." It was clear to me that Edward still felt guilty about leaving Alice next week. He treasured his family so much.

"Really? Thanks, Edward. That would be so cool. I'm going to ask her tonight." Alice answered with a huge smile on her face. I looked at Edward and he looked happy because she was. He was a good person to the core.

We finished eating, and Carlisle and Esme walked, with Alice between them, holding hands, back to their car. "I have to help get Alice in her costume, when we get there." Esme said. "So, you guys have about forty-five minutes until you need to be there. Does anyone want to go sit with dad and save seats?"

Jasper looked up and smiled. "I will." He blushed. "Um, Maria and her parents are going to sit with us. Is that alright?"

Carlisle smiled at him. "That's fine, son." He said, patting Jasper on the shoulder.

Edward walked over to Alice and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Good luck, princess. Have a great time." He told her. Alice came over and gave everyone a hug, before getting in the backseat with Esme. Jasper and Carlisle got in the front seat and they drove off with a honk.

"Okay, Em. You're with us." Edward said, taking my hand and walking back to the car.

"Shotgun." He yelled, and then started to laugh. "Just kidding, Bella."

"No, Emmett. It's fine. You called it, you can have the front seat." I said.

"Baby, are you sure?" Edward whispered in my ear. "I'll kick him to the back if you want."

"It's a ten minute drive, Edward. I'll be fine." I laughed. "So what do you guys want to do?"

"Um, actually, I wanted to ask you guys something." Emmett said nervously, leaning against the car, and rubbing the back of his neck.

"What's up, bro?" Edward asked, leaning beside him.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe I should get Rose some flowers." He looked up at me and I smiled at him.

"I think that's a great idea, Emmett. I speak from experience when I say that girls like getting flowers." I looked at Edward with a smile. "Plus, dancing is very important to her. I think it will mean a lot to Rose that you are recognizing that."

"Let's hit the flower shop, Em." Edward said, wrapping his arm around his brother's shoulders.

Edward opened the back door for me, and I got in. Emmett and Edward got in the front and we headed to a flower shop. "Do you know what kind of flowers you want to get her?" I asked Emmett.

"Uh, yeah. I was thinking about lilacs." Emmett said quietly. "She smells like lilacs."

I could tell that he was nervous, yet determined to follow through with his plan. "That sounds lovely, Emmett." I said, trying to dispel his embarrassment.

"You think so?" He asked, sounding hopeful.

"Absolutely." I said, patting his shoulder. "She'll love them."


	47. Ballerinas

**A/N - We actually made it to the recital! I can't believe it either! I had to really think back to my days as an eleven year old in a beginner dance class to write this. I hope you like it!**

**Thanks again for all the sweet comments!**

Chapter 47 - Ballerinas

We pulled up to the Port Angeles Community Theater, where the ballet students were putting on their end of the year recital. Apparently, the Ballet Workshop: The Port Angeles Dance Academy, where the classes were held, was not large enough to accommodate all of the families at once. It was a cute little theater and had a small town atmosphere. Edward took my arm, carrying in the mixed bouquet of yellow, white and purple flowers he had bought for Alice this afternoon. It was a happy, bright bunch and it suited Alice perfectly. Emmett walked beside us, his arms full with a large bouquet of mixed purple and white lilacs. They were beautiful, and I was sure Rose would love them.

We walked in to the quaint playhouse. It looked to seat about one-hundred and fifty. The seats were stadium style, in a horseshoe shape. Every seat appeared to be a good one. We spotted Carlisle and Esme, sitting in the aisle seats about halfway up the center section. There were three empty seats next to Esme, saved for Edward, Emmett and I, then Jasper was seated next to Maria, and whom I presumed to be her parents. Maria was speaking animatedly to Jasper. He appeared to be quite nervous, assumingly having just met Maria's parents.

The Hales looked to be nice people. Rose and Maria's father had blonde hair that looked to be turning white on the sides. He was smiling at something his wife was telling him. He had a professional looking Nikon camera on his lap. I loved supportive parents. Maria's mother had beautiful blonde hair, like Rose, and was quite petite, which explained why Maria was so short.

"Hey, kids. You made it." Carlisle said, enthusiastically. You could tell that he was excited to see Alice dance. He was holding a small video camera on his lap. He and Esme stood, so we could all get to our seats. Emmett walked though first, and sat by Jasper. He looked nervous to meet Rose's parents.

Edward put his had on my lower back to lead me in the aisle. I turned to face him. "Go sit by your brothers." I whispered to Edward. "They look so nervous." He smiled at me and winked, before walking through to sit by Emmett, stopping to kiss his mom on the cheek. I walked in after him and sat next to Esme.

"How is Alice doing?" I asked Esme.

"Oh, she's so excited. As soon as I got the costume on her, she was dancing around in the green room. I met her little friend Bree. She's a sweet girl. Quiet. She balances out Alice's energy, that's for sure. When I left her, she was showing the girls her fingernails and telling them about you." Esme giggled. "You'll probably have a new job, painting nails all summer, for Alice and her friends."

"I wouldn't mind at all. I love her. She's so sweet." I told Esme, honestly.

"So, you guys stopped for flowers, huh?" Carlisle asked with a smile, leaning forward to talk to me.

"Yeah. Edward bought a bouquet for Alice this afternoon, and we just stopped for Emmett to get some lilacs for Rose." I smiled. "You have raised the sweetest children. I swear I'm amazed everyday by all of them."

Esme reached over and squeezed my hand in hers. "Thank you so much for saying that, Bella. That means a lot to me."

"You're very welcome. It's true." I said with a smile. "So how did Jasper do meeting the Hales?"

Carlisle chuckled. "He was nervous, but he did well, shaking their hands, making eye contact. Maria did all the talking though, so that helped him."

I smiled. "That's great."

The lights dimmed in the audience, and I turned in my seat. Edward, who was talking to Emmett, turned to face me. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. He set his arm on the arm rest with his palm up, so I placed my hand in his, interlacing our fingers. He brought our hands to his lips, and kissed the back of my hand.

A spotlight lit up a microphone stand in the center of the stage. A graceful woman in a flowing, emerald green dress, walked out to the microphone. She had shiny, red, curly hair, and a slight frame. It was very obvious that she was a dancer. "Welcome family and friends to the Ballet Workshop's annual year end recital." She spoke with an Irish accent. "As most of you know, I'm Miss Maggie, and I'm proud to showcase the amazing talent we have in our classes this year. Feel free to take photos and videos of your dancers. Please, enjoy the show."

She walked off of the stage. A moment later, some music started up and about ten little girls, about four and five years old, walked out on the stage in a line. They were all wearing little dresses with aprons, and had handkerchiefs tied on their heads. They would dance some simple steps, then sit down and pretend to scrub the floor. It appeared to be a Cinderella routine. It was adorable.

We watched one more routine, set to Spanish music. Each little girl had a flower in her hair. They appeared to beginners, as a few of the girls were watching the others to get their steps right. It was sweet because they were only about five or six years old.

When they were finished, Esme leaned over to me and whispered. "Alice is next." Carlisle turned on the video camera and pointed it at the stage.

The lights came on, and twelve little girls, including Alice, came out on stage, stepping forward with careful steps, swinging their arms. They were dressed in similar outfits, a leotard with a tutu, but half were in pink, and the other half were in purple. They had tiaras on their heads, as well. I smiled, remembering Edward wearing it last Saturday. Most of the girls had concentrated looks on their faces, but Alice had a huge, toothy smile on her face. I looked over at Esme and she had her hands clasped to her chest, her face beaming with pride. Carlisle was smiling at his daughter. Edward had a similar look of love on his face. It was impossible not to smile when watching Alice.

The music started up, and all of the girls raised their arms above their heads. They raised their left legs and touched them to their right knees. They switched and did the same on the other side. Then, they spun twice. I recognized the routine, as Alice had showed it to Edward and I on the weekend. Esme leaned over and whispered again. "They're music box ballerinas."

"She's beautiful." I whispered back. I know I was biased, but Alice was clearly the star of the class. She had so much confidence when she danced. Edward squeezed my hand.

The routine was about four minutes long. It ended too soon. All of the girls curtsied. We all stood up and clapped for her. Emmett whistled. As they walked off, Alice turned to the crowd and waved. She was the only one. It was so Alice.

We all sat back down. The next half hour was filled with pre-teen and teenaged dancers, doing a variety of routines. They were all fairly good, but not as exciting to me, as I didn't know any of the dancers.

Finally, five older girls walked to center stage. They were in black leotards and wore black ballet slippers. "It's Rose." I heard Emmett whisper.

I touched Esme's arm. "The blonde on the right is Rose." Because of all of her dance classes, Esme and Carlisle hadn't met Rose, yet. She nodded with a smile on her face. All of the girls had their hair pulled back. They danced a beautiful routine, and Rose was absolutely incredible. She was graceful, and clearly talented. I could see why she wanted a future in dancing. I looked at Mr. Hale and he was snapping pictures. We all stood to applaud Rose.

She performed two more routines. In the next one, she wore a pink top and a pink tutu, with pointe shoes. It was only Rose with two other girls. They danced to classical music, and it was a truly beautiful dance. The last routine, was a solo. She wore the same top, but had a stiff white tutu. She still the wore the pointe shoes. I could see why she had been offered a chance to teach next year. She was the most advanced student in the school.

When Rose was finished, all of the students returned to the stage for a final bow. Alice walked out hand in hand with a dark haired girl, whom I assumed to be Bree. Miss Maggie thanked all of the students for a great show, and wished them all a great summer, expressing her wish for them to all sign up again in the fall. The lights came on in the audience and all of the dancers walked out to see their families. Rose looked up and saw us. She smiled at us. We saw her walk up to Alice and take her hand, leading her to our row. When they approached Carlisle, he reached forward and picked up Alice, kissing her head. "Great job, kiddo."

Rose smiled shyly. "Why don't we move out to the lobby?" Esme suggested. We all followed Carlisle out to the lobby so we could all talk. Rose's parents were hugging her, and Maria was talking excitedly to her sister. All of the Cullens and I flocked around Alice.

Edward crouched down so he was eye level with his sister. "Here you go, princess. You were perfect." He said with a smile. "These are from Bella and I." He passed her the flowers.

Her face lit up even more than it already was. "Thanks guys. I love them." She said, burying her face in the bouquet. She wrapped her arms around Edward's neck and kissed his cheek.

She came up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I rubbed her back. "Congratulations, Alice. You were amazing." She let me go, looking back down at her flowers.

Esme passed Alice a small box. "This is from me and dad and your brothers." Alice opened the box and pulled out a small gold necklace with a ballet slipper pendant.

"I love it." She said, excitedly. "Can you put it on?" Esme knelt down behind her and did up the clasp. Alice was glowing. The love in the Cullen family was beautiful to behold.


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N - Thanks so, so, so much for all your nice words. Let's get right to the next chapter, and meet some new characters. **

Chapter 48 - Meetings

After doting over Alice, I looked behind us, and noticed Rose and Maria walking up to the Emmet and Jasper. Maria reached out and took Jasper's hand. Emmett stepped up to Rose. "You were great, Rose. Here." He said, handing her the bouquet. "I didn't know if you'd like them, or…"

Rose cut him off, thankfully. "Thank you, Emmett. They're beautiful. Lilacs are my favourite." She said, stepping forward and kissing his cheek, causing him to turn red in embarrassment.

She turned to her parents. "Mom, dad. This is Emmett Cullen. Emmett, these are my parents, Peter and Charlotte."

Emmett put his hand out to shake their hands. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Hale." He said. It would have been comical to see a guy as big as Emmett speak so softly, if he wasn't so sincere.

"Likewise." Peter said with a smile.

"It's a pleasure." Charlotte said. She looked so small next to Emmett. "That was so nice of you to get flowers for our Rosie. Thank you." She had a southern accent. Neither of the Hale girls did, so I assumed it was only Charlotte who was from the south.

Emmett blushed a bit deeper. He turned to look at us. "Introduce us." I heard Esme whisper to him with a wink.

"Oh, yeah, right." Emmett said. "Rose. This is my mom and dad, Carlisle and Esme. Mom and dad, this is Rose."

"It is so nice to meet you, sweetheart." Esme said with a smile, taking her hand. "You were so graceful on stage. Absolutely beautiful."

"Yes, you are quite the talent." Carlisle added. "It's nice to finally put a face to the name."

It was Rose's turn to blush. "Thank you, both. It's nice to meet you, too."

"It's nice to see you again, too, Maria." Carlisle added.

"You, too, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. Hi, Bella and Edward." Maria said, with a cheerful smile.

Emmett was looking a little more relaxed. "Mr. and Mrs. Hale." He said. You've met my brother, Jasper, but this is my older brother Edward, and his girlfriend Bella. They're home from UW Seattle for the summer. And the little ballerina is my baby sister, Alice." I was proud of Emmett for speaking up.

"Nice to meet you both." Edward said, shaking their hands. We all finished our introductions. The Hales were a beautiful family, and very friendly. I was glad the girls had such a supportive family, as well.

Jasper, Maria, Emmett and Rose all stood together, talking. I heard Emmett inviting Rose to Jasper's game the next day. Esme and Carlisle went over to talk with Peter and Charlotte. It seemed that the two families got along amazingly well.

Edward took Alice's hand. "Do you want to introduce us to your friend?" He asked her. I looked over and saw the little dark-haired girl, that Alice was with during the final bow, standing with whom I assumed to be her mom.

"Yeah." Alice said excitedly, pulling Edward forward. He laughed at her, reaching back to take my hand in his other one. "Hi, Bree. This is my big brother Edward, and my best friend, Bella. She's the one that painted my nails."

"Hi, sweetheart. It's nice to meet you." Edward said with a friendly smile.

Bree looked up at us and blushed when she looked at Edward. I could relate to that reaction. "Hi." She said quietly.

"Hello, I'm Bree's mom, Victoria Tanner." The woman standing beside Bree introduced herself. She was about 5'6, and slender. She had dark red hair, that was pulled back into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck. She was wearing black dress pants, with a pale blue blouse. It appeared to just be the two of them. It was too bad we hadn't met prior to the recital. She could have sat with us, too, instead of alone.

"It's nice to meet you." I said, reaching out to shake her hand.

"You, too, Bella. Edward." She said, shaking his hand as well. "Bree talks about her friend Alice from Forks all the time. It's too bad they don't live closer together."

"Yes." Edward said. "I was just talking to Alice about that. Would it be alright if we came to pick Bree up for a visit once school is out?"

Bree's face lit up. She looked over at Alice with a big smile. "That would be great, actually." Victoria said, with a smile. "It's just the two of us, and I work all week, so that would be great if you could pick her up. She usually stays with my dad, during the summer, and he doesn't drive."

I was surprised she had opened up to us about her situation, but she seemed genuinely happy that Bree had such a close friend.

"Well, it's really no problem." Edward assured her. She gave us her phone number, so we could call her. I was glad that Alice would be able to keep in touch with her friend over the summer.

Alice gave Bree a hug, and told her they would see each other soon. Esme walked over to us and introduced herself to Victoria. We each kissed Alice goodbye, and told her we would see her tomorrow. Esme and Victoria walked together as they took the girls backstage to get changed.

Edward turned to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me to his chest. He sighed.

"Are you tired?" I asked him. Wrapping my arms around his waist.

"I'm exhausted." He chuckled, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "Eating a big meal and then sitting in a dark room for a few hours, made me so tired. My eyes feel heavy."

"Do you want me or Emmett to drive home, babe?" I asked, pulling back to look at him. He did look really tired.

"That sounds really good, actually. You wouldn't mind, honey? I don't want you to have to drive in the dark." Out came Edward, the worrier.

"No. I don't mind at all." I said. I didn't have my own car, but I considered myself to be a pretty good driver. "Let's go collect your brothers, so I can get you home and tucked into bed." Edward laughed at me. I took his hand and pulled him over to his brothers.

"Okay, guys. You ready to go?" Edward asked them. They looked back at him like he crazy for thinking they would want to say goodbye to Rose and Maria.

Charlotte must have heard Edward, and she came over to her daughters. "Actually, we should be getting home, too. Rosie, you should go and collect your things. It was nice meeting you all."

"Thanks." Edward said to her. Emmett and Jasper gave Rose and Maria a hug, before walking over to us. We waved to the girls, before letting Carlisle know we were heading home.

"You look tired, Edward. Are you sure you're awake enough to drive?" Carlisle looked concerned.

"Actually, Bella's going to drive." Edward said, looking at me with a smile.

"Good. Thanks, Bella." Carlisle said. He gave me a hug and patted Edward on the arm. "Have a safe drive We'll be home probably about twenty minutes after you."

"Thank you, Carlisle. And thanks for dinner. I had a great time tonight." I told him sincerely.

"Oh, you're very welcome, Bella. Alice was so excited that you were here." He said.

We walked to the parking lot and to Edward's car. Edward opened the driver's side for me and I got in, adjusting all of his mirrors. Edward got in the passenger side and Emmett and Jasper got in the backseat.

Edward guided me through town, back to the highway. Once we were driving, I looked over and noticed that Edward's eyes were closed. It was already dark out. "Okay, guys." I said to Emmett and Jasper. "You've got to keep talking to me and keep me awake." I wasn't that tired, but the monotony of the highway at night, plus with Edward being asleep, I didn't want to risk it.

"No problem." Emmett said. He reached forward and grabbed Edward's iPod, scrolling through it. He found some fast-paced music and started to play it. I looked over at Edward, and he didn't even stir. I thought for sure he would wake up. "So, what's up with Edward?"

I laughed. "Just tired I guess. I must be wearing him out."

"Too much information, Bella." Emmett teased.

"Oh, shut up, Emmett. That's not what I meant." I laughed. "I think he's stressed about this trip next week. He's probably worried about meeting my mom, and making sure I'm happy." I explained. "You know your brother. He worries so much, and he's always trying to make everyone else happy."

"So, Bella. Do you not want to see your mom?" Jasper asked. I guessed no one told Emmett and Jasper about her.

"Oh, I do. She's just one of those workaholics that cares more about work, than family. It should be okay, though. I haven't seen her since last August." I told them.

We spent the rest of the drive talking and getting to know each other even better. I liked Emmett and Jasper, and it was nice that we were comfortable enough with each other that we could talk without Edward be there, or awake, in this case. The drive home flew by.


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N - You are all amazing! I cannot say how much I'm enjoying this process! It would not be as fun as it is for me, without all the great reviews! If you like sleepy Edward as much as I do, you'll love this chapter...Enjoy!**

Chapter 49 - Goodnights

Forty five minutes after we left the recital, we pulled up to the Cullen house. Jasper and Emmett ran into the house, having decided they would play some video games for a while. I turned to face Edward. "Baby." I said quietly, running the backs of fingers along his cheeks. He sighed, but didn't wake up. I smiled at him. I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "Wake up, Edward. We're home." I said softly. His eyes opened slowly, blinking a few times.

"Oh, Bella, did I fall asleep?" He asked with a rough voice, sitting up, and looking around. "Sorry. I meant to stay awake."

"It's okay, Edward. Your brothers kept me entertained." I said, trying to reassure him.

"Uh, oh. That can't be good." He chuckled.

"We had a good time. I really like them." I said. "Now, let's get you up to bed." I said, leaning forward to kiss the end of his nose. He smiled at me and we got out of the car. I grabbed my bags from the trunk to wrap for Mother's Day, and we headed in the house and up to Edward's room.

I shut the door and turned to face him. I reached up and loosened his tie. He reached up and slipped it over his head, tossing it on his desk chair. I unbuttoned his shirt, slowly. He just stood there, watching me. I reached up and slid it from him, running my hands over his shoulders and down his arms. It dropped on the floor behind him. I kissed his bare chest. Edward leaned forward and kissed my neck. I undid his black belt and slid it out of the loops. He reached forward for me, but I stepped back. I looked up and him and smiled. "Go brush your teeth, Edward." He pouted, but kicked off his shoes and walked into the bathroom. I slipped off my dress and redressed in my jeans and t-shirt.

I heard the bathroom door open as I was folding my dress. I looked up, and Edward walked out into his room in nothing but his grey boxers. He looked amazing. Every time I looked at him, I appreciated how lucky I was that I had him in my life. "Hey, babe." He said sleepily, walking over to his bed. I turned and pulled back his blankets and fluffed his pillows. I could hear him laughing behind me. "You don't have to do that, Bella." He said, walking behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"I know, but I want to." I said, turning in his arms, so I could look up at him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said, leaning down to kiss me deeply. "That's what I call a goodnight kiss."

"Oh, Edward. You're so dorky, sometimes." I said, leaning up to kiss him again.

"You know you love it." He teased, tracing his thumb along my bottom lip, causing me to shiver.

"I know I do. Now get in your bed." I said, pinching his sides.

"Yes, ma'am." He said, sliding in between his sheets. I pulled the blankets up over his shoulders and tucked him in tightly. He looked so childlike wrapped up to his neck. I leaned over him and kissed his forehead, his nose, his chin, and finally his lips.

"I love you, Edward. Get some rest." I said, kissing him once more.

His eyes were closing again. He must have been so tired. I decided that I would have to make sure he didn't overdo it on our holiday, and actually get a chance to relax.

"I love you, too, my angel." He said groggily. I grabbed my purse, bags and dress from his desk and shut out the light. I opened the door, and I looked back at him one more time. The light from the hallway illuminated his face, and a few strands of his gorgeous hair. He was the angel. I smiled at him, and closed his door.

I walked down the stairs and, just as I reached the bottom, the front door flew open and Alice hopped in. "Bella." She said, jumping in my arms. I gave her a hug.

"Hey, Alice. You were so great tonight." I said. "Do you know what my favourite part of your whole performance was?"

"No. What was it?" She asked, looking excited that someone was talking about her performance again.

"Your beautiful smile. You looked so confident and happy. I was smiling with you for your whole routine." I told her honestly.

"Really?" She said, looking at her mom and dad, who were both smiling back at her.

"Really." I said, giving her another hug.

"Where's Edward?" She asked, looking behind me.

"He's already sleeping. Can you believe it?" I said, laughing with her.

"Bella, sweetheart, do you need a ride home?" Esme asked.

"Um, actually I do. I can call my dad to get me after work, if that's more convenient, though." I said. I didn't want to be a bother to them, especially considering they had just driven home from Port Angeles. It was already ten-thirty. It would only be about an hour long wait for my dad.

"Oh, Bella. It's no problem at all. I can take you now, if you're ready to go?" Carlisle suggested.

"That would be great actually. Thanks." I answered. "Goodnight, Esme." I said, giving her a hug. "Bye, Alice. My dad and I will be here tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." She said with a smile.

"Sweetie, why don't you and your dad come by for breakfast? We'll spend the whole day together before you and Edward leave on Sunday." Esme asked.

"I think that sounds great. Thanks so much for inviting us." I said. I could not have asked for more accepting and genuine people to be in my life.

"Great. How does eight o'clock sound?" She asked. "Too early?"

"No, that's perfect. It's when my dad and I eat every morning, so that will definitely work." I said.

Carlisle opened the front door for me and I walked out and over to his car. He opened the passenger side door for me and I got in. Edward learned from the best, I thought.

"So you had a good time, tonight?" He asked after he got in the car.

"I loved it." I said. "Alice was amazing."

"Yes. She loves to dance, that's for sure." He chuckled, smiling at the thought of his only daughter. "How was the ride home?" I smiled, thinking that he was a worrier, just like Edward.

"It was great. Emmett and Jasper are great guys. We talked all the way home." I giggled. "Edward was out cold the minute we got on the highway."

Carlisle smiled. "I'm glad he didn't drive. But, that's just like him to push himself until he falls over."

"Yeah. Esme was telling me that he's a giver. It's really true. He's always trying to do things for his brothers, or Alice, or for me. I think I'm stressing him out, too. You know, with the whole mom drama." I said, looking out the window.

"Bella, Bella. Don't think like that. I have honestly never seen Edward so happy and content as I have since you two got home last week. Now, I'm not saying he was unhappy before. He's always been a very good-spirited young man, but with you, he just seems content. It's like his life has a purpose now, outside of caring for his family, and going to school. I know that we have you to thank for that." Carlisle said, looking over at me with a smile. "Esme and I were just talking about how you two seem to belong together. It's like you understand one another without needing to explain how you feel out loud. It's amazing, really."

"Thank you for saying that, Carlisle." I said, trying to hold back my tears. "I finally feel like I'm where I am supposed to be. I feel like I belong." A tear slipped from my eye, but I wiped it away quickly. "You are all so amazing. I couldn't have asked for more." I laughed. "I remember how nervous I was last week, when Edward and I pulled up to your house for the first time. Now it almost feels like a second home to me."

I was expressing my gratitude to Carlisle. I wanted him to understand that I felt as deeply for them, as they clearly did for me.

"I'm glad, Bella. This week has been truly something. I have to say that I'm happy you fit right in with us. You have stolen Edward's heart and I think Alice's, too." He laughed.

We pulled up to my house. "Thanks for bringing me home, tonight. And when Edward wakes up tomorrow, don't let him feel bad that he fell asleep. I just know he's going to, but tell him that I said to stop it." I loved how I was so comfortable around Carlisle that I could joke with him.

"I will definitely relay the message." He smiled. "Have a good night, and we'll see you for breakfast."

"Goodnight." I said, getting out of the car.

Carlisle waited until I had the door unlocked, and had stepped inside the house, before driving back home.

I went up to my room and wrapped the gifts I had bought for Angela and her mom, and put them in my suitcase. I put the antique jewellery tree for Esme in a gift bag and stuffed tissue paper in the top. I took a piece of notebook paper and wrote down how much she meant to me. I folded it and tucked it in the bag. I set it on my desk, so I wouldn't forget to take it with me tomorrow. It was going to be a great day.


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N - Thanks again for all the great reviews! Sleepy Edward was cute, but he's so much more fun when he's awake! Enjoy!**

Chapter 50 - Esme

I woke up at seven on Saturday morning and was happy to see a fairly nice day. I wanted nice weather for Jasper's game. I had a shower and dried my hair, opting to leave it down in long waves today. I pulled on a white ribbed tank, and layered it with a pale lavender plaid shirt. I rolled up the cuffs. I slipped on a pair of light wash jeans and a pair of flip flops.

I picked up my purse and Esme's gift and went down the stairs to meet my dad. He was surprised, last night, that I was home when he got here. I told him all about the recital and how excited Alice was with the tulips. "I didn't want to show favourites, by going to Jasper's game and not to Alice's thing." He had explained.

"Okay, Bells. You ready to go?" My dad asked, as he put on a Mariners baseball cap. I wasn't used to him in blue jeans and a t-shirt. He almost looked like a different person when he wasn't wearing his police uniform.

"I'm ready." I said. We walked out to his old, red truck and headed over to the Cullens'.

We got there at just before eight. Edward was sitting on the porch swing, looking as hot as ever. He was wearing a tight fitting black t-shirt and some torn jeans. He on a pair of black and grey running shoes. His hair was wild, and still looked wet, like he had just gotten out of the shower and towel dried it. There was a small bunch of lavender tied with some kitchen string laying beside him.

As soon as my dad put the truck in park, Edward was up and off of the porch, jogging over to us. My dad chuckled lightly under his breath. He got out and walked to the house. "Good morning, Edward." He said.

"Oh, hello, sir. Nice to see you." He said, nodding at my dad, before coming over to me. I just waited in the truck for Edward. He opened the door, and reached up to get a hold of my waist. He lifted me right out of the truck. I slid down and stood in front of him. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close to his chest. He put his face to the top of my head and took in a deep breath. "Bella. I know you're going to tell me to shut up, and my dad already passed on your message, but, I really am so sorry for falling asleep before I offered to take you home, last night."

"Edward?" I asked, looking up at his face.

"Yeah, babe?" He said.

"Shut up." I said with a smile on my face. I leaned up and kissed his chin. "I love you, Edward. I feel like it's my fault for making you worry about me so much, and it was nice to have a chance to take care of you, like you do for me all the time."

"Bella, nothing is your fault. You're allowed to be stressed. I want you to talk to me about things that bother you." He said seriously.

"I know, babe. I appreciate that. And, something is bothering me." I said.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You." I laughed, and took off running to the house.

"Bella Swan. Get back here." He laughed, chasing after me. He caught me around the waist and swung me around in a circle.

"Edward Anthony Cullen. Put me down." I screamed in between giggles.

"Why? Am I bothering you, Isabella Marie Swan?" He asked in an innocent voice. He set me down, but held onto me, with my back to his chest and his arms wrapped around my shoulders.

"No, Edward. Seriously, though, I love you, and I just don't want you to worry over small things, okay? You are the most courteous, loving, thoughtful, generous and giving man I have ever met. Nothing is going to change my opinion of you." I looked up over my shoulder into his glowing, green eyes. "Plus, I really liked helping you get ready for bed last night." I winked, and ducked out from under his arms and ran back to the truck to get my purse and Esme's gift. I shut the truck door, to see Edward standing where I had left him with a smile on his face.

I walked back over to him. He reached out and took my hand. "Okay, you win." He laughed. "I promise not to overreact." We walked up the stairs and Edward picked up the flowers from the swing. He passed them to me. "For you, my angel."

I brought them up to my nose. They smelled amazing. "Thanks, babe. I love them." I said, with a smile. He leaned over to me and gave me a quick kiss before we walked inside.

"Hey, Bella. You fixed my brother." Emmett teased, pointing at the smile on Edward's face. Everyone laughed, and Edward's cheeks flushed lightly. I squeezed his hand.

"Alright, let's not tease your brother." Esme said, walking into the dining room with a huge bowl of fruit salad. She had so much food on the table, it was almost funny. There were plates with sausage, bacon, hash browns, scrambled eggs, pancakes and toast.

"Thanks so much for having us, Esme. This looks amazing." I said, sitting down beside Alice as Edward sat beside me, on my left.

"Hi, Bella." Alice said with a smile.

"Hi, Alice. I had such a good time last night."

"Me, too." She said with a huge grin. She turned to face Charlie. "Thank you for the flowers, Chief."

"Oh, you're welcome, kiddo." Charlie said with a smile. He was so good with kids. I wished I was with my dad when I was growing up.

We all shared a great breakfast together. It was nice to spend this time with everyone, as we would be away for a week. I had only known them all for such a short time, but they were already such integral pieces in my life.

After we ate, we all went to sit in the family room, bunched together on the sectional. "Mom, because I won't be here for Mother's Day tomorrow, I wanted to tell you, today, how much I love you, and how amazing you are as mother." Edward said, smiling at his mom.

"Oh, honey." She said, tearing up. He got up and picked up a wrapped gift from a side table by the window and brought it over to her.

"This is from Em, Jazz, Alice and I." He told her, leaning down to kiss her cheek. She delicately opened the gift at the seams.

"It's beautiful, kids. I love it." She said, turning it so we could see. It was a beautiful, carved picture frame with an 11x14 photo of the Cullen children. The guys were all dressed in black suits, with white shirts and black ties, and Alice was in a frilly, white dress, with a black ribbon around her waist. It was an absolutely stunning shot.

"We had it taken when I was home for Spring Break." Edward added.

"Oh, there's more. Here, mom." Emmett said, passing her an envelope.

"Thanks, sweetie." She said. She opened it, and as she read the slip of paper, a smile stretched across her face. "Oh, thank you all, so much. It's a full day at the spa." She said, turning to me.

"That sounds great. You deserve it." I said with a smile. "Um, Esme. I know we haven't known each other for that long, but you've already become so important to me. I wanted to get you something, too, so Happy Mother's Day." I said, passing her the gift bag.

"Oh, Bella. You didn't have to do that, sweetheart." She said, her eyes tearing up again. She opened the bag and gasped, as she pulled out the jewellery stand. "It's beautiful, Bella. Where did ever find something like this?"

"Oh, Edward and I found it in an antique store, yesterday." I said, as Edward squeezed my hand.

"I love it." She said with a smile. She reached in the bag and pulled out the note that I wrote for her. It read: 'I've only known you for nine days, but in that time, Esme, you have shown me more love and acceptance than any other woman in my life. I treasure your friendship, support and, most of all, your hugs. Happy Mother's Day. I love you. ~Bella.'

She set the note down and got up. She walked over to me and pulled me a tight hug. "I love you, too, Bella. Thank you for your beautiful words." She whispered in my ear, kissing me on the cheek. When she let go of me, we were both wiping tears from our eyes.

She went around the room and hugged and kissed all of her kids. I got up and went over to my dad and gave him a hug, before running upstairs to wipe my eyes. I went in Edward's bathroom and splashed my face with water. I laughed to myself. I had done so much crying this week, thankfully, most were happy tears.

"Sugar, are you in here?" I heard Edward call from his bedroom.

I opened the bathroom door and walked into his arms. I laughed into his chest. "Your mom made me cry." He rubbed his hand up and down my back, laughing with me.

"It doesn't seem that hard to do." He teased, leaning down to kiss the top of my head.

"Okay, smarty pants." I said, smacking his butt. I looked up at him and winked. "Let's go watch some baseball."


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N - Thanks so much for the reviews, faves and alerts...amazing! Summer Vacation had over two-thousand hits yesterday! I can't believe it! And to think it just started out as a way for me to get my fill of Sweetward! This chapter has a reference to my highschool slow-pitch days...Jasper and I share the same number! Enjoy!**

Chapter 51 - Take Me Out To The Ball Game

The baseball game was at noon, but Jasper had to be there early for a warm-up with the team. We left the house around ten-thirty. Emmett and Jasper took their truck, and headed straight for the field. Edward and I rode in the truck with my dad, and Esme, Carlisle and Alice all rode together in Carlisle's car. Carlisle and my dad both stopped at Subway to pick up lunch. We all waited in the vehicles, while Carlisle and my dad went in to pick up the order. They each came out holding two huge bags. My dad went over with Carlisle to load the food in his car.

I had to laugh. I had never been around so many boys, and the amount of food they consumed was insane. "What's so funny, beautiful?" Edward asked with a smile.

"Nothing. I just don't think I'll ever get used to how much food you guys go through, that's all." I said, reaching over and running my fingertips over his abs. "How do you keep these?"

"I actually ran around the campus every night, and then came back to my dorm room and did a hundred sit-ups." He laughed. "I haven't done a lot since we got home, though. Plus, I didn't have your cooking, and my mom's, to fatten me up. Now that I'm home, don't get used to this." He said, patting his abs.

"Do you really think I'm with you for your body?" I asked. Yes, he had a gorgeous body, and a beautiful, model-like face, but what had attracted me to him, was his quiet confidence, his genuine smile and the sparks I felt between us from across the room. Once I met him, his kindness shone though, and I found out that his soul was more attractive to me, than his body.

My dad got back in the truck, before Edward could say anything more. Edward just picked up my hand and brought it to his lips, he lowered our hands to his chest, holding them there. He was looking out of the side window, and appeared to be deep in thought, as we drove to the ballpark. I could feel his strong heartbeat through the back of my hand.

My dad looked at over at him, and raised his eyebrow. I just smiled at him, and shook my head, hoping he wouldn't say anything. I hadn't meant to turn the conversation with Edward so serious. I only meant to imply that it didn't matter to me what he looked like. I loved him, and would always love him, for who he was inside, not the shell.

The ride to the diamond was short, but it was fairly quiet. My dad parked beside Carlisle. "I'll save you some seats." My dad said with a wink, before getting out of the truck. Even he could see that we needed a minute.

I could feel Edward's heart speeding up. "Edward." I said. He turned to look at me. "I'm sorry. I know you don't think that I'm with you for your body. That's not what I meant. I just want you to know that I love you for this." I took my hand from his, and placed my palm flat over his heart. "And I love you for what's in here." I said, placing my hands on either side of his head, tracing my fingers through his hair. "And for the sweet and loving things you say from here." I leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss on his lips.

"I love you, baby." He said, leaning towards me and deepening the kiss. He brought his hands up into my hair and held me closer. We pulled apart, to catch our breath. He started kissing a trail down my neck. "I know you love me. I don't know what my problem is." He kissed his way back up my neck, and kissed my mouth again.

"It's okay, Edward. We all have our moments of insecurity." I said, running my hands through his hair. "But we really should stop kissing, get out of my dad's truck and join your family." I laughed. "We're in a high school parking lot, babe."

His breathtaking smile was back. "I know. I just needed to show you how much I love you." He kissed me again.

"You have made your point." I teased. "Come on, Emmett's going to eat our lunch." I said, reaching over him and opening the truck door.

He got out and stood with his back to me. "Get on, honey." He said.

"Edward." I whined, but wrapped my arms around his neck, anyway. I knew he wouldn't let it go until I went along with it. He stepped forward and I wrapped my legs around his hips. He shut the truck door, before reaching back and holding me up just behind my knees.

"Bella, we're still teenagers, so every once in a while, we're going to act like it." He said laughing, before jogging across the parking lot to the bleachers. We got to the stairs and Edward let go of my legs. I slid down his back. He turned and took my hand, smiling at me. I looked up to see our group about six rows back. Charlie, Carlisle, Esme and Alice were all in one row, and Emmett, Rose and Maria were in the row in front of them. We went to join them. I sat by Maria, and Edward sat beside me.

"Hey, guys." I said.

"Hey, Edward. You have lipstick on your face." Emmett laughed. Everyone turned to look at Edward, who was blushing and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Emmett." I scolded, before turning to Edward. "Baby, there's nothing on your face. I don't even wear lipstick." I said, reaching up to take his hands off his mouth. "But, now everyone knows what we were doing in the truck." I whispered in his ear, laughing.

Emmett was laughing, along with my dad and Carlisle. "Okay, okay. I was kissing my girlfriend." Edward said, trying to get them to stop laughing. "Did you save us any food?"

"Here you go, kids." Esme said, smiling, passing us each a sub sandwich.

"Thanks, mom." Edward said. Esme leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "How's Jazz doing?"

We looked out in the field and saw Jasper's team lined up in two rows, working on throwing. They were in their uniforms today. They had grey pinstriped pants and shirts, with royal blue long sleeved shirts underneath. The shirts read Forks' Spartans across the front, and their numbers along the back. Jasper was 14. He was paired up with his friend Mike, again. The other team, the Rainier Mountaineers, wearing orange, were practicing batting.

Maria, was snapping photos of Jasper, with a digital camera. After another ten minutes, the coach called all the guys in for a huddle. They all yelled, Spartans, before breaking and running to sit on the bench. Jasper ran up the bleachers, and stood in front of us. He bumped fists with Emmett and Edward. Maria stood up and kissed his cheek. "Good luck, Jasper." She said, excitedly. "You guys are going to win. I just know it."

"Thanks." He said, blushing lightly.

I took the camera from Maria. "Stand by Jasper. I'll get a picture of the two of you." I said. She stood up in front of him and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. They both had huge smiles on their faces. It was priceless.

"Thanks, Bella." Maria whispered in my ear. Rose was smiling at her sister.

"Well, you know, the Mountaineers have a pretty solid record, but this is their first away game, so we don't really have any stats on that." I looked up and noticed Mike was standing beside Jasper, adding in his two cents on the team. He noticed I was looking at him and smiled. "Hey, Bella. Nice to see you again. You look great." I tried not to laugh at him. I figured the uniforms gave these kids more confidence than they may usually have.

"Hi, Mike." I said. "Good luck, out there, guys."

"Newton. Cullen." We heard the coach call.

"Yeah, um, we have to go stretch. I'll see you guys later." Jasper said, giving us a wave, and turning to go back down to the field, with Mike, to join the rest of the team.

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and laid his head on my shoulder. He laughed. "I really can't believe the nerve of that kid."

"Have another admirer, Bells?" My dad asked from behind me.

I just shook my head. "Yeah, that kid really liked her when he met her last practice." Emmett added with a laugh. "I have no idea why Jazz likes that kid."

"Emmett." Esme warned. "I'm sure he's a nice young man."

I looked over at Maria, and she was still snapping photos. I had to laugh. She was so excited to be here. Emmett and Rose were holding hands. Charlie and Carlisle were taking about the high school baseball leagues and Esme and Alice were watching Jasper, Alice asking when the game was going to start.

Everyone was so comfortable together, and I couldn't have been happier than I was in that moment. Knowing that this was what we had to come back to, made me feel better about leaving tomorrow. Whatever I faced with my mom, I had a family of people here in Forks that loved me and wanted me to be happy.

The game went well. The Spartans won 4-2, over the Mountaineers. Jasper hit a home run with someone on the base, which accounted for two runs in the third inning. Jasper had, also, stolen home in the eighth inning. Edward had said how much promise Jasper had. I could see why the senior boys wanted him to play with them. He was phenomenal. We all cheered and clapped and had a great time. Maria must have taken over a hundred photos, and Edward stayed snuggled up to me for most of the game. It was a great afternoon.


	52. Chapter 52

**A/N - Thanks again eveyone...Summer Vacation has over 400 reviews! I'm so excited! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 52 - Last Night Together

When the game was over, the two teams walked in lines, towards each other, slapping hands. Jasper ran with his team to the showers. Emmett, Edward and I volunteered to stay and wait for Jasper. Charlie, Carlisle, Esme and Alice went to pick up pizza, in Carlisle's car. My dad threw me the keys to his truck.

We were going to drive Maria and Rose home when Jasper was ready. Emmett asked if they wanted to come over for pizza, but their grandma was coming over a visit, so they regretfully declined. You could tell they really wanted to stay with Emmett and Jasper, though.

Jasper came walking out of the school, with his huge baseball bag slung over his shoulder. He was wearing jeans and a blue Spartans t-shirt. His hair was still damp. I looked over at Maria and noticed she snapped another picture. "Game's over, Maria." Emmett teased.

Maria just giggled. "Sorry. I couldn't help it. He's so cute."

"Good game, bro." Edward said, patting Jasper's shoulder when he walked up to us. "You killed it."

"Thanks. They weren't that much competition." Jasper added.

"Don't sell yourself short, Jazz. You were awesome." Emmett added.

"Yeah, You'll have to come over sometime next week and I'll show you all the pictures I took. They're great, Jasper. You were amazing." Maria added, taking his free hand.

"Um, yeah, okay." Jasper nodded.

"So, who's going with whom?" Edward asked, as we all walked to the parking lot.

"Why don't I take the girls with me, and we can follow behind you guys?" I suggested. I thought that would be best, otherwise either Rose or Maria would have to ride with Edward and I.

"Okay, baby. See you in few minutes." Edward said, leaning down to kiss me.

Jasper threw his bag in the back of the truck, then turned to Maria. He took her hand. "Thanks for coming to the game."

"You're welcome. I had so much fun." She said, kissing his cheek.

I looked over and Rose and Emmett and noticed they were locked in a deep kiss. He had his hand pressed lightly on the small of her back. They pulled back from each other with smiles on their faces. "Bye." Emmett said with a goofy smile on his face.

"Come on, girls." I said laughing. Edward walked with us and opened my door for me. "Thanks, babe." I said, hopping in. He winked at me and went back to get in with Emmett and Jasper. Maria and Rose climbed in with me.

Emmett pulled out of the lot, and I pulled out behind him. I followed him to the Hales' place. Forks was a small town, so it only took us about five minutes to get to their house. The girls and I gushed about the Cullen brothers the whole time, talking about their manners, their shy personalities and, of course, how handsome they were. It was nice to have some girl talk. They were genuinely nice girls and I got along so well with them, despite the age difference.

I parked behind Emmett's truck in front of a cute, two-story yellow house. It had a white porch, and flower bed with dozens of tulips in every shade. It appeared that Esme and Charlotte had a lot in common, concerning their love of gardening.

"Bye, girls. I had fun today. I'll see you sometime after I get back, okay?" I said.

"Bye, Bella. Thanks for the ride." Maria said.

"Thanks. Have a good trip." Rose added. Both girls jumped out of the truck. Emmett and Jasper walked them to their door.

Edward got in my dad's truck to ride back to his house with me. "Miss me that much?" I teased, before I leaned over to kiss him.

"You know I did." He said, kissing me again. "Let's go, baby." I pulled out and drove back to the Cullens' house.

We walked in the house and didn't see anyone. "They're probably out back." Edward said, taking my hand, as we walked to the back yard.

Alice was helping Esme set the table, and my dad and Carlisle were sitting together talking about fishing. I turned to Edward and whispered in his ear. "Edward, let's give our dads the fishing t-shirts we got them in Port Angeles." Just hearing them talking about fishing reminded me of the souvenirs we had got them.

"Okay, I'll go get them. I put them in the closet when we got home, and I totally forgot about them." He whispered back. He kissed my cheek and turned to run back up the stairs.

I walked into the yard, and gave my dad a hug, before walking over and helping Esme and Alice. Emmett and Jasper walked out into the yard to join us. "Hey, guys." I said when I saw them. They all came over and joined my dad and Carlisle at the table. They had huge grins on their faces, so I could only assume that Rose and Maria had given them goodbye kisses.

"Congratulations, son." Carlisle said, patting Jasper's shoulder. "You did great."

"Thanks, dad." Jasper said with a smile. "Where's Edward?"

"I'm right here." Edward said, walking back in the yard with the Captain T's bags in his hand. "Dad, Chief Swan. Bella and I bought these for you guys in Port Angeles on Wednesday." He passed them each a bag across the table. Everyone was sitting down, watching them open the bags. My dad pulled out a blue t-shirt and Carlisle pulled out a green one. They both read the slogans on the front and started laughing. They turned the t-shirts so everyone could read them. Carlisle's read, 'I listen to the voices in my tackle box.' and my dad's read 'If fishing is a sport, then I'm an athlete.'

"Thanks, kids. These are great." My dad said, with a smile.

"I love it. I'm going to wear it out on the boat tomorrow." Carlisle added. I was glad they liked them.

We all sat together and ate three large pizzas. We talked, told stories, laughed and just enjoyed our time together.

At seven o'clock, my dad and I decided to head home. Edward had told me that our flight left Seattle at ten-thirty the next morning. "I want to get on the highway by six, so we have three hours to drive to Seattle, a half-hour to account for bathroom breaks," he said as he winked at me, "and an hour to get through security." I figured that I'd wake up at four AM, so I could have a shower and double check my suitcase. I wanted to get to bed by nine tonight.

I gave everyone a hug. "I love you all and I'm going to miss you so much." I said, as we were all standing on the porch. Alice started to cry. I got down on my knees in front of her, and held onto her shoulders. "I know, honey. But, we'll phone you, and you can call me, okay? I'll see you on Saturday night. We'll stop by here as soon as we get back, Alice. I promise." She nodded her head and stepped forward for another hug. I held her close to me and rubbed her back.

"I hope you have a good trip." She whispered.

"We will, Alice. Thank you." I said, standing up. Edward came over to me and kissed my lips. "Edward, make sure to write down both of our phone numbers for her, okay. I don't want her to worry so much."

"I will, angel." He kissed me, again. "I love you and I'll see you at six, okay?"

"I'll be waiting for you." I said, before stepping closer and wrapping my arms around his waist tightly. "Goodnight, babe. I love you."

He stepped back, and turned and picked up Alice. He took my hand and we started walking to the truck. My dad walked with us. We got in the truck and I rolled down the window. I leaned out and gave both Alice and Edward a kiss on the cheek. They stepped back as my dad pulled out. He honked and I waved at the Cullen family on the porch. Alice had laid her head on Edward's shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you, too, Bells." My dad said as we drove home. He reached over and patted my knee. "It's just so good to have you back."

I looked over at my dad. "Well, dad. I'm here to stay." I said honestly. "But, I need to see mom, and let her know about my plans. I want her to meet Edward." I knew Edward and I were forever, so it was important for him to meet my mom. And it looked like the way things were going, seeing my mom was a once a year kind of thing. I was going to make the most of this trip. I was excited to go, but it was mostly because I knew I had so much love to come back home to.


	53. Chapter 53

**A/N - True to my word at the start of this fic, I can't seem to make myself skip over any details...hence the length of this fic...I hope you're okay with me writing forever, because, at this rate, it's going to take that long! Thanks for sticking with me. I'm having fun with it, and I hope you all are, too. Enjoy the next chapter!**

**Thanks for the reviews...got some new reviewers yesterday...thanks for dropping me a note! Appreciate it so much!**

Chapter 53 - Leaving Town

After spending an hour with my dad when we got home, I went up to my room and pressed one sprig of the lavender Edward had given me in the morning. I really loved that he still did that. His small gestures showed me how much he truly loved me. I missed him already. I was really looking forward to spending a whole week with him. I sent him a text message. 'Don't forget to pack your toothbrush, shampoo, razor and hair products. I love you. Goodnight.'

I put on my pyjamas and crawled into bed. I needed to sleep, but I couldn't. I was both excited and anxious for this trip. I held my phone in my hand, hoping for a reply. Two minutes later, my phone vibrated in my hand. 'Hey, baby. Thanks for the reminder. I love you, too. Can't sleep, either?' I laughed. I knew he was excited for the trip, too, but he was probably a little nervous about meeting my mom, and probably even more worried about me.

'No. How was Alice?' I typed back. My phone vibrated back. I looked down and noticed he was calling me, instead of sending another text.

"Hey, Edward." I said, as I picked up.

"Hi, baby. Alice is okay. She's just a little upset about us leaving, but she'll be okay. She sat with me for the last hour, then I tucked her in and came straight to bed. I just can't sleep. This is too early for me." He laughed.

"Did you write our phone numbers down for her?" I asked. It was all I could think of to make her feel better about us leaving.

"Yes, angel. That was a good idea, by the way. She seemed to feel better once she had them by her bed." He answered.

"I wish you were here." I said, as I rolled over, trying to get comfortable.

"So do I, babe. But, we'll be together for seven days straight, starting tomorrow morning. Who knows. Maybe you'll get sick of me." He laughed.

"I doubt that, Edward. Maybe you will get sick of me." I teased.

"You know that's not true. I want to be with you forever and ever and ever, Bella. It might sound selfish of me, but I can't wait to have you all to myself for the next seven days." He chuckled.

"I know what you mean." I sighed, closing my eyes.

"I love you, honey. Try to get some sleep, okay?" He asked.

"Okay. I love you, Edward." I said, softly, starting to feel like I might fall asleep.

"Goodnight." He said softly, before hanging up. I hung up and fell right to sleep.

I woke up to alarm going off at four AM. I groaned. It was still pitch dark in my room. I sighed, rolled out of bed and got in the shower. That helped to wake me up. I got out of the shower, threw on a robe and brushed my teeth. I packed my shampoo, my small makeup bag and my toothbrush in my suitcase. I dried my hair and pulled it up in a messy bun. I came back in my room and put on a pair of cute navy blue sweat pants with the UW Seattle logo on them. They were so comfortable and I thought they would be perfect for the long drive and the flight to Arizona. I would change when we got there. I put on a black tank top and a yellow hoodie.

It was five when I was finished getting ready and packing. I sat at my desk and turned on my laptop. I decided I had better send my mom an e-mail for Mother's Day. 'Mom, Happy Mother's Day. I hope you have a great day. I'll see you on Thursday night for dinner. Looking forward to seeing you. Love you. Bella.'

I walked downstairs to find my dad up, and sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. I laughed. He was wearing the fishing shirt we had given him yesterday. "Hey, dad. When are you and Carlisle going fishing?" I asked, as I lifted my phone up to him and snapped a picture of him in the t-shirt.

"Oh, probably at seven. I just wanted to be up to see you off." He said. "Hey, you're not going to use that as blackmail, are you?"

I laughed. "No. I'm just glad you like it, that's all."

"I do." He said proudly. "Do you want me to carry your bag down for you?" He asked, standing up.

"Sure. That would be great, thanks." I said. "It's just inside my door."

My dad went upstairs and came back down, lugging my heavy bag. He set it by the front door. "There you go, Bells."

"Thanks, dad." I said, getting up to give him a hug. I held on to him for while. He had me wrapped up in tight hug. I really treasured this father/daughter relationship we had begun to build. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Bells. You be careful down there, and keep me posted, okay?" He sounded concerned, but I wouldn't expect anything different from him. He finally pulled back from me. I wiped a tear from my eye. "Don't cry, kiddo. Enjoy yourself. You deserve it." He said, patting my arm.

"I will. And I am excited, but I'm just nervous, you know." I said, still tearing up.

"Don't be. It's just your mom. You'll be fine. And don't worry about Edward. That kid can hold his own." He said.

I went upstairs to use the bathroom before the drive. I wiped my eyes and blew my nose. I was horrible at goodbyes, even short term ones. I grabbed my purse from my desk, and heard the doorbell ring. My dad must have let Edward in.

As I walked to the stairs, I could hear my dad talking to him. "She's a little upset, but she'll be okay." They must have heard me on the stairs and they both turned to look at me.

"Hi, Edward." I said, walking up to him. He was wearing a pair of worn in jeans, a white t-shirt and a grey hoodie, that he had left opened.

He pulled me into a hug, and kissed the top of my head. He passed me a single yellow daisy. "You ready?" He asked, with a sympathetic smile, letting me go.

"Yeah." I turned back to my dad to give him another hug. "Bye, daddy." I said.

"Bells, you're going to make me cry." He chuckled. "Have a good time, kids." He said, reaching out to shake Edward's hand.

"Thank you, sir. I'll take good care of her." Edward answered, seriously.

"I know you will. Don't forget to call me when you land." My dad said as he walked us to the door.

"I won't forget." I said, as my dad and I walked to the car together, while Edward took my suitcase. I appreciated that he did that, to give me an extra minute with my dad. My dad opened the car door for me, while Edward put my luggage in the trunk. He kissed my forehead, and then shut the door for me.

Edward got in and started the car. "You okay, baby?" He asked, reaching over to squeeze my hand.

"Yeah. It's just hard to leave, you know?" I said, squeezing his hand back. "I'm fine, really." I smiled at him.

"Okay." He said. "Let's get this vacation underway." He pulled the car out and we waved at my dad, who was standing by the curb. He waved back, then turned and went back into the house.

I wiped my eyes, again. Edward looked back over at me and smiled. "You know, I'm lucky my parents were the only ones up when I left. It would have been hard to deal with Alice. But, my mom teared up this morning when I left, too." I think he was just telling me this so I would feel better.

"I brought you some hot chocolate." Edward said, pointing to the cup holder. Edward's thoughtfulness never failed to amaze me.

"Thanks, babe." I said.

"For what, honey?" He said, glancing over at me.

"For the hot chocolate, for making me feel better, for this vacation. I love you, Edward. I can't believe that we'll be eating dinner with Angie tonight." I said excitedly.

"You're welcome, baby." He said, looking over at me. "I love you, too." He took my hand in his, as we turned onto the main highway to start our vacation.


	54. Chapter 54

**A/N - Thanks again for the great reviews! I love all of your takes on the fic! You're all amazing! Thanks to everyone for sticking with me this long! Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 54 - Forks to Seattle

Edward asked me if I needed to stop when we approaching Port Angeles. I told him no, but regretted it almost immediately. You never have to go, until someone asks. "Can you hold it until we get to Sequim?" He asked with a laugh. "It's only about twenty minutes away."

"Yes." I laughed with him. "It's your fault anyway. I was fine until you brought it up."

"You're crazy, Bella. Have I told you how much I love you?" He asked with a smile, looking over at me.

I laughed. "Do you love me because I'm crazy, or in spite of the fact that I'm crazy?"

"I love you because you're perfect. You're loving, honest, emotional, you wear your heart on your sleeve, but at the same time, you're silly and fun and you make me laugh. You love my family, and they love you. I have never been happier in my entire life, even though I thought my life was pretty darn good before I met you. Plus, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I love your long, shiny hair, and your deep, brown eyes. When I look at them, I can see into your soul. And I love that you're so short, and I'll never figure out how so much personality fits in such a small package." He took a deep breath, then laughed. "So, if you're a little crazy, Bella, I'll take it, because I wouldn't change a thing about you."

"Edward. Thank you so much for saying that and I love you, too." I said, laughing, but blinking back more tears. "But, how dare you make me cry again?"

"I'm sorry, baby. I promise, I won't do it again for the whole trip, okay?" He laughed, reaching out to wipe my tears.

A few minutes later, we pulled up to Sequim and stopped at the Chevron station. I went to the bathroom and Edward went in and bought us some mini donuts and orange juice.

When I came out, he was waiting by the door for me. He took my hand and we walked back to the car together. I looked at him, and he just shook his head. When we got back in the car, he locked the doors. "There was some shady looking guys inside when I was in there, so I just wanted to make sure they didn't say anything to you, okay?"

"Okay, thanks, baby." I said. He looked a little worried, so I reached over and smoothed the frown from between his eyebrows. He smiled at me and leaned over the console to kiss me. "Do you have to go?" I asked.

He just shook his head. "I'll go when we get on the ferry. I just want to get out of here, okay?" He said, pulling back on the highway.

"Did those guys say something to you?" I asked. I had never seen Edward this worried. It was a little scary.

"No, Bella. It's fine. They were just talking to each other. The things they were saying were inappropriate, and I didn't want them to say anything to you." Edward said, looking over at me. He forced a smile at me.

I'm glad I wasn't in there with him. If they would have said something to me, I could only imagine how Edward would have reacted. He was very strong, and I felt safe with him, but he wasn't a superhero, and if he was outnumbered, things could get scary. I shivered at the thought. "Are you cold?" He asked, looking over at me.

"No, baby, I'm fine." I said, leaning over to rub his neck. I sat back in my seat and opened the donuts. I took one out of the box and turned to Edward. "Open." I said.

He looked over at me with a smile, then opened his mouth. I stuffed the donut in his mouth. He reached up and held my hand to his mouth, sucking the powdered sugar off of my fingers. "Edward." I laughed. He had never done anything like that before. I was a little surprised, but I liked it.

He looked over at me and winked. I was starting to think that he knew how sexy I thought that was. I laughed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You can feed me another donut." He said with a smirk, still looking ahead, watching the road. I was glad he had relaxed again, and was joking around with me.

"Okay, babe. Open up." I said, as I put another donut in his mouth. He looked over at me and smiled. I sat back and opened his can of orange juice, then passed it to him.

He took a drink and set it back in his cup holder. "We make a good team, huh?"

"I think so." I said, taking a donut for myself, nibbling on it. I looked out the window. "It's so pretty here." I said, looking out at the ocean on the left side of the road.

"Yeah. It's home to me. I'm so glad you want to live here, Bella." He reached his hand over and put it on my knee, rubbing his thumb back and forth. "I mean, I'm excited to see other parts of the country with you, like Arizona and Florida, but I'm happy you want to come back to Washington."

I put my hand on his. "So, where all have you traveled, Edward? I've only ever been here and Phoenix."

"Hmm. Well, we've been to Chicago a lot, because my mom's from there and my nanny and grandpa Mason live there." He said.

"That's right. Your mom told me you were in Chicago at Christmas, and that's why I didn't meet you when I was home with my dad. And, you were named after your grandpa, right?" I asked.

"Yeah. Edward Mason. I really love that guy. He has a heart of gold. He is going to love you, too, babe. He's really classy and dresses up in fancy clothes everyday. I mean, dress shirts and suit pants. He's amazing. Oh, and my nanny is the sweetest lady." He explained. You could see how much he loved his grandparents. Esme was right. They had a close connection with Edward. And I loved how he called his grandmother, nanny. It was too sweet. I was smiling at him as he spoke. I loved learning more and more about him everyday.

"So, Chicago. Anywhere else?" I asked, curiously.

"We went to New York for Christmas, the year before last. It was during my senior year. My mom wanted it to memorable, since it was the last year I would be living at home." He shook his head, but smiled at the memory. "We went ice skating at Rockefeller Center, and saw them light the tree. That kind of stuff. It was beautiful. I'll have to take you, sometime."

"You don't have to do that, Edward. I can't even believe you planned this trip for me." I said, sincerely. I didn't want him to feel like he had to keep taking me places to make me happy.

"I know, Bella. I just love to make you happy." He said.

"You do make me happy, Edward. Just knowing you love me is enough to make me happy forever." I told him honestly.

He smiled back at me.

"So, Chicago and New York in the winter. Do the Cullens hate the sunlight? Travel anywhere warm?" I teased.

He laughed. "It does seem like that, doesn't it. No, we went to Disneyland the Christmas that Alice turned five. Her birthday is December 24. So it was still in the winter, but at least it was California."

"So, the Cullens travel at Christmas, huh?" I asked. I was going to miss him this Christmas, if they went away again. Two weeks away from him would be torture.

"Usually. My dad always gets two weeks off of work then." He said, looking over at me. "We'll figure something out, baby." He smiled at me, seeming to know what I was thinking. "I don't think I could be away from you for that long."

Edward told me all about his family vacations until we got to the ferry in Kingston.

We pulled onto the ferry after waiting for twenty minutes, and Edward paid the fifteen dollars. It was going to be a half hour ride. We parked the car in the bottom. "Do you want to get out and stretch your legs for while?" Edward asked.

"Okay." I said. I took my purse and walked with him up to the seating area. We both stopped at the bathrooms, then we went out and sat so we could look out the windows. I took out my journal and the daisy that Edward had given me this morning. It was a shame to press it already, but it would be easier to take on the plane this way.

Edward watched me, as I pressed it. "Have you saved every single flower I've given you?" He asked, surprised.

"Of course I have. They are all so important to me." I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"You're a sweet girl, angel." He said, running his nose up and down my jaw. I turned my face to kiss his lips. I smiled at him and put my journal into my purse. We walked over to the rail, and Edward wrapped his arms around me as we looked out at the water until they announced it was time for us to get back in our cars.

After we docked and drove out, it took us about forty five minutes to get to the Sea-Tac airport. By the time we parked, and got our luggage out and into the security line, it was quarter to ten. Edward was a little bit panicky because we were fifteen minutes later than he thought, but the security line went quickly, and we had twenty minutes to spare. We both stopped at the bathrooms before we had to board.

'Southwest Airlines, Flight 2297, from Seattle to Phoenix. Now Boarding.' I looked at Edward and smiled. This was it. The official start to our amazing week together.


	55. Chapter 55

**A/N - Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and alerts. I'm glad you are all still liking the fic. Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 55 - Seattle to Phoenix

We boarded the plane, and I found out that Edward had bought us first class seats. "Baby. You didn't need to do that. It's only a three hour flight." I said, as we walked to our seats. Edward didn't bring a carry-on and I just bought my purse. Edward had put his iPod in my purse.

"I know. I just thought we might as well be more comfortable. It was only twenty-five dollars more. I thought it was worth it." He said, with a wink.

"You can have the window seat, Edward. You've never seen Arizona." I said. Edward was the only scenery I needed, anyway.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

I nodded. "Of course." He smiled at me and sat down in the large, blue seat. I sat beside him, and put my purse on the tray table in front of me. "When do we get there?" I asked.

"Um. It's a three hour non-stop flight, so we get there at one-thirty." He said. "But, we pick up our car at two o'clock, so we have time to pick up our bags and call your dad and Alice."

"I love how you're so organized, Edward." I said, reaching over and taking his hand. I brought it up to my lips and kissed his fingertips. "Thank you for planning this."

"You're welcome, sugar."

Edward turned his iPod on and gave me an ear bud, and put the other in his ear. We leaned our heads together, and held hands on the armrests between us. We sat like this for about an hour, just enjoying each other's company and Edward's blues music, until my eyes started to get heavy.

"Bella. Honey, wake up." I felt Edward's fingers running along my cheek. I opened my eyes, and noticed, I had fallen asleep on Edward's shoulder. "We're going to land in about twenty minutes, so I wanted to give you a chance to wake up." He said quietly.

"Ah, my neck." I said, as I sat up, turning my neck from side to side. "Did you get any sleep, Edward?" We had been awake so early today, I hoped he had a chance to sleep.

"Yeah. I slept for about a half hour, but I've just been watching you sleep for the last half hour." He admitted with a smile.

"I'm sorry that I'm so boring. You should have woken me up, Edward." I laughed.

"I loved every minute of it." He said, leaning forward to kiss my forehead.

Edward enjoyed the view of Phoenix as we flew in. It was a huge city. I looked over his shoulder. I had been away for almost a year, but it felt like more. It was like looking at another life.

When we landed, Edward and I walked hand in hand to the baggage claim. We found our bags quickly, then went to sit on some chairs by the rental car booth. I took out my phone and dialled my dad's number. He picked it up on the first ring. "Bells?" He said, sounding both excited and worried at the same time.

"Hi, dad. We just landed and we're waiting to pick up our car." I told him. "The drive was good and I slept through most of the flight." I laughed. Edward was watching me, with a smile on his face. He looked happy that I was happy.

"Well, I'm glad you made it there, okay. Carlisle and I are on the lake. He says 'hi.'"

"Tell him that I say 'hi,' too. Does he want to talk to Edward?" I asked.

"Sure. Here he is. I love you, Bells. Have a good time, kiddo." My dad said, causing me to tear up. Clearly, I was a daddy's girl.

"Bella?" I heard Carlisle's voice on the phone.

"Hey, Carlisle. Here's Edward." I said, quickly passing off the phone so he wouldn't hear my shaky voice.

"Hi, dad….Yeah, we just landed and got our bags….She's doing fine….I will….I know….I love you, too, dad….Okay.…Okay….Talk you soon….Bye." Edward hung up and turned to pull me into a hug. He stroked my hair. "Are you going to be alright, baby?"

"I am. Sorry, Edward. I feel so stupid crying all the time." I said, wiping my eyes.

"You're not stupid. Now, since you're already crying, let's call Alice." He said with a smile.

He dialled home and Esme must have picked up. "Happy Mother's Day, mom." He said, smiling. "Yeah….We've already talked to Charlie and dad….We just landed….I love you….I'll tell her…." He didn't say anything for a minute, so I assumed Esme was getting Alice. "Hi, princess….Yeah. We're in Phoenix….Three hours….I miss you, too….Okay….I love you….Here's Bella."

I took the phone from Edward and put it to my ear. "Alice?" I said.

"Hi, Bella. Is it hot there? Have you seen your friend, yet? Are you at the hotel?" I giggled. Alice sounded so excited for us. I had to admit that her excitement was rubbing off on me. She did sound sad anymore. I loved the resilience of kids.

"We're still at the airport, Alice. But, it's usually pretty hot down here. I hope Edward can handle the heat." I teased. It made her laugh. I looked over at Edward and he was smiling at me, again. "What did you guys do today?"

"Oh, me and Em and Jazz tried to make mom pancakes, but Em got the batter all over his shirt and mom ended up making them." She was giggling as she was talking. "Jazz took a picture of the mess we made, so you guys could see it when you got back."

"Thanks, Alice. Okay, sweetie, we have to go get our rental car and then check into the hotel, now. I'll call you later. I love you. Tell your brothers we love and miss them, too, okay?" I asked her. Edward was running his fingers along my arm.

"Okay, Bella. I'll talk to you later. I can phone you guys, too, right?" She asked.

"Yeah. That's why Edward gave you the numbers. Have a good day, Alice." I reassured her.

"Okay. Thanks, Bella. Bye." She said, hanging up.

I hung up Edward's phone and he leaned over to kiss my forehead. "Let's go get the car." He said, standing up, and grabbing our suitcases. We picked up a large muffin, each to snack on, as we hadn't eaten much so far.

We picked up the car that Edward had ordered, a Mazda 6. It was yellow and Edward was a little embarrassed to drive it. He said it seemed a little girlie in yellow, and he wished they had it in black. Of course I just laughed at him.

I guided Edward to downtown Phoenix. We found our hotel, the Wyndham Phoenix, and were all checked in by three o'clock. We walked in and I was amazed by the room.

"Is that a king size bed, Edward?" I asked, taking in the beautiful room, decorated in earthy browns and oranges, with bright blue accents.

He was actually blushing when I looked back at him. "Uh. Yeah." He said, coming over to sit on the bed. "It was this, or two queens, and I thought you'd want to sleep in the same bed with me." He said, running his hands on his thighs.

"You are so cute." I said, climbing on the bed and taking his hand, to pull him on the bed with me. We laid our heads on the pillows. I rolled over to cuddle into his chest. "I'm glad you got the king." I said, rubbing his back.

"Do you want to sleep for a while?" Edward asked with his eyes already closed.

"Yeah." I said, shutting my eyes. Edward wrapped his arm aver my shoulder and we fell asleep in each other's arms.

I woke up with a start. How long had we slept? I grabbed Edward's arm and looked at his watch. It was four thirty. We were supposed to go to Angela's for dinner tonight at six. "Edward." I shook his shoulders. He was passed out cold. "Baby, wake up." I felt bad for waking him. He didn't sleep as much as I did on the plane.

He groaned and rolled over to his stomach, laying on top of me. I knew he was awake. I laughed. "Edward, you're heavy, and we're late, by the way. We have to be at Angela's in an hour and half, and I want to have a shower."

He wrapped his arms around me and started kissing my neck. "Baby, that feels good. Stop distracting me." I said, wriggling loose from his grasp. I got off of the bed, but leaned over to kiss his shoulder. "You can sleep a little longer. I'm going to go get ready." I said, opening my suitcase and taking out a skirt and a nice top. He moaned in response.

I went in the bathroom and noticed the beautiful marble countertops. I was sure that Edward had spent too much money on this trip. I had a shower, got dressed and brushed my teeth. I wrapped my hair in a towel, and went to go wake up Edward, but he was already up, watching TV on the bed. "Hey, baby. You look beautiful." He said with a smile, getting off the bed to come over to me and give me a hug. "Mmm." He said as he squeezed me to his chest. "I'm going to get a quick shower, okay?" He said, pulling back.

"Okay. Can you leave the door open so I can dry my hair?" I asked. We were going to be living in close quarters for the next week, so we might as well get used to it, I thought.

"Yeah, sure baby. I'll get right in." He said, walking to the bathroom. I took my hair out of the towel and squeezed out the excess water. I was so excited for my past and my present to come together tonight. Having both Angela and Edward together tonight was a dream come true.


	56. Chapter 56

**A/N - Hey, everyone! Glad to still be getting your reviews! They really bring a smile to my face. Lots of fun planned for Arizona. Let's get to it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 56 - Distractions

I heard the shower start, so I walked into the bathroom. "Hey, Edward." I said. I looked around, and saw that he taken his clothes off and left them in a big pile on the floor. His one flaw. I giggled.

"What's so funny?" He asked thought the shower curtain.

"Oh, nothing. I just love you." I said, going to the counter and combing out my hair. "Were you going to wear those jeans again this week, or do you want me to put them with the laundry?" I asked. I figured, I'd just keep the dirty laundry together, and I'd find somewhere to wash it before we left for Florida.

"Uh. Just put it with the laundry. I think you packed me enough clothes." He chuckled. I picked up his clothes and set them in a pile with mine for now.

"Okay. I'm going to dry my hair." I said, so I wouldn't scare him when I turned the blow drier on.

"'Kay." He answered. It took me about five minutes to dry my hair. I shut my blow drier off, and plugged in my curling iron. "Baby, will you pass me a towel, please?" Edward asked, shutting off the water.

"Yeah. Here you go." I said, passing him a fluffy white towel from the towel rack.

"Thanks." He said. I stood facing the mirror and started curling my hair, Edward pulled open the shower curtain, as was standing there with only a towel wrapped low around his waist. Our eyes met in the mirror, and it felt a lot warmer in the bathroom than it did before.

"You're beautiful, Edward." I whispered, admiring the man that looked back at me with the same amount of adoration. He was mine, and I was his. That fact made every moment, and everything we did together, that much more significant.

He stepped out of the tub and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my stomach, pressing his nearly bare body to my back. His skin smelled so spicy, soapy and clean. I leaned my head back on his chest, and looked at us in the mirror. We looked so content in each other's arms, but both of our cheeks were a little pink. He leaned down, swept my hair to one side and started kissing my exposed neck. I watched him in the mirror. It was an amazing moment to both watch, and experience. "I love you, angel." He breathed, before turning me around, and kissing my lips.

I ran my hands from his broad shoulders, down the dewy skin of his back, to his small waist, just to where the towel started. I brought my hand to his stomach and traced my fingers over his abs, and up to graze over his pecs, before stopping back on his shoulders. His skin broke out in goose bumps, despite the heat in the room.

"I love the way your hands feel on my skin." He said, leaning in for another kiss. Just as his lips touched mine, I heard my phone ring in the bedroom. He sighed and dropped his head to my shoulder, chuckling.

"I'll be right back." I said, slipping away to grab my phone. "Hello?"

"Bella. You're in Phoenix right?" It was Angela.

"Yeah, we got in at one-thirty." I said.

"Well, where are you? I'm so excited. Get over here." She was almost squealing in excitement.

I laughed. It was so good to here her voice, again. "We're almost ready, we'll be there ASAP." I said. "I love you. See you in less than an hour, okay?"

"Okay. Can't wait, Bella. Love ya." She sang, before hanging up.

"We're being summoned?" Edward asked, walking over to the bed and rifling through his suitcase. He was still wearing his towel.

I went over to him, and slapped his hands. "You're going to wrinkle your clothes." I laughed. "What do you want to wear?" I asked, bumping his hip with mine, moving him away from his suitcase.

"I don't know." He said, sitting on the bed beside his suitcase. "You pick." He smiled at me, and batted his eyelashes.

I laughed at him. "You're so cute when you do that." I looked into his suitcase. "What about a white polo shirt and some dark wash jeans? It gets cooler at night, so you shouldn't be too warm." I suggested.

"Sounds good, baby." He said. I pulled the clothes out of his suitcase and set them on his lap. "Can I have some boxers, too." He laughed.

"Of course, baby." I said, as I pulled out a pair of blue boxers. "Are these, okay?"

"Yes, honey. I'll just go get dressed and then we can go, okay?" He said, getting up to go back in the bathroom. He took the boxers from me and went to get changed.

I put my shoes on and made sure I had my camera in my purse. Edward came back out of the bathroom fully dressed, with his tooth brush sticking out of his mouth. "Are you done with your hair? The curling iron is still on." He asked, holding his toothbrush.

"No. You distracted me." I smirked at him, as I followed him back into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and I curled my hair. "You're so pretty." He said, after rinsing his mouth.

"Thanks, baby." I said, spraying my hair with hairspray. Edward squeezed a small amount of gel in his hands and rubbed it between both hands before rubbing his hair roughly from front to back. He looked at me and winked. I had had no idea how he made his hair such a sexy mess, but now I had my answer.

He washed his hands. "You ready to go?" He grabbed me around the waist and kissed the top of my head.

"Yes. I can't wait to see her again, and I can't wait for you to meet her." I said.

"Do you have your presents for them?" Edward asked, as I went to get my purse.

"No. Thanks so much for reminding me. I totally forgot." I said, remembering the stationary I had bought for Angela's mom and the bracelet I picked out for Angie, backi Forks. I went and got them from my suitcase and put them in my purse. "I love you, Edward." I said, reaching up and kissing his chin.

"It's what I'm here for." He said with a smile. We took the elevator down and walked through the lobby. We went out to the rental car. "So, baby. Give me a little background on the Weber family." I loved that he was interested.

"Well, Ang is the oldest of five kids. She has twin brothers that are thirteen, Isaac and Joshua, but we call them Zac and Josh. They aren't identical, so you can tell them apart. Zac has brown hair and Josh has dark blonde hair. They're good kids. She also has two sisters, Corin and Makenna. Corin is ten and Makenna is four. Corin is like a carbon copy of Angie. She tries to be like her in every way. They even look alike, with their long dark hair and pale skin. Makenna is a sweetie." I smiled thinking how much I loved them all. "Chelsea and Stefan are Angie's mom and dad. Mr. Weber is a Lutheran pastor and Mrs. Weber teaches Sunday school."

"Okay. I hope I can keep them straight." He said, looking a little worried. We were driving towards my old neighbourhood. Angela and I grew up next door to each other on West Lynnwood Street. It wasn't far from downtown. We drove past a florist and Edward stopped to get three single yellow roses for Angela, Corin and Makenna and a mixed bouquet for Mrs. Weber.

He bought a red rose and handed it to me when we got back in the car. I leaned over the console and kissed him. "Thanks, baby. I love it."

"Well, you had to squish your flower today, and you didn't want to, so this is your replacement." He explained with a smile.

"I pressed it, Edward, so I could keep it. It's not squished. Wait until you see how pretty it is when it's dry." I added with a laugh.

"Well, whatever. I can't justify buying other people flowers and not you, hence the rose." He explained, with a wink and a breathtaking smile. I smiled at him, bringing the flower to my nose to breathe in the sweet smell.

"You know they're going to love you, even if didn't bring them flowers." I said, as we turned into my old neighbourhood.

He chuckled. "Well, I don't think it's going to hurt." He was nervous and I loved him for it. He wanted my best friend to like him.

We parked in front of 303 West Lynnwood. We got out and I took Edward's hand to stop him from walking to the door. We stopped in front of the house. "This was where I lived for fourteen years." I said, pointing out the house in front of us. "That is the Weber's house." I pointed to the house next door.

We both stood in front of my childhood home, holding hands. We didn't say anything, we just looked at it. It was my Phoenix.


	57. Chapter 57

**A/N - Thanks for the support to Summer Vacation! Finally, we get to meet Angela! I'll let you get to it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 57 - The Webers

The house, where I had spent fourteen years of my life, looked the same as I remembered it. Two stories, tan color, big, green front lawn, and palm trees dotting the neighbourhood. Angela and I spent so much time running through the sprinklers on the grass, and having tea parties on the porch. Edward leaned down and kissed the top of my head, bringing me back to the present.

"Come on. Let's not keep Ang waiting." I said, tearing my gaze from the house and up to Edward's face. He smiled at me as we started walking next door.

"Okay, babe." He said softly. "But, later, I'd love to hear some of your stories about the house, if you want to tell them."

"I'd like that." I said, squeezing his hand.

"Give me your camera, babe, and I'll take some pictures, okay?" Edward suggested.

"That sounds great, Edward. Thanks." I replied.

We walked up to the Weber's front door and rang the bell. The door flew opened and I was immediately wrapped in my best friend's arms. "Bella. I missed you so much." Angela squealed. I could hear Edward chuckling softly behind me. Angela was about 5'8, with long brown hair and a genuine smile. Because of her height, she, like Edward, had to bend down to hug me.

"I missed you, too, Angie." I said, stepping out of her hold. "Ang, this is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Edward, my best friend, Angela."

"Nice to meet you, Angela. I've heard nothing but good things." Edward said, reaching his hand out to shake hers.

She looked at his hand and, instead, grabbed a hold of him and gave him a huge hug. "The same goes for you. It's nice to finally meet you." She said. Ang leaned over to me and whispered. "He's so hot." Edward laughed, so I know he heard her.

"I know." I said with a laugh. It was good to be back.

We followed Angela into the house and went into the living room. The whole family was sitting there waiting for us. Mrs. Weber jumped up and ran over to me. "Bella, honey, it's so good to see you." She said as she hugged me.

"You, too. Happy Mother's Day." I said, revelling in the familiar feeling of her hugs. I pulled out the stationary I bought her in Forks and gave it to her.

"Thanks, Bella. It's beautiful." She said as the whole Weber family came over to give me a hug. I had really missed them. Edward took some pictures of us, during our reunion.

"Everybody, I want you all to meet, Edward Cullen." I introduced him proudly.

Angela's parents walked over to him and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, son." Angela's dad said, patting Edward's arm.

"You, too, Mr. Weber." Edward said.

"Oh, call me Stefan, and my wife, Chelsea." He said with a smile. "We're not formal around here, especially with Bella. She's like another daughter to us."

Ang and I were standing together with our arms wrapped around each other, watching Edward meet my second family.

"Thank you, Stefan. Nice to meet you, Chelsea. Bella speaks so highly of all you." He said, passing the bouquet of flowers to Ang's mom.

"Thank you, dear. Aren't you sweet?" Clearly, Edward had already won over the family. I was glad, because they're opinions were important to me. "Girls, come meet, Edward." She called.

Corin and Makenna shyly walked over to Edward. He crouched down to their level and passed them each a yellow rose. "Thank you." They said at the same time.

"It's nice to meet you both." Edward said, gently shaking Corin's hand and patting Makenna on the arm. "Do you want to give this to Angela?" He asked Makenna as he passed her the last rose.

"Okay." She said with a big smile, walking over to us and passing the flower to Angela.

"He's sweet, too." Ang whispered in my ear.

"I know. I get a flower from him everyday, and I have since we started hanging out together in March." I told her.

"No way." She laughed. "He's a keeper, Bella. Thanks, Edward." She said.

"You are very welcome." He smiled. "Hey, guys." He said to Zac and Josh. He put his hands up and they both high fived him.

"Hi, Edward." Zac said, clearly thinking Edward was cool guy.

"Nice to meet you." Josh said. They had both always wanted an older brother.

"Okay, everyone. Time for dinner." Ang's mom called. We all followed her into the dining room. We all sat around the table, and I sat between Angie and Edward. Little Makenna sat beside Edward. I think she had a bit of a crush on him.

Everyone grabbed hands and bowed their heads. Edward looked at me, before looking down, as Mr. Weber said the blessing. I was used to doing this at the Weber's, but I forgot to tell Edward about it. I had always went to church with the Webers on Sunday, mainly because I was so lonely, and just went where they went. After I moved, I didn't continue on with church, because, to me, it was just something I did with Angela and her family. Religion was something that Edward and I hadn't discussed, yet.

We enjoyed a fabulous roast beef dinner, together. I told the Webers about the past year at school and how great things were going with my dad. I also got to tell my favourite story of all, how Edward and I met. They were all very welcoming to Edward and asked him about his family and his major at school.

Edward seemed to be very comfortable around the family, and was smiling and laughing with them throughout dinner. He turned to Angela and asked her about what she was studying.

"I'm taking nursing at the University of Arizona in Tucson. I live on campus all week, but come home every Friday afternoon. It's less then two hours away, so that's pretty awesome." She said with a smile. "For the summer, I'm working at a coffee shop downtown."

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" I asked a little disappointed. I knew I was being selfish, but really wanted this trip to be about spending time with Angie.

"I got the day off." She exclaimed excitedly. I leaned over and pulled her into a hug.

"I love you, Ang. You're the best." I said. I was so happy that she would do that for me. My mom wouldn't even make time for me.

"Edward. Do you want to come play soccer with us in the back yard?" Josh asked.

"Sure, buddy." Edward said, getting up. He leaned over to whisper in my ear. "Baby, enjoy your time with Angela, okay? I'll be in the back yard with the boys. Come get me, when you're ready." He kissed my cheek, and ran his fingers through my hair, before following the twins outside. Makenna chased after him. Mr. Weber followed the boys outside, as well.

"Corin, will you help me the dishes?" Mrs. Weber asked. I was glad that everyone gave me and Ang some time alone to catch up. We went in the living room and flopped on the couch together. It was just like old times.

I took the bracelet out of my purse and passed it to her. "Here, Ang. I saw this and thought of you."

"Bella. You didn't have to do that." She said as she tore the paper open. She pulled out the twisted silver bracelet. "Oh, Bella. I love it. It's perfect." She pulled me into a hug, then slipped it on her wrist.

"It looks beautiful on you." I said. "Angie, I'm so happy to be here, and I'm glad you got to meet Edward."

"Bella, Edward is so sweet. He is perfect for you. He's always looking at you, and he looks so happy to be with you. Plus, I've never seen you so happy. You're glowing." She said.

"He really is amazing. It seems like everything he does is done to make me happy. And I'm not kidding about the flowers. I have pressed them all. Oh, and you should see him with his family. The love in that family is overwhelming. And they have all welcomed me with open arms." I sighed. It felt so nice to share this with her in person. "So, what about you? Any boys on the radar?"

Her face blushed bright red. "His name is Ben." She whispered. He goes to the U of A, too, and I met him on the shuttle coming home. We see each other every Friday afternoon, because he lives in Phoenix, too.

"Why haven't I heard about this?" I mock scolded her.

"Well, we sort of just smiled at each other for a while, but two week ago, the last trip home for summer, he sat by me and said, that this might be the last time he's lucky enough to see me on the shuttle, so we traded phone numbers." She smiled. "Anyway, he called last week and we were talking about summer jobs, and he told me about an opening where he works, at Java City. So, I just started last Thursday."

"That is so cool. So have you guys went out, or anything?" I asked, excited for my best friend.

"No. We're both shy, so nothing's really developed, yet." She sighed. "But, I told him about you, and he offered to take my shift tomorrow, so I could spend the day with you. Isn't that amazing?"

I leaned over and put my head on her shoulder. "It is. I couldn't be happier." I said. I was happy to be with Angela, I was happy that Edward fit in with my 'adoptive' family, and I was happy that my best friend may have met the man that makes her as content as Edward makes me.


	58. Chapter 58

**A/N - Sorry this is up a little later today. I couldn't log onto fanficion this morning! Crazy computers! But, it's back, and here's the next chapter! Cute Edward Alert! Enjoy!**

Chapter 58 - Making Plans

Ang and I got up off the couch and went to go sit in the backyard. I was glad that Edward was comfortable here, but I knew he was tired and I didn't want to leave him outside playing with the boys for too long.

When we walked outside, Edward was running across the yard, keeping the ball away from Zac and Josh, who were chasing after him and laughing. But the cutest thing of all, was that Edward was holding Makenna, and she was giggling like crazy. She had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and he had one arm holding her legs and the other hand was on her back, so she wouldn't fall. "Come on, Makenna, they almost got it that time." He said, turning around and running the other way, just when Zac and Josh almost reached him. That started her laughing, again. I snapped a picture of them.

Edward looked up and saw me sitting on the back steps. He winked at me and slowed down, so the twins could get the ball from him. "We got it, Edward." Josh said excitedly.

"I must be getting old." He said, setting Makenna down. "There you go sweetheart. Thanks for the help." She laughed and ran off after her brothers.

Edward walked over to us and sat down on the step in front of us, leaning back against my legs with a sigh. "You tired, babe?" I asked, massaging his shoulders.

"Mmm. That feels good." Edward sighed, leaning his head on my knees and closing his eyes. "I'm getting tired, but we can stay as long as you want."

"So, guys, I wanted to ask you something." Angie said. "Would you guys like to drive down to Tucson tomorrow morning? I thought it might to cool to show you where I go to school. There are some great restaurants. It only takes an hour and forty-five minutes to get there, and since I don't have to work, I thought it would be a fun way to spend the day." She looked over at me and then at Edward. "But, if you had other plans, then we don't have to."

"I would love to. That sounds like so much fun. What do think, babe?" I asked Edward, still rubbing his shoulders.

"Sounds good to me. I've never been down here and we didn't make plans." He chuckled and looked at Angela. "Seeing you is the plan, so I'm game."

"Awesome. I'm so excited, Bella." She said, leaning over to hug me. "When do you want to leave, tomorrow?"

"We can pick you up at eight tomorrow morning. Is that okay?" Edward suggested.

"Sounds good." It was so good to see Angela again, and now we had a whole day to look forward to tomorrow.

"Okay, Edward. We should probably go back to the hotel and get some sleep." I said, before turning to Ang. "I'm so happy to be back." I gave her another huge hug.

"I'm happy you're here, too." She said, as we all stood up. I walked over to the boys and pulled them both in for a big hug. "It was good seeing you guys again. We'll see you again before we leave, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Bella." Josh said.

Zac repeated his brother. "Bye, Bella."

Makenna ran up to me and I crouched down to pick her up. "I love you, Makenna." I said, kissing her cheek. I looked over to see Edward high fiving the twins. He looked at me and smiled before walking over to me.

"See you later, sweetie." He said to Makenna, patting her back softly.

She got a huge smile on her face when she saw Edward. "Bye." She said, reaching her arms out to Edward. He smiled and took her from me. We all went back in the house to say goodbye to Corin and Mrs. And Mr. Weber.

After more hugs and promises to see more of each other, Angela walked us back out to the rental car. She hugged both Edward and I. "I'm so happy you're here." She said into my ear.

"Me, too, Ang. I love you, and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning." I said, giving her one last hug. Edward opened my door, and I got in. He came around and got in. Edward honked and I waved as we drove out of my old neighbourhood.

"That was fun." Edward said with a smile. "They are all really nice. I like Angela. You were right. She is a lot like you, only she squeals a little when she's excited." He laughed.

I laughed with him. "Yeah. She's great." I turned in my seat to look at him. "I'm so happy that you like them. They're really important to me."

"I could tell. They treat you like family." He said, reaching over to take my hand. "I'm just happy to see you smiling so much."

"Thank you, babe. I can't tell you how good it feels to see them again." I started tracing my fingers on his palm. "So, you're really okay with going to Tucson tomorrow." I asked, worried that he would be too tired to drive again, considering all the travel we had done today.

"I'm actually pretty excited about it, actually. We came down here to have fun, and I think a road trip with my beautiful girlfriend and her best friend sounds great." Edward said, sincerely.

"Speaking of fun, I had an idea." I said. "There's this guy that Angie likes. He goes to UA Tucson and they took the shuttle together on Fridays. Anyway, he's the one that got her the job at the coffee shop and he even took her shift tomorrow so she could spend time with us."

"Sounds like a nice guy." Edward said. "What's your idea?"

"Well, they're both too shy to ask each other out on a date. Kind of like us." I laughed. "I was thinking that maybe we could go on a double date tomorrow night when we get back from Tucson."

"Sure. Does Angela know about this plan?" He looked over at me and smiled. "Or, are you playing matchmaker?"

"I'm playing matchmaker." I admitted. "But, Edward, I know she's crazy about him, and I want her to be as happy as we are."

"Okay, honey. Why don't we stop by the coffee shop tomorrow and ask him. I'm sure he'll happily join us." Edward looked over at me with a smirk. "Are you going to wear the white dress for dinner tomorrow night?" He winked.

"Edward." I laughed.

"What? You're beautiful and I think you're going to look like an angel in that dress." He explained.

"Okay. I'll wear the dress." I giggled at him.

We pulled back in to the hotel and walked hand in hand to back to the elevator and then to our room. As soon as we closed the door, Edward pulled his shirt over his head. "It's so hot down here, babe. How did you stand it your whole life?" He asked.

I walked over to him and ran my hands from his shoulders to his hands. "Well, it would have been better if you were here, dressed like this." I teased, before reaching up to kiss his chin.

"I would have been here in a heartbeat if I knew the girl of my dreams was living here." He said, leaning down and picking me up bridal style and carrying me to the bed. He set me down and crawled over beside me. He pulled me to his chest. "So, you're having a good time?" He asked, stroking my hair.

"Yeah, I am. And I'm glad you're here with me, too." I said, tracing my fingers up and down his back.

"Me, too." He said, leaning over me and kissing my neck. "I love you, Bella." he said, running his hand down my side to my hip. "We should get to sleep, babe. We have to get up at around six."

I groaned. "Okay." I said, getting up. I went to my suitcase and grabbed my pyjamas, before going in the bathroom. I pulled my hair back, washed my face, brushed my teeth and slipped my pyjamas on. I had brought the t-shirt Edward bought me in Port Angeles to wear to sleep.

I walked back to the bed to find Edward undressed and just in his boxers. "God, Bella. It is so hot down here." He said getting up, pressing a kiss on my forehead. "I'm going to have a quick shower to cool off." He went to his suitcase and grabbed another pair of boxers, then went to the bathroom. I didn't notice the heat, because I had grown up with it. Edward had always been in colder climates, so I wasn't surprised he was so warm.

I crawled into bed and set the radio alarm clock on the bedside table to six AM. I laid back on the bed and stretched out. I had never slept in a king size bed. It was luxurious. "You look like you're enjoying that, sugar." Edward said, walking back to the bed in a pair of grey boxers. He shut off the light and crawled back in beside me.

"I am. Feel better?" I asked, scooting closer to him, running my fingers over his abs. His skin was ice cold and he even had goose bumps on his chest and arms.

"Much better." He said, rolling over to face me. He pulled me close and placed a kiss to my lips. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too, Edward. Goodnight." I snuggled my face to his cool chest, and closed my eyes. Falling asleep in my boyfriend's arms was the perfect way to end an amazing day.


	59. Chapter 59

**A/N - Thanks for the support on this fic! I just realized that this fic is over 100, 000 words. Crazy! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 59 - Heat

I woke up in Edward's arms when the alarm went off. It was fast becoming my favourite place to be. I leaned over and shut off the alarm. We were both sticky and I was getting hot already. I hoped this heat didn't make Edward too uncomfortable. He didn't seem to be liking the weather, too much. I leaned over and placed an open mouth kiss on his neck, tasting his salty skin.

"Mmm." He groaned, pulling me close. "What time is it?"

"It's six, babe. Time to get up." I said, running my fingers through his damp hair. He was already sweating.

He rolled onto his back. "Bella. I'm so hot." He laughed, rubbing his chest and stomach, that were glittering with sweat.

"Go have another cold shower." I suggested. I got up and walked to his suitcase. "What do you want to wear today, Edward?"

"Nothing." He teased, causing me to blush.

"What about a white t-shirt and some shorts?" I asked, pulling out a shirt and a pair of knee length beige cargo shorts.

"Yeah, that's good, thanks." He said, getting up to pick up the clothes I had set on the desk beside his suitcase. He took a pair of boxer briefs from the suitcase and headed into the bathroom. I laughed to myself. He was trying so hard not to complain about the heat.

I picked out a pair of black shorts and a flowy turquoise tank top. I walked around the room, tidying it up a bit. Then, I decided to give my dad a quick call before Edward came out of the bathroom. I figured he would be up at quarter after six. I dialled the number.

"Hello?" It was so good to here my dad's voice again.

"Hey, dad." I said, excitedly.

"Hey, Bells. How's the trip going so far?" He seemed eager to hear about it. "How's Angela?"

"Oh, it's great. Seeing Angela again was amazing. It was like we haven't been apart for nine months. Edward fit in really well over there, too. Oh, and I wanted to let you know, we are driving down to Tucson for the day with Angela. She wants to show us her college and the places she hung out this last year." I thought it would be good to let him know where we were. Being the daughter of a police chief had made me vigilant over the years to always let someone know where I was.

"That sounds fun. Have a good time, and be careful on the highway." He was such a dad. "How's Edward doing? Is he liking the heat?"

I laughed. "No. He's getting a little cranky about it actually. It's cute. He's taking another cold shower now. I hardly notice it, because I'm used to it, but he's so used to cooler climates."

"Tell him to hang in there." Charlie laughed with me.

"I will. So how are things up there?" I asked.

"Things are good. Carlisle and I caught a couple fish each yesterday, and I guess Esme took the kids shopping in Port Angeles yesterday. I'm still on the night shift this week, so I'll be busy all week."

"That's great, dad. I'm glad things are going good. Anyway, I should get going. I have to get ready to go. We're picking up Angela at eight. I'll call you tonight, okay?" I was calling to make sure he didn't worry, but, really, I was calling to make myself feel better.

"Okay. Have a good time, kiddo. Tell Edward I say 'hi.'" He said, sounding relieved that the trip was going well.

"I will. I love you, dad. Bye."

"I love you, too, Bells." I hung up, just as Edward walked out of the bathroom, all dressed and ready. He didn't shave, so he had the start of that sexy stubble look. The only other time I had never seen Edward unshaven, was when we had to stay in Port Angeles, but he had shaved when he got home. I loved this look.

"Hey, baby." Edward said, walking over to me and sitting beside me. "Did your dad call?" He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"No. I called him. You're mom and the kids went shopping yesterday and your dad and mine caught some fish yesterday. They're all doing good." I leaned over and kissed his rough jaw. "And my dad said 'hi' and to hang in there with the heat." I laughed.

He laughed. "Did you tell him that I was complaining?" He said, pushing me back on the bed, tickling my sides. I started laughing, slapping at his hands. "Bella?"

"Okay, okay. I may have said you were a little cranky." I admitted, still laughing. He laughed and leaned over me, kissing my neck.

"Just so you know, we're having the AC on in the car today." He said, standing up.

"Sounds good." I said, standing up, too. "I better go have a shower and get ready, okay?"

"Sure. I'm going to run get us something to eat. I'll be right back." He said, kissing the top of my head.

"Okay. I love you." I said, taking my clothes to the bathroom.

"Love you, too, sugar." He said, before grabbing the room key and heading out of the room.

I got in the shower and washed my hair and shaved my legs. I got out, got dressed and brushed my teeth. As I was drying my hair, I heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Baby. I'm back." I heard Edward call.

"I'll be right out." I said. I pulled the front of my hair back into a clip and left the back long. I walked out into the bedroom and noticed that Edward had a small bouquet of desert poppies in a vase on the desk. They were a beautiful yellowy-orange color, with a dark orange center. He had also brought juice, bagels and apples. "Oh, Edward. They're gorgeous." I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around is waist. "Thank you, baby." I kissed his chest.

"There's a florist just down the street. I wanted something native to Arizona for your book, and this is what they gave me." I couldn't believe he went out of his way to get me something to remember our trip to Arizona by.

"Baby. I love you so much. Can I keep you?" I said, leaning up to kiss him. He leaned down and his lips met mine in a deep kiss.

"Forever, honey." He kissed me again. "You hungry?"

"Yeah. This looks good." We sat together and ate. "So, babe. You want to pick up Ang, and then go to the coffee shop to invite Ben out tonight before we go?" I was really excited about the double date.

"Sure, baby. Whatever you want." He said, reaching down, picking up my feet and setting them on his lap. He started running his fingers up from my feet to my knees, then back down again. "Why was I complaining about the heat, again?" He asked, looking from my legs up to my face, smiling. "I love those shorts, babe. You look amazing."

"Edward." I said, blushing.

"What? You have gorgeous legs." He said, setting them down, before leaning over to brush my heated cheeks with his fingers. "And, you're beautiful when you blush." I looked down. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?" He asked, sounding worried.

"No, Edward. It's just that I'm not used to anyone thinking that, or saying that to me. This is all new to me, remember?" I said, looking up at him.

"I know, honey. I'm sorry. You're just so beautiful." He dropped down on his knees in front of me, and pulled me close to him, resting his cheek on my stomach.

I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. "Thanks, Edward, but don't apologize, please. I blush at everything, but it doesn't mean that I don't like when you say things like that to me. You make me feel pretty." I explained. I didn't want him to have to censor his true feelings from me.

"You are pretty. And beautiful and sexy." He said. "Now, let's go pick up Angela and make some plans for our double date."

He stood up and took my hands, pulling me to my feet. We both slid on our flip flops, put on our sunglasses, and headed out the door. I had a lot to look forward to today: matchmaking, a road trip with two of my favourite people on the planet, and hopefully, if Ben agreed, a double date.


	60. Chapter 60

**A/N - Hey readers! I'm still excited about the response to this fic! You all make me smile! Here's a light, fun chapter for you all! Enjoy!**

Chapter 60 - A Surprise for Angela

I was always quite shy and never really talked to guys before Edward, but I was actually looking forward to asking Ben to go out with us tonight. I had no idea how happy I could be with someone to share my life with, and I wanted my best friend to have that, too, especially because I couldn't be there for her in person all the time.

The ride to Angela's place went quickly, as Edward and I were planning what we should say to both Ben and Angela. We decided not to tell Angela about our dinner plans in case Ben wasn't free tonight. "We can just go in to pick up coffee, Angela can introduce us to him, then we can suggest hanging out together tonight." Edward said. At first, he seemed a little unsure about the matchmaking thing, but now, I could tell he was totally into it.

I smiled at him. "Yeah. I like the idea of keeping it casual."

We pulled up to Angela's house and she was sitting on the front steps waiting for us. When she saw the car, she jumped up and ran over to us. She was wearing white eyelet skirt and a ribbed yellow tank. She had a grey messenger bag slung across her body, and large white framed sunglasses pushed up in her hair. She looked great.

"Hey, you two." She said, climbing in the backseat.

"Hey, Ang." I said, turning in my seat to look at her. "You look fabulous."

"Thanks, girl. So do you guys. Hot already, Edward?" She asked with a laugh. True to his word, Edward already had the air conditioning on in the car.

"Yes." He said exasperatedly. "How do you girls stand it?" He laughed.

"Well, we're Arizona girls to the core, right Bella?" Angela laughed.

"Absolutely, girl." I said, reaching back to squeeze her hand. Edward pulled in front of Java City and parked.

"Why did you take me to work? I have the day off." Angela said, looking at Edward, confused.

"Well, Edward hasn't had any coffee today, and he's already a little grumpy from the heat. Java City is only like five minutes from your house. We thought it would be nice to see where you worked, too. So, it's a win, win." I looked at Edward and winked, so that he knew I was joking, and using him as an excuse to put our plan in motion.

Edward was smiling. "Okay, Angela. Give us the tour. I need some caffeine." He said, walking up to the door and holding it opened for both of us before following us in. He reached out and took my hand, as we followed Ang to the counter. There was just one person behind the counter, but when the bell above the door rang, an older woman came out from the back with a clipboard in her hand. "Need any help, Ben?" She asked with a Spanish accent, not even looking up from her work.

He looked at Angela and a huge smile broke out on his face. "No, I got this, Senna." He answered. So, this was Ben. He looked to be our age, and was really cute. He had black hair and brown eyes, and was really tanned. He wore a bright blue t-shirt that was partially covered by the orange Java Café apron. He was about 5'6 or 5'7, a little shorter than Ang, but not by much. "Hey, Angela. Why are you in here on your day off?" He asked, but it was obvious that he was happy she was there.

"Hi, Ben. Actually, we're heading to Tucson, and just came in for some coffee for the drive." She was blushing furiously, but she looked happy to see him. "I want to introduce you to my best friend Bella and her boyfriend, Edward. They came from Washington State to visit me for a few days." She told him excitedly.

"Oh, that's great. Nice to meet you both." Ben said, reaching his hand out. "I've heard a lot about you, Bella.

I took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, too, Ben." I said. "All good I hope."

Edward stepped forward and shook his hand. "Hey, man. What do you have that's cold, but has a lot of caffeine?" He asked with a smile.

"Well, we have the Javalanche. It's a blended beverage and you can get a ton of different flavours." He said, pointing to the menu behind him.

"Sounds good. I'll take the Coffee Javalanche." Edward said. "Girls?"

"Oh, um, let's see." I looked at the menu. "Oh, the mint chocolate one looks good." I said.

"I'll take the vanilla cream." Angela said, smiling. "Thanks, Edward."

"Make them all large, please." Edward said, walking over to the counter to pay for them.

"Thank you, babe." I said, squeezing his hand.

"Okay, coming right up." Ben said, smiling at us. While he made the drinks, We all went to sit at a table.

"Okay, so I wanted to check out, Ben. Big deal." I said, wrapping my arm around Angela's shoulder. "He's cute."

"I know." She giggled. "But, the best part is how nice he is. You think he's nice, right?"

"He seems like a great guy, Angela." Edward said, reassuring her. "He like you, too."

"How do you know?" She asked.

"Because he looks at you, the way I looked at Bella before I had the courage to ask her out. Kind of a hopeful admiration." He laughed.

"Really?" She asked. "So, do you think he's going to ask me out?"

"Your drinks are ready." Ben called from the counter, before we could answer. I was glad for the interruption, because I didn't want to tell her about our plan.

"Thanks." Angela said, as we walked up to get our drinks.

"Um, Ben. We're going out for dinner tonight. Do you want to join us?" I asked hopefully.

"Uh, I don't want to impose. I mean, it sounds great, but are you sure you want me there?" Ben answered, looking at Angela. I could see why these two hadn't been out on a date, yet. They may just be worse than Edward and I were.

"Yeah, man. We're going to be here for a couple of days and I don't really know anyone else, besides these two beautiful ladies." Edward said, looking at us. "We're just going to hang out for a while tonight, relax. Plus, I could really use another guy around." He laughed, looking at me and winking.

That seemed to convince Ben. He smiled widely. "Yeah, okay. That sounds great. Where and when?"

"How about seven?" Edward suggested. "As for where, I have no idea." He laughed.

Angela and I looked at each other. "Top Shelf Mexican." We said at the same time, and then started laughing.

"That place is great." Ben said with a smile. "Do you want me to pick you up, Angela?" I loved that Ben was starting to act a little more comfortable around us. Tonight was going to be a lot of fun.

Angela looked over at me. I nodded my head at her in reassurance. "Um, yeah. That would be great, actually." She agreed.

"Alright, girls. We should be heading out. We've a got a long drive ahead of us." Edward said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "It was nice to meet you, Ben."

"Yeah. You, too. So, I guess I'll see you all tonight." Ben replied. He could not stop smiling.

"Bye, Ben." I said, as we turned to leave the coffee shop.

"See you tonight." Angela said, leaning over the counter to kiss his cheek. She blushed and quickly followed us out the door. She ran to the car and got in the backseat, before Edward even had my door opened. "Oh my god. I can't believe I just did that." She squealed, covering her face with her hand.

Edward pulled out and started driving. I turned in my seat again so I could see both Edward and Angela. "That was awesome, Angie. I'm so proud of you." I said, reaching my hand back to squeeze her knee.

"Angela, you have that guy eating out of the palm of your hand." Edward laughed.

"Really?" She asked.

"Definitely." Edward said, turning up the AC.

We laughed, sang to pop songs and teased Edward about the heat for the next hour and half until we reached the outskirts of Tucson. Edward was smiling and laughing the entire ride, especially at how Angela and I knew all the words to every single Destiny's Child, Gwen Stefani and Enrique Iglesias song. We loved our pop music. I knew I couldn't sing to save my life, and Angela was even more off key than I was, but we both loved to sing and we did it all the time.

I was nice that we both felt comfortable enough to sing in front of Edward. He fit right in with us. He teased us a little bit, but it was light hearted and I knew he was having fun, too. He liked blues and folk music, and didn't listen to mainstream hits, but he didn't mind that we had picked the radio station and sang our hearts out.

By the time we pulled up in front of the University of Arizona, both Angela and I were frozen, despite all of the dancing and singing. Edward had the car like a freezer. I couldn't wait to get out in the sun and warm up. I was looking forward to seeing Angela's new school and hang outs.


	61. Tucson

**A/N - Thanks so much for all your great reviews! I can't say enough how much I love them! This chapter involves a lot of details about Arizona. I have to admit that I've never been to Arizona in my life, but, I'm a great virtual tourist, and I did a lot of research before I wrote this chapter. If your from Arizona, I apologize if it's not perfect, but I tried really hard to get it right. I have to say, writing this chapter has piqued my interest and I would love to visit sometime. Enjoy!**

Chapter 61 - Tucson

We had parked by the College of Nursing, on Martin Avenue. The red brick building was huge, and was just a few blocks from the University Medical Center. It looked intimidating to me, but I supposed that Angela was used to it by now.

It was the summer, so there were only a fraction of the students mulling around the campus, than there would have been in the fall or spring semesters. Angela led the way, and Edward and I followed hand in hand, as she took us on a tour around the building. She showed us all of the rooms and labs she took classes in. She looked so excited to have someone to share this with. I was so glad that we came and I could be here for my best friend. Edward asked questions along the way which would cause Angela to tell stories about the past year. They were getting along so well.

"Oh, hello, Miss Weber." An older woman with clearly dyed, bright red hair, and large, black, plastic framed glasses, walked out of one of the offices as we passed. She was a short, hefty woman and she had a very friendly air about her.

"Hi, Mrs. Cope." Angela smiled, then turned to us. "Bella, Edward. This is Mrs. Shelley Cope. She taught me Acute and Chronic Illness Management last semester. She's my favourite professor. Mrs. Cope. This is my best friend, Bella Swan, and her boyfriend, Edward Cullen. They came to visit me from Washington State for a few days." She sounded so proud to introduce us.

Both Edward and I shook her hand. She seemed like such a nice woman. "Were you planning on signing up at the U of A?" She asked, likely wondering why were going on a tour of the school.

"Oh, no, ma'am. We're just visiting. Bella and I both go to the University of Washington in Seattle. I'm studying Chemistry, hoping to get into Pharmacology and Bella's in the Education program." Edward explained to her.

"That's nice. Do you know Dr. Jason Jenks?" Mrs. Cope asked Edward. "I met him at a medical conference last year."

"No, I haven't had the pleasure." Edward answered politely. "But, I've got a lot of years ahead of me."

"They've got a great program up there. Well, I'll let you guys go finish your tour. It was nice to meet you both. Have a great summer, Miss Weber." Mrs. Cope said, walking down to another office.

Angela seemed excited to have seen her professor, and excitedly told us about her class as we walked back out to the parking lot.

"Thanks for the tour, Ang." I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. "You have a great campus, down here."

"I'm glad you liked it. Now when I e-mail you about school, you'll be able to picture what I'm talking about." Ang said.

"Hey, girls. Stand together by the sign." Edward said. "Babe, can I have your camera?"

I took the camera out of my bag and passed it to Edward. He snapped a couple shots of Angela and I in front of the U of A and the College of Nursing signs.

"Thanks, Edward." I said, kissing his chin, before we got back into the car to go for lunch.

We stopped at Bison Witches Bar and Deli at Angela's insistence. She claimed the bread bowls of soup were to die for. She was right. Ang and I both had the Cheddar Soup and Edward had Potato, but ended up eating a lot of mine. Apparently, Angela came here at least once a week for dinner. Over lunch, we decided we would head back to Phoenix at around four, so we would have about an hour to change for dinner. By the time we finished with lunch, it was one. That gave us three hours to explore the city.

We decided, that we'd check some of the shops along 4th Avenue first, considering that was where Bison Witches was located, so we were already here. "This is one of the trendiest place to hang out. They have festivals and live music. It's pretty cool."

We walked down one side of 4th Avenue and then back on the other side. It took us about an hour to stop in all the shops. There were great arts and crafts shops, jewellery boutiques and clothing stores. Edward bought me a beautiful silver necklace with a small turquoise stone charm. It was dainty and classy. I loved it.

We stopped at Del Sol and bought my dad a handmade stone wear mug with a fish painted on it. It had a very unique southwest design, which is what I wanted for him. Edward found a beautiful blanket with a Mexican design for his mom and dad, and I bought myself some hand woven rooster potholders. Edward and Angela laughed at them, but as soon as I saw them, I had to have them. I found a beautiful, knit shoulder bag for Rose, too.

We found a cute little coin purse for Alice, and Edward found her a bright coloured, beaded bracelet. He bought another one, in a different color, for Alice's friend Bree. We stopped in a smoke shop, and bought Emmett an incense burner and some incense. We figured he would think that was really cool. Edward couldn't figure out what to get Jasper. We walked passed a funky little clothing store, and Angela pointed out a dark brown, straw cowboy hat. Edward laughed, but bought it anyway.

We found a cute store where they made purses out of recycled items. I bought Maria a cute messenger bag and I found a little pink purse for Alice.

Edward found a music shop and bought a new, leather guitar strap. He seemed to really love it. He also bought some sheet music from some of his favourite blues artists, like Magic Slim, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. Edward was really excited about them, and got some cardboard from the man behind the counter so they wouldn't bend in his suitcase.

We loaded everything back in the car and drove to the Old Town Artisans mall, which had more arts and crafts. There was a beautiful fountain, and Angela took a photo of Edward and I in front of it. We were facing each other, Edward's hands were on my waist, and mine were on his shoulders. He was leaning down to me and I was on my toes to reach him. This photo of us, kissing in front of a fountain in Tucson, Arizona, was beautiful. As we shopped some more, I found a frame with a southwest design. It would be perfect for the photo.

We stopped at the Presidio at about quarter after three. We spent the next three quarters of an hour walking through the over two hundred year old neighbourhood, looking at all of the old buildings, taking a ton of pictures of the architecture and each other in front of the buildings.

We picked up some bottles of water and went back to the car to head back to Phoenix.

On the drive back, we really took time to appreciate the scenery. Edward pulled over at one point, so I could take a picture of him beside a cactus. He couldn't believe how big they were. Even though it killed him to leave the safety of the air conditioned car, he really wanted to see a cactus up close. I thought he was adorable, as he had a huge smile on his face. Apparently, this was his first cactus.

I took photos of Edward and Angela in the car, and we had as much fun on the way back, as we did on the way to Tucson. But, I thought, it was even better, because Angela and Edward were even more comfortable with each other. I really couldn't have asked for this trip to turn out any better than it was.

The closer we got to Phoenix, the more nervous Angela was getting for the double date. Edward told her not to worry about it, and just be herself. "Plus, we're going to be there, so if there is a lull in the conversation, Edward and I will fill it in." I reassured her.

"Promise?" She asked, sounding a little quieter than her usual bubbly self.

"I promise, Ang. This is going to be great. Now cheer up, because in about an hour, your date is going to pick you up." I smiled at her. "We'll meet you in the lobby of the restaurant."

"Angela. Do you really like this guy?" Edward asked her, as we drove back into Phoenix.

"Yeah. I really do. I think he's perfect for me. He's nice, happy, thoughtful, generous and he's really cute." Angela said.

"Okay. Then you're going to be fine. If this is what you really want, and who you really want, then I'm glad Bella decided to do this tonight. You deserve to be happy, Angela." Edward said, as he reached over to squeeze me hand.

"Edward, you're going to make me cry." Angela said, laughing.

"Oh my god, Angela. He does that to me all the time." I laughed. Edward just smiled and shook his head.

We pulled up to Angela's house to drop her off. She leaned in between us and kissed us both on the cheek. "Thanks, guys. I had a great day. See you in an hour." She hopped out of the car and ran up to her front door.

I turned to Edward. "I had a great day. Thanks, baby." I leaned over to him and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"You're welcome. I love you." He said, giving me one more quick kiss, before driving back to our hotel.

On the drive back, I called Edward's house to check in. "Hello." Carlisle answered the phone.

"Hi, Carlisle. It's Bella. How is everything back home?" I asked. It was always nice to hear a familiar voice.

"Oh, Bella. It's good to hear from you. We're all doing good. How's the trip so far?" He seemed so excited to hear from us.

"It's been amazing. We went down to Tucson today and we just got back to Phoenix, now. We're heading back to the hotel to change and then we're going out on a double date tonight with my best friend." I told him.

"Okay, I had better not keep you, then. Stay safe down there. I love you both. Oh, Alice is tugging at my sleeve. Do you have a minute to speak to her?"

"Of course. Anything for Alice. Put her on." I said. I looked over at Edward and he had a contented smile on his face. I think he was happy about how perfectly I got along with his family.

"Bella?" I heard Alice's excited voice.

"Hi, sweetie. How are you? How was school?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm good, but I miss you guys." She said honestly.

"I know, honey. We miss you, too. But we went shopping today, and we found some things for you, okay? We'll be back on Saturday for dinner." I was trying to reassure her that we would be back soon.

"I love you, princess." Edward said loudly, so she could hear him. She giggled in response, so I know she heard him.

"Your brother's driving, so he can't talk right now." I explained.

"Okay. Can I call you guys tomorrow morning before school?" She asked hopefully.

"Of course, Alice. We love you." I told her.

"I love you, too. Goodnight." She said. I heard the click of the phone signalling that she had hung up.

I turned to Edward. "I miss them." I said.

Edward parked the car back at the hotel. "Me, too."


	62. Double Date

**A/N - Thanks again for all the feedback. Love it! Here is the much anticipated double date! Enjoy!**

Chapter 62 - Double Date

As soon as we got back to our room in the hotel, Edward went straight to the bathroom to take another quick shower. While he was in the bathroom, I called the station to let my dad know that we were back from Tucson, but Sue, the receptionist, picked up the phone and told me he was out on a call. I left a message with her. "Just tell him that we're back from Tucson and everything went great. Tell him that I love and miss him and I'll call tomorrow morning. Thanks, Sue." I said before hanging up.

I stripped out of my clothes and pulled on my white sundress. I had to wear a strapless bra underneath because it had very thin spaghetti straps. I slipped on my metallic jewelled flat sandals and walked over to the mirror above the desk. I combed out my hair and pulled it into a side ponytail.

Edward walked out of the bathroom wearing only his cargo shorts. "Wow." He said, walking up to me and taking both of my hands in his. "You look stunning."

I blushed at the attention. "Thanks, baby." I said, standing on my toes, leaning up to him. He anticipated what I wanted and leaned down to meet my lips in a kiss.

"I love you, baby." He said, pulling back. "So, what am I wearing?" Edward never seemed to have a problem dressing himself before we met, but lately, he had been relying on me to figure out his outfits. I didn't mind, though. He was a great model. Everything looked good on him.

I went through his suitcase and pulled out a dark grey, short sleeved polo shirt and a pair of jeans. "Are you too hot for jeans?" I asked him.

"No, that's fine. Thanks, sugar." He slipped the shirt over his head. It fit him tightly, clinging to his toned chest and arms. I was speechless. He unzipped his shorts and they dropped to the floor. He grabbed the jeans off of the bed and pulled them on. I probably shouldn't have been standing there, watching him get dressed, but I couldn't look away from him. I was in awe of his body. He sat on the bed and put on his shoes. I finally moved from where I felt cemented to the floor.

"I'm just going to go to the bathroom for a minute." I said quietly. I turned and went to the bathroom. I wiped my face and put on some light makeup and brushed my teeth. I came back out in the room and Edward was standing by the door. "It's about ten to seven, babe. We should get over to the restaurant."

"Oh, yeah. Okay. I'm ready." I said, looking up at Edward.

"You look beautiful, honey. I'm a lucky guy." He said, unleashing a breathtaking smile at me. I was on my way to a double date with my best friend and her crush, and my boyfriend, who had to be the most handsome man I had ever seen. I was the lucky one.

We pulled up to the Top Shelf Mexican Cantina at about five after seven. Edward and I walked up to the restaurant hand in hand. I loved the feeling of his long fingers wrapped around my hand. I felt safe and loved, just by holding his hand. He opened the door for me, and we walked into the lobby. I was glad that we got here before Ang and Ben. I didn't want to keep them waiting.

It was decorated in a beautiful Mexican style, with a green tin ceiling and a red tiled floor. There was a white fountain in the lobby. Edward and I sat down on one of the benches to wait for Ang and Ben. Edward leaned over and kissed the top of my head, then smiled at me. "You look so pretty in that dress, angel." He said quietly.

I smiled back at him. "Thanks, babe. You look incredible in that shirt, by the way." I said, reaching up to rub my hand over his bicep. The fabric was soft and must have had a little silk in it.

He chuckled a little at that, looking down.

The door opened and Angela walked in, followed by Ben. I was happy to see that he had opened the door for her. It might seem like a minor detail to some people, but Angela and I had often talked about our ideal qualities in men, and courtesy was always our number one. I know she noticed and appreciated it.

Edward and I stood up and I pulled Angela into a hug. "You look great, girl." I whispered in her ear. She was wearing a black dress that hit her mid thigh. It was loose and was synched at the waist, with billowing sleeves that went to her elbows. She was also wearing black ballet flats. "How was the ride?" She pulled out of the hug and smiled at me, nodding once. I knew that everything went well and she'd tell me the details tomorrow.

Edward and Ben shook hands. I gave Ben a quick hug and Angela hugged Edward as well. Ben was dressed in khaki pants and a bright green, button front shirt. This boy liked the bright colors.

We walked up to the hostess, and asked for a table for four in the dining room. We were seated at a booth, so Angela and I scooted into the bench seats across from each other, and Ben and Edward sat beside us on the ends. The hostess gave us our menus and left us to look through them.

"So, do you guys want to get an appetizer to start?" I asked, hoping to get everyone to relax. Ang looked a little nervous.

"Sure, baby. So, you and Angela seemed excited to come here. What's good?" Edward asked, absently tracing his fingers along my hand, that was sitting on the seat between us.

I looked up and Angela and smiled. "The Ultimate Nachos." I said. Angela and I had spent a lot of time sitting in this restaurant sharing a big plate of nachos, talking through important issues and big decisions in our lives, like family, college and moving.

"Sounds good to me." Ben said. The waitress came over and brought water to our table, and Edward ordered our nachos. We also ordered our meals and drinks, virgin strawberry margheritas for Angela and I, and cokes for Ben and Edward.

"So, Ben. How was work today?" I asked, hoping to start up some conversation. Angela was being unusually quiet.

"It was okay. Not too busy." He looked down. I could tell he was nervous, too. "But, the highlight of the day was definitely when you guys stopped in this morning."

Angela laughed. "That was a surprise for me, too." She looked over at Ben and he looked at her. They both smiled at each other. It was such a sweet moment.

"Well, we wanted to meet the guy that took Angie's shift for her. Thanks so much for that, by the way. We had a great day in Tucson together." I told Ben.

"And, Edward got to see a cactus." Angela teased.

We all laughed. "Well, you definitely came to the right state for cactus viewing, Edward." Ben laughed.

Edward blushed a little. "Come on. I'm from Washington. I've been surrounded by nothing but evergreen trees and rain my entire life. This whole desert thing is a little different." He explained with a smile on his face.

The nachos came then and we all dug into the corn chips covered in beans, ground beef and sour cream. As we ate, we filled in Ben on the rest of our day.

Our dinner came about ten minutes later. Angela ordered the Santa Fe Fajita Salad and Ben, the Beef Tostada Grande and I got the Chicken Chimichangas. Edward didn't know what to order. He claimed his only knowledge of Mexican food was microwave burritos. We all laughed, as did Edward, but I knew for a fact that was true.

Ben suggested that he get the Mexican dinner that had a cheese enchilada, beef taco and a tamale, so he could try a little bit of everything. It was a good call on Ben's part, because Edward loved everything. "Baby, we're going to have to learn to cook this back home." He said to me in between bites. I promised that we would. I wanted to give cooking with Edward another shot when we got home.

Over dinner, our conversation flowed easily. We all learned a lot about each other. We found out that Ben has an older brother, Austin, that lived in Phoenix with his wife and newborn baby daughter. Ben, also told us about his major in Web Design and Development. But despite being a self described computer nerd, he seemed to be very athletic and had studied tae-kwon-do for about seven years.

I really liked Ben and I was glad that he had the courage to ask Angela for her number a couple of weeks ago. I was most happy about the fact that we all seemed to get along, and it seemed like we had all known each other for years, not just hours.

Both Angela and Ben had to work the morning shift tomorrow morning, Tuesday, but we had agreed to meet for a late lunch at around two o'clock. We decided that we would spend the afternoon together, considering that Edward and I had to leave at noon on Wednesday.

After a little good humoured argument, Ben and Edward finally decide to split the bill. Edward had also bought me a couple of cheesecake chimis to take back to the hotel for tonight.

We all hugged each other before walking out into the parking lot together. I leaned over and whispered in Angela's ear. "He's perfect for you." I echoed her first impression of Edward that she said last night at dinner with her parents.

Ben had parked next to our rental car. After our goodbyes, we got in the car. "That went so well, Edward. I'm so happy for her." I said, resting my head on the headrest and looking over at Edward.

"Yeah. I had a great time, and after the first few minutes, they seemed to loosen up and enjoy each other's company." He reached over and ran his fingertips over my lips, causing me to smile. "And you are just so beautiful. It killed me not to kiss you all night. I just didn't want to make things awkward for them."

"So, we're alone now. What are you waiting for?" I teased.

He smiled and leaned over, pressing a kiss to my lips. "I love you." He said, leaning back in his seat. He reached over and took my hand in his, holding it all the way back to the hotel.


	63. Couples and Commitment

**A/N - It was just brought to my attention yesterday, that this fic is well over 500 reviews! Thank you all so much! I really do appreciate the time you take to read and review! Enjoy!**

Chapter 63 - Couples and Commitment

When we parked at the hotel at about nine o'clock, Edward turned to me and asked if I wanted to go for a walk before we went upstairs.

"I would really like that, babe." I said, as we got out of the car. I took my camera, and he locked my purse and his wallet in the trunk of the car, and we started walking, hand in hand.

We headed west down Adams Street for about two and half blocks until we hit the Orpheum Theatre. "It was built in the twenties and apparently, they just reopened it around the time my mom and I moved down here."

"It's beautiful." Edward said, looking up at the architecture.

"Yeah. We had our high school graduation here. Lots of the high schools book it. It makes for great pictures." I told him.

An older couple stopped in front of the theatre and were looking up at it, too. Edward walked up to them and asked if they would take our picture in front of it. "I will take yours, too, if you'd like." He offered in return. Of course, they agreed.

Edward passed the camera to them, and they snapped a picture of us. Edward stood behind me, with his arms around my body. My hands rested on his, which were clasped in front of my stomach.

The couple, who looked to be about sixty years old, switched places with us and Edward took their photo. "You're are a beautiful couple." The woman said, walking over to us. "Are you here on your honeymoon?"

I blushed. "No. Just a vacation. Hopefully, one day, though." Edward answered with a smile on his face. "We've only know each other for a couple of months, actually." He told them, clearly happy with the fact that the couple thought we were in such a serious relationship. He reached out to shake their hands. "I'm Edward and this Bella. We're from Washington State."

"Nice to meet you both." The man said, shaking our hands. "I'm Garrett and this is my wife of forty years, Kate. We're here from Alaska to celebrate our fortieth wedding anniversary." He told us proudly.

"Congratulations." I told them. I loved seeing examples of successful marriages. Because my own parents' divorce had hurt me so much, it was nice to see that some couples had success. I believed in marriage, and that it was forever.

"Thank you, dear." Kate said. "You two seem to be quite in love. I wish you both the best." She said.

"Thank you so much. I love her, and I'm not letting her go." Edward said, with a chuckle, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"He's a keeper, sweetheart." Kate said to me, with a motherly smile.

"Oh, I know he is." I said, looking up at him with a smile.

"It was nice to meet you both. Have a nice evening." Garrett said, taking his wife's hand.

"You, too. And, congratulations again." Edward said, as we kept walking to the end of the street, before turning down North 3rd Avenue and around the corner to West Washington Street. Edward took a couple pictures of the City Hall, which is twenty stories high, and very modern looking.

It was very dark, but the street lights were fairly bright. "Baby, I want to go back to the hotel. I don't like being out so late." I confessed. It always made me nervous to be on the streets this late. It was about nine-thirty.

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and held me close to his chest, running his hand up and down my arm. "Okay, angel. Let's head back and eat that cheesecake." He said. We decide to follow our path back the way we had come, instead of walking past Patriots Square Park at night. I knew Edward could tell that I was nervous to be out, the way he held me so protectively. I felt safe in his arms.

We made it back to the hotel in ten minutes and luckily, didn't run into any trouble, as the streets seemed to be quite busy downtown with tourists. We stopped back at the car and got our dessert, my purse and Edward's wallet.

We got back to our room and I kicked off my sandals. "I had fun today, Edward." I said, smiling at him. I grabbed a tank top and my sweatpants and went in the bathroom to change. I came out to find Edward laying on the bed in just his jeans. He had a bare chest and bare feet. His arms were behind his head and his eyes were closed, but opened when I crawled onto the bed with our dessert.

"Hey, honey." He said, bringing his arms out from behind his head and sitting up against the headrest. I leaned over and kissed his lips, then his chin and then right above his heart. I sat back smiling at him.

"Do you want some dessert?" I asked, opening the carton.

"Yes." He said smiling, turning onto his side to face me. He ran his hand along my leg. "You looked beautiful in that dress, baby. But, you look just as amazing in your sweatpants."

I blushed. "Thanks, Edward." I laughed. I reached over and ran my fingertips over his rough jaw. "Have I mentioned, yet, that I love the unshaven look?" I leaned over and kissed his cheek, loving the texture on my lips.

He picked up the dessert box and set it on the bedside table, before crawling over to me and kissing me deeply. He pulled back, slightly breathless. "No. You haven't mentioned that." He chuckled, leaning back over me and placing a trail of kisses from under my ear to shoulder.

"Well, I love it." I said, reaching my hands up to cup his face, lightly running my fingers over his stubble. "You're not going to shave tomorrow morning, are you?" I asked, blinking my eyes at him, pleadingly.

"I won't, now." He laughed, turning his head to kiss my palm. "Do you want your dessert now?" He asked, reaching over and bringing the box back to the bed. He took out a chimi and raised it to my lips, touching the end with the filling to my lips, leaving some of the whippy cheesecake on them, before leaning over to kiss me. He pulled back, licking his lips and smirking at me.

I took the other chimi out of the box and raised it up to his mouth. He took a huge bite, eating almost half of it. I started laughing at him. He looked so cute with his mouth full of food. "What did you think of that cute couple we met tonight? Weren't they sweet?" I said with a smile. I hoped that Edward and I would still be together in forty years. I had no doubt that we would be.

He held up the dessert for me and I took a bite. It was incredibly rich and delicious. He smiled. "They were sweet. But, do you know what I liked the most about meeting them?"

"What?" I asked, after I finished chewing.

"That they saw how much in love we are. I mean, I know what I feel for you, but it's nice that it shows, you know?" He mused.

"You're right. So, what are you doing in forty years? Do you want to come back down to Phoenix?" I teased.

He set the desserts back in the box and set them aside. He got up and pulled off his jeans, crawling back into bed in just his black boxer briefs. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. I laid my head down over his heart, which was beating strongly. "Yes, Bella. In forty years, I'm going to bring you back down here." He said seriously, running his fingers through my hair and down my back. "We'll be in our late fifties and we might be getting grey hair, but we'll kiss our kids and our grandbabies goodbye for a week or so, and we'll come down here and buy everyone souvenirs, just like we did today. But it won't be just for your dad, or my family, it will be for our family. A family we make together."

The tears built up in my eyes. I knew he could feel the wet drops on his chest. I turned my head and kissed over his heart. I looked up at him and smiled. "I love you, Edward." He reached up and wiped the tears from under my eyes. "I want that, too. Everything you just described. I want it. With you, and only you."

"Good." He said, rolling me onto my back and leaning over me to kiss my lips. He brushed the hair out of my face. "Because I meant what I said to them tonight. That I love you and I'm never letting you go."

"Don't ever let me go." I said softly, pulling his hard body down to lay beside me. We were wrapped in each others' arms, and I was exactly where I wanted to be for the rest of my life. Safe, warm and loved in the arms of the only man I would ever love.

We fell asleep that way. I knew that Edward was probably quite hot, but he didn't let me go. It was almost as if he was proving to me what he said tonight. He would never let me go.


	64. Trail Ride

**A/N - Every hit, review and alert is so encouraging! Thank you all so much! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 64 - Trail Ride

I woke up to Edward's cell phone ringing. I went to reach it, but Edward was laying on top of me, his arm across my stomach, his leg over mine, and his face buried in my neck. I gently pushed him over and he rolled onto his back. I leaned over him and picked up his phone. "Hello?" My voice sounded raspy.

"Hi, Bella." It was Alice, sounding perky, cheerful and wide awake. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was six-thirty in the morning. "Were you sleeping?" She giggled.

"Yeah, I was, but it's okay. I'm up now. Are you all ready for school?" I asked, sitting up and leaning against the headboard. I reached over and ran my fingers through Edward's hair as I talked to her. I really could watch him sleep for hours. He was so perfect.

"Yeah. We're having breakfast. Mom's making scrambled eggs and toast today." She told me.

"That sounds good, sweetie." I said. I looked over at Edward again. His eyes were opened and he was smiling at me. "Your brother just woke up. Do you want to talk to him?"

"Yeah. Put him on." She said excitedly.

I laughed and covered the phone with my hand. "Edward. Your sister wants to talk to you before school." I said, leaning over to kiss his forehead.

"Okay." He stretched his arms above his head, before rolling over on his side and reaching for the phone. "Hi, princess. What are you doing up so early?" He teased. "I think I'd better phone the teacher and tell her that they start school way too early."

I could hear her giggling over the phone. She loved her brother. I crawled out of bed and went to the bathroom. I decided to have a shower while Edward talked to his family. I was sure they would pass the phone around and he would talk to his brothers and parents, too.

I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body, brushed my teeth and combed out my hair. "Babe?" Edward was knocking on the door. I opened it and his eyes immediately took me in. He brought his hands up to my shoulders and ran his hands down my arms. "You're so beautiful." He leaned down and kissed me, as I blushed. "Can I kick you out for a sec?" He said, chuckling a little.

"Um, yeah." I giggled. Walking back into the bedroom.

He shut the bathroom door and I walked over to my suitcase. I had no idea what to wear today, because I didn't know what Edward and I were going to do until we met Ang and Ben at two o'clock for lunch.

I heard the bathroom door open and Edward walked out. "Sorry for kicking you out, babe." He said, walking over to me and pulling me to him in a hug. I ran my hands over his bare back.

"It's alright, Edward." I rested my chin on his chest and looked up at him. "What are we doing today? I don't know what to wear."

"Well, I was looking online last week, and I found a stable that does two hour horseback rides. It's about an hour out of the city, so it would take up four hours of our morning. If we leave at around eight, we should be back by noon."

"Oh, Edward, I would love to." I stood in my toes to kiss his chin. "Why didn't you tell me about that? It sounds amazing."

"Well, I didn't know if we would have any free time by ourselves, but since we have the morning to do whatever we want, I thought maybe you'd like to go." He explained, running one hand through my damp hair, the other still at the small of my back.

"I'm so excited." I said with a smile. Edward went to have a quick shower and I put on a pair of jeans, a black tank and some running shoes. Even though it was early, I knew it was going to be quite warm.

I braided my hair, so I didn't have to dry it. Edward walked out in a towel, again. I laughed. "We're really getting pretty comfy around each other, aren't we?" I teased.

Edward blushed a little, which I thought was cute, considering he was standing in front of me in nothing but a towel. "I forgot my clothes, honestly." He said defensively.

"Sure you did." I said, laughing. "Jeans and white t-shirt?" I asked, pulling them out of his suitcase with a pair of boxers.

"Yeah. Thanks, honey." He said, leaning over my shoulder and kissing my neck. He took his clothes and went back into the bathroom. I was surprised at myself, but I really didn't mind him walking around like that. He seemed to be quite comfortable around me, too.

I called my dad while Edward was getting dressed and let him know what we would be up to today. He sounded so happy that I was enjoying myself. I hung up with the promise to call him again tonight.

Edward, finally dressed, walked over to me and took my hand. "Let's grab some pastries from the continental breakfast downstairs to eat on the way." He leaned down and gave me a kiss.

"Oh, wait." He said, walking back to his suitcase. He opened it and pulled out two plaid, flannel shirts. He slipped the red and black one on over his t-shirt and then walked up to me and tied the blue and white one around my waist. "Just in case, okay?" He put both of his hands on my face and leaned down to place a soft kiss on my lips.

I grabbed my purse off of the desk and packed some sunscreen in it. Edward and I walked hand in hand to the restaurant off of the lobby to pick up some bottles of water, juice and a couple of cherry danishes before heading out to the car.

Edward hooked his iPod up to the car stereo and sang his blues music to me as we drove east to the Saguaro Lake Trail Ride. I absolutely loved his voice. And when he sang, you could see the feeling he put into it. I couldn't look away from him. He was beautiful.

I was glad that he had given me one of his shirts to wear because, in true Edward fashion, the AC was on again. I snuggled up in his flannel shirt, enjoying how soft and warm it was. "You look amazing in my shirt." He said in between songs.

I laughed. "Thanks, babe. But, it's mine now." I rubbed the collar on my cheek. "It's so soft."

"Well, it took about two years of wearing it in to get it like that." He laughed. "But, what my girl wants, she gets."

We got to the stable at just after nine. We used their bathrooms because apparently, there was no stopping once you start riding. We filled out the wavers and told them that neither of us had rode before. While we waited for the staff to prepare the horses, we took off the flannel shirts, tied them around our waists and put on our sunscreen. I put my purse back in the trunk, but kept my camera in my pocket. They also told us we could bring our bottles of water in a small saddle bag.

"Okay, sir. This is Lucy. She's a palamino horse and she's really calm. Great for beginners." The guide said to Edward. He was about twenty years old and appeared to native, but had a Spanish accent. He had dark skin and shiny black hair pulled back in a braid. He held the horse's reins while Edward put his left foot in the stirrup and lifted himself into the saddle. That boy was perfect at everything he tried.

"Okay, miss. We'll put you on Nettie." He said, leading a beautiful, chestnut brown horse, with a black tail and mane, over to me. He set a little step stool beside me and the guide helped me to get on the horse. It was a little difficult being so short, but I managed. Edward was looking at me, as if he wanted to be the one to help me on the horse.

There were two other couples, one about thirty years of age, and the other seemed to be in their fifties. Once everyone was mounted on their horses, the guide, who told us his name was Nahuel, lead us into the desert. The older couple rode ahead, followed by Edward and I, and the younger couple brought up the rear.

"Okay. We are riding in Tonto National Forest." Nahuel told us. I'll let you all talk amongst yourselves and enjoy the beauty of the desert. If you have any questions about the plant life, feel free to ask me.

We spent the next two hours, with Edward and I riding side by side, unless the path narrowed, enjoying the beauty of the desert. Edward and I took pictures of each other, and of the scenery. We rode past a many saguaro cacti, Saguaro Lake, and we saw the beautiful mountains. We even got to cross a river. I, of course, was quite nervous, but both Edward and Nahuel were both very encouraging to me, and I actually enjoyed it.

It was an amazing experience and I was so glad to share it with Edward. When we returned to the stable at eleven thirty, it was getting quite hot out. Before we dismounted, the guide took a photo of Edward and I side by side on our horses. Edward got off of his horse and then came over to me and held my arms, and then my waist, to help me off of Nettie. He leaned down and kissed me. "Did you have fun, baby?" He asked.

"I did. Thanks for suggesting this, Edward." I took his hand and we walked over to thank Nahuel. "Thank you so much. I had a great time. It was nice meeting you."

He smiled at me and shook my hand. "You are very welcome, miss. I'm glad you enjoyed your time with us."

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist. "Yeah, thanks, man. It was a great ride." I looked up at Edward. It seemed like he was acting a little bit possessive of me, but yet, was being very polite to the guide.

"I hope we'll see you both again sometime. Have a great day." Nahuel said, shaking Edward's hand, before turning and going back to the horses.

Edward and I walked back to the car and we got it. I tossed his flannel shirt in the back seat. I was quiet hot. Edward pulled out and back onto the highway. He wasn't saying much as we drove down the desert highway back to Phoenix. "Edward, pull over." I said after only five minutes of driving.

He did as I asked and put the car in park. "What's going on, babe? Did you not have a good time?" I reached over and took his right hand off the steering wheel and brought it to my mouth, kissing his fingers.

He sighed and leaned his head back on the headrest. "No, Bella. I loved every minute of it. You looked beautiful on the horse. I'm sorry." He turned in his seat and took both my hands in his. "I'm acting like a jerk. I was just a little jealous of the way the guide was looking at you. God. I'm such a guy." He laughed, shaking his head.

"Oh, Edward. You're not a jerk." I smiled. "I have to say that I like possessive Edward. He's a sexy boy." I lifted my eyebrows at him.

"Really?" He said, leaning over the center console, putting his hands on either side of my neck, and leaning in to kiss me hard. He pulled back with a smile on his face.

"Really." I said with a smile. That wasn't the first time I had seen Edward's insecurities rise to the surface. I would just have to make sure that he knew he had nothing to worry about.


	65. Double Date, Take Two

**A/N - I'm glad you liked jealous Edward! I think he's cute, too. Thanks for the feedback. I love it! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 65 - Double Date, Take Two

The rest of the ride back to the hotel was light-hearted and fun. After our kiss, Edward got out of the car and picked a few wildflowers for me. They were purple globe-like blooms. He passed them to me and leaned over to kiss me again. "I love you, angel."

It was nice that we didn't let concerns fester in our relationship. If there was a problem, we talked about it. I didn't want misunderstandings to cause arguments between us. As much I thought Edward was perfect, I knew he was human and had insecurities. I didn't fault him for that. His feelings were valid and I wouldn't hold that against him.

We talked about our horseback ride. Edward really liked the desert, except for the heat. I thought it was a great experience. It was nice that neither one of us had done that before.

I got a text from Angela just as we were getting back into the city. 'Hey, girl. Meet us at the Phoenix City Grille at two. Dinner tonight, my place. Love you, Ang.'

Back at the hotel, Edward had another shower. I swear, he had never been so clean in his life. He came out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of camo shorts and a tight black t-shirt. His hair was wet, and his skin was a bit sun-kissed. He was gorgeous.

"You look incredible, Edward." I told him, truthfully. He came up to me and wrapped his arms around me, leaning down to kiss me.

"I love you, baby." He said.

I went and had a quick shower again, as I was sticky from the heat. I got dressed in a short white skirt and a purple tank. I dried my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. I put on some light makeup and brushed my teeth. As I walked out into the bedroom, I saw Edward sitting on the side of the bed, holding his phone to his ear. "Yeah, okay, dad. Thanks. I'll tell her. Okay. Talk to you later. I love you, too. Bye." He shut off his phone and stood up.

"Edward." I said softly. He turned around. "Is everything okay?"

He smiled at me and walked over to me, placing his hands on my waist. "You are so stunning. I can't believe you're mine." He said softly.

"I am yours, Edward. Are you sure everything is alright?" I asked again.

"Yeah, baby. Everything is perfect. I just wanted to talk to my dad. I'm fine." He said with a smile. "Oh, he says 'hi,' by the way, and everyone loves and misses us."

I put my hands on his chest. "I love your family." I slid my hands down his chest to his abs, then around his waist. "You ready for lunch?" I asked.

"I'm starving." He said, taking my hand. I picked up my purse and we went down to the car.

We drove to the Phoenix City Grille, and walked into the lobby. Angela and Ben were standing together, holding hands. Ben was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt and khaki green shorts, and Angela was wearing a blue and white striped t-shirt and black shorts. A huge smile broke out across my face. I was glad things were working out for them.

"Hey, guys." I said, going up and giving them both a hug, before Ang hugged Edward, and Edward and Ben shook hands.

"So, what did you two do this morning in beautiful Phoenix?" Angela asked us once we were seated.

We told them about the horseback ride and they flipped through the digital camera and looked at the photos we took of our morning.

"That looks pretty fun. We'll have to do that sometime." Ben suggested to Angela. I felt a little better about leaving tomorrow, knowing Ang was so happy. You could see it on her face.

We all had a great lunch together, eating our sandwiches. Edward and I both got the 5 chile spiced chicken, Ang ordered the turkey club and Ben chose the Phoenix cheese steak. We all talked more about our classes and professors and shared some great stories. Ben was really fitting in with us and Edward and Angela were still getting along really well.

After lunch, we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon shopping. We went to the Camelback Colonnade first and got some great casual clothes. Edward also picked up a carry-on bag, so we could pack all of our new souvenirs. Then Ang suggested that we take Edward to the Biltmore Fashion Park. It was an outdoor mall, so it was a unique experience for him. It was a bit more pricey, but it was fun to look.

Ben and Edward sat together on a bench, while Angie and I looked in MAC cosmetics. They seemed to hit it off really well. I knew Edward usually kept to himself, and his brothers were his best friends. Besides Paul, I hadn't seen him with any other friends. I was glad that he and Ben seemed to be getting along so well.

We stopped at Lululemon, so Edward and Ben went to the Apple Store. The guys were waiting for us when we came out, Angela with a new hoodie, and me with a new pair of cropped exercise pants. Edward and Ben carried our bags for us, and Ang and I walked arm in arm with other. It was so good to be with my best friend and I was loving every minute of it.

We stopped for some frozen yogurt on our way out of the mall. We all squished together on a bench to eat. After we threw out our bowls, I asked a woman walking by if she would take a photo of all of us together on the bench. We all sat, Edward, Me, Ang and then Ben, with our arms around each other, and our sunglasses on. "Thank you so much." I said to the helpful woman.

"You have to send me a copy of that, Bella." Ang said, looking at it on the screen of the camera over my shoulder.

"Absolutely." I said, getting a little sentimental that our time together was almost over. We gave each other a hug. When we pulled back, I noticed she had tears in her eyes. "Angie, don't you dare. Not yet." I warned her.

She wiped her eyes and forced a smile at me. "Okay, sorry." She said with a watery giggle.

Edward came over to me and took me hand. "Okay, girls, we better get over to Angela's house. It's already close to seven."

She had told us that her dad was barbequing tonight and we should be there around seven-thirty. Edward and I followed Ben and Ang over to her house. I was looking forward to spending more time with the Webers.

We got to Angela's house at about ten minutes after seven. Ang and Ben went in the house and I decided that Edward and I should wait in the car for ten minutes or so, to give Ang time to introduce Ben to her parents. Edward took my hand in his and brought it to his lips. I turned to him and wiped a tear from my eye. "Oh, honey." He said, softly, reaching forward to caress my cheek.

I laughed a little and shook my head. "I thought I was doing okay, until Angie teared up at the mall."

"I understand. Just try to enjoy tonight, okay?" He looked into my eyes. "Bella, I promise we'll come visit her as much as we can, okay? Hey, maybe we can all take a road trip and meet each other half way. That might be fun."

"Thanks, Edward. I love you so much." I said, leaning over to give him a kiss.

There was a knock on the window. We broke our kiss and looked over to Ben smiling at us. Edward laughed, before leaning over to kiss me again. "Have fun tonight." He said again, before getting out of the car.

We walked up to the front door with Ben. "Meeting the parents actually went over quite well." He said, with a relieved smile.

"Good. I knew they would love you. The Webers are great people." I told him. I opened the door and walked in. This house was practically my home for fourteen years. Stefan and Chelsea had made me feel like another one of their children. I owed them so much.

Josh and Zac ran over to Edward and Ben. "Come outside, guys. The burgers are ready." Josh said excitedly. I think the fact that the twins were surrounded by girls, caused them to accept Ben and Edward so quickly.

We all went outside. Angela walked over to Ben and they sat together at the patio table. Edward and I joined them. Makenna skipped over to us and looked up at Edward. "Hi sweetie." He said, reaching over and picking her up. She sat on his lap and I leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

Corin walked over to us shyly. She didn't seem to really know how to act around the guys. "Come on, Corin. You can sit with Ang and I." I said, wanting her to feel included. The twins came and sat between Ben and Edward.

I had missed all the Weber kids. Being here felt like being home, but at the same time, I knew that my real home was waiting for me back in Washington.


	66. Goodbyes and Goodies

**A/N - Thanks for all of the great reviews and feedback. You are all my favorite people in the world! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 66 - Goodbyes and Goodies

We spent the next three hours eating Mr. and Mrs. Weber's delicious dinner and desserts, talking and sharing stories. We set the camera on the table, and randomly snapped photos of each other. We told Edward and Ben about our childhood and all the fun we had together. Seeing as we were both shy, most of our adventures took place in the Weber house.

Edward's favourite story was when Mrs. Weber told him about how Angie and I decided one day, back when we were around six, that we both wanted to be cashiers and work in the grocery store. We took a bunch of food out of the refrigerator and took turns pretending to scan it and bag it. This was around the time when the twins were born, so Ang's mom was upstairs feeding the babies. By the time she noticed the packaged bags of food, the milk had gone sour and the ice cream was melted. We all laughed. I had forgotten about some of the things Ang and I had done.

"Oh, they were good girls." She said smiling at us proudly. "They helped me with the boys, and then again when Corin was born and the twins were suffering through the terrible twos." She looked over at Makenna, who had fallen asleep on Edward's chest. "When Makenna was born, both Angela and Bella were like little mothers. They were fifteen, and thought they could handle all of the responsibilities of the new baby."

"I think we did pretty good." Angela said with a smile. She reached over and squeezed my hand. I instantly teared up.

It was ten-thirty and I knew Edward and I had to get back to the hotel soon. Our flight was at noon, but Edward wanted to leave the hotel at ten-thirty the next morning, so we could return the rental car and then go through security. Angela stood up and came over to me, giving me a huge hug. "I'm going to miss you, girl."

We spent the next twenty minutes sharing hugs and tearful goodbyes and promises to keep in touch. On the drive back to the hotel, Edward held my hand over his heart, rubbing his thumb over my fingers, as I cried.

Edward held me to his chest as we walked through the lobby, and took the elevator up to our room. I sat on the bed, while Edward got my Washington t-shirt from my suitcase. He passed it to me with a pair of his boxers. I smiled at him, and he leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "Are you okay?" He asked, crouching down in front of me and running his fingers along the sides of my legs.

I wiped under my eyes and nodded. "I had a really good time with her these last few days. It's just hard to leave. You know how bad I am at goodbyes." I explained. "I'm sorry that I'm so needy and emotional all the time."

Edward smiled at me, tracing his fingers on my cheeks. "Don't apologize. I love that about you. You are such a caring person, and you love the people in your life with all of your heart. It's really beautiful, actually." He said, standing up. He took my hand so I would stand with him. "Go ahead and get ready for bed. I'll call home tonight, okay?"

"Okay. I love you so much, Edward." I spoke into his chest as I hugged him tightly.

I went into the bathroom and changed, washed my face and brushed my teeth. I was starting to fell a bit better. When I came out, Edward was sitting on the bed wearing just his camo shorts, and talking on his phone. Seeing Edward shirtless was starting to become one of my favourite sites. I took my camera from my purse and snapped a picture of him. He looked at me and winked.

"Okay, sir. We'll call you tomorrow morning before we take off. Yeah, she'll be okay. I'll tell her. Good night." He said, hanging up. He was obviously talking to my dad.

"Your dad wanted me to tell you that he loves you." Edward said, getting off of the bed and walking over to me.

I smiled. "Did you call your mom already?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's worried about you. I can tell she wishes she were here with us." He laughed.

"Aw. She is so sweet." I kissed Edward's chin. "But, you're doing a good job taking care of me."

He smiled at me, running his fingers through my hair. Edward went in the bathroom to get ready for bed and I put all of our dirty clothes into the hotel's laundry bags. I called the front desk and they said they would be ready by nine tomorrow morning. I was glad that I didn't have to sit in laundromat for a couple hours and do it myself. Edward brought me his t-shirt and shorts and I put them in the bags just as someone from the staff knocked on the door to take our laundry.

I walked over to the desk and pressed the poppies from the vase and the wildflowers Edward had given me today. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I really liked Phoenix. I had a great time with you." He said softly in my ear. "Let's go to bed, okay? We have a long flight tomorrow."

I turned in his arms and rested my head on his chest. "Okay. I had an amazing time, too. I'm so happy that you got to meet Angie, and see the city that I grew up in." I smiled at him and we shut out the light and crawled into bed together. I laid with my back to his chest and he wrapped his arms around me and held me close to his warm body. I fell asleep feeling safe and comforted.

We woke up at about seven thirty. Edward went to have a shower, and I made sure everything was packed. I took all of our new clothes and souvenirs out of the bags and packed them in the suitcases and the new carry-on Edward bought the day before. Edward came out of the bathroom in a pair of black board shorts and a grey t-shirt.

"I'm going to go get us some breakfast." He said, picking up his wallet, and kissing my forehead.

I took a shower and got dressed in my new yoga pants and a white tank top. I braided my hair again and brushed my teeth. It was about eight-thirty, so we had two hours to eat, make sure we were all packed and check out.

I walked out in to the bedroom to find Edward, Ben and Angela all sitting on our king sized bed with a stack of IHOP cartons in front of them. "Look who I found in the IHOP?" Edward said with a huge smile and then a wink.

I ran over to the bed and hugged Ang, Ben and then Edward. "You guys. What a great surprise." I sat in between Edward's legs on the bed.

"Edward called me last night and asked if we would meet him at the IHOP this morning. He thought we could all share breakfast before you left." Angela explained. Edward blew me away constantly. I would never get over how sweet and thoughtful he was.

"Thanks for coming, guys. This is so special." I turned around to kiss Edward's cheek. "I love you." I said.

He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and kissed my neck. "I love you, too."

"Okay, let's eat." I said. We all opened up the cartons and filled up on pancakes covered in whipped cream and sugary fruit.

While we were eating, our laundry was delivered and I set in on the desk to pack after we ate.

Ben picked up my camera and snapped a few pictures of us all on the bed. After we ate and cleaned up, we took more pictures. Edward and Ben, Ang and Ben, Ang and I, Edward and I, and then I set the timer on the camera and set it on the desk pointing at the bed. We all jumped onto the bed in big pile just before the flash.

"Oh, this is for you guys to remember your trip." Angela said, passing me and Edward a gift bag. I opened it and pulled out a cookbook of easy Mexican dishes. Edward chuckled.

"Thanks, guys. This is perfect." I said, giving them both a hug.

I had so much fun this morning. It seemed like I got all the tears out last night. I was so glad that Edward thought of this. It was a much better way to end our visit in Phoenix, than all the tears from last night.

I finished packing our clean clothes and then I went into the bathroom and Angie helped me pack all of our toiletries. Edward and Ben were exchanging phone numbers when we walked out of the bathroom. I couldn't have asked for a better result for this trip.

I turned to Ang and gave her a hug. "I love you. I'll call you when we land." I said.

"Okay. I love you, too." She said. "And remember to have fun in Florida and say 'hi' to your mom for me."

"I will. Thanks, Ang." I gave her one more hug. She went to hug Edward and I gave Ben a hug. "It was so nice to meet you, Ben. Take care of Angie for me, alright?"

"I will. It was nice meeting you, too, Bella. The last few days have been great." Ben said to me.

Angela came back over to me and gave me another hug. "Okay, Bella. We'll see you again soon."

"Bye, Ang. Bye, Ben." I said, as they left our room. Edward and I stood out in the hallway and waved at them as they got on the elevator.

We walked back in our room and Edward brought all of our luggage to the door. I did one final sweep of the room. "Here, baby." Edward said, passing me an origami flower folded out of an IHOP napkin. "I wanted to give you your flower today, but since we're heading right to the plane, I thought this might work." He laughed.

"You are the sweetest man on the planet." I said, kissing his chin. "I love you. It's perfect, and a great reminder of breakfast."

I tucked it in my purse and put Edward's carry-on bag over my shoulder. I opened the door and he followed out with our suitcases. We went downstairs to check out. It was the end of the first half of our trip. We got in the car and headed to the airport. Destination: Jacksonville, Florida.


	67. Sky and Sand

**A/N - Thanks again for the reviews and your sweet words. I love that you all look forward to Edward and Bella's adventures. I'd love to return some of your private messages but some have the feature disabled. I really appreciate the time you take to read and review! Thanks again.**

Chapter 67 - Sky and Sand

I took one last picture of a reluctant Edward standing beside his yellow rental car, before we went to the desk and turned in the keys. We walked through the airport and Edward saw a big t-shirt that said Arizona on the front. It was cheap and looked a lot like my Washington t-shirt that I sleep in. Edward got a huge smile on his face and took it to the cashier. "I have this strange urge to buy you one of these in every state we visit." He laughed as he put it in the carry-on bag.

We went through security and then stopped at the bathrooms. We met up and sat on the benches for fifteen minutes. I called my dad and Edward called his mom.

"Are you feeling better today, Bells?" My dad asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah. Angela and her new boyfriend had breakfast with us this morning and we had a great time. Please don't worry about me, dad. I'm having a good time and I don't want you to be stressed this whole week." I said.

"Okay, I'll try. But, I am your dad. Worrying is what I do." He chuckled. "When do you land?" He asked.

"We leave here at noon and fly to Atlanta. We'll get there at four. We have an hour layover, then it's an hour flight to Jacksonville. So we'll get there at six o'clock, but, with the three hour time difference, it will be nine in Florida." I explained.

"Wow. Sounds like a long afternoon. I'll let you go. Will you call me when you get checked in?" Again, he was sounding worried, but I could tell he was trying not to let it show.

"I will. I love you, dad." I said.

"I love you, too, kiddo. Say 'hello' to Edward for me, too. Bye." He said before hanging up.

I looked over at Edward, who was walking up and down the length of the seating area while he was talking to his mom. When he saw that I wasn't talking anymore, he came back over to sit beside me. "Okay, mom. Love you, too. Bye." He said, hanging up. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and leaned his head on mine. He sighed. "I'm tired already. I think I'm going to sleep once we board."

I giggled. "Okay. I think I like that plan."

Our flight was called, and we got up and boarded the plane. Once we were in our seats, Edward passed me his iPod and then leaned his seat back and shut his eyes. He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips. "I love you, baby." He said, sounding really tired.

I felt bad that he was so tired. I knew everyone was worried about me, and I was trying to handle it well and have fun, but the whole trip was an emotional one for me.

I looked over at Edward's gorgeous face. He looked so peaceful while he slept. I vowed to myself, then and there, that these next few days would be for Edward and I. Yes, we would have dinner with my mom on Thursday night, but other than that, this trip was ours. I didn't want to cry anymore. I wouldn't let her have that effect on me.

I put Edward's iPod on and set it to random. I didn't care what kind of music came on. Listening to his music selection was like getting a look into Edward's mind. It was all beautiful, classic and emotional. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Edward woke me up about a half hour before we landed in Atlanta. "I didn't realize that I was so tired." I laughed. "How long have you been up?"

"Oh, I just woke up, too." He said, before kissing my forehead. "Are you excited to see Georgia?" He laughed.

"Yes. I'm sure they have a beautiful airport." I said, with a smile. I rested my head on Edward's shoulder and we held hands, enjoying each others' quiet company until we landed.

We had to switch to another plane. As Edward and I walked through the airport, Edward saw a Georgia t-shirt hanging on a rack. It was peach in color with Georgia written in green across the front. It was horribly tacky and I laughed at it when he picked it up. "Oh, come on, Bella. Humour me. I have to get it for you." I found it so endearing that Edward liked to buy me nightshirts. He went to buy it for me. "Who knows when we'll be in Georgia again."

"Thank you, Edward." I said, squeezing his hand. "I'll wear it tonight."

"I can't wait." He said, winking at me. Still, his winks caused butterflies in my stomach.

We shared a tray of French fries before our flight was called, as we had slept through lunch.

After we boarded the next plane, Edward and I talked about how excited we were to see the Atlantic ocean. Edward said he technically saw it in New York a year and half ago, but we were both excited to go swimming in it.

We landed and went to get our luggage and our rental car. This time, it was a black Ford Focus. Edward was much more excited with this rental. I snapped a picture of his excited face. As we drove to the hotel, I called my dad to let him know that we had landed safely and we on our way to the hotel. The Best Western Ocean Front was a beautiful tan coloured building with an orange roof, only steps from the ocean.

We got there at ten o'clock pm, even though, to Edward and I, it only felt like seven. We were both starving, as we hadn't eaten much the whole day. We checked in and went up to our room.

I laughed as we walked in. Again, Edward had booked a king suite. The room was gorgeous. There was a huge bed, a couch and matching chair, a beautiful desk and a nice TV. But the best part of the room, were the sliding doors that led out to a balcony with an ocean view. There were two chairs and a small table on it. It was amazing.

I turned around to face Edward. "I love you, so much Edward. This is absolutely beautiful. Thank you." I said, kissing his chin.

"I'm glad you like it. It sounded good online." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "You want to order room service and eat it out on the balcony?" He sounded so excited.

"Yes. I am so hungry." I said. I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed him. "I'm so excited to be here."

He smiled at me. "Me, too. Do you want pizza?"

"Sounds good." I said. He walked over to the phone and called for room service, ordering half deluxe and half Hawaiian.

"It will up in about half hour. You want to call home while we wait?" He said, pulling off his t-shirt.

"You hot?" I asked enjoying the view. "Not that I'm complaining." I walked over and wrapped my arms around his sticky waist.

"I think I miss Phoenix. We've got the heat and the humidity here." He chuckled, leaning down to kiss me. "Let's go outside."

"Okay. I'm just going to run to the bathroom." I said. I went in the bathroom and washed my face. I decided to take off my exercise pants and just wear my boy shorts with my tank top. It was hot, and I was just us hanging out in the room, so I though it would be okay.

I walked out onto the balcony and found Edward looking over the railing. We were on the third floor so we had a nice view and weren't too high, but we also had some privacy. He turned when he heard me, his eyes going from my eyes to my legs, and back up. He smiled. "You were hot, too?" I blushed as I nodded. "You're so beautiful." He said, leaning down to kiss from my neck up to my burning cheeks. "Come on. Let's sit down."

He walked over to one of the lounge chairs and took my hand to lead me over to him. I sat across his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and held me to his chest. He started tracing his fingers along the outside of my thigh. "Please don't be embarrassed around me. I love that you were comfortable enough to wear this. You're so pretty." He spoke into my hair.

"Thanks, baby." I giggled, reaching my hand to cover his hand on my leg. "That tickles." He laughed.

Edward's phone rang and he reached over to pick it up. He put it on speaker. "Hey, Edward and Bella sitting on a balcony over the beach, here." He said. I giggled into his chest.

"Hey, bro. Hi, Bella." It was Emmett. "Let me put you on speaker here, too. Okay, you've got all the Cullens in one room."

We heard a chorus of hellos from all of them. "Hey, guys. I miss all of you so much." I said. "It's almost ten thirty here. We landed about an hour and half ago and we're just waiting for our dinner."

"You haven't eaten, yet?" I heard Alice.

"No, princess." Edward said. "We've been in the air all afternoon. Did you guys all have a good day?"

"Yes. Everything is going great here. Don't worry about us and just enjoy yourselves, alright?" Carlisle said.

"Thanks, dad. We are having fun already. You should see this view." Edward said, looking at me and winking. I laughed, but quickly covered my mouth.

"Take a picture of it, Edward." Alice said excitedly. I could hear Carlisle and Esme laughing. Edward chuckled, but told her that he would.

Jasper told us that he had a game on Thursday night, so we wished him luck, even though he didn't need it.

There was a knock on the door. "Oh, guys, we've got to run. Our food is here. We'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you." Edward said, as both of us stood up.

"Bye, guys. Have a good night." I added.

"We love you." The Cullens said before hanging up.

As Edward went to the door, I looked out at the beach. We were finally here and it was going to be a great couple of days. I was excited for our first night in Florida.


	68. Ocean by Night

**A/N - Thanks again for staying with this story. I really appreciate it! I'm loving every second of hanging out with these characters. Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 68 - Ocean by Night

I stayed out on the balcony while Edward went to get the pizza, considering I was barely dressed. I sent Angela a quick text, letting her know that we had landed safely and were checked in. When Edward came back out, we sat on the chairs on either side of the table and dug right in. We had no problem polishing off the whole pizza.

"I'm not tired at all." I said to Edward. "I feel like I've been sleeping all day." I got up and walked to look over the balcony. There were lights on the hotel, so we could see the beach. It was beautiful. "I can't wait to walk into the water." I said to Edward, who had come to stand beside me.

He took my hand and brought it to his lips. "Do you want to go now?" He looked at me with an excited smile. "Let's do it. Right now." He walked into the room, pulling me behind him.

"Right now?" I said, laughing.

"Yeah." He said, going in the bathroom to get two towels. He walked out and wrapped one around my shoulders, leaning forward to kiss my head.

"I can't go outside wearing this." I said, exasperatedly. "I'm not wearing pants."

"Why do you want pants? You're going in the water." Edward laughed. He went to his suitcase and pulled out the flannel shirt he gave me, or I took, back in Phoenix. "This is long on you. It should cover everything, right?"

"Yeah, okay." I reluctantly agreed, smiling up at Edward. I guess I was on vacation. I should lighten up a bit.

I slipped the shirt on and Edward tossed the towels over his shoulder. He took my hand and we slipped on our flip flops and went out to the elevator. Edward was almost bouncing on the way to the lobby. We walked quickly through the lobby and out to the beach. Edward set our towels down on the deserted beach, reached over to me and pulled the flannel shirt off of my shoulders. "Are you ready?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"Um, I guess. What are you going to…Edward." I screamed as he reached down and lifted me up so I was flopped over his shoulder. He held on to the back of my legs, and started running to the ocean. "Edward." I was laughing as I looked down to see the white sand passing quickly beneath Edward's feet.

"Welcome to the Atlantic, baby." Edward laughed, as he ran in to the water. He reached up and helped me slide down his body until my feet hit the water.

I laughed. "I thought you were going to throw me in the water." I said, reaching up to kiss his chin.

"Never. I want to walk in together." He said sweetly, leaning over to kiss me. He was so romantic. He took my hand and we walked into the water, letting the warm water lap at our legs.

We kept walking until the water was up to my chest. Edward laughed at me. I was over a foot shorter than him, so the water was deeper for me. "Come here. Wrap your arms around my neck." He said. I did just that, and wrapped my legs around his waist. He kept walking until he was up to his shoulders in the ocean.

"This is incredible." I said. "The water feels amazing." I leaned forward and kissed him deeply. He wrapped his arms around my back, pressing me into his chest.

"You feel amazing." Edward said, pulling back from our kiss. "I love you so much, Bella. This is the highlight of the trip for me. Just you and me in the ocean together. There's no one else out here, but us. It's perfect."

"You're perfect." I said, resting my head on his shoulder, and placing soft kisses on his neck. I traced my fingers up and down his back. I didn't need to hold on as tight, as Edward was holding me up.

I looked around, really appreciating our surroundings. The water was black around us because it was so dark. The lights of the hotel were reflecting on it's surface. There wasn't another soul to be seen on the beach, but I looked up at the hotel and could see a few people out on their balconies, facing the ocean.

"Can they see us?" I asked Edward, pulling back so I could look at his face. "There are people on their balconies. Do you think they can see us?"

Edward turned us in the water to look up at the hotel. He laughed. "Um. I don't know. Maybe?" He said. "Do you want to go back up to our room?"

"No. I want to stay out here forever with you." I leaned forward and kissed him. "I love being able to kiss you're face so easily." I mused, placing little kisses all over his face. And I love being able to look into your beautiful eyes."

He smiled at me. "Well, I like how close you are to me." He winked. I blushed. He laughed. "Bella."

I lifted my hands out of the water and pressed them on my cheeks. "I can't help it." I giggled.

"I'm glad. I can't read your mind, but I don't need to. Your face tells me everything I need to know." He leaned forward and stole a quick kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I said. I let my legs go from around his waist and swam around to his back. I put my arms around his shoulders and Edward reached back to my legs, wrapping them around his waist again.

"Okay, my little octopus. Are you ready to go back to our room, now?" He laughed, as he starting walking towards the shore.

"I guess." I said, as I placed my cheek on his. Edward hadn't shaved once on our whole vacation, and with it being the end of the fourth day, his stubble was getting pretty long and soft. I giggled at the texture. "Were you planning on growing a full beard?" I reached my left hand up and let my fingers caress his cheek.

Edward laughed. "Hey. If I remember correctly, you're the one that told me not to shave." He said, walking over to our towels. He crouched down so I could hop down off of his back.

I covered my arms across my chest. Edward picked up one of the towels and wrapped it around my shoulders, gently rubbing his hands up and down my arms. He leaned down to kiss me, before picking up his towel and drying off. He wrapped the towel around his neck and slid his shoes back on. I reached down for the flannel shirt and put it on over my wet tank top. I snuggled into Edward's chest and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. We walked back up to the hotel and went back to our room.

Edward took a pair of boxers and went into the bathroom to change. I stripped out of my wet tank and underwear and slipped into something dry. I took the tags off of the Georgia souvenir t-shirt and slipped it on. It was baggy on me, but hit just above mid-thigh. Edward opened the bathroom door. He smiled at me. "You look so good in those t-shirts, honey." He chuckled. "We're going to have to drive all over the country until you have them all."

"You are the only guy I have ever heard of, that likes to see his girlfriend in oversized t-shirts." I laughed, walking into the bathroom with him, with our toothbrushes. Edward just shook his head and laughed, as we brushed our teeth side by side.

"You know I think you're beautiful in anything you wear." He said, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. "Do you want to go to bed?"

"Yeah. I'm just going to wash my face. I'll be right there." I said, gently scooting him out of the bathroom, causing him to laugh. That was what I loved about mine and Edward's relationship. Ninety-nine percent of the time, we were light-hearted, fun and always laughing.

I washed my face and used the bathroom and came out to find Edward flopped on the bed, with his hands behind his head. "Do you find it muggy and hard to breathe?" He asked me, as I crawled over to him.

"Yeah. It's a lot different than the dry heat in Arizona." I said. "Oh, I have an idea for you." I got out of bed and went into the bathroom, wetting two face clothes with cold water. I crawled back into the bed and laid one on his stomach, causing him to gasp, and folded the other one and slipped it under his neck.

"That's cold, Bella." He said, as goose bumps spread across his skin.

"That's the point, Edward." I laughed, kissing his chest.

"Thanks, baby. You take such good care of me." He said with a smile. I laid my head down on his chest and he wrapped his arm around me. "Um, Bella? Can I talk to you about something?" He sounded serious all of the sudden.

I sat up so I could look at him. "Of course you can, Edward. You know you can tell me anything, right?" I asked, wondering what was bothering him.

"I know, and there's nothing wrong, so don't worry. I just wanted to ask you something. You don't have to decide now, but I just thought I'd get it out there and give you some time to think about it. I mean there's no pressure or anything, and if you don't want to, I won't be upset." He was rambling. I thought he was so cute when he did that. I knew this was probably serious, but I couldn't help but smile at him.

I ran my fingers through his hair, hoping it was a comforting gesture to him. "Edward. Stop explaining. Just ask me. Please?"

"Will you move in with me?"


	69. Plans and Reservations

**A/N - Wow! You are all incredible! I think I should give you more cliffhangers...the response was amazing! Thanks for caring about these characters as much as I do. Here's the next chapter...**

Chapter 69 - Plans and Reservations

What? Edward wanted me to move in with him. I mean I loved every second we were together, and honestly, we were hardly apart, but where did he want us to live? When? My mind was going a thousand miles a minute trying to figure out what I should say to him.

I must have just been sitting there staring at him, and he started to get uneasy, because he quickly sat up, setting the face clothes on the bedside table. "I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have said anything. I mean you're worrying enough as it is about your mom. I just thought..."

"Edward. Stop rambling. Now, just let me think for a second." I said, looking at him with what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "When and where?"

"What?" He said.

"When do you want to move in together, and where? You mean like our own place?" I need him to clarify what he wanted, because, clearly, he was committed to me, and loved me enough to ask.

"Oh. Um, I was thinking, when we go back to Seattle in September for school. It's just that I have loved living with you these last few days, and it's going to kill me to sleep without you in arms for the rest of the summer as it is. I was just thinking that maybe when we go back, we could try it."

Well, that made sense. I was so happy that he asked. After all the time we had spent together and how close we had gotten, I couldn't image being apart from him. If he wanted to live with me, then I would be more than happy to oblige.

"Yes." I said, looking at his beautiful, green eyes. I started laughing. "Yes. I will move in with you." I said, leaning towards him and peppering his face with small, gentle kisses. I was so excited at the prospect of moving forward in our relationship.

"Really?" He said with a huge smile stretched across his face. "Oh, Bella. I love you so much." He pushed me back on the bed and crawled over top of me.

I laughed. "Now, was that so bad?" I asked.

"Yes. That was pure torture." He said, laying on top of me. He ran his hands down my sides, and started to tickle me.

I laughed, pushing his hands away. "Well, it was your fault." I teased. "If you just would have clarified, then I would have answered you faster." I laughed. "I thought you meant that you wanted to move into our own place in Forks."

He laughed with me. "Sorry." He rolled onto his side, and I rolled with him, staying in his arms.

"I'm so excited, baby." I said, snuggling into his chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too, angel. Goodnight." He said, before we drifted off to sleep, content in each other's arms

I woke up the next morning with a smile on my face. Edward and I had an amazing night in the ocean and we had agreed to move in together in the fall. I couldn't be happier with how the day had gone, and believe it or not, I was looking forward to today.

"What's got such a beautiful smile on your face this morning, sugar?" Edward asked, stretching his arms above his head, before rolling over to face me.

"You." I answered, simply. "I'm so happy."

"Good. Me, too." He said, grabbing me and pulling me to his chest.

"Ah. Edward, you're so sticky." I laughed, trying to pull out of his arms.

He laughed with me, pulling me closer. He kissed my head. "You want to get ready then go out for breakfast?" He asked.

"Okay. That sounds good to me. Do you want to hang out at the zoo today?" I asked. "I haven't been to a zoo since I was a kid."

"That sounds good to me, babe. Um, what time are we meeting your mom for dinner tonight?" He asked, almost as if he was wary of bringing it up.

"Oh." I laughed. "I honestly don't know. I should call her." I was a little nervous that she would cancel, but I thought it was better to find out now, than to worry about it all day.

I sat up and reached for my phone on the bedside table. "Do you want me to stay here, or do you want some privacy?" Edward asked sweetly.

"Um, would you stay with me?" I asked, quietly.

"Of course, honey. Come here." He said, pulling me sideways onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around me, with one hand on my hip, and the other on my leg.

I looked at him and smiled, before dialling the number. "Hello?" My mom answered.

"Um, hi, mom. It's Bella. We just got in last night. Are you still free for dinner tonight?" I asked, putting my hand on Edward's hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Isabella. It's good to hear from you." She said. I could hear her flipping through some papers, so I was assuming she was at work. "Will seven o'clock work for you?" I could see that we were being treated as another appointment, but I would happily accept it, if she was actually going to see us.

"That's perfect, mom. I can't wait to see you." I said. I looked at Edward and he smiled back at me.

"Yes, it's been quite some time, Bella. I look forward to tonight. I've made reservations at Café 4750 at the Ritz on Amelia Island. Attire is resort casual. Do you know how to get there?" She asked.

"Um, no, but I'm sure we can figure it out." I crawled off of Edward's lap and went to the desk to get the hotel stationary and pen. "Mom, can you say that again, so I can write it down?"

She repeated the information. "Alright, Bella. I've got a conference call in a few minutes. I'll see you tonight." She said, before hanging up.

I hung up and turned to Edward. "What is resort casual?" I asked him with a nervous smile.

"Um, I don't know, but I'm sure you can wear the blue dress that you packed. Will I be okay in my black button down and dress pants? I don't need a tie, do I?" Now Edward was sounding nervous.

I giggled. "I have no idea. She made reservations at the Ritz on Amelia Island." I walked over to him, putting my hands on his shoulders. "The Ritz, Edward. Even the name is making me nervous."

"It will be fine, honey." He said, standing up. Let me just use the bathroom quickly, then I'll run down to the desk and get directions for the zoo and the Ritz, okay?" I loved how Edward always took control when I was feeling less than sure of myself. He always tried to make sure everything was perfect for me.

"Thank you, Edward." I leaned up and kissed his chin.

"It's my pleasure, my little Georgia peach." He said with a smirk, looking at my night shirt. He went in the bathroom, so I went to my suitcase to pull out something to wear. I picked some jean shorts and a yellow tank top.

Edward walked out of the bathroom. "Okay. It's all yours." He said, going to his suitcase and pulling out a white t-shirt and a pair of beige shorts to wear to the lobby.

I had a shower, got dressed, combed out my hair and brushed my teeth. I walked out of the bathroom to see Edward sitting on the bed, watching TV.

"Okay, baby. I got all of the directions and they're not hard to find. Also, the lady behind the desk was helpful with the resort casual thing, too." He laughed. "She said that your dress is fine, but you can add a scarf or lots of jewellery, and my dress pants and shirt are acceptable."

"Alright. I guess we'll be fine then. Thanks for checking that, baby." I said, giving him a quick kiss.

"I'm going to have a quick shower, then we can go for breakfast, okay?" He said.

"Alright, mind if I come in to finish getting ready?" I asked.

"You know I don't mind." He said with a smile, kissing the top of my head, before turning and going into the bathroom. I looked around the room and noticed a vase with three beautiful tropical flowers in it. I knew they weren't here when I woke up. Edward. He was so perfect. He bought me more flowers. I think they were birds of paradise. They were spiky bright orange, pink and purple flowers. They matched our surroundings perfectly.

I ran into the bathroom, just as he was closing the shower curtain. "Oh sorry, baby." I laughed, embarrassed, having briefly seen Edward from behind before the curtain was closed.

"It's alright. Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Edward. The flowers are beautiful." I told him excitedly. He peaked his head out of the shower with a smile. I walked over to him and kissed him. "I love you. They're perfect."

He chuckled. "I'm glad you like them, and I love you, too."


	70. Zoo Date

**A/N - I'm glad that you're all happy about Bella and Edward's plans for the fall! I just can't keep them apart. Enjoy the next chapter...it's light, fun and full of Sweetward. Thanks again for reading!**

Chapter 70 - Zoo Date

We finished getting ready and were ready to go to breakfast at nine. Edward put on a khaki green ball cap today, and I couldn't get over how great he looked in it, so I snapped a picture of him, making him laugh. We put on our sunglasses and flip flops and headed out the door. We walked down the street until we found a cute little place for breakfast, the Beach Hut Café. We went in and had toast, bacon and hash browns with orange juice, and Edward had coffee.

I was glad that things weren't awkward between us, since I had walked in on Edward in the shower this morning. Edward seemed to be incredibly comfortable around me, and it didn't bother him at all. I think I was more embarrassed than he was. His body was incredibly fit and gorgeous.

The reason I was so bashful about the situation, was that that was the first time I had ever seen Edward, or any man for that matter, without anything on. It was a little overwhelming. I blushed once during breakfast, just thinking about it, and Edward just smiled at me, tracing his fingers along my cheek.

I was really looking forward to the trip to the zoo, so we talked about what we wanted to see. Edward had picked up a brochure and map in the lobby of our hotel. He showed me on the map that there was a train we could take around the zoo, which was exciting to me, as I had never been on a train before.

We walked back to the hotel, hand in hand, and got in the car, driving the twenty-five minutes to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. The directions Edward had received were perfect and we had no trouble finding our way there.

We got to the zoo at just after ten, and started out our day by going to Stingray Bay. They told us that we could feed them, so Edward bought us some food. The staff member gave us each a piece of food, which looked like a three inch long cigar. We walked up to the low touch pond. The stingrays were huge, at least two feet round. "I'm nervous. What if it bites me." I said quietly to Edward.

He smiled at me and took my hand. "They wouldn't let us do this if we were going to get hurt, baby. Come on. We'll feed them together." They told us to put the food between two fingers, kind of like how you hold a cigarette, and set our hands flat on the bottom. Edward gave the woman my camera and asked her if she would take our picture. We put our hands in the water at the same time and two sting rays came over to eat the food. It felt incredible. I looked up at Edward and he was smiling at me, before looking back down at the sting rays.

We dried our hands off and the woman returned my camera. "Thank you. That was amazing." I said. We walked to the bathrooms and went to wash our hands. While I was in the bathroom, I decided to put my hair up into a ponytail. The heat was already getting bad and it wasn't even eleven, yet.

When I came out, Edward was leaning against the wall, with his legs crossed, waiting for me, with a little stuffed stingray in his hand. I smiled as a walked over to him. "Just a little something to remember your first time feeding a stingray." He said, passing it to me.

"Oh, Edward. It's so cute." I said, standing on my toes to kiss his chin. I laughed, and rubbed my lips. His beard tickled my face.

Edward smirked at me. "Be careful what you wish for, sugar. I kind of like this." He said with a laugh, rubbing his face. I started laughing with him, putting my arm around his waist.

"You're the most handsome man I've ever seen, with or without the facial hair, so you can keep it, or shave it off. Doesn't matter to me." I said with a smile.

He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "I'll tell you what. I think I'll shave before dinner tonight. I want to make a good impression on your mom, and I think clean cut is the way to go."

"Only if you want to, Edward. Don't do this just because of her." I said, seriously.

"Don't worry, honey. It's so hot here, that I think I'd be a lot cooler without it." He laughed.

We walked to the Plains of East Africa. They had an amazing wooden boardwalk that circled a huge outdoor area. We walked hand in hand, looking at the crocodiles, warthogs, zebras, cheetahs, elephants and lions. There was a beautiful male lion with a gorgeous mane. "Look, Edward." I said, pointing at the lion. "He looks just like you." I laughed.

"Yeah, he's a gorgeous specimen." Edward teased, making me laugh even more. I made him stand by the rail, so I could take a picture of both Edward and the lion in the same shot. Edward took his hat off and ran his hands through his hair, making it stand up in all directions. I laughed as I took the picture. He was such a good sport. He put his hat back on and walked back over to me.

Next, we walked through the Savannah Blooms Gardens and stopped at the Giraffe Overlook. The giraffes walked right up to us and we got to feed them some leaves. Edward snapped a picture on me feeding a giraffe, as it stuck it's long black tongue out to take the leaves. Edward was laughing at me, as I squealed.

We walked through the South American Exhibit and they had a beautiful replica of a Mayan Temple. We saw the jaguars, some cute little baby deer, or pudus, and a bunch of really scary looking snakes.

"You want to stop for some lunch, babe?" Edward said, as we walked to a garden plaza.

"Sure, Edward." I said. We stopped at the bathrooms first. Edward was waiting for me when I came out. We each ordered a hamburger, coke and a basket of French fries to share. We went to sit in the gardens on a bench in the shade.

It was a beautiful plaza with Greek columns, flowering vines and a breathtaking, tiled fountain. There were little kids running through the water. We watched the kids while we ate. They were so happy and carefree. I couldn't wait to be a teacher, and one day, maybe have some kids of my own. I was snapped out of my thoughts, by Edward running his fingers over my knee. "What are you thinking about, angel?" I looked up at him and he was smiling at me.

"Oh, um, I was just thinking how worry free the kids look." I said, placing my empty wrapper on the tray. Edward got up and through our garbage out, before coming back to sit beside me, wrapping his arm over my shoulder, while we finished our drinks.

"I know we mentioned it back in Phoenix, but you do want kids, right?" Edward said, running his fingers up and down my arm.

"I think so, yeah." I said, looking up into his sparkling eyes. "But, not for at least five years. I want to finish school and get settled in Forks before taking a step that major."

"Yeah, that makes sense." He said, leaning forward to kiss my lips. "I want to have lots of kids some day." He mused with a smile on his face. He stood up, taking my hand as we started walking again. "I think we'd make pretty babies, especially if they looked like you." He added with a smirk.

I smiled back at him. "I love you, Edward." I wondered to myself how I got so lucky? I found the man of my dreams, he loved me back, and he was so level headed. He wasn't afraid of commitment, or planning a future with me. He was the perfect man. I just hoped he knew how much I loved him and appreciated him.

We walked into the Australian area and saw some adorable wallabies. "Okay, if I'm the lion, you're the wallaby." Edward said laughing.

"How so?" I asked smiling at him, as he snapped a picture of me with the wallabies behind me.

"Well, for one, they're adorable, just like you, he said, kissing my nose. Secondly, they're so tiny, and lastly, they look like a lot of fun. I laughed at him, as we watched the wallabies hop around their enclosure.

We walked into an aviary and the zookeeper gave us each a piece of fruit to feed the beautifully coloured lorikeets. They were free flying and came over to us, perching on our hands to take the fruit and then flying away again. It was amazing.

I stopped at the bathroom again, causing Edward to laugh. When I came out, Edward was standing outside the door, waiting for me, holding two vanilla ice cream cones. "Thank you, baby." I said, with a smile. "How are you doing in this heat?"

"It's hard to breathe. The air feels so thick." Edward said, as we walked towards the Great Apes exhibit.

"I know, baby. The humidity here is crazy. I don't know my mom stands it, especially having lived in Phoenix for almost fifteen years." I said, grateful for the cool treat.

We walked up to the monkeys and watched the babies run around in the grass. They were all so sweet, and so much like humans. Our last stop was Wild Florida. They had panthers, bobcats, black bears and red wolves. They were all beautiful and I took a lot of pictures. We had made it back to the start. "It's only three thirty. Do you want to ride the train?" Edward asked.

"Absolutely." We sat on the bench and waited for about five minutes, before the next train pulled up. Edward bought our tickets and we climbed on board. I sat by the window and Edward sat beside me, taking my hand in his.

"Did you have fun today?" He asked, taking off his sunglasses and hanging them by the arm on his t-shirt.

I slid my sunglasses up on the top of my head. "I loved it. I love every second that I'm with you." I said, looking into his eyes.

He smiled at me, leaning forward to kiss me. "Me, too, baby."


	71. Chapter 71

**A/N - Thanks again for all of the reviews and alerts! You are all amazing! Let's get right to the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 71 - It Will Be Fine

The train ride lasted for a half hour, and while I was looking out the window, enjoying a last look of the zoo, Edward was resting his head on my shoulder, the wind from the open window blowing on his face. His eyes were closed, but I could tell he wasn't sleeping. I think he was just hot from being outside all day.

When the train came to a stop, Edward and got I off and went to the gift shop. "I'd better get Alice something." He said, looking through the stuffed animals.

"Oh, let's get her the lion." I said, giggling. "He's the cutest."

"And, don't you forget it." He teased. We bought the lion and headed back out to the car. Edward opened my door and then went around getting in the driver's side. He cranked on the AC, and we started driving back to the hotel.

We got back around four-thirty, so we had about two hours until we had to leave for dinner with my mom. We both flopped onto the bed. "I'm so tired." Edward said, turning his head to look at me.

"Me, too." I laughed. "And my feet hurt."

"Do you want a foot massage?" He asked, sitting up. He pulled my right foot onto his lap, before I answered, and started rubbing the arch on the bottom of my foot.

"That feels like heaven, Edward." I sighed, as he reached for my other foot and started massaging it, too. After about five minutes, he crawled back up the bed to lay beside me. He pulled me close to his chest, twirling my hair around his fingers. I kissed his chest. "I'm a little nervous for tonight." I whispered against his chest. I didn't want to stress about this dinner, but I was, and I couldn't help it.

He rubbed my back, and kissed my head. "It will be fine, honey."

"I hope so." I said, rolling over to my back. Edward started tracing patterns onto my stomach. "That tickles." I laughed, grabbing his hands.

"There's that beautiful smile." He said, leaning over to kiss me. "We'd better get ready, sugar. Why don't you have a shower, and I can shave."

"Okay. Thank you, baby." I said, kissing him back, before getting off the bed. I went into the bathroom and stripped off my sweaty clothes. I got into the shower, letting the cool water pour over me.

"Baby, can I come in?" I heard Edward call through the door.

I had to laugh to myself, thinking about this morning when I just opened the door without asking. "Yeah." I called.

"Hey, babe." He said walking in. "I can't wait to shave." He laughed. As he shaved, I could hear him humming, but I couldn't tell what it was.

I finished washing my hair and body, glad I had already shaved my legs this morning. "Edward, can you pass me a towel?" I asked, peaking around the shower curtain. He was standing in front of the sink in just a pair of white boxer briefs.

"Oh, yeah. You were fast." He chuckled, picking up a towel and bringing it to me. He still had some shaving foam in places on his face, but otherwise, his face looked smooth.

I dried off quickly and wrapped the towel around my body, before stepping out of the shower. Edward was bent over the sink, splashing water on his face, washing the extra shaving foam off. He stood up and patted his face dry.

"I missed that pretty face of yours." I said, walking up to him and kissing his now smooth chin. I lifted my hands and caressed his cheeks, causing him to smile. "I'm not going to be able to keep my hands off of you." I laughed.

"Sounds good to me." He said, sweeping my hair off of my neck, before kissing down my throat and across my collar bone. "I love you." He breathed into my skin.

"I love you, too." I said, running my hands across his chest. "I'm going to go get dressed and I'll be back to dry my hair."

I left the bathroom and pulled out my navy blue dress. It had a halter strap and a deep v-neck. It was gathered along an empire waist and hung down to mid thigh. It also had a loose, layered, ruffled hem. I pulled on black underwear and my strapless bra, and slid on the dress. I couldn't reach the zipper, so I would need Edward's help.

I went back into the bathroom and brushed out my hair. I heard the water shut off, so I brought Edward his towel. "Here, Edward." I said, as he reached out his hand to take the towel. I walked back to the mirror and started drying my hair. He walked out of the shower, with the towel wrapped around his waist.

"Do you need help with that zipper, honey?" He asked, running his fingers up my bare back, from the top of my underwear, over my bra, to my neck and back down again. I felt a shiver run through me at his delicate touch. I could only nod in response. He chuckled quietly and zipped up the dress. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. "You look beautiful, baby."

"Thanks, Edward." I blushed. We smiled at each other while I finished drying and curling my hair, and putting on some light make-up. Edward brushed his teeth, and fixed his hair. He kissed my cheek and went into the bedroom area to get dressed. He walked back in the bathroom five minutes later, looking a like a GQ model. I blushed just from looking at him. He was wearing a pair of khaki dress pants, and a black dress shirt, with the top three buttons undone, and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had on his black dress shoes, as well.

"You think it's okay that I rolled my sleeves? I'm still a bit hot." He asked pulling at bit at his collar.

"It's fine, babe. You look amazing." I said with a smile. He leaned down and kissed me deeply.

He pulled back with a smile. He lifted his hand and I noticed he was holding something. "I thought you might want to wear your new necklace from Arizona." He said, holding up the turquoise necklace that he had bought for me in Tucson.

"Oh, that would be perfect. Would you put it on?" I said, stepping in front of the mirror to watch Edward standing behind me, doing up the clasp. He looked up at me in the mirror with a smile. "Thank you, Edward." I turned around to wrap my arms around him.

He hugged me back, running his fingers up and down on my arms. "This is going to be a good night, Bella. I promise you. Don't worry, okay." He told me softly. He knew I needed his reassurance. He was always so giving and loving.

"Okay, let's do this." I said, feeling stronger in my resolve to make this night a success.

I packed the earrings I bought my mom in Port Angeles, and Edward and I left for the restaurant. We only took one wrong turn, but we found our way to the Ritz at just about seven o'clock. Edward took my hand, which I was squeezing tightly, and we walked up to the hostess.

"Hi. We're meeting Mrs. Renee Dwyer." I said to the pretty, petite brunette standing behind the hostess desk. Her silver name tag read Cynthia. She flashed a perfect, white smile at Edward, and then asked us to follow her. If I wasn't so nervous about dinner with my mom, I may have been upset by her, but I was confident in my relationship with Edward, and I had bigger concerns at the moment.

We approached the table and I noticed my mom had brought her husband, Phil. I had only met him twice, including their wedding. He was about the same height as Edward, but he was balding, and had a strict, uncaring expression on his face. My mom looked up at me. She was short, but about three inched taller than me. We had the same color hair, but hers was pulled up in an elegant twist. She was wearing a leopard print, three quarter sleeved, jersey dress. Her blue eyes looked me over, and then flashed to Edward, seemingly sizing him up.

She stood up and I let go of Edward's hand to give her a hug. She delicately patted my back and I couldn't help but compare this impersonal hug to the warm and loving hugs I got from both Esme and Angie's mom. "Hi, mom. I missed you." I said as she pulled back.

"Yes." She stated. "Are you going to introduce me to your guest?" She asked, looking at Edward.

"Oh, of course. Mom, Phil, this is Edward Cullen, my boyfriend." I said proudly. I looked over at Edward and he smiled at them.

"It's so nice to meet you both." Edward said, reaching his hand out to shake both of their hands. I could see that Phil was trying to squeeze Edward's hand, an attempt to intimidate him, but it didn't seem to bother Edward at all. Edward pulled out my chair for me and then, after I had sat down, he took his seat.

"Thank you, Edward." I said with a smile. I turned to my mom, as Phil was already typing on his Blackberry. "So, how have you been? How's the new company?"

"Business is going very well. We definitely made the right move in choosing Jacksonville." She told us. We looked through our menus and after we ordered, she proceeded to talk about the company. Most of the time, I didn't really know what she was talking about, but I was glad to see her, so I just kept smiling and nodding.

Edward, Phil and I had yet to say a word, as my mom held the floor. I looked at Edward and he smiled at me reassuringly. I could do this. I had Edward by my side.


	72. Chapter 72

**A/N - I have a cute little story to share. Last night, my sister and I went the pool. There were five little kids, aoout 8 or 9 years old, playing in the water, and they were playing Twilight! It was so cute. The little girls said "I'm Bella," and "I'm Angela." And they said that one boy was Jacob and the I think the other two were vampires. They would chase each other around screaming "He's the vampire." Anyway, it was priceless!**

**Thanks again for the reviews and alerts! I really makes my day to read them! At long last, let's see how things go with Renee! **

Chapter 72 - Dinner Dates

Our dinner finally came, thankfully giving us a break from hearing about the world of corporate accounting. There was no doubt that my mom was incredibly intelligent, and I respected that about her, but I was hoping she would at least try to get to know Edward a little bit, or ask about college.

Phil had the Sea Bass and my mom had the Eggplant Parmesan. Edward ordered the Beef Tenderloin and I had the Three Cheese Ravioli. The food looked incredible. As we ate, my mom turned her attention to Edward. "So, Mr. Cullen," she said, sounding like she was interviewing him for a job, "what is it that you do?" As soon as she said it, I was starting to wish we were talking about her, again.

Edward smiled at her. "Actually, ma'am, I'm a student at the University of Washington in Seattle. I just finished my freshman year in Chemistry." He said proudly. I set my hand on his knee. He looked at me and smiled. "It's where I met Bella."

"Yes. So what are your future plans? What are you going to do with a degree in Chemistry?" She asked, with an elitist tone.

"I plan on pursuing Pharmacology." He said, setting his hand on my mine, rubbing my fingers.

"So, if you're a student, how did you afford this trip?" She asked, quite rudely, I thought.

"Well, I have some savings, ma'am, and I really wanted to do something nice for Bella." Edward said, starting to look a little rattled.

My mom just nodded her head. She turned to whisper to me. "Isabella. Why are you accepting gifts and vacations? I taught you better than that." She only meant for me to hear her, but I knew, by the way Edward squeezed my fingers, that he had heard her as well. She turned to face Edward again. "And what is it that your parents do?" I knew she was insinuating that his parents paid for the trip. I felt on the verge of tears.

"My dad is the chief physician at the hospital in Forks, Washington, and my mom stays at home. I'm the oldest of four children." He said with a smile on his face, clearly showing the love he had for his family

"A doctor." She said to herself, nodding. I could barely eat. I had to excuse myself from the table. Edward stood up when I did. I hated to leave him here, but I needed a quick break, and I didn't want her to see me cry.

"Are you okay, honey?" He whispered in my ear. He was the one being interrogated like a criminal, and he was worried about me. I nodded, even though we could both see what this dinner was doing to me. "I'm okay, baby, so don't worry about me, alright?" He whispered to me.

"Okay. I'll be right back." I said, walking quickly to the back of the restaurant, wiping a stray tear from my eye. This night was going even worse than I had imagined. My mom was never very affectionate, but she was never so blunt. I thought she was acting completely out of line. I wish I had the courage to say something back to her, to defend Edward and I. But, I didn't feel like we did anything that needed defending.

I used the bathroom and wiped my eyes. I sat on one of the lounge chairs in the spacious washroom and took a couple of deep breaths. I couldn't let her bother me so much, and I couldn't leave Edward alone out there with her.

I walked out to the table and saw that Phil was no longer at the table, likely taking a phone call, and Edward was speaking to my mom. I couldn't hear all of what he was saying, but his face looked flushed and angry. I had never seen that look on his face before.

"…loves you. I kept trying to figure out why a daughter would be a nervous wreck to visit her mother, but now I understand why. You haven't even asked her how she's been for the last nine months." I was so surprised that Edward was being so upfront with my mom, but he must have seen how upset I was. I also had no idea what she had said to him while I was in the bathroom, that set him off. My mother's face looked like stone, and she was showing no emotion.

I walked up behind Edward and set my hand on his shoulder. "I'm not feeling well." I said. There was no way I could stay sitting there with her after that. I wanted to leave. Edward looked up at me and I could see nothing but love and concern on his face. "It was nice seeing you again, mom." I lied. She just looked at me and nodded. Edward stood up and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, making me feel incredibly safe and loved.

"Thank you for dinner." Edward said, before turning and leading us out of the restaurant.

As soon as we walked out of the door, I completely broke down in sobs. Edward wrapped his arm around my back and leaned down to wrap his other arm under my legs. He lifted me up bridal style and walked to the beach that was in front of the restaurant. He sat down in the sand with me in his lap. I buried my face in his shoulder as I cried.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I wanted this night to be perfect for you." He was stroking my hair. "I shouldn't have said anything to her, either, but, Bella, the look on your face…I just…I had to say something." He stammered.

"What did she say while I was gone?" I whispered.

"That's not important, Bella. You're important. I love you so much and I only want what's best for you, okay? Never doubt that." He said softly, kissing my hair.

"I know, Edward. You are one of the only things in this world that I am sure of. You, my dad and Angie." I said, looking up at his face. He looked so worried, that I felt sick. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. "I didn't want to cry. I wanted this to go so well. This is our trip, Edward, not hers." I leaned against his warm body and we sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to the waves lap at the shore.

Finally, I stood up off of his lap, feeling better now that I had cried my pain out. Edward stood up with me, and I looked him in the eyes and smiled at him. "I want to have fun with you and celebrate our love for each other. I want us to be excited because we're two college kids in Florida, and we're moving in together in September. She's not supposed to take that away from us."

Edward smiled at me, before leaning forward to wipe the tears off of my cheeks. "Okay. Let's have some fun. You're right. This is our trip." He laughed. "What do you want to do? It's only eight thirty." He took my hand and we walked back to the car.

"I don't know, but I want to go out. And, I guess I'm a little hungry." I said, as we started to drive back in the direction of our hotel. We pulled into a gas station and Edward and I went in together. The attendant suggested the Ragtime Tavern on Atlantic Beach, which wasn't far from our hotel. He said there was live music and great food. He drew us a map on a scrap of paper.

We thanked him and drove over to the grill. I looked in the mirror of the car, and thankfully, my face wasn't too red and blotchy.

The tavern was a brick building, on a corner lot. We went in and there was a small band playing on the stage. It had a nice relaxed atmosphere. We were seated and given menus. Edward laughed as he flipped through it. "I really hate fish." He said, as we looked through the menu and noticed that the majority was seafood.

"I do, too. I've had it a few times, but I don't really like it." I said. "Well, they have chicken wings." I said, looking for something that Edward would like.

Edward shook his head. "I can't take my girl out in a pretty dress and expect her to eat chicken wings." He smiled at me. "You're hungry, baby. What do you want?"

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Well, they have a pasta jambalaya, but I can't eat the whole thing." I said, knowing that, although I was hungry, I was still a bit upset, and wouldn't be able to eat much.

"Do you want to share it?" He asked, sweetly.

"Okay. I like that idea." I said with a smile. We ordered our pasta and some strawberry lemonades. The waiter had it divided for us and put it on two plates. Edward sat close to me in the booth, with his left arm around me for the entire meal. The food and music were great, and I had an amazing time. Although I protested, Edward ordered the triple chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. I had to admit, it was amazing.

We left at ten-thirty and went back to our hotel. I went to my suitcase and pulled out my Arizona t-shirt. "I'm going to go have a bath, okay?" I said to Edward, thinking it might help me relax after the stress at the start of the evening.

"Sure, baby. Take your time." He said, kissing my forehead.

I squeezed some of my strawberry body wash in the tub as I filled it up with warm water. It really was too hot to be soaking in warm water, but I just needed to clear my head. I slid in the tub and shut off the water. I could faintly hear Edward talking, so I assumed he must have phoned home.

I blushed at the thought of Edward telling his family about my mom. I was embarrassed, angry and hurt. In the back of my mind, I knew this wouldn't work out, but what had upset me most, was the way she constantly questioned Edward and treated him as though he didn't hold my heart in his hands. He was important to me and she didn't value the connection that we shared.

When we got home, I planned to send her a long e-mail expressing how upset I was. But, I couldn't do it now. I couldn't talk to her now. I needed time away from the incident, so I didn't say something I couldn't take back.

We still had until Saturday here in Florida, and I intended on having fun and making happy memories of our vacation together.


	73. Chapter 73

**A/N - Wow! What a response. So, we don't like Renee. Have we seen the last of her? Thanks for all of your reviews! Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 73 - Aftermath

After about twenty minutes of soaking, I dried off, pulled my hair up in a messy bun and slipped on the beige and orange Arizona t-shirt. I don't know how Edward managed to keep picking out the most tacky souvenir shirts for me, but if he loved me in them, then I would happily wear them.

I walked out of the bathroom and saw that Edward was standing on the balcony in just his boxers. He had taken off his dress clothes, and they were laying in a pile on the floor beside the bed. I smiled. He never pretended to be something that he wasn't. He was messy, but I didn't mind at all.

He was still talking on the phone. I walked over to the balcony, but he hadn't seen, or heard me, yet. "Mom, it damn near ripped my heart out to see her cry like that." He said, his own voice breaking. I felt horrible. He was so worried about me tonight, that I never thought about what this was doing to him. "I'm fine. I know." I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his bare waist. I rested my head on his back. "Oh, mom. Bella's here. I'll talk to you later. I love you, too. Yeah. Bye."

He reached up and ran his hand over his face and I heard him sniffle. I stepped back and turned him around. His eyes looked a little watery, and his cheeks were flushed. Tears sprang to my eyes. The sight of him looking so sad, instantly upset me.

"No, no, no, Bella. Don't cry. It's okay, honey. I'm fine. I promise." He rubbed his hands up and down my arms. He smiled at me and kissed me. He kept kissing me repeatedly, all over my face and neck, until I started laughing. "There's my girl." He said with a smile.

"You sure you're okay? I asked, taking his hands in mine.

"I'm sure, babe. Did you have a good bath?" He asked. "'Cause you smell so delicious." He grabbed me behind the legs and lifted me up. I held onto his shoulders as he walked back into the room and sat us on the bed, falling back and laying us down.

"I really do feel better, Edward." I told him honestly. I rolled off of him and sat on the bed, cross-legged. He crawled over to me and gave me a kiss. "Do you want to go to bed?"

"Yeah. Let's go to bed and we'll wake up to new day, with new adventures." Edward said. "I'll be right back." He said, kissing me once more before going to the bathroom.

I picked up my phone and called my dad. I sort of needed to hear his voice right now. "Hello?" My dad said.

"Hey, daddy. I just wanted to say goodnight and that I love you." I said, wanted to make sure he knew how much I appreciated him.

"Oh, okay. I love you, too, Bells." He cleared his throat. "Edward called me about a half hour ago." I was glad that Edward had called, because if I had had to, I probably would have cried, reliving it. "You doing okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah. It was rough, but we're going to get out and enjoy the day tomorrow. We went to the zoo today and we got to feed stingrays. It was pretty cool." I said, trying to tell him everything good that happened, so he wouldn't worry too much.

"I'm glad you had fun. I hope you're taking lots of pictures." He said, seemingly relieved that I sounded happy.

"It's going to take hours to look at them all." I laughed. "We're going to be those annoying people that make everyone sit there and watch slide shows of their vacations."

"Actually, that sounds like fun." My dad laughed. "We'll have to do that when you get home."

"Okay. I'll see you in two days. Talk to you tomorrow. I love you." I said, as I looked up and saw Edward walking back over to the bed.

"I love you, too, kiddo. Goodnight." My dad said before hanging up.

I set my phone on the bedside table and Edward shut out the light, before crawling onto the bed with me. He wrapped his arm around me, and we laid their facing each other. "You feeling okay?" Edward asked, leaning forward to kiss my forehead.

"I'm doing alright." I said, feeling grateful that I had my dad and Edward in my life. "I love you, Edward. Thank you for everything today. I loved the zoo, and the live music and grill. And thank you for holding me, and loving me and just being here." I snuggled my face into his chest, placing a kiss over his heart.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be to be anywhere else, honey. I love you so much." He held me close to his chest, rubbing my back. I must have drifted off to sleep in his arms.

I woke up to the sun shining through the balcony window. I turned and looked at Edward, who was still asleep on his back. I rolled onto my side, and started running my fingers over his chest and stomach. He sighed and rolled over on his side, facing away from me. I giggled. He was still asleep. I ran my fingers over his back for a couple of minutes, until he groaned and reached up to stretch. "Good morning, Edward." I laughed.

He rolled back over to look at me, with a beautiful smile on his face. "Hey, baby." He said, reaching up to stroke my face. "What's so funny?"

"You are. You're so cute when you sleep." I told him with a smile.

"Well, you're always cute, my little wallaby." He said, leaning in to kiss my neck. "Especially in these t-shirts."

"I don't get you, Edward." I laughed.

"There's nothing to figure out. I love you and you're the most loving, beautiful and sexy woman I have ever seen. And, I would do anything for you. That's all there is to it." He said, running his fingers down my arm.

I smiled at him. "Well, I kind of think you're perfect, so I guess we're even."

He smiled. "I was thinking about what we could do today. I thought we could go do some shopping or site-seeing. There are a couple of historical sites that might be nice, then I thought, maybe we could hit the beach or the pool for the afternoon." Edward said, looking at me with a smile. I really appreciated how much effort he was putting into making me happy.

"That sounds great." I said, crawling out of bed to look through my suitcase. I chose a pink skirt and white embellished tank top. Edward put on his camo shorts, because I told him they were my favourites on him, and a white t-shirt. It was really too hot outside to wear much else. I put my hair up in a pony tail and we brushed our teeth together in the bathroom. I took two towels from the bathroom, laid them out on the bed and put mine and Edward's bathing suits on top, rolling them up, so I could put them in the trunk. I didn't know which beach we would end up on, so I wanted to be prepared.

We slipped on our sunglasses and flip flops and went downstairs. We packed our towels and my purse in the car, and then came back in to eat in the hotel's restaurant. I had waffles and Edward had bacon and eggs, and half of my second waffle. Every time I watched him eat, I thought of poor Esme and how she fed three of these eating machines. I giggled at him, and he just smiled at me.

We picked up some tourism brochures from the lobby and then went out to the car. We picked the Kingsley Plantation first, and got there just as they opened at nine. We were luckily in the first tour group and got a tour of the beautiful house, kitchens, barn and the slave quarters, which we both thought was very sad. We went out to the gardens and Edward took a picture of me, with the house as a backdrop. We went into the bookstore and bought Emmett a book on the ghost stories of Florida, and one for Esme on the plantation's gardens.

We left at about ten-thirty and drove to Fort Clinch. It is a restored Civil War Fort. They had live re-enactors dressed in uniforms. It was amazing. We stood between two soldiers and a friendly, elderly man took our picture for us. We took the tour, and then stopped at the gift shop and bought Carlisle a book on Civil War medicine, and one for Jasper on Florida's role in the Civil War. Edward told me his brother was very interested in history. I got my dad a little Civil War canon to put on his desk at work.

It was about twelve thirty, so we decided to stop and get some lunch. We drove back south towards Jacksonville again, AC blowing in our faces, when we passed a McDonalds. "Oh, Edward. McNuggets." I said, batting my eyelashes at him, and pouting my bottom lip.

He laughed. "As much as love that pretty, pouty face, you don't have to do it. We'll get you your McNuggets." He took my hand in his, and brought it to his lips.

He turned around and we pulled into the McDonalds. We went in and ordered. Edward got a Big Mac and a large fries. "The air conditioning in this building is amazing. I think this is my favourite stop so far." Edward teased. We ate our lunch and talked about our morning. "So, babe. Do you want to do a little shopping, or go to the beach?"

"Um, well, why don't we shop a little, first. Just think of how cool the mall is." I giggled. "Then maybe around three or three-thirty we can head over to the beach for a couple of hours."

"Sure, baby. Whatever you want to do." Edward said with a smile, leaning forward to kiss me.

What was amazing to me, was that he really did mean it. He would do anything to make me happy. And, I couldn't love him more for it.


	74. Chapter 74

**A/N - Thank you all again for reading! I'm still having a blast with these characters! I seriously feel like I know them. Thanks for all the suggestions for tourist sites to visit, as well, and I'll consider using some of them in the future, but I've already written about four chpaters in advance. I really love you all! Thanks for staying with me! Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 74 - Beach Bums

After lunch, we spent a couple of hours at The Avenues Mall. My favourite part was helping Edward pick out a new pair of jeans. I will admit to how much I enjoyed sitting in a chair, watching Edward model different cuts and colors. When he was finished, I admitted to liking the first pair. He laughed at me and shook his head. After he bought the jeans, he said that he was done shopping for him.

"Don't be such a guy, Edward. Shopping can be fun." I laughed. "I really enjoyed the little fashion show." I wrapped my arm around him, and rested my head on his side.

"I noticed that." He laughed, leaning down to kiss the top of my head.

Edward bought me a beautiful white shirt with a black flowered pattern that covered the front, and a purple ruffled tube dress. When I walked out of the change room in it, Edward told me that I looked stunning. He winked at me, before I turned and went back to change.

We drove back to the hotel at three o'clock and changed into our swimwear for the beach. I had a tankini, with black and white striped bottoms that tied on the sides. The top had thin stripes over my stomach, and what looked like a bikini top with thicker stripes with a string halter neck. Angela had made me buy it the last summer before I moved, but I had never worn it. I put my pink skirt back on over the bottoms to wear to the beach.

I walked out of the bathroom and Edward was laying on the bed in a pair of white board shorts, with thin blue and black lines in a plaid pattern. He was also wearing his white t-shirt, and flip flops.

"Wow." Edward said, looking at me. "You look amazing." I'm sure I blushed bright red. I didn't really feel comfortable in a bathing suit, but when I was with Edward, I always felt better about myself. He always made me feel pretty. He got off the bed and walked over to me. He leaned down and kissed my neck, running his fingers delicately over my arms. "Baby, I don't know if I want to take you to the beach." He laughed.

"Why not?" I said, smiling at him.

"Well, you look so smoking hot, baby." He said, winking at me. "I don't want anyone checking out my girl."

"Welcome to my world, babe. You're the hottie." I laughed. "For example, did you see the hostess at the restaurant last night. She was so into you."

"I only have eyes for you, beautiful." He said with a smile. "Okay, let's get out there."

I smiled at him and grabbed the sunscreen, and Edward took the towels, and we walked down to the beach. We laid out our towels and sat down on the beach. It was fairly busy, but not too crowded. Edward took off his t-shirt and I took my skirt off. We both put sunscreen on ourselves. "Lay down, Edward." I said. "I'll get your back." He grinned at me and laid down on the towel, with his arms folded under his head. I sat beside him and rubbed the lotion on his back.

"Mmm." He sighed as I massaged his back. "You should be a masseuse." I laughed and kissed the back of his neck.

"My turn." I said, moving my hair to the side. I felt Edward start rubbing my shoulders and the top of my back. "Maybe you should be a masseuse." I laughed.

"I'll do this anytime you want me to." He said, before leaning in and kissing my shoulder.

We both stayed on our towels getting some sun for about a half hour. I think I might have fallen asleep. I woke to kiss on the cheek. "Angel. Wake up." Edward whispered in my ear. I opened my eyes and looked at him with a smile. "Do you want to go in the water? I'm cooking out here." He laughed.

"Okay." I said, sitting up. We kicked off our shoes and ran out in the surf holding hands.

We must have spent an hour in the ocean, laughing, splashing and just holding onto each other. It was amazing. We walked back to the beach and wrapped up in our towels. I felt so refreshed, but exhausted at the same time. I slipped Edward's shirt on and we walked back to the hotel and went up to our room. It was just after five o'clock.

"Do you want to sleep for a bit? I'm exhausted." I said.

"Yeah, sure, baby." Edward said, coming over to kiss me. I grabbed Edward's flannel shirt and a pair of underwear and went in the bathroom to change out of my suit. I French braided my hair, so it was out of my face, and went back in the bedroom. Edward was laying on the bed in a pair of black boxer briefs. "Have I mentioned how much I love you in that shirt?" He asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, but I don't mind if you keep saying it." I teased. I picked up Edward's wet swim trunks from the floor and took them and my bathing suit out to dry on the balcony. I decided that I wasn't going to deal with the laundry service this time, because we were headed home, so I would just pack our dirty clothes and wash everything when we got back. And I did not want to pack wet bathing suits.

I turned out the light and crawled into bed with my gorgeous boyfriend. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. "I love you, babe." He whispered in my ear. We slept for about an hour and half. I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. By the time a wriggled out from under Edward's arm, and reached my phone, I had missed the call. I sat on the edge of the bed and scrolled through the missed calls list and noticed I had missed five phone calls, all from my mom. We had left our phones in the hotel room when we went to the beach and I hadn't checked it when we got back.

I didn't know what to think. Was she sorry about how she acted? Was she mad at me for leaving the restaurant? Did she hate Edward for standing up to her? I was trying to get over what happened last night, and all the emotions, like hurt and anger, swept over me again.

I felt Edward move behind me. "Baby. Is everything okay?" He asked, sitting behind me and resting his chin on my shoulder.

"I have five missed calls from my mom." I said quietly, holding up my cell phone.

"Did she leave a voice mail?" He asked, wrapping his strong arms around my shoulders.

"I didn't check." I sighed. "Edward. I don't know what to do. Should I talk to her, or is it only going to upset me more? I don't want her to ruin today, too."

"You can do whatever feels right, Bella. If you want to talk to her, then call. It's clear she has something to say, because she has been phoning all afternoon. But, if you just want to leave it, then I'll support you." He kissed my cheek.

I laughed. "I'm nervous."

"I know, honey. I don't want to tell you what to do, but do you think maybe it would be good to just see what it is she wants? If she starts yelling, just pass me the phone, or hang up." I smiled. Edward was even trying to protect me from a phone call.

"You're right. I don't want to leave things the way they are. She is my mom." I turned around and crawled onto Edward's lap, pulling myself close to his chest. "I love you, Edward." I wanted to be close to him when I made the call.

He wrapped his arm around my waist, tracing his thumb along my hip. I dialled the number and waited as it rang.

"Bella?" My mom's voice sounded like a mix of nerves and relief.

"Yeah." I answered softly.

"Oh, Bella. I'm so glad that you called me back. You said you were in town until Saturday?"

"Um. Yeah." I looked at Edward and whispered. "What time is our flight tomorrow?"

"Five after twelve." He said into my ear.

"Our flight is at five after twelve tomorrow afternoon." I told her.

"Okay, great. Bella, I'm really sorry about what happened last night. Do you think that you and Edward could stop over at my place for breakfast tomorrow morning? I don't want you to leave until I can explain." It was the first time in my entire life, that I had ever heard my mom sound like she wasn't in control. She was almost begging.

"Um, I have to talk about it with Edward. Can I call you back?" I said. I knew Edward would go if I wanted to, but it didn't seem fair to make that decision on my own. Plus, a part of me didn't want her to have any power over me.

"Of course, Bella. I look forward to hearing from you again soon." She said, before hanging up. I turned to look at Edward.

"She apologized and she wants us to go over to her place tomorrow morning for breakfast." I told him, before laying my head on his chest. I sighed. "I told her we'd talk about it."

He kissed the top of my head. "Are you ready to forgive her?" He asked, running his fingers along the outside of my thigh.

"I want to. She was so horrible to us, but she's my mom, and I have never heard her sound so scared." I whispered.

"I think she's finally realized how wonderful you are, Bella, and she doesn't want to miss out on having you in her life." Edward said. I hoped he was right.


	75. Chapter 75

**A/N - I've been geting a lot of requests for a sequel. I'm flattered! We've got a ways to go on this one first, but I do have some ideas brewing in my mind for the future. Thanks for reading! Here's more Edward and Bella...enjoy!**

Chapter 75 - Plans and Perfection

"Okay. So, you want to have breakfast with my mom tomorrow morning?" I asked Edward.

"Yes. I think it's going to go well. She told you she was sorry. Maybe this will be what dinner last night should have been." Edward said, stroking my hair down my back.

"Okay. I'll call her back and tell her. What do you think? Nine AM?" I asked.

"Sounds perfect, angel." Edward lifted me off of his lap and slid off the bed. "I'm just going to call home quickly, okay? Or, did you need me to stay?"

"No, no. You better call home, we haven't all day." I said. "I guess I'll call my dad after I talk to my mom."

"Deal." He said with a smirk. "Then I get you to myself for the rest of the night." He winked, before turning and walking out to the balcony, still only in his underwear. I watched him until he was out of site, his muscles tensing and flexing as he moved. He really was beautiful. I smiled to myself, and then dialled my mom's number again.

"Bella." She said, sounding hopeful.

"Hi, mom. We would like to come for breakfast, if that's still okay?" I asked, hoping she hadn't changed her mind, since I didn't answer right away.

"Bella, of course it's okay. I'm so glad that you're coming. Phil will be out of town for a meeting, so it will just be you, me and Edward." She said, sounding, dare I suggest, happy?

"That sounds great. We can be there at nine." I told her.

"Nine is perfect. Alright, Bella. Have a great night, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, mom." I hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief. I was really hoping we could work things out before I went back home. I didn't want this strained relationship. I wanted a mother. And, while I appreciated the surrogate moms in my life, I had really missed the true mother/daughter bond with my own mother that I had always longed for.

I called my dad and gave him the gist of what was happening with mom tomorrow, and when our flight left. We would land in Seattle just before five o'clock, Saturday afternoon, so we would be getting home around eight. He told me that they would make sure to wait for us for dinner. I told him that they didn't have to, but he insisted. I wanted to give him all the details now, in case I didn't have time to call in the morning.

"Remember, Bells. She is your mom and she does love you, even if she doesn't know how to show it." My dad said, before we said our goodbyes. If even my dad, who was abandoned by her almost fifteen years ago, could see that quality in her, then I would face tomorrow with a bright outlook.

I walked out onto the balcony to find Edward looking out at the beach, his phone sitting on the table. I walked up beside him and took in our view. "It's so beautiful here." I said wistfully.

Edward turned his head to look at me and smiled. "It is. As much as I miss everyone back home, I have loved spending this time alone with you, seeing these great cities, meeting those that are important to you. It's been amazing, babe." He leaned over and kissed my lips. "So, do we have plans tomorrow morning?" He asked hesitantly.

I smiled at him. "We do. I have to say I'm looking forward to it." I laughed. "Plus, my dad seems to have a good feeling about it."

"Well, there you go." He laughed. He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me up against his chest. I wrapped my arms around him and he carried me back into our room. "I'm not ready to end to this trip yet, angel." He said setting me down. "I want to take you out dancing tonight. I think I may have mentioned it back in Forks when we were packing." He had a sexy smirk on his face.

I laughed. "Well, technically, that was just one of your plans to see me in the white dress. You've already seen that one."

"So, your going to get me on a technicality." He laughed. "Okay, well you haven't had a chance to wear the purple dress you got this afternoon, right? Plus, I'm starving. So let's go out and eat."

I reached up and took my hair out of the braid. "But, I haven't had a shower since we were at the beach." I complained.

He leaned forward and kissed me on the neck. "Well, you smell like coconut sunscreen, and the beach. It's amazing, really. And your hair is beautiful. So long and wavy." He chuckled. "Go put on your dress and don't change a thing. You're gorgeous."

I blushed. "You're really good for the self esteem, you know that?" I asked with a laugh.

He smiled at me. "It's the truth." He kissed me again.

We got dressed and ready to go. Edward was wearing a tight black polo shirt and a pair of dark wash jeans. He looked incredible, as usual. I wore the purple dress that Edward wanted to see me in, and my jewelled sandals. I pulled back a small section of my hair from the front and pinned it back with a couple of bobby pins.

"You're beautiful." Edward said, when I walked out of the bathroom. He pulled me close to his body and leaned down to kiss me. "I love you." He breathed in between kisses. We kissed like that until I was breathless. Edward chuckled and pulled back. "You look amazing in that dress, babe."

"Thanks, Edward." I giggled, still a little light headed from the kiss. I put my palms on my warm cheeks. "And stop trying to make me blush." I teased.

"Bella." He laughed. "All I have to do is wink at you and you blush." He picked up my purse from the desk and passed it to me, before taking my hand and leading me to the elevator. As we rode down, he looked over at me and smirked. "But, don't get me wrong. I love it when you blush, so I'm not going to stop trying."

I just shook my head at him. "Why are you so frisky, tonight?" I teased.

He started laughing really hard, as we walked out to the car. "I'm frisky?" He chuckled. "It makes me sound like a cat."

"I was informed yesterday, in a certain zoo gift shop, not to forget that the lion, a.k.a. you, was the cutest animal. Last time I checked, lions were cats." I told him as he opened the car door for me. I sat down and he leaned in for another kiss.

"I love you." He whispered, chuckling, before shutting my car door and going around to the drivers side. I loved being silly with him. He was so much fun.

We held hands while we drove west back into Jacksonville, looking for somewhere to eat and go dancing for the night. We pulled over to a floral shop and Edward told me that he'd be right back. He returned five minutes later with a single red rose. He got in the car and turned to me with a smile. "It doesn't seem right to go on a date without a flower, right?" He smiled as he passed it to me. I smiled and leaned over to kiss him.

We stopped at the Red Zone Pizza and Grill. As we walked in, Edward's face lit up. "They have a blues trio." He whispered excitedly in my ear, as he squeezed my hand. I smiled at him. It made me happy to see him in his element like this.

We were seated close to the stage. They had a small dance floor and a few couples were dancing. I ordered grilled chicken with a stuffed potato and grilled veggies, and Edward ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich and fries. While we waited for our food, Edward stood up and held out his hand. "Bella, can I have this dance." He said, in a deep voice, that made me laugh.

"Of course, but you do know that I can't dance." I said, standing up and talking his hand as he led me to the floor.

"You don't have to know. I just want to hold you." He said quietly. He wrapped his arms around me, placing one hand on my hip, and the other on the small of my back, holding me close to his chest. I wrapped my arms around his back and rested my head over his heart. He rocked us back and forth to the music.

We were in our own little world, and in that moment, I realized that I had never felt so safe and happy and loved in my entire life. Everything seemed so perfect to me. I was in the arms of the man I loved with my whole heart and soul. A man that would do, and had done, everything in his power to make me this happy. He had stuck by me in my weakest moments and made me happy by making new memories with me.

When the song was over, Edward pulled back from me and leaned down to kiss me. "Thank you, angel. I love you." He took my hand and we walked back to our table.

We spent the rest of the night, eating and dancing and just being happy. We also had our waiter take our picture. I bought Edward a copy for the trio's CD before we left, as a souvenir of our perfect night. We left at about ten-thirty and drove back to our hotel. We locked my purse and Edward's wallet in the trunk and then decided to go for a moonlit walk on the beach.

We took off our shoes and Edward rolled up his jeans. We walked along the edge of the surf, hand-in-hand, with the waves splashing up on our ankles. We laughed and talked and had an amazing time. Edward crouched down and I hopped on his back. He held my legs and walked us back to where we had left our shoes. I kissed his neck and Edward started to sing to me. I rested my head on his shoulder and just enjoyed his gorgeous voice. It was the perfect end to an amazing day.


	76. Chapter 76

**A/N - Thanks again for all of the great reviews! But, let's get to the next chapter. I'm excited about it...Enjoy!**

Chapter 76 - Intensity

When we got back to the room from the beach, Edward set the alarm on his phone for seven AM. We pulled our clothes out of suitcases for the next day, so I could pack the rest of clothes in the suitcases. Edward took off his shirt and jeans and handed them to me, so I could fold and pack them. It was funny how used to a half naked Edward, I had become. I kept his polo shirt out and took it with me to the bathroom to change. I slipped off my dress and pulled on his shirt. It smelt like him, so warm and spicy.

I walked back out into the bedroom and Edward was laying across the bed. "I had so much fun tonight, babe." He said.

"Me, too." I walked over to my flowers on the desk. I hated to do it, but I had to press my birds of paradise and rose. I packed my journal in my purse. I shut out the light and walked over to the bed. "Did we get everything packed?" I asked.

I climbed in beside Edward and snuggled close to him. "I think so. I don't think we have room for another thing in those bags." He laughed, rolling over to partially lay on top of me. He started kissing down my neck, and sliding his hands down my back, stopping at my hips. I slid my arms around him and held him close to me. "I'm going to miss this." He breathed into my neck.

I giggled. "Me, too." I said, moving my head down to meet his lips.

We stayed up for another half hour, kissing and just trying to prolong our last night in Florida. I eventually fell asleep in his arms, feeling grateful for everything I had, and looking forward to the chance to improve my relationship with my mom in the morning.

I woke up before the alarm went off. I looked over at the clock and it was only quarter after six in the morning. I felt wide awake. I looked over at Edward and he was laying on his stomach, with his arms up and tucked under the pillow. I leaned forward and kissed his shoulder, before getting out of bed and going to take a shower.

After I had a shower, I got out and dressed in the new white shirt, Edward bought me at the mall, and a pair of black yoga pants. I dried my hair and left if long and straight. I put on some light makeup and then took everything that was mine out of the bathroom and packed it.

It was just about seven o'clock and Edward was still sleeping. He hadn't moved an inch since I got up. I walked over to him and kissed the back of his neck, then started rubbing his shoulders. "Babe. Wake up, Edward." I said quietly.

"Mmm." He groaned, stretching out his arms and rolling onto his side. "What time is it?" He grumbled, pulling his pillow to his chest. I laughed at him.

"It's seven. What happened to the morning person that I was dating back in Washington?" I laughed. "I think I'm a bad influence on you."

"You wear me out, angel." He finally opened his eyes. "You smell really good."

I laughed, again. "Thanks. I'm all ready." I said, walking over to my purse and getting my camera. I snapped a picture of him laying in bed.

He slid out of bed. "Okay. I'll go get ready." He trudged to the bathroom. I walked out on the balcony and took some pictures of our view for Alice. I did another sweep of the room and double checked the luggage. At twenty after seven, Edward came out of the bathroom. I packed all of his bathroom stuff and his boxers.

"Why don't we check out now and then go for a walk on the pier?" Edward suggested.

"That sounds amazing." I said, kissing his chin. He was getting a little stubbly, again. I had such a gorgeous boyfriend.

We checked out and Edward loaded our luggage in the trunk. We drove five minutes to the pier and got out of the car. We walked hand in hand down the pier. Edward bought me a hibiscus flower from a vendor, and tucked it behind my ear. We had our picture taken a the end of the pier and on our way back, we came across a caricature artist. We sat for ten minutes and left with an adorable drawing of Edward and I as cartoons. It was really cute.

We walked past a jewellery vendor and Edward found a little necklace with a seashell charm for Alice. He bought three extra necklaces, mother of pearl charms on plain black cord, as well. He told me Alice could have them to give to her friends, which I thought was so sweet of him. I saw a pretty bracelet made of little white circles. The vendor told us it was coconut wood. Edward clasped it on my wrist. "It looks beautiful, babe. Leave it on." He said with a wink, pulling out his wallet to pay.

He took my hand and we made our way back to the car. "Why do you spoil me so much?" I asked casually as we walked.

He looked serious for a minute. "Because, Bella. I have always wanted to find a girl that I could love, and girl that loved me back just as much. I've found her. That girl is you. I'm not trying to buy your love with gifts and this trip. We took this trip so I could learn about your life and your friends and your family. I bring you flowers everyday because your eyes sparkle when you see them. I buy you things because it makes you smile. When you smile because of something I say or do or give you, it makes me feel like I have some kind of control." We stopped walking and he turned to me, looking me straight in the eyes. "I'm so terrified I'm going to loose this. I can't loose you, Bella. You are everything to me. I don't think I can express in words how much I love you." He stopped and shook his head.

"Edward." I whispered. He looked back up at me. I could feel the tears in my eyes. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me that. But, don't be terrified of me. I have never felt so much love in my entire life than I have when I'm with you." I tear dropped from my eye. Edward, as if on reflex, reached his hand up to my cheek to brush the tear away. "We're not going to loose what we have. We're forever. I would never think you were trying to buy me. Where in the world did you get that idea?" It had never occurred to me that Edward, who always seemed so confident in our relationship, would have doubts about us.

As I looked into his eyes, that were swimming with uncertainty, it hit me. On the beach after the disaster that was dinner with my mother, when Edward was holding me, he asked me to never doubt his love and that he wanted what was best for me. He wouldn't tell me what she said. She told me not to accept gifts and trips. My mom must have put these doubts in his head. I was furious with her. More tears dropped from my eyes. I spun around and finished walking to the car. I could not wait to hear what she had to say to defend herself. How could she? Edward had shown me a lifetime of love in only two months. He valued family and friends and all the little things in life. He tried to bring me closer to my family, and my own mother, and in five minutes, she made him doubt my love and commitment to him.

When I reached the car, I leaned against it and slid to the ground. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I brought my knees up and laid my forehead on them. I needed Edward to tell me that it would be okay. But, how could he, when he doubted that fact himself?

I felt Edward come sit beside me. His legs were sticking out in front of him. I could see the frayed tears in his worn out jeans, and his perfect toes in his flip flops. I could see his hands rubbing his thighs. I could hear his uneven breaths. "Bella." He whispered. "Please."

I finally looked up into his eyes. His eyes looked red causing his green irises to glow with intensity. "What did she say to you?" I asked, not breaking eye contact. "My mom. What did she say to you that made you doubt us and what we have? I love you, Edward. I love you more than anyone else on earth. I don't know what I have to do to prove it to you, but it's true. You are perfect for me. We're perfect for each other. How can you not believe that?"

"I do believe it, Bella. I know it. This isn't your fault. I have always had these insecurities. My only other relationship was a complete lie, and I have been terrified of being hurt, Bella. I have always wanted what my parents have, but I know that not everyone can have it. People break up. People get divorced. But, I pushed all of those thoughts to the back of my mind, because I have you, and I know you're different. It's just that, on Thursday night, your mom brought all those thoughts back. She suggested to you that I was buying your love. She asked me what I was getting out of this relationship. But she doesn't understand how much you give me, Bella. You make me feel whole." I was looking at him and I needed to touch him. I needed him to know that those thoughts and fears weren't real. He needed me, now.

"Edward." I reached forward, took his hands in mine and brought them up to my heart. "Edward, I need you. I feel like I need you to breathe." I got up and sat on his lap. I pulled his head to my neck and started running my fingers to his hair. "I'm not upset with you, okay? I want you to be able to tell me your fears, but never, ever doubt that I will always be your constant in life. No matter what we face, or doubts we have, we can't doubt each other's love."

Edward lifted his head and looked at me, with a smile. "I don't doubt you, Bella." He raised his hands to my cheeks and pulled me to his lips. "Any doubts I have are with myself. But, please, please, don't ever walk away like that. I think my heart stopped beating."

"I'm so sorry. I was just upset. Not with you, though. I knew my mom had something to do with this." I said. A part of me didn't want to show up at her house, to hurt her like she hurt us, but I knew I had to go. I could not wait to get to her house and hear what she had to say. "Let's go. I want to go to my mom's house. I want her to explain this to me." I went to stand up, but Edward held me still.

"Bella, wait. Before we move, I need to know that everything is alright with us." Edward said, looking at me.

"Yes, Edward. Everything is alright. I love you with my whole heart and soul. But, just talk to me if something is bothering you. Don't keep these things internalized in your mind. I like to be there for you, too." I said, pulling him close for another hug.

"I love you, Bella." He said, standing us both up. "But, I'm never going to stop buying you things, okay?" He smirked at me. I'm glad that Edward was acting carefree again.

I laughed. "Okay." I would treasure every gift as if it was a piece of his heart.


	77. Chapter 77

**A/N - Thanks so much for your reviews. I'm glad that some you liked seeing Edward's insecurities, too. Because this is all BPOV, we don't often get to see inside Edward's mind, unless he tells us what he's thinking. Now, we've made to the breakfast with Renee! I hope you all like it!**

Chapter 77 - Apologies

Edward and I stood up and got in the car. Edward turned in the drivers seat and took my hands. "I should have told you what your mom said to me, Bella. Even my mom told me to tell you, when I called home that night, but I felt stupid that it bothered me. I just want to be good enough for you." He said.

"You are good enough. I'm the one that wonders that about myself." I admitted.

"Okay, let's make deal. We won't have anymore doubts about our relationship. We both love each other." He said, with a smile.

"Deal." I said giggling. "I'll love you, forever, Edward. I promise." I leaned forward and kissed his lips.

We drove to my mom's condo, which looked more like a house. We parked in front and walked up to the house, holding each other's hand for both support and comfort. It was ten after nine, but I wasn't worried about being late. I rang the bell and not ten seconds later, the door swung open and my mom stepped forward and pulled us both into a hug. "I'm so glad you made it. It was starting to think you had changed your minds." She said as she stepped back. "Come in."

We followed her into the house that was clearly too big for just her and Phil. They must have been doing well in business. I found it even more ironic that she seemed to be criticizing Edward and his family for their wealth, when she seemed to be in the same tax bracket.

We followed her into the kitchen, which had a small breakfast nook nestled in a bay window, with a beautiful view a gardened backyard. She had pancakes, fruit salad, orange juice and coffee on the table. My mom sat down, and I sat beside her, with Edward to my right. I looked at her. She looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep, but she was wearing a nice white dress shirt and a grey skirt. She looked like she was dressed for the office, but I imagined, considering she spent most of her time there, that the majority of her clothes were work appropriate.

"Actually, mom, I almost did change my mind." I admitted. "To be honest, I want to get everything out in the open right away. Why was our dinner such a disaster?" I didn't want to pretend nothing was wrong. I wanted to deal with the problems.

My mom looked down at her hands. "I'm so, so sorry, Bella. Edward." She looked up into my eyes. "Can I be honest with you?" She asked.

"Please." I said.

"This is embarrassing. I was jealous of you." She said, looking back down. "You two walked in the restaurant looking so content with one anther. The relationship you have with Edward is like nothing I have ever seen before. You two are so clearly in love. I wasn't happy in Forks, Bella. Love wasn't enough for me. I wanted success. And now that I have it, I realize how insignificant money and prosperity are without someone to share it with."

"You have Phil, though, right?" I asked.

"Well, honey, I don't think things are going to work out with him." She said, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Mrs. Dwyer." Edward said.

"Please, call me Renee." She said with a sad smile. "I've had two failed marriages. The only thing I'm good at is accounting. Don't you see Bella. I'm afraid of failure, and when I see it coming, I run away. I ran away from your dad. I threw myself into my work, so I could prove that I could be a success, and that I didn't need to rely on anyone. I wanted to show you, Bella, that women can be independent." She took my hand. "But, in doing that, I took you away from your home, and then I practically abandoned you. I got so caught up in the business, that I forgot what was really important. You."

I wiped a tear from my. "It means a lot to me that you can admit that. But mom, I believe that relationships and families are important. Edward means so much to me. I love him with all of my heart and we plan on staying together forever." I looked at Edward and smiled. "We're moving in together in the fall, when we go back to Seattle for school. Why would you question that?"

"I just don't want you to make the same mistakes that I did." She explained.

"I'm going to college, I have a committed relationship, I have been accepted by Edward's family and I'm getting close with dad again. I don't see any of those things as mistakes. I'm proud of where I am, who I love and who loves me." I explained. "Edward's mom is a stay at home mom and I've never seen anyone more happy and fulfilled with their role in life. I want to be a teacher, and one day, a wife and a mother, too. Success is different to everyone. I think if someone is happy, then they have succeeded in life." I squeezed her hand. "I'm happy, mom. Edward makes me happy. He's not trying to buy me with gifts. He gives me everything I need, just by holding my hand."

"I can see that, Bella. I'm sorry. I should never had said that." She stood up and hugged me. "Can you forgive me?" She whispered.

I looked at Edward and he smiled at me. "You really hurt me, mom. But, I want to have a relationship with you. I need it. There has always been a part of me that felt empty and I think only you can fill it. I would like to work on things with you. Maybe, we can call and e-mail each other more often. Maybe you can even come and visit us sometime."

She sat back down. "Oh, Bella. I'll accept that. I love you so much, and I know I have been horrible at showing it. I'm glad you don't think it's too late to fix our relationship." She smiled at me and then looked at Edward. "So, can we start now?"

I looked at Edward and smiled. "Yeah. But can we eat, too?" I laughed. "Did you cook?" I asked surprised. I don't think I could remember a time when my mom had cooked. It was always take-out when she was home, and when she wasn't, I cooked.

She laughed. "No. I ordered this from a little bistro down the street." I was glad she was being honest.

We ate and then spent the next hour in the sitting room, talking and laughing. It was the most time I think I had ever spent with her at once. We told her about our trip, our classes and I told her about how Edward and I met. We talked about the Cullens and I flipped through some of the photos on my digital camera so she could see pictures of Emmett, Jasper and Alice. I was so proud of them all. "You have a beautiful family, Edward." My mom told him.

"Thank you. They are amazing." He said proudly.

"So, does your dad know about your plans to move in together?" She asked me.

"Not yet." I laughed, nervously. "We just decided to get a place together on our trip, and I didn't want to tell him on the phone."

"It will be fine, Bella." My mom said. It was so nice that we all seemed to be getting along.

"Oh, mom." I said, remembering the gift I had bought her in Port Angeles. "Here's your Mother's Day gift." I passed her the box.

She opened it, and smiled when she saw the earrings. "They're beautiful, Bella. Thank you." She leaned over and hugged me.

It was almost eleven o'clock and our flight left at five after twelve. I knew we had to leave, and it made me sad to go. I wished that I got to spend more time with my mom while we were here. This trip had to be considered a success, however, because despite the rocky start, my relationship with my mom seemed to be stronger than ever. At least we had a foundation to build on.

Edward took some pictures of us, and we promised to send her copies.

"Mom." I said standing up. "We should probably get going. We have to check the car back in and go through security."

Edward stood up with me, and squeezed my hand. "Thank you for this morning, Renee. It means a lot to both of us." Edward said, walking over to her.

She pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for giving me another chance. I know I didn't deserve it, but thank you." She said, smiling up at him.

"Family is important to me, too." Edward looked over at me and smiled. "We would have kept trying to make this work."

"You've got a keeper here, Bella." My mom said with a laugh. I nodded and smiled back at Edward.

She turned to me and pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you, Bella." She cried, bringing tears to my eyes.

"Me, too, mom." I said, squeezing her tightly.

She walked us to the car and gave us each another hug. "Will you let me know when you get home?" She asked tentatively.

"I will, mom. I'll talk to you soon, okay?" I said, as Edward opened my door, and I got in. Edward walked around the car and got in. I rolled my window down. "I love you, mom." I called out, as we drove back towards the airport. She waved at us from the street until we couldn't see her anymore.

"I'm so glad we went to see her." I said turning to look at Edward.

"It went better than I expected." He turned and smiled at me. "And I'm so proud of you for standing up to her and telling her how you felt. I think it's important that she knows. But, I'm glad that you both seem to be getting along."

"Me, too. It feels like that piece of my heart that was always empty, seeking her acceptance and approval, has a chance of being filled up again." I said, smiling. This was the perfect ending to our vacation. I was ready to go home.


	78. Chapter 78

**A/N - I'm glad you're all happy about Bella and Renee trying to work things out! I don't mind drama, but I don't want too much stress for Bella. Thanks for the reviews and alerts! You are all my favorite people! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 78 - Going Home

We got to the airport, dropped off the car, and went through security. We looked at the airport souvenirs and we came across a Florida t-shirt. It was teal and had a photo of a Florida licence plate on the front. Edward smiled and went to the till to buy it. "Thank you, baby. I love it." I said, kissing his chin.

He stuffed it in his carry-on bag. "I really don't think we can fit another thing in here." He laughed. We had ten minutes until boarding, so Edward called home. "Hey, mom. Yeah. Yeah. She's doing great." He brought his hand up to stroke my cheek. "We went over to Renee's this morning and we talked things out. It turned out quite well, actually." Edward lowered the phone and turned to me. "My mom said she's happy for you." He smiled.

"Tell her 'thanks' and that I can't wait to see her." I said.

"Did you hear that?" Edward asked his mom. "Yeah. We'll be travelling all day. I'm tired just thinking about it, actually. No, you don't need to come get us in Seattle. I'll sleep on the plane. Yeah. Okay, mom, I've got to go. Okay. I love you, too. Bye." He hung up the phone.

"She's worrying already?" I asked, resting my head on his shoulder.

He chuckled. "Of course she is."

Our flight was called and we boarded the plane. We had an hour and a half flight to Houston, Texas. We spent that hour talking about our morning.

"I still feel really bad about this morning at the pier." Edward admitted.

"Why?" I looked at him, confused.

"I don't like getting so serious all the time. I don't want you to worry about me." He said. "I didn't need to put a damper on the morning."

I smiled at him. "You are the most thoughtful man on the planet, Edward." I leaned forward and kissed him. "I don't mind, really. You can get serious with me anytime you want. I love knowing what's going on in your head." I laughed. "And I know I cry at the drop of a hat, but I can handle a lot, Edward, so if you need to talk to me, do it. I love you."

He smiled at me. "You really are perfect, aren't you?" He asked, leaning forward to kiss me.

"Well, if you say so." I giggled, leaning my head on his shoulder. He leaned down to kiss my the top of my head. We sat like that, cuddled together, until we landed in Houston.

We had an hour layover. "We're in Texas, baby." Edward said sounding excited. We walked over to the food court and shared a basket of chicken strips and fries, and a coke. We walked over to our terminal and Edward saw a t-shirt. It was white with the red, blue and white Texas flag on it. It read 'Everything's Bigger in Texas.' Edward started to laugh. He took one off the rack and held it up to me. "Come on, it's perfect. It's so clichéd." He bought it and I had to put it in my purse, because we seriously were out of room, now. I now had t-shirts from Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Florida and Texas. Five states down, forty five to go.

We stopped in the bathrooms and then went to board our plane home. It would be an almost four hour flight to Seattle. It was over eight hours spent in airports, but with the time changes, we would only lose about five. After we boarded, I dug around in my purse to find Edward's iPod. We each put in an ear bud and relaxed and held hands for about an hour, just listening to music. Edward fell asleep with his head on my shoulder. I was glad that he was sleeping, as we had a three hour drive waiting for us once we landed. I rested my head on his and drifted off.

I was woken up by the steward, who told me we were landing shortly and we would need to fasten our safety belts soon. I thanked him and turned to Edward, stroking my fingers through his hair. "Baby, we're going to be landing right away. Wake up, Edward."

He opened his eyes and stretched his hands up over his head. "We're already here?" He asked still groggy.

"Yeah. I just woke up, too. They told me we were about to land." I said, before leaning over to kiss him. I missed his lips for the last few hours. He smiled at me.

After we landed, we went to get our luggage and then headed to the car. "I missed my car." Edward said, rubbing the hood, making me laugh. Edward put the suitcases in the trunk and we put our carry on and my purse in the backseat. He opened my door for me and I got in.

After Edward got in the car, he turned to me and pulled me close for a kiss. "It's good to be home, honey."

It was fairly cloudy today and actually quite cool. "You just like it because you don't have to turn the AC on." I teased.

"Well, I think that's a pretty darn good reason." He laughed. "Are you cold?"

"Actually, I am a little cold." I told him as we started driving away from the airport. He turned the heat on in the car until we got to a donut store. Edward went in and bought us a big box of donut holes, a coffee for him and a hot chocolate for me. I went to the trunk and pulled out our hoodies and sat back in the car waiting for him. I called Edward's house because I figured that my dad and Carlisle would still be out on the lake.

"Cullen residence." It was Jasper.

"Hey, Jasper. It's Bella." It was so good to hear his voice. I had really missed them all. They had become like family to me in such a short time.

"Oh, hi, Bella. Where are you guys now?" He asked quietly. I figured he wouldn't like talking on the phone much.

"Well, we just landed about a half hour ago. We're still in Seattle and Edward just ran into the donut shop. We'll be home around eight. I miss you guys. I can't wait to see you all."

"Yeah. We've all miss you guys, too." He said back. He was shy, but so, so sweet.

"So, how's everything going with Maria?" I asked, kicking off my flip flops and crossing my legs to get more comfortable.

"Um. It's, um, really good." He sounded so embarrassed to be talking to me about his girlfriend. "She's coming over for pizza tonight."

"Oh, that's great Jasper. I really like her. Is Rose coming, too?" If everyone was there, we could give them their souvenirs together.

"Uh, yeah. Oh, and Alice's friend Bree from dance class is here for the weekend, too." He said.

"Oh that's nice. I bet Alice is happy to have her." I said.

"Yeah. Um, I guess her grandpa was sick, so me, mom, and Alice went to Port Angeles to pick her up this morning at ten." Jasper said.

I looked up and saw Edward coming out of the store with a big box and a drink tray. I leaned across the seat and opened his door for him. "Is he going to be okay?" I asked, concerned.

"Who?" Edward whispered.

I covered the phone and whispered. "Bree's grandpa."

Edward nodded his head. "Yeah. I guess it's just some kind of precautionary thing. I don't really know, but mom does." Jasper explained.

"Oh, that's good. Anyway, Edward's back, and we're going to head home. We'll see you all soon, okay?" I said, as Edward backed out and we drove through town back to the ferry.

"Okay. Tell Edward I said 'hi.'" Jasper said.

"I will. We love you Jasper. Let everyone know we're on our way." I said.

"Okay. Bye, Bella." He said before hanging up.

"Jasper says 'hi.'" I said. Edward smiled. I could tell he was happy that we were going to be home soon. "I guess Maria and Rose are coming over for dinner tonight."

Edward laughed. "Us Cullen boys are crazy about our girls." He took my hand and kissed the back of it.

We got to the ferry in just over a half hour. We boarded, put on our hoodies and went to sit on the deck. We sat side by side. Edward had his arm draped over my shoulder. As the wind blew through our hair, I smiled, happy to back in Washington.

We used the bathrooms before getting back in the car. The rest of the drive home, we had so much fun. Road trips with Edward were amazing. I fed Edward donut holes, he sang to me and we talked about our favourite parts of the trip. We stopped in Port Angeles for a bathroom break and then got in the car and finished the last of the drive home. I was bouncing in my seat as we pulled up to the Cullen house, making Edward laugh.

I looked up to the porch and saw everybody standing outside waiting for us. Alice and Bree were jumping up and down. I could understand the feeling. We were home.


	79. Chapter 79

**A/N - I'm in a crazy hurry today, but I had to get this chapter up for you! Enjoy!**

Chapter 79 - Reliving Memories

"Welcome home, Bella." Edward leaned over in his seat to kiss me, before smiling at me. "Ready for the madness?" He asked.

"Absolutely." I said with a smile. I kissed him one last time, before we both opened our doors. We got out and Edward took my hand, before we ran up to the porch into the arms of our families.

"Welcome home, kiddo." My dad said pulling me into a tight hug.

"Hi, dad." I said into his chest. I turned around, and was pulled into another set of arms. Emmett lifted me off of my feet, making me laugh. "I missed you, Emmett."

He set me down, laughing. "Glad your back, Bella."

I got hugs from Esme, Jasper, Carlisle, Rose, Maria and even little Bree. I turned to look for Alice and saw Edward holding her. She had her arms squeezed tightly around Edward's neck, but she was looking at me with a huge smile on her face. "Bella."

I went over to Edward and he leaned down to kiss the top of my head, as he set Alice down. I pulled her into a hug, kissing her cheek. "See, Alice. I told you we'd be back before you knew it."

It was so good to be back. "Come on, kids. Let's go eat. Charlie and I caught dinner." Carlisle said with a smile. My dad walked over and wrapped his arm around me, and Alice took my hand and we walked into the house behind Esme and Carlisle, and Edward, who had his arms around both Emmett and Jasper's shoulders. Maria and Rose each took one of Bree's hands and followed us in.

We all sat around the dining room table and dug into the six pizza boxes. "So, are you going to tell us about the trip?" Emmett asked.

"No." I said with a smile. "I want to hear everything that happened while we were gone first. I missed you all so much."

"Bella." Alice laughed "That's not fair."

"It is fair, because we have souvenirs, princess." Edward said, winking at Alice, who was sitting in between Edward and I. She got a huge smile on her face.

Bree, who was sitting on my other side, looked a little upset, probably feeling left out and upset about her grandpa. I leaned down and whispered in her ear. "We got something for you, too, sweetie, okay?" She looked up at me and smiled, giving me a hug. I patted her shoulder, hoping that would make her feel a bit better.

While we ate, we heard about classes, homework, Jasper's baseball game and an apparent double date to the diner last night. It was amazing how much happened while we were gone, and I loved every minute of hearing about their week. Esme looked so happy that we were all together.

After we ate, Maria, Rose and I helped Esme clear off the table, while the guys went out to the car to bring in our suitcases, and what they really wanted, the souvenirs inside. They brought our luggage into the family room.

"Charlie mentioned that you guys had lots of pictures. Can we see them?" Esme asked with a smile. Everyone crowded onto the large sectional couch. Emmett was eating the leftover donut holes that he found in the car. Edward took my camera and hooked it up to the TV, so we could show them our pictures while we told them about the trip. I thought it might be more fun for them to see what we were describing.

Edward flipped through the photos and every time a new one popped up, Edward and I would laugh or smile at the memory it brought back. We told them all about the trip, Angela, Ben, the Webers, the flights, the sites and the good times with my mom. I decided to talk about the details of the incident, and later apology from my mom, with my dad privately.

They all loved my turquoise necklace and laughed at my rooster pot holders. Edward showed them his guitar strap and sheet music. He was glowing, just talking about it.

As we were showing them the pictures we took in Tucson, I opened the suitcases and brought out the souvenirs we bought in Arizona. I gave my dad his mug, and Edward gave his mom and dad the blanket. They seemed quite happy with their gifts. "You two didn't have to get us anything." Esme said, running her hand along the blanket.

I smiled at her. "We had fun shopping though. It's nice to have people you want to shop for. Plus, we missed you guys, so getting souvenirs kind of helped." I explained. I passed Alice the purse I got her and the coin purse from Edward. I got up and gave Rose the knit bag, and Maria, the messenger bag. They were both surprised that we got them something and gave me a hug.

Edward got up and knelt in front of Alice and Bree. He clipped a beaded bracelet on both of their wrists. They both hugged him, and then sat back giggling, holding out their wrists. They seemed excited that both got the same thing.

Edward passed Emmett the incense burner. "This is so cool. I love it." He said smiling, taking it out of the box. Edward walked up to Jasper and set the cowboy hat on Jasper's head, causing Jasper to blush, as everyone looked over at him.

"You look great, bro." Edward said. Maria giggled, telling him how cute he looked in it. He took it off to look at it.

"Thanks, guys." He said, smiling.

We went back to showing pictures and everyone laughed at Edward standing beside the cactus. "He actually ventured out of the AC in the car to get that picture, too." I teased. Edward just laughed and leaned over to kiss me.

"You would not believe the heat down there." Edward said, seriously. "I swear, I had three showers a day."

Esme told me how beautiful I looked on our double date with Ben and Angela. "She always looks beautiful, but I swear, on this trip, she looked amazing everyday." Edward added, making me blush. Both Maria and Rose awed. Everyone loved the picture of us at the Orpheum Theatre, and Edward told them about the couple we had met that were celebrating their fortieth anniversary.

Alice and Bree liked the pictures of the horses we showed them, as we told everyone about our trail ride through the desert. "Hey, isn't that Edward's shirt?" Emmett asked, as we looked at a picture of me sitting on my horse, wearing Edward's plaid shirt.

Edward laughed. "Not anymore." He winked at me. "It's Bella's now." I smiled back at him.

We showed them our pictures of Florida and they all thought the beach was gorgeous. We told them how we went out into the water at night. "Weren't you guys scared of sharks?" Maria asked. "'Cause I know I would have been." She giggled.

I looked at Edward and he looked at me. "I really never thought of that. But remind me to never go in the ocean again." I said seriously.

"Oh, we were fine." Edward said, squeezing my hand.

We showed them the pictures from the zoo, and everyone laughed at the picture of Edward in front of the lion. I passed Alice the stuffed lion, which she hugged close to her chest, and showed them my sting ray that Edward bought me. "Look at your face, man. Did you forget your razor?" Emmett said, laughing at Edward's long stubble.

"Bella liked it." Was his only answer, causing Esme to giggle quietly.

Next were the pictures of the plantation. Esme liked the gardens, so we gave her the book on the Plantation gardens. Edward gave Emmett the ghost book, which he loved. As we told them about Fort Clinch, I gave my dad the little canon, which he was really excited about. Edward gave his dad the medical book and Jasper the history book. Everyone seemed to be happy with their souvenirs, which made me really happy.

Edward told them all about the blues club we went to and they thought we looked great. He showed the CD I bought him, too.

As we showed them the pictures of the pier, Edward gave Alice the seashell necklace and then the three mother of pearl necklaces to give to her friends. When he told her to give them out, she immediately turned to Bree and gave her one. Bree looked so happy to be involved with a large family and I could identify with her in so many ways. We were both children of single moms. And I hoped Alice and the Cullens could be to her, like Angela and the Webers were to me. Alice hopped up and took the last two necklace to Rose and Maria. It was so sweet how Alice was accepting of all her brother's girlfriends, and wasn't jealous or upset about these new people in her life.

I showed them the caricature we had drawn of us, as well as my bracelet.

Finally, we came to the pictures of my mom. We looked so happy in the pictures Edward took of us this morning. I got a little teary eyed, just thinking about how happy I was that we started to work things out. My dad wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I leaned over to rest my head on his shoulder. He kissed my temple. "You ready to home, Bells?" My dad asked quietly. I nodded my head. I was so tired. All of the days events and all the travelling finally hit me.

I stood up and looked at the clock. I couldn't believe it was almost midnight. Edward stood up and pulled me to his chest, running his hands through my hair. "Goodnight, angel. I'm going to miss you tonight." He whispered in my ear.

All of the Cullens stood up to give me a hug, thanking me for the souvenirs. Esme invited my dad and I over for dinner tomorrow night, considering I would probably still be too tired to cook. We agreed and thanked her. My dad picked up my suitcase and I took my purse, and Edward's hand, and headed out to truck. Edward helped me in the truck and gave me a goodnight kiss, before shutting the door. After spending a week in his arms, it was going to be hard to sleep alone.


	80. Chapter 80

**A/N - Thanks for all reviews again! I kind of like this chapter, so let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

Chapter 80 - Father/Daughter Talk

My dad and I got home and I went straight to bed. I slipped on my Florida t-shirt and crawled into my bed. I could barely keep my eyes opened. When I woke up, the sun was shining brightly through my window. I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was noon. I couldn't believe that I had slept for twelve hours. I went and had a shower and put on a pair of yoga pants and Edward's plaid shirt.

I went downstairs and found my dad sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. I noticed that it was the mug we got him in Arizona. He was reading the newspaper, but looked up when he heard me. "Hey, kiddo. Finally up?" He laughed.

"Yeah. I must have been exhausted." I got a glass of orange juice and sat down beside him.

"Esme called." He said, looking up from the paper. "Edward's sick."

"What? Is he okay?" I stood up, in a panic.

"He's fine. Settle down. It's just a head cold. Probably picked up something on the plane. Plus, all the air conditioning likely didn't help." My dad added. "Edward wanted her to call so you didn't come over today and get sick, too." He chuckled.

"They're still having dinner, though?" I asked.

"Yeah, six o'clock." He said. "Edward said he'll stay in his room."

"I'll make him some soup." I said. "Did you have any plans today?"

"No, just watching the game this afternoon. Would you like to join me?" He asked, sounding hopeful.

"Sure. I'll just run to the store quick, and I'll be back before it starts, okay?" I said.

"Alright." He said with a smile.

I sent Edward a quick text. 'I love you, babe. Feel better soon.' I knew he was probably sleeping, but I wanted him to know I was thinking of him when he woke up.

I grabbed my dad's keys and ran to the grocery store to pick up some chicken broth base, carrots, zucchini, dried pasta and a chicken breast. When I got home, I put it all the fridge for later. I went upstairs and opened my suitcase. I sorted my clothes on the bed and brought down my first load to put in the washer.

The doorbell rang and I went to answer it. There was a man holding a vase with a mix of white and red roses. "Flower delivery for a Miss Bella Swan." He said, passing me the flowers.

"Thank you." I brought them in and set them on the table. The card read: 'Happy One Month Anniversary, Bella. I love you. Edward.' I smiled. It was on April 16th that Edward had asked me to be his girlfriend. I can't believe he remembered.

I walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch to sit with my dad. "Edward sent flowers." I said, still smiling. "We've been dating for one month."

"That was nice of him." My dad smiled at me. He took a breath. "So, kiddo, did you want to talk about your mom?" He asked, muting the game.

"Okay." So, I told him everything that happened about Thursday night's dinner, the questions, the rude comments, Phil's absent behaviour and Edward and I leaving.

"What did she say to set Edward off? He's a pretty level headed kid." My dad asked.

"Well, I didn't find out until Saturday morning, but apparently, she implied that he was buying my love with trips and gifts. She asked him what he was getting out of the relationship." I explained.

"How dare she? What does she even know about relationships?" My dad looked furious.

"I know. I felt the same way." I said. I told him about her phone call inviting Edward and I over for breakfast, and how I wasn't sure what to do. I told him that Edward thought it would be best to just hear out. I had agreed because I didn't want to leave things like that. Then I told him about our breakfast together.

"She told me she was jealous of Edward and I, and how committed we were to each other. Her and Phil are getting divorced." I told him.

He shook his head. "She was such a good woman, Bells. She just always wanted more. More than I could give her."

"Well, she sounds like wants to work things out with me. Do you think you would be okay if she came to visit me sometime?" I worried about this bringing up painful memories for my dad.

"Oh, I'm fine, Bells. If she wants to come see you, and you want her here, then I'm okay with it." He said, patting my leg.

We watched the game a little more, before I went to put in another load of laundry. I came back and sat on the couch again. I really wanted to tell him about Edward and I moving together, but I was a little bit nervous. I figured I should just get it out in the open.

"Dad?" I said.

"What is it, kiddo?" He muted the game, again. "You look tense."

"I need to tell you something." I took a deep breath. I could tell him this. "Um, Edward asked me if I wanted to move in with him in the fall. You know, when we go back to Seattle."

My dad tried to hold back a smile. "And what did you say?"

"Oh, um, I said yes. I mean, we're with each other all the time anyway, and he can't cook, so we thought that maybe…" I was now rambling like Edward did when he was nervous.

"Bells, relax." My dad chuckled. "I had a feeling that something like this was going to happen sooner or later. I actually thought you might elope." He chuckled.

I laughed at that. "Really? I would never do that." I turned to him. "So, you're okay with it? I mean, us getting a place together?"

"You're going be turning nineteen soon, Bells. You're in college and you're in love with a great, responsible guy." He put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm a dad and I do worry, but if this is what you want to do, then I'm happy for you."

I pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you, daddy." I whispered. "I don't think I could have went through with it, if it bothered you."

"Bells, I just got you back. I'm so happy that you want to stick around close to your old dad. I want you to be happy, and if Edward is what's making you happy, then I'm happy, okay?"

"I love you, dad. Thank you." I said.

I put in another load of laundry and then went into the kitchen to make a big pot of chicken soup. It was a fairly quick recipe, so it only took me about forty-five minutes to finish it. I put some in a thermos for Edward, and the rest in two Tupperware containers, one for my dad's lunch tomorrow, and the other, to take over to Esme, to heat up later for Edward. I knew she was probably spoiling him, but I already missed him, and I didn't know what else to do for him.

We finished watching the game and then I went upstairs and pulled on a pair of black Capri pants and a black tank top. I put the plaid shirt over top. I really loved feeling this close to Edward, just by wearing his clothes.

I went back downstairs. "Dad. Do you think it would be okay if we went over early? I really want to check on Edward."

He chuckled. "Sure, kiddo." We packed Edward's soup, a small bowl and a spoon in a grocery bag and then drove over to the Cullens. We got there at about five o'clock.

Esme gave us each a hug. I gave her the container of soup to put in the fridge. "Oh, sweetie. You didn't have to do that, but thank you." She said with a smile.

"I'm going to go up and check on him, okay?" I said.

I went up the stairs to his room, and the door was closed. I opened the door slowly, and noticed the light was turned out. I could see Edward laying on his stomach, tucked in tightly under his blanket, with his arms above his head. His hair was sticking out in all directions, and he was snoring softly. There were crumpled-up tissues all over the bed and the floor. I held back a laugh. He was even messier when he was sick. I went in the bathroom and took his garbage can in my hand and came back in his room and cleaned up. I left it by his bed. I went back in the bathroom and washed my hands.

I came back in the room and Edward was stirring a little. He groaned and rolled over, coughing. He opened his eyes, and looked at me. His nose was all red and his eyes were watery, but he still looked handsome. "Bella? What are doing here? You're going to get sick." He voice was scratchy and sounded sore.

"Aw, baby. I was worried about you." I said, walking over to sit beside him on his bed. "Come here." I said. He laid his head on my lap, and ran my fingers softly through his hair. "Happy anniversary, Edward. Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful."

"You're welcome. I missed you today, angel." He said softly, coughing again.

"I missed you, too. I slept until noon." I chuckled. He laughed a little, making himself cough again. "Here, babe. I made you some chicken soup." I slid out of bed and went to get it from his desk. I opened the thermos and poured some in the bowl, bringing it over to him. He sat up and I stacked some pillows behind his back. I passed him the soup.

"Thank you, babe. You're spoiling me." He said, coughing.

"Well, I love you. Now, quit talking, it's making you cough. Eat your soup." I ordered with a smile.

He laughed, but started eating. He ate the whole bowl. I took it from him and set it on his desk. "Good boy." I said, coming to lay beside him again.

"Thank you, baby. I feel better already." He rasped out, laying his head on my stomach. I rubbed his back. Five minutes later, he was snoring again. I felt better, just having him in my arms again.


	81. Chapter 81

**A/N - Thanks for all the reviews! I feel bad for sick Edward, too, but he's so fun to spoil when he's sick. I know you all missed the Cullens when Bella and Edward were on vacation, so let's hang out with them some more. Enjoy!**

Chapter 81 - Goodnight

About twenty minutes later, Edward's door opened slowly. Carlisle peaked his head in. "Bella. Dinner's ready."

I nodded. I carefully slid out from under Edward. He rolled over, and kept snoring. I tucked the blankets around his shoulders, kissed his head and walked over to the door.

"How's he doing?" Carlisle asked, as we walked down the hall and then down the stairs.

"He's alright. He ate a bowl of chicken soup, then fell back asleep." I told him.

"He'll be okay in couple of days. I just think that much travelling can wear a person down." Carlisle told me as we walked into the dining room.

I heard a chorus of hellos as I sat down, between Alice and my dad. "Hey, guys. Hi, Bree." I said, noticing she was still here with the Cullens. I smiled as I noticed that both she and Alice were wearing their bracelets and necklaces that Edward gave them yesterday.

"Hi, Bella." She said, shyly.

"So what did you two do today?" I asked her and Alice.

"Well, me and Bree made chocolate chip cookies with mom this morning and then, this afternoon, Jazz and Em took us to the park and then when we got home, we played Mario Kart." Alice told me in one breath. "What did you do today?"

"Wow. What a busy day." I said laughing at her enthusiasm. "I slept until noon, did the laundry, me and my dad watched a baseball game, and then I made your brother some chicken soup."

"Edward is a lucky guy. A girl that sleeps in, watches sports and cooks." Emmett laughed. "You are an honorary Cullen, that's for sure."

I blushed, but laughed with him.

We enjoyed another one of Esme's great dinners. Tonight she made glazed pork chops and mashed potatoes. I felt bad that Edward was in bed and missing out on dinner.

She brought out some cookies on a plate and we all complimented the girls on a great job.

At about eight o'clock, Esme and Carlisle had to take Bree back to Port Angeles. My dad decided to go home, as Emmett offered to drive me home. I wanted to tuck Alice in and see Edward a for about a half hour before I left. Jasper said he would stay home to watch Alice. The Cullens were the perfect family. They were always helping each other out. It was amazing. I gave my dad a hug before he left, telling him, I'd be home in about an hour. I hugged Bree and she thanked me again for the souvenirs. We all waved to her, and Esme and Carlisle drove off.

"I'll take Alice up to bed, guys." I volunteered.

"Okay, thanks Bella." Emmett said. "We'll just be watching TV in the basement. Just call me when you want to go home."

"Alright, thanks." I said, as Alice went to give her brothers goodnight hugs.

"Okay, munchkin. Go brush your teeth and I'll be right up." I said to Alice.

"Okay." She said, running up the stairs. I smiled as I watched her. I had really missed her. I went into the kitchen, and poured Edward a glass of orange juice, and set a cookie on a plate for him. I took them upstairs and set them on the table in the hall, beside a beautiful vase. I, then, walked into Alice's room and waited on her bed for her. She came into the room in her pink Cinderella nightgown.

"You all ready for bed?" I asked her.

"Yep." She said, crawling into bed. "Will you read me a story?" She batted her eyelashes at me. I could see why she was so spoiled. She was so darn cute.

"Okay." I laughed. I picked up a copy of 'The Frog Princess' and read it to her. By the time I was finished, she was asleep. I tucked her in and shut out her light. I crept out of her room, picked up Edward's juice and snack, and made my way to check on my poor boyfriend.

I opened the door and noticed that Edward wasn't in bed. I could see the light from under the bathroom door. I laughed when I saw some balled up tissues around the garbage can. At least he tried. As I was cleaning up again, Edward came out of the bathroom. "Hey, baby." He said. He was wearing a black t-shirt and red and black plaid pyjama pants. I giggled at him. This boy sure loved his plaid. His hair was damp. "I felt horrible, so I had a quick shower. I feel a bit better." He said, walking over to me.

I hugged him around the waist. "Good. I'm glad to hear it. Get back in bed. I'll be right back. I went in his bathroom and got a new garbage bag and replaced the bag in his garbage by his bed. I tied up the full bag and set it by his door. I washed my hands and came back to his room and brought him his orange juice.

"Thanks, baby. I feel bad that I can't take you out for our anniversary and you're stuck taking care of me." He said before drinking half of his juice.

"Well, I'm sorry that your sick, but I like taking care of you." I said, kissing his forehead.

"Is your dad waiting for you?" Edward asked, smiling when I handed him the cookie.

"No, he left about twenty minutes ago. Your parents took Bree home and your brothers are downstairs watching a movie. I just tucked in Alice and then I came to tuck you in." I laughed.

He nodded as he finished his cookie in three bites, then gulped down the rest of his juice. I set his dishes on the desk and then came to lay beside him. He rested his head on my chest, and wrapped his arm around my waist. I started rubbing his back in slow circles.

"I told my dad about us moving in together." I said.

"Really? What did he say? Is he going to kill me?" He laughed, which made him start coughing.

I kept rubbing his back. "No, Edward." I laughed. "He's really happy for us. He realizes that we're adults, and I think he's just glad that I'm so close to home."

"Good. I told my mom and dad about it last night. They were excited, too. They love you, babe." He said softly.

"I'm really excited. I can't wait to pick out an apartment with you." I said, excitedly. "Do you want to look online this week?" I really couldn't wait. I was so looking forward to living off campus with Edward.

"Okay." He sounded like he was falling asleep again. I was glad he was getting so much rest. I sat with him for another ten minutes until he was snoring again. I slipped out from under him again and kissed his cheek. I took all of the dishes that were accumulating on his desk and left the room, shutting the door behind me. I went downstairs and put his dishes in the dishwasher.

It was nine o'clock, so I went downstairs to the basement get Emmett. "Hey, guys. I got both kids tucked in." I teased.

"How is he feeling?" Jasper asked.

"He coughs when he laughs and he had tissues scattered around the room, but he should be fine in a couple of days." I told them.

"Ready to go?" Emmett asked. "Or did you want to hang around for a bit?" It was nice that I had developed such a close relationship with Edward's brothers. They didn't just tolerate me, but they actually wanted me around.

"I should probably go hang out with my dad for a bit tonight." I said, wrapping my arm around his waist. "But, I'll be back tomorrow, so don't miss me too much." I laughed.

Jasper laughed. He walked over and gave me a hug. "Bye, Bella." I hugged him back.

"Bye, Jasper." I said. Emmett and I walked out to the truck. On the drive home, we talked about Rose.

"So, Rose and I are getting pretty close. I really like her." Emmett said. "Um, how did you know when you loved Edward?"

I looked up at him, and he was blushing. "Emmett. I can't tell you how you feel. But, with Edward, I knew because I couldn't picture my life without him. When I'm not with him, I don't quite feel whole. We had a misunderstanding over my mom down in Florida." Emmett looked over at me with a shocked look on his face. I laughed. "It was nothing serious, and we had it worked out in less than five minutes, but in that five minutes, I felt like I couldn't breathe. What Edward and I have is really serious."

"So, do you think it's too soon for me to be love with Rose?" He asked.

"No, I wouldn't say that. Edward told me that he loved me the day after we got home from college. We had only been official for about two weeks at that time. I don't think you can judge these things on time. And I think it's different for everyone. I know that when both Edward and I talk about the future, our plans include each other." I said, as we pulled up in front of my house.

"Okay, thanks, Bella." He said leaning over to give me a hug. "You've given me a lot to think about. See you tomorrow."

"You're welcome, Emmett. Anytime." I said smiling. And I meant it. I really did see them all as my family.


	82. Chapter 82

**A/N - I know I say it every chapter, which means I've said it 82 times, but getting your reviews is like getting a Christmas present in my inbox. So, thank you! To answer someone's question: Yes, I could make the chapters longer, but no, I'm not going to. In order to update everyday, and maintain some sort of an outside life, the chapters need to stay this length. But, thank you for wanting more! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 82 - Bella Swan, Receptionist

"Dad?" I called out when I walked in the house.

"In the kitchen." He said. I walked in the kitchen and he was standing by the phone.

"What's going on?" I asked. He looked pretty stressed.

"Oh, it's Sue. You remember Sue, the receptionist at work?" I nodded. She was a very nice woman, even though she was a little nosy, in an endearing way. "Anyway, her daughter Emily went into labour, and she needs to stay with her."

"Oh, that's exciting. She's going to be a grandma." I said smiling. My dad still looked upset. "Um, am I missing something?" I asked, patting his arm.

"It's just that Sue asked to take a few days off with her, and I can't find anyone to fill in for her." He sighed. "When she takes vacation, one of the officers usually fills in, but, we're short handed this week, as it is. A few guys are at a training course in Tacoma."

"Could I do it?" I suggested. "I mean I know absolutely nothing about police stuff, but I can answer the phone, and maybe do some filing. I'm a quick learner."

"You could handle it. Are you sure you want to, though? I mean, I don't want you to have to work on your vacation." My dad. What a guy.

"Dad. I have four months off. A few days of work aren't going to kill me. Plus, Edward's in bed all week, so it's not like I have any plans." The more I thought about it, the more I liked this plan. It would be a great way to see my dad this week.

"Okay, Bells. That would really help me out. Do you think you could work from seven to noon? Then after lunch, I'll just have the phones forwarded to my desk. I'm on the day shift for two weeks, now. Seven to five." He told me.

"Um, yeah. That sounds great. Could I take the truck? Then I could go check on Edward after lunch." I said.

"Absolutely, kiddo." He walked over to me and gave me a hug. "I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"You're welcome, dad. Isn't that what kids are for?" I laughed.

We spent the next hour hanging out in the kitchen and he showed me how to fill out complaint forms and reports. Then he explained that the filing system was by code and then in order by date. "It's not that hard, Bells. Plus it's usually pretty slow. If you have any questions, just ask me. If I'm not there, anyone can help you."

"I think I get it." I said. "I'm going to head up to bed. I've got work tomorrow." I laughed.

"Alright, see you bright and early tomorrow morning." He said. "Oh, and Bells. The job pays fifteen dollars an hour."

"Dad. You don't have to pay me." I said. "I'm just helping you out."

He laughed. "I'm not paying you. The county is. So, take the money. I would have had to pay a temp anyway."

"Oh, okay. Awesome." I said. It would be nice to have a little extra money. Maybe I could use it to buy something for our new apartment. "Goodnight, dad."

I set my alarm for five AM, then slipped off my clothes, sleeping in my underwear and tank top. I still missed Edward holding me in his arms, but I guess I'd have to wait until noon tomorrow. I drifted off to sleep and dreamt of walking on the beach with Edward.

I woke up at five to my alarm. I felt exhausted, and I really wanted to role over and fall back asleep, but I promised to help out, so I was going to do it.

I had a shower, brushed my teeth and got dressed. I put on a pair of khaki dress pants and a black dress shirt with some black ballet flats. I French braided my hair, grabbed my purse and headed downstairs just after six. I made my dad and I some toast and cut up some fruit. I got myself some orange juice and started the coffee. I threw an apple in my purse in case I got hungry, and then sat down at the table. My dad joined me and we ate together. He looked quite excited for the day, and I was happy to help bring that smile to his face.

He took the cruiser to work and I followed him in the truck. We walked in and my dad got me all set up with some filing to start with. He headed back to his desk to work on some paperwork. About ten minutes later, Jake Black walked in. I was a little upset that he would be here when I was. His attitude had really bothered me the last time we had met.

"Hey, Bella." He said, walking up to the front desk, leaning forward on forearms. "Filling in for Sue?"

"Yeah." I said bluntly, not looking up from the papers I was sorting by date to put in folders.

"It will be nice having a new face around here." He added, not taking the hint that I didn't want to talk. "So, when did you get back from your trip?"

"Saturday." I seriously didn't know what this guy's problem was. I was clearly trying to work and I obviously had no interest in him. Luckily, the door opened and Paul walked in.

"Hey, Paul." I said, smiling in relief. I glanced at Jake, and he was scowling in Paul's direction, but stayed up front.

"Hey. It's the beautiful Bella." Paul said walking up to stand by Jake. "And, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

I laughed. "I'm filling in for Sue for a couple of days." I said, getting up to get more folders.

"That's cool. How's Edward?" Paul asked.

"He's in bed with a cold." I said. "Trip wore him out, I guess."

"Poor guy. Tell him I said to hurry up and get better." Paul said. "Did you have a good time though?"

"It was amazing." I said with a smile.

"When Edward get's his butt out bed, we'll have to get together for a double date." Paul said with a wink.

"Rachel?" I asked hopefully. I really liked the waitress we had met in Port Angeles at the open mic night. Paul nodded with grin.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you. I really like her." I said. Just then, the phone rang. "Oh, my first call." I said, a little nervously, lifting the receiver. "Forks Police Department. How can I help you?"

"I would like to make a complaint." It was an older woman's voice on the phone.

"Alright. Can I take your name?" I asked. I proceeded to got through the complaint form and when I had all of the information, I took the form to my dad, with both Paul and Jake, following me back.

"Chief Swan." I said, professionally, but with a wink, causing him to smile. "You have a complaint call." I passed him the form I filled out.

"Thank you, Miss Swan." He said, looking over the paperwork. I heard Paul chuckle behind me, and Jake huffed.

"Okay, Officer Black. Can you go check out Mrs. Marks' complaint. The neighbour's cats have been in her flowers again." My dad held back a smile as he said this.

"Yes, sir." Jake said, heading out of the station to his patrol car.

"So, how did I do?" I asked. "Did I fill out the report properly?"

"You did great, Bells. And, your printing is better than Sue's." He laughed. "Alright, Rookie." My dad said to Paul. "You want to do the morning patrol?"

"Sounds great, sir." He said, turning to leave. "Have a great morning, Bella."

"Bye, Paul." I said. When he was gone, I sat on Jakes chair, and spun to face my dad. "I like working here." I said with a smile.

"I like having you here, Bells." He said.

We finished our morning, with more paperwork and filing. I only had one more phone call, which was a question on the noise bylaw. I looked it up for them in the bylaw guidelines booklet that Sue had on the desk. It was nice relaxing morning, and I liked feeling needed. It was a rewarding experience and I was looking forward to coming back again tomorrow.


	83. Chapter 83

**A/N - Thank you all for your great reviews. I love reading them! I appreciate the time you put into writing them! Everyone missed Edward in the last chapter...let's get right to it. We all need a little Edward! Enjoy!**

Chapter 83 - Heart to Heart

At noon, I kissed my dad on the cheek, and headed over to Edward's house. I stopped and picked up a foot long sub for us to share for lunch, and one for Esme. I missed him so much this morning. I pulled up to the house at about twenty after twelve. I rang the doorbell. Esme came to the door. "Hello, sweetheart." She said pulling me into a hug. "Don't you look nice today."

"Thanks. I'm working for my dad until Wednesday. The receptionist's daughter is having a baby." I told her, walking in, and taking off my shoes. "It's just from seven to noon."

"That's nice. How did your first day go?" She asked. I loved how she was so interested in my life.

"Pretty good. It was nice spending a little more time with my dad." I looked at the stairs. "So, how's the patient?"

"He's still coughing, congested and a little grouchy." She giggled. "I just heated up some more of your soup and took it up to him. I'm sure he'd feel better if he saw you, though."

"Okay. I'll go check on him. Here's a sandwich for you, too." I said as I passed her the sub. "Would you mind if I come hang out with you later, though?" I had missed Esme and I had promised to give her all the gossip about our vacation.

"I would love it." She said, giving me another hug, before I went upstairs. "Thank you for lunch, sweetie." She called out.

I knocked on Edward's door and opened it. He was sitting up in his bed eating a bowl of soup. He looked up at me and smiled. "Hey, baby." His hair was a complete mess, and flattened on one side. He still had watery eyes and a red nose. He didn't look any better today. I walked up to him and ran my fingers through his hair.

"Aw, my poor Edward." I said, kissing his forehead. I took his empty soup bowl and set it beside his bed. I went and sat cross legged on the end of his bed. There was a loose piece of paper laying on the bed in between us. I picked it up and smiled. Edward had a drawn me a flower. I laughed. It was a cartoon flower with a happy face in the center. "Oh, Edward. I love it." I said, smiling.

"It was the best I could do. I can't really draw." He laughed.

"It's perfect. Do you want to share my sandwich?" I asked, pulling it out of the bag.

"Okay." He said, taking half from me. "Thanks."

I laughed. "At least you still have your appetite." We ate our lunch together, and I rubbed his feet through the covers. I threw out our sandwich wrappers, then I laid beside him in bed and pulled him close to my body, so he was laying on his side. I ran my fingers up and down his arm. "I missed you this morning." I told him.

"Me, too. I wish I didn't feel so horrible." He rasped out. "What did you do this morning?"

"Oh, I'm pretty excited about it. I'm filling in for dad's receptionist, Sue, at the station." I told him. "It's pretty easy. I just answer phones, fill out forms and help with the filing. I like it. Oh, and I get paid, too. Fifteen dollars an hour. I worked five hours today, and I'm going to work tomorrow and Wednesday morning, too."

"Good for you, babe. I'm proud of you." He said before coughing.

"Do you need a drink of water?" I asked. He just shook his head. He groaned and laid his head back on my chest. "Aw, baby. I wish I could make you better." I said, rubbing his back. "Oh, Paul was on duty this morning, and he said to tell you to get better. He's seeing Rachel, the waitress from Port Angeles. He said when you get better, we can double date."

"Tell him I said thanks. Yeah, a double date would be cool with me." He said quietly. He groaned. "Uh. Bella, I feel gross."

I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug. "Why don't you go have another hot shower? The steam seemed to help you last night."

"Okay. But, I'm so tired." He said.

"I know, baby. Why don't you sleep a little more, and then you can shower when you get up?" I suggested. "I'll stay here with you until you fall asleep." I said, kissing his hair. Edward hummed in agreement. I rubbed his back again, and just enjoyed holding him in my arms for about twenty minutes. He was sleeping again, so I reluctantly slid out of his bed and went downstairs.

Esme was in the family room, picking up after Alice and Bree. "Hi, Esme." I said, walking in and helping her pack up Alice's pencil crayons.

"Oh, hi, Bella. How is he?" She asked, sitting down and patting the cushion beside her.

I sat beside her. "He actually looks worse to me, today." I sighed.

"His dad checked him out this morning. He'll be okay." She smiled at me. "I know you're worried and you feel helpless. I realize he's almost nineteen, but I'm his mom, so I still worry."

"I know, it's just hard seeing someone you love so miserable." I said.

"You are so good for him." She laughed. "He likes to be babied when he's sick, and you spoil him so much." She turned to look at me. "So, Edward told me that you two are going to get an apartment together in the fall."

"Yeah. He asked me on Wednesday night when we got to Florida." I said, smiling at the memory. "He was so nervous to ask me. The way he asked, I actually thought he wanted to move in with me now."

"Edward is always so concerned with making everyone happy. He's a happy-go-lucky kid, so no one really realizes how much he worries beneath the surface. He over thinks things, too." She explained.

"Yeah. We talked about that on Saturday morning. Before we went to see my mom, he broke down and told me what she said to him, about him buying my love. I got really upset that he didn't tell me." I confessed to Esme. It felt good to talk to another woman about my relationship. "I told him how much I wanted to be there for him, like he is for me."

"Oh, sweetheart. I know. Relationships can be hard." She pulled me into a hug. "Communication is the key."

"I try to tell Edward everything, but I'm so worried he's not going to tell me when something's wrong. He told me how terrified he is to lose me." I sighed. "I don't know what to do to prove to him that I'm never going to leave."

"He told me that, too, Bella. But, I told him he had to be honest with you, and try not to protect you so much. You need to be equals." She said, patting my knee. "Just keep encouraging him to open up, Bella. If you can tell something is bothering him, keep at him, until he learns to share to with you on his own. He loves you, Bella. I can see it in his eyes."

"I know he does." I blushed. "We talked about having a family one day." I confessed.

She gasped and smiled, leaning forward to hug me again. "Oh, Bella."

I laughed. "Edward thinks we would have pretty babies."

"They will be beautiful, Bella." She smiled.

"I was thinking after I graduate, and we get settled back in Forks, then maybe we'll talk about it again." I explained.

"I'm glad you guys have a plan, and aren't going to rush into anything." Esme said, holding my hand tightly. "I'm so happy that you feel comfortable enough to talk to me about these things."

"I feel so lucky to have you in my life, Esme." I said leaning forward for another hug.

"Actually, Bella, there was something I wanted to ask you." She said, patting the back of my hand. "And, I'm not going to judge you, Bella, but I was curious about the apartment."

"Oh, we haven't really decided much, except that we are going to live together." I said, still a little unsure as to what she was going to ask.

"I know, Bella, but I was just curious if you're going to be looking for a one or two bedroom apartment." She asked, her cheeks looking a little rosy. "I noticed in the photos from your trip, that you two seemed to share a bed."

"Oh, um." I could feel myself blushing, my face was so hot. I sighed. Just then I heard Edward trudging down the stairs, coughing. I turned to see him walk into the family room. He had damp hair and was wearing a white t-shirt and green plaid, flannel pants.

"What's going on?" He reached his fingers up to touch my blushing cheek. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Edward. You're mom was just asking about our apartment. Like how many bedrooms." I told him. He rubbed his thighs, and nodded his head.

"One." Was all he said, looking up at his mom. "We only need one, but it would be nice to have a guest room."

"Okay, honey." She said, patting Edward's hand. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better. A shower always helps." He said, laying his head on my shoulder. "I think I'm going to go lay down again. I just wanted to see if Bella was still here."

"Okay, Edward. I'll come and see you before I go." I said, kissing his forehead. He nodded, then got up and shuffled back out of the room and back upstairs.

"Bella. I didn't mean to embarrass you." Esme said.

"It's okay." I laughed. "I just that, when I agreed to live with Edward, I imagined myself sleeping in his arms." I was embarrassed talking about this, especially with Edward's mom, but Esme was a confidant to me, and I saw her as my friend.

"You do what you feel you're ready for. Thank you for talking to me about it, though. I value our friendship so much." She said, hugging me.

I thought back to the day we had come home from college, about two and half weeks ago, and how nervous I was to meet the family. I could never have hoped for such an amazing relationship with Edward's mom. I was so lucky.


	84. Chapter 84

**A/N - You guys are incredible! Thanks so much for all of the nice comments, alerts and hits! My sister just commented on how much I must like bar graphs, as I'm always looking at my traffic stats! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 84 - Routine

Esme went to pick up Alice at three o'clock, and I sat in the kitchen and looked through the cookbooks Esme had on the counter. When they got home, the three of us decided to make dinner together. I called my dad and invited him over for dinner.

After we all ate, I went upstairs and spent an hour with Edward sleeping in my arms, before heading home to watch baseball with my dad.

The next two days followed the same routine. I would work with my dad all morning, have lunch with Edward in his room, spend the afternoon with Esme, and then my dad would come over for dinner.

Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at work went very well. Jake had both days off, as he had worked over the weekend. Officer Alec Barrelli was on duty in his place. I had met him the first day my dad brought me to see his office. He was young, only about thirty, and he was incredibly friendly and always helpful. Wednesday, my dad was out on a call, so Alec helped me with an emergency call. Paul was also on shift, so we chatted about Rachel, and I filled him in on more details of mine and Edward's trip.

When I left on Wednesday, I was almost sad to go. "Dad. If you ever need me to fill in again, let me know. I'd be happy to do it. I had fun." I said, giving him a hug.

"Thanks, kiddo." He had said with a smile.

The flower cartoons from Edward continued, as well. Each day, he gave me a different sketch. They always made me laugh. I loved that, even though he was too sick to go out and get me a flower, he kept up the tradition, the best way he could.

I enjoyed my afternoons with Esme just as much. Tuesday afternoon, we sat on the front deck with our feet soaking in basins of soapy water, reading gossip magazines, talking, and just being girls. "I really love this girl time." She had admitted to me with a smile.

By Wednesday afternoon, Edward was really starting to feel better. While we ate lunch, I suggested that maybe he should get some fresh air, and get out of his room for a while. He came and sat on the deck swing, with a blanket around his shoulders, and watched as Esme and I planted geraniums and ivy in the window baskets.

I can honestly say, that this week, I had never felt more like a part of the family. I was so grateful for these people in my life. When I went to bed on Wednesday night, I actually cried, I was so happy.

Thursday morning, my routine was broken. I would actually miss going to the police station. I got up and made my dad breakfast before he left. After he went to work, I made five dozen blueberry muffins. I went upstairs and had a shower and got ready for the day. I put on black skirt that hit just above my knees, and a blue v-neck shirt. I was going to spend most of the day with Edward and I want to look nice for him, especially since he was feeling better. I left one dozen muffins at home for my dad and I. I packed up two dozen for the station and the other two dozen for the Cullens.

At about ten o'clock, I drove the truck to the station. I missed the guys, so I thought I'd bring them a treat for being so nice. When I got there, I gave Sue a hug and congratulated her on her new grandson. She told me all about little Seth, who was born on Monday afternoon at one-thirty. Her daughter Emily was seventeen, and lived at home. The baby's dad, Sam, was twenty years old and worked as a mechanic on the reservation. They were planning to get married some time after Emily finished school. I was glad to hear that she still wanted to graduate.

When my dad saw me, he, Paul, Jake and Alec all walked up the front. "I missed you boys, so brought a treat." I said with a smile.

Paul pulled me into a hug. "It's too bad Edward got to you first." He teased, with a wink. I laughed. I really liked Paul. I was so glad he and Edward were friends.

"Thanks, Bells. You didn't have to do this." My dad said, as he bit into a muffin.

"Well, what else was I going to do this morning? I'm officially unemployed." I said, laughing.

"Thanks, Bella." Alec said, patting my arm. "These are great."

"You're welcome." I went over and gave my dad a hug. "I'm going to Edward's. Come over again for dinner, after work, okay?"

I saw Jake shake his head out of the corner of my eye. I did't know what his problem was.

"Yeah, see you then. Thanks again, kiddo." My dad said.

All the guys said bye and I was just about to head out the door, when a beautiful native girl with her long, black hair pulled up in a ponytail, walked in the station, holding a little blue bundle, followed by a young native man, in jeans and a white shirt covered in grease.

"Oh, Bella, guys, get up here." Sue called, excitedly. All the cops came to the front. "Everyone, meet my new grandson, Seth."

"Hello, you must be Emily. I'm Bella, the chief's daughter." I said.

"Hi, Bella. I've heard so much about you." She sounded like such a nice girl. "Would you like to hold the baby?" She asked.

"Um, okay." I said, a little nervous to hold such a tiny baby. I had held Makenna when she was born, but it had been four years. I was a little out of practice.

Emily passed him to me and I cradled him to my chest. He so small, and he had a scrunched up face, but it made him look so cute. She a had a little blue hat on his head. I reached my finger out to touch his chubby cheek, and he reached his hand up and gripped my finger.

My eyes teared up. This baby was so innocent and perfect. I was snapped out of the moment by a flash. I looked up and Sue had taken my picture. "For the baby book." She said proudly.

I smiled back at her. "Congratulations, Emily and Sam. He is beautiful." I told the proud parents. They were young, but they looked happy, and I hoped they could make everything work. "Sue, would you take a picture with my camera?" I said. "It's in my purse." I shrugged my shoulder indicating that she could take it out of my purse on my shoulder. I wanted to show the baby to Edward.

After she took the picture, the baby started to cry a little. I rubbed his back to calm him. "You are a natural, Bella." Paul said, chuckling.

"Well, I better pass him off, before I want to keep him." I laughed. I gave him to my dad. The baby looked so small in his arms. I took a picture of my dad with little Seth. I smiled. He would be a really good grandpa one day. I leaned up and kissed my dad's cheek. "See you tonight, dad."

"It was nice to meet you, Bella." Emily said.

"You, too. I'm here all summer, if you ever want to get together and hang out, or if you need me to help you with the baby." I took a post-it note off the front desk and wrote my phone number on it for her.

She smiled and looked so excited. "Thank you, Bella. That would be amazing." She said, pulling me into a hug.

"No problem." I said with a smile. "And, really, give me a call, anytime." I turned to the guys. "See you guys later."

I drove to Edward's house, excited about my new friend Emily. I knocked on the door and Edward opened it. "Hey, babe." He looked at my outfit. "Wow. You look incredible. We get you early today, huh?" He said, pulling me into a hug. I was glad he appreciated the outfit I picked out for him.

"Thanks. Yeah, you get me early. I happen to have the most gorgeous boyfriend, and I couldn't stay away." I teased, kissing his chest. "How are you feeling today?" I asked as we walked into the kitchen together.

"A lot better. Still coughing a bit, but I think I'm almost better." He said. We went and sat at the island.

"Good. I can't wait to kiss those lips." I said. "It's driving me crazy." He laughed, which still made him cough. "Sorry."

I set the muffins on the counter. "I baked this morning." I said, talking of the lid. "Two dozen blueberry muffins." I said proudly.

"Oh, sugar, those look delicious." Edward said, with a smile. "I could kiss you, but apparently I can't." He pouted. I laughed and kissed his shoulder.

"Hello, sweetheart." Esme said as she walked into the kitchen. "Oh, are those blueberry?"

"Yeah. Help yourself. I felt a little lonely this morning. Edward's sick, and I actually missed working at the station, so I made five dozen muffins." I laughed. "I just took two dozen down to the police station for the guys. Oh, and Edward, Paul said you're lucky that you met me first."

He laughed and shook his head. "He would say that." He leaned over and kiss the top of my head. "I am lucky." He said with a smile.

The three of us sat at the island and enjoyed the blueberry muffins and just being together.


	85. Looking Back and Looking Ahead

**A/N - I love all of your feedback and comments! Thanks! Someone asked if I will continue the story even though it is now September. Yes. In my fanfic world, it is only May 20th. Bella and Edward have a little over three months of summer vacation left. I have so many plans for them! Enjoy!**

Chapter 85 - Looking Back and Looking Ahead

While we were eating, I told Edward and Esme about Sue's daughter, Emily, and little Seth.

"That's sweet that you offered to help her, Bella." Esme said.

"Thanks. It's just that I could tell she really wants to do good, and she's so young, and now she has this baby." I smiled. "She loves him so much. She looked so happy." I bought out my camera and showed them the pictures.

"You look beautiful with a baby in your arms." Edward said, kissing my shoulder. I looked over at him and he smiled at me.

I looked over at Esme and she was smiling at us. I shook my head at them. "Not for at least five years." I said, again, making them laugh. They both looked way too excited at the prospect of Edward and I starting a family together one day.

"I didn't say anything." Esme laughed, acting innocent.

I laughed with her. "You were thinking it." She just smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey, Bella. Have you seen Edward's baby pictures, yet?" Esme asked, getting up to find her photo album.

"No. But, I would love to." I said, laughing. We went into the family room and I sat down with Edward and Esme on either side of me. Edward sighed and laid his head on my shoulder. Esme sat on the other side of me, and set the book in front of me on my lap. I flipped it open and looked at the first photo. It was Esme in the hospital, holding a little bundle, Edward. He was all red, but he had lots of hair. I smiled. "Look at his hair." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair.

"He's always had that crazy mop of hair. I could never figure out what to do with it." Esme laughed. "It would never lay flat on his head."

We spent the next hour looking through his photo album. Edward was always gorgeous. I loved the pictures of him holding baby Emmett, and then there was a cute picture of Edward, who was four and Emmett at two, with baby Jasper laying on their laps. I loved that the boys had such a strong bond with each other.

Their Halloween pictures were priceless. One year, they were all cowboys. Edward had on little chaps and a sheriff's badge. The next year, they were all comic book characters. Edward was Spiderman, Emmet was the Hulk and Jasper was Batman. Another year, they were all vampires. "These are adorable." I said, smiling.

"They always had to have matching costumes." Esme laughed. Edward started coughing again.

"Do you need some water, babe?" I asked him.

"I can get it, honey." He said, kissing my shoulder, before getting up.

"He doesn't like being the center of attention." Esme whispered to me.

"I get that." I laughed. We finished going through the album. There were priceless shots of Edward all dressed up for the first day of school, and of the boys with baby Alice. "You were a beautiful child, Edward." I called out. He hadn't come back in the room after he left.

"Thanks." He answered. He walked back in the room with a half eaten muffin. "Mom, you'll have to see Bella's photo album sometime." He said. "She was just as pretty as a baby as she is now." He leaned over the back of the couch to kiss the top of my head.

"Oh, Bella, you'll have to bring that over sometime. I would love to see it." She said excitedly. I agreed. She stood up. "Okay kids, I'm going to run out and get some groceries. I probably won't be back until after I pick up Alice."

"Alright. See you later, Esme." I said, giving her a hug.

"Bye, mom." Edward said, wrapping his mom in a tight hug, making her laugh. I adored the bond that Edward had with his mom. After she left, Edward took my hand. "Do you want to go upstairs and look for an apartment online?

"Oh, I would love to, Edward." I stood up and kissed his chin.

He laughed. "Well, as much as I've missed your lips on my face, I don't want you to get sick, baby." He said, holding me back by the shoulders, making me laugh. I tried to squirm out of his hold, but he kept holding me back.

"You're getting stronger." I said. He let go and pulled me to his chest.

"I love you, baby." He said, kissing the top of my head. "I'm so excited to live with you."

"I can't wait, either." I said as we walked up to his room. He passed me another flower drawing. It was a tulip with a big toothy smile drawn on it, and one eye winking. "Thanks, babe." I said, laughing at it. I really liked these sketches. I had the last three taped into my journal with my pressed flowers.

He set up his laptop on the end of his bed and we laid beside each other on our stomachs, our sides touching. Edward propped his head up on his left hand and wrapped his right arm around my back, tracing his fingers in small patterns on my side.

"Honey?" He asked. "On Monday, when my mom asked about our bedroom, and I told her we only needed one, I should have talked to you about it first. It's just when I think about us living together, we go to sleep together and wake up in each others' arms."

"So do I." I smiled at him, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. "It was just a little embarrassing talking about it with your mom, that's all." I said, blushing again.

He smiled at me. "Don't be embarrassed, Bella. We love each other." He said, brushing the hair back from my face. "Now, let's find somewhere to live."

I typed 'Apartments near University of Washington, Seattle' in the search engine. We got a lot of hits. "What do you think, Edward?" I said, scrolling through the list.

"I don't know. I guess just start at the top of the list." He said, leaning down to kiss the side of my neck.

"Mmm." I sighed. "Edward, focus." I said, laughing.

"Sorry. I've missed kissing you." He said, propping his head back up on his hand and smiling me.

"I've missed you kissing me, too. But, just think how nice it will be if we have our own apartment to kiss in." I said, lifting my eyebrows at him.

"I can't wait." He smiled, winking at me.

We spent the next hour looking through apartments, but always found something we didn't like about them. They were too far from the school, the kitchen was too small, the rent was too expensive. The list went on.

Finally, we found the Wedgewood Estates. They were a group of cottages, and midrise apartments that surrounded a courtyard, small park and an outdoor pool. It was only two-and-half miles from the university. The cottages were basically four-plexes and had quite roomy bedrooms and a spacious living room. They had hardwood floors, a great kitchen with a dishwasher and garbage disposal, walk-in closets, a balcony and laundry facilities. We could get a two bedroom cottage for just over nine-hundred dollars a month.

"Look, Edward. We can even get a cat." I laughed, reading their pet policy.

"Do you want a cat, sugar?" He asked, smiling.

"I don't know. I've never thought about it. It might be fun and it would be something that's ours that we can take care of together." I said, loving the idea, the more I talked about it.

"I have never thought about it, either. We have always travelled so much, that we never considered a family pet. I think it would be cool, though. Why don't we wait for a couple weeks, get used to the apartment, our schedules, and then we'll decide?" Edward suggested.

"Yeah. It wouldn't be fair to the kitty if we're not home a lot. But, it would be nice to have some company when we can't be together." I said with a smile, pulling Edward into a hug. I laid my head on his chest.

"So, do you want this apartment?" Edward said into my hair, before kissing the top of my head.

I raised my head and looked into his beautiful eyes. "Yes. I love it. It's perfect for us." I said, smiling widely. "But, do you like it?" I wanted to make sure that we both wanted the place. If Edward didn't like it, we would keep looking.

"I like it. It really does have everything. And, you're eyes are sparkling, beautiful. If you love it this much, then that confirms it. This is our new home." He said, leaning forward to kiss my throat, and down to my collarbones. I knew he wanted to kiss my lips, but he didn't want to give me his cold.

"So, we should call and go see it, right? And do we have to put some money down on it?" The rent, now that I had someone to split it with, would be half of what I was paying on-campus. I was so excited about this move. Everything seemed perfect and I would be living with Edward.

"Yes, I want to see it. Do you want to go this weekend? Maybe, we could all go. Your dad, my family and us. I don't really know much about picking out apartments and stuff. I really want to make sure this is perfect for us." He said, kissing my forehead. "We'll worry about the money after we see it, okay?"

"Okay. Edward, I'm so excited." I laughed. "This is really happening."

Edward laughed with me. "It is, baby. And I couldn't be happier."


	86. A Project and A Plan

**A/N - Happy Friday! Here's a nice light chapter to start the weekend! Thanks again for all the support! Enjoy!**

Chapter 86 - A Project and A Plan

At around three-thirty, we got off the bed and headed downstairs to wait for Alice and Esme. We snuggled together on the couch and I pulled a blanket off of the back and wrapped us up. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the heat of Edward's body against mine. I was glad that he was feeling better. By Saturday, he should be feeling well enough to go to Seattle.

"Jasper has practice tonight. I feel bad that I've missed two weeks of practice and last week's game." Edward said.

"There's a game tomorrow night, right?" I asked, looking up at his face. "Do you feel well enough to go to that one?"

"Yeah. You want to go?" He asked, leaning down to kiss my forehead.

"Absolutely." I said with a smile. I missed watching Jasper play, too. "He said the game was at four."

"What do you want to do until four?" Edward asked with a smirk.

I laughed at him. "Why don't we try to make some of our recipes from the Mexican cookbook that Angie and Ben gave us? Then there'll be a ton of food for everyone when we get back from the game."

"Sounds fun. I think snuggling might be more fun, but that's just me." He teased, pulling me closer to his chest.

"We're snuggling now." I said, kissing his chest.

"I know, and I'm having fun." Edward kissed the top of my head.

"Well, I'm not saying we can't have a snuggle break." I laughed.

The front door opened and Alice ran in the house. "Bella?"

"In the family room." I called out. She came running in, and hopped up on the couch beside us.

"Hey, Edward. Are you better, yet?" Alice asked, placing her hand on Edward's forehead. It was such a sweet gesture.

"Just about, princess." Edward said with a smile. "How was school?"

"It was good. We had a spelling test and I only got one wrong." She said. "I accidentally put two 'l's on helpful." She laughed. "Tonight, I have to draw my favourite animal and write ten sentences about it for science. But I don't know what one to pick."

"Well, we can get my laptop and dad's encyclopaedia and find out about any animal you want." Edward said.

"Okay. That sounds fun. Do you want to help me, Edward?" She asked.

"Absolutely, princess. I've missed you." He said, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

"Okay, you two. I'm going to go help your mom make dinner. Have fun on your project. Will you show me when you're done?" I asked. I wanted to let Alice and Edward spend some time together.

"Okay." She said with a smile. I kissed both of their foreheads and slipped out from under the blanket. I went into the kitchen and helped Esme unpack her groceries. We talked and laughed and then decided to make grilled chicken, roasted potatoes and salad for dinner tonight.

"Esme, Edward and I are going to make dinner tomorrow for after the game, so why don't you take the day to relax. You deserve a break." I suggested.

"You know, that would be great, sweetie." She said, wrapping her arm around me. "I haven't used my spa day that the kids got me for Mother's Day. A massage, facial and a mani-pedi sound amazing. I'll head over at nine, and then I'll be back before Jasper's game." She sounded so excited by the idea.

We cooked together, listening to the sounds of Edward and Alice laughing while they worked on her project.

Esme and I finished dinner and then went into the family room. Edward had books and his laptop spread all over the couch. I laughed at him. He looked like he was researching for a college paper, instead of an second grade report. He looked up at me and winked. Alice was on her knees in front of the coffee table, drawing her picture. "So, which animal did you pick, Alice?" Esme asked.

"The lion." She said with a smile. "I'm drawing the one that Bella took a picture of at the zoo in Florida. The one that looks like Edward." She laughed, when Edward reached forward to tickle her side.

After another fifteen minutes. Alice was finished her drawing. She got up and brought it over to us to see. She had done a good job of the drawing. "Great job, Alice. Your drawing is very good." I told her. She smiled proudly.

"She's very good. I clearly didn't get the drawing gene that Alice did." Edward said. I laughed thinking of the flower drawings Edward had given me all week.

"You're drawings are adorable, Edward." I said, smiling. "So, do you want to read us your sentences?" I asked Alice.

"Okay." She said, standing up in front of us all with her papers. "The lion is the biggest cat after the tiger. The lion lives up to fourteen years in the wild and up to twenty years in the zoo. The lion lives in Africa and Asia. They live in the savanna and the grassland. The lion can weigh up to five hundred and fifty pounds. Only the male lion has a mane that gets darker when it gets older. All lions have a tuft of hair on their tails. Lions rest for twenty hours of the day. Lions hunt in groups and stalk their prey. Lions eat large mammals like zebras and gazelles." She looked up at us and smiled.

Esme, Edward and I clapped. "Good job, honey." Esme said.

"Yeah, Alice. I didn't know all of those facts. I think your teacher is going to love your project." I said with a smile.

Alice was glowing. She looked so proud. "Thank you for your help, Edward." She said, skipping over to him and giving him a hug. "I'm glad you're almost better."

Edward and Alice cleaned up the family room, and Esme and I went to set the table. Emmett and Jasper came home from practice and Carlisle arrived just after them, having had to stay late for an emergency. My dad came at six.

We all sat around the dining room table together for dinner. It was nice that Edward was well enough to join us again. Jasper was excited that we were coming to his game the next afternoon. My dad was going to meet us at the game, because it started before he got off work.

While we ate, Edward and I mentioned that we started looking for a place. "We found a place that we both like. It's really close to the school and has a good sized kitchen for Bella. It's a two bedroom place in a fourplex." Edward told them. "We wanted to see it, though, and we thought maybe we could look at it on Saturday. Would you guys like to drive up to Seattle with us this weekend? We could really use your help."

"I'd like to see it." My dad said. "Make sure it's safe." The police chief was really coming out in him. I smiled at him.

"That would be great, sir. I don't really know what to look for." Edward said. I loved that Edward could ask for help. He didn't act like he knew things he didn't.

"Yes, son. I'll go with you guys, too." Carlisle added. "Why don't we make a weekend of it? We'll look at the place on Saturday, stay the night, then spend Sunday together in Seattle, before heading back. What do you say, Charlie?"

"Sounds good to me." My dad said.

Emmett and Jasper looked excited for a chance to get out of Forks. "Do I get to come, too?" Alice asked Esme.

"Of course, sweetie." Esme said, patting Alice's hand.

"We need your opinions, because I would really like you guys to come visit us a lot." I added. Edward leaned over and kissed my cheek. "I'm really excited about it."

"College parties. I'm game." Emmett said, making us all laugh.

"Do you even know me, Em?" Edward laughed.

We enjoyed the rest of dinner together, and after a kiss on the forehead from Edward, my dad and I left for the night.

When we got home, we sat in the living room and I told him all about the apartment. I brought my laptop downstairs so he could see the pictures. He thought it seemed really good, and promised to check things out for us at the station. I didn't really know what was involved in that, but I knew my dad would make sure this was a safe place for Edward and I to live.

I was so happy with my life. Edward was over his cold; we had likely found an apartment for the fall, our first home together; and our families would be spending the weekend together. Everything in my life was working out perfectly.


	87. Shaking and Shopping

**A/N - Thanks again for the reviews! I love them! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 87 - Shaking and Shopping

I woke up on Friday morning with a smile on my face. I was so grateful for everything I had in my life. I had a shower and dressed in black yoga pants and a bright pink tank top to match my mood. I pulled my hair up in a messy bun and headed down to the kitchen. My dad and I had blueberry muffins for breakfast. "You know, the guys couldn't stop raving over your baking yesterday." My dad said with a chuckle.

"I'm glad they liked them. I just wanted to do something nice for everyone. I really enjoyed being there with you." I said.

"I'm glad, kiddo." He said. "Oh, and Sue was so happy about how you were with Emily. I guess she hasn't had many friends since the pregnancy."

"That's too bad. She seems like a really nice girl. I like her." I said. "Maybe next week, we can hang out together or something."

After my dad went to work, I took out the Mexican cookbook from the drawer in the kitchen and looked through it. There were lots of great recipes, but I thought I'd call Edward over. It was our day, so we should pick together. I went over to the phone and dialled his cell phone. It was only seven-thirty, so I hoped he was awake.

"Hello." I heard his voice. He sounded so much better. His voice wasn't scratchy anymore.

"Hi, babe. I'm missing you like crazy. You want to come over and pick out recipes?" I asked.

"I'm on my way, angel." He said. I could hear the door close, making me laugh. "What's so funny?" He laughed.

"I love that when I ask if you want to come over, you drop whatever you were doing, and come straight here. You don't have to rush." I explained.

"I just love you that much, sugar." He said, laughing. "Plus, I didn't drop anything to come. I was just sitting around, because Em, Jazz and Alice just left for school."

"Okay, Edward. I'm going to hang up. I don't want you on the phone when you drive. I love you so much. See you in fifteen." I said.

"Okay. I love you, too. Bye, baby." He said before hanging up.

I got up and got a pad of paper, so we could make a list for the grocery store. Then, I went and sat on the front step to wait for Edward. I leaned back and enjoyed the late May sunshine. We had been lucky to have so much nice weather. Ten minutes later, I heard Edward pull up. I opened my eyes and watched him jog towards me. He was so gorgeous. I would never get tired of looking at him. He was wearing his super worn-in jeans, and a navy blue t-shirt. He was carrying a red carnation. He took off his sunglasses, hung them on his shirt and smiled at me.

"Hey, beautiful." He said, passing me the flower and then leaning down to kiss my neck.

I stood up and wrapped my arms around him, kissing his chest. "Thank you, baby." I said.

"You're welcome. Now, come here." He lifted me up off of my feet. I wrapped my arms and legs around him as he carried me into the house.

"Put me down." I laughed, hanging on tightly. Edward just laughed, but carried me upstairs to my room. He set me down on my bed and crawled over to me, taking the flower from my hand and putting it on my bedside table.

"I've missed these lips." He said, leaning down to kiss me deeply. We were both laying on the bed and Edward was on top of me. He pulled back and looked into my eyes. "I love you." He said, before kissing his way down my throat and along the top hem of my tank top. His hands moved down my sides to hips.

He started kissing down the center of my chest. I ran my fingers through his hair, making him look up at me. "Is this okay?" He asked, before kissing over my heart. I nodded slowly. "Your heart is pounding, baby." He gently set his palm on my chest.

I didn't know how I felt about Edward and I moving forward physically. He was my first boyfriend, and I knew he would be my last. What was making me so nervous, was that I had nothing to compare my feelings to. I didn't know what to expect. But, I felt safe with Edward and I knew he would never do anything I wasn't ready for.

Edward rolled over to lay beside me, but wrapped me in his arms. He pressed a kiss to my hair. He looked down into my eyes and smiled sweetly at me. "Bella, you're shaking."

I hadn't noticed that I was until he said it. "I'm sorry." I whispered. I was so embarrassed.

He leaned down to kiss my lips again. "Don't apologize to me, Bella. If you're that nervous, just tell me, okay? I love you, baby. We have all the time in the world." He leaned down and kissed my neck.

"Okay." I said, blushing. I put my face on his chest, and took deep breaths. Edward smelled amazing, like always. I found his scent calming. He was rubbing my back.

He chuckled to himself. "I'm the one that should be apologizing. I probably caught you off guard. You called me over to pick out recipes, and I carried you up to your room."

I looked up at him. "I take it you're feeling better, then?" I laughed.

"There's my girl." He said, leaning in to kiss me again. "Yeah. I feel great. I think it was your soup and your visits everyday this week. But that was just pure torture not being able to kiss you and show you how much I appreciate everything you did for me." He leaned in for another kiss. "I love you, babe."

I smiled back at him. "I know you do. I love you, too." I sat up and Edward followed. "So do you still want to make Mexican for everybody?"

"Yeah. I was telling everyone at breakfast about it, so we kind of have to." Edward laughed.

I laughed with him. "You are so cute." I said, leaning in for another kiss.

Edward took my hand and we went back downstairs to the kitchen. He sat in the kitchen chair, and pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around me. "I can't seem to let you go, today." He said softly into my neck, before kissing me gently.

"I don't mind." I said. I lifted up the cookbook and started flipping through the pages. "I was thinking guacamole for sure. It's easy and if Rose and Maria come over, we have ten people to serve. We have to think big."

"Okay, babe. You're the boss." He said. "What else?"

"Um, I thought this Mexican salad looked good. Oh, and it's really easy to make." I said.

"You think I could do that one?" Edward laughed, squeezing me around the waist.

I laughed. "Of course you can, Edward. You're not bad at cooking, you just haven't had that much practice, that's all." I turned my head to kiss his forehead.

We decided on chicken quesadillas and homemade chilli, as well. I wrote out all of the ingredients. I kept flipping though the book and saw a quick and easy recipe for churros. "Oh, we have to make these, too." I said.

Edward took the book from me and read the recipe. "I don't know, Bella. Boiling hot oil?"

"You are so adorable when you're nervous about cooking." I said, getting up off his lap. "Let's get going, babe. We have a lot of cooking to do."

I grabbed my purse and slipped on a hoodie. Edward took my hand and we walked to the car. We held hands all the way to the grocery store. I had really missed being around him throughout his cold this last week. It was especially hard, considering we were with each other for the whole week before in Arizona and Florida.

When we got to the store, Edward pushed the cart and I filled it. "I love this, Bella." Edward said, as we walked up and down the aisles. "I really can't wait until we have to do this every week. I love shopping with you. You are so beautiful when you shop. So confident and relaxed."

I turned to him and smiled. "Thank you, Edward." I walked up to him and kissed his chin.

We got our groceries and loaded them into the trunk. We held hands again, on the drive to Edward's house. We unloaded everything and put it in the fridge. Edward walked us over to the couch. "Snuggle break." He laughed.

"How can I refuse?" I giggled. Edward laid on the couch and I laid beside him, wrapping my arms around his hips. Our heads shared a throw pillow and we looked into each others' eyes. Edward rested his hands low on my back. I smiled at him and he smiled back. "I love you." I said, before leaning forward to kiss him.

"I love you, too." He said, kissing me again. "How long can I keep you on the couch with me?"

"I don't know, but I'm actually tired." I said, snuggling my head under his chin. "We have all day, so why don't we have a nap. I miss sleeping in your arms."

"Fine with me." Edward said, kissing the top of my head and pulling my body closer to his. "Sweet dreams, baby." He whispered. I kissed his chest, and drifted off to sleep. I didn't need dreams. My life was perfect.


	88. Ole

**A/N - Thanks again for sticking with me so long...I have so many more ideas and so much more planned for Edward and Bella. Thank you for all your nice words! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 88 - Ole

I woke up to the feeling of Edward placing light kisses on my face. I smiled, but didn't open my eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of his lips on my skin. Edward chuckled. "You are beautiful when you sleep." He said, before kissing my lips. "It's almost eleven. Do you want to start cooking?"

My eyes snapped opened. "Edward." I said in a panic, trying to sit up. "We have so much to do."

"Baby, relax." He said, sitting up and kissing me again. "We have over four hours to cook." He ran his fingers up and down my arms, calming me down.

"I know, I'm sorry. I guess I didn't realize how tired I was." I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Did you sleep?"

He leaned in for a quick kiss. "No. I've been sleeping all week. But, I loved holding you." He reached up and tucked a piece of hair, that fallen from my bun, back behind my ear. "About before, back in your room, I really want you to know that I'm not rushing you, Bella. I think things will happen when we're ready, okay?"

I blushed a little, but nodded my head. "I know and thank you for saying that. I love you so much." I said, pulling him to me for a hug. I really appreciated that he wasn't rushing me. I knew that lots of kids our age were ready for physical relationships, but I wasn't. I was glad that Edward wasn't judging me because of that.

"I love you, too." He said, leaning down to kiss my neck. "Okay, come on. No more serious talk. We're going to go have fun in the kitchen. You can laugh at my poor attempts to use a can opener." He stood up and held out his hand to help me up.

I smiled up at him and took his hand, letting him pull me to my feet. "Deal." I laughed.

We went in the kitchen and I walked Edward through the Mexican salad, which was basically corn and beans mixed together with a dressing, as I cooked the peppers and beef for the chilli. He did really well, until it came time to put plastic wrap on the bowl. After three failed tries, he watched the meat for me, while I wrapped it for him.

Edward helped me finish the chilli, adding in the ingredients as I read them out. I set the chilli to simmer on the back burner.

"Two recipes down, three to go." Edward said with a smile. "Are you hungry?"

"Actually, yeah. I am." I said, walking up to Edward and wrapping my arms around his waist. "Do you want me to make something?"

"No, Bella. Let's face it. You're doing all the work here anyway. Come on." He said, taking my hand and walking me over to the kitchen table. "I'll make lunch."

I smiled up at him. He was so sweet. I laughed as I watched Edward walk over to the freezer and pull out a box of pizza pockets. He turned and winked at me before setting two on a plate and putting them in the microwave. He hopped up to sit on the kitchen counter while he waited for them to heat. He looked amazing, sitting there with a smirk on his face. The microwave beeped and he hopped down and brought out the plate. He brought it over to the table and set it down in front of me. "What do you want to drink, babe?" He said, walking over to the fridge.

"Um, I'm fine." I said. Edward came back with a bottle of coke.

Edward pulled up a chair beside me and we ate our lunch together. "Thank you for lunch, Edward." I said, taking a drink of his coke. "It was really good."

He laughed. "Well, that's one of three things I can make, besides microwave burritos and macaroni and cheese."

"Don't sell yourself short, Edward. You can make meatball subs and Mexican salad, now. You'll be a master chef in no time." I told him, kissing his cheek.

"Thanks, baby." He said.

I ran upstairs to use the bathroom and Edward told me he would clean up the mess we made so far. When I came back down, Edward was stirring the chilli. "How does it look?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind.

"I think it's perfect." He said, replacing the lid and turning in my arms to face me. "What's next?"

We made the filling for the quesadillas next, which only took us about a half hour. I thought I would bake them when we got back from the game so they were fresh.

Next, we made the churro dough and deep fried the sections I made with a pastry bag. We put on aprons because of the hot oil. Edward looked so adorable in his mom's green and pink paisley apron. When they had cooked for a few minutes, we tossed the churros in a freezer bag with sugar and cinnamon and coated them, then set the desserts on a cooling rack.

"I'm impressed, babe. They look and smell amazing." Edward said, licking his sugary fingers.

"I've never made churros before, so I think we did pretty good." I said, leaning up to kiss his chin. I ran to get my camera from my purse and quickly snapped a picture of Edward in the apron. "Bella Swan, you delete that picture right now." He said chasing me into the family room. I was laughing as I ran from him, which slowed me down. "Gotcha." He laughed, grabbing me around the waist.

"Edward, no." I laughed. "I love that picture. You look so cute."

He leaned forward and snatched the camera from my hand. "That photo has the potential to be used as blackmail." He teased.

"Edward, please don't erase it." I begged, reaching for the camera he was holding out of my reach.

He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "I can't refuse you, Bella." He said, giving me the camera back. He let me go and I turned to look at him. "You have some kind of crazy power over me." He leaned down to kiss me.

"I think it's love." I said, smiling. "Because you have the same effect on me."

He smiled and then took my hand, leading me back to the kitchen. "Just the guacamole left, right?" He asked, flipping through the cookbook.

"Yeah. This should be fast." I said, getting the ingredients out of the fridge.

"Okay. I'll be right back." Edward said, taking off the apron and running upstairs.

I started chopping up the vegetables. About five minutes later, Edward walked back into the kitchen with his guitar, and sat on a barstool from the island. I smiled at him. It had been so long since I'd heard him play. "Trying to get out of helping, I see." I teased.

"I felt a little emasculated by the apron. I feel the need to woo my girl." He was laughing as he said it. I put the knife down because I was laughing so hard.

"You are the cutest guy ever." I said. "Okay, I'll cook, you woo."

Edward laughed. "Sounds good to me." He started strumming his guitar. It sounded so deep, like I could feel the music in my chest. He was so talented, that I found myself looking up at him and forgetting what I was doing.

He continued to play, and even sing to me, while I packed the chilli into a large bowl and put it in the fridge. I cleaned up the kitchen and then went to sit on a stool beside him until he finished his song. "Baby, you were amazing." I said, reaching out my hand to take his. "I kind of like cooking to live music."

He blushed lightly. "Thanks, honey. I love playing for you." He got up and slung his guitar behind his back. After he helped me off of the barstool, we went upstairs to his room. We had about a half hour before we headed out to Jasper's game. I laid on his bed while he put his guitar away. "Edward. You are so talented. You give me shivers when you play."

He looked back at me and smiled. "Thanks, baby." He crawled over to me on the bed, and laid beside me. "I had a lot of fun today." He said, looking into my eyes.

I ran my hand down his chest. "I love you." I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. I leaned in to kiss him. Edward pulled me to his body and, as we kissed, time seemed to stop.

There was a knock on Edward's door. "Kids. We're going to head over to the game." It was Esme. I was lost in Edward, that I didn't hear Esme, Carlisle or Alice getting home.

Edward pulled back, chuckling. "Okay. We'll be right behind you." He called out, before leaning back in to kiss me. "I guess we lost track of time." He said, smiling.

I smiled back at him. "I like being distracted this way." I said, kissing his warm lips once more before getting out of his bed. I walked into his bathroom and looked into the mirror. My face was flushed and my eyes were sparkling. I looked as happy as I felt.


	89. Chapter 89

**A/N - Thanks so much guys! Summer Vacation had well over 2200 hits yesterday! It had 9 hits the first day I put it up! This is an amazing feeling! Thank you all for the reviews and for asking for a sequel! I have a perma-smile! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 89 - Spartans vs. Indians

I fixed my hair and brushed my teeth, then joined Edward back in his room. He had slipped on a U of W sweatshirt over his t-shirt. "Be right back." He said, going in the bathroom. I sat on his bed to wait for him. Five minutes later he walked out and put his hands out for me to take. He pulled me up to stand in front of him. "I love you, babe." He said, leaning down to kiss me. He tasted like peppermint.

I looked up at him and smiled. "I love you, too. But, we better go, or your brother is going to be upset that we missed his game."

He laughed. "Jazz has a girlfriend. He would understand."

"Um, I doubt that." I laughed, as we walked downstairs. I picked up my hoodie and purse and we went to the car.

Edward held my hand to his lips, kissing my fingers, my wrist and my palm as we drove to the high school. He had a way of showing his love for me all of the time. He always seemed to be touching me in some small way every time we were together. It was like he was holding on. While I loved his gestures, it worried me in the back of my mind. It seemed like he still thought I would disappear if he wasn't holding on.

I pulled my hand back, bringing his hand with me. I kissed the back of his hand and then brought his hand to my heart. "I'll love you forever, Edward." I said quietly.

We pulled into the parking lot. Edward turned to me and smiled. "I love you, too, babe." He said looking a little confused as to why I phrased it that way.

"I just thought it doesn't hurt to reaffirm it. I'm never letting you go." I said, looking into his beautiful eyes.

He smiled. "I'm so lucky I found you." He said, before leaning forward to kiss me. I smiled at him.

"Come on." I said. We got out of the car and walked over to the bleachers. Carlisle, Emmett and Rose sat in one row, and Alice, Esme, and Maria were all sitting together in front of them. "Hey guys. Did it start, yet?" I asked sitting down beside Alice. Edward sat behind me, and beside his dad.

"Almost, Bella. They just finished warm-ups." Maria said with a huge smile on her face, holding her camera again. She was so sweet. I was surprised her obsession with taking pictures of Jasper didn't make him nervous, considering how shy was.

Esme showed me her nails from her manicure, and thanked me again for suggesting she relax today. Apparently, she had a great day and I was happy for her. She deserved it.

Edward leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "You can lean back on my legs, if you want to, babe."

I turned my head and smiled back at him. "Thanks, Edward." I said, leaning against him. He was leaning forward, absently tracing his fingers over my shoulders, while he was talking to his dad and Emmett about the team. I loved listening to Edward talk about baseball. I could tell how passionate he was about the sport.

"They're playing the Toledo Indians this afternoon." I heard Emmett say. "Apparently, they're still a strongest team this season like they were a couple of years ago when you were playing, Edward."

"Jazz was telling me this morning that this team's pitcher is known for his great changeup pitch." Edward was saying. I had no idea what any of the baseball terminology meant, but I still liked listening to him. He seemed so relaxed when he was talking about baseball, but was still running his fingers along my back.

Alice turned to me and grabbed my hand. "Bella, guess what?" She was smiling. "My teacher liked my lion project and she hung my drawing on the bulletin board."

"Oh, that's great, Alice. I'm so proud of you." I said, leaning over to hug her. I kissed the top of her head.

"It's starting." Maria said excitedly. We watched Jasper run out to the shortstop position. He looked up at us and smiled.

The opposing team was very good. They had a player on first and second with zero outs within the first five minutes. The next batter hit a ground ball right towards Jasper. He caught it and threw it to second, who then threw it to first. The audience cheered.

"That was a double play. They have two outs now, and only a guy on third." Edward said in my ear. I was glad that he was trying to keep me in the loop. The next batter hit a pop fly and the top half of the first inning was over.

Jasper hit a triple, but the rest of the Spartans couldn't hit him home. The game was very exciting and I was really enjoying myself. Halfway through the fifth inning, my dad showed up to join us, taking a seat beside me. He was still in his uniform. I thought is was nice that he came straight from work to support Jasper. Edward's hand slid off of my shoulders for about ten minutes, but he soon put them back. If my dad noticed, he didn't comment.

We all enjoyed the rest of the game together. It was an incredibly intense game, where both teams were very good. It ended in a tie game, 1-1. I could see that Jasper looked very annoyed at not having won the game. He was reserved, but very committed to his team and its success.

"I'm going to run home and change. See you in few." My dad said, pulling me into a quick hug, and then patting Edward's shoulder, before heading home.

The rest of the family decided to wait for Jasper, while Edward and I headed back to set up our Mexican feast. Edward held my hand on the way home again. When we got back, Edward set the table, filled a bowl with corn chips for the guacamole, and set out the Mexican salad, guacamole and churros. Meanwhile, I put the chilli back on the stove to reheat, and assembled the chicken quesadillas. A half hour after we got home, we heard the front door open and everyone come in the house.

Edward led everyone into the dining room and, as I spooned the chilli into a serving bowl and placed the quesadillas on a plate, I heard Edward explain our Mexican dinner, and how me made recipes from the book that Angie and Ben got us. "Babe." I called out.

Edward came into the kitchen. "What do you need, sugar?" He asked, coming over to kiss me.

"Can you carry the chilli out to the table, please?" I asked, kissing his chin.

He smiled. "Of course." He took the bowl and I followed him in with the quesadillas.

"Wow. You two were busy today?" Carlisle said, looking at all the food. "Thank you guys so much."

I blushed at the attention. "Yeah, Bella. How did you teach my brother to cook?" Emmett laughed.

"He can microwave." Jasper added, making us all laugh.

"You're darn right I can." Edward laughed. "Bella's a good teacher."

"Edward made the Mexican salad all by himself, and helped me with the chilli and the churros." I said proudly, wrapping my arm around him.

"Well, I stirred a little bit, but Bella is the brains of the operation, for sure." Edward said, kissing my cheek. Esme was smiling at us.

We enjoyed the rest of dinner and Jasper was talking about the game, telling us about certain plays, and things he thought he should have done differently. "Jasper, you were amazing today." Maria said, smiling at him.

Esme asked Maria and Rose if they could come with us to Seattle for the weekend. "Um, I'm not sure that dad would let us stay overnight." Rose said quietly. Maria laughed at that, nodding her head in the affirmative.

"We could do a girls room and a guys room at the hotel." Esme suggested. "You girls, Alice, Bella and I in one room, and the boys, Carlisle and Charlie in another." I thought it was sweet that Esme was trying to include Rose and Maria.

Emmett looked hopeful, but Rose told him that with three weeks until the end of the school year, she knew that her parents wouldn't agree to it. "We can ask tonight, anyway, but I think Rose is right." Maria added. "Maybe we can do something in the summer?"

"Absolutely, sweetheart." Esme said.

We finished dinner and Emmett couldn't stop eating the churros. "These are so good." He laughed. I had to agree. I think Edward and I did a great job with the Mexican food.

Emmett left to drive the girls home, and, after I kissed Edward goodbye, twice, my dad and I went home.

We both went to bed early, knowing we had a long drive ahead of us again. I had just laid down in bed in my Texas t-shirt, when my phone vibrated. I opened it up and read the text from Edward. 'Goodnight, baby. We're going to see our place tomorrow! I love you.'

'I'm so excited. I love you, too.' I wrote back. I couldn't wait to see the apartment that Edward and I would call our first home.


	90. Chapter 90

**A/N - I'm so excited! Summer Vacation has again surpassed it's record number of hits. I love that it's being read, and you are enjoying Bella and Edward's journey. Thanks so much! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 90 - Another Road Trip

I got up at seven in the morning, had a shower, dried my hair and got dressed. I picked black Capri pants and a white, short sleeved blouse. I also slipped on a pair of red ballet flats. I wanted to look presentable and make a good impression on the landlord. I went to my closet and packed a knee length floral skirt, a blue, v-neck t-shirt, a pair of black flats and some underwear, for Sunday, in my duffel bag. I also packed my Georgia t-shirt and a pair of sweat shorts to sleep in.

I went downstairs at about eight-thirty, to find my dad reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee. "Carlisle called and said they'll be here at nine. Edward made your appointment for one-thirty this afternoon to see the apartment." He told me.

"Okay. I'm really excited, dad." I said sitting down beside him.

"I'm happy for you, too, kiddo." He smiled. "I ran a background check on the landlord and the complex owner and they both check out. There haven't been any major crimes or complaints in the area either. It looks like you guys picked a good place to live." My dad said.

"Oh, that's great." I said, even more excited, now.

"I guess you're going to ride with the boys and I'm riding with Carlisle, Esme and Alice." He told me. "I offered to drive, but I guess Edward really had his heart set on driving you to your apartment." He chuckled.

I smiled at that. Edward did everything to make me happy. I couldn't love him more. "Do you want breakfast?" I asked my dad.

"Oh, and we were told not to eat." My dad laughed.

"Wow. They sure have this trip planned to perfection, don't they?" I giggled. I loved the Cullens. They were amazing. "Okay, I'm just going to go up and get my overnight bag." I said, getting up.

"Alright. Mine's by the door." My dad said.

I went upstairs to use the bathroom and get my bag. I made sure I had my camera in my purse, as well. I sat on my bed and sent Angie a text message. 'Ang. Edward and I are going to Seattle today to look at an apartment. We're going to move in together in the fall! Wish us luck. Love and miss you, Bella.'

I heard the doorbell ring and my dad call me from downstairs. I threw my phone in my purse and slung my duffel bag over my shoulder. I went down the stairs to see Edward standing inside the door, holding a white chrysanthemum. He looked gorgeous, wearing dark wash jeans and a black polo shirt. He ran over when he saw me, took my bag from my shoulder, and slung it over his. "Hi, baby." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. He pulled back with a smile. "For you, beautiful. It symbolizes optimism." He said, as he passed me the flower.

"Oh, Edward. You are the sweetest man alive. I hope we get the apartment." I said, kissing his chin.

"If it looks as good as it did online, and we like it, then I'm sure we'll get it." He said, taking my hand. I locked the door, and Edward and I walked out to his car.

My dad was in the passenger seat of Carlisle's car and Esme and Alice were in the backseat. I waved at them and they waved back. Edward opened my door for me, and then put my bag in the trunk. "Hey, guys." I said to Emmett and Jasper as I sat in the car. "What did I ever do, to get the front seat without yelling shotgun, first?" I laughed.

"You're dating the driver." Emmett laughed, as Edward got in the car.

"Hi, Bella." Jasper said. Both boys were wearing jeans and t-shirts, but Jasper was also wearing the cowboy hat we got him in Arizona. "Did you want a pastry?" He asked, passing me a pink bakery box, as Edward pulled out onto the road.

"Thanks, Jasper." I said, taking the box. "You look great in the hat, by the way." I told him. He blushed as he thanked me.

"Baby, I got you orange juice and hot chocolate, because I didn't know which one you would want." Edward said, pointing the cup holder.

"Thanks, Edward. But you know what two drinks are going to do to me, right." I said, giggling. Emmett and Jasper started laughing in the back seat.

Edward smiled at me and winked. "We'll stop as many times as you need to."

"Did you guys eat?" I asked as I took a cherry Danish from the box.

"No, we were waiting for you." Edward said, taking an apple turnover for himself. I passed the box back and Emmett and Jasper dug in.

The drive to Port Angeles went quickly, as we spent the majority of the ride eating our breakfast. As I predicted, I had to stop to use the bathroom. Jasper called his dad, so they would stop, too. "Hi, dad. Um, Bella needs to stop in Port Angeles. Okay. Bye." Jasper hung up. "Dad said to stop at the Shell station."

"Okay. Thanks Jazz." Edward said. "Two minutes, babe." He said to me.

We pulled into the station beside Carlisle. Alice jumped out of the backseat. "I got to go, too, Bella." She said, hopping up and down.

I smiled at her and took her hand. "I'll take her, Esme." I said. We walked into the convenience store and went into the bathroom. "Alice, lay some toilet paper down on the seat, first." I told her from my stall.

"Okay." She said. When we were finished, we washed our hands and went back out into the store.

Edward was waiting outside the door for us and Emmett and Jasper were wandering around picking up candy, chips and slushies. "Do you girls want anything?" Edward asked, picking Alice up.

"Liquorice." She said with a big smile on her face. Edward and I walked over to the candy rack and Alice picked out a couple of different flavours of liquorice.

"Hey, Bella. I've got the gummy bears." Emmett called from the next aisle. He knew that gummy bears were my favourite, too. I smiled at him.

After we seemed to clean out the store, Edward bought us all our snacks and we went back out to the cars. Carlisle shook his head at us, laughing, when he saw our hands full of bags. Edward set Alice back down and, after she gave us all hugs, she got back in the car. Edward gave her the liquorice before we got back in his car.

The rest of the drive to the ferry was so fun. All three of the Cullen brothers together were hilarious. They were always teasing each other. We talked about Rose and Maria, as well. It sounded like the Cullen boys were all smitten.

After we got onto the ferry, we all got out of the cars and sat together to enjoy the gorgeous view. I took pictures of all of us together. "When we get to Seattle, we'll meet at the Dominoes Pizza for lunch." Edward said, reaching in his back pocket and pulling out a map that looked like it was printed off the internet. "It's only about four blocks from the apartment."

"Alright, son. Sounds good." Carlisle said.

I looked over at Edward and he looked so serious and a little nervous. He had done a good job hiding the nerves so far. I knew he wanted the place to perfect for us. I reached my hand over to his and squeezed it. He looked at me and I smiled at him in reassurance. He smiled and let out a deep breath. My dad slapped Edward on the back. "It's going to work out, kid." I smiled at my dad. It was nice of him to say that for Edward.

"We'll be right back." I said, standing up and pulling Edward with me. I walked out onto the deck, and turned to face him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Are you okay, Edward? Talk to me."

He leaned down to kiss the top of my head and set his hands on my shoulders. "I fine, baby. I just want this to work out. I want this to be our home." He smiled at me. "I'm just a little nervous, that's all"

"I'm nervous, too." I admitted, rubbing his back. "But, if this one doesn't work out, we'll find another one. I'm not going to change my mind, Edward. I want to live with you. If it's not this place, it will be another one, but, babe, we're doing this." I didn't want Edward to worry so much about us. The apartment was just a place. Whether we got it or not, we would still be together.

He pulled me close to his chest and held me tightly. "Thank you, Bella. You always know the perfect thing to say. I love you." He said, running his fingers through my hair.

I looked up at him and smiled. "I love you, too. But, please say something to me if you're worried or upset."

"I'll try." He said, winking at me. I would take that promise for now.

We walked back into the ferry and joined our families. Esme looked at me and I smiled at her. I would not forget her advice to keep at Edward to open up to me.

About ten minutes later, the ferry docked and we went back to the cars. Like Edward planned, we met at the Dominoes Pizza. We each ordered a personal pizza and talked about the place while we ate. Esme, Carlisle and my dad went over a few questions they wanted to ask.

When we were finished, Esme, Alice and I went to the bathroom. I wanted to fix my hair and brush my teeth. Alice ran out of the bathroom to join the guys. Esme stood beside me, and looked at me in the mirror. "Is he doing okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. I think he's just nervous." I smiled. "I have a good feeling about this place, though." I said, wrapping her in hug.

"So do I, sweetheart." She said. "So do I."


	91. Chapter 91

**A/N - Thank you all so much for the sweet reviews! You always say such amazing things! Love it! Who wants to see the apartment? Enjoy!**

Chapter 91 - The Grand Tour

We pulled up to the complex. Wedgewood Estates. We parked and Carlisle parked behind us. "You guys coming?" Emmett said, as he and Jasper opened their doors.

"Yeah. We'll be there in a minute." I told them with a smile. They got out and I turned to Edward. He smiled at me. I put my hands on his smooth cheeks, and leaned in to kiss him. "This is it, baby. Our future." I laughed. "I'm so excited."

"Me, too." He said, leaning forward to kiss my lips.

We got out of the car, and walked over to the Cullens and my dad. "It looks like the office is just in there." My dad said, leading the way. We followed him down the sidewalk, lined with grass and trees, and into the office. Edward held my hand tightly.

We walked in and were greeted by middle aged man. He was about five foot six, had salt and pepper coloured hair and a warm smile. Edward walked up to him and extended his hand. "Hello. I'm Edward Cullen and this is Isabella Swan. We're here to look at the two bedroom cottage."

"That's right." He said with a smile. "Nice to meet you both. And these must be the families?"

"Yes. This is Bella's father, Charlie Swan. And my parents, Carlisle and Emse Cullen, as well as my brothers and sister." Edward introduced them.

"Good to see close families." He said. "Lee Stephens is the name, and I'm the landlord, along with my wife, Samantha. So if you have any problems or concerns, we're the ones to call." He seemed like a really nice man, which gave me an even better feeling about the place. "Let's go look at the place, shall we." He said, reaching behind the desk and grabbing a large key ring.

We followed him out of the office and down the path to the left. We walked past one cottage, which was brick on the bottom floor and had powder blue siding, and up to a second cottage. This one also had brick, but was sided with tan. "This is it." The landlord told us. "It's the top left unit." There were two cottages on the bottom floor and two on the top. He used his key to open the outside door, and we followed him into a hallway. You could go straight out to a back door, or up a flight of stairs. We went up the short staircase to the second floor and turned to the left. He unlocked the door, that had the number twenty three in brass, on the door. "Unit two, room three." Mr Stephens said, explaining the number.

We walked in to find a short hallway. "You've got the bathroom here to the left." He said, pointing to the door. I turned the knob and we walked in. There was a bathtub and shower, toilet, sink and a linen closet. All the plumbing fixtures were white and the tile on the floor and walls were blue. It was small, but looked very clean, and everything looked to be quite new. "There is a door that leads to the master bedroom, as well." He explained. We walked through the bathroom into the bedroom. The room was square and had taupe coloured walls and hardwood floors. It was a good size and had a large window and a fairly roomy closet.

I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. I looked up at Edward and he smiled back at me, squeezing my hand. Our families were following behind us, and Emmett was carrying Alice.

We went out the bedroom door back into the hallway. The hall turned right. On the left, there was a door that led to the second bedroom, which was a bit smaller, but I could already envision two double beds squeezed in there for when our families came to visit. On the right, was the open doorway into the kitchenette. The blue counters were in an 'L' shape, with a stove and oven and a sink. It was small, but I didn't have a kitchen last year, so this was like heaven to me.

The kitchen had a second doorway and led into a huge empty space with white walls and more hardwood floors. "This would be your living room and dining room area." The landlord told us. We could easily fit a table on the right and a sofa, or probably a futon, on the left. "But, what I think is the best part, is the balcony." We followed him over to the balcony doors. "It runs the entire width of the unit." He said. We all walked out and there was a nice wide balcony, that overlooked a central courtyard.

"Thank you, it's great." I said to him. "Can you give us a minute?" I led Edward back into the kitchen. I know it may be weird, but I made most important decisions in my life in either a restaurant, or the kitchen. "Well?" I said, looking up at Edward.

He looked down at me and smiled. "I love it, Bella. What do you think?" He took both of hands in his and pulled them to his lips.

"I think this is our home, Edward." I said, with a giggle.

"Yeah?" Edward leaned down and picked me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he spun us around, making me laugh. "I love you, babe."

Esme, Carlisle and my dad walked into the kitchen. "Well, kids, what do you think?" Esme asked with a smile. Edward set me down on my feet and I blushed.

"We love it, mom." Edward said.

"I think it looks safe." Charlie added. "And I like that it's on the second floor."

"And it's so clean." Esme said.

"Okay, son, Bella. Do you want to sign the papers?" Carlisle asked with a smile.

Edward looked down at me and I nodded at him. "Yes." Edward said with a huge smile. It was so good to see him this happy. I knew how nervous he was for this to work out for us.

Esme came over and pulled us both into a hug. Carlisle hugged us next and my dad patted Edward on the shoulder, before giving me my a hug and kissing the top of my head. "I think it's a great place, Bells." He said softly to me.

"Thanks, daddy." I said, hugging him again. It meant a lot to me to have my dad's support for this place, and for Edward and I moving in together.

We all walked out into the living room to see Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Mr. Stephens all out on the balcony. He was pointing out at the different buildings and down at the park and the outdoor pool.

"Mr. Stephens." Edward said, making everyone turn to look at us. The landlord walked back into the living room. "We'll take it."

"Great." He said with a smile, shaking our hands. "Let's head back down to the office and we can fill out all the paperwork." As we followed him back down the stairs, Emmett and Jasper decided to take Alice to the playground.

Charlie, Carlisle and Esme sat on the sofa in the office, while Edward and I sat in chairs across the desk from Mr. Stephens.

"Okay, first rule as my new tenants." He said, laughing. "Call me Lee." We both smiled at him and agreed. "Your first big decision is how long you want to sign the lease for. It can be anywhere from six to eleven months."

Edward looked at me. "Well, the school year is eight months, but maybe we should take August, too. You know, to get settled in?" I said to Edward.

He smiled. "Okay, so nine months. August to April." We turned to look at our parents.

"Sounds good." Carlisle said to us.

"Alright." Lee said, filling out some of the forms. "It will be nine hundred and fifty dollars a month. But I need three-hundred dollars today as a deposit."

Edward reached for his wallet, but my dad stood up and put his hand on Edward's arm. "I've got this one, son." He said, passing Lee three hundred dollars in cash.

"Dad, you don't have to do that." I said, touched by his gesture.

"I know, but let me do it. Consider it a housewarming gift." My dad chuckled.

I got up to hug him. "Thank you so much, dad." I said.

Edward shook his hand. "Thank you, sir." My dad patted Edward on the shoulder, then went back to sit down.

We spent the next half hour going through the paper work. Carlisle, Esme and my dad all looked it over, as well. Everything looked great. There were washers and driers in a laundry room off of the office. The apartment was a ten minute drive to the university and in walking distance to coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants. It seemed perfect to me, considering how small my dorm room was.

We signed both of our names to the lease. The second I set the pen down, Edward reached his hands out to my cheeks, and turned my face to his, placing a kiss on my lips. I know that I blushed, but mostly because he surprised me. He pulled back and smiled at me.

"Sealed with a kiss, huh?" Lee laughed.

"Yeah." Edward chuckled.

We all shook hands with Lee and then, walked out to the park to get the boys and Alice. "Sign your lives away?" Emmett teased.

"You know it, bro." Edward said, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. I was so glad that Edward was this happy. We had our first home together. It sounded crazy, but I almost couldn't wait for the summer to end.


	92. Chapter 92

**A/N - Thanks again for everything, readers! I really love reading your reviews! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 92 - Baseball and Billiards

We all walked back to the cars and Carlisle gathered us all around. "Okay, everybody. Bella and Edward have their first place together, and I think we should celebrate. How about going to a Seattle Mariners game?"

"Wow. Really, dad?" Jasper said, looking excited.

Everyone was thrilled with Carlisle's surprise. Apparently he had bought the tickets as soon as we told them about the apartment on Thursday. "So, what if we didn't get the place?" Edward asked his dad.

"Then, the tickets would have been to cheer you up." Carlisle laughed, wrapping his arm around Edward's shoulder.

"Thank you so much." I said, going over to hug Carlisle and Esme.

My dad looked so excited. He and Emmett were talking about certain players they liked and their statistics. As usual I didn't know what they were talking about.

"The game starts in about two hours, so we better get down there." Carlisle said.

We all got in the cars and headed back to the I5 to head to the stadium. We followed Carlisle, but Edward told me they had been before. "We had a guys' weekend last year and dad took us, and a couple of years ago, I got tickets for my birthday." Edward told me.

"Jasper, your baseball games are the only ones I've ever seen live." I told him.

"You're going to love it, Bella." Jasper said.

"Yeah, Bella. The food is awesome, and we'll keep you in the know." Emmett said.

Edward looked over and at me and smiled. I picked up his hand and kissed his palm. Edward set his hand on my knee and squeezed it.

"So, whose room do we get when we come to visit you guys?" Emmett asked.

"Uh, the guest room, I guess." Edward said. "The second one we saw." Edward looked over at me. "Um, Bella and I are sharing the master bedroom."

Emmett started laughing. "Okay, cool, man." He reached forward and patted Edward's shoulder. "I didn't mean to make you nervous. Do mom and dad know?"

"Yeah." Edward said. "Well, mom does, so I'm assuming that dad would. I don't think that Charlie knows, but he's okay with us living together, and I don't think he really wants the details."

"Yeah, probably not." Emmett said, as we pulled into the parking lot. "My lips are sealed." He laughed.

We got out of the car when we reached Safeco Stadium and walked up the gates. Carlisle gave them the tickets and the girl in the ticket booth gave us each a t-shirt. Apparently it was a promotional night: Ken Griffey Jr. T-Shirt Night and the first twenty thousand fans got a t-shirt. Alice was so excited, so Esme took her to the bathroom to put it on. It was white with blue cuffs and had Griffey and 24 on it. I was excited. I had a new sleep shirt.

We walked to the souvenir shop and Edward bought me a cute plush Mariners Moose, and he got Alice a teddy bear with a Mariners hoodie. Emmett got a Ken Griffey Jr. bobble head doll and Jasper got a Safeco Stadium street sign for his room. Edward got a key chain and clipped it onto his keys. It came with a bracelet, so he picked up my hand and slid it on my wrist, kissing my hand before letting it go. I bought my dad a gold Mariners coin for Christmas when he wasn't looking. My dad got himself a Mariners licence plate frame.

After a half hour in the gift shop, we headed over to the concession. My dad, Carlisle and Emmett each carried away a huge tray of food. Edward and Jasper each had a drink tray full of pop. We made our way to our seats. Carlisle had bought four seats in one row and four seats directly behind it. We were seated on the first base line, and were only about ten rows back from the field. We had a great view.

My dad, Carlisle, Alice and Esme sat in one row, and Jasper, me, Edward and Emmett sat in front of them. I held my moose in my lap proudly. Everyone passed out the food and drinks and we dug in to our hotdogs.

The game finally started and we spent the next three hours enjoying the game. Jasper would whisper the plays to me. He knew this game inside out. The Mariners were playing the San Diego Padres. The Padres ended up winning 2-1, but we had a great time regardless. Emmett had us all laughing with his commentary. Edward and I held hands for the majority of the game, only letting go when we bought popcorn from the vendor walking up and down the aisles. During the seventh inning stretch, we all went for a bathroom break. The Mariners only score was by Ichiro Suzuki, who was my dad's favourite player. He was batted in by Mike Sweeney, who was Emmett's favourite. Despite the loss, everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.

It was about quarter after eight when the game was over. As we walked back out to the cars, Alice sang 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game.' She had a great time, too, and she looked so cute in her t-shirt, that went down to her knees. Carlisle gave Edward the directions to the hotel, the Homewood Suites, before we all got in the cars.

It was only about a mile and half to the hotel from the stadium, but it took us about twenty minutes to get there, since we were in downtown traffic on a Saturday night.

When we got there, Carlisle was carrying a sleeping Alice. We all walked in together with our overnight bags. The Cullens had purchased two rooms. They decided to go through with one room for the guys, and one room for Esme, Alice and I. I would miss Edward, but I think it was for the best, considering my dad was with us. The guys room had two queen beds, and a sofa bed. Jasper and Carlisle were going to share a bed, my dad was going to take the other bed, and Edward and Emmett were going to share the sofa bed. My dad tried to argue that he would take the sofa bed, but the Cullens all insisted he have a bed. Alice was going to sleep with her mom, and I was going to take the other bed in our room.

The rooms were right across the hall from each other. Carlisle carried Alice into our room. I gave my dad a hug in the hallway. "Thanks again for the deposit, dad." I said as I hugged him. "I love you."

"You're welcome, kiddo. I love you, too." He said, before going in his room.

Edward came over to me and kissed me against the wall. "I love you, baby. Goodnight." He said, a little breathless.

I giggled. "Goodnight, Edward. I love you, too." I said. He gave me one more kiss before I went into my room.

The room was beautiful. It had navy blue carpets, white sheets and gorgeous wood headboards attached to the wall. Esme had Alice tucked in on one of the beds. I heard the water running in the bathroom, so I knew Esme was getting ready for bed. I opened my bag and pulled out my blue sweat shorts and my peach Georgia t-shirt. I changed into my pyjamas and crawled onto my bed.

I pulled out my phone and realized that I hadn't looked at it since this morning, when I texted Angie. I had missed a text from her. 'I have a good feeling about this, Bella. I'm so excited that you are taking this step together. Luv ya.' I sent a reply back. 'We got the place, Angie. I'll e-mail you the details tomorrow. Love you, too.'

Esme walked out of the bathroom in a pale green, silk housecoat. "I'm just going to go to bed. I know it's early, but I don't want to wake Alice." She whispered. She gave me a hug. "Congratulations on the apartment, sweetheart. I'm so happy for you both."

I smiled. "Thank you, so much for coming with us. It meant a lot to me." After a another hug, Esme went to lay down beside Alice. Alice rolled over and snuggled up to her mom. It was adorable. I went in the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I pulled my hair up into a messy ponytail. I came back out into the bedroom and noticed I had two texts. The first was from Angie. 'Congrats, Bella.' The second was from Emmett. 'Hey, Bella. We're bored and we're sneaking out. Meet us in the hallway in twenty minutes.' I giggled quietly. He had sent the text fifteen minutes ago. I decided to stay in my pyjamas, but I slipped my bra back on. I put on my shoes, grabbed my camera and slipped out the door, quietly, as to not wake Esme or Alice.

All three Cullen boys were leaning against the wall in the hallway. I snapped a quick picture of them. I giggled quietly, as Edward pulled me into his arms. I noticed all the guys were in their pyjamas, too. Jasper was wearing grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt, Emmett was wearing black cut off sweat shorts and a white tank top and Edward was in maroon plaid flannel pants and a grey t-shirt.

"Wow, Bella. What a tacky shirt." Emmett teased, as we all walked over to the elevator.

"Well, I happen to love it, Emmett. Your brother bought it for me in Atlanta en route to Jacksonville." I said, smiling. Jasper chuckled softly and Edward kissed the top of my head. "Are our dads asleep?"

"Of course, and snoring." Edward said. "That was when Emmett came up with his master plan to sneak out." We took the elevator down to the main floor. "We saw a pool table down here when we were checking in." Edward said, as we walked into a small billiards room.

"I don't know how to play." I said, as Emmett racked up the balls.

"Bella, Bella. You were a deprived child." Emmett teased. "We'll teach you."

We decided to just take turns after each shot. I had a lot of fun, even though I only got one ball in the pocket all night. Edward huddled over me and tried to help guide the pool cue, but I so distracted by his body over mine, I missed every time. Emmett and Jasper just laughed at us.

We played for about two hours, until around midnight. We went back up to our rooms. Edward kissed me quickly, because Emmett and Jasper were waiting for him to go back in the room. They waited until I got in first. As I laid in bed, I couldn't stop smiling. It had been a perfect day.


	93. Chapter 93

**A/N - Okay, so today is the three month anniversary of Summer Vacation! I started posting on June 10th! I will admit that this fan fic has taken over my life in that time! I love my characters and they feel like a part of me. Thank you for reading and sharing in their adventures! Enjoy!**

Chapter 93 - The Swans and Cullens Take Seattle

I woke up to kiss on the cheek. I opened my eyes and saw Alice looking at me. "Wake up, sleepyhead." She said, cheerfully. These Cullens and their early mornings.

I rolled onto my back and stretched. "You, Miss Alice, are the sleepyhead. You fell asleep in the car last night." I giggled. I looked at her and noticed she was already dressed in a jean skirt and a pink t-shirt with ruffled sleeves and her hair was pulled into little pigtails. She looked adorable.

Esme walked out of the bathroom in a pair of tan dress pants and an off-white knit cardigan. She always looked so classy. "Good morning, sweetheart. It's nine o'clock. We're all going to meet in the lobby, and then have breakfast here in the hotel."

"Okay. I'll have a quick shower and meet you downstairs." I said, crawling out of bed and taking my bag to the bathroom.

"Alright, sweetheart. We'll see you soon." She said, taking Alice by the hand and leaving the room with her bag.

I went into the bathroom and showered. I got ready as quickly as I could, not wanting to leave everyone waiting for me. I pulled the front of my hair back, but left the back long and dressed in the floral skirt and blue t-shirt I had packed for today. I slid on my black flats and made sure that I packed my clothes, pyjamas and toothbrush. I double checked the room and made sure I had everything. I put my stuffed moose in my overnight bag and left the room.

When I got to the hallway, I saw Edward sitting against the wall with his arms resting on his bent knees. He was wearing a dark purple and black plaid, button-down shirt, with the cuffs rolled to his elbows, a pair of light wash jeans, and his black leather shoes. He looked amazing. He was holding two roses, one red and the other yellow. When he saw me, he smiled and stood up, handing me the flowers, then leaning down to kiss me. "Good morning, angel. You look beautiful." He said with a smile.

"Good morning. Thank you for the flowers. They're gorgeous, but why two?" I asked, bringing the flowers up to my nose to smell their sweet scent.

"Red and yellow roses together express congratulations." He said with a smile. "I thought it was fitting, considering we just leased our apartment together."

He took my bag and slung it over his shoulder with his own, and then took my hand, leading me to the elevator. "You are so sweet, babe." I said. "How do you know all this stuff?" I asked. He was a flower meaning encyclopaedia.

"Um, a combination of the internet and really good florists." He chuckled. We kissed in the elevator, all the way down to the lobby. We were both smiling and giddy as we joined our families to eat.

There was a buffet of all sorts of breakfasts food. I had pancakes, a couple of slices of bacon, and some watermelon and Edward had hash browns, scrambled eggs and bacon. We all shared a great breakfast together. As we ate, Esme suggested that we go to the Pike Place Market today. She told us it was a group of historical buildings that have vendors with crafts, food, antiques, art galleries, gifts and clothes. It sounded great to me.

We all loaded back in the cars and drove the few blocks to Pike Place Market. We all got out and walked through the streets together. Edward and I held hands the entire day. Every twenty minutes or so, he would bring my hand to his lips to kiss my wrist, or the back of my hand. I felt completely at bliss with my life right now.

I bought some candles and fancy soap for our new bathroom. I knew we wouldn't get to start decorating until August, but I was so excited that I couldn't resist. I decided on a pale yellow colour for the bathroom. Edward agreed with the colour, even though I was sure he would have went along with anything I picked out. We found some beautiful white and yellow towels in a linen shop and Esme bought them for us. "I'm your mom. Let me spoil you." She told Edward, swatting at his hands, when he tried to buy the towels.

Alice saw a toy store that she really wanted to go into. Edward said he'd take her. He was such a pushover for his baby sister. I knew she would come out with something new. I told Edward I was going to the bathroom, which was nearby. When he went into the store, I grabbed Emmett's arm and led him into the music store next door. They sold vinyl records, and I wanted to get one for Edward's birthday next month. I found a couple of vinyls of some of the artist he had on his iPod. I listened to it on the plane across America. I was fairly well versed in his favourites. I bought them and slipped them in the side of the linen bag with our towels, so Edward wouldn't see the bag.

I left the bag with Emmett, who joined our dads and Jasper in a bookstore, where they were looking at magazines. I went to use the bathroom, like I said I was going to. I came to find Edward waiting for me on the bench outside the door. "Are you okay? Emmett said you were still in here."

I had to hold back a smile. I was horrible at keeping secrets. "Yeah, babe. I'm fine. I got distracted and was looking in a gift shop on my way in." I said, leaning up to kiss his chin. "Don't worry so much." I said, running my hand along his back, before wrapping my arm around his waist.

He leaned down to kiss my head. "I can't help it. I love you." He said softly.

We joined up with the rest of the group and decided to have some lunch. We stopped at the Market Diner and all the guys had burgers and fries, Alice had a grilled cheese sandwich and Esme and I had Cuban sandwiches. I kept sneaking fries off Edward's plate and he kept stealing kisses from me. It felt like a win/win situation for me.

After lunch, we kept working our way through the market. We came across a botanical bath and body shop and I helped Emmett and Jasper pick out some gift sets for Rose and Maria. I think we stood there for twenty minutes smelling different scents. Emmett eventually decided on vanilla lilac for Rose and Jasper picked orange blossom for Maria. "Good choices, guys." I told them, as we walked out of the store.

Edward ran back in and came out with a smile on his face. He passed me the bag and when I looked inside, I smiled and blushed. He had bought me another tube of strawberry lip gloss. I knew he loved the taste of it. "Thanks, Edward." I said with a smile.

He traced his fingers lightly over my cheek. "You're welcome." He said, before leaning down to kiss me.

We stopped in a store that only sold lavender products. I bought a hand soap, dish soap and hand lotion set in a little caddy for our new kitchen. I really couldn't help myself. I was so excited for this place.

We had a great day, and at about three o'clock, we went back to the cars to put our bags in the trunk, before walking along Western Avenue with ice cream cones. Edward and I walked arm in arm, as we enjoyed the buskers and the view of the water. "Did you or Jasper ever want to learn to play a musical instrument?" I asked Emmett as we stood and watched a violinist.

He laughed and held out his hands. "Look at these fingers, Bella." Emmett said wiggling them. "They're like sausages, so I think the best I could do is the drums. But, I'm not very good at sitting still." We all laughed. I threw some change in the buskers case and we walked on.

"Edward showed me a few chords on his guitar during spring break." Jasper told me as we all walked down the street.

"Yeah, Jazz is pretty good, too." Edward said proudly, wrapping his arm around his brother's shoulder.

We walked back to the cars at around four o'clock and decided that we should head back to Forks, considering Emmett, Jasper and Alice had school the next day. I gave my dad, Esme, Carlisle and Alice each a hug, before getting in Edward's car.

I turned to Edward once he was in the car, and leaned over to kiss him. "Thank you for this weekend. I love you." I whispered. Edward smiled at me, kissing me quickly again.

"Innocent eyes in the backseat." Emmett teased, making us all laugh.

"I'm sorry." I giggled, blushing.

We drove to the ferry and decided to run up to the bathrooms before we got back on the highway. We all came back to the car and waited to go. I was quite tired from all the walking and excitement of the weekend, but I knew I had to stay awake and keep Edward company.

"Here, Edward." Emmett said, passing his iPod up the front seat. "Play my music. If we play yours, we'll all fall asleep."

Edward laughed and shook his head, as I hooked up Emmett's iPod. He had some great music on it. It was mainly rock, like Kings of Leon, but he also had some alternative rock songs, that I hadn't heard before. He told me all about his favourites, like Citizen Cope. We all had a great time and talked about music and movies. Edward suggested a triple date to the movies in Port Angeles, with all of us and the Hale girls, next weekend. Jasper and Emmett seemed excited about the idea. I loved spending time with them all.

We stopped in Sequim to use the bathrooms and stock up on munchies for the last hour. My dad told us that he was buying pizza when we got back to Forks. I was glad that I didn't have to cook anything, because I was so tired. As much as I tried to fight it, I fell asleep just after we passed Port Angeles. I woke up to Edward's sweet voice whispering in my ear. "Babe, we're home." I felt his lips kiss my cheek, and I smiled before opening my eyes.

I stretched my arms out, then wrapped them around Edward's neck. "I didn't mean to fall asleep." I apologized.

"It's okay, baby. You're tired. Let's go get some pizza, and then you can go home and get some sleep." He said, leaning in for another kiss.

"Okay. Can you believe we signed a lease yesterday?" I asked smiling, running my fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

"Yes. I'm so happy that it worked out for us." He said. "I can't wait to live with you."


	94. Chapter 94

**A/N - Thanks for your reviews, hits, favourites and for the anniversary messages! I'm glad you are all still liking Bella and Edward's adventures! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 94 - Sleeping and Schedules

My dad and I left shortly after we ate pizza with the Cullens. I was so exhausted. I think all of the excitement of the weekend wore me out. Edward drove my dad and I home, and helped bring in my overnight bag and my purchases from Seattle. I kissed him at the door, and he reluctantly went home. We had grown so close in the last few weeks since we got home, that it was almost painful to be apart.

My dad carried my bags up my room for me, I slipped on my Griffey t-shirt and fell asleep. I woke up at six in the morning, and ran downstairs to make my dad breakfast. We had fried potatoes today. I ate with my dad before he left for work, and then went upstairs to have a shower. Unfortunately, I got my period this morning. I got dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a black v-neck t-shirt. I dried my hair and pulled it back into a low ponytail.

I went downstairs and flopped on the couch, feeling a little crampy. I flipped through the morning talk shows, leaving it on a talk show about paternity tests. At about eight-thirty, the phone rang. I got up and answered it. "Hello." I answered.

"Hey, baby. Do you have any plans today?" I felt better the second I heard Edward's voice.

"No. I don't really feel that good, though, so I was thinking of sticking around here today." I said.

"What's wrong? Did you get my cold?" He asked, sounding worried.

How did I tell him? I don't know why, but I was really embarrassed to talk about it. But, if we were going to be living together, he would have to deal with it. "No, um, it's just my period." I said, blushing.

"Oh, um, okay." He cleared his throat. "I'm going to be honest with you, Bella, I don't know a lot about that. Is there, um, anything I can do?" It was so cute how shy and nervous he was, yet, he still wanted to help.

"No. But, I could use a hug and some company. Do you want to come over?" I asked, hoping he would just want to hang out with me today.

"Of course, sugar. Are you sure you don't need anything? I'm feeling a little helpless, here." He said, chuckling nervously.

"No, I just need you." I told him honestly.

"Okay, I'll be there soon, baby. I love you." He said.

"I love you, too. Bye." I said before hanging up. I went upstairs and took an aspirin, before coming back down to unlock the front door and then sit on the couch again. I took a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around my shoulders.

A half hour later, Edward knocked on the door. "Come in." I called out. I heard Edward open the door. "I'm in the living room." I said. He walked in with a little bunch of purple pansies, and his backpack.

"Hi, baby. How are you feeling?" He said, sitting beside me and leaning over to kiss me.

"I'm okay. It's not that big of deal, and I'll feel better by the end of the day, but I'm just cramping up a bit right here." I said, setting my hands on my lower stomach.

He looked at me with a sympathetic smile, and passed me the flowers. "I wish I could do something."

I took the flowers and smiled. "Just part of being a girl. Nothing you can do." I said, leaning in for another kiss. "Thank you for the flowers, Edward. I love them."

He lifted me up and slid me over to sit on his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his chest. He started rubbing my back for me. "Lower." I said. He moved his hand to rub my lower back. It felt really good. "Thanks, Edward. That helps." I said. We just sat there in silence, while he rubbed my back.

He kissed the top of my head. "Do you want to watch a movie?" He asked after about five minutes.

"Okay." I said, laying down on the couch. Edward pulled out a DVD from his backpack, put it in, and then came to sit down, lifting my feet up on his lap. He started rubbing my feet, and I fell asleep before the movie even started. When I woke up, Edward was still sitting on the couch, but he was flipping through a book. "Hey, babe. How long did I sleep?" I asked, sitting up.

"Oh, about three hours." He said, smiling. "Do you want some lunch? It's noon."

"Um, okay. I'm just going to go to the bathroom." I said, getting up and going upstairs. I felt a little better after the medication and the nap. I took another pill, and headed back downstairs to see Edward.

He was in the kitchen boiling a pot of water. He turned when he heard me walk in. "You're in luck, today. You get to try another one of my specialties." He laughed, holding up a box of macaroni and cheese.

"Aw. Thank you, baby." I said, walking up to him and wrapping my arms around his waist. "I'm sorry I fell asleep." I really did feel bad that I invited him over and then fell asleep.

"Bella, don't worry about me. I was fine." He said, kissing my forehead. "Actually, I was going through the course catalogue for next semester while you slept."

"Oh my god. I totally forgot we had to pick out our classes." I said, going to sit at the kitchen table. I picked up the U of W schedule he had in the kitchen and started flipping through it. "Did you pick anything out, yet?"

"Um, yeah, I have a few things in mind, but I wanted to compare with you, so we had our spare time together." He said, pulling out a piece of paper with some classes written out on it. "I tried to arrange it so I had Fridays off, but I have a chemistry lab from eight to ten on Friday morning that I need to take." He walked over to the stove and dumped the macaroni in the pot before pulling up a chair beside me.

"Well, ten is not bad. You practically have the whole day off." I said, trying to reassure him. I flipped through and was excited that they had three of my required courses, Psychology 206, Comparative History 210 and Sociology 292, and two elective English courses that I needed, English 230, children's literature, and English 263, classic literature. I wanted these classes. It was going to be a busy semester. One of the English courses was on Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 8-9AM; the sociology course was from 2-5PM on Monday; and the other three were on Tuesdays and Thursday from mid morning to mid afternoon. I was excited that I had most of Wednesday and Friday off.

I looked through the rest of Edward's schedule and saw that he had two chemistry courses, a biology course, a math class and the same sociology course that I wanted to take. "I have to take a non-science elective." He told me. It was on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9-10:30AM.

"Baby. I'm so excited. We get to take another class together." I said, leaning over to kiss him. Edward had three classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, like I had, but he also had another lab on Tuesday from 4-6PM. He scheduled his math class to fall at the same time as my late Monday class, and had one of his chemistry classes Monday morning from 8-12.

"My schedule looks pretty full, but that's because of the chemistry labs I have to take." He said, looking at our schedules. "But at least I don't have anything on Wednesday, right?" He sighed. "I'm tired just looking at that schedule."

"You'll be okay. We'll have homework sessions at our kitchen table." I said, smiling, thinking of our new apartment. "And I'll be home early everyday, except Monday, to make dinner." I said. I was really looking forward to using that kitchen.

"Why don't we have take-out on Mondays? We can meet at the school, then go straight out to eat." Edward said, getting up to finish making our lunch.

"That sounds good, babe." I said smiling. "Is it weird that I'm excited to go back to school?"

Edward walked over to the table with our plates. "Yes, Bella. It's weird." He laughed. "But, I love you anyway."

We ate our lunch, which was really good, and talked about our schedules. "Which class do you think you're going to like the best?" I asked.

"Well, I love chemistry, but I looking forward to sitting next to you twice a week." He said, leaning over and nudging me with his shoulder.

"Me, too." I smiled.

"So, what are you going to do when I'm stuck in my labs?" He asked.

"I'll probably be reading. I think I have to read an insane number of novels for one of my English classes." I said, as Edward took the plates to the sink to wash them. He set them on the drying rack and walked back over to me.

"How are you doing, now, honey?" He asked, taking my hand and leading me back to the living room.

"I'm okay. I'm feeling a lot better." I said, as we sat down. "Thank you for taking care of me." I said, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"You're welcome, but I didn't really do anything." He said, resting his head on mine, and taking my hand in his. "Uh, Bella? I know this probably isn't any of my business, but, um, how long are you going to feel like this?"

"I'm fine now, babe." I said, turning my head, to kiss him. "It lasts for about four days, though, but it doesn't hurt anymore. I promise, okay, so don't worry." I said, kissing him again. He nodded his head, his cheeks a little pink.

A little awkwardness didn't hurt us. We could do this. We could live together in the fall, and deal with things together. Edward took care of me when I needed him, and I took care of him when he needed me. We were perfect for each other.


	95. Chapter 95

**A/N - I apologize if I confused anyone with the schedule planning for college. Having gone through it, it's not as scary as it sounds. All you really need to know is that Edward's going to be a busy bee next semester, but, like Bella, will have most of Wednesday and Friday off. I planned their course work the way my university did. If you have any questions, ask away! Thanks again for all your reviews! I love an embarrassed Edward, too...he's so cute! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 95 - Lazy Days

Edward and I snuggled on the couch for the next couple hours. He sat with his legs stretched out the long way on the couch and I laid down with my legs between his, and rested my head on his chest.

"Do you want to try and watch the movie, again?" Edward laughed, considering I had slept through it this morning. He had stopped at the video store and picked up 'A Walk in the Clouds.' I think I had mentioned how much I loved that movie, and Keanu Reeves, back when we had first started going out.

"Yes." I giggled. "Thank you for remembering my favourite movie, babe." I kissed his chest and snuggled in closer to him. He was stroking my hair slowly, making me feel so relaxed and loved. When I cried, he wiped the tears from my cheeks.

When the movie was over, he clicked off the TV. "Why do you choose to watch movies that make you cry?" He asked, wrapping his arms around me and holding me close.

"I think it's a beautiful love story." I said, running my fingers along his stomach. "I've always dreamed of having something like that." I looked up into his eyes, that were looking back at me with so much love. "And now I have it. Who would have thought our love story would have started in a psychology class?"

Edward smiled, and leaned down to kiss me. He lifted me up so I was laying on his chest, pulling me to him, so he could kiss me deeper. I lifted my hands up and ran my fingers through his soft hair. He pulled back, breathless, and smiled at me, before leaning down to kiss my neck. "I love you." He whispered, before going back to my lips. His hands were tracing down my sides. We kissed like that for a while, before we smiled at each other, and I laid my head down in the crook of his neck, placing small kisses there.

He was rubbing my back again. I could have laid like that forever and been content. I sighed. "What's wrong, sugar?" Edward asked, angling his head down to look at me.

"Oh, nothing. I just don't want to get up." I giggled.

"Then, don't." He said, kissing my hair.

"My dad's going to be home in about an hour. I have to make dinner." I said, before kissing his neck once more.

"Why don't I run to the diner and just pick you guys up something to eat?" Edward suggested. "Then, you can just lay down and rest."

"Aw, Edward. You are so sweet. That sounds really good, actually." I said. "Are you going to stay and eat with us?"

"If you want me to, babe, I'll stay." He said.

"Of course I do. I never want to be apart from you." I admitted, running my fingers along his cheek.

"Okay. I'll go call our order in, so it's ready by five. What do want, sugar? And, what should I get your dad?" Edward said, sitting up, and holding me on his lap.

"Um, maybe just a chicken salad." I said. "My dad, probably just a burger."

"Okay." He kissed my lips, before standing us up. He walked in the kitchen to use the phone and I went upstairs to the bathroom. I came back out and went into my room, powering up my laptop. I logged into the U of W website. I went back downstairs to get our course numbers so we could officially register for the fall.

Edward just hung up the phone and walked over to me. "Okay, I'll run over to the diner in about a half hour." He said, taking my hands in his.

"Okay. Do you want to go register for our classes?" I asked, pulling him to the stairs.

Edward laughed, as we got to the stairs. "Sure, baby." He said, walking up the stairs to my room with me. I flopped on my bed and Edward sat in my desk chair. "You want me to go first?"

"Yeah." I said, pulling my blankets up around me.

"Not feeling good?" Edward asked, looking at me with concern on his face.

"I just feel really tired, that's all." I said.

"Go to sleep, babe. I'll wake you up when I get back with dinner." He said. "Do you want me to register for you, too?"

"Um, okay." I said, drifting back to sleep.

I woke up to a knock on my bedroom door. "Bells?" My dad called.

I rolled over. "Yeah, come in." I said. My door opened, and my dad walked in.

"Are you alright, kiddo? Why are you still in bed?" He said, sitting at the foot of my bed, patting my leg.

"Oh, uh, just girl stuff, dad. I'm fine." I said, not wanting to embarrass him.

"Oh, okay." He said, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink, just like Edward's did. "Did you want me to go get us something at the diner?"

"Oh, no. Edward should be right back with dinner." I said, crawling out of bed to sit beside him. "How was work?"

"It was a slow day for calls, but I had a lot of paper work to go over because of the weekend, so it was pretty good." He said. "What did you do?"

"Oh, Edward and I picked our courses for next semester. We both have most of Friday off, so we can come home more often." I said with a smile.

"That's great, kiddo." My dad said, pulling me into his side for a hug. We heard the door close downstairs. "Alright. Dinner's here." I laughed at my dad's enthusiasm.

"Okay. I'll be right down." I said. I used the bathroom and brushed out my hair, before going downstairs. I looked in the kitchen, and watched as my dad was setting the table and Edward was unpacking the bag from the diner. They were talking with each other, and chuckling, apparently joking with other. I smiled. The fact that Edward and my dad got along so well, and genuinely liked each other, warmed my heart. I walked in the room and sat down between my guys. "Thank you, Edward. This looks great."

"Yeah, thanks, son." My dad said. "Just give me the bill after we eat."

"Oh, that's fine, sir. I've got it." Edward said. We all ate our dinner and then watched the game together in the living room. At seven thirty, Edward went home to see his family for a while. It had only been a day, but I already missed the Cullen antics.

I went to bed early that night, and woke up late, at around nine. I went downstairs and saw that my dad left a note for me. 'Hope you're feeling better. Don't worry about me. Had cereal.' I laughed when I read it. My dad was amazing. I called Edward and asked if it was alright if we hung out at his house today. Of course, he said yes.

After I showered, and put on a pair of comfortable jeans, a tank and a hoodie, I went to his house. He had a yellow daisy in his hand when he answered the door and I was greeted with a hungry kiss.

We spent the entire day out on the porch, where we talked, laughed, and I was even treated to more of Edward's glorious guitar playing. We made no plans except for being with each other. It was perfect.

Esme made us sandwiches for lunch and joined us on the porch as we ate. We talked about possible decorating ideas for the apartment and the great little cafes and shops in our new neighbourhood.

At four, Edward and I went to Jasper's baseball practice, and I enjoyed the company and easy friendships I had with Emmett, Rose and Maria.

My dad came over for dinner at the Cullens' and we enjoyed another of Esme's fabulous meals. I listened to everyone talk about their days at school and work. An hour after dinner, my dad and I went home together, to watch more baseball.

These last two days had been what I always imagined to be the lazy days of summer that you would here about in songs and books. Just hanging out, not really doing much, but being so happy.

I loved that about Edward and I. We were now to a point in our relationship where we were always comfortable around each other. We didn't have to have plans, or didn't have to be at one house or the other. Everything was relaxed and happy.

Wednesday, however, we had to face reality. That day, Edward and I learned a life lesson. We learned what it was like to care for a newborn baby.


	96. Chapter 96

**A/N - Thanks for all of the reviews. I was overwhelmed by how many I received. Apparently, that was a cliffhanger, although I didn't intend it to be. A lot of you knew what I had in mind. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 96 - Whoa, Baby

Wednesday morning, after I got ready for the day, I went downstairs to make breakfast for my dad and I. I was surprised to see that my dad had beat me to the kitchen, today, as I was a bit early. He was talking on the phone. "Okay, Sue, I'll ask her. Just hang on for a minute." My dad covered the mouth piece of the phone and turned to face me. "Hey, Bells." He smiled. "Sam has to take Emily into town for some kind of assessment for home schooling today, and they were wondering if you could watch the baby?"

"Um, of course. Can they bring him here?" I asked. I was a little worried to watch a baby that was only a week and half old, but if she really needed me, I wouldn't let her down.

"Sue. She can do it. Just have them drop him off here." My dad said into the phone. "Okay, Sue. No problem. See you at work." He hung up and turned to me. "They'll be here in about an hour. I guess it was a last minute cancellation for Emily's appointment."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm so happy she's dedicated to finishing school." I smiled. "I'm a little nervous. He's so little." I admitted.

"Call Edward over. This would be good for him to see." My dad chuckled.

"Dad." I scolded. "We're not even thinking of having kids until we're done with school. It will be years."

"Okay, kiddo. Point taken, but it still wouldn't hurt." My dad said, trying to fight back a smile.

"You are right about inviting Edward over, though. I could really use the help." I admitted. I whipped up some pancake batter and put the first batch on the griddle. I dialled Edward's cell phone, and cradled the phone with my shoulder, so I could turn the pancakes as talked.

"Hey, baby. What did I ever do to deserve a call from you this early?" Edward said.

"Hey, Edward. Actually, I was wondering how soon you can get here? It's sort of an emergency." I told him, getting more and more nervous by the second.

"Okay, I'm on my way now." He said. I could hear him grabbing his keys. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong, it's just that Emily and Sam are dropping off the baby in about forty five minutes and I'm scared to watch him by myself." I said, putting the pancakes on plate and setting them in front of my dad, who was smiling to himself.

Edward laughed. "God, Bella. Don't scare me like that. Babies aren't scary."

"Well, the idea of doing this alone is scary." I said. "Did you eat?" I asked, flipping the next batch.

"Um, no. I'm on my way to an emergency, remember." He chuckled.

"I'm sorry. I guess I panicked." I explained. I really felt bad about worrying him. "I shouldn't have said emergency."

"Bella." He sighed. "It's okay, honey. If you need me, I'm there. You know that." He laughed. "Now, stop pouting, I'm almost there."

I laughed. "Okay. See you in a few. I have pancakes."

"Mmm. Bella and breakfast. What could be better?" He teased, making me laugh. "Bye, babe. I love you."

"I love you, too." I said, before walking over to hang up the phone. I took the pancakes off, and started a third batch. "So I freaked him out." I said, turning to my dad.

"Well, you did tell him it was an emergency." My dad chuckled.

"I think taking care of a newborn baby is an emergency." I said, flipping more pancakes.

My dad got up and gave me a hug. "Thanks for breakfast, Bells. Have fun today, and if you need anything, you make sure to give me a call."

"Okay, thanks, dad." I said with a smile. He put on his gun belt, and headed out to work. I looked out the window and saw him talking to Edward out front. They were both laughing. My dad patted Edward's shoulder, before getting in the cruiser and heading off to work. Edward knocked on the door. I ran to let him in, before running back to the kitchen to take the last of the pancakes off the heat. "Hi, babe." I called.

Edward came in the kitchen after me, grabbing me around the waist, and putting his chin on my shoulder. He chuckled. "No good morning kiss?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"Sorry." I said, turning in his arms to kiss his lips. "I didn't want to burn your breakfast."

"Well, thanks, but it's your lips I really want." He said with a smirk playing on his lips. I started to giggle at him. He leaned forward again and kissed me deeply. "I love you, babe."

"I love you, too. Sit, and I'll feed you." I said. Edward laughed and sat down. I brought over a big stack of pancakes and two plates. I poured Edward a cup of coffee, and got myself some orange juice. I sat beside him. "I really am sorry about scaring you this morning." I said, laying my head on his shoulder.

"It's okay, honey. Stop worrying." He said. He held out a purple bachelor button, a pretty, lacy flower, that I recognised as one of the ones that grew wild out by the driveway. "Sorry. You called, and I ran." He said, looking sadly at the flower.

"Aw, Edward. I love it. Thank you." I said with a smile, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"I'm glad." He smiled. "So, we get to hang out with a baby today?"

I put some pancakes on my plate and poured some syrup on them. "Yeah. Emily is coming into town to get signed up for home schooling. It was a last minute thing, and they need someone to watch little Seth. I'm happy to help. I'm just nervous. He's only a little over a week old." I said, running my fingers along his arm.

"It'll be fine, honey." He smiled. "Just think of this as practice for our own babies."

I laughed. "My dad wanted you to come over to scare you away from that thought."

"Really?" He chuckled. "Nothing is going to change my mind about having a family with you one day." He kissed my lips.

I smiled at him. We finished our breakfast, and just as I finished cleaning up the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Edward went to let them in. I walked over to the door to see Emily and Sam standing at the door with so many baby supplies, it seemed like they were moving in. "Bella." Emily said, excitedly, walking over to me. She was holding the baby, all bundled up, in her arms.

"Hey, Emily. Why don't you come over to the couch?" I suggested. We sat down and she passed the baby to me. I held him close to my chest. He was fast asleep. "He's beautiful." I whispered.

"I know. I wasn't really ready for him, but I couldn't imagine my life without him now." She said softly, with a glowing smile on her face. "So, we're going to be at my appointment for a couple of hours. And, um, I need to run to the store for some things. Sam took all day off of work, and I don't really know how long we're going to be."

"Oh, Emily. You take your time. I have absolutely no plans all day." I told her honestly.

She leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, Bella."

I looked up and noticed that Edward and Sam had brought all of Seth's supplies into the living room. "Thanks, guys. We really appreciate this." Sam added. "Come on, Emi, we don't want to be late."

Tears sprang into her eyes. "Okay." She whispered. She leaned down to kiss Seth's head. "Mommy will be right back. I love you, Seth." She stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

Sam held out his hand to take hers, and then pressed a kiss on her forehead. "They'll take good care of him." He said, leading her to the door.

"Good luck, today." I said as they left. Edward walked them out. He came back in a couple of minutes. My own eyes were watery, just watching the connection between mother and son.

"Oh, Bella." Edward said, placing his palm on my cheek. "She'll be okay." He got up and went to sit on the floor. "Let's see what we've got here." He said, looking through all of the baby supplies. I was grateful that he was trying to distract me. "Okay, we've got a bag full of diapers, baby wipes, ointment and powder. Another one with blankets, a teddy bear and a couple of outfits. Oh, and here's some bottles and formula."

"Wow." I said. "That's a lot of stuff for something this small." I looked down at the baby and he squirmed a little, but kept sleeping.

Edward smiled at me. "Yeah." He came to sit beside me, again. "Sam gave me a schedule for feeding, and he said we could just set him in the car seat to sleep." Edward reached in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Okay, it says to feed him two ounces of formula every two hours." Edward looked at his watch. "They fed him at seven, so we'll need to feed him at nine."

"Wow." I said again. I was not going to deny it. Babies were overwhelming.


	97. Chapter 97

**A/N - Thanks again for all of the hits, alerts and reviews! It really does mean a lot to know you like this story and its characters. On to more adventures with the baby! Enjoy! **

Chapter 97 - Seth

Seth slept in my arms for an hour. Edward called his mom to let her know that everything was okay, considering how quickly he had left in the morning. She told us to call if we needed any help. I, however, wanted us to try and do this on our own.

Edward spent the rest of the time reading the backs of every package in the pile of baby supplies. In one hour, Edward was well versed in all things baby. He had brought down my laptop, and we watched little animations of how to change diapers on newborns, making sure to fold down the front to avoid the umbilical cord stump. Edward read about how to mix, bottle and heat the formula. I was glad he was the logical one here. He seemed totally in control and that made me feel secure.

I, however, was overcome with the baby, himself. He was a little life. He was depending on us to take care of him and make sure he was alright while his mom was gone for the day. My arms were getting sore, but I liked the feeling of his warm little body against mine.

At about eight-thirty, Seth opened his eyes and looked at me. "Edward, he's awake. What do I do?" I had no idea why I was feeling so panicked. Every other time, I had held a baby, it's mom wasn't too far away and I felt comfortable.

This was different. With Makenna, Angie's little sister, we would fuss over her and dress her up, but when you're only fourteen, the baby was almost a novelty. Now that I was an adult and had a serious boyfriend, the level of commitment tied to a bringing a life into the world felt so intense.

"You're alright, babe." Edward said, rubbing his hand on my knee. "You're doing really good."

Seth gurgled a little at me, and I smiled back at him. I lifted him up a little and rubbed his back. "It's too early to feed him." I said.

"I'll make his formula and heat it up in about fifteen minutes." Edward said.

"Okay." I said. I kept rubbing his back, and he seemed to fall asleep again. Edward read the back of the formula again. "Is it hard to do?" I asked him.

"No. It seems easy enough." Edward smiled. He leaned over to kiss me. "You're doing really good, Bella. I'm proud of you." He smiled. "It's not so bad, right?"

"I guess not. I just couldn't imagine doing this by myself. I would be terrified of doing something wrong." I explained.

"I'm sure everyone makes mistakes. But, babe, once you learned how to do it, it would seem natural. Plus, you wouldn't be alone." He smiled at me in reassurance.

Seth started fussing in my arms, and then began to cry. I rubbed his back and hushed him, but he just kept crying. "Edward." I didn't know what I wanted him to do, but I felt a little on edge.

"He's just hungry." Edward said, standing up. "Do you want me to take him for a minute?"

"Yeah." I said. Edward reached down and gently took the baby in his arms.

"Hey, little one." Edward cooed. "It's okay. We're going to feed you. Let's just give Bella a little break." Seth was watching Edward's face and seemed to really like his voice. It was a beautiful sight. Edward was an absolute natural.

"Um, I'm just going to run to the bathroom, quickly, okay?" I said.

"Yeah. Go ahead, babe. We're fine, aren't we, Seth?" Edward said. He looked at me and winked.

I quickly went upstairs to the bathroom. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was no way I could do this. I felt very overwhelmed. What if I was never ready for this step? Would Edward be upset with me? I sat on the side of the bathtub, wiping a couple of stray tears from my eyes. I used the bathroom and then went back downstairs.

Edward was sitting in a kitchen chair holding the baby close to his chest. He looked up at me when I walked in. "Are you okay?" He asked, and I nodded. "He's alright, Bella. Babies cry."

"I know. I'm just a little overwhelmed with the whole thing." I said, sitting beside him.

"It's a lot to deal with, and a big commitment." Edward said, standing up and passing Seth to me. I looked down at him and he was watching me, too, making me smile. Edward started mixing the formula powder with water.

"What if I'm never ready for it?" I stated my fear out loud. "I know that's what you want. You said so in Jacksonville, and again this morning."

"Then, we don't have a baby." Edward said, looking up at me with a reassuring smile. "I love you, Bella. Nothing is going to change that. You are what I want. If we have a baby someday, then I'll be happy, but if we don't, then I'll be happy, too. It's not kids in general that I would want, it's our kids." He said, heating up the bottle under the hot tap water. "But, babe, don't get so ahead of yourself. We've got years before we're even close to thinking about this for us. Let's just focus on living together and finishing college first, okay?" He chuckled a little, relaxing me a lot.

I smiled back up at him. "You're right." I shook my head. "I'm sorry for overreacting to this whole thing."

"It's okay, honey. I understand." Edward said, walking over to me. "Do you want to feed him?"

"Um, okay." I said, getting up and walking back to the couch. I sat down and Edward put a pillow on my lap so I could prop Seth up. Edward sat beside me and passed me the bottle. Apparently, Seth was one hungry baby and finished his bottle in no time. Edward threw a small blanket from the bag over his shoulder and took Seth from me to burp him. Edward's hand was so large on Seth's little back, yet Edward was so gentle.

Seth started to cry again, even after he was burped, so Edward suggested that he probably needed to be changed. I laid a blanket down on the floor and Edward gently set the baby on the blanket. We unwrapped him from his blanket, and then unbuttoned his little outfit. We took off his diaper and both instantly turned our heads away to breathe. Edward started laughing at our reaction.

I coughed and went over to the diaper bag to get the baby wipes and a new diaper. I passed them to Edward and sort of stood back. He smiled at me, letting me know that he didn't mind changing the baby, and went to work. I went in the kitchen and got a garbage bag and opened the window. Edward walked into the kitchen with the dirty diaper and I held open the bag for him, then took it outside on the back deck for now. I came back in the kitchen and Edward was washing his hands. "Where's the baby?" I asked.

Edward dried his hands and turned around. "He's sleeping in his car seat. I though we could use a little break." He said, walking over to me and pulling me to his chest in a tight hug. "I love you, Bella." He leaned down to kiss my head. Edward could always tell when I needed him.

"Thank you." I answered softly. We walked back into the living room and snuggled together on the couch to watch the baby sleep.

They rest of the day continued on in the same manner. Feeding, burping, changing and holding Seth. I gradually got more and more comfortable being around him and even tried my hand at changing him once. Edward was being very supportive and understanding of me. The whole baby thing panicked me today. It was definitely an unexpected reaction, but it happened and I loved that Edward stepped up and took control.

At two o'clock, Emily and Sam came to pick up Seth. She looked so happy to have Seth back in her arms. They both thanked us for helping them out. Sam tried to slip Edward some money, but Edward wouldn't take it. They were young parents, and could use some help from time to time. Apparently, Emily got all set up to start her junior year courses at home. I was so excited for her, and let her know that she could phone me if she need help with her courses. She gave me a hug and they were on there way.

Edward and I watched them drive off, from the front step. I sat down and Edward sat beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and kissing my temple. I started to laugh. Edward looked at me, smiling. "What?" He asked.

"Oh, I just think it's funny that my dad thought babysitting would scare you. You were a pro, Edward. It was really incredible to watch, actually." I said, kissing his lips.

"Well, I am the oldest of four, so babies are pretty commonplace to me. Plus, babe, I have a pretty big extended family as well. You'll probably meet a lot of the Cullens and Masons throughout the summer. There were lots of kids around when I grew up." He leaned in for another kiss. "You're an only child, so it's a little different for you, but that's okay. You did great today. Seth looked so content when you held him."

"Really?" I asked, hoping that I even though I was a nervous wreck all day, that I may have done something right.

"Really." He said, leaning in for a kiss. "I love you, so much, Bella Swan."

I smiled at him, loving how every time he told me that, I cold see in his eyes how much he really meant it. "I love you, too, Edward Cullen."


	98. Chapter 98

**A/N - Summer Vacation has passed over 1000 reviews! I'm so excited! Thank you to everyone who has submitted a review! It's so nice to hear how I'm doing! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 98 - Walking and Talking

"Do you want to go for a walk, honey?" Edward asked me. Both of us were still sitting on the front step, fifteen minutes after Emily and Sam left with Seth.

"Yeah. That sounds fun." I answered. I was totally up for something relaxing, after six and half hours of babysitting. Seth was a good baby, but it was an overwhelming experience to say the least.

I loved Edward even more, if that was possible, after seeing him take control when I needed him. I was nervous, and I was very comforted by the fact that Edward was so supportive. I knew it would not only be in this instance. I knew, no matter what the circumstance, he would be there for me. That thought confirmed to me, that I had made the right choice in agreeing to move in with him.

I went in the house and shut the kitchen window, grabbed my keys off the table and went back outside to meet the love of my life. He smiled at me and reached out his hand for me to take. I smiled back, taking his hand. "Where do you want to walk?" I asked him.

"I thought we could just wander. You know, just to get out of the house." Edward said, squeezing my hand.

"Sounds good." I said. We walked down the street and around the streets in my neighbourhood, just enjoying each others' company and the warm, early summer day. "So. You have a large extended family?" I asked, referring to what Edward told me on the front step. Edward smiled and nodded, obviously remembering some great moments he shared with them. "Like how big?" I laughed.

"Big." Edward laughed with me, leaning down to kiss my head. "Um, let's see. My mom has an older sister, Renata, and three brothers, two older, Henry and Collin, and one younger, Liam. They are all married, except my Uncle Liam."

"Wow. I can see why your mom wanted to have a large family of her own." I said. "So, do you get to see them often?" We were still walking, but had ended up closer to downtown.

"Not as much as I'd like. Maybe once or twice a year. They call and keep in touch with letters and e-mails." He explained. "My Uncle Liam is amazing. He's a really fun guy. He lives in New York, but he's a travel journalist, so he's usually out of the country." Edward said. "My Uncles Henry and Collin both stayed in Chicago, where they all grew up. Uncle Henry is a mortgage broker, and he has two sons, both in college. Uncle Collin teaches auto mechanics at a high school and has a son in college and three daughters in high school. Aunt Renata married a rancher and lives in Wyoming with their two, five year old, twin daughters."

"That is amazing." I mused. "And that's just your mom's side."

"Yeah." Edward said, chuckling. "We all get along pretty well, too. But that's probably because we're apart so much."

"That must be a full house at Christmas." I laughed. "I would love to meet them all some day."

"Yeah, I think my mom was thinking of having a reunion of sorts this summer. With just her family and my dad's." Edward told me, as we walked passed the grocery store. "You have to be there so I can show you off." He said, leaning down to kiss me.

"Sure." I said, both excited and nervous to meet that many people who all knew and loved Edward. "Oh, um, not to change the subject, but do you want make lasagna when we get back? Do you think your family would like to come over to my house for dinner tonight? I'm not sure where we'll fit them all, but I feel bad eating at your house all the time, and not having them over to mine."

"Baby." Edward said, turning me to face him in front of the window display of Campbell's soup. "Firstly, yes. I'll try to help you make lasagna. Secondly, I'm sure they would love to come. But most importantly, Bella, we all love having you and your dad over. I love you, and my family does, too. It feels like you belong with us. So, never feel bad about that." He leaned down to kiss me again.

"Okay. I'm sorry. I know you're right, but sometimes I just want to so something in return, you know?" I said, with a smile.

"Yeah." He said, taking my hand as we walked into the grocery store. Edward picked up a hand basket and we walked around, grabbing the veggies, chicken, noodles, sauce and cheese. As we were walking to the cash register, I decided that I wanted to make garlic bread, too. Edward just laughed and kissed my forehead, before taking my hand as we walked back through the store to get a couple of loaves of French bread and some garlic butter.

After we paid for the groceries, we walked home, splitting the bags, even though Edward took all the heavy ones. Edward set everything on the kitchen table, and then sat down to call his mom and invite them over. I put the chicken in a pan and started chopping all of the vegetables.

"Hey, mom. Yeah, it went well. Bella is cooking tonight and she wants everyone to come over here for dinner. Yeah. Okay, that sounds good. Thanks, mom. Love you, too. Um, just a minute." Edward covered the mouth piece of his phone. "What time do you want everyone over, babe?"

It was four o'clock, now, so I figured two hours would give us enough time to prepare and cook everything. "Is six okay?" I asked, tossing my celery, carrots and mushrooms in the pan to saute.

"Perfect." He said with a wink, making me blush a little. I still wasn't immune to his charms. He brought the phone back up to his lips. "Okay, mom. Is six good? Yeah. Okay, great. See you all then. Bye." He hung up and walked up behind me, pressing his chest to my back and wrapping me in his strong arms. He leaned his head down to kiss my neck. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are when you cook?" He whispered in my ear.

I blushed. He was so smooth. "I think you might have." I said back a little shakily. He chuckled, before turning me to face him. He leaned in for kiss.

"Babe, you are a magnet for me." He laughed. "I can't stay away from you." He said, before leaning in for another kiss.

"Well, as much as I enjoy that, I must not be keeping you busy enough." I giggled, when he tickled my sides. I playfully slapped his hands away from me. "Okay, Edward. You get to grate the cheese." I said, handing him the grater.

"Oh, I get the fun job." He said, looking smug.

"Um, maybe." I giggled, setting a large bowl on the counter in front of him and a huge brick of cheese. "I need all of that."

"Whoa." He said, before leaning over for another kiss. "Sorry. Just needed a little motivation." He said, laughing.

"Really. I don't mind. You can kiss me as much as you want." He leaned in again, but I put my palm on his chest and pushed him back gently. "As soon as you grate the cheese."

His face looked shocked, and then he started to laugh. "Bella, Bella. You're a slave driver, aren't you." He teased, grating.

"You know it." I laughed. I turned the chicken and then got out a bowl, to put the cottage cheese and water chestnuts in. I reached into Edward's bowl and grabbed two big handfuls of cheese for the filling.

"Bella." He laughed. "Now it looks like haven't done anything."

I leaned over and kissed his bicep. "But, I know you have. Keep at it, babe," I giggled. I went over to the stove and cubed the chicken and added it to the bowl, as well as the sauted mixture. I brought out two lasagna pans and started layering the noodles, sauce and filling.

I looked over at Edward. "So, you never told me about your extended family on your dad's side." I said as I worked.

Edward told me that his dad had three younger sisters; Sasha, Irina and Katrina. He explained that they were all in their thirties and each had young children, all under the age of twelve. And, Katrina just had a new baby last fall. So, this was where Edward got all of his experience with babies. Sasha and Katrina lived in Spokane, Washington, and Irina lived in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. They were only about four hours away from Seattle, so apparently, the Cullen kids got to see this side of the family more often.

"Okay, Edward. It's your time to shine." I said, gesturing to the two lasagnas.

He laughed and brought the cheese over, then sprinkled the tops of both. I added a dash of basil to the tops, and then covered them with foil. Edward set them in the oven for me and I set the timer for an hour. It was exactly five o'clock, so we should be perfect for time. We cleaned up the kitchen quickly, and washed and dried the pans. Edward got a sexy smirk on his face and leaned down to scoop me up. I laughed as he carried me in to the living room and sat us on the couch. He crawled over top of me and started kissing me. I was giggling as he placed kisses all over my face.

"I'm collecting on your promise." He laughed. "I grated the cheese, now I want my kisses."

"I suppose it's only fair." I laughed, running my hands from his shoulders, down his arms, and back up again.

We both heard someone clear their throat. Edward stopped kissing me all of a sudden and sat up off of me. I looked over at the doorway and saw my dad standing there.


	99. Chapter 99

**A/N - Thanks again for all your support! Enjoy!**

Chapter 99 - Cozy Comfort

My face felt like it was on fire. I looked over at Edward and his cheeks were a little pink, too. "So, the babysitting didn't make an impression." My dad laughed, having caught Edward and I kissing on the couch.

"Actually, it scared me to death, dad." I said, able to laugh about it now. I reached over and took Edward\s hand in mine. "But, Edward was amazing. You should have seen him."

"Well, I'm glad you two handled it alright." My dad smiled at us. "What smells so good in here?" I was glad he changed the subject.

"Oh, Edward and I made lasagna." I said proudly. "The Cullens are coming over to eat with us. Is that okay?"

"Of course. But where are we going to fit everyone." My dad asked, sitting in his recliner.

"Emmett is bringing over a folding table and a few extra chairs. We thought if we put that table beside yours, we could seat two people on each side." Edward explained. "It will pretty much fill the kitchen, but it should work."

"Good thinking, son." My dad said. I smiled, happy that Edward and his family did so much to make me happy.

"I'm just going to go upstairs and change. Be right back." I said. I ran up to my room and slipped off my shirt. I felt a little rumpled from babysitting, and this was the first time we were having the Cullens over for dinner, so I wanted to look a little more presentable. I heard the doorbell ring, so I slipped on a black, embellished tank and ran down the stairs.

"Hi, Bella." Jasper was standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Jasper. You're early." I teased, giving him a quick hug.

"Yeah. Mom sent Em and I over with the table." He explained. I looked out the door and Edward and Emmett were carrying in the table from the back of Emmett's truck. We stepped out of the way as they came into the house.

"Bella. Hey." Emmett said, as he walked backwards passed me, holding one end of the table, and into the kitchen, with Edward carrying the other end.

Jasper and I laughed at them. "Hi, Emmett." I said. "I'd better go finish dinner." I said to Jasper, walking in to the kitchen. I walked over to the counter, so I wouldn't be in the way. As I was slicing the bread, spreading them with garlic butter and sprinkling the tops with a little parmesan, the Cullen boys were setting up the table and bringing in folding chairs. Edward started setting the table for me, and his brothers disappeared into the living room with my dad. "Baby?" I said, turning around. "Can you take the lasagnas out of the oven for me?"

"Of course, babe." He said, putting on the oven mitts and taking them out, setting them on my rooster potholders from Arizona, on the table. I slid the garlic bread into the oven to warm, then went over to Edward, wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my cheek on his chest. He ran his hands down my back, and rested them low on my hips. "Tired?" He asked.

"Yeah." I sighed. "Do you know how badly I want to crawl into bed with you and fall asleep in your strong, warm arms?" Immediately after I said it, I blushed and tried to bury my face in his chest, because although I thought like that all the time, I rarely said things like that out loud.

Edward chuckled and looked down at me, smiling warmly at me, when he saw my red face. "That sounds darn good to me, beautiful." He said before leaning down to kiss me. "I think I like that plan. We might have to sneak away next week, so we can make it happen."

"Um, okay." I said softly, looking up into Edward's eyes. You could almost see his mind trying to work out some sort of plan. It was cute, but the look on his face was determined and sexy at the same time.

He smirked, so I assumed he had an idea. He leaned forward to kiss my still warm cheek, but before he could tell me his plan, the doorbell rang. "Later." He whispered, before winking at me and turning to let his parents and Alice in.

I smiled and blushed at his retreating form. "Bella." I heard Alice's cheerful voice as she ran into the kitchen for a hug, effectively snapping me out of my Edward induced trance.

"Hi, Alice. Did you have a good day?" I asked her, bending down to hug her.

"Yep." She said, with a smile. "What did you make for dinner? It smells good."

"Well, we made lasagna and garlic bread." I told her, sliding the bread out of the oven, and setting it on a large plate. I wishd I had a bread basket, or something more fancy, but this would have to do.

"Yum." She said, licking her lips. I laughed at her cute face.

"Will you go get everybody for me? It's time to eat." I told her, patting her shoulder. She skipped out of the room. I got a large knife, and started cutting the lasagnas. I set out a bottle of coke, and one of root beer, as well as a pot of coffee.

I relished in the noise of seven other people, besides myself, all swarming into the kitchen. It was nice. There were a chorus of compliments, as they looked at the meal I had set out. "Thank you." I blushed, at all of the compliments.

Esme set a plate of cherry tarts on the counter. "I wanted to bring something. I hope that's alright, Bella."

"Oh, thank you so much. We didn't have time to make dessert." I told her.

"You are very welcome, sweetheart." Esme said, as they all took their seats. I sat beside Edward. Emmett sat by my dad, to my left, Jasper and Alice sat across from us, and Carlisle and Esme sat to our right.

"So, bro, what did you make?" Emmett laughed as he helped himself to large slice of lasagna.

"Emmett." Esme scolded, but smiled.

"I'll have you know, I'm a very good cheese grater." Edward laughed and I smiled, thinking of his incentive to finish grating the cheese. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. "My girl did the rest." He said proudly. Carlisle and Esme smiled at us.

"So, how did the babysitting go, today?" Carlisle asked.

"Well, thank god Edward was here." I laughed. "If I was left alone with the baby, I'm sure Seth and I would have sat crying together on the couch."

"Oh, Bella, you did great." Edward said, taking my hand in his and squeezing it. "She fed him, and even changed him once." He laughed. "And he loved sleeping in Bella's arms."

I laughed. "Edward's exaggerating. He did everything. The boy is a natural."

"Well, sweetheart. Edward's has had a lot of experience around babies. This is new to you, so I wouldn't worry too much." Esme said, trying to reassure me.

"Yeah, that's what Edward said." I said in a self-depreciating tone. I shook my head. "It was an experience alright." I said, reflectively.

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed my temple. "You were great today. I love you." He whispered in my ear, so quietly, that I know that no one else heard him. I really appreciated the gesture. But, I was surprised, as Edward usually wasn't that affectionate with me in front of my dad.

We finished dinner and Esme's dessert and, although it was a little squishy in the kitchen with the extra table, I enjoyed the coziness of having everyone here. We all laughed and shared stories of our day. This was what I've wanted. I room full of happy people that I could call my family. I hoped I had this forever.

The guys all went in the living room to watch the game, and Esme offered to help me with the dishes. I knew that some people may think this was old fashioned, but I loved taking care of my guys. Esme washed the dishes, and I dried and put them away. "Thank you, Bella. Dinner was amazing." She smiled at me. "I'm glad you thought of this."

I smiled back. "Me, too. You know, I felt so out of my element today, that I just wanted to do something that I felt in control of, cooking."

"Oh, sweetie. I've had four of those newborns, and a husband that was on call at the hospital at the time. It was hard, but the love you have for your own baby, keeps you going." She smiled at me. "Watching a baby is amazing, but your own feels magical."

I laughed. "When I imagine children in my future, they are always toddlers or school aged. It's never been babies." I sat down at the table, twisting the dish towel in my hands. "It's so weird to be thinking about this now, when we're so young, but I know how much family means to Edward."

"Bella, honey, you'll figure it out when the time is right. I know I gush about babies, but I'm a mom." She sat beside me and took my hand in hers. "But, you just enjoy each other right now. You're young and in love. Don't make thing more complicated than they have to be."

I leaned over and gave her a hug. She was right. I was only eighteen years old, and enjoying the early stages of love, with the most wonderful man on the planet. I was going to take her advice and enjoy it.


	100. Chapter 100

**A/N - We did it! We made it to 100! I say we, because without you, I would not be writing this. When I started this fic, I had no idea it would be still be going this long. I know I talk a lot, but I didn't realize that I could write this much. I, also, had no idea that anyone would read it. Thanks again! Enjoy our milestone!**

Chapter 100 - Sleepover

The Cullens all left at eight o'clock. The boys had some homework and Alice had to get to bed. Edward and I kissed at the door for a minute or two, before he left. "Keep your phone on." He whispered to me before he left. Well, that was cryptic.

I went back in the house and my dad and I sat together on the couch. "Um, dad. I just wanted to say that I was sorry about before, when you came home from work." I blushed, thinking about how my dad caught Edward on top of me on the couch when he got home.

My dad chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Bells. Even though you're an adult, you're still a teenager." I laughed, relieved that he wasn't going to make a big deal out of it.

My dad found one of John Wayne's old cowboy movies on TV and we watched it together until around ten o'clock. I went upstairs, washed my face and slipped on my Texas t-shirt over my underwear.

I grabbed my phone and crawled into bed. I sent Edward a text. 'Do I need to keep my phone on, still? I'm in bed.' I wondered why he wanted me to keep my phone on. He hadn't tried to reach me since he left. My phone vibrated and I open the text. 'Just where I wanted you.' What? I loved him, but this boy was crazy. I started to type as much in my reply, when I heard a light tapping at my window. Edward was looking in at me, with a self-satisfied smile on his face.

I smiled and went over to let him in. Edward was sitting in the tree. "Babe. You are crazy." I exclaimed, even though my heart was pounding in excitement.

"I know." He laughed, climbing into my room. "But, angel, I haven't been able to stop thinking about what you said to me before dinner. About sleeping in my arms." He leaned down and kissed me. "You're just irresistible. I know I said we'd do something next week, but I couldn't wait and I had to come now."

I giggled. Edward took my hand and led me to my bed. I crawled in and watched him as he took of his shoes, slipped off his jeans and pulled his shirt over his head. "Make yourself comfortable." I teased, but only because I couldn't believe my boyfriend was in my bedroom, in just a pair of black boxers.

He laughed, flicked out my lamp and slid into my bed beside me, wrapping me in his warm embrace, that I longed for earlier. I buried my head into the crook of his neck and wrapped my arms around his trim waist. I took a deep breath, relaxed by his spicy scent. "Now I'm comfortable." He chuckled. "Are you?"

"Mmmhmm." I moaned into his neck, before kissing him there. I pulled back and looked at his face. "I can't believe you did this for me." I leaned in and kissed his lips.

"Well, I love you, and let me be honest here. You're not the only one happy with this arrangement." He chuckled quietly.

"I'm tired, but how am I supposed to get any sleep when my hot boyfriend is in bed with me?" I teased, kissing across his chest, and slowly running my hands down his arms. When my hands reached his, he took mine in his hands, brought my arms above my head, and rolled me onto my back. He leaned down to kiss my lips, and then down my neck. He let go of my hands, and traced his fingertips delicately down the underside of my arms, then down my sides. I turned back on my side to face him, as I felt a little vulnerable on my back.

"You okay?" Edward asked, looking into my eyes. It was dark in my room, but the moonlight created a slight glow in the room and my eyes had adjusted to the dark.

"Uh, yeah. I think so." I answered.

Edward leaned back towards me and started kissing me again. This time, he ran his hands lightly down my back, over my bum, before stopping at my bare legs. He lifted my right leg onto his hip, and continued his fingers' trail from my hip to my ankle and back up again. I had goose bumps all over my body from his delicate touch.

"Still okay?" He asked, pulling back to look at me again. I loved that he showed so much concern for me and my feelings.

"Yes." I breathed, leaning back in to initiate another kiss. I started tracing my fingers over his body, now, starting from his waist, to his back and up to his shoulders. He leaned in to kiss my throat. His hand continued its path up the back of my leg and over my bum again, before dipping under my t-shirt, and over the bare skin of my back. He traced his fingers around my back, mindlessly drawing patterns. The skin on skin contact was amazing. His hand moved from my back, around my waist and onto my stomach. I panicked a bit, bringing my hands up to cover his, stopping them from moving. "I'm not okay." I whispered, almost breathless.

"Okay." He took his hand off of my stomach, and lifted it up to stroke my hair. "Thank you for being honest." He told me. "Are you okay, now?"

"Yeah." I said. And I was. It was just more than we had done in the past, and I was a little overwhelmed. I slid my leg from off of his hip and slipped it between his. I giggled, as the hair on his legs tickled my leg.

He smiled at me. "I love you." He said, before wrapping me in his arms again, pulling me to his chest.

"I love you, too, Edward." I said before drifting off to sleep, feeling safe and loved in his arms.

I woke up when I felt Edward getting out of my bed. "Babe?" I asked groggily. "Where are you going?" I watched Edward slip his jeans back on.

"I have to go home, honey. It's four-thirty in the morning." He chuckled, then pulled his t-shirt back over his head, unfortunately covering up his gorgeous chest. "Unless you want us to explain to your dad why I'm here."

I giggled. "Um, no."

He leaned over me and kissed my forehead. "I love you and I'll see you in a couple hours." He winked before climbing back out my window and into the tree. I got up, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders and looked out the window. I watched as Edward quickly made his way down the tree, and hopped down safely. He looked up at me and waved, before running out to the street to his car.

I crawled back in my bed, which felt so empty without him here. I slept until six. I slipped on a pair of yoga pants and went downstairs to make my dad scrambled eggs and toast. I gave my dad a hug, and he headed for work. As I was washing the dishes, the doorbell rang. I ran over and peaked out the window. I was, after all, still in my pyjamas. I smiled when I saw Edward. I opened the door, and threw my arms around his waist, making him laugh. "I missed you." I giggled, stepping back so he could come in.

"I missed you, too, angel." He said. He passed me a tiger lily.

"Edward, thank you so much." I smiled at him. "I love that you do this for me." I leaned up and kissed his chin.

"I just love to see you smile, babe." He said, lifting me up by the waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and my legs around his waist. "Shall we go back to bed?"

"Um, okay." I answered, smiling at him. Edward carried me back up the stairs to my room and set me down on the bed, before kicking off his shoes, and crawling in beside me.

"I really didn't want to leave this morning." He said, kissing my throat. I ran my fingers through his hair.

"I didn't want you to leave, either." I whispered.

"I was wondering if you wanted to pick up where we left off?" He asked, winking at me.

"Like, were we left off last night, or where we left off this morning?" I ask nervously, referring to us moving forward physically, or just sleeping in each others' arms.

Edward's eyes darted up to mine, his brow furrowed. "Bella, I just thought you might want to sleep some more, considering I had to leave so early. I didn't mean to imply, you know, anything else." He sat up with his back against the headboard, and started lightly rubbing his thighs. He only did this when he was nervous or stressed.

I sat up slowly, sitting beside him with my legs crossed. I reached out and covered one of his hands with mine. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, looking at me. "Edward, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset." I told him honestly.

"You didn't, honey. It's me. We should have talked about last night. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me." He explained.

"I'm not, Edward, really." I blushed and looked down. "I enjoyed what we did last night." I said, smiling to myself. Edward smirked and held out his arms to me. I crawled over to him and sat in his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck, and leaning in to kiss him.

He kissed me back, quite enthusiastically. "Yeah?" He asked, smiling.

"Yeah." I giggled. "But, I am tired." I said, sliding off of him and laying down with my back to him. I looked over my shoulder at him and smiled. "Want to snuggle?"

"Do I want to snuggle?" He asked incredulously. "Baby, I was born to snuggle." I giggled, as he laid down behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist, resting his hand on my stomach. I set my hand on top of his. "I love you, Bella." He whispered in my ear, before kissing my cheek.

I fell asleep in his arms, feeling happy and content.


	101. Chapter 101

**A/N - Well, we're on our way to the next 100! Thanks again for all of the support! Just a reminder that this story is about sweet, young love and family. That was the goal when I set out to write this, and I'm going to try to stick to it. As well, I'm working hard to stay angst free. There is drama, but nothing too serious. There are plenty of those fics on this sites (which I do enjoy reading, myself) but this is not one of them. Oh, and if anyone is keeping track of the dates for this fic, this chapter is set on Thursday, May 27th. Thanks again for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 101 - Lunch and Laptops

I woke up and relished in the feeling of Edwards arms around me. He was holding me quiet tightly, his arms across my bare stomach. Apparently my t-shirt had slid up as I slept. I was totally okay with it now. The feeling on his skin on mine was incredible. I smiled to myself, thinking how far we'd come in the month since we'd been home.

I looked over at the clock and noticed it was ten-thirty. We'd slept for over three hours. I looked over at Edward and he was still sleeping. I smiled at him, and turned in his arms, wrapping my arms around his waist. He was still in his jeans and a soft, white t-shirt. I found myself wishing I wasn't the only one half-clothed.

I leaned forward and started placing light kisses all over his chest, before moving up to his neck, and then his face. When I placed a light kiss on his lips, his eyes opened up, and we looked into each others' eyes.

"Good morning, gorgeous." He whispered.

I smiled. "Why are you dressed?" I blurted out, before giggling.

Edward chuckled. "Um, I don't really know." He said, smiling. "But, my darling Bella, do you want me to tell you what I do know?" He lightly ran his fingertips over my bare side, down my hip and to my leg.

I blushed and nodded my head, unable to get out any words. He chuckled. "First, I know that you look beautiful in that t-shirt." He said, rolling over on top of me, and leaning down to place a kiss over my heart. "And second, I love that you're getting bolder with what you say to me. I think it's sexy." He winked, making me blush. "Do you want to stay here all day?" He asked, with a huge smile on his face, as he reached up to stroke my hair.

"Um, well, you're a little heavy." I teased, giggling.

He started laughing, before rolling off of me. "Better? You want me to stay on this side of the bed?" He pouted out his bottom lip.

I burst out laughing at him. He looked so cute. I leaned over and kissed his lips. "I love you so much. You are adorable." I said. "And, as much I would love to stay in my bed with you all day, it's almost eleven and I haven't even had a shower yet." I reached up and touched my hair. "Look at my hair. It's a mess."

Edward reached his arms out and pulled me back towards his chest. "You're stunning, babe." He said, looking like he really believed what he was saying.

"Thank you, but I'm still having a shower." I said, kissing his forehead. "I'll be right back." I said, getting out of bed. I went to my closet and pulled out a yellow tunic-style top, and some jean Capri pants. I went over to my drawer and pulled out a white lace bra and some matching underwear. I looked over at Edward and he was watching me closely. I smiled at him and went to have a shower.

I loved that we were getting more and more comfortable with each other everyday. I washed my hair and body, and then shaved my legs. I got dressed, dried my hair and put on a little bit of light make up. I felt like looking extra pretty for my guy today.

I walked back in my room and Edward was sitting at my desk, fiddling with my laptop. "Hello, gorgeous." He said, holding out his hands for me. I walked over to him and sat on his lap. He leaned his face into my neck. "You smell amazing, baby." He said, wrapping his arms around me.

"Thanks." I said, blushing lightly. "What are you doing?" I asked, looking at my laptop.

"Oh, did you know that you have a webcam built into your laptop?" He asked, pointing to the little circle at the top of the screen.

"Um, no. Really?" I said, surprised. "I just use it for the basics, you know, typing and e-mail."

"Yeah. I'll show you how to use it after lunch." He said, standing us up.

"Okay, cool. What do you want me to make for lunch?" I asked, taking his hand as we walked downstairs.

"Nothing. I'm taking my girlfriend out for lunch, today." He said proudly, but then chuckled. "But, it is Forks, so I was thinking the diner. Is that okay?"

"Of course. Thanks, babe. This is exciting. We haven't been out to eat, just us, since our trip." I said as we walked to the car. He opened my door and, after I got in, and he gave me a kiss on the forehead, he went around to his side. We drove to the diner, holding hands.

When we got there, we went in and sat in a booth close to the back. We sat across from each other and held hands on the table. "What do you want to eat, sugar?" Edward asked. I looked at the menu and decided on chicken strips, fries and a strawberry milkshake. "Sounds good." He smiled.

The waitress came and Edward ordered my meal for me and then he ordered a hamburger, fries with gravy and a chocolate milkshake for himself. "What a gentleman." I said smiling. "Thank you for taking me out, Edward."

"You're so welcome, angel. I just wanted you to have a break from cooking. You always work so hard." He smiled.

"Well, I really don't mind." I said, squeezing his hands. "Like I said, it's nice to finally have people to cook for. I'm really loving it."

"I'm glad." he said.

We ate our lunch and smiled at each other across the table. I really felt like the teenager in love that I was. It was amazing. I enjoyed the little things with Edward so much. His love always shone through everything he did.

As we drank our milkshakes, Edward came over to my side of the booth, and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Baby, this morning, when I noticed that you had a webcam, I sent a text to Ben and he said that he and Angela had the afternoon off work. I asked if he had a webcam, and he said he would bring his to Angela's house this afternoon. Do you want to have a live chat with them when we get home?" Edward asked.

I had a huge smile on my face. "Oh, Edward. You are perfect." I said, throwing my arms around his neck. "That is so cool. Do you know how to set up a chat? I have no idea." I giggled. I was so excited that Edward and Ben arranged this for us.

"Yeah. I've used it with Em and Jazz before. Yours is a little different than mine, but hey, Ben's a computer guy, so if we have any trouble, he's just a call away, right?" Edward chuckled and I laughed with him.

"I'm full." I said, looking at my milkshake like it was the enemy. "Do you want the rest of this?" I asked Edward.

He laughed at me. "You are so cute." He said, leaning forward to kiss the end of my nose. He picked up the shake and sucked it back.

I laughed. "You are such a guy."

Edward just winked at me, and stood up, reaching his hand out to me, to help me out of the booth. He threw a twenty on the table and we walked back through the diner. "See ya, Billy." Edward called out to his former boss who was at the front counter.

"See ya, kid." Billy said, smiling at us as we left.

We drove back home and ran straight upstairs to set up the web chat. Edward called Ben to ask if they were ready to chat. "See you in a few, man." Edward laughed, before hanging up.

I sat on my bed and brushed my hair, and straightened out my shirt, while Edward set up the link. "Do I look okay, Edward?" I asked.

"You look beautiful, as always, angel." Edward said. "Do you want to sit on the bed to do this, or do you want me to get another chair from downstairs?"

"Um, bed." I answered, scooting over so Edward could sit beside me. Edward brought the laptop over and sat beside me. We had our backs against the headboard, and Edward set the laptop on our bent legs.

"Is this good?" He asked.

"It's perfect, babe. Thank you for doing this. I love you so much." I said, leaning over to kiss him.

He smiled at me. "I love you, too." He gave me one more quick kiss, before opening up the chat with Ben and Angela.

Angela and Ben looked like they were both laying on her bed on their stomachs, propping themselves up on their arms. They were smiling and they looked so great together. Ben was wearing a bright orange t-shirt and Ang was wearing a black tank. As soon as I saw her, my eyes teared up.

I was so grateful to Edward and Ben for setting this up, so I could actually see and talk to my best friend. It had been just over two weeks since we left Arizona, but I already missed her so much.


	102. Chapter 102

**A/N - Thanks again guys! You blow me away! Summer Vacation has been favorited by over 250 readers! Thank you for that! I love your reviews! They are such a great motivator! Enjoy the next chapter! **

Chapter 102 - Chatting

I looked at Angie and Ben on the computer screen, and they were smiling at us.

"Hey, Angie." I said, wiping the tears of happiness off of my face.

Edward wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. "Hi, guys." Edward added. "You okay, baby?" He whispered in my ear. I nodded.

"Bella, don't you dare cry." Angie laughed, wiping under her own eyes. "How's it going guys?"

"We're doing really good. We got an apartment." Edward told them. I had told Ang in a text, but it was so much nicer to be able to talk about it face to face.

"Congrats, guys. In Seattle?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, we get it in August so we can start getting moved in for school in September." Edward said. "It's a nice two bedroom."

"I'm so excited for you guys. I can't believe you're moving together." Angie squealed.

"I know." I laughed. "But, we would have been together all the time, anyway, so it makes sense. We'll be paying half of the rent of what we were, now that we're splitting it, so it's a win/win situation." I said enthusiastically. "And, we already started buying things for our place. Edward's mom got us bath towels, and I got a bunch of soap and candles."

Edward just smiled at me. He looked so happy that I was happy, the way I was going on and on about the place. I told them it had a balcony and a kitchen. Ang knew what that kitchen meant to me. She knew how much I loved cooking and how hard it was on me last year in the dorms without one. I'm sure I complained enough.

"What did your dad think?" Ang asked.

"He was totally fine with it. He just wants me to happy." I said, smiling. "He even paid our down payment."

Ben and Ang told us about how work at the coffee shop was going. "I notice you're holding hands." I said with a wink.

Angie blushed and turned to bury her face in Ben's shoulder. "Bella." She sighed. Edward and Ben were chuckling. Ben leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah. We're doing really good." Ben said with a smile. They looked really happy together. "So, thanks for the hook up, guys." Ben said, referring to the day we set up the double date.

"Oh, you would have gotten there." I laughed. "You were doing great on your own. We just sped things up a little."

"Yeah, and the twins love him. Everyone does. I'm so glad that my family and Ben get along." Angela said with a smile. "Oh, and you should see Ben's little niece. She is so sweet. She's only three months old, but she's such a good baby."

Edward chuckled. "Yeah, we had our own baby experience up here, too."

"What are you talking about? Who had a baby?" Angela asked, sounding a little panicked that she was left out of the loop.

"His name is Seth. He's the grandson of my dad's receptionist at work, Sue." I explained. "Sue's daughter, Emily is such a sweet girl. She's really young, but her and her boyfriend are trying so hard to make things work. I offered to baby sit for them yesterday."

We told them all about our experience and the way Edward told the story, he had us all laughing. This bond the four of us had was so amazing. I could see us being friends forever. I don't know why, but watching Edward looking so happy, and looking at Ben and Angela together, I had a vision of my wedding day, our wedding day, with Ang as my maid of honour. I must have been staring off in space, because, the next thing I know, Edward was squeezing my hand. "You okay, sugar?"

I just smiled, and said that I was thinking about our day with Seth. Edward looked at me like he knew there was something else, but I quickly shook my head. I would tell him, but I didn't want to say anything in front of Ang and Ben. Angela would squeal and get way too excited and I didn't want to put any pressure on Edward.

We talked for another twenty minutes or so, never running out of things to talk about. "We should do this all the time." Angela suggested. "Then it won't feel like we're so far apart."

"I would love to. That would be amazing." I agreed. "At least once a week." We all seemed really excited about that plan. I could tell how much Edward valued his friendship with Ben, as well.

We all said our goodbyes for this week, and Edward shut off the webcam. He got up and set my laptop back on my desk. He crawled back over to me and pulled me close to his chest. He leaned down to kiss my forehead. "That was fun." He said.

I looked up at him and smiled. "It was. Thank you so much for doing that for us." I told him, running my hand along his chest

"You're welcome. I didn't really plan it. I just noticed your webcam this morning and I was just thinking about who you could use it with." Edward explained.

"Well, I'm so happy that you did." I said. We rolled to face each other on the bed and shared a few kisses.

"Baby?" Edward asked, smoothing the hair from my forehead, then tracing his fingers on my cheek. "When we were talking about Seth, you looked deep in thought again. Are you still you worried about babies and stuff, cause, if you are, honey, you know you can talk to me, right?"

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. "No, Edward. I'm not worried about it." I said leaning forward to kiss his beautiful lips. I blushed a little.

"You're blushing." Edward said, kissing my warm cheek. "Do you want to tell me what you were thinking?" He smiled and started tracing his fingers up and down on my back.

I shivered a little at his touch. "Okay, I'll tell you, but I don't want you to make a big deal about it." I shook my head. "And I don't want you to think that I'm trying to rush this." I said, moving my hand back and forth between us.

"Bella. You're freaking me out a little." Edward said, chuckling.

"Okay. I was enjoying how close we were with Ben and Ang and how great our friendship is. I just had a passing thought that is would be great if they were in our wedding." I said, and then closed my eyes. I didn't want to be one of those girls that pressured their boyfriends to get married.

I felt Edward press gentle kisses to my closed eyes. "That would be great, babe." Edward said.

I opened my eyes and looked into his beautiful green ones. "Really?" I asked, surprised with how calm he sounded.

"Bella. I don't know why you worry so much about this kind of thing. I love you and I'll love you forever." He leaned forward for another kiss. "In my mind, when we talk about living together, weddings and kids, it's not a matter of if these things will happen, but when. You are my dream come true. I'm not letting you go, baby. I think we were meant to be." He laughed. "And I know I might sound like a girl, or whatever, and maybe I've read Alice too many princess stories and fairy tales, but you are my happily ever after."

I was literally beaming at his words. I kissed him hard, then burst out in happy tears. I laid my head on his chest, holding myself close to him, playing his words back over and over again in my mind. He was my dream come true. "I love you." I whispered into his shirt.

"I love you, too." Edward reached down and lifted my chin. "Don't cry, honey."

"I'm sorry. I just have trouble expressing how much I love you. My emotions always come out in tears." I explained, wiping my eyes.

He chuckled. "I know." He said. "But, instead of crying, you could kiss me." He teased, making me laugh.

"I think I could do that." I said, with a smile. "I love that we're so in tune with each other, you know. Like, we both want the same things in life." I really couldn't get over how fortunate I was to have found my soul mate so early in my life. Some people were never lucky enough to find the one they were meant to be with, and I only had to wait until I was eighteen.

Edward winked at me. "I know, baby." He said, leaning over me for a kiss. We laid in my bed together, kissing each other and whispering words of love and forever. What a beautiful day, I thought. Anytime I spent with Edward, I considered to be perfect.


	103. Chapter 103

**A/N - Thanks again! I absolutely love that this story is being read. It feels amazing! Summer Vacation had over 3000 hits yesterday! Wow! I'm stunned! Enjoy the next chapter! **

Chapter 103 - Scrapbooks and Separation

At about quarter to four, Edward and I finally crawled out of bed. It seemed liked we spent most of our time in bed today, but with Edward, who could complain?

We went downstairs, slipped on our shoes and drove over to Jasper's baseball practice. I loved how we had a routine. With it being summer, I'm sure I would lose track of the days if we didn't have Jasper's Tuesday and Thursday baseball practices.

It was nice, too, that we got to spend the hour with Emmett, Rose and Maria. They were loyal supporters of Jasper. I absolutely adored the Cullens and how much they supported one another. I was sure that Jasper would attend every single one of Emmett's football practices in the fall.

"Hey, bro. Bella." Emmett said to Edward and I, as we walked over and joined them on the bleachers. I sat in front of Edward, and beside Maria. Edward was sitting with his brother and Rose behind us. I wasn't so clingy, that I had to be beside him. Maria was without her Cullen, so I figured I would sit with her.

Maria gave me a hug, and started talking right away. I loved her. She was so sweet and bubbly. I could see how her enthusiasm drew Jasper in. She had her camera again, and explained that, this way, she had a better chance of taking an amazing shot. "I really don't want to miss anything. What if something really cool happens and I didn't bring my camera? I would feel horrible." She explained. I loved that she cared so much about Jasper. He was a very sensitive boy, so it was comforting to me that she valued his feelings as much as she did.

"You're right Maria. You wouldn't want to miss anything. I completely understand." I told her. "You know what might be fun? We should scrapbook. You could put all your game photos in an album and I could do the same with my vacation pictures. What do you think?"

Her face lit up. "I love crafting, Bella. Ask Rose." Maria said, turning to look at her sister.

"It's true." Rose said, laughing. I knew Rose was shy, but she was really coming out of shell around us. "Half of her bedroom closet is full of paper, glue, stamps and stickers."

"You're a real cutie, aren't you?" Emmett asked, patting her shoulder. He treated Maria like another little sister. It was sweet.

Maria just blushed and giggled. "Of course." She liked the attention of her 'adoptive' older brother. We laughed with her.

We turned and watched the guys. "It looks like they're running outfield drills today." Edward said. He was playing with the ends of my hair, as he was talking. I don't even know if he was conscious of it, but I loved it. He was explaining the tactical drills as the guys went through them. I still couldn't get over what a complicated sport baseball was. It didn't seem too hard when you watched it, but looking at it from behind the scenes, like we got to see during practice, I was gaining a new appreciation for the sport, and especially Jasper, who clearly excelled.

After the guys were done with practice, Jasper waved at us before running to change in the school. We all headed to the parking lot. "I'm going to drive Rose home." Emmett said, wrapping his arm around Rose's shoulder. "Do you want to come with us, or wait for Jazz?" He asked Maria.

Maria smiled. "I'll wait." She turned to Edward and I, looking a little worried. "That's okay, right? I mean, I can go with them if you don't want to make the extra stop."

I smiled at how cute she was. "Don't worry about us, sweetie. I'm not doing anything all summer, but spending time with my girl and my family." Edward explained to Maria, while taking my hand. "If you want to ride home with us and Jazz, I'll take you." Edward was so incredibly sweet. I squeezed his hand.

"Yeah, um, okay. I'll wait." She said, looking really excited.

Emmett looked pretty excited to be riding home alone with Rose, too. I smiled to myself. He seemed to be getting pretty serious about her. I wondered if he had figured out if he was in love with her. I remembered the day that Edward got sick with his cold and Emmett drove me home, he had asked me about love and if it was too soon to feel that way.

They said their goodbyes and Emmett and Rose headed out. I noticed that Rose sat right next to Emmett in the middle seat of the truck, instead of in the passenger seat. I thought it was adorable.

Edward and I were leaning against his car, waiting for Jasper, and Maria was bouncing a little. "So you like crafts?" Edward asked her, obviously trying to distract her until Jasper got out here.

"Yeah. I like to make handmade cards, and I have all the supplies to make a scrapbook, but I just haven't got around to making one, yet." She told us. "But, now me and Bella are going to make them together. I'm so excited. We should probably wait until school's out in two weeks, right?" One of my favourite qualities of Maria's, was how talkative she was. It showed her confidence.

"Okay. Whenever you're ready, we'll make a scrapbook date." I told her. She looked really excited about it.

"Hey, guys." Jasper said, walking up to us. Maria had a blinding smile on her face. "Thanks for coming today."

"Of course. I love watching you. And, um, the team." Maria said, wrapping her arms around Jasper's waist.

Jasper returned the hug, running his hand over her long hair. It was a precious gesture. She finally let him go, and they walked over to the car, Jasper's cheeks a little pink. Edward slapped his brother's shoulder, and smiled at him, before we all got in the car and drove to Maria's house.

Emmett and Rose were still parked in front her house, and by the looks of it, they were involved in quite the lip lock. I bit my lip to hold back a laugh at Edward's face. He looked a little shocked, before he smiled and shook his head.

"Thanks for the ride. I'll ride back with Em." Jasper said, before he and Maria got of the car. We watched as Jasper walked up to the driver's side window of the truck and knocked. Emmett and Rose both jumped back from each other. Jasper and Maria were laughing at them. I loved the way these brothers teased each other.

Emmett and Rose got out of the truck and they all walked up to the Hale's front door. Edward was never one to hover, so he honked his horn and waved at the boys, before pulling out. "Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?" Edward asked, reaching out for my hand.

"Actually, I think my dad and I will just have the leftover lasagna for dinner tonight." I told him.

I knew that I welcome at the Cullen house, and I knew how much Edward never wanted to be away from me, but I really did feel bad about eating there all the time. And I felt bad about not making dinner for my dad. It seemed that we were always eating Esme's meals. I knew that I shouldn't feel that way, but I did. I had been welcomed into the Cullen family so easily. I knew that my dad and Carlisle were also best friends, but my dad usually only ate with them once a week, pizza after fishing. I didn't want the Cullens to feel like we were overextending our welcome. I didn't want my dad to feel uncomfortable, and I didn't want the Cullens to have to feel like they always had to have guests over for dinner.

Edward's face fell a little bit, but he tried to hide it. "Oh, okay. I'll take you home." He said, driving in the direction of my house. He was being fairly quiet.

We pulled up in front of the house and Edward parked. He turned in his seat and looked at me. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't. I sighed. I was frustrated with myself that I couldn't explain this dilemma to him. Edward didn't see it. But, we promised each other in Florida that we would honest, and not keep things inside.

"Edward. I know I told this yesterday, but I really do feel bad about eating at your place all the time." I explained.

"But, Bella." Edward started to argue, but stopped when I reached forward and covered his mouth with my hand. I smiled at him so he knew I wasn't mad.

"Let me finish." I said. "I love your family, but don't you think they might want to have a meal without me sometime, just the family?"

He shook his head, no. I giggled, but continued. "And, my dad has been alone for years. I know he loves you all like family, but what if he just wants to spend some alone with me." I explained. "I haven't had him in my life for very long, and I miss him."

Edward reached up and took my hand in his. He kissed it before lowering it from his mouth. "You're right. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little selfish and I want you with me all the time." He said, looking down at my hand.

"Aw, babe, you're not selfish. I love you so much, but I really do want a balance. I need to spend time with my dad." I said. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I had to consider my dad and myself as well.

"I know." He said, leaning forward to kiss me. "I think you're perfect." He said, kissing me again. "You're so thoughtful and caring." He looked into my eyes. "Would it make me really egocentric to ask you out on date tomorrow night? Maybe we could triple with Jazz and Em?"

I laughed. "Edward. I would love to." I said, smiling. "And you're not egocentric. I think you might be a bit Bella-centric, but you have the biggest heart of anyone I know." I said, putting my hand on the center of his chest. "I'll call you tonight, okay?" I said leaning in to kiss him one more time before getting out of the car.

"Okay. I love you." Edward said, smiling at me.

"I love you, too. Thanks again for today. It was amazing." I said, before waving and running up to the house. I waved at him again before going in the house. I missed Edward already, but I was looking forward to spending some quality father/daughter time tonight with my dad.


	104. Chapter 104

**A/N - Thanks again for all of your support, and for reading this story! We've got a little drama ahead. Hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter 104 - Worry

I went upstairs and slipped on a pair of sweatpants and a tank. I pulled my hair back and then came downstairs to heat up the leftovers for dinner. I was really looking forward to spending some time with my dad. I had enjoyed watching an old cowboy film with him last night, and I was hoping we could make more time to spend with each other.

I looked at the clock and noticed it was already quarter to six. My dad's shift ended at five. Why wasn't he home? Did he just go the Cullens' house? Shouldn't he have called me? I went in my purse and pulled out my cell phone. No missed calls. I was starting to worry. I called his cell phone, but it went straight to voice mail. It must have been shut off. Why would the police chief have his cell phone turned off? My mind was moving so fast.

I dialled Edward's cell right away. "Hey, babe. Is everything okay?" Edward asked.

"No. I mean, I don't know. My dad's not home, yet and he didn't call. He doesn't even have his phone on. He's not at your house, is he?" I knew I had to start ruling things out, and be rational, but I couldn't. I felt a pit in my stomach.

"No, baby. I just walked in the door, but he's not here." Edward said. "Have you called the station.?"

I guess the phrase two heads being better than one, were right on the money in this case. In my panic, I hadn't even thought of the most obvious place to check. "Okay, I'm so stupid. I never even thought to do that. Thanks, babe." I said.

"You're not stupid; you're scared. Call me right back, okay?" I could hear the worry in his voice already.

"Okay, Edward." I said, before hanging up and dialling the station.

"Forks PD." I heard Sue answer. What was she still doing at work?

"Hi, Sue. It's Bella. I can't reach my dad. Is he still at work?" I asked, my voice sounding a little high and panicked, even to my own ears.

"Oh, sweetheart. I'm sorry. I would have called you, but I thought that someone would have done it by now." Sue told me.

"Sue." I exclaimed. I didn't want to be rude, but I was worried sick and she wasn't telling me anything.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Bella. Your dad's probably at the hospital." She said. I think I lost it right then. As the daughter of a police officer, the mention of the hospital made me sick. That worry, the danger of his job, was always in the back of my mind. I dropped to the floor and felt like I couldn't breathe. I know I didn't say anything. I was just waiting for her to actually give me some information.

"There was a domestic dispute involving firearms and some shots were fired and a fight ensued. Two of our officers were injured, so your dad is probably up at the hospital with them. The chief is fine, honey. Bella? Are you still there?" Sue asked.

Once I heard that he was alright, a wave of relief flooded through me. That, however, brought on the tears. I started sobbing on the floor. I was so thankful that he was okay, but at the same time, I was worried about the officers that were hurt. Would they be alright? I was so close with Paul, and even Alec. The force was so small, I knew how close they all were to each other. They were like a family.

I heard the front door open, but I couldn't get up. "Oh my god, Bella. What happened?" I heard Edward's voice behind me, and almost immediately, I felt myself being picked up. Edward sat us on the couch and held me close to his chest. "Baby, calm down. You're going to hyperventilate. Take a deep breath." I could feel his hands trembling around me, and I knew he was worried, too.

"My dad's okay." I said, between breaths.

"Oh, thank god." Edward said, leaning his head forward against mine and letting out a deep breath. "What happened?"

"There was a domestic violence call, or something, and I think two of the cops are hurt. But I don't know anything. I don't know any details. I was just so worried, and Sue wouldn't tell me fast enough, and I just couldn't handle the thought of losing him. And I need you, so don't leave me." I blurted out, but I was having trouble breathing, again.

"Baby. I need you to calm down. You have to breathe, Bella." Edward said softly. "I know you're worried, but you can't make yourself sick, okay? Your dad's not picking up his phone?" I shook my head. "Okay. Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"Yeah." I agreed. I think I would feel better if I could just give my dad a hug. I wrapped my arms tightly around Edward. "Thank you." I whispered. I was so grateful that Edward came over to check on me. He must have sped all the way here.

"Of course. It's going to be okay, honey. Can you stand up?" He asked.

"I think so." I said, getting up from Edward's lap. I already missed the heat of his body and started shivering. Edward zipped off his hoodie and wrapped it around my shoulders. I slid my arms through and Edward zipped it up, then took each of my hands and rolled up the long cuffs, before pulling me back into his chest and wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"I know you're scared, honey. But, we'll go figure it out." He said into my hair. I nodded my head. He took my hand and led me out to his car. He opened my door and even buckled my seatbelt for me. He kissed my forehead, before closing the door and going around. We drove to the hospital and Edward held my hand, caressing the it with his thumb.

We drove in silence and, when we pulled up to the hospital, Edward came around to my side to get me out of the car. I felt numb. It was such a weird feeling. I knew my dad was fine, but the fear I had dealt with, shook me to the core. Edward took my hand and led me in. He went to the information desk and then led us through the hospital. We walked into the waiting room and I saw my dad sitting in a chair going over a report.

He looked up at us, and the minute he saw my face, likely all streaked with tears, he jumped out of his seat and ran over to me, wrapping me tightly in in his arms. I clung to him, in relief. "What's going on, Bells? Are you okay? Is she okay?" He asked Edward in a panic.

"She was just worried about you, Chief. It's almost seven o'clock and your phone is turned off." Edward explained quietly.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry, kiddo. I lost track of time. Jake and Alec were injured tonight, and I had to be here with them." He explained and I squeezed him tighter. "I'm okay, Bella. Really. And I'm so sorry for not calling you. I just sort of assumed the Sue would call, but she was probably really busy, tonight."

"How are the guys, Charlie? What happened?" I heard Edward asked from behind me.

"Oh, uh, Alec was shot in the chest." My dad said, and when I winced, he patted my back. "He was wearing his vest. He's fine. He's got a huge bruise and pretty sore ribs, but he'll be back to work in couple days." That was a relief. "But, Jake was hit in the left shoulder. He's in surgery now, and we're waiting for news. They think he'll be okay."

"That's good news." Edward agreed.

"Bells, honey. This stuff happens, but we'll be okay. Why don't you go get yourself cleaned up, and then you can sit with me and wait, alright?" My dad said, pulling back from me a little and I nodded.

"I'm so glad you're okay, daddy. I was so worried." I told him, new tears running down my face.

"I know, kiddo. But, it's going to be, okay. I'll be right here when you get back." My dad reassured me, patting my arm.

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me to the bathrooms. "Honey, I'll be right outside the door, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you for being here, Edward. I feel like I'm overreacting, but I have never been so scared in my life." I said quietly.

"I know, baby." He said, kissing my forehead. "I'll be right here." I nodded and then went into the bathroom. I splashed my face with cold water and patted it dry with a paper towel. I looked up at my reflection. I looked horrible. My eyes and nose were red and my cheeks were flushed. But, I could be bothered to care. My dad was safe, and hopefully, Jake and Alec would be alright, too.

I walked back out into the hall and saw that Edward and Paul were sitting together in the dusty rose coloured hospital chairs in the hallway. Paul's eyes looked a bit teary, but Edward said something that made him laugh. Both guys stood when they saw me. "Hey, beautiful Bella." Paul said, wrapping me in a strong hug. "Jake's out of surgery, and they said everything went well. He should be fine, but he has some recovery time ahead of him."

"That's great, Paul. Are you okay?" I asked. I still didn't really know the circumstances of the incident.

"Our rookie, saved his brothers." My dad said, coming around the corner and wrapping his arm around Paul's shoulder. "He apprehended the suspect."


	105. Chapter 105

**A/N - Thanks to everyone for their great reviews. I really appreciate the chance to respond to your questions and comments! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 105 - Visiting Hours

"You're a hero." I said to Paul, giving him another hug. I could only imagine what he had gone through tonight in order to arrest the suspect.

"Okay, Bella. I was just doing my job." He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, you did a darn good job of it, kid." My dad said, patting Paul's shoulder.

"Yeah, man. Congrats." Edward said to his friend.

I was glad that my tears had finally subsided and I felt better, now that I was with my dad, Edward and Paul. "Um, can I go in and see Alec?" I asked my dad. He was such a nice guy and I considered him to be a friend.

"I think he'd like that, Bells." My dad said. "He's in room 223."

"Okay. I just want to run get him something from the gift shop." I said.

"Sure, Bells. Paul and I will either be in with him, or in the waiting room." I loved that my dad was making sure I knew where he was. It seemed so juvenile, but it meant a lot to me that my dad understood my fears.

Edward came over and took my hand and led me to the elevators. I hadn't even noticed that we took an elevator up the second floor when we got here. Edward pulled me back into his warm arms, and kissed the top of my head. "Are you feeling better, honey?"

"Yes. I'm really worried about the guys, but I'm so glad my dad is alright." I stood on my toes and kissed Edward's chin. "Thank you so much for bringing me here."

"Bella, anything you need from me, anytime you need me, I'm going to be there, okay?" I nodded trying to hold back happy tears this time. He pressed a kiss to my forehead and held his lips there for a minute.

When we got to the gift shop, I found a little stuffed frog, with a white bandage on his stomach. It was adorable, and I thought it would cheer Alec up. "Crap, Edward. I didn't bring my purse." I felt really dumb about it, but I was so worried about my dad, that I didn't even think to pick it up on my way out of the house.

Edward chuckled at me. "No problem." He said, as he brought out his wallet. "Did you want to get something for Jake, as well?" I was worried that Edward would dislike Jake for the unwanted attention he had been giving me, but Edward was the bigger man. He knew he had nothing to worry about with me. We were together forever. "What about this 'Get Well' balloon? That might cheer him up."

"Okay. Sounds good." I said, with a smile at my boyfriend. He really was perfect.

We headed upstairs with our gifts. We left the balloon in the waiting room, and then went into Alec's room. My dad and Paul were with him, all laughing together. Alec was laying in bed with the blanket pulled up to his waist. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but he had a towel on his chest with a large ice pack on it. His arms were up and behind his head. "Hey, Bella." He said with a smile. I quickly wiped a tear from my eye. He was such a nice guy, and he was lucky that he was wearing his vest. "No crying in this room, Bella. We're a room full of tough cops, but if we see a pretty girl cry, I can't guarantee we'll stay that way." He laughed.

"I'm sorry." I laughed. "I'm so glad you're okay, Alec." I walking in the room a little more. Edward had his hand on my back. "Alec, this is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Edward, this is Alec Barrelli. I don't think you guys have met."

"Nice to meet you. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances." Edward said.

"You, too, man. I feel like I know you, though. When we had Bella working at the station last week, we heard a lot about you." Alec said, smiling.

Edward took my hand and squeezed it. "We got you this." I told Alec, holding up the frog.

He laughed, then winced. "Thanks, guys. That's cute. Why don't you set it beside me, Bella. It hurts to move." I set it beside his chest, being careful not to touch him.

My dad got up and went into the hallway to grab a couple of extra chairs for us. I'm sure that wasn't allowed, but who was going to question the chief of police on the day two of his men were shot?

"Do you have any family coming in? Do you need us to call anyone?" Edward asked Alec, as we both sat down. He reached over and held my hand in his.

"Look around this room, and you're looking at them." Alec said proudly. "I think I may have an aunt in Oregon, and my ex-wife is in Olympia, but other than that, this force is all I've got."

I hadn't realized that about him; that he was so alone. Perhaps that was why we had gotten along so well together. Besides, my parents, I had no other blood relatives. Those that I considered to be family, were those that I loved in life, like the Cullens, the Webers, and even the Hales. And now, I could see how my dad's department could be a part of that extended group.

"Well, I don't want to brag, but he's got a good group, right Alec?" Paul laughed.

"You're darn right." Alec replied. "Hey, Chief, do you think you could maybe find someone to get me some more pain killers?"

"Is it hurting a lot, Barrelli?" My dad asked him.

"Yeah, my ribs." He said, wincing a little, when he moved slightly. My dad nodded and left the room. "Getting shot sucks." He moaned, closing his eyes.

"Alec, we'll leave you for now, okay? Do you think you'll be up for visitors tomorrow?" I asked. It was hard for me to watch him in so much pain, and I didn't think I could sit here for much longer without crying again. I was an emotional wreck.

"I would love that, Bella." He said, forcing a smile through the pain. His eyes were still closed.

"Nice meeting you, man. Hang in there." Edward said. "See you later, Paul. Glad you're okay."

"Thanks, man. See you later, Bella." Paul said quietly. We turned and left the room.

My dad was talking to a nurse about Alec. He thanked her and walked over to us. "Do you guys want to go check on Jake with me?" My dad asked. We agreed and Edward picked up the balloon we had left in the hallway. No one had touched it, but it seemed to be pretty quiet up here. We had to go up to the third floor to see him. Edward did not let go of my hand, and for that I was extremely grateful.

When we walked into the room, I noticed that there were two young men sitting beside the bed. The both looked to be around the same age as Jake, maybe a little younger. The one on the left stood up and offered his hand to my dad. "I'm Quil and this is Embry. We're Jake's brothers." I could really see the family resemblance.

"It's nice to meet you both." My dad said. "I'm Chief Charlie Swan, and this is my daughter, Bella, and her boyfriend, Edward Cullen."

We all exchanged greetings, and Edward set the balloon on the table beside Jake's bed. Quil filled us in on the surgery, which went quiet well. Apparently his collarbone was broken, but the doctors expected a full recovery in eight to ten weeks. We were all glad to hear that he likely wouldn't be dealing with long term damage. Jake was still asleep, so we left the brothers, and headed back down to the second floor.

"Bella. I have a lot of work to do tonight and over the next few days. Unfortunately, I'll be working the weekend and putting in a lot of overtime. I've got two guys out, and I want to make sure Paul talks to somebody about what he saw and went through tonight." My dad said, coming over to me and resting his hands on my shoulders. I nodded. I completely understood. The department needed him. "Edward, do you think maybe Bella could stay with your family tonight? I don't really want her to be alone."

"Absolutely, sir." Edward answered. I didn't mind that they were making plans for me without asking me. I was exhausted and upset and I just wanted to sleep. I loved them for caring so much about me. I was lucky to have them both.

"Goodnight, dad." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Goodnight, kiddo. I'll make sure to call you, and keep you up to date, okay?" My dad said, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. I nodded. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too, dad." I said, feeling the tears prickle my eyes again. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and led me back to the elevator, and then out through the lobby to his car. He helped me in and after fastening my seatbelt, I leaned my head back against the headrest.

I must have fallen asleep before Edward even started the car. The next thing I remember, was being carried in Edward's arms up the stairs at his house. He took his hoodie off of me and then tucked me into his bed. "I love you, Bella. Everything's okay." I'm sure I heard him whisper in my ear, before I drifted back to sleep.


	106. Comfort and Commitment

**A/N - Thanks again for your reviews! I love them like crazy. Shall we go snuggle with Edward? Enjoy!**

Chapter 106 - Comfort and Commitment

I did not sleep well despite my exhaustion. I was tossing and turning, and I had a horrible nightmare about my dad getting shot. I woke up screaming and crying. "Baby, it's alright. You're okay. It was just a nightmare, Bella." Edward pulled me close to his chest, and started rubbing my back, as I cried into his bare shoulder.

I heard a knock on Edward's door. "Come in." Edward called out. He didn't let go of me, though, and kept me tucked safely against his warm chest.

"Bella, sweetheart. It's Esme." I heard her sweet, caring voice tell me. I felt the bed sink in behind me, as she sat on the bed. It was still completely dark in Edward's room, so I knew it was the middle of the night. "Do you need a drink of water or tea?" It was such a mothering gesture and I immediately felt better.

"Okay." I choked out, not really specifying what I was agreeing to.

"The water, please, mom. She doesn't like hot coffee or tea." Edward said softly, still rubbing my back.

"Alright, sweetheart, I'll be right back." Esme said, leaving the room.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Edward asked, before kissing my forehead.

"My dad was shot, and it was him in the hospital." I told him, relaying what I could remember about my nightmare.

"That must have been horrible, baby. But, he's okay, your friend Alec will be alright in a couple of days, and Jake's surgery went well." Edward said quietly in my ear. "Plus, I love you, Bella. And I'm here, and I won't let you go."

I heard a knock at the door again, and I looked up to see Jasper standing in the door. His hair was messy, and he was wearing a pair of sweat pants and a grey t-shirt. "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay." He said quietly from the door. I felt horrible that I seemed to have woken everyone up.

"Yeah, Jazz. It was just a nightmare. Thanks for checking." Edward told his brother. I smiled at him.

"Okay. Goodnight." He said, before turning and going back to his room.

"I'll be right back. I need to use the bathroom." I said to Edward, sliding out of bed. I went into his bathroom and shut the door. I washed my face and brushed my teeth with the toothbrush I had in his bathroom.

I couldn't get over how much the shooting was affecting me. I had never had to deal with death before, having lost all of my grandparents before I was born, or as a small child who didn't understand. The idea of how serious my dad's job was had always been in the back of my mind, but I hadn't had to deal with it first hand. And clearly, I wasn't handling it well.

I was still wearing my sweat pants and tank top from last night, but I was really warm. I slipped off the sweats and my bra, setting them on Edward's countertop, leaving me in only in a tank and my underwear. I felt a little better, but just wanted to get back into the safety of Edward's arms. I also realized that I was really hungry. I hadn't ended up eating dinner, and I was too upset and tired to eat last night after visiting the hospital.

I opened the bathroom door, and walked back over to Edward, who was sitting on the edge of his bed waiting for me. The room was fairly dark, but he had a lamp turned on beside the bed. He looked up and smiled at me. "You feeling better?" He asked, standing up and walking over to me.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just having a little bit of trouble dealing with this incident." I shared my fears with Edward about my dad's job, and he did his best to comfort me.

He led me back to his bed and we got in, sitting up against the pillows, but we were wrapped in each others' arms. "Your dad is a good cop, Bella. He's the chief for a reason. He's smart and safe, and he can handle himself and others. They all wear their vests, which you can see really made a difference last night. Alec and Jake are alive because of them. And, most importantly, Bella, they have each others' backs. Paul was there, and saved their lives." He leaned down to kiss my forehead.

"I know you're right, and thank you for saying that. It helps." I said, turning my head to kiss his lips. "I love you." I reached up and ran my fingers through his beautiful, messy hair.

"Kids?" I heard Esme say in a timid voice, like she didn't want to interrupt. I blushed, and put my head down on Edward's shoulder. She walked in Edward's room and set a tray on his bed. "I didn't know if you were hungry or not, so I brought up some munchies, too." She said.

I looked up at her and smiled. "Thank you so much. I am really hungry. I didn't eat last night." I admitted. She reached out and gave me a hug.

"Are you feeling better, sweetheart?" She asked, with a wonderful concerned mother look on her face.

"I'm great. You are all so wonderful." I said, smiling at her.

"Okay. I'll leave you two alone to eat." She said, leaning forward to kiss Edward's forehead, and then mine. "I love you, both. Goodnight." She said, before shuffling out of the room in her pink satin robe and a pair of red fuzzy slippers that didn't seem to be her style.

"Goodnight, mom." Edward said. He turned to me with a smile on his face. "Emmett bought her those slippers, and even though they don't match anything she owns, she loves them." He chuckled.

I smiled. "That is so sweet." I said. I looked at the tray that Esme had brought. It was filled with sliced fruit, cheese, crackers and pickles. I picked up a pickle and starting crunching on it. It was so good. I loved pickles. I took another one and looked at Edward. He was smiling at me.

"You are adorable, Bella." Edward said. "I wish I would have bought you something to eat last night."

"Oh, Edward. Don't worry about that. I wouldn't have been able to eat." I leaned over and kissed him. "Plus, you did more than enough. I am so grateful that you came to my house last night to check on me. You're amazing."

He chuckled at me, and licked his lips. "You taste like pickles." He leaned forward and ate the rest of the pickle that was in my hand. Then, he looked up at me with a smirk on his face.

"Hey. You're a pickle thief." I laughed. I was glad for the light-hearted moment.

"But, you love me anyway." He said, picking up another pickle and holding it up for me to eat from his fingers. We finished our snack, and finally went back to sleep. After talking things out with Edward, and eating Esme's snack, I slept soundly for the rest of the night.

I woke up, and the sun was shining, even through Edward's curtains. I rolled over and snuggled up to Edward's warm body. I started placing kisses on his chest, and running my fingers over his stomach. He groaned and stretched his arms above his head.

"Good morning, angel." He said, with a rough voice.

"Good morning, Edward." I said, kissing his cheek. "I need to go home and change. I don't have anything here. Not even my hairbrush." I giggled. I carried one in my purse, but seeing as I left that at home, too, I was out of luck today.

"You should bring some things here. You know, in case you ever need something." Edward said. "Like clothes and some shampoo, and whatever else you need. Then I could keep you here." He chuckled, rolling over to kiss my neck.

"You really want me to do that?" I asked him with a smile, pushing him back gently.

"Of course, I do." He sat up and took my hand. "You know I would have asked you to move in with me right away, if I didn't already know you wanted to live with your dad."

"Um, okay. I guess that makes sense." I said. I loved how committed Edward was to me. I felt the same way about him. "But, I still need to go home."

"Okay. I'll take you home, and we'll pack up some of your clothes and then stop at the store and buy some more stuff, so you'll have everything you need in my room." He said. He looked ecstatic with his plan.

I smiled back at him. "Sure. I love that you're so excited about this." I said. "But, I also want to go back to the hospital today and see the guys. Maybe we could make some cookies and sandwiches and take them up so they don't have to eat hospital food." I sat back against the headboard. "Alec doesn't have anyone to come see him, and it looks like Jake's brothers were there alone. I'd like to help."

"I think you are the most thoughtful and generous girl, I've ever met." He said, running his fingers along my bare legs. I giggled. "And the most beautiful girl, too." He leaned down and kissed my leg just above my knee.

"Thank you, Edward. I feel the same way about you." I said, laying back down beside him, and cuddling back up to his chest. "Except for the girl part." I giggled, making him laugh. I felt better this morning and I thought that, with Edward at my side, I would be able to get through the shooting incident and be there to support my dad and my friends.


	107. Making Space and Cookies

**A/N - Thanks, again! I will say it in every author's note, because I feel so lucky to have support for my story! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 107 - Making Space and Cookies

Edward took me home after we had cereal downstairs with Esme. I wore one of Edward's t-shirts and my sweats home and had brushed through my hair with Edward's comb. Edward had taken a shower before we left. While I was waiting for him, I told Esme about my plans to make food for the guys and she offered to help me this morning when we got back from my place.

I had a shower and got ready once I got home. Edward sat in my room waiting for me, making a list of what he thought I needed to bring to his house. I still couldn't get over how excited he was. I was so looking forward to living with him in the fall, and it was nice to know he was just as excited as I was.

I walked back into my room, wearing a black denim, mid-thigh length skirt, and teal polo shirt. Edward had my duffle bag out and sitting on my bed. I laughed at his eagerness. He passed me the list and I looked it over. 'What Bella needs for my room: sleep shirt, underwear, t-shirts, jeans, brush, shampoo, bathroom stuff.' I giggled at little. "How did I do?" He asked, smiling.

"You did great." I said, walking up to him and standing between his legs, kissing his forehead. "Which sleep shirt do you want me to bring?" I asked him, running my fingers through his hair.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, and rested his chin on my chest, looking up at me with his sparkling eyes. "You're letting me pick, beautiful?" He smiled. "The baseball shirt you got in Seattle."

I giggled at him. "Okay." I pulled away from him and went to my dresser and grabbed a couple pairs of underwear, a cotton bra, my Griffey shirt and two t-shirts. I set them on the bed and then went to my closet and grabbed a pair of jeans. I folded everything and stuffed it in the duffle bag. I had an extra hair brush, so I threw that in the bag, too. "Um, let's go stopping at the store. I'll get the rest of the things on your list, plus the ingredients for the food we're taking to the hospital."

Edward smiled at me and stood up, slinging my bag over his shoulder. "Is it weird that I'm so excited about this?" He laughed, as we walked down the stairs.

"No, it's adorable." I said smiling at him. I grabbed my purse, and we headed back out to his car. He put my bag in the trunk and we drove to the store.

Edward grabbed a cart and we loaded it up with bread, cold cuts, lettuce and mayo for the sandwiches, and chocolates chips and peanut butter for the cookies. We went to the personal hygiene aisle, and I picked up a bottle of my shampoo, facial cleanser, body wash, and for Edward's sake, let's just say, a box of 'bathroom stuff.' I had to give Edward credit. He was only a little bit embarrassed.

After I bought my groceries, we went back to the car, and drove back to Edward's house. We brought in our groceries and set them on the counter, then took my things upstairs to Edward's room. "Where do you want me to put my clothes?" I asked, unzipping the duffle bag. It was only a small stack of clothes, so it wouldn't take too much room.

"Oh, um, let me clear out a drawer." Edward said, pulling open his middle drawer in his dresser. He started pulling out t-shirts and boxers.

"Babe. Stop." I laughed. "You're making a mess, and I just need a tiny space." I walked over beside him, and giggled again at how unorganized he was. I cleared a small corner in the front right side of the drawer and set my clothes in. Then I folded the clothes he threw out, and set them back in the drawer. "See, Edward. There was more than enough room."

I put my brush in the plastic bag from the store with my toiletries, and decided to just leave everything in the bag. I put it on one the shelves in Edward's linen closet. I walked back out and Edward was sitting on his bed. "Are you all unpacked?" He smiled. He was glowing.

"I am." I said, sitting on his lap. "So you don't mind me invading your space?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Babe, I want more of you in my space." He chuckled. I leaned down and kissed him. "That's more like it."

I laughed. "Come on. Let's go make cookies. Do you want to help, or just sample?" I teased, as we got up and went down to the kitchen.

"I'll help." He said with a smile.

"Hi, kids." Esme said, standing in the kitchen with her apron on.

"Hi, Esme. I wanted to make chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, and some sandwiches. I was thinking of taking some to the station to make sure my dad is eating, and then some to the hospital for Alec and some for Jake's brothers." I said, slipping on an apron.

"This is so thoughtful of you, sweetheart." She said with a smile. "Do you want me to make the sandwiches?"

"Sure. That would be great, Esme." I said, before turning to Edward. "Okay, helper. Do you want to be in charge of the mixer? I'll put the ingredients in the bowl and you mix them up."

"I think I could handle that." Edward said with a smile and Esme giggled at us.

"Okay, but you should wear an apron." I said, not wanting him to get covered in cookie dough, but really, I just wanted to see him in an apron again.

"Bella." He sighed, as he put on the pale green, pinstriped apron. He looked at me and winked. I knew he would do anything to make sure I was happy.

"You look adorable." I said, reaching up to kiss his chin.

"She's right, Edward dear. You look very cute in that apron. Let me get my camera." Esme said, smiling.

"Mom. Bella already has a picture of me in an apron." Edward whined, even though Esme had already left the room.

"Okay, smile." She said walking back into the kitchen. Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder, as Esme snapped a couple of pictures of us.

We had fun and laughed over the next two hours, making snacks for the guys. Edward admitted that he was glad he had the apron on, as he accidentally turned the mixer on high instead of turning it off, and flung cookie dough all over himself and the counter.

We packaged up three plates of sandwiches, and three containers of cookies, before heading out to make our deliveries. I hugged Esme at the front door. "Thank you so much for everything, Esme: your help this morning, and for the snacks last night. I really appreciate it."

"Bella, sweetheart. You have to realize that I see you as a part of this family, now. You are always welcome here." She hugged me again.

I knew that she was referring to my feeling that I felt like I was sharing dinner with them too often. I had been pulling back the last couple of days, and she must have noticed that as well. "Thank you." I whispered. And I meant it. It felt so good to be loved and wanted by so many great people.

When I walked back to the car, Edward was leaning against the door holding a purple tulip. But, it was the smile on his face that drew me in. "Thank you , babe. It's beautiful." I said, leaning up to kiss his chin.

Edward and I stopped at the station first. We brought in a plate of sandwiches and a container of cookies. "Hello, kids. Bella, I'm sorry about yesterday." Sue apologized as soon as she saw me. "I didn't mean to make you so upset."

"Sue, there is nothing to apologize for. I was just really worried, and I understand that you were as well." I said, giving her a hug. She smiled at me.

"Head on back." She said, walking with us to the office area. I saw my dad, Felix Robertson, whom I had met the first day my dad brought me to work, and another officer that I hadn't met yet.

"Hey, kiddo. Hi, Edward. What do you have there?" My dad said with a smile.

"Hi, dad." I said, setting down the cookies on his desk and pulling him to for a hug. "Oh, Esme, Edward and I make sandwiches and cookies for you guys. I wasn't sure you'd be taking time to eat."

"Thanks, Bells." My dad looked so excited about the food. "Oh, let me introduce you to the guys. This is Felix Robertson." He said, pointing to the middle aged man with the salt and pepper hair that I recognized. "I think you met him a few weeks ago. And this is Marcus Strong." My dad introduced the other officer to us. He was tall and thin and had jet black hair and dark eyes. He looked to be in his early forties, and seemed to be a bit reserved. "Mark is usually on the night shift, but because we're short a couple of guys, I had to juggle the schedule. Felix, Mark, this is my daughter Bella, and her boyfriend Edward Cullen. They're home from UW Seattle for the summer."

They came over and shook our hands, thanking us for the snacks, before digging in. Edward was talking to Felix about his kids, who were apparently going to be starting college in the fall, and I walked with my dad over to his desk.

"We're going to take some food up the hospital, too." I told him, sitting in Jake's chair.

"Thanks, Bells." My dad said, taking my hand. "How are you doing today?" He looked concerned.

"I'm better today. But, I'm worried about you. Are you going to go home and sleep?" I asked him.

"Actually, I was thinking of going home this afternoon to sleep, and then coming back to work the night shift." He told me. "I don't want you waiting around the house for me either. I'm going to be in and out over the next couple days." He shook his head. "I know you're not a little girl, and you can live alone, but I would feel better if you would spend the weekend with the Cullens."

"Are you sure, dad? I can stay home and make you dinner, or breakfast, or whatever." I said, wanting to be able to help.

"I'm sure. I trust Edward to make sure you're okay, because I can tell you're still a little upset." He said, patting my hand. "Paul will be back to work on Monday, and things will almost be back to normal. Just do your old man a favour for the weekend, Bells."

"Okay." I said, getting up to give him a hug. "But, I'm booking a father/daughter night for us, as soon things settle back down."

My dad laughed. "It's a date, kiddo."


	108. Extended Family

**A/N - As promised, thanks! Getting a review really does make me smile! Enjoy!**

Chapter 108 - Extended Family

After saying goodbye to all the officers, my dad and Sue, Edward and I drove to the hospital.

On the drive there, I talked to Edward about what my dad said. "Babe. My dad said he's going to be in and out of the house all weekend, and he thinks it would best if I stayed with you. Is that okay?"

"It's more than okay. Hmm. I think I might have some plans for you this weekend." He chuckled, making me blush.

"Really?" I whispered. I loved when Edward took charge of things and made plans for us. I loved the feeling of him taking care of me.

Edward pulled into the parking lot, and parked, at the hospital. He turned to look at me, taking my face in his hands before leaning in to place a soft, but passionate kiss on my lips. "When your dad said he wanted you to stay with me, he didn't specify if it had to be in town, did he?" Edward asked with a smirk.

I giggled. "Um, no. Why?" I leaned in and stole a quick kiss.

"Well, the weekend is my secret, but tonight, I wanted to know if you still wanted to triple date with Em, Jazz and the girls in Port Angeles? I talked to them last night, and they knew we might not do it, considering the shooting yesterday." He leaned in for another kiss. "So, if you don't feel up to it, we can just stay home and snuggle. It's up to you, baby."

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. "I think it would be nice to get out. Plus, the boys are probably looking forward to getting out town. Yeah, let's do it." I said. I leaned in for one more kiss. "Can we snuggle when we get home?"

"Absolutely, babe." Edward said. He laughed. "Maybe, we should get into the hospital and feed your friends."

"Good call." I laughed. We loaded our arms with cookies and sandwiches and headed up to the third floor. I knocked on Jake's door.

"Come in." I heard him call. I was glad that he was awake. Even though he came on a bit strong, the last couple of times that I met him, he was still a friend of my dad's and I wished him the best.

"Hi, Jake." I said walking in. "How are you feeling?" It was sad to see a big, strong guy like Jake in a hospital bed.

"Like crap." He answered, closing his eyes again. "Thanks for the balloon. My brothers told me you were here last night."

"Oh, no problem." I walked closer to the bed and touched his ankle through the blankets. "We made you some cookies and sandwiches. I'm assuming that the hospital food isn't that great."

"Thank god." He chuckled. "How's Barrelli?"

"Well, we saw him last night, and I think he has bruised ribs, but other than that, he's going to be fine." I told him, sitting down by the bed. Edward sat beside me. "We're all worried about you, though, Jake."

He looked over at us and a tear dropped from his eye. He tried to lift up his arm to wipe his eyes, but he had so many IVs in his arms that he could move that easily. His breath caught in his throat, and you could tell he was trying to hold back a sob. "I couldn't get my weapon drawn fast enough. I didn't know the guy was still home, then he was right there in front of me and I was down, and I heard him shoot again, but I didn't know what was going on, or who was shooting."

I stood up and got a tissue from the table, then went over to him and wiped his tears. "You're going to be okay, Jake. Everyone is fine, and they got the guy." I said, lightly patting his right shoulder. It was hard to see him so upset.

Jake looked over at Edward. "God, these drugs are screwing with my mind." He chuckled. You could tell he was embarrassed about breaking down in front of us.

"I bet." Edward said, playing along with him. "What have they got you on?" Edward pointed up to the IV bags.

"Uh, I don't know. Painkillers, antibiotics." Jake said, looking like he was calming down a little. "Hey, you think I could have one of those cookies?"

I smiled. "Absolutely. Peanut butter or chocolate chip?" I asked him, taking off the lid.

"Both." He laughed.

"Good call, man. I was permitted one of each, as the official taste tester. Bella is a master." Edward bragged. Jake chuckled a bit.

"Okay. Do you need to sit up a little?" I asked.

"Um, okay, maybe just a bit." Jake said. Edward got up and adjusted the bed for him, with the remote. "Thanks, man."

I got out some hand sanitizer before getting his cookies out for him. "You better eat them before your brothers get here." I teased.

"You're not kidding." Jake laughed, before slowly bringing one up to his mouth. "Oh, god, that's good." We both laughed with him. "Thanks guys, for coming up here and bringing this food for me."

"Of course, Jake." I said. "Do you need some water?"

"Okay, thanks Bella." He laid his head back on his pillow. "I don't know if I will able to stand this for eight weeks."

"Do you have the remote for the TV?" Edward asked him, while I held the plastic cup of water up to his mouth. He took a long drink from the straw.

"Yeah. My brothers are bringing my iPod this afternoon, too." Jake said. His eyes were closing again, and he looked like he was going to fall asleep.

"Okay, Jake. We're going to let you sleep." I said, squeezing his hand. He nodded. "I'll try to come back tomorrow."

"Hang in there, buddy." Edward said, as we walked to the door. Jake was asleep by the time we left the room. As we took the elevator down to see Alec, Edward wrapped his arm around me. "You doing okay?" He asked me.

"Yeah. You forget, that they have mental scars that need to heal, as well as the physical ones." I said, looking up at Edward.

"They do, but I think the department is going to get through this together." Edward said, as we walked into Alec's room. He was asleep when we walked in. I giggled when I noticed that he had the stuffed frog under his arm.

He didn't have his ice pack on today, and we could see his bruise. It was just to the left of the middle of his chest. It was redish-black circle just under an inch round, with a three or four inch lighter bruise around it. It looked painful, but at least he was alive.

We set the food on the table beside him. We turned to leave, and just let him sleep, but I heard him groan. "Bella?"

We went back in the room. "Hey, Alec. Feeling better today? I asked.

He looked down and realized his blankets were pulled down. "Uh, yeah. Sorry." He chuckled, pulling the thin blue blanket over his bare chest.

"Don't worry about, Alec. Your bruise looks really sore." I said, trying to make him feel less self-conscious.

"It bruised my rib. That's what hurts." He said, trying to sit up.

"Hey, man. Let me move the bed. You try to stay still." Edward said, getting up to adjust his bed, just like he had with Jake's.

Alec laughed. "I'm a horrible patient."

"Oh, you're doing great." I laughed. "Hey, we brought food. Sandwiches and cookies."

His face lit up. "Thank you so much, guys. Is it homemade?"

"Alec. Would I bring you store bought cookies?" I laughed. "They're fresh out of the oven, too."

"Okay, you guys are my new best friends." He laughed. "Let's have it. I couldn't eat that stuff they brought in for lunch. I thought I was going to die of starvation"

I used my hand sanitizer again, before passing him a sandwich. "Edward's mom made the sandwiches." I said, as Edward and I sat down by the bed. Alec ended up eating four sandwiches, before switching to the cookies. I could never get over how much food guys could eat.

He told us they were releasing him on Monday or Tuesday. He was really excited to go back to work. I could tell how much his job meant to him. "Your dad is putting me on desk duty for two weeks." He shook his head.

"Good. You take care of yourself. Don't push it." I said.

"I can't even exercise, because of the bruised rib. I'm going to lose my ripped body." He laughed.

"Well, if Bella keeps cooking for you, you don't have a chance." Edward laughed. "I said goodbye to my body a month ago."

"You guys." I giggled, blushing.

"Are they ganging up on you, sweetheart?" We all looked to the door and there was woman in a uniform standing in the door. She looked to be in her late forties. She had long brown hair pulled back in a French braid. She was really quite pretty.

"Hey, Heidi." Alec said, smiling. "Bella brought me food." He stuffed another cookie in his mouth.

She walked over and shook our hands, and introduced herself. She was the only member of the police department I had yet to meet. I liked her immediately, as she had a very friendly and fun-loving personality. She sat and talked with us for a few minutes, before Edward and I got up to leave.

"We'll be back tomorrow, man." Edward told him, shaking his hand.

"Bye, Alec." I said.

He held out his right arm and pulled me to him for a quick hug. "Thanks, Bella." He reached up and kissed my cheek.

I smiled at him. "You're very welcome." I was happy that I could be here for my extended family.


	109. Porch Swing

**A/N - Thanks so, so, so much! You all broke my record high number of hits yesterday...over 3000! Eek! How exciting! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 109 - Porch Swing

When we got back to the car, Edward pulled me to his chest and hugged me, then leaned down to kiss me. "I love you." He said, when he pulled back. "You are so amazing, honey."

I laughed at his enthusiasm. "I love you, too, Edward, but what did I do that was so amazing?"

"Did you see yourself in there? Did you see the guys' faces? You made their day, babe. You are such a genuinely good person, that you made both guys feel better after they were shot." He leaned down to kiss me again. "You were so sweet to do that for them."

I blushed at his praise. "Thanks, Edward. It's just that growing up, I was so alone, and now I have you, and my dad, and all these wonderful people in my life. I am so lucky. I just want to make other people as happy as I am."

He smiled, and brushed his fingers down my arms. "You do." He winked. "And, me most of all." He opened my car door for me and I got in.

We drove back to his house and sat on the swing on the front porch. No one was home, yet. "Okay, Edward. Talk to me. I need to know what's going on this weekend." I said, flopping my legs over his.

He started tracing his fingers over my bare legs. "Alright. Tonight, we have our triple date with Jazz, Maria, Em and Rose in Port Angeles. I though maybe dinner and a movie." He said.

"That sounds fun." I said, giggling when he dipped his fingers under my knees. "Should I change?"

"God, no." He blurted out, before laughing at his own reaction. "You look beautiful."

"Okay. So the outfit stays." I laughed. "What about tomorrow? You said you had plans?"

"Oh, well, Jazz has an away game in Port Angeles tomorrow afternoon at two in the afternoon." He said, looking at me. "I know we're going there tonight, but would you be up for the drive out there again, tomorrow?"

"Um, yeah." I said. Jasper only had a few more games this season, so I wouldn't want to miss one. "Of course, Edward. And, I told Alec and Jake we'd go see them tomorrow. We could fit that in before we left, right?"

"Absolutely." Edward said with a smile. "I didn't want to leave here until about one, so we'd have all morning." He smiled at me. "But, there's where the surprise comes in."

"What? In the morning before we go?" I asked confused.

"No, after we get to Port Angeles." He said, resting his hands on my knees. "I need you to pack an overnight bag."

"Really?" I said with a smile. "When did you plan this?" Edward never failed to surprise me.

"On Wednesday." He answered bluntly. "In your kitchen. You were resting your head on my chest, and you mentioned something about sleeping in my arms." He chuckled. "Does that ring a bell?"

I blushed at the memory of blurting out my desire to sleep in his arms. I knew he was planning something, but with the shooting, I had forgotten about it. "Yes."

"Yes, you remember, or yes, you'll pack your bag?" Edward asked, looking hopeful.

"Both." I smiled. "I love you for doing this." It would be nice to get away from all the stress we had been dealing with. Ever since we got back from our trip, there had been something going on: Edward getting sick, babysitting and then the shooting. I longed for a night where it was just us, with no worries attached. "How long are we staying away?" I asked, more curious than anything.

"Well, I just planned for Saturday, because I didn't know how long you would want to stay away, but we can stay Sunday night, too, if you want and be home around noon on Monday." He smiled at me lovingly. "It's up to you, baby."

"Okay. What if I pack for two nights, just to be safe?" I smiled back at him. The lure of being away with Edward was very powerful.

"Sounds good." He said. We sat on the porch swing, waiting for Jasper and Emmett to get home. Esme pulled up and Alice ran out of the car with her little pink backpack on. She looked adorable. "Hey, princess." Edward said to his little sister. "How was school?"

"It was good." She smiled. "But I'm glad it's the weekend." I felt bad that we were going to be leaving town for most of the weekend. We would see Alice at the game, but that was about it. Esme smiled at us, as she went into the house.

"Are you excited to go see Jasper play baseball in Port Angeles?" I asked her.

"Yeah. Away games are fun." She said, smiling.

"Alice. Do you want me to do your hair for you tomorrow morning?" I asked. I thought that might be a fun way for us to spend a little time together this weekend.

"That would be so cool, Bella." She said, before hugging me.

"Uh, oh." Edward said, trying to look serious. "Now I'm going to have to work extra hard to keep my eye on all you pretty girls." Alice and I both laughed at him.

"Edward." Alice said exasperatedly. "I'm only seven." She looked so cute standing there with her hands on her hips.

"And, you're the prettiest seven year old I've ever seen." Edward said. He held his arms out and she came over for a hug. He picked her up and set her on his lap. He wrapped one arm around my shoulder and one around Alice. "Hey, princess. Em, Jazz, Bella and I are going out on a date tonight." She nodded her head, looking a little left out. "But, Bella is sleeping over tonight, so she'll be here when you get up tomorrow, too, okay?"

Her face lit up. "Really? That's cool." She seemed to be happy again.

I loved that Edward cared about his sister's feelings and took time to explain things to her. It wasn't something that you expect to see. His bond with his family was beautiful.

Emmett's truck pulled up and he and Jasper grabbed their backpacks from the back of the truck, before heading up to the porch. "So?" Emmett asked, looking at Edward with a look of excitement on his face. "Are we doing this thing?"

Edward chuckled and looked at me. "We're doing this thing."

"Awesome." Emmett gave Edward a high five, kissed Alice on the head, and then came over a gave me quick hug. "Thanks." He whispered in my ear. "I told them we'd pick them up at five." Emmett said, seemingly unable to get the smile off of his face. He lifted up Alice and carried her to the door.

"Alright. Just come and get us when your ready." Edward called out to Emmett as he went in the house with Alice. "So, Jazz, I was thinking you and Maria could ride with us in my car. Is that cool?"

Jasper blushed a little bit, but nodded. It was still a little bit hard to get used to how shy Jasper was, when you watched his confidence on the baseball field. He sat on the desk with his back against the railing. "I feel like a nervous wreck." He sighed, leaning his head back.

I smiled at him. "Jasper, can I tell you something?" I said. "Maria really likes you. You should see her at your practices. I know this sounds cliché, but just be yourself. She likes you the way you are."

Edward patted my knee. "Bella's right, Jazz. Your girl is crazy about you." He laughed. "She must have two hundred pictures of you, too."

"Yeah. I like her, too." He smiled and blushed. "But, what if I can't think of anything to say?"

"Um, have you met Maria?" Edward teased. "I'm sure there won't be a moment of awkward silence." Jasper laughed at that, and nodded.

He got up and gave Edward a hug, which I thought was so sweet. Then he turned and gave me a hug, too. "Thanks, guys. I'm going to go change." He said, heading in the house.

Edward wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. "I'm excited for tonight." He said. "It will be nice to spend some time with my brothers."

"I'm excited, too. I haven't been to a movie, since you took me just after we met." I smiled thinking of how nervous I was.

"You're right." Edward chuckled. "Did I look as nervous as Jazz?" He leaned over and kissed me. "Because I was."

"No. I always thought you looked you confident. Why were you nervous?" I said, smiling.

"I'm pretty sure I was in love with you the moment I saw you, so I didn't want to screw it up." Edward smiled.

"Well, the feeling was mutual, but I think my blush gave me away." I laughed.

"It just made you more beautiful." He said, leaning in for kiss. He pulled back and looked into my eyes, smiling. We both knew how lucky we were to have each other.


	110. Triple Date

**A/N - Thanks again for all your support! Love you all! Let's get on with the date night! Enjoy!**

Chapter 110 - Triple Date

Emmett came out of the house about twenty minutes later in a pair of dark wash jeans, and dark green t-shirt with a blue and white plaid shirt over top. He had a ton of cologne on, too. "Where's Jazz?" Edward asked, as we finally got up from the swing.

"I don't know. I though he would have been down here already." Emmett laughed. "I don't know why he's so nervous. We went on a double date a couple weeks ago."

"Well, this is an out of town date." Edward said. "Last time was at the diner. I'll go check on him." Edward went inside, and I followed him up the stairs. I went into Edward's bathroom to freshen up. I brushed my teeth and hair and used the bathroom.

I went back out into the hallway, just as Edward and Jasper were coming out of his room. Jasper was wearing dark green cargo pants, and a black t-shirt over a maroon striped long-sleeve. "You look great, Jasper." I told him, which made him blush.

"Thanks, Bella." He said with a nervous smile.

I pulled him into a hug. "Just try to enjoy yourself tonight." I told him "We'll be there in case the conversation quiets down, okay?" He hugged me back, and nodded.

Edward smiled at him, and patted his shoulder. "We'll be right down. Tell Em to wait. He's only allowed to take that truck on the highway because I'm driving behind him."

"'Kay." Jasper said, running down the stairs.

"I'm just going to brush my teeth." Edward said, kissing the top of his head. "I'll be right back."

"Alright. I'll be downstairs." I said, going down to say bye to Alice. I found her on the couch in the family room watching, and laughing at, the Disney channel. I sat beside her. "Hey, Alice. We're heading out." I told her.

"Okay. Have fun." She said, smiling. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

I laughed at her. She was such an intelligent kid. "Absolutely." I said.

"Guess what? Dad is bringing home Chinese food for him and mom and me, tonight." She said with a huge smile on her face. This girl loved her Chinese food.

"That's great, Alice." I said. "Will you show me your fortune from your fortune cookie when I get back?"

"Yeah. I'll save it." She said. I gave her a hug, just as Edward walked in.

"Bye, princess." Edward leaned over the back of the couch and kissed her head. "I love you."

I got up and joined Edward. We said bye to Esme, and then went outside. Emmett was already in his truck, waiting. He honked the horn, but was laughing. "Come on, Jazz." Edward said, as he unlocked the car, and opened my door. We all got in, and followed Emmett to Maria and Rose's house. Both girls were waiting on the steps of their house. They looked beautiful. Rose was wearing skinny jeans, a pink cami and long grey cardigan. Her long blonde hair in curls. Maria was wearing a purple tunic over black Capri pants and she had her long dark hair straightened.

Rose ran up to the truck and got in, turning and waving at us through the window. Jasper got out of the car and opened the door for Maria. "Thanks, Jasper." She said, smiling, and getting in. "Hi, Bella. Hi Edward." We both said hello.

Jasper got in the other side and Edward honked at Emmett, so he would go. Edward decided to follow him, so he could keep an eye on him. We pulled out and headed to the highway.

"You're really pretty. I mean, um, you look really nice, tonight." Jasper stuttered out. I was facing forward, trying to give them some privacy, but I couldn't hold back my smile. He was just too adorable.

"Thanks, Jasper." Maria giggled. "You look amazing. I really like this shirt. Is it new?"

And that was the start of the forty five minutes of conversation. Like Edward mentioned earlier, Maria loved to talk. But, it wasn't annoying. She just had a lot to say. She talked about school, and final exams that started in two weeks. She was excited to start the tenth grade next year, but she was really looking forward to the summer break. Even though she talked a lot, she always made sure to ask Jasper questions and include him in the conversation. I enjoyed her bubbly personality.

Edward's cell phone rang and he asked me to answer. "Hey, Bella. Me and Rose were talking and we were thinking of going to India House for dinner. You guys up for it?" He laughed.

"Hang on. I'll ask." I said, bringing the phone down. "Okay, Emmett and Rose want to stop for Indian food. Is that good for everyone?" I turned and looked in the back seat.

"Rose has always wanted to go there, but my dad has acid reflux, so we can never go out for spicy food." Maria giggled. "I'm fine with it, if you guys are."

"Um, okay." Jasper said, looking at Maria with a smile.

"You want to go, sugar?" Edward asked me. "I don't care. I'll eat anything."

"Sure." I lifted the phone back up. "Emmett, we're all in. We'll follow you."

"Awesome. It's just around this corner. See you in few." Emmett said before hanging up. We followed him to the corner restaurant.

We parked and Maria and I giggled as both Edward and Jasper came around the car to open the car doors for us. Emmett had his arm wrapped around Rose's shoulder, and Maria took Jasper's hand. He smiled shyly at her. I linked my arm in Edward's and we all walked into the restaurant. We had to walk up a short a flight of stairs before being seated. It was quite homey inside. We all slid into a booth; Edward, myself, Maria, Jasper, Emmett and then Rose.

The waiter left us with our menus. "So, have any of you ever had Indian food?" I asked, as I looked through the menu. I had never tried it before, but I thought it sounded good. They all said they hadn't either.

"Why don't we get a few different dishes and share them, that way, we won't end up getting stuck with something we don't like?" Edward suggested. My boyfriend, the problem solver. He really was the perfect big brother, always making sure everyone was happy.

"Sounds good." Emmett said. We went through the menu and decided on a few chicken dishes; tandoori, curry, vindaloo and tikka masala, as well as a few vegetable and rice dishes. After we ordered, we all sat around talking. I enjoyed the fact that despite the two year age differences between the couples, we were all able to get along so well.

I smiled to myself thinking, besides Angela, I didn't have many friends growing up in Phoenix, and apart from a couple of classmates that I would consider acquaintances, I didn't really have friends in college. But, within a the last month or so, I had more friends than I could ever wish for, and I loved them all dearly.

Our food came and we all scooped a little of everything on our plates. I loved the rich and spicy flavours of the chicken tikka masala the best. Everyone seemed to like Indian food, with the exception of Rose. It was ironic considering that it was her idea to come here, but how would she know, if she hadn't tried it before. She ate the rice and vegetables, and Emmett finished everything else on her plate.

We talked about how school was ending for them in about two weeks. Rose and Emmett seemed excited to start their senior year. Emmett looked thrilled that football season wasn't too far away. We all decided to hang out a lot together this summer. We were going over a lot of ideas and Jasper suggested we all go hiking. Everyone seemed thrilled with the idea.

It was about six-thirty by the time we finished eating and we had an hour until the movie started. We all decided to stop at McDonalds quickly to get Rose something to eat. She ordered a cheeseburger and Emmett ordered a Big Mac, even though he just ate. It was nice that he didn't let Rose eat alone. Edward and I shared a Smartie McFlurry and Maria and Jasper each had a vanilla ice cream cone. Emmett sighed. "Now that was food." Making us all laugh.

We headed over to the theatre at about seven o'clock. Our choices were the comedy 'MacGruber,' which Emmett though looked hilarious, or 'Prince of Persia,' an action/adventure movie. Maria may have swooned while looking at the movie poster, causing Jasper to look a little more uncomfortable.

"Let's just take a vote." Rose said. We all agreed. "Everyone for the Jake Gyllenhall movie, raise your hand." Maria, Rose and I raised our hands instantly. Edward pinched my side, making me laugh. "Everyone for the comedy, raise your hand." Emmett and Jasper raised their hands.

"Edward, man, you have to pick." Emmett sighed.

Edward smiled at me and kissed my forehead. "I choose a happy girlfriend." He laughed. "Looks like we'll be watching 'Prince of Persia,' boys."


	111. Snuggle Date

**A/N - I'm glad you all like the date so far! Let's get right to it and finish the date! Thanks again for the reviews, alerts and favorites! Enjoy!**

Chapter 111 - Snuggle Date

Why Emmett was so concerned with which movie we would be seeing was beyond me. He and Rose made out for most of the two hour movie. While I was all for young love, I hoped it didn't make Jasper and Maria uncomforatble. Edward and I were sitting in between Jasper and Emmett, but it was hard not to notice. Edward would elbow Emmett in the back every fifteen minutes or so, which helped for a while.

Jasper and Maria were only fifteen years old, and this was their first relationship. I could relate to the new emotions they were dealing with, and I was glad they seemed to want to take things slow. Our society tended to push teens too fast into physical relationships. I was so lucky that Edward valued our love and relationship.

Edward had his right arm around me, and I had my head resting on his chest. I was not one to talk, though. I'm sure I paid more attention to the soothing beat of Edward's heart, than I did to the overly muscular frame of the actor on the big screen.

Jasper and Maria held a bag of popcorn between himself and Maria, and they would laugh every time their hands touched. It was really sweet. About halfway through the movie, with the popcorn gone, Jasper took Maria's hand in his, their fingers laced together.

When the movie was over, Rose, Maria and I all went to the bathroom before the trip home. "I can't believe you, Rose." Maria laughed. "I've never seen you like that before."

Rose blushed. "I can't help it around Emmett. He's so cute, I just want to kiss him all the time."

"I know the feeling." I giggled. It was nice to just be a girl and gush over my boyfriend.

After brushing our hair and reapplying our lip gloss for the ride home, we all went back out into the lobby to meet our boys. Edward immediately lifted my chin and leaned down to kiss my lips. His lips were like magnets to my strawberry lip gloss. "I can't wait to get home for our snuggle date." He whispered in my ear, before winking at me. He took my hand and we walked back out to the car. Edward opened my door for me, and then went over to talk to Emmett for second, likely to tell him to drive carefully.

Maria and Jasper got in, and a minute later, Edward joined us. We headed out on the highway to go home. It was quarter to ten and we would be getting home at about ten-thirty. The Hales had agreed to let the girls stay out passed their curfew because they were with us, but apparently, no more dates until school was out. Their mom wanted them to focus on studying for their exams. "We're still allowed to go to your baseball games, though, Jasper." Maria explained as we drove back into Forks' town limits.

"But, not the away games, right?" He confirmed.

She sadly agreed that they would not be joining us in Port Angeles the next day. "Bella, will you take lots of pictures for me tomorrow?" Maria asked, sounding a little panicked. "What if I miss something?"

Edward pulled up in front of the Hale's house behind Emmett, who was giving Rose a proper goodbye kiss in his truck. Jasper turned to Maria, taking her hands in his. "You won't miss anything, but I'll miss seeing you." He cleared his throat. "I had a really good time tonight."

Maria leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. "Me, too." She giggled. "See you on Monday." She opened her car door and slipped out. "Thanks for the ride Edward. Bye, Bella." She called as she ran up to the house. She turned and waved from the steps. Rose got out of the truck and waved at us, then ran to join her sister.

Once the girls got in the house, Emmett took off towards the Cullen house and Edward followed behind him. Jasper was quiet in the back seat. I turned to look at him and he had a smile on his face. "It was a good night, right?" I said to him.

"Yeah." He chuckled quietly. His cheeks were a little pink, and I was assuming that was the first time Jasper and Maria had kissed on the lips.

When we got back to the house, Jasper gave us, and his parents, a hug and then ran up to bed. We said our goodnights and headed up to bed, too.

"So." Edward said, pulling off his shirt. "Still up for snuggling?" I smiled at him, standing there in just his jeans.

"Absolutely." I giggled. I walked over to the drawer and pulled out my baseball shirt. "I'll be right back." I said, running my fingers lightly over his chest as I passed him. He shivered. I smiled to myself. It was nice that I had that much of an affect on Edward.

I changed into the shirt, which fit close to my body and hit just below my bum. I giggled thinking this must be why Edward wanted me to bring it for my night shirt. I brushed my teeth and brushed out my hair. I walked out into Edward's room. "Wow." He breathed. "You look gorgeous." He was sitting on the side of the bed in a pair of red plaid pyjama pants.

I blushed. "You do, Edward." I smiled, as he walked over to me. "Look at you." I ran my hands over his chest and then up to his shoulders. "You could be a model."

He started laughing when I said that. "But, I want to be a pharmacist." He pouted out his bottom lip, teasing me.

"Well, you're going to look pretty sexy in that white lab coat." I said, smiling at him.

"I'm glad you think so." He said, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "I'll be right back." He went into his bathroom.

I was a little cold, and I felt a little underdressed, so I snuck over to his drawer and pulled out another pair of his pyjama pants. Let's face it. The boy loved plaid, so I wasn't surprised to find about ten pairs. I slid on a blue pair, and they fit a little loose, but were really comfy. I crawled into Edward's bed and laid back on the pillows. He had such a comfortable bed. I would have to ask Esme where she got it, so we could get one just like it for our new apartment.

I heard the bathroom door, so I opened my eyes to look at Edward. He looked down at my legs and noticed they were covered now. He smiled at me. "Cold?" He asked, flicking out the lights, and crawling into bed beside me.

I snuggled into his bare chest and kissed it. "Exposed." I said quietly.

"Well, you look adorable in my flannel pants, so I can't complain." He chuckled. He leaned in for kiss. "This is okay, right? I mean, sleeping in my bed with me? I could always go sleep on the couch if you want some privacy."

"Edward." I said, running my fingers through his hair. "You promised me snuggles, and I'm collecting." I giggled, hoping to make him relax a little more. He worried too much.

He pulled me close to his chest, and leaned down to kiss my neck. He stroked my hair down my back with one hand, and the other, he ran his hand down my leg.

"You're a leg man, aren't you?" I teased. Since our trip to Phoenix, he had been touching my legs every chance he got. Not that I minded.

He laughed. "I think so, babe." He leaned in for a kiss. "But, I think I'm a Bella man, more than anything."

I tangled my legs with Edward's, and wrapped my arms around his waist, snuggling my head into his chest. I sighed. This was perfect. "I am so comfortable right now. I could lay here forever." I whispered.

He kissed my head. "Me, too. I love you so much, Bella." He kissed my forehead, then my cheeks, and finally, my lips.

"I love you, too." I kissed him again, before falling asleep in his warm arms.

I woke up to Edward placing kisses in my hair. "Good morning, my sleeping beauty."

I moaned and stretched. "Good morning, Edward." I turned and looked at him. "You smell amazing." I said.

"I just had a shower." He said. "Did you want to eat, or shower?"

I sat up and looked at him. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark green t-shirt. He looked casual, but absolutely amazing. "Maybe I'll get ready first. After we eat, I'd like to go home and pack for tonight." I got up and went to Edward's drawer, grabbing a black t-shirt, my underwear and my jeans. "I'll be right back." I turned and went into his bathroom to get ready.

I came back out into Edward's room, and found him packing for our weekend trip. "Bella, you're so pretty. I love you in jeans." He said, pulling me into his chest for a quick hug.

"The legs again, huh?" I teased.

He took my hand and twirled me around, so he could look at me. "It might be a butt thing in these jeans." He laughed. "Wow, babe." I laughed at him and shook my head. "You are that beautiful. Believe it." He whispered in my ear.

Edward took his duffle bag and his guitar, and we headed downstairs for breakfast. I was glad he was bringing his guitar. This was going to be a great weekend.


	112. Banana Bread

**A/N - Thank you all so much for staying with my story! I've just passed 200, 000 words! It's funny how easy it is to write that much when enjoy what you're writing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 112 - Banana Bread

After breakfast with the Cullens, I went up to Alice's room with her and combed her hair back into little pigtails. "What a perfect hairstyle for a baseball game." I told her. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks, Bella." She said, giving me a hug. "Do you want to see my fortune from my fortune cookie?"

"Sure." I said, sitting on her bed. Alice went over to her little pink jewellery box, and pulled out the small strip of paper. She came over and sat with me on the bed. "You will have a bright future." I read her fortune out loud. I kissed the top of her head. "I believe this one." I said, taking her hand and leading her back downstairs to say goodbye to Jasper.

Edward and I dropped Jasper off at the school, because he had to ride on the bus with the team to Port Angeles. Then, we went back to my house. My dad was just leaving the house to go back to work. I gave him a hug and told him we were going to Jasper's game this afternoon. I headed in the house, and Edward stayed outside to talk to my dad.

I went in the kitchen and noticed a bunch of bananas that were turning black. I smiled. Banana bread. I got out a bowl and the ingredients and started whipping up a double batch.

Edward finally walked into the kitchen. "What was that about?" I asked him, looking up from stirring, wondering why he needed to talk to my dad.

"Oh, I just wanted to tell him the plan for the weekend. You know, so he wouldn't worry about you." Edward said, sitting down at the table. That was so considerate of him.

"Thank you so much, Edward. That was sweet." I said, smiling at him. "What did he say?"

"He was cool with it. He just told us to have a good time. He thought it was a good idea that you get away and relax a little." Edward said, standing up and looking over my shoulder, as I mashed up the bananas in a bowl. "What are you making?"

"Banana bread." I smiled. "I thought I leave some here for my dad to eat over the weekend, and maybe we could take some to the hospital this morning."

"You are so sweet, baby." He said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders from behind.

"Well, they don't like the hospital food, Edward." I said, turning my head to kiss his cheek. "Let me just get these in the oven, then I'll go pack for the weekend."

"Sure, baby." He let me go and sat back in the chair. "I'll just enjoy the view." He said, making me laugh.

In about ten minutes, I had two banana loafs in the oven. "We need to wait for those to cook for an hour, then we can run up to the hospital." I said. Edward took my hand and led me up to my room. It was just after ten in the morning, so we would have plenty of time to check on Alec and Jake before we left for Port Angeles.

We laid down on my bed and Edward pulled me to his chest. "Edward?" I said. "Does it bother you that I want to go check on the guys at the hospital?"

"Of course not, baby." He said kissing the top of my head. "They're your friends and you're worried about them. I really think it's sweet. And they seem like nice guys, so I don't mind."

"Thanks, babe." I said. I had wanted to talk to Edward about my time at the hospital. I had never seen Edward jealous before, with the exception of our trail guide in Arizona, but I wanted to make sure he was okay with our visits. I was glad to hear that he was.

"So, do you want to pack for the weekend?" Edward asked.

"Sure." I said, getting up. "So, no hints as to wear we're going tonight?" I smiled at him.

He laughed. "Nope." He laid back on the bed with his hands behind his head.

"Stop looking so comfortable over there." I laughed, throwing a pair of jeans at him. "How am I supposed to know what to pack?"

"Hmm. Just bring these." He said, holding up my jeans. "And, a couple of tops and maybe a dress?" I laughed at him. He had no idea.

"Okay." I went to my closet and pulled out a black ruffled, chiffon dress, that hit my knees. It was pretty, but could be casual, too. I tossed that on the bed, then grabbed a black tank, a lightweight cardigan, a couple of t-shirts. I grabbed a couple pairs of underwear, a nice bra, and my Washington t-shirt and brought it all to the bed.

"I love watching you pack." Edward said with a smile.

"I'll bet you do." I teased. I put it all in my overnight bag, then packed my toiletries, and put that in the bag as well. "All ready, babe."

He smiled. "Great." He got up and took my bag, and we went downstairs. I took the banana bread from the oven and popped them out of the pans. I left one on the table with a note for my dad. I cut the second one in slices and made up two plates for the hospital, one for Alec, and one for Jake. I saved Edward and I each a slice. We sat at the table and ate ours with butter and a glass of milk. "Bella, that was amazing." Edward said, leaning in for kiss.

"Thanks, babe." I smiled at him. "It's nice to have an official taste tester."

"It's nice to be the official taste tester." Edward laughed.

We headed out to the hospital and headed up to Alec's room. "Hey, my favourite people." Alec said smiling. He had a loose white t-shirt on today.

"Hi, Alec." We said, sitting by his bed. "How's the rib?" Edward asked.

"It's still hurts." He said. "It's hard to move and to get up. But, I can't complain. I'll be out of here early next week. I feel bad for Black, though."

"Yeah, Jake seems bored up there already, but he needs to rest." I said.

"Hey, man. Bella was cooking again this morning." Edward said. "Banana Bread."

"Alright." Alec smiled. "God, you're a lucky man, Edward." Of course, I blushed.

"I know I am." Edward laughed. We set the plate of banana bread on his bedside table, and he dug in right away. We spent a half hour up in his room. Edward talked baseball with him for a while, and while I didn't really know a lot about what they were talking about, it was nice to see Edward and Alec getting along so well.

"Okay, Alec. We've got to run upstairs and see Jake, before we go to Port Angeles." I went over and gave him a hug. "We'll see you on Monday."

"Okay. Have a great weekend, and thanks again for the food." He smiled.

"I'll call my dad and make sure he brings you something tomorrow, okay?" I said as we walked to the door.

"Sounds good." He agreed. "See you guys, later." He said, picking up another slice of bread. I laughed at him as we went over to the elevator.

"Your dad works with some great guys." Edward said, taking my hand.

"He does." I smiled. "It makes me feel better about living out of town for school, when I know he's got a great group of friends and co-workers."

When we got up to the third floor, we ran into Paul. He was just leaving Jake's room. "Hey, guys." Paul said, giving me a hug, then giving Edward a handshake/hug.

"Hi, Paul." I said. "How are you doing?" I was worried about him, too, considering my dad said he should talk to someone after the incident.

"I'm doing okay." He said, unconvincingly. "Um, can I just talk to Edward for a minute?"

"Of course, Paul. I'll just be in with Jake." I said. I had absolutely no problem with the guys talking. Everyone needed a friend, and if Paul need to talk to Edward, I wasn't going to take it personally.

"Thanks, babe. I'll be right in." Edward said, kissing the top of my head. I patted Paul's arm, and went in to see Jake.

"Hey, Bella." Jake said, smiling at me. His eyes were a little red, and he looked really tired.

"Hi, Jake. I brought banana bread today." I said, trying to cheer him up. I could only assume that he and Paul had been talking about the shooting, and it had upset them both.

"Thanks." He laughed. "You're spoiling me." I set the plate in front of him.

"Oh, it's no problem. It makes me feel better when I can help." I admitted.

"I get it." He said. He looked down for a minute and the silence was a little awkward. "Bella. I need to say something to you." He sounded serious.

"Jake." I said. With that one word, I wanted to stop him from getting more upset.

"Bella, just let me say this." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I was a jerk to you. I made you uncomfortable the last few times you were at the station, and yet, you're here everyday. You brought me food and a balloon. I don't deserve it." I started to say something; to tell him not to worry about it and to focus on getting healed, but he lifted his hand slowly to stop me. "I liked you. From what I heard from your dad, you're amazing. When I met you, it just confirmed everything I thought I felt. But, you're with Edward, and I can see how much you love him and he loves you." He looked at me and grinned. "I just wanted you to know that I'm not a bad guy. I was just jealous, and I want to be friends, or whatever. You know, if you can forgive me?"

He looked into my eyes. I could see how sorry he was and that he meant what he said. I smiled back at him and reached out and squeezed his hand. "Of course, Jake. I forgive you, and I'd love to be friends." A huge smile broke out on his face. I could honestly say I had never seen him look that happy.

Edward knocked on the door, as he walked in. "Hey, guys." He said, sitting down beside me. "How you doing today, Jake?"

"Uh, about the same. Pretty tired." He said. "Actually, I feel like I might pass out soon." His voice sounded soft, and he was probably about to fall asleep.

"Okay, Jake. We'll let you rest. Hang in there, and we'll see you on Monday." I told him, standing up. I didn't want him to fight it. If he was tired, he should sleep.

"Yeah. Thanks guys." He slurred.

I patted his ankle as we left out the door. Jake's apology meant a lot to me. He explained his behaviour, and while I didn't like it, I understood.

Now, I had Jasper's game and a whole weekend to look forward to with Edward, and I couldn't be more excited.


	113. Away Game and Going Away

**A/N - Thanks again for the great reviews! Sorry I haven't replied in couple of days. I've been writing like a mad woman these last couple of days! I'll get back to you today! Enjoy!**

Chapter 113 - Away Game and Going Away

On the way out of the hospital, I told Edward about Jake's confession and apology. Edward nodded as I explained. "While I don't like the thought of another man liking you that way, I'm glad he's over it, and that he apologized." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "I could tell his behaviour bothered you, so I'm happy that you guys were able to work things out."

I smiled up at him. "Me, too." I was glad that wasn't getting jealous. He had nothing to worry about, and I was sure that he understood that.

We walked out to the car and Edward, always a gentleman, opened my door for me. As we drove back to his place, I asked him how Paul was doing. I wasn't going to pry and ask what he said to Edward. I saw Paul as a friend and I just wanted to make sure he was doing alright. "He's okay. I think it's just going to take him a little time. He saw two of his friends shot."

"He's lucky he has you." I said quietly. "He'll get through this, right?"

"I think so. I'd like to hang out with him when we get back. Maybe, he and I could play our guitars together or something; you know, to take his mind of things for a while." Edward thought out loud.

"I think that would be great." I said, smiling. "You would probably enjoy some guy time." I giggled.

Edward laughed. "Are you implying that I'm turning girly?" He asked as we pulled up to his house.

I leaned over and kissed him. "Of course not. You're the manliest man I know." I giggled.

He smiled back at me. "Good answer."

We ran inside to use the bathroom. We came back down the stairs to find the Carlisle and Esme waiting on the deck for us. Emmett had Alice on his back and was running around the front yard, making her giggle. "Do you want us to take those two?" Edward laughed, watching his brother and sister.

"Sure, if you don't mind?" Carlisle said.

"It's no problem. Enjoy the quiet." Edward laughed.

"How are the boys at the hospital?" Esme asked me as we walked towards the car.

"They're doing okay. Alec will be home in a couple of days, but I think Jake is having a hard time dealing with the shooting, more so even than his recovery." I told her. "I think he really likes our visits though." I smiled. "They liking talking to Edward, too."

"It's so nice you can be there for them, Bella." Esme gave me a hug. "Drive safe." She said, getting into the car with Carlisle.

Edward held open the passenger door for me. I leaned up and kissed his chin. "Emmett, your brother's holding the door for you." I called out. Edward laughed at me and shook his head.

"Awesome." Emmett said, running over. He kissed my cheek and got in the car. "You rock, Bella."

Edward opened the back door and I crawled in after Alice. "Sometimes, best friends just need to ride with each other. Right, Alice?" I said.

"Right." She said, with a huge smile.

Edward got in the car and we pulled out of the driveway after Carlisle. The forty-five minute drive to Port Angeles was so fun with Alice. She had so many stories to tell from school. "Bella, remember how I'm going to dance at the end of the year assembly at school?" She asked.

"Yes. Of course I remember." I told her.

"Well, guess who coming to watch me?" She asked, looking excited. "My nanny and grandpa. And, they're coming all the way from Chicago."

"What? I didn't know they coming to visit?" Edward sounded surprised, but happy.

"Oh, they just called this morning after breakfast." Emmett added. "I'm psyched." It was so cute how much the Cullen kids loved their grandparents.

"You are going to love nanny and grandpa, Bella." Alice said. "They are so nice, and grandpa always has candy in his pockets." I laughed with her. They sounded great. "Where do your grandparents live, Bella?"

"Oh, um. I don't have any, Alice. My only family are my mom and dad." I told her.

"Well, we have enough family to share, Bella. Seriously." Emmett laughed. Edward looked at me through the mirror and winked at me.

I knew that Edward was very close with his grandparents, Elizabeth and Edward Masen. I was actually really excited to meet them. If I had learned anything about Edward's family so far, it was that they were all amazing people. The Bella I was a month ago, would have been a nervous wreck, thinking of meeting Edward's grandparents, but the bond I had with Edward was even stronger now, and I knew his family only wanted what was best for Edward; what made him happy. I almost couldn't wait the two weeks for them to get here. I loved learning everything about Edward, and his family was a piece of him.

We pulled up to the baseball diamond in Port Angeles, and all got out of the car. Alice, Esme and I all ran to use the school bathrooms. When we came back, Carlisle, Edward and Emmett, had saved us some seats. We went to join them. "Hey, baby." Edward said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and leaning in for a quick kiss. "Are you hungry? We sort of skipped lunch, except for your delicious banana bread."

"Actually, yeah." I said, kissing him again. "I'll have whatever you want, Edward."

"Okay. I'll be right back." Edward said, getting up. "Come on, Em. Food run." We all laughed, and little Alice ran to go with them.

"Oh, look. Jasper team is batting first." Esme pointed out at the line up of guys. Jasper looked up at the stands, and waved when he saw us. I pulled my camera out of my purse and snapped a picture of him in the line-up for Maria. I had promised to take pictures for her.

Edward came back and sat beside me. He had a huge Styrofoam tray of French fries covered in gravy, with two forks and a huge coke. "Is this okay?" He said, with a big smile on his face.

"It's perfect." I said, stabbing my fork into the fries and shoving a huge forkful into my mouth. I was trying not to laugh as I chewed, because Edward was laughing at me.

He picked up a napkin and wiped my face. "Gravy." He winked at me. We kept eating as the game started. We all cheered when Jasper came up to bat. He hit a groundball out past the shortstop which got him to first base. I put my fork down and snapped a photo of him standing on the base.

The Port Angeles Roughriders played a good game, but Jasper and his team were phenomenal as usual, and took the game 7-2. Jasper came over, and Edward and I gave him a quick hug. "You were great, bro." Edward said, patting his back. I snapped a quick picture of them together.

"Sorry, Jasper. I promised Maria." I laughed.

"That's okay. I understand." He said, blushing a little. He ran off with the team to hit the showers.

The rest of the Cullens came over to give us hugs. Apparently, Edward and I were officially starting our weekend together from here. We weren't going back to Forks.

It was almost five o'clock by the time we got in the car and headed east. "So, my sweet, gorgeous, sexy boyfriend." I said with a smile. "Are you going to tell me where we're going now?"

He looked so excited. "Well, I have to say I like the bribery." He laughed. "Okay, I'll tell you. We're going to a bed and breakfast in Port Townsend. It's a historical little place right on the beach."

Tears welled up in my eyes. "Edward." I cried. "I can't believe you planned this for us."

"Aw. Baby, don't cry." He said, reaching over to squeeze my hand. "It's only forty-five minutes from Port Angeles."

"I just can't over how perfect you are." I said, wiping my eyes.

We drove into the beautiful town at about quarter to six. The streets were lines with Victorian buildings. It was quaint and just gorgeous. We pulled up to a beautiful two story mansion, the Commander's House, and Edward parked the car. The house was white with forest green shutters. I could see the ocean from the house. It was incredible. A light wind came off of the water, and the salty sea air blew through my hair. This was going to be an amazing weekend.


	114. Port Townsend

**A/N - A million thanks for all the reviews and hits! Hugs all around! Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for...Edward and Bella's weekend! Enjoy!**

Chapter 114 - Port Townsend

Edward put our bags over his shoulder and his guitar with one hand, and held my hand in his other. We walked into the bed and breakfast and checked in. The woman led us up to our room on the second floor, 'The Island View Room.' It was a homey room with a beautiful seaside view. The walls were beige and there were white and burgundy accents. There was a queen size sleigh bed, a couple of wicker chairs and a dresser. The bathroom was just down the hall. Edward set down our bags and his guitar, and took my hand, leading me over to the bed.

We both crawled onto it and laid back. I curled into his arms and turned my face up to his. "Thank you for this." I said, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you."

"You're so welcome, baby. I know you've been stressed, and I just wanted to take you away from everything." Edward said, leaning in to deepen the kiss. He stared kissing a trail down my neck, before resting his head on my chest. He laughed to himself. "I've never been to a bed and breakfast before. It's not just something for old people, is it?"

I giggled, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "I don't think so. But, I wouldn't know. I've never done anything like this, either."

"Are you hungry? I guess it's just a short walk to town." Edward said, running his fingers lightly over my stomach.

"Yeah. That sounds nice." I said, sitting up. Edward rolled onto his back. "I don't have to change, do I?"

"No, baby. We'll just do something casual. But, you look beautiful." He smiled.

"Thanks, Edward." I crawled over him and got off of the bed. "I'm just going to go freshen up quickly." I set my duffle bag on one of the chairs and grabbed my brush and makeup bag. I slipped out into the hall and then went into the bathroom. I washed my face and put on some light makeup. I brushed out my hair and put it up into a messy bun. I used the bathroom, and then headed back to our room.

Edward was putting all of our clothes in the dresser. "Do you want your sweater, babe?" He asked, holding my cardigan out to me. "It feels pretty cool here."

"Yeah, okay." I said, walking over to him and taking the sweater, before wrapping my arms around him. I looked up at his face he smiled down at me. He leaned in for quick kiss and then smiled.

"I love you so much, angel." He said, wrapping me tightly in his strong arms. I loved how protected I felt in his arms. I already felt light and relaxed and we had only here for twenty minutes. I marvelled at how Edward knew exactly what I needed. "Let me just run to the bathroom, and then we'll go eat, okay?" I reluctantly let him go. After he left, I went over to the window and looked out at the ocean. It really was beautiful here. I heard the door open and Edward came back in the room and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. "Ready?"

We walked hand in hand down the stairs and out of the B&B. We walked a few blocks down the historic Washington Street, passed the City Hall and a beautiful theatre, until we came across the Fountain Café. We went in and what struck me, was the sheer amount of artwork displayed throughout the building. It was very casual, though and had a relaxed atmosphere.

We were seated at a cozy table by the window. We both ordered the hazelnut-crusted chicken because it sounded so good. It came with crispy fried potatoes and veggies. We made the choice. The food was great. I was surprised to find that they served such great food in a casual setting. "Okay, babe. This weekend is for you, so you tell me what you want to do tomorrow. We can go shopping, whale watching, take the historic walking tour, or just sit on the beach and relax." He laughed. "Or, we could hang out with the seniors at our Bed and Breakfast. I think I saw Scrabble in the living room on the way out."

I giggled. "I really don't care what we do. I just love being with you." I looked down at my plate. "It's funny because we're with each other almost twenty-four hours a day, and I still can't get enough of you."

"It must be love." He said, reaching across the table to take my hand. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Thank you, Edward. That was great." I said, as we got up to leave. Edward left some money on the table and we walked back out to the street. We held hands and walked up the streets, just enjoying the gorgeous architecture and the breathtaking scenery. You could see mountains past the Puget Sound. It was incredible. And being here with Edward only amplified the experience.

We got back to the bed and breakfast at about eight o'clock. We went up to our room and Edward took two wool blankets out of the closet, passing them to me, and then picked up his guitar. We walked back out and ended up on the beach. There were a few white beach chairs lining the sandy seaside. I sat down, tucking my feet under me, and covered up in a blanket. Edward turned and plucked a small white daisy that was growing wild among the grasses. He turned to me, tucking the flower behind my ear. "Beautiful." He whispered.

Edward sat in the chair beside me and opened his guitar case. He gently lifted his guitar out of the case and started to strum. I sighed, feeling perfectly relaxed and happy. I loved watching him play. It was like I cold see right into his mind and soul when he had that guitar in his hands.

Edward looked over at me and winked, making my heart flutter. He played for almost an hour, sometimes singing, sometimes not. As the sun started to set, Edward put his guitar back in the case and sat back in his chair. "Come here, babe." He said, holding out his arms. I hopped out of my chair and sat sideways across his lap, covering us both in the blanket. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. I laid my head down on his chest and he rested his head on mine. "I love you, Bella." He whispered.

"I love you, Edward." I said, kissing his chest.

We sat there on the beach until the sun was long gone and it became black outside. It was cold, with the breeze coming off of the water, but I was so warm. Edward rubbed his hand down my back. "Are you ready to go in?" He asked quietly, almost as if he didn't want to interrupt the silence.

"Yeah." I said, holding back a yawn. I looked up at his face and his eyes were sparkling, even in the darkness. "Thank you for singing to me." I placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"Anytime, baby." He said, kissing me again. I reluctantly climbed off of Edward and draped the blankets over my arm. Edward picked up his guitar and we walked back to the house, hand in hand.

When we got back into our room, I realized that the bed and breakfast was a lot different from the hotels we had stayed in in the past. I couldn't just run to the bathroom to change, unless I wanted to walk down the hallway in my nightshirt. But those t-shirts were for Edward's eyes only. I slid off my shoes and unzipped my jeans, pulling them off. Edward was sitting on the bed, looking stunned. His face looked torn, like he felt he should look away, but didn't. I slipped my shirt over my head, blushing at my own boldness. I walked over to the dresser and pulled out my night shirt, slipping it over my bra and underwear. I reached under my shirt undoing the clasp, and sliding my bra out of my shirt sleeve. I took the flower from my hair and set it on the dresser. I took my hair down and shook it out gently with my fingers.

"God, Bella." Edward sighed. He slipped his shirt and jeans off, leaving him in just his black boxers. He pulled back the blanket and flicked off the light, climbing back into bed. I joined him, and was immediately met by his passionate lips. He kissed my lips and neck, before pulling the shirt collar down over my shoulder to kiss me there. His gentle hands were everywhere, and I had never felt so loved and wanted in my entire life.

We touched and explored each other for what seemed like hours and seconds at the same time. Time had no place here. I felt safe in the cover of darkness, but even safer in Edward's arms. I had never felt love like this. We finally drifted off to sleep, but my dreams were not in my mind, they were held by the man laying next to me.

I woke up to the sun shining brightly through the open windows. Unfortunately, I was alone. I turned and looked at Edward's pillow, and saw a bunch of purple flowers tied with twine. I lifted them to nose and smiled. Lavender.

I climbed out of bed and slid on my clothes from yesterday. I opened the drawer and pulled out a pair of jeans, my tank and sweater. I heard the door open behind me and turned to see a freshly showered Edward walking back in the room. "Good morning, angel." He said, walking over to me, kissing me gently on the lips.

"Good morning, Edward." I said back. "Thank you for the flowers. They smell amazing."

"I'm glad you like them, babe." He smiled at me before he sat down on the bed, looking gorgeous as usual, in a pair of black jeans and white polo shirt with navy blue stripes. "They're serving breakfast in about a half hour."

"Oh, okay. I better get ready then, huh?" I laughed.

"Well, you look gorgeous as you are, but if you must." He teased. "I'm going to run out and pick something up. I should be back before you're ready." He said, standing up and leaning in for a kiss. He took my hand and walked me to the bathroom, before jogging down the stairs.

As I showered, I blushed thinking of last night. Edward was so passionate, yet his touch was delicate and careful. He was perfect for me. I left my hair damp, running a little mousse through it and throwing it back into a loose braid. I slipped on my jeans and tank, and put my light sweater over top. I brushed my teeth, and just put on some lip gloss. I walked back into our room to drop off my things, and saw Edward laying on the bed with his eyes closed. I walked up to him and traced my fingers on his cheeks. He smiled, reaching his hand up to hold mine, and bring it to his lips. He placed a quick kiss on the inside of my wrist, before sitting up. "You look amazing." He smiled. "Let's go eat." We held hands and walked down the stairs together, ready to start our Sunday together in Port Townsend.


	115. A Boat and A Board Game

**A/N - Thanks again for everything! Summer Vacation just passed 1200 reviews! Wow! **

**Happy Saturday! I hope you are all having a great weekend! Let's check on Edward and Bella's weekend in Port Townsend, shall we? Enjoy!**

Chapter 115 - A Boat and A Board Game

When we got downstairs, the innkeeper let us know that because of the sunny weather, we would be dining out on the veranda. We walked out and sat down, joining the other three couple that were there. When Edward looked around, he chuckled a little and it seemed like he was holding back his laughter. I looked behind me and noticed that the other guests, were indeed all older couples. Last night, Edward had wondered if B&B's were for older people. I giggled a little, making Edward totally lose it. We sat at our table laughing hysterically. I was wiping tears from my eyes. Two of the couples looked at us with nostalgic smiles, while the other couple frowned at us, likely for being so loud. I gave them a friendly smile, hoping to appease them.

The innkeeper brought out omelettes and a plate of toast. There was a bowl of fruit salad, a pitcher of orange juice on the table, as well as a small bowl of jams, jellies and butter. She came back with coffee and poured Edward a cup. As we ate, we looked out and enjoyed the beauty of this Maritime community. "Babe." Edward chuckled. "I'm sorry about this. I'll try to find somewhere a little more youthful, or age appropriate, for us next time."

"Edward. Don't be silly. I love this." I smiled at him, taking his hand and squeezing it. "So, what do you want to do today?"

"Oh, well, I bought us tickets for whale watching. We were a little busy last night to really talk about what we were going to do, so I went this morning and bought our tickets." He winked at me and I blushed. "Do you want to go?"

"That sounds fun. Yeah. Let's do it." I said, gulping down the last of my juice.

We went back to our room and I picked up my purse and put on my sweater. Edward pulled on his grey hoodie, and then wrapped his arms around me. "You doing okay this morning?" He asked, referring to our adventures in bed last night.

I looked up at his face and smiled. "I'm doing great. I feel amazing and so loved."

He squeezed me tightly. "You are loved. So, that was okay? I didn't push things too far?"

"No. It was perfect, Edward, really." I said, taking his hand. "But, thanks for checking." I leaned up and kissed his chin. "Come on, let's go watch some whales." I giggled. I was glad things weren't awkward this morning.

He took my hand and we walked out to the port. The whale watching tours left from the port just around the corner from the bed and breakfast. We walked up and boarded the Olympus, the high speed tour boat. There were about twelve other people on the tour, mostly couples, but there were a few families with school aged children. They told us we could sit inside or out, and there was a snack bar and a bathroom. When they said that, Edward chuckled and squeezed my hand. I pinched his leg, making him laugh even more. I couldn't help it that I always had to use the bathroom. We chose to sit inside for a while, until we got further out. Apparently, it was a four hour tour. We would be back at two this afternoon.

We sat by the windows and watched the scenery go by as we headed north. Edward wrapped his arm around me and I snuggled into his chest. Edward kissed the top of my head, and lightly ran his hand up and down my arm. It was peaceful and comfortable. The guide told us about the sea life and talked about the whales. When we got an hour out, they turned on a speaker and let us hear the whales. They were singing, and we could hear them through the hydrophone. It was incredible. Edward and I both had huge smiles on our faces. I loved that we experiencing so many things together. We listened to them for about twenty minutes, before we were all called out on the deck.

Edward took my hand and we walked up to the rails. I leaned against it, and Edward stood behind me, placing an arm on either side of me. We looked out and saw a killer whale surfacing to the top of the waves. It sprayed a mist out of its blowhole. I pulled my camera out of my purse and snapped a picture of it. Just then, three more whales came to the surface. Edward leaned down and kissed my neck. "They're beautiful, huh?"

"They are. It's amazing." I said, in awe of the beauty of these creatures. We watched them jumping for about an hour. I took so many pictures of them. Edward asked the guide to take a picture of us on the boat, with the whales behind us. It turned out beautifully. As the boat headed back towards Port Townsend, the whale sightings became fewer in number.

Edward and I went back inside to use the bathrooms and get a quick snack. I snuggled back into Edward, a little cold from being outside in the wind. Edward kissed my head. I was so happy that he suggested this. It was a great experience.

When we got back to the port, Edward and I stopped to get hotdogs, and then went and sat on the beach to eat them. Edward had laid his hoodie down for us to sit on. After we ate, I called my dad to check on him and let him know that we were doing good. I also asked him if he would bring the guys a snack today at the hospital. "I sort of promised them." I admitted, with a laugh. He agreed and I told him we would see him tomorrow.

After I hung up, Edward and I laid back in the sand and looked up at the clouds. "I've had an amazing time here so far, Edward." I said.

"I'm glad. I just wanted to take you away from everything for a while." Edward said, bringing my hand to his lips.

"I love you so much. Dinner, the house, breakfast on the veranda, and now the whales, have all been amazing. You are amazing." I rolled into his side and wrapped my arm around his stomach.

"It has been great so far. I'm glad you're having such a great time. I didn't want to take you too far away, but far enough that it was just us." He turned onto his side to face me. We laid on the beach, kissing and smiling at each other. "Do you want to go up the room for a while. I was thinking we could relax for an hour or so, then maybe walk to dinner, then walk along the pier?"

"That sounds good, Edward." I said, sitting up. "I am a little tired."

"Tired, huh?" He said, standing up. "Get on my back, and I'll carry you in."

I laughed. "What will the seniors think of us?"

Edward started laughing again. "It doesn't matter to me what they think. But, I have an idea." He crouched down and I wrapped my arms and legs around him. He stood up and walked us back to the house. He took a detour through the gardens, and under a vine covered archway, before going back into the house.

We passed through the living room, getting a few looks from the other guests, where Edward snatched a board game from the bookshelf, and then walked up the stairs. We went back in our room and found that the bed had been made and the room tidied up. I slid down Edward's back, slipped off my jeans and climbed on the bed. "So, we're playing Trivial Pursuit?" I asked him, looking at the game he brought with us.

"Nope." He said, smiling. "I just wanted them to think that."

He pulled off his shirt and jeans and crawled into the bed with me. We snuggled close into each other and closed our eyes. "I love being in your arms, Edward." I whispered.

"I love you being in my arms." He whispered back, before leaning down to kiss my neck. "You are so beautiful." He said softly between kisses. His hands trailed down my body, and we picked up where we left off last night.

My stomach growled making me blush and Edward chuckle. "My girl's hungry." Edward said, rolling off me. "Let's go somewhere nice. I want to see you in that pretty dress you packed."

"You're insatiable, Edward." I giggled, getting up and going to the dresser to get it out. I closed the curtains so I could change. I took off my tank and then turned away from Edward to put on a better bra, then slipped on the dress. "Well, do you like it?" I asked, smiling.

"I love it. You're gorgeous." He said, getting up to kiss me. "So, what should I wear?"

"What did you pack?" I asked opening his drawer. He had a white t-shirt, and an olive green, ribbed sweater. I laughed. "Well, Edward. This is an easy one. Sweater tonight, t-shirt tomorrow."

"Beautiful and smart." He said, as he slipped the sweater over his head. "How did I get so lucky?"

I laughed at him. "I have no idea." I teased, making Edward laugh. I sat on the bed and took the braid out of my hair, running my fingers through the loose waves, as Edward pulled his jeans back on. He sat on the bed beside me to pull on his shoes. I grabbed my makeup bag and headed to the door. "I'll be right back."

He just winked at me, and he put his wallet in his back pocket. I went into the bathroom, brushed my teeth and put on some mascara and lip gloss. I used the bathroom, and then went back into our room. Edward was on the phone. "Yeah, we're going to stay tonight, too." He laughed at something, and looked up and me and mouthed 'Emmett.' I nodded. Emmett was hilarious, and like the brother I had always wanted. "Okay, we'll be home tomorrow. Yeah. Tell everyone we love and miss them, too. Okay. Bye."

He clicked off his phone and stood up, leaning down to kiss off my lip gloss. Oh well, I thought. It was for him anyway. He took my hand and we walked down the stairs to start our last night in Port Townsend.


	116. Dinner and Dancing

**A/N - Thanks again for the great reviews and messages. I love to talk about my fanfic. Just ask my sister! **

**Also, I have a new fanfic. It's called 'College and Cowboys' and I just posted the first chapter last night. I only plan on updating it once a week, Saturday night. That way, it won't get in the way of 'Summer Vacation,' which will still be updated daily.**

**Thanks again for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 116 - Dinner and Dancing

We asked the innkeeper if she knew of a nice place for dinner and she told us to try the Silverwater Café. It was just about a block from where we had eaten last night, so we decided to walk again. This town was great. We never had to drive anywhere.

Edward took my hand and we walked down Water Street, looking out at the pier and the water. "This is a great little town." Edward said, as we walked. "I like it."

"I do, too." I mused. "It's so cozy and artsy, yet it has this open and free aspect to it because of the water."

"Huh. I never thought of it that way. You're right, though." Edward said smiling at me.

We got to the restaurant and were seated by the window, overlooking the water. The restaurant was designed with warm, rich woods, stained glass windows and bright green plants. It was beautiful inside.

We had iced teas while we looked over the menu. I decided on the Washington Apple Salad with grilled chicken, and Edward got the Stuffed Pork. Edward looked up at me and smiled. "You look so beautiful tonight, angel." He reached across the table and ran his fingers through my hair. "I love your hair like this."

I blushed at the attention. "Thank you, Edward."

"And, I love that you still blush around me." He said, smiling. "Gorgeous." He took my hand and kissed the back of it. "This weekend has been amazing. I'm so glad you agreed to come with me."

"I'm glad I did. It was nice to get away, like a real holiday. I mean, I loved hanging out with my mom and Angie, but this was special. Just us." I tried to explain how much I enjoyed this weekend with him.

"Just us." He repeated with a smile. The waiter brought our food then, and it looked delicious. My salad was amazing and had walnuts, apples, blue cheese, and grilled chicken on top. Edward's pork was stuffed with cheese, pears and apples and came with garlic mashed potatoes. It was so good. He kept feeding me bites of his food from across the table. I thought it was very romantic.

While we ate, Edward and I talked about our weekend so far. "I love when you play your guitar for me." I said. "You have such a beautiful soul, Edward."

He chuckled. "Now, you're going to make me blush."

"It's true, Edward." I said. "Just like when I look into your eyes, your voice is like a window into your mood and your heart. It really is incredible."

"I really love you, Bella. I love how much you understand me." Edward said, smiling at me. "Do you want to get dessert and go eat it back at the Commander's House?"

"Yeah. That sounds great." I said. "I'm just going to run freshen up." I winked at him, kissing his cheek as I walked passed him.

I went and used the bathroom and reapplied my lip gloss. I came back to the table and noticed Edward had a large white paper bag sitting on the table in front of him. "Bought the whole dessert menu, huh?" I laughed, sitting back down.

"Of course, my darling." He laughed. "I'll be right back." He said, getting up to go to the washroom. When Edward came back, he took the bag and my hand, and we walked out to the street. It was a warm night and still light out. We took our time walking back along the historic streets and the pier. We got back to the bed and breakfast and we noticed a beautiful wooden swing in the gardens that looked out to the water. "Do you want to eat on the swing? Edward asked.

"Sure. That's perfect." I said. We sat down and Edward opened the bag.

"Okay, babe." Edward chuckled. "What's your pleasure? The classic blackberry pie or the chocolate espresso cheesecake?" He was holding two boxes.

"Mmm. They both sound so good." I laughed. "I can't choose."

"We're on vacation. Let's have both." He smirked. He sat back sideways on the bench, and I sat between his legs, leaning back on his chest. I took the first box, the cheesecake, and held it in front of me. Edward reached around me, scooping a piece of cake with the plastic fork and slowing bringing it to my lips as I opened my mouth.

"Oh, Edward." I moaned. "That is so good."

Edward laughed. "Bella, what will the elderly couples think if you keep saying things like that." He leaned down and kissed my neck. I started laughing hysterically. "You are so cute, baby." He whispered, taking a bite of the cheesecake. "Oh, that is amazing."

"Told you." I laughed. We finished the slice of cheesecake, Edward alternating between feeding me a bite, and them himself.

"Do you want the pie, now?" Edward asked, turning my head to kiss my lips.

"Um, can we take a break?" I asked.

"Sure, come on." Edward said. We stood up and he led us down the garden path to the sandy beach. We slipped off our shoes, and Edward pulled me to his chest, wrapped one arm around my waist and took my right hand in his. He was trying to dance with me on the beach, but I kept stepping on his feet.

The sun was setting and cast an orange glow on the water. "Come here, honey." He said, leaning down and grabbing behind my legs. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he lifted me off of the ground. "Wrap your legs around me."

"Edward. I'm wearing a dress." I said.

"Come on. No one is out here. It's a private beach, and the other house guests are probably in bed." He said.

"Fine." I sighed, wrapping my legs around his small waist, and crossing my ankles. Edward slid his hands up to rest on my bum.

"To hold you up?" He chuckled, when I looked at him in surprised.

I leaned forward and kissed him. "Okay." I rested my head on his shoulder, and he proceeded to dance us around the beach.

We danced until the sun went down. "Do you want to head in?" He asked, quietly.

"No. I don't want this night, or this weekend, to be over." I sighed, before placing a kiss on his neck.

"I know. It's been perfect." He said. "But it's not over, yet." He slid his hands down my legs to my ankles and unwrapped my legs from him. He lowered me down. "Wait right here." He said, before jogging up to the garden. I sat down in the soft sand, and a minute later, Edward jogged back with the bag from the restaurant. "We still have pie." He smiled, sitting down beside me.

"I'm so full, I'm surprised you could even lift me." I said, setting my hand on my stomach.

"Oh, come on, Bella. You are as light as a feather." He smiled at me, before taking the pie out of the bag. He cut off a piece with the fork. "Open." He said, holding the fork up to my mouth.

I laughed at him, before opening my mouth. He slid the fork out of my mouth. "You have perfect lips, babe." He said leaning over to kiss me.

We finished the slice of pie, the same way we had with the cheesecake. It was delicious as well. I flopped back in the sand. "I'm never eating again." I sighed.

Edward laughed, laying beside me, on his side. He reached over to run his fingers though my hair. "We should go to bed." He whispered. "You look like you're going to fall asleep."

I opened my eyes. "Well, you did stuff me full of pastries." I laughed, reaching up to stroke his cheek.

"I know. I like watching you eat." He chuckled. "Plus, I like to spoil you." He admitted.

"You are so sweet." I said, lifting my head to kiss his lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too, angel." He leaned in for another kiss. "Let's go up to our room."

We got up off the sand and carried our shoes, back to the bed and breakfast. We walked up to our room, the lights mostly out in the inn. We each took turns using the bathroom, the other waiting the hall, before going hand in hand back to our room.

Edward pulled his sweater over his head, and then slid his jeans off. He walked over to me, wrapping his arm behind me, and undoing the zipper on my dress, letting it fall to the floor. I was left standing in front of him in my bra and underwear. "You are so beautiful." He said softly, leaning down to kiss my shoulder. He grabbed his white t-shirt from the drawer and slipped it over my head. I wiggled around in his shirt, taking off my bra, and setting it on the dresser.

He pulled me to the bed, and we climbed in together. He pulled me close to his body and wrapped me tightly in his arms. I closed my eyes, exhausted from our day. It felt so good to lay in his arms. "Goodnight, baby." He said, tracing his fingers up and down my back, until I drifted off to sleep.


	117. Checking Out

**A/N - I'm so excited that you all seemed to enjoy Bella and Edward's weekend together. I absolutely loved writing it. Thanks again for all of your support: reviews, faves, alerts and hits! I'm amazed everyday! Enjoy!**

Chapter 117 - Checking Out

I was woken up Monday morning, the best possible way. Edward's lips. He was placing delicate kisses all over my face. I smiled and stretched my arms above my head, then wrapped them around his neck. He smelled amazing, so I knew he had already showered. "I love you, Edward." I whispered.

"I love you, too, angel." He said. "Do you want to get up?"

"No." I said, keeping my eyes closed, but smiling at him. He chuckled.

"Honey, you're wearing my last t-shirt." He laughed.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. He was sitting on the bed in only a pair of jeans. I traced my fingers over his bare chest. "Maybe I don't want to give it back. I like you like this." I smiled.

"Okay. I'll just go to breakfast this way." He said, smirking at me.

"Do we have to leave?" I pouted, sitting up.

"Yeah." He sighed. "I don't really want to either. This looks like a great town and we only saw a small part of it. We'll have to come back, sometime."

I crawled out of bed and went to my drawer, pulling out a pair of jeans and a purple t-shirt. "I'd like that." I smiled at him.

I pulled on my jeans and turned away from Edward, again, pulling off his shirt and tossing it behind me, over my head. I slipped on his hoodie and zipped it up, before turning around. Edward smiled at me, before slipping the t-shirt over his head. "It's a little wrinkled." I giggled.

"No big deal. I'll be wearing my hoodie, when you're done with it." He said with a smirk. "It looks like it's going to rain today."

"Okay, I'll just get a quick shower." I said, grabbing my things and heading out to the hallway, and then the bathroom. I showered, put my damp hair up in ponytail, got dressed and brushed my teeth before heading back to our room.

Edward had our overnight bags on the bed. He was taking a final look through everything when I walked in. "Your hoodie." I said, passing it to him.

"Thanks, babe." He said, slipping it on. "I think I packed everything." He said, leaning down to kiss me.

"Thanks, Edward." I said, adding my shampoo and toothbrush to my bag. I slipped on my sweater and pulled Edward by his hand to the large chair by the window. He sat down and I sat on his lap.

"Aren't you hungry?" He asked, wrapping his arms around me.

"Starving." I admitted. "But, I just want a few more minutes of just us." I said, resting my head on his chest.

We sat there for about five minutes, quietly, just listening to the sound of our breathing. "Okay, you." Edward said, pinching my sides. "You're going to fall asleep." Edward said, standing us up.

He took my hand and we went down to have breakfast. We decided to eat inside the dining room today, as it looked like it was going to rain anytime now. Today, we had warm croissants, crispy bacon and cantaloupe. We sat by the window, enjoying the great view one last time. There were white caps on the water today and the sky was grey, but the scenery was still beautiful.

"I'm excited to meet your grandparents, Edward." I said, as he was finishing his second cup of coffee.

He smiled, setting his cup down, and taking my hands in his. "I can't wait for you to meet them. They are going to love you." He chuckled. "My nanny loves cooking, so you'll get along with her famously. And, my grandpa is a big softy. We have a really close bond with each other. I can't really explain it, but he's just a good guy to the core."

"They sound amazing." I smiled. "I've always missed having that bond, you know. Someone besides your parents to spoil you, and show you unconditional love."

Edward squeezed my hand. "You have a beautiful soul, Bella." He said. "You treasure the things in life that so many people take for granted. I love seeing the world through your eyes. I know I always say this, but my family loves you, too, baby. I want you to think of them as yours." He smirked at me. "And one day, when we're ready, they will be yours."

I smiled at this and tried to hold back my tears. I really did feel the love and acceptance that I had always craved, from Edward's family. He reached up and gently stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers. "I love you." He whispered. He got up, and took my hand, leading me back to our room to get our bags.

I check the drawers one last time, and then ran to the bathroom quickly. Edward took our bags and his guitar downstairs to check out. I splashed some water on my face. I hated getting too sentimental about things. I didn't want to cry all the time. It was just sometimes I felt an emotional overload dealing with all the love that had been introduced to my life over the last couple of months.

I came downstairs to meet up with Edward. We thanked the innkeeper and then went out to the car. Edward loaded up his guitar and our bags in the trunk. He opened my door for me and I got in. "I'll be right back." He said, kissing my forehead. I watched as he walked back inside and then came out with a pair of scissors in his hand, and the innkeeper behind him. He walked through the garden and snipped off a cluster of lilac flowers, before turning and talking to the innkeeper, and giving her back the scissors. He jogged back to the car, and got in. He turned and faced me. "Here are your flowers." He smiled, passing me the small bunch of lilacs. "I wanted you to have something from the bed and breakfast."

I smiled and leaned over to kiss him. "Thank you. They're beautiful." I said, bringing them up to my nose.

Edward pulled out and we drove downtown. "Did you want to look in some of the shops for an hour or so before we go home?" He asked.

"Oh, um, yeah. That sounds fun." I said. It seemed Edward didn't want to end our vacation either. We parked and walked up the street, stopping in some gift shops and antique stores. We found a great shop that sold dinnerware. They had some beautiful patterns and we both like the blue set with yellow and white accents. Each box came with four each of dinner plates, bowls, dessert plates and coffee mugs. We decided to get two sets for our new apartment. They were eighty dollars for each set. "I'll buy them." I said.

"No, Bella. Let me get them for you." Edward replied.

"Edward." I whined. "You just paid for this entire weekend. Let me buy the dishes."

"But, I like to take care of you." He said, pouting.

"I know you do. And I like when you take care of me, but I have money saved up for rent, and we're saving money now that we're living together in the fall, so I can buy these." I countered.

He smiled at me. "I love you so much." He said, kissing the top of my head. "Can I at least carry them to the counter for you?"

I laughed. "Yes, you can. And I love you, too. Thank you for letting me do this for us."

"I'm just old fashioned, that's all." Edward explained, as we walked out to the car. It took him two trips to bring out the boxes. They were so heavy. He moved our bags to the back seat to make room for the dishes.

We kept walking up the street and it started sprinkling. We ended up at candy and ice cream shop. Edward bought a huge bag of treats for Cullen kids and bag of gummy bears for me. "Let's get ice cream." He said, smiling.

"Edward. It's freezing." I giggled. He unzipped his hoodie and wrapped it around my shoulders. I slipped my arms though and he zipped it up.

"Okay. Let's try this again. Bella, would you like some ice cream?" He laughed.

I laughed with him. "I would love some ice cream, Edward. Thank you."

We went to look in the freezer. Edward picked Amaretto Hazelnut and I had Oreo Cookie. We looked outside and the rain was starting to pick up, so we decided to eat at one of the little wrought iron tables inside. We were the only people in the shop, but considering it was a rainy Monday morning, that wasn't too surprising.

It was pouring rain by the time we finished our treat. "Are you ready to make a run for it?" Edward asked, lifting his hood over my head.

"Are you sure you don't want your sweater?" I asked as we walked to the door.

"I'm sure." He smiled, leaning in for a quick kiss. He took my hand in his and opened the door with the other, running out into the rain. We were only about a block from the car, but by the time we got in, we were soaked. I shrugged off Edward's wet hoodie and was relatively dry, except for my jeans. Edward's t-shirt was stuck to his chest and drenched. He started the car and cranked the heat on high. We were both shivering. He started driving towards the highway.

"Edward. You're soaked. You can't drive home like this." I said.

"I know. Just let me get out of town, and then I can pull onto the shoulder and change." He explained.

We drove out of town for about fifteen minutes. There was hardly any traffic, so Edward pulled off the road and parked, turning on his flashing lights. I leaned into the back seat and rummaged through our bags. I grabbed a pair of jeans for myself, found Edward's sweater he wore to dinner last night and a dry pair of jeans and passed them to him. He peeled his wet t-shirt off and slipped his sweater on. Then he toed off his shoes and lifted his hips, pulling off his wet jeans. While he wiggled around in his seat, trying to pull on his dry jeans, I took his wet clothes and put them on the floor by my feet. I unzipped and pulled off my own jeans, adding them to the pile, before putting on the dry pair. I dumped out the candy Edward bought on the backseat and put our wet clothes in the plastic bag.

I leaned back in my seat and sighed. "That was way too much work." I giggled.

He laughed, running his fingers through his wet hair. "But, a memorable ending to our weekend." I had to agree with that. I would never forget this weekend.


	118. Chapter 118 Back to Reality

**A/N - Thanks so much for everything! It's such a nice feeling to know that people are reading, and care about these characters as much as I do. Thanks again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 118 - Back to Reality

The drive back to Forks went well. It rained for about a half hour, until we got to Sequim. We stopped for a bathroom break and them headed straight back to Forks. It was overcast, but at least it was rain free.

On the drive back, Edward and I ate gummy bears and talked kitty names. It came up when Edward just blurted out that he wanted a cat. "So, I think we should get a cat." He said. I looked at him and giggled.

"Where did that come from?" I laughed. We hadn't even mentioned the cat since we first looked up our apartment and found out it was pet friendly.

He laughed. "I don't know. It just popped in my head." He smiled at me, looking totally innocent.

"Okay. So we have about three months to research everything we can about cats before school starts." I said. "I want us to know what we're doing. We'll have this cat until we're thirty-five, so I want to do it right."

Edward laughed. "You're right. We'll research, and we'll have the happiest, healthiest, most spoiled cat in Seattle."

"Okay, now I really want one." I said, laughing. "So, kitty names. What do you want to name our first child, Edward?" I said, smiling.

"Hmm. Our feline baby. I don't know. Robert?" Edward said, seriously.

I burst out laughing, and couldn't stop. I was gasping for air, but every time I thought of how serious Edward was about naming our kitten Robert, I would just start laughing again. "What?" He asked, chuckling a little, because I was laughing. "What's so funny about Robert?"

"Oh my god, Edward. You are so adorable." I said, still giggling a little. "I don't know. I was just expecting you to say something like Whiskers or Mittens. You just caught me off guard, that's all."

He looked at me and laughed. "I see your point. It's just that when you referred to the kitten as our child, human names just popped into my head." He chuckled a little. "Whiskers didn't even occur to me."

"Well, now I kind of like Robert." I said, smiling. "Hmm. Robert Swan-Cullen. What do you think?"

Edward laughed at me. "Why do I have a feeling that I'm going to be embarrassed every time someone asks what the cat's name is?"

"I think it's cute, babe." I said, reaching across the seat to pat his leg. "When we go pick out our kitten, we'll see if he looks like a Robert."

Edward took my hand and brought it to his lips. "Okay. But, if he doesn't, we'll go with something like Socks or Boots."

We pulled up to my house and Edward helped me bring my bag in. "I can keep the new dishes in my room if you want, angel." He suggested. "I've got room for them in my closet."

"Yeah, okay." I said, kissing his chin. We walked into the kitchen and there was note on the table from my dad. 'Working the noon to eleven shift this week. See you tonight, kiddo. Love Dad.' I smiled. It was nice having someone home to miss me when I was gone.

Edward came up behind me and hugged me to his chest. "Everything okay?" He asked, kissing my neck.

"Yeah. My dad won't be home 'til late, though." I said.

"I'll keep you company." Edward said.

"Thanks, babe." I said, turning around in his arms. "Do you want me to wash your wet clothes? I'm going to throw all my stuff in the laundry right now."

"Uh, okay. If it's not too much trouble." He said, following me into the laundry room.

"Nope. No trouble." I said, opening my bag and sorting my laundry. "Um, I'm going to go change, so I can wash these jeans."

"Can I come?" Edward laughed.

"Sure." I smiled. I walked up to my room, with Edward following me, his hands on my hips. "I just want to hang around here, washing clothes, cooking my dad dinner, maybe running some food up to the hospital. Does that sound okay?"

We walked into my room, and Edward flopped on my bed. "Sounds great. I want to be wherever you are, but I should probably go home at dinner time to see my family. Come with me?"

"Sure. I miss them, too." I smiled. I walked over to my dresser and pulled out a pair of black yoga pants and a couple of tank tops. I pulled off my jeans and slipped on my yoga pants, and then slipped off my shirt and layered the tanks, one light blue and one white.

"You're so gorgeous, baby." Edward smiled, making me blush, before getting off my bed and coming over to kiss me.

"Come on." I said, taking his hand, after I picked up my clothes. We went downstairs and I put in a load of laundry.

We went back in the kitchen and I looked through the fridge. We snacked on some cheese and fruit for lunch, and then I decided to make a quick potato soup for my dad's dinner. Edward and I stood beside each other at the counter, peeling and chopping potatoes. As always, we had so much fun together. Just being around him made me happy and I could see that I had the same effect on him.

After making the mashed potatoes, the soup only took about twenty minutes to cook. We made up three bowls, one each for my dad, Alec and Jake. I put the rest in the fridge and, after putting in one more load of laundry, Edward and I headed over to the station.

My dad was just walking out to his car to patrol when we pulled into the lot. He walked over to the car and I got out to give him a hug. "Hey, dad. I missed you. How is everything going?"

"I'm great, kiddo. A little tired, but Paul was back to work this morning and Alec is going to start back in a couple of days, so things are almost back on track." My dad turned to look over my shoulder. "Hello, Edward. Did you two have a good weekend?"

"It was great, sir." Edward said with a smile. "We made you dinner." He said, passing him a container of soup, and effectively changing the subject.

My dad laughed. "You kids are great. Thanks."

We said our goodbyes, and then headed over to the hospital. Jake was listening to his iPod when we walked in. He smiled largely when he saw us. He pulled out his ear buds. "Hey, guys." He said.

"Hi, Jake. How are you feeling?" I said walking over to sit beside his bed.

"About the same. But, my brothers were here all day yesterday, so that was nice." He said.

"I'm glad you have them. Do they live in Forks?" I asked.

"No. They own a jet ski and body board rental shop down at La Push Beach on the reservation. They live out there, too." He said. "If I ever get out of here, I can take you guys down there if you want. It's pretty great." He looked hopeful.

"That sounds like a lot of fun, actually." Edward said with a smile.

I laughed. "It sounds scary to me." I passed Jake his soup. "Sorry, Jake. Here I am holding your food hostage." I opened the container for him and set it on his table. "Did my dad bring you something yesterday?" I asked.

Jake chuckled a little. "Yeah. He brought a sandwich from the diner." He tasted our soup. "Wow. I sure missed you guys. This is great." He ate the rest of his soup, fairly slowly, and Edward and I told him about the whales in Port Townsend.

We must have sat there for an hour, but we all got along really well and there was no awkwardness about Jake's confession and apology on Saturday. We left him to sleep, which he usually did after he ate, and went down to see Alec.

"Hey, guys." He said, when we walked in. "I'm getting out of here tomorrow morning at ten. I am so pumped."

"That's great, man." Edward said. "Do you need a ride?" I smiled at Edward. He was so thoughtful.

"Um, yeah. That would be great. I was going to phone the Chief, but if you're not busy."

I laughed. "Alec. We would love to help. Are you hungry?" I asked, giving him his soup. "Homemade potato soup." I said smiling.

He ate a spoonful. "Mmm. Thanks guys. This is great." We sat with Alec for a while, agreeing to be here at nine-thirty the next morning, before heading home to Edward's house. I felt bad that he was still wearing the sweater he changed into in the car because of the rain.

We got back to his house and were met by huge hugs from Esme. She was just heading out to pick up Alice from school. Edward dropped his duffle bag on the floor right inside the door, put the treats from the candy store on the coffee table, and brought his guitar upstairs with us. We went up to Edward's room and, after he took off his sweater, we collapsed on his bed. I was so tired from shopping, driving, cooking and hospital visits. I just wanted to sleep. So, I snuggled into his arms and kissed his chest.

"Thank you for this weekend, babe. I loved it, and I love you." I mumbled.

"You're welcome, baby. I love you, too." He kissed the top of my head and rubbed my back. I fell asleep feeling loved and relaxed.


	119. An Invitation

**A/N - Thanks again for all the support! 'Summer Vacation' been favourited over 300 times! Thanks so much! I was on a writing marathon yesterday and I wrote three chapters. It's safe to say I'm not running out of ideas, yet! Enjoy!**

Chapter 119 - An Invitation

I woke up to a soft kiss on my cheek. I opened my eyes and looked up, to see Alice's smiling face. Edward was still asleep and his arm was draped across my stomach. "Bella. It's time to eat dinner, now. Are you and Edward going to wake up from your nap?" Alice whispered.

"What time is it?" I asked groggily.

"It's five-thirty, Bella. I've already done my homework." She laughed.

Edward groaned and rolled over to me, pulling me to his chest. He started kissing my neck. "Mmm, Bella." He moaned.

I laughed. "Edward. Your sister's here to wake us up for dinner."

His head snapped up to look over my shoulder and he chuckled. "Hi, princess." He said, blushing a little.

Alice just giggled at us and skipped over to the door. "Come on." She called.

Edward groaned and buried his face back in my neck. I giggled and ran my fingers through his hair. "Don't be embarrassed. I like waking up to your kisses." I said, trying to make him feel better.

"I miss the bed and breakfast." He laughed. "I miss being able to kiss you whenever I want." I leaned up and kissed his lips.

"I do, too, but in three months, we'll be living together. So, let's enjoy your family while we're here, okay?" I smiled at him. "Come on." I said sitting up.

I slid out of his bed and went into the bathroom. I brushed out my hair, but it still looked horrible, so I pulled it back into a low bun. I walked back out and noticed Edward had slipped on a black t-shirt. It was my favourite color on him. I smiled and leaned up to kiss him and his soft lips met me half way.

He smiled. "Be right back." He said, before going into the bathroom. He came back out in a minute. I would never figure out how guys were so fast in there.

He kissed my cheek and we headed downstairs to the dining room. We were met with hugs and welcome homes. Esme made a roasted chicken dinner tonight. I was so lucky to be welcomed here. While we ate, we told them about Port Townsend and the whale watching.

According to Emmett, we didn't miss anything back in Forks. "The girls were on study lockdown, so we just hung out around here." He said, looking pretty bored, just talking about it.

"Well, school's out in just over two weeks, bro." Edward said, trying to cheer him up.

All the boys looked at each and smiled. "Camping." They all said in unison, before laughing and high fiving each other.

I looked at Esme and Carlisle and they just laughed. "We always do a family camping trip at the end of the school year." Carlisle told me. "We've been doing that since Edward finished first grade." He smiled, looking a little nostalgic.

"That's sweet." I said, looking at Edward, imagining him as a little six year old bringing home his report card at the end of the school year, and then running down the stairs with his sleeping bag.

Edward smiled back at me. "It's a lot of fun." His eyes were looking into mine, as if he was trying to convince me to come with them.

"Yeah, Bella. We go hiking, canoeing and we sleep in tents." Jasper added with a smile. "Have you ever been camping?" He asked me.

"No." I laughed. "Wow, I must sound really boring."

"Never." Edward said, leaning over to me to kiss my cheek. I blushed.

"We would love it if you would come with us this year, Bella." Esme said sincerely. I would never get over how much this family accepted me.

"I don't know. It seems like a family thing. I don't want to interfere in the tradition." I said honestly.

"Oh, Bella." Esme said, smiling at me. "Families grow." I smiled back at her, trying not to cry.

"Yeah, Bella. If you don't come, Edward would be pouting the whole time, anyway." Emmett said, laughing.

Edward chuckled. "I'd like to argue with you and say I wouldn't be, but I would be lying." Edward took my hands. "You don't have to go if you don't want to, angel, but we'd love to have you." He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "We can share a sleeping bag." I laughed, blushing.

"Okay, if you're all sure, I'd love to go." I agreed.

"They have bathrooms at the campground, too, Bella." Alice told me with a smile. "'Cause it's harder for girls to go in the woods." She told me matter-of-factly.

I laughed at how cute she was. "Well, I'm sold, then." I told her.

"And we'll teach you how to cook on a stick." Emmett said, laughing.

"That sounds great. Thank you all so much for inviting me." I said. "Um, when are you, I mean, when are we going?"

"Well, we usually leave the day after the kids are done school, but their grandparents are coming for a visit, so we'll go at the end of June." Carlisle said. "You can invite your dad, too, Bella. The more the merrier."

I smiled. "That would be great actually. I'll have to ask him." I said. I thought it would be a great way to spend more time with my dad. He seemed to like fishing, so I figured he must like camping as well.

After dinner, we all went to sit in the family room and everyone ate the treats Edward bought them. "Thanks, guys." Jasper said, biting into a twinkie.

Emmett got up and put in a DVD, and we all sat around the couches, snacking and watching. It was "Die Hard," or some kind of action movie I had never seen before. It was nice sitting here, watching TV as a family. Apparently, after the movie, the boys were going up to there rooms to study. Alice was sitting on the floor playing with her Barbie dolls. It looked like she was doing a fashion show with the dolls. It was sweet.

I snuggled into Edward's side and he wrapped his arms around me. I was watching Alice more than I was the movie. As well, I sat there thinking about camping with the Cullens. I figured that it would be fun, as I had never done anything like that before.

I was soon lulled to sleep by Edward's heartbeat. I woke up and all the lights were out in the family room. I noticed that I was still laying on Edward's chest and someone had covered us up with an afghan. I looked up at him and he was asleep. The clock on the DVD player said ten-thirty. We must have slept for at least two hours.

I sat up and kissed Edward's cheek. "Edward, baby. Wake up." I said, kissing his soft lips.

He smiled against my lips. "Mmm. I always want to wake up that way." He said quietly. "What time is it?" He asked, stretching his arms above his head.

"Ten-thirty. Want to take me home?" I said, tracing my fingers over his chest.

"No, but I will." He said, smiling. He stood up and took my hand, helping me off the couch. "Tired?" He teased.

"Very. You wore me out." I laughed, walking with him to the front door. He grabbed his keys and we walked out to his car.

He opened my door and I climbed in, still groggy. He got in and we drove back to my place. Edward held my hand the whole way home. When we got there, we got out of the car and went and sat in the living room on the couch to wait for my dad. "Does it seem like we were in Port Townsend this morning?" I asked.

"No." He laughed. "We've done so much since we got home." He traced his fingers down my arm making me shiver. "You know, if you keep overdoing it in Forks, I'm just going to have to keep kidnapping you."

"I like the sound of that, Mr. Cullen." I said reaching up and running my fingers through his hair. "I really do love going away with you. I love being alone with you. I love seeing new cities with you. I love sharing new experiences with you."

He smiled at me and leaned in for deep, warm, passionate kiss. He finally pulled back, smiling at me. He kissed me a couple more times quickly. "I love you, Bella." He said, kissing me again, his hands caressing my arms, shoulders and back.

We heard the front door close, and Edward pulled back from me, smiling.

"Bells? Edward?" My dad called. He must have seen Edward's car parked out front.

"Living room." I called back.

He walked in and smiled at us. It was one of those 'I know what you've been up to' smiles, that made both Edward and I blush. "You two have a good day?" He asked.

"Busy." I told him. "Oh, we're giving Alec a ride home from the hospital tomorrow. He gets released at ten." I told him.

"That's great. He's not one that likes to stay put in one place for too long." My dad chuckled. "It's going to kill him to be on desk duty for a couple of weeks."

Edward got up and patted my dad's arm. "I should head home. Goodnight, chief." He said.

"See you tomorrow, son." My dad said, going over to sit in his recliner.

I got up and walked with Edward to the door. "See you tomorrow morning, babe." I said on the doorstep.

"Absolutely. I love you." He said, leaning down for one more kiss. "I'll be here bright and early." He smiled at me, before turning and jogging out to his car. I watched him from the door until his car was out of site. It was going to be a long night without him.


	120. Plans, Visits and Homecomings

**A/N - I am absolutely amazed and so excited that you are reading this fanfic. One of my favorite parts of the whole experience has been to look at the countries that you are all from! Fanfiction is literally worldwide and it's so nice to see how global the Twilight fanbase really is! Thanks again for all your support for my version! Enjoy!**

Chapter 120 - Plans, Visits and Homecomings

I woke up at six o'clock on Tuesday morning. It was hard to get to sleep without Edward's warm body pressing up to mine. I missed the safety of his arms. I missed his strong heartbeat. But, I finally fell asleep, knowing that the sooner I slept, the sooner I would see his beautiful face.

I ran to take a quick shower, drying my hair straight and then getting dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a black tank.

I ran down to the kitchen and made my dad and I some buttermilk pancakes. He came down in his jeans and white t-shirt. "What smells so good?" He said.

"Oh, I just though I'd make pancakes." I said, sitting beside him at the table. "I've missed you."

"I know how you feel, kiddo." He said, patting my hand. "It's been a rough few days and that shooting was a real eye-opener for all of us. I'm glad you were able to take a small vacation."

"Speaking of holidays, dad, the Cullens were telling me that they were going to go camping at the end of the month. They asked us both to join them this year." I told him. "I thought it would be really fun to have you there. I've never been camping before, and it feels like something that I should have my dad there for."

My dad smiled, and he looked genuinely excited. "Well, how can I say no to that." He said. "I've got some holiday time available, so I should be able to swing it. Do you know the dates?"

"Um, all I know is that we're going after Edward's grandparent's go back to Chicago." I explained. "I'll let you know as soon as I can, okay?" I stood up to clear our dishes and put the leftover pancakes in a container for Jake. "I'm so excited you can come camping, dad." I went over and gave him a hug.

He chuckled. "So am I." He patted my back. "Hey, I was thinking, do you and Edward want to head out to the shooting range sometime soon? I though it would be fun, and I could spend a little more time with you kids." He laughed.

It was nice to see my dad so happy and excited. "I would love that dad. You think I'm a better shot than Edward?" I laughed.

"I'd put my money on it." He chuckled.

I put some of my dad's uniforms in the washing machine and folded up mine and Edward's clothes from the drier. I heard the doorbell and ran out of the laundry room to get the door.

I opened the door and Edward was standing there with a red rose and a glowing smile on his face. "Oh, Edward. It's beautiful." I said, bringing the flower up to my nose.

"Happy first day of June." He said, leaning down to kiss me. "You look beautiful." He said, running his hand down the length of my hair.

"Thank you, babe." I said. "And you look amazing as always." I reached my hands up to touch his cheeks. "You're so handsome." I said, making him laugh.

"You ready to go pick up Alec from the hospital?" He asked.

"Yeah, let me just go tell my dad we're leaving." I said, before running into the living room. "Bye, dad. We're heading out to the hospital to get Alec. I'll see you tonight, okay?" I gave him a big hug. "I love you, dad."

"I love you, too, kiddo." He said with a smile. He looked up to the living room door. "Hey, Edward. Tell Alec I'll see him later today. He has some forms to fill out."

I laughed. "I'm sure he'll like that. Bye, dad."

"Have a good day, sir." Edward said, as we both turned to leave.

I ran back to the kitchen to put my rose in water, before meeting Edward at the door to go. When we got in the car, Edward cradled my face in his hands and leaned in to kiss me. "I had a hard time falling asleep without you last night, angel." He admitted.

I smiled. "So did I." I put my hand on his chest. "I missed your heartbeat."

He smiled and kissed me again. "We better go. We're going to be late." He laughed, as we drove to the hospital. We went up to Alec's room and saw him sitting on the bed in a pair of black sweatpants and a loose t-shirt.

"Hey, guys. I'm so happy to be getting out of here." He said smiling. "I just filled out a ton of paperwork."

"Well, don't think you're out of the woods, yet, Alec. My dad said he's bringing more paperwork for you this afternoon." I laughed.

"Great." He laughed. Nothing could change his good mood. "Can you help me off the bed, Edward?" He said, looking a little embarrassed.

"No problem, man." Edward said, wrapping his arm around Alec, so he could slide off the bed without twisting. With the bruised rib, any kind of movement was painful.

There was a wheelchair in the room, and Edward helped Alec sit down in it. "Um, would it be okay if we ran upstairs to see Black before we left?" Alec asked. "I haven't been allowed out of bed to go visit him."

"Absolutely, Alec." I smiled. "I'm sure he would love that." I walked along side Edward, as he pushed Alec towards the elevator.

"How's he doing? You know, how's he dealing with everything?" Alec asked in the elevator.

"He's getting better, but I think he's still confused about how the whole thing happened. He just remembers hearing the gunshots." I told him, putting my hand on his shoulder. "I think it will do him a lot of good to see you, and that you're really okay."

Alec just nodded his head and he looked like he was psyching himself up. "Do you want us to leave you alone with him?" Edward asked. "Because, you can take as long as you need." My Edward; always so sweet and considerate.

"Uh, no. Maybe stay with me." He laughed nervously. "I may be a big, tough cop, but I'm no good with hospitals."

"That's okay." I said. "I understand." We walked into Jake's room and he was asleep. His eyebrows were furrowed, though, and he didn't look rested. I set his pancakes on the table by his bed, and went to write him a quick note, letting him know we were here.

He groaned and then slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He looked up at me and smiled. "Hi, Bella." He said, his voice sounding dry.

"Hi, Jake. We brought company today." I said. He turned his head to see Alec in the wheelchair.

"Hey, Barrelli." Jake's eyes lit up, seeing Alec. I knew it would help him to feel better to actually see that Alec was alright.

"How's it going, Black?" Alec said, looking a little pale, seeing Jake hooked up to so many IVs. "Trying to get out of work, huh?" Jake chuckled a little at that, but started coughing, then groaning.

I got Jake a drink of water with a straw and held it up to his mouth until he took a drink. "Thanks, Bella." Jake said, softly. "Have you ever considered being a nurse?"

I just shook my head at him, laughing, and sat down beside Edward, who had walked over to our usual seats in Jake's room.

"No, I think she should be a cook, or a chef, or something." Alec laughed. "I would have starved if Bella hadn't been feeding me these last few days."

The guys sat and talked for about a half hour, mostly teasing each other, or Edward and I. It was light-hearted and I was glad that both guys seemed to be so happy to see each other. I noticed Alec starting to look uncomfortable in his wheelchair. Edward and I got up and squeezed Jake's hand. "We have to take Alec home, but I'll see you again tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded, looking a little upset. I could imagine it was hard on him having to stay behind at the hospital, while Alec left.

"Hang in there, man. I'll come up here as much as I can." Alec said. I really wasn't used to seeing guys so emotional, and while I loved the connections between them, I started to tear up. Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders to give me a quick hug.

We headed out to the elevator, and I tried to stand behind Alec's wheelchair, so he wouldn't see me with red eyes. Edward reached over and wiped under my eyes. He smiled at me sympathetically. "You okay?" He mouthed silently. I nodded and smiled.

When we got to the car, Edward helped Alec get into the passenger seat. I sat in the backseat as Edward drove to Alec's house. It was only a few blocks from Maria and Rose's place, and it was a small single story house. It was really nice and I could tell he kept it up.

After we got Alec in the house, he and Edward sat on the brown leather couch together and turned on the TV. They found some kind of "Terminator" marathon on a men's channel and looked so content, I'm sure they could have sat there all day.

Not one to sit still, I went into the kitchen and looked through his freezer. I found a roast and threw it in the oven. Then, I went to Alec's room and stripped all the sheets from his bed. I put them in the hamper in his room. I found his linen closet and put clean sheets on his bed, took his hamper to the laundry room off the kitchen and started washing his sheets. I went back in the kitchen, found some bread in the freezer and made grilled cheese sandwiches.

I took them in the living room and passed them each a plate. Edward kissed my cheek and Alec smiled. "Thanks, Bella." He looked around. "God, this is embarrassing. You don't have to clean up around here."

"I know, but I like to help." I said. I sat with them to eat, but then got up and finished cleaning up. I think the guys were on the second movie of the marathon, and I took out the roast and made Alec some sandwiches, and a couple of plates of food. I wanted to make sure he had something to eat for the next couple of days.

I knew I was probably going overboard, but I would have felt useless just sitting there watching TV. I was glad Edward was there to keep Alec company, though. I felt grateful for everything in my life lately, and I wanted to give back as much as I could.


	121. Chapter121

**A/N - Thanks again for all the hits, reviews, faves and alerts! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 121 - Techniques

We stayed over at Alec's house until around three o'clock. My dad showed up and I let him in. He was in uniform and looked so official. I loved seeing my dad in uniform. He looked so confident; like he could handle anything. I found it reassuring.

"Wow, Barrelli. The place looks great." My dad said, winking at me. It was obvious that he knew I was responsible for the place looking this clean.

"Yeah, yeah, chief. You know it was the work of my guardian angel, Bella." Alec laughed. "You sure you don't have another daughter about ten years older? Single?"

"Watch it, kid." My dad chuckled. "My Bella is one of a kind." He said proudly. Edward squeezed my hand, smiling at me.

"Alright, boys. It's been fun. We're going to run catch Edward's brother's baseball practice." I told Alec. I kissed my dad on the cheek and then gave Alec a gentle hug, so I didn't hurt him. "You get lots of rest. There's a bunch of food in the fridge for you, and I made you a few roast beef sandwiches, too."

"Thank you so much, Bella. Edward. I owe you guys." Alec said.

"We're just glad you're okay." I said. "Bye, dad."

Edward and I left, and as soon as we closed the front door, Edward pulled me into his arms, holding me to his chest. "I love you." He whispered into my hair.

I smiled into his chest, happy to be back in his embrace. I kissed over his heart. "I love you, too."

We drove over to the baseball diamond at the school and met up with Emmett. "Hey, guys. How's your friend?" He asked as we sat beside him.

"He's fine. He has a bruised rib, so he's in some pain, but Bella's spoiling him, so he'll be better in no time." Edward said, squeezing my hand. "So, no girlfriend today, huh?"

"No." Emmett pouted. "I get to eat lunch with Rose and see her in class, but that's about it."

"Aw, Emmett. There's only two more weeks of school." I said, trying to reassure him.

"I know. I just miss her." He said, laughing at himself. "And she just left ten minutes ago."

"I totally understand, Em." Edward said, wrapping his arm around his brother's shoulder. "Why do you think I follow Bella around like a lost puppy?" I laughed at that. The feeling was mutual.

We turned and watched Jasper's practice. It was a different experience without Maria here to swoon over him. I missed her enthusiasm. "We're going to have to teach you how to play baseball this summer, Bella." Emmett said.

"That would be great." I said. "But, I warn you, it's not going to be pretty." I laughed.

"It's going to be beautiful." Edward said softly into my ear, before kissing my cheek. I giggled.

"Aw, come on guys." Emmett whined. "You're killing me here."

"Sorry, Emmett." I said, blushing. "Let's keep this strictly business." I pointed out to the players. "Explain to me why that one boy can't hit the ball. What is he doing wrong?"

"Okay, honey, watch him. He takes his eye off of the ball. He's swinging too late." Edward explained.

Edward was right. "Huh." I said. It looked so easy, but it clearly wasn't.

"Okay, now watch Jazz." Emmett said. "Look at his open stance, where his front foot is a bit farther from the plate than the back foot. His feet are apart about six inches wider than his shoulders, his foot's at forty-five degree angle to the pitcher and his weight is on the balls of his feet."

The pitcher threw the ball and Jasper swung the bat, cracking the ball far into the outfield. We all clapped for him and he laughed, lining himself back up.

"His hips and shoulders are level and his front shoulder is turned into the plate." Edward continued. "His chin is almost touching his front shoulder, and he's holding the bat about a foot away from his body. The bat is held at a forty five degree angle."

Another crack of the bat. Jasper was incredible. "Wow. I can't believe how technical this is." I laughed.

Edward wrapped his arm around me, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "It just sounds that way. But I think we're taking the fun out of it for you." Edward laughed. "Once you try it, you'll get it."

"I wouldn't bet on that." I smiled up at him. I loved how knowledgeable Edward was. He was passionate about this sport and it was a beautiful thing to see.

We waited for Jasper after practice and he ran over to us. "You were amazing again, Jasper." I told him. "How many more games do you have this season?"

"Oh, um, there's one this Friday, and then we have two next weekend, before the year end tournament on the sixteenth." He said as we walked to the parking lot. "I wish we could play more, but next year, I'll get to play with the senior boys, and they have way more games."

"Jazz, we were trying to explain proper batting technique to Bella today." Emmett laughed.

"Did they make any sense?" Jasper laughed. "I remember when Edward first taught me, I was thinking so much about technique, I would miss the ball."

I laughed with him. "That sounds like something I would do for sure."

"Well, if you do it enough, it just comes naturally. I don't even think about it anymore." He said.

"Well, you were great." I said, giving him a hug at the truck. "I'm proud of you."

He patted my back hesitantly, and when he pulled back, I noticed that he was blushing. "Thanks, Bella."

"Great job, bro." Edward said, squeezing his shoulder. "See you guys back home." Edward opened the car door for me and we followed Emmett's truck back to Edward's house.

Alice met us at the door, and Edward lifted her up on his hip. "How's my princess today?" He said, kissing her cheek.

"Alright." She said quietly, as we walked into the family room to wait for dinner.

"Just alright?" Edward asked, sitting her on his lap. "Something happen?"

"Well, no, but my teacher said that there were only two weeks of school left, and I really like her, and now I'm sad that she won't be my teacher next year." Alice explained in one breath, and looked over at me, two big tears dropping from her eyes. Edward reached up and wiped the tears from her face, before he cradled her to his chest.

"Aw, you know what Alice, your teacher will always be your friend. You'll see her at recess and lunch time, and you can even stop by her room to say hello sometimes." I told her, taking her hand in mine. "But, you know what the best part of grade three is? You get to meet a new friend; your new teacher. I know it's hard sometimes, but just try to enjoy these next two weeks, okay?"

I could imagine how hard goodbyes were for her, considering Edward left for school for most of the year. And, Alice was such a loving child.

Edward was rubbing her back. "Feel better?" He asked her. She nodded her head. "Because, Bella is always right, you know."

She giggled at that, and then climbed off of Edward and ran to door. I heard a car pull up, so I assumed Carlisle was home.

I leaned back on the couch and shut my eyes. "You're going to make a great teacher, babe." Edward said, taking my hand.

I laughed. "I don't know. I was the kid that cried on the last day of school every year."

"Aw." Edward said, leaning in to kiss me. "You're such a sweet girl."

"And you're a sweet brother." I said, smiling at him. "I love watching you with her. You're going to be a great dad to Robert." I giggled, thinking of our kitty.

He laughed. "See, I'm already regretting that."

I laughed with him. "Don't, because I love it." I said, leaning in for another kiss.


	122. Chapter 122

**A/N - Thank you, for the 122nd time! I can't say enough how happy I am that you are all sharing this story with me. Enjoy!**

Chapter 122 - Tied

I had another amazing dinner with the Cullens. Esme made breaded parmesan chicken and pasta. It was incredible. Edward had mentioned his Nanny, Esme's mom, loved cooking, so I could see where Esme's talent in the kitchen came from.

After dinner, Edward and I went up to his room for a while. We were laying beside each other on his bed, just resting with our full stomachs. "So, what do you want to do tomorrow?" Edward asked casually, weaving our fingers together.

"I don't know, maybe visit Alec and Jake. Other than that, I have no idea." I said.

Edward sighed in what sounded like annoyance. "What's wrong?" I asked him, turning to look at his face.

"Nothing." He said, shortly.

I sat up, looking down at his face. "Don't say 'nothing.' Tell me, Edward."

"It's just that I get you're friends with the guys from the station and you feel bad them, but Bella, it seems like we're there constantly." Edward said, sitting up.

"I asked you, Edward. You said you didn't mind. Why did you lie?" I asked him, frustrated. And I had. I made sure to ask him if it bothered him that we visited Jake and Alec.

"I didn't lie, Bella." He said, sharply. "I didn't mind. And they're nice guys. But it's almost been a week." He got off the bed and started pacing. "I agreed because it seemed to make you feel better about the whole shooting thing, but I didn't realize it was going to become a life-long commitment."

Tears started to pool in my eyes. Edward had never talked to me like this. I stood up off the bed, too. "I can't believe you." I cried. "The whole shooting thing is a big deal to me. It could have been my dad, Edward. You don't know what it's like. You have no idea what it felt like when I thought I was losing someone that I love." I grabbed my purse and walked to the door. "I need to be by myself."

"Bella. You asked me to talk to you when something was bothering me. You begged me to tell you. Do you see why I keep things inside?" Edward said, sounding defeated.

I sobbed, but opened the door and walked out. I knew right then, that I should have stayed and talked this out with him, but I needed some time. Out of everything Edward said, none of it upset me. It was the way he said it. As I ran down the stairs, I realized that I didn't have a way home. Edward drove me here.

I walked out the front door and sat on the step. I put my head in my hands and sighed. As I sat there, I knew Edward was right. I knew he had every right to feel the way he did. It was my responsibility to listen to him and work out our problems together, just like he listened to my concerns.

I hated the fact that we had fought. I hated even more that I had left. I heard the front door open and I turned expecting to see Edward. Instead, Carlisle was standing there. "Do you need a ride home?" He asked.

I nodded, unable to speak. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and walked me to his car. I got in and he drove towards my house. He didn't say anything for about five minutes. "Do you want to talk about it?" He finally asked, looking at me with an understanding smile.

"I don't know. I'm so stupid." I said, through my tears. "He was just concerned about how I keep going up to the hospital to see Jake and Alec."

"You're not stupid, Bella." Carlisle said. "But, can I tell you something?" I nodded. "Guys get jealous." He chuckled. "Sometimes it's completely irrational, and we know we have nothing to worry about, but we just can't control those possessive feelings."

"I know. And I get that, but I asked him if it was okay, and he said it was, so I didn't give it anymore thought." I explained, as we pulled up to my house.

"I see where you're coming from." Carlisle said. "But, love doesn't always make sense."

I thought about what he said. He was right. "I know. I shouldn't have left." I said, more tears springing to my eyes.

"Do you want me to take you back? I'm heading that way." Carlisle smiled, warmly.

"No. I just need to lay down." I said. "I don't know what to say to him right now."

"Well, you take your time. But, Bella, talk to him. You are both too important to each other to lose what you have over a misunderstanding, or words said in haste." Carlisle said.

I thanked him and headed inside. My dad was at work until eleven, so I had about four hours to sit and mope around by myself. I grabbed a blanket off the couch and went to sit on the back porch. I brought my phone with me. I wrapped the blanket around my shoulders and curled in on myself.

I felt so horrible. How could I tell Edward that he didn't understand? He was right there for me the day of the shooting, to literally pick me up off the floor. He was at my side, taking me to the hospital. He took me out of town for a break from all the stress. Edward understood me more than I understood myself.

How was I going to get Edward to forgive me? I leaned against the wooden railing and looked out at the woods behind the house. I felt so lost. I sat there for about ten minutes, just staring out at the trees. I jumped when my phone rang. I looked down at it, and saw that the call was from Edward. I didn't deserve him. I should be the one calling for his forgiveness.

I picked it up on the fourth ring. "Hello." I said, my voice cracking.

"Baby, where are you?" He asked. "My dad said he brought you home, but I'm here and you're not answering the door." He sighed. "Bella. I'm so sorry. Will you please talk to me?"

"I'm on the back porch." I said, quietly.

I looked up and saw Edward jogging around the side of the house. He stopped a few feet in front of me, as if he didn't know if he should walk up to me. His eyes were glassy. I dropped my head and cried again. I wrecked everything.

I felt Edward beside me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. I put my arms around him and pressed my face into his chest. "I'm sorry." I cried. I looked up into his beautiful eyes. "You're right. I asked you to tell me what was wrong, and instead of talking to you, I attacked you." I reached up and put my hand on his cheek. "I know you understand me, too. I'm so, so, so sorry, Edward."

He dropped his head to mine and I could feel him kiss my hair. "I love you so much, Bella." He whispered. "I know you like to help people. That's one of the things that I love so much about you; how caring you are. I shouldn't fault you for that. And, I'm so sorry, too." He lifted my chin and we locked eyes. He leaned in to kiss me, pressing his warm lips to mine. "I love you." He whispered.

"Thank you." I said, kissing him back. "I love you." We sat in each other's arms for a while.

"So, are we okay?" Edward asked, kissing my forehead.

"Yeah. We're okay." I said, leaning in to kiss him, again. "I think our love is just so intense, we're bound to get a little emotional sometimes."

"That's a good way to put it, baby." He said. He took a deep breath. "But, why did you leave? In Jacksonville, we promised not to walk away."

"I know, and I'm sorry, but sometimes I just need to step out of the situation so I can think more clearly." I explained. "I knew I shouldn't have left, and I knew I was wrong the minute I stepped out of the door."

"You're not wrong. You did ask me if I was okay with the visits. And, I'm sorry for what I said. I am okay with it. They're your friends. If you want to see them, I'm not going to stop you." Edward said. "I'm just a guy and I think I'm a bit possessive over you. I've just never had anyone that I loved so much, that wasn't already tied to me. Like, I love my family, but they're not going to leave. With you, there's nothing holding you to me. You could leave anytime. That's why I'm so scared, Bella."

I looked up at him and could see the raw, bare honesty in his eyes. He was baring his soul to me. "I understand what you're saying." I put my hands on his chest, over his heart. "But, I don't see you as possessive. I think you're protective. And, Edward, it's a beautiful quality. When I watch you with your family, you're always trying to make sure everyone is happy and safe. The way you support Emmett, encourage Jasper and comfort Alice are amazing things to see. You are a good person to the very soul and I love you so much."

He smiled at me. I took his hand and led him back in the house and up the stairs to my room. I took out a piece of paper and wrote 'Bella and Edward's Promise' on the top. Edward smiled at me as he watched me write. 'We promise to love each other forever. We are tied together by that love, and we will never be apart from one another. I love you with all of my heart and soul.' Then, I dated it, June 1, 2010, and signed my name. I passed the pen to Edward and he signed underneath my name.

He threw the pen on my desk and picked me up, carrying me to my bed. He pulled his shirt off and then mine, before leaning in for a deep kiss. Edward was showing me his love and giving me his heart.


	123. Chapter 123

**A/N - Wow! I am totally overwhelmed with the response to the last chapter! You guys are great! Thanks so much for all the support! Enjoy!**

Chapter 123 - Sleepover

Edward and I laid in my bed for hours, just kissing and caressing. He might be leg man, but I was all about his arms. When I was wrapped in his arms, everything was perfect. "I need to stay with you tonight, Bella." Edward said, kissing my neck, and tracing his fingers down my side.

"I need you to stay, too, but what do I tell my dad?" I said, kissing his chest.

"Be honest. Tell him that your boyfriend made you cry, and now he won't leave." Edward said, smiling at me.

I laughed with him. "Okay. You stay here, maybe call your mom and tell her you're here, and I'll go deal with the cop. He should be home any minute now." I said, leaning in to kiss him once more, before slipping my tank top back on and heading downstairs.

I heard the front door open while I was halfway down the stairs. "Hi, dad." I said, walking up and giving him a hug.

He looked down at me and he frowned. "What's wrong?" He asked. I guessed my eyes still looked a little puffy.

"Oh, um, Edward and I had a bit of a misunderstanding tonight." I said, not really wanting to think about it again.

"Was it about Barrelli and Black?" He asked. Wow, he was being incredibly astute tonight.

"Yeah. How did you guess?" I asked, surprised.

"Well, you've got a bunch of young, single guys and one pretty girl doting over them. I would be surprised if Edward wasn't upset." My dad said with a smirk.

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" I asked. "I thought everything was fine."

"Well, I didn't want to interfere and make a big deal out of nothing." He said, looking a little apologetic. "Is everything okay with you guys, now?"

"Yeah, we talked it out, and we're fine. It's just a little hard for me, because I have absolutely no idea how a guy's mind works." I said, shaking my head.

"Edward is a good kid, Bells. A lot more mature than most guys his age. But, he's still a guy, and sometimes us men say things before we think about them. We react before we assess the consequences." My dad explained.

"I think I was a little guilty of that, too." I admitted. "So, um, dad. Uh, Edward and I…" I started to ramble.

"He wants to spend the night?" My dad asked, squinting his eyes.

"Wow." I said, shaking my head. "How did you know that?"

"Well, his car's here and I don't see him, so I'm guessing he's upstairs." My dad explained. "I'm the police chief for a reason, Bells."

"Good point." I giggled, nervously.

"Yeah. He can stay, but no funny business." He said in his authoritative cop voice.

I blushed at that comment. "Deal." I said, leaning in for a hug. "I love you, dad."

"I love you, too, kiddo." My dad said, patting my back. "And don't be too hard on him. Guys are a little dumb sometimes."

I laughed. "Thanks, dad. See you in the morning." I said, running up the stairs. I shut my bedroom door and turned to find Edward sitting up in my bed. He was still on the phone. He looked up at me and I nodded, making him smile.

"Yeah, dad. I know. Okay, I'll tell her. I love you, too. See you in the morning. Goodnight." He hung up the phone.

I sat beside him and he brought my hand up to kiss the inside of my wrist. "My dad totally figured everything out." I laughed. "It was a little scary actually."

"Does he think I'm a complete idiot?" Edward asked, smiling nervously.

"No. He said he would have been surprised if we didn't have a disagreement over the guys. Apparently, and I'm quoting him here, a bunch of young guys and a pretty girl doting on them, is not a good mix." I laughed.

He leaned in to kiss me. "We'll figure each other out."

"I know." I said, smiling. "What did your parents think of you spending the night?"

"Oh, they're okay with it. My dad is happy that we talked everything out and he said to tell you not to be so hard on yourself." Edward looked over at me. "Why would he say that?"

"Oh, I may have said that I was stupid for walking out." I told him.

"Aw. Baby, you're not stupid. I'm stupid. I made a big deal out of nothing." He said, kissing me again. "But, let's not talk about that anymore. I love you, and that's all that matters."

"So, are you sleeping in your jeans?" I asked him, laughing.

"No, smarty pants. Are you?" He teased, standing up to take off his pants. He smiled at me, wearing just his blue boxers. He looked amazing.

"No." I said, sliding off my jeans. I slipped my bra out from under my tank, leaving me in just my black tank top and pair of green and white stripped boy shorts.

"You are so beautiful." He sighed. "Why are you on the other side of the bed from me?"

"Because, I have to pee." I laughed. "Attractive, huh?"

"Bella, I love everything about you, even your tiny bladder." He laughed.

"You're gross." I laughed, walking to my door. I went to the bathroom, washed my face and brushed my teeth, before going back to my room.

I crawled into bed with Edward and he pulled me close to him. We were both laying on our sides, facing each other, tangling our legs together. "I can't believe your dad is okay with this." Edward said

"I know." I giggled. "But, he did say no funny business."

"Of course not." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my throat. He brought his hand down my back to my bum.

I giggled. "Edward." His hand slid back up to the small of my back.

"Sorry." He chuckled. "You just feel so good in my arms." He snuggled his face into my shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Edward. Forever." I whispered, running my fingers through his hair until I fell asleep.

I woke up suddenly at six-thirty with a Charlie horse in my leg. It was cramping so bad, I started screaming. I sat up, trying to rub my calf muscle. "Baby, what's wrong?" Edward said, sitting up, his hair an adorable mess.

"Leg cramp." I squealed. "It hurts." Edward pushed my hands away and started massaging my leg. His fingers felt so strong. Just then, my bedroom door flew open and my dad was standing there in a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt with his gun drawn. "What's going on?" He demanded.

Edward raised his hands in the air, like he was some kind of criminal. But, when he stopped rubbing my leg, the cramp came back and I started screaming again. "Dad, I have cramp in my leg. Put the gun down." I said exasperatedly. "Edward, help."

Edward looked unsure if he should touch my leg with my dad standing in my room staring at us. Finally, he looked at me, and seemed to snap out of it. He grabbed my leg and stated rubbing it again.

"Sorry, you two. I heard you scream and I reacted." My dad said, chuckling a little. The whole situation would have been hilarious, had I not been in so much pain, and if Edward didn't look like he was about to have a heart attack. "I'll see you two downstairs a little later." My dad left the room and I could see a smile on his face before he shut the door. I think he liked the fact that he gave Edward a little scare.

Edward and I sat there on the bed, not saying anything. Edward continued to massage my muscle until it felt nice and loose. I put my hands on his and stopped him. He shook his head and collapsed back on the bed. "God, Bella." He said, crossing his arms over his face.

I laid beside him and wrapped my arm across his chest. I leaned down and started placing little kisses all over his chest and arm, everywhere I could reach. "I'm sorry." I whispered. "That was a horrible way to wake up."

He chuckled a little, before uncovering his eyes and looking at me. "You are so worth it." He smiled.


	124. Chapter 124

**A/N - Firstly, I just wanted to thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you seemed to like the last chapter so much! Also, 'Summer Vacation' just passed 1300 reviews! Wow! Thank you all so much! It really means a lot to hear what you think!**

**Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians! I'm thankful for all my great readers and the chance to be creative and write this for you all!**

**Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 124 - Hiding and Heidi

I went and took a quick shower, dried my hair and brushed my teeth. Edward hid in my room until I was ready. I think he was embarrassed about the whole situation, from the fight to the sleepover and then this morning's little incident with my dad. I could tell he didn't want to go downstairs. I couldn't blame him, but I didn't want things to weird between him and my dad. I slipped on some black Capri pants and a comfy tunic top.

Edward went in the bathroom for a minute and it looked like he wet his hair a little, likely to tame it before he went home. When he came out, I took his hand and practically drug him down the stairs to the kitchen. My dad was leaning against the counter holding his cup of coffee. He looked up when we walked in. "Coffee?" He asked Edward.

"God, yes." Edward sighed, sitting down at the table. My dad brought him over a mug and Edward took a drink. "Thank you, sir."

I stood at the counter, scrambling some eggs and then I put some bread in the toaster. "So, do you kids have any plans for today?" My dad asked.

Edward looked at me and I shook my head. "No, sir." Edward said, still looking a little frazzled.

My dad chuckled to himself and I shot him a look. My dad held up his hands like he was innocent. "Son." My dad said to Edward, making his look up from his coffee mug. "First things, first. I'm sorry about that wake up call this morning." He said chuckling, again. "When you become a father some day, you'll understand that protective instinct."

Edward nodded his head and forced a smile at my dad. "Yes, sir." I could tell he was really uncomfortable, still. Almost like he didn't know how to act or what to say.

"Secondly, call me Charlie." My dad said, making me smile. "And lastly, relax, kid. I'm not upset with you, I understand what happened yesterday, and I let you sleep here. I'm not that bad of a guy." He said chuckling.

Edward looked at me and I nodded at him, hoping he would relax a little more, and believe what my dad was saying to him. "Thank you, Charlie." Edward said, looking a little more comfortable. "It's just been a crazy twelve hours." He said, laughing.

"I believe it, son. And, you'll deal with more craziness." My dad said, leaning back in his chair. "No offence, Bells, but girls can do a number on your head."

"Hey." I said, watching as Edward and my dad laughed together. "What happened to 'guys can be dumb, sometimes'?" That just made them laugh harder. I huffed and turned to finish our breakfast. I made us each a plate of scrambled eggs and toast and sat down at the table.

"Thanks, babe." Edward said, before he dug in. I smiled at him, glad to see he was acting like his old self again.

"Yeah, thanks, kiddo." My dad said, smiling at me.

"You're both welcome." I said. We all finished eating and I always got so much pleasure watching people enjoying the food I made.

"So, I was wondering if you guys want to head to the shooting range this morning?" My dad asked. I was grateful that he was putting in the effort with Edward.

"I'm in." I said smiling.

Edward looked a little worried. "I've never handled a gun before, Charlie."

"That's alright, neither had Bella, the last time I took her, and she did great." My dad said reassuringly.

"Yeah, sure. Okay, um, I just have to run home, take a shower and change." Edward said. "Can I meet you back here in about an hour?" He asked standing up, taking his plate to the sink.

"Yeah, that sounds great." My dad said, looking excited.

"Edward, just leave the dishes." I told him, taking his hand and walking with him to the door. I kissed him on the chin and then wrapped my arms around him. "Thank you for the leg massage this morning." I said giggling. "I'm really sorry about the whole gun thing, babe." I said, rubbing his back.

"It's okay, baby. It was just a crazy way to wake up, that's all." He chuckled. "Okay, I better go. See you soon, angel. I love you."

I smiled up at him. "I love you, too. Hurry back."

He kissed me quickly on the forehead, before going out to his car. I watched as he drove off, before going back in the kitchen. My dad was washing the dishes. "Hey, kiddo. Is he mad at me? I'm really sorry about this morning."

I laughed. "No, dad. He's not mad. I think he was just shocked. I think I scared him when I woke up screaming, and then you burst through the door with your gun." I giggled again. "I can't imagine what he was thinking."

"Yeah, I have a feeling I need to make it up to him." My dad said.

"Well, I'm happy that you invited him to spend some time with us." I told him truthfully. "He'll be fine, dad. But he's right. It was a rough day for us." I sighed. "What do I do about Jake and Alec?"

"What do you mean?" My dad asked, passing me a plate, that I started drying.

"Well, I don't want to avoid them. I do consider them to be my friends, but I have to take Edward's feelings into consideration." I explained.

"Well, you could call them sometime and check in, or visit them once a week." My dad shrugged his shoulders. "I know they appreciated all you did for them, but they wouldn't want to cause problems for you, Bells."

"You're right, dad." I said, putting away the dishes. "Thanks."

"No problem, kiddo. Plus, Heidi has the day off and she told me she was going over to bug the guys today. They'll be fine." He reassured me.

"I like Heidi." I mused. "I met her up at the hospital last week. "And, she's very pretty." I added, looking up at my dad, who started to fidget with the dish towel. Hmm. I wonder if something is going on with my dad and the only female cop on the force. I kind of liked that idea. My dad was a great guy, and he deserved every bit of happiness he could get.

"She's a great cop." My dad added.

"Is she single?" I asked. "She's got to be around your age, right, dad?"

"Isabella." He warned.

"What? I'm just saying." I said trying to look innocent.

"Well, don't." He said, looking a little embarrassed. "I'm going to clean the guns before Edward get's back." He said, walking into the living room.

"Okay. Sorry, daddy." I said before going up to my room to wait for Edward. I wondered what was going on with my dad and Heidi. He clearly didn't want to talk about it. I'd have to run it passed Edward sometime and see what he thought.

I turned on my laptop and decided to send my mom a quick e-mail. I asked how she was, a little worried about her, since her relationship with Phil wasn't working out. I told her about everything that's been going on since we got back from Phoenix: the apartment in Seattle, the shooting, mine and Edward's trip to Port Townsend. I wanted to keep her up to date.

I heard a knock on my door. "Bells?" It was my dad.

"Come in." I said, as I sent my e-mail. I closed my laptop and turned in my chair. My dad walked over and sat on my bed.

"I'm sorry, Bells. I didn't mean to be so grouchy downstairs." He said softly. "The whole relationship thing hasn't been easy for me since your mom left. I like Heidi, but I don't want to complicate things at work. So, just leave it for now, okay?"

"Okay. I'm sorry. I just really liked her when we met. She seems like a strong, independent woman, but she's not like mom. She seems to have a real soft side. A warmness about her." I explained. "But, I won't bug you about it. I promise."

I hoped he wasn't holding back in his feelings for her because I was home. I really wanted the best for him. I was realistic. I could only be home with my dad for four months a year, plus vacations. I didn't want him to be lonely when I was gone.

"Thanks, kiddo." He said, getting up to hug me. I hugged him back. I was glad that my dad and I had such a close relationship. It was nice to be able to have someone to talk to about things. I wouldn't trade our father/daughter relationship for anything.


	125. Chapter 125

**A/N - Thanks again for the support! You are all amazing! 'Summer Vacation' just passed 200 000 hits! **

**I love chapters that have both Charlie and Edward, so this chapter is one of my favorites! Enjoy!**

Chapter 125 - On the Mark

Edward was back at our house in just under an hour, dressed in faded jeans and a black t-shirt, complete with a huge bouquet of purple hyacinth flowers. "Oh, Edward. They're beautiful." I said, leaning up to kiss his him. "I love them. Thank you."

"You're welcome. They symbolize apology." He told me, leaning down for another kiss.

"Aw, babe. You don't have to apologize. But, this is so sweet." I said, looking under the sink to find our largest vase. As I was filling it with water, my dad came in the kitchen.

"Hey, Edward. You're back fast." He said. "You kids ready to go?"

"Yeah." Edward said, taking the vase from me and setting in on the kitchen table.

We all walked out to my dad's truck and Edward opened the passenger door for me and lifted me up, making me laugh. I scooted into the middle seat, flanked by my two guys. On the way to the range, my dad was telling us that we'd just shoot the 9mm today. "Wouldn't want to overwhelm the newbie." He teased, making Edward laugh.

We got to the range and we all went into the outdoor shelter. My dad went out and stapled a target at the twenty-five yard mark. "Okay. Now, Bells shot the .40 calibre last time, but the 9mm doesn't have as much recoil." He brought out his black handgun and set in on the table that was covered in carpeting. I looked at Edward and he was standing beside me with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He was listening intently to every word my dad was saying. "This is a CZ 75. It holds seventeen shells. It's a single action, semi-automatic. That means you just need to pull the trigger and it shoots."

He passed us both a pair of shooting glasses and earplugs. We put them on and I laughed at how cute Edward looked. We watched my dad load the clip, pull the action back to load the gun, and then put the safety on.

"So, who wants to go first?" My dad asked.

I looked up at Edward, and he looked a little nervous. "You want to try it?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Okay." He walked over to stand beside my dad. He placed the gun in Edward's hands. "Now hold it in your right hand, like your shaking my hand, and then put your left hand underneath your hand, holding it up. Keep your thumb away from the back, there. You don't want the slide to cut your hand." Edward stood at the firing line. "Now, bend your elbows. Don't lock them." Edward followed directions well.

"Now, line up your sites, so the site on the front with the dot on it, is in that notch on the back site. Do you see that, Edward?" My dad asked patiently.

"Yes, sir." Edward said, smiling.

"Now, line it up with the center of the target. With your right thumb, slide the safety off." My dad continued. "Now take a breath and let it out. Take another breath and let it halfway out. Now squeeze the trigger gently. Don't pull it. It should surprise you when you shoot."

I watched Edward take a couple of breaths. He hesitated for a minute. "Whenever, your ready, son." My dad reassured him. Finally, Edward fired his first shot. It completely missed the target. "Edward, keep you're eyes open. People tend to close their eyes in anticipation for the shot. Watch your sites."

He took a few more deep breaths and squeezed off the next shot. This time it hit the target, but was about three inches off the mark. "You hit it, Edward." I said proudly.

Edward smiled when he heard me. He kept shooting, each shot getting better. By the time he had emptied the clip, he had one shot that touched the side of the bull's eye. My dad took the gun from him and released the clip, setting it back on the table. We all walked down the range to the get Edward's target. My dad patted Edward's shoulder. "Good job, kid." He passed Edward his target. "I'm afraid you couldn't have kept dating this kid, if he didn't hit the mark." My dad said to me, teasing.

I laughed. "Alright. I get to keep you." I said, wrapping my arm around Edward's waist. Edward laughed and leaned down to kiss the top of my head.

My dad stapled up another target for me and we walked back. "You did so good, Edward." I said. "Did you like it?"

"Um, yeah. It's just a lot of power in your hands, you know. It was a little intimidating at first, and I didn't know how much it was going to kick." Edward laughed. "I can't believe I shut my eyes."

Charlie looked at us and smiled. "That happens a lot, son. Don't worry about it. It's pretty common. Most rookie cops do the same thing in training. You did really good." I was so proud of Edward for doing this. I knew he was nervous.

My dad loaded the clip and again. "Alright, Bells. You're up."

"Can I have a good luck kiss?" I whispered to Edward. He smiled at me, and leaned down to kiss my forehead. I wanted more, but I'd have to take it. I couldn't fault him though. My dad was holding a gun. "Thanks, babe." I said before going over to stand with my dad.

"You remember what to do, kiddo?" My dad asked. He looked so proud of me and I hadn't even done anything, yet.

"I think so." I said. I lifted the gun up and looked through the sites. I slid off the safety and did my dad's breathing technique. I wanted to do really well, so Edward was proud of me, too.

I fired of the first shot and hit the bottom edge of the target. "Good job, Bells. Relax your elbows a little bit." My dad coached from behind me.

I followed his advice and the next one hit just an inch off the center. I was excited, but stayed focused. By the time I finished, I had a pretty good grouping, quite close to the center. My second to last shot hit right at the bottom of the bull's eye. My dad took the gun from me and took out the clip, setting it down.

"Great job, kiddo." He said, pulling me into a hug. "Let's go check it out. You haven't lost your knack." He laughed.

I turned to Edward and he smiled at me. "You're great, babe." He said, leaning down for a quick kiss. He took my hand and we walked out to look at my target.

"She's a great shot, right, Edward?" My dad said, proudly, taking it off the board to give it to me.

"She's amazing." Edward said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, pulling my back to his chest. He leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "She takes after her dad." I tipped my head back to look up at Edward and smiled at him. That was such a sweet thing for him to say.

"Dad, are you going to shoot?" I asked. "I want to see a master a work."

"Alright." He said. We all walked back to the shelter and watched as my dad placed all seventeen shots within an inch of each other. It was amazing. I knew my dad was a good shot, but this was incredible.

"Wow." Edward whispered. My dad took the clip out and turned to look at us. "That wake up call just turned a lot more frightening." Edward chuckled, making my dad laugh.

"I would never, ever point a gun at you, or anyone, Edward, unless I felt there was a threat. You're safe with me." He smiled, and Edward nodded. "You guys were great. Let's go get some lunch, my treat."

We packed up and drove out to the Subway. We sat a booth, Edward and I beside each other, and my dad across from us. "Thanks for that experience, Charlie." Edward said, while we were eating. "I had a really good time."

My dad looked so pleased. I could tell Edward had really won him over by saying that. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. We'll have to get you out there again and let you try the shotgun." My dad suggested.

"Sounds good, sir." Edward said.

We finished our lunch and my dad dropped us off at home before heading out to work. We sat together on the front step enjoying the June weather. "You know, sugar, Forks has never been this sunny and warm for as long as I can remember." He wrapped his arm around my waist, and lightly traced his thumb back and forth along my hip. "You brought the sunshine with you from Phoenix, I'm sure of it."

I laughed. "I love you, Edward." I said, just because I felt it couldn't be said enough.

He smiled at me. "I love you, too." He leaned in and kissed me. "Even though you're a better shot than me." He added, laughing.

I laughed with him. "Especially because I'm a better shot than you."

This morning was incredible. I was so happy and relieved that Edward and I could get through an argument, move on and get back to our usual selves around each other. I knew that we could make this last forever. And that thought thrilled me.


	126. Chapter 126

**A/N- Thanks again for the great reviews. You all make me smile! I LOVE reading them. It is so nice to hear your favorite parts of the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 126 - Walking and Talking

"At the risk of repeating yesterday's events, I'm going to ask what you want to do this afternoon." Edward said, taking my hand in his and bringing it up to his lips.

"Please don't be scared to talk to me." I whispered, leaning in to kiss his lips. "I don't know what I want to do. I just want to be with you."

"I like the sound of that." He laughed. "You want to go for a drive, or something?"

"Yeah. I like that idea." I said, leaning in for another kiss. "I'm just going to run up to the bathroom." I laughed.

"Of course you are." He said, with that cute smirk.

Within five minutes, we were on the road. "Where are we going?" I asked, as Edward drove west.

"I don't really know. I though maybe we could drive to the coast, maybe go for a walk." He said, looking at me and winking.

We drove the twenty minutes out to the coast and Edward parked. We got out and he took my hand in his. We started walking along the rocky coastline. It was chilly on the water's edge, but the sun shining on our backs as we walked warmed us up. There was no one else out here and it was peaceful. As we walked, we talked about our morning with my dad. It made me so happy that Edward enjoyed spending time with my dad, like I did with his family.

After about an hour of walking, we found a large rock with a flat top. It was about four feet tall and just as wide. "Are you tired? You want to sit up there?" Edward asked.

"There is no way I could get up there, babe." I said. It would have been a really cool place to rest for a while, though.

"Um, you have the best boyfriend on the planet, honey. I'll get you up." Edward laughed. We walked up to the boulder and Edward stood behind me. "Okay, put your arms up on top and I'll lift you up."

"Okay, don't drop me." I told him, looking behind me.

"I won't let you fall, babe." He said. I reached my hands up to the top and Edward put his hands on my waist. I pulled myself up and Edward lifted me until I could get my knees up. I crawled over to make room for Edward. He pulled himself up right after me. "That wasn't so hard, right?" He asked, smiling.

"No." I smiled. Edward sat behind me with his legs on either side of me and I leaned back into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, making me feel so safe.

"This is nice." I sighed. "It's so warm up here. And listen to the waves crashing, Edward. It's amazing, here." I said, kissing his arm.

"It is, baby." Edward sighed, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Bella, I know this is probably way too early to be talking about this, but you'll be finished your program at UW before me, by like two or three years."

"Yeah, I know." I said, turning around to look at his face.

"Well, are you going to want to come live back in Forks with your dad when you're finished, or…" He trailed off.

"Um, well, I was thinking I'd wait in Seattle with you, until you graduate as the cutest pharmacist in the state. Then, I thought we could move back here together." I told him. "I could take my Masters in education, or I could work in the Seattle school system for a few years. Make some money. I could save up for our house." The thought of Edward and I having a house together was so exciting. Our own place in Forks.

"Wow." He chuckled. "You've given it a lot of thought, huh?" He brought his hands down to tickle my sides, making me squirm.

"Absolutely." I said, with a smile. "I'm serious when I say I want to be with you forever, Edward."

"I love you, angel." He said. "You want to walk back to the car?"

"Yeah, we've got a long walk ahead of us." I said. Edward sat on the side of the rock and jumped down.

"Okay, babe, sit on the side and I'll catch you." He said, holding his arms up. I looked at him sceptically, but did as he suggested and hopped down into his arms. Edward caught me by the waist, but we bumped our foreheads together.

"Ow." We both said at the same time. It hurt, but we were still laughing. I slid down Edward's chest to the ground and immediately put my hand to my forehead. I looked up at him and he had his hand up.

"Sorry, baby." I said, pulling his hand away. "Let me see it." Edward had a little red spot where my head hit his. "Let me kiss it better." I smiled, and pulled his head down.

He smiled at me and leaned forward. I kissed his forehead. He laughed and then kissed my forehead. "Guess that didn't work out as well as I planned it." He said as he took my hand and we started walking back down the beach.

We were walking for about ten minutes, when I figured out what we should do tonight. "Babe. Do you want to give Paul a call?" I asked Edward. "You haven't seen him in a while, and I'm sure he'd love to hear from you."

"Yeah, sounds good." Edward said. "If I head over there tonight, do you want to come with me?"

"Are you sure you don't just want some guy time?" I double checked. "I really wouldn't mind if you do."

"No, baby. I want you with me." He said, honestly. He sighed. "It's just that after yesterday, I don't know, I just want to be with you."

I squeezed his hand. "I get it." And I did get it. I just wanted him to realize that he could still spend time with his friends.

As we walked, he dialled Paul on his cell phone. "Seven tonight, okay?" He whispered to me. I nodded and smiled. I really liked Paul, so I didn't mind hanging around with him. Edward ended the call, stuffing his phone back in his pocket.

"So, what did he say?" I asked.

"He invited us over to his place. He wants me to bring my guitar, because we haven't played together in awhile." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Oh, and he's going to pick up Rachel tonight, so she'll be there, too."

"Sounds good, babe." I said, wrapping my arm around his waist.

"I'm glad you suggested this, angel." Edward said as we got back to his car.

We drove back to Edward's house just as the boys were getting home from school. Emmett pulled me up into a huge hug, and lifted me right off me feet, making me laugh. "I'm so happy to see you." He said, making me realize how lucky I was to have so many people that loved me in my life. "Don't scare us like that, guys." He said, setting me down and turning to look at Edward and I with his arms folded across his chest.

"Sorry." We both said, then turned to smile at each other.

Jasper hugged me, too. "I'm glad you're back, too." He said quietly.

"Me, too." I whispered. We all walked into the house and I was met by Alice, who gave me a big hug. This family was amazing, and way too good to me.

Esme had dinner ready when we all walked into the kitchen. Carlisle was apparently already home, today. "It's good to see you two smiling." Carlisle said, carrying a salad into the dining room. Edward leaned over and kissed my cheek.

As we ate, Edward told his family about our trip to the shooting range. Emmett was really excited about it. "Bella, do you think your dad would let me try it, sometime?"

"I don't see why not, but I'll have to ask him." I said. "He likes teaching people about gun safety."

"Emmett." Carlisle said. "You focus on your school work for the next week and half, then we'll talk to Charlie about it, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, dad." He agreed. It was probably difficult for the boys to be in school while Edward and I were home, enjoying our summer vacation.

After dinner, Edward told his parents about our plans. "Oh, Bella and I are heading over to Paul's, tonight." He said. "I don't know how late we'll be out. So, I'll see you guys tomorrow morning."

Esme and Carlisle gave us each a hug and smiled. I was happy that they were so supportive of our relationship. When Edward went upstairs to get his guitar, I thanked Carlisle for his advice.

"You two are doing great, Bella." Carlisle said. "I'm really proud of both of you."

I blushed. "Thanks. We're really trying."

Edward came down the stairs with his guitar case, looking every bit the sexy musician he was. I could wait to watch him play again tonight.


	127. Chapter 127

**A/N - Thank you all so much for the reviews, hits, faves and alerts! But, I won't keep you from Edward with his guitar any longer! That would be mean! Enjoy!**

Chapter 127 - Jam Session

We pulled up to Paul's house at ten to seven. He was renting a small place with a closed in porch. It was a single story, and had hedges around the front yard. His motorcycle was parked out front, so we knew he was home with Rachel already.

Edward rang the bell, and we saw Paul come running over to get the door, through the window in the front door. "Hey, guys." He said, patting Edward's shoulder, and then pulling me into a hug. "Come on in."

We walked into the living room, that had a futon, a love seat, and a chair, that were all mismatched. But, yet, the room looked homey and comfortable. "Hi, Bella." Rachel said, getting off the futon, and coming over to give me a hug. She was wearing a short jean skirt and a black sleeveless blouse. "Edward." She said, turning to hug Edward. "How have you two been?" She asked. It had been about a month since we had met her in the bar in Port Angeles.

"We're great." I said. "We went travelling a lot together last month." I looked up at Edward and smiled. "We're stronger than ever."

"You guys are so cute." She exclaimed. Edward and I sat down together on the love seat.

Paul came back into the living room with a bowl of pretzels and another one of chips. "They are, aren't they?" Paul laughed. "And, if I didn't have you, Rachel, I'd kick them out of here." He teased, making Edward laugh. "Root beer, coke, cream soda?" Paul asked, walking back into the kitchen.

I took a coke and Edward took root beer. "I'm happy to see you two together." I said with a smile.

"Well, who can resist a guy with a guitar?" Rachel said, leaning over to kiss Paul on the cheek.

I laughed. "I sure can't." I said, squeezing Edward's knee, making him laugh.

"So, man. Are we going to talk about it, or are we going to wow our ladies?" Paul said, picking up his guitar from its case and throwing the strap over his shoulder. He started strumming right away. I knew I had heard the song before, but I couldn't figure out what it was until he started singing 'Satisfaction' by the Rolling Stones. Paul had an amazing voice and what impressed me the most about the guys, was that they could play without any music. They had it all memorized. It was really incredible.

When Paul finished his song, Edward and I clapped for him and Rachel leaned over to give him a long kiss, which actually made me blush. I wasn't uncomfortable, I just wasn't used to how open they were in front of us. I smiled to myself, thinking about Emmett and Rose. They were exactly like Paul and Rachel in that way. Edward reached down to grab his guitar, perched on the edge of the couch and set it on his knee. Edward leaned over and whispered in my ear. "You okay?" I loved how in tune Edward was to my feelings. I smiled and nodded at him. He smiled back and leaned in to kiss my cheek.

When Paul finally pulled away from Rachel, he grabbed a quick drink from his beer, and looked at Edward before he started strumming again. "Remember this one?" He asked. Edward smiled to himself and joined in with Paul, accompanying him. "For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield." Paul said with smile.

"Paul likes the oldies." Edward said, before Paul started singing. They played the song together like pros. The both sang and played together. You wouldn't even believe that they hadn't practiced together in two years.

I sighed. I loved the sound of Edward's singing voice, and I would never, ever tire of hearing it. When they finished, Rachel and I applauded for them. "You guys are great together." I smiled.

"Yeah, Edward picked up the guitar pretty easily, so we started playing songs together." Paul told me. "I don't know, these sixties songs are just perfect for the acoustic guitar."

"They are." Edward said. "This one is Cream's Crossroads." He started playing again, and Paul set down his guitar, letting Edward have the floor. He grabbed the bowl of pretzels and leaned back on the couch with his arm around Rachel. Edward was playing and singing and I loved how confident and happy he looked with the guitar in his hands. He looked a lot more relaxed here on Paul's couch than he had on stage in Port Angeles.

My stomach fluttered when Edward sang, and I couldn't help but take in every detail. His long fingers plucked the strings and it was amazing how one person could make such beautiful music. His knees were spread wide and he was leaning into the guitar. He right foot gently tapped out the beat. But, my favourite part, was that when he sang, he looked right into my eyes, as if I was his focal point. As he sang, the corners of his mouth would turn up into a smile every once in awhile. It was an incredible feeling to have such a powerful connection with him. Watching him play, hearing him sing and feeling the resonance of the guitar echo through my body, all while he was looking into my eyes, made our love almost feel deeper. It was such an intense experience, that I almost forgot that Paul and Rachel were sitting just a few feet away from us, until Edward finished the song.

"Great job, man." Paul said, breaking me away from Edward's spell. "That was always one of my favourites for you. Kind of captures that blues style you like so much."

"Yeah? Thanks, buddy." Edward said, before smiling at me. He winked and I knew he had felt that connection, too.

The guys continued playing for a couple hours. The time literally flew by. And they covered a bunch of sixties artists, from Eric Clapton, to the Doors, and even Elvis.

At around nine thirty, Paul thought it would be fun to see if he and Edward could teach Rachel and I to play. I laughed him off, but Edward slipped his guitar off and slid the strap over my shoulder. I was actually a little nervous to hold his guitar. This was his baby. As if anticipating my concerns, he leaned in and whispered in my ear. "Relax, angel. I love you more than this guitar." I looked back at him and he smiled at me. He jumped behind me, putting his legs on either side of me, so his chest was against my back. He wrapped his arms around me and covered my hands in his. "Ready?" He whispered into my ear, before kissing behind it.

I took in a deep breath. The combination of Edward's warm body pressed up behind me, his guitar in my lap and his breath and kisses on my neck had me sufficiently distracted. I giggled. "I don't know. What do I do?"

He took my left hand and brought it up to the neck of the guitar. "Let's do a C chord, first." He whispered. He covered my hand with his and pressed three of my fingers to the strings. "Take the pick." He said, slipping the rounded plastic pick into my right hand. He held onto my hand and strummed my hand with the pick onto the strings. "There you go, sugar. Now, let's try the A chord." He moved my fingers again and we continued to strum, moving our way through about five or six major chords in this fashion.

"You're making basic chords look darn good, Bella." Paul laughed.

I looked up and noticed Paul and Rachel snuggled together on the couch watching us. "Why aren't you playing?" I asked, laughing, actually having forgotten about them again. It was funny how much of an effect Edward had on me. That was twice in one night, where I felt like we were alone together.

Rachel smiled and held up her hands, wiggling her fingers. "My fingernails are too long?" She laughed. "I'll leave the music to this guy." She said, running her nails over his chest.

"You done for now?" Edward asked. I nodded. My fingertips were a little sore from the strings. He lifted the guitar off of me and set it back in the case. I took a quick bathroom break, before coming back and cuddling up with Edward. Edward leaned over to the coffee table and grabbed the bowl of chips for us. We sat there, snacking and talking for the next hour.

Paul suggested we do another open mic night again sometime soon, and we happily agreed. "You guys should definitely perform together this time." Rachel suggested.

"Yeah, I'd be cool with that." Paul said smiling. "He's really talented, right Bella?"

"He's amazing." I agreed. "You're both so talented." I turned and looked into Edward's eyes and he smiled at me, before kissing me.

"Thanks, baby." He said, before turning to Paul. "Anyway, we should head out. You have work tomorrow morning."

Paul laughed. "Thanks for the reminder, slacker." Paul teased, making Edward laugh.

"I'm here 'til August to do just that." Edward said. We got up and Edward closed up his guitar case. We all said our goodbyes, giving hugs and handshakes with promises to hang out again, soon. Edward opened my door for me, put his guitar in the trunk and then got in the driver's side of the car.

Edward drove me home and came in the house with me. My dad would home in about twenty minutes and I appreciated that Edward waited with me. We snuggled on the couch together, our limbs tangled and our bodies pressed together. "Did you have fun tonight?" Edward whispered.

"I had an amazing time." I said. "You are just so sexy with that guitar in your hands." I admitted.

"Sexy, huh?" He smiled, leaning in to kiss me. We laid there enjoying every last second together before my dad got home. When we heard the door of his truck close, we reluctantly sat up. Edward leaned in for one last goodnight kiss, before we stood up and walked to the door, meeting my dad on the front steps. "Goodnight, Charlie. See you tomorrow, angel." Edward said, as he jogged out to his car and drove home.

My dad wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we walked back into the house together. It had been another great day.


	128. Chapter 128

**A/N - Thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm still really enjoying writing these characters and I have so many more plans for them! Thanks for sticking with me and loving my version of Edward and Bella! Enjoy!**

Chapter 128 - Days Go By

The next few days went by quickly, but I enjoyed them immensely. Thursday, Edward and I had another web chat with Angie and Ben. We had so much to catch up on, from the shooting, mine and Edward's trip to Port Townsend, and even our trip to the shooting range with my dad. What was special about this web chat, was that Ben was watching his baby niece for the day, and we got to see her through the web cam. It was a really sweet moment. It seemed that their babysitting experience was going a lot better than ours did. And, it was nice to see Ben and Ang still going strong.

We finished the day at Jasper's practice, sitting with Emmett, and then had dinner with the Cullens. After dinner, Edward, Alice and I sat and watched Sleeping Beauty on the couch together. The things Edward did for his little sister absolutely warmed my heart.

Friday, Edward picked me up at noon and we had lunch with Esme. Then we helped her clean up the house. It turned out that Nanny and Grandpa Masen were flying in from Chicago on Sunday, and Esme figured she needed to polish every surface in the house. I didn't mind helping, as I was just as excited to meet them. She had asked Edward to drive with her to Seattle to pick them up from the airport. He happily agreed and I smiled to myself, thinking of how much Edward loved his grandparents. They were going to be sleeping in Edward's room, so he was going to take the couch in the game's room.

At five o'clock, we all went Jasper's baseball game. It was nice to see Rose and Maria again. Maria had not lost her enthusiasm and Emmett seemed almost unable to keep his hands off of Rose, even though his parents were sitting close by. It was nice to see their relationships going strong. The Forks Spartans ended up winning 2-1, and remained undefeated. We all went out for pizza and then dropped the Hale girls off back home.

Edward and I spent the evening going for a walk. We seemed almost inseparable since our fight on Tuesday. We were stronger and, if possible, even more in love.

Saturday was interesting to say the least. My dad's co-worker, and secret crush, Heidi, was hosting a backyard barbeque. She had called and personally invited Edward and I to attend. Apparently, she hadn't trusted my dad to say anything to me. I was really excited to get to know her better. Jake had been released from the hospital on Thursday afternoon, his brothers having brought him home to La Push to help him recover. Heidi wanted to have a barbeque to celebrate both cops being released from the hospital.

I had gotten dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and black t-shirt, and went downstairs to make up a macaroni salad. Heidi said we could bring something if we wanted, but it wasn't a big deal. The barbeque started at noon, but Edward was over to my house by ten. When I opened the door, he had a small white daisy in his hand and three huge bags of potato chips in his other arm. I laughed when I saw him. "For you, beautiful." He said passing me the daisy, before leaning in for a quick kiss. He looked great wearing a pair of black board shorts and a white t-shirt. He looked gorgeous, and I was immediately reminded of our trip to Phoenix, where I saw Edward in shorts for a week straight.

"Thanks, baby." I said, walking in the kitchen, with Edward on my heels. He set the snacks on the counter, and then sat in the kitchen chair. I came and sat on his knee, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and leaning in for kiss. He smiled against my lips, before he put his hands on my waist and pulled me closer to his chest, deepening the kiss.

He finally pulled back and smiled at me. "I missed you." He looked around. "Where's Charlie?"

"Oh, he went over to Heidi's to help set up tables." I said, smirking.

He leaned in and kissed me quickly on the lips. "What's that smirk about, huh?" He smiled. "What do you know?" He asked running his fingers lightly up my sides.

I giggled. "Um, well, I think my dad really likes Heidi. I mean they're about the same age, they work in the same field, the same office for that matter. And, I think she's gorgeous. She's perfect for him."

"Okay, that sounds good, and I know you're a little matchmaker, but how do you know Charlie's even interested?" He asked.

"Oh, I brought it up to him a few days ago and he told me to leave it alone." I sighed. "He likes her, I know it, but I think my mom leaving him, and taking me, has really done a number on him. He has trust issues with women." I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder and he rubbed my back.

"Well, honey, I would listen to him, this time. Let things happen as they happen, okay?" He said softly. "If things were meant to be, they'll work out. Hey, maybe she'll make the first move."

"You're right." I said, getting up. I gave him another quick kiss, before walking back to the counter to cover my salad and put in the fridge to cool for a couple hours. "You want to go upstairs for a bit?" I asked.

"Of course." He smirked and followed me up to my room. We both laid down on the bed and I snuggled into his chest.

I don't know why, but I was worried about hanging out around Jake and Alec again. I was unsure what to say if they asked why we hadn't been around. I hoped Edward wasn't jealous about the fact that they were my friends. We had talked about it the night of the fight and he said he was okay with things now, but I still wanted to make sure before we left for the barbeque.

"So, Edward?" I started. "Things aren't going to be weird at the barbeque, right? You, know, with Alec and Jake?" I just wanted to get everything out in the open.

"Of course not, baby." He said. "I really like both guys and I know they're just friends. I'm sorry for ever making you think you couldn't hang out with your friends."

"Okay, I just wanted to talk about it. You know, keep communicating and everything." I said, leaning in to kiss him.

"Yeah." He said, running his fingers down my leg. "Maybe you can be a matchmaker for all the cops? Get them some girls of their own?" He said, before kissing my neck. I laughed. He was still a little jealous, but that was okay, because I knew it meant that he loved me.

We spent the next hour kissing and cuddling before we decided we had better get up and go to the barbeque.

We loaded our food into the car and drove over to Heidi's place. When we got there, we walked around the side of the house to the backyard, and the fist thing I noticed was that my dad was manning the barbeque. I smiled to myself. He looked really comfortable here. Heidi walked out of the backdoor and walked over to my dad, standing beside him and laughing at something he said. She looked over and smiled when she saw us.

"Hey, Bella. Hi, Edward. It's nice to see you both again." Heidi said, coming up to us. She looked great out of her uniform. She was wearing a pair of grey cotton dress shorts and a black blouse. Her long, brown hair was down and wavy and she looked fabulous.

"Nice to see you, too. You look great." I said, smiling.

"Oh, thank you, Bella." She said, sincerely. "I spend most of the week in uniform, so it's nice to change things up a little."

"Thank you for inviting us." Edward said.

"Oh, absolutely. The chief talks about you two all the time." She laughed. "I feel like I know you both."

Edward laughed at that. "I can only imagine." I looked up at him and smiled.

"Oh, don't worry, Edward. He thinks you're a great guy for Bella." Heidi said smiling. "Now go enjoy yourselves. Make yourselves at home."

"Thanks again. Where do you want us to put this food?" I asked lifting the macaroni salad a little.

"Oh, there's a table over by your dad." She said. "I'll go get some bowls for your chips." Edward and I walked over to the table, and I set the bowl down, beside a fruit salad, and Edward put his chips on the end of the table. I looked around and noticed all of the cops I had met this summer, plus some kids and wives I hadn't met, yet. We'd have to socialize after we went to see my dad.

We walked over and said hi to my dad. "Hey, kids." He said smiling. "Grab some plates and I'll get you guys a burger."

Edward and I went over to a small table with plastic cutlery, plates and cups, and Edward brought us each a red plate. My dad loaded up a serving platter of hamburgers on buns and we each took one, before he took the plate to the serving table. I guessed being the chief's daughter got us first dibs at the food.

"Come and eat." My dad called out to everyone.

It looked like it was going to be a great afternoon.


	129. Chapter 129

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! I've got a busy day, as I have to post the new chapter for College and Cowboys, as well, so I'll let you get right to reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 129 - Barbeque

Edward and I walked down the food line and loaded up our plates with chips and salads. We walked over and sat at an empty picnic table. Edward set his plate down, then went back up to the food table to get our drinks.

"Hey. It's my guardian angel." I turned and saw Alec walking up to the table with a plate of food. I smiled at him, happy to see he was getting around a lot better. "Mind if I sit?" He asked, gesturing to the seat beside me.

"No. Go ahead" I said. "How are you feeling? You don't look like you're in as much pain as before."

"I'm doing so much better. I can move around a lot more. It really only hurts if I turn my body or bump it, or something. I went back to work on Thursday and your dad has me at the desk for another week." He told me.

Edward came back to the table with two blue plastic cups. He smiled at me and kissed the top of my head before he sat on my other side. "Hey, man. How's the rib?" Edward asked.

"A lot better, thanks." Alec said. "So, how have you two been? I miss hanging out with you guys."

Edward had taken a bite of his hamburger, so I answered him. "We're doing great. We've been spending lots of time with my dad and Edward's family. His little brother is quite the baseball player, so we go watch his practices and games." He didn't need to know about our fight.

"Hey, guys." I looked up and saw Paul and Rachel. Paul in a white t-shirt and jeans, and Rachel in a short, low cut sundress. I smiled at them. They were so great together.

"Hi, Paul. You look great, Rach." I said, getting up and going over to give them each a hug. Paul sat down across from Edward and the guys all started talking.

"Bella, will you come with me to get us something to eat. He's never going to stop talking and I don't know anyone here." Rachel said quietly in my ear. I could tell she felt out of her element here.

"Of course. Come on." I said, walking up to the table with her. I grabbed two plates and we worked our way down the line. I took the plates and waited as she grabbed two beers out of the cooler. "So I had a lot of fun on Wednesday night." I said as we walked back to the table.

"Oh, me too. It was nice having another couple to hang out with. All of Paul friends are single and I hate being the only girl." Rachel admitted. "I mean, I work in a bar. I'm surrounded by guys all the time. It's so nice to have you around. You don't know how much I appreciate it." She smiled at me. I could totally relate to how she felt. I was around guys all the time. It didn't make me as uncomfortable as it did for her, but I was really glad she was here, too.

We got back to the table and Rachel and I ended up sitting across from each other at the end of the table. Alec, Edward and Paul were all laughing at something, so I bumped Edward's arm with my hip, so he would move down, next to Alec. Rachel didn't feel comfortable here, yet, so I wouldn't leave her. Edward looked up at me and winked, before sliding down the bench. I set Paul and Rachel's plates down in front of them and Rachel passed Paul a beer.

"Thanks, girls." Paul said, digging into his potato salad. The guys were all talking about some kind of sports statistics or something. It made no sense at all to me, so Rachel and I started talking about girlie things.

"You've never had a manicure?" Rachel asked, looking me with one of her perfectly tweezed eyebrows raised at me. We both started laughing. "Oh, you are so going with me." She laughed.

"Where are you going?" Heidi asked, slipping in next to Rachel, after Paul shuffled down.

"Oh, I'm taking Bella to get a manicure." Rachel said. "Can you believe she's never been?"

Heidi laughed. "Oh, I can believe it. I haven't had one either." I was liking Heidi even more, every time we talked.

"Ladies, ladies." Rachel said. "We're going to have to have a girl's day." Rachel reached her hand out to shake Heidi's. "I'm Rachel, by the way. I'm Paul's girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you, Rachel." Heidi said with a warm smile. "I've been working on an all male police force for twenty years, so it's nice to have some girls around, that's for sure."

We all exchanged phone numbers, but decided that we would meet the next morning in Port Angeles to have our nails done. Heidi offered to drive us out there, and considering Rachel didn't have a vehicle, we would meet her where she lived. It sounded like a perfect Sunday morning activity for us. My dad and Carlisle were going fishing, and Edward and his mom were heading to Seattle to get Nanny and Grandpa Masen. Meeting the grandparents was a perfect excuse to have pretty fingernails. Plus, I'd get to spend time with Heidi and Rachel.

My dad walked over, pulled up a lawn chair and sat at the end of the table between Heidi and I. "What are you girls conspiring about over here?" He teased.

"Well, that's confidential, chief." Heidi laughed, putting her hand on my dad's shoulder. I smiled and I felt Edward squeeze my knee under the picnic table. He saw that, too.

"Oh, come on." My dad said, smiling back at her.

"We're just getting our nail's done, no need to start a new case file, boss." Heidi laughed.

"Well, that sounds fun. Do you need my truck, Bells?" My dad asked, looking away from Heidi, his cheeks a little pink.

"Oh, no thanks, dad. Heidi's going to be our wheels." I laughed.

"When you say it like that, I worry." My dad said, winking at me.

"Oh, come on dad. Rachel and I are going to be with a policewoman. You can't get much safer than that." I said.

My dad stood up and stuck his hand out to Rachel. "And you must be Rachel?"

"Oh, yes. I'm Paul's girlfriend." She said. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"And you as well." My dad said.

She's the one we have to thank for our rookie being such a happy camper for the last month." Heidi said.

Rachel laughed. "Well, I don't want to brag." We all laughed with her. I was glad everyone was getting along. I was especially happy that Edward and Alec were still friends. I didn't really understand Edward's jealously, as I was one hundred percent committed to him, but he seemed a lot more comfortable with me sitting between him and my dad.

After we finished eating, Edward and I got up and went to socialize. We walked over to see Jake. He was sitting with his brothers, the receptionist Sue, Emily, Sam and baby Seth. "Hey, Jake." I said going over to sit by them. Sam passed little Seth over to Edward. Edward cradled the baby against his chest. It was a beautiful site. "I bet you're happy to be out of the hospital." I said to Jake.

"Absolutely." He said. "It's so good to see you guys, again." He told us about the brace he was wearing, that looked like a figure eight around his shoulders, so that his collarbone fracture healed properly. Jake's brother Embry invited us to come hang out at the beach.

"Seriously, guys. Anytime you want. Come down and check us out." Embry said, with a genuine smile. "You were both so great with Jake over the last week. So it's on us."

We thanked them and agreed to come down with Edward's brothers this summer. We, also, talked with Sue and Emily for a while, until little Seth started to squirm, and Emily went in the house to feed him.

At around four o'clock, things were starting to wind down and some of the cops had to get back to work. Edward and I went over to say bye to my dad and thank Heidi for having us over.

"I'm going to stick around and help Heidi clean up, so I'll see you later tonight, okay?" My dad said. I agreed, holding back the smile. I gave Heidi a hug and she said she would pick me up tomorrow morning.

Edward and I drove back to my house to be alone for a little bit. "I'm going to miss you so much tomorrow." Edward said, as we climbed into my bed together. He leaned in and started kissing my face, shoulders and neck. I pulled at the bottom of his t-shirt and lifted it over his head. I started tracing my fingers over his chest and abs, placing kisses where I could reach.

"You're still sneaking in exercise, aren't you?" I said laughing, as I traced over his abs with my lips. Edward started laughing, before rolling on top of me, and kissing me fully. He pulled back a little breathless. "I'm going to miss you so much." I whispered. "When are you and your mom leaving tomorrow?"

"Oh, I think around eight in the morning." He said, leaning in for another kiss. "The flight gets in at noon, and then we'll probably eat lunch in Seattle before we come home. I think we'll be back around four." He kissed me again, before moving his hands down my body. "I'm not going to have a bedroom for two weeks." He said, making me laugh.

"Well, this bed is always here. That is if you want to share?" I giggled, running my hands up his bare back.

"I might take you up on that." He said, smiling down at me. "I love you, Bella."

I smiled back at him. "I know. And, I love you, too." It would be a change of pace for us to be apart tomorrow, but I knew it would be that much better when he got home.


	130. Chapter 130

**A/N - I hope you are all having a great weekend! I know you were excited for the girls' day and the grandparents, but as I told some of the reviewers, Edward distracted me! I really like this chapter, though, and I hope you all do to. Thanks again for all of your support! Enjoy!**

Chapter 130 - Communication

After some much needed pre-separation snuggles, Edward got a text from his mom and went home at around five thirty. Apparently, Esme was cracking the whip, and all the Cullen children were needed to finish last minute preparations for their grandparents.

Emmett and Jasper would be babysitting Alice tomorrow morning, while everyone else was gone. I felt bad for them, considering they were teenaged boys, with final exams a week away and they would have to watch a very girly, hyper seven year old for about eight hours. I called Esme after Edward left my house and offered to come watch Alice in the afternoon, so the boys could have a break.

"Oh, sweetheart. I just love you." Esme said, sounding on the verge of tears. "I worry so much about being away from my kids. Thank you so much. I'm sure Alice would love to have you over."

"It's no problem at all." I said smiling. I had an activity in mind for us, and I was excited to spend time with little Alice. She was after all, my best friend.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow night for dinner, Bella." She said. Apparently, the pizza after fishing routine was still a go, even though the grandparents were coming. That being the case, my dad and I were invited to stay, although I'm sure, we would have been invited anyway.

"Is that Bella?" I heard in the background. I giggled to myself. Edward was home, and apparently had heard Esme say my name.

"Yes, Edward." She snickered. "Do you want to talk to her?"

"Of course." I heard him say. "Thanks, mom. I love you." There was a pause. "Hey, angel. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Edward. I was just offering to come help the boys watch Alice tomorrow." I told him, smiling to myself. "Did you just get home?"

"Yeah. I just walked in the door." He said, laughing to himself. "God, baby. I miss you, already. I don't think I can make it until tomorrow afternoon."

I laughed at him. "You know, Edward. I don't think that's healthy." I said, giggling. I heard him sigh on the other end of the phone. "I'm kidding. I miss you, too."

"Yeah? What do you miss?" He said, quietly.

"Let me think." I teased. "I miss your beautiful face, your sexy hair, your amazing eyes, your soft lips, your toned chest and strong back that I just had my hands all over."

"Mmm." I heard Edward hum.

"Do you want me to keep going?" I laughed.

"Yeah." He said.

"Okay. I miss your sexy voice, whispering in my ear. Um, I miss your gorgeous hands, and, oh, how amazing your butt looks in jeans." I said, feeling my face heat up.

I heard Edward chuckle. "Are you blushing, sugar?" He asked.

"Uh huh." I admitted, shyly.

"Okay. That's the first thing I miss about you." He said. "I miss your beautiful face, shining eyes, button nose, and perfect lips. I miss your long, silky hair, and your delicious mouth." He cleared his throat. "I miss your sexy body, your long smooth legs and your cute bum."

"Edward. I swear, if you are still in the kitchen where everyone can hear you, I'm hanging up right now." I scolded.

He laughed. "No, baby. I took the phone up to my room." He said. "The door is closed and locked. I promise."

"Okay." I replied "Because I would never be able to show my face at your house again."

"Honey, relax." He chuckled. "Now where was I? Oh, yeah. Your cute bum. I miss your long neck, and your soft skin all over your body. But, you know what I miss the most?"

"What?" I whispered. This whole phone call was incredibly overwhelming. I sat down on the couch. I could tell Edward meant every word of what he was saying.

"I miss my hands on your body. I miss touching you, breathing you in, kissing you, holding you." Edward said, his voice so soft, it was almost a whisper. "I love you so much, baby."

"Wow." I sighed. "I love you, too."

"Babe, I'm about two seconds from getting in my car and driving back over to your house." He chuckled.

Just then, I heard my dad pull back up to the house. He was back from Heidi's. I giggled. "Well, my darling sweet talker, I wouldn't if I were you. My dad just got home." I told him. "And, aren't you supposed to be helping your mom?"

"Shoot." He laughed. "You're right, angel. Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you with all of my heart and just know that I'll be thinking of you the entire time I'm away from you, okay?"

"Oh, babe. You are so sweet." I swooned. My dad walked in the living room and sat down beside me on the couch. He flipped on the baseball game, but muted the volume. "I love you, too. Have a safe drive and tell your Nanny and Grandpa that I can't wait to meet them."

"I will. Bye, baby." He said.

"Bye." I said before hanging up. My dad looked at me. "He misses me." I said, laughing.

"When did he leave?" My dad asked, smiling.

"Oh, about twenty minutes ago." I laughed. My dad laughed with me. "So, you were gone a while, huh?" I asked my dad.

"Uh, yeah." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. I bit my lip to hold back my smile. He turned and looked at me sternly.

I burst out laughing. "What? I'm not saying anything." I said, covering my mouth to hold in my laughter.

"Isabella Marie Swan." He said, trying to be serious, but I could see his smile starting to break through.

"Edward and I had a great time this afternoon at the barbeque." I said, giving my dad a break from my teasing.

"Good. It's nice to see everyone coming together for the guys." My dad said. We sat quietly for about five minutes, staring at the TV screen, but not really watching.

"So, what do you think of Heidi, Rachel and I going to Port Angeles tomorrow morning?" I asked.

"Oh, well, I think that sounds like fun for you girls." He said, smiling. "Now, I know this goes with out saying, kiddo, but no set-ups or interfering with Heidi either, right?" He actually looked nervous.

"No, dad. I'll be a perfect angel." I said, patting his shoulder. "Now, do you want something for dinner?"

"Um, no thanks. I ate again at Heidi's place." He told me.

"Okay." I said, getting up and going into the kitchen. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and brought it back into the living room. I ate as we watched the game together. I loved watching baseball with my dad. He would always try to fill me in on what was going on. I swore, that with my dad and all three of the Cullen brothers teaching me about baseball, I would be a pro by the end of the summer.

After the game, at around eight, I gave my dad a hug and headed up to my room. I checked my e-mail. I was excited to see an e-mail reply from my mom.

'_Hi, Bella. I was so excited to see your e-mail. I really am happy to hear that you and Edward are doing so well. He really is a great man and so dedicated to you. I would love to come visit you this summer. I was hoping maybe to pop up to Seattle in August and see the new place. Let me know if that's alright with you. Phil and I are officially going through our divorce. Phil bought out my share of the partnership in our new office in Jacksonville. I'm really excited, because I'm now able to get my fresh start. I got a new job at a great office in Denver. Can you believe I'm moving to the mountains of Colorado? When I get a place and get settled, I'm hoping you'll let me fly you both down for a visit. Let me know what you think? I love you, Isabella. Mom.'_

I closed my laptop, and wiped my eyes, deciding to e-mail her back later. I was so happy my mom was getting out of Jacksonville. She didn't seem happy there. Come to think of it, she wasn't happy in Phoenix, either. Maybe this new move would be everything she wished for.

I decided to get to bed early, knowing I had long day ahead of me tomorrow. I sent Edward a text, telling him I loved him, then drifted off to sleep.


	131. Chapter 131

**A/N - Wow! You are all amazing! I'm always awed by the number of hits and fabulous reviews this story receives! Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 131 - A Busy Day

I woke up at seven o'clock, when I heard the front door close. I knew my dad was going fishing today with Carlisle. I went in the bathroom, had a shower and dried and curled my hair. I put on a pink skirt and a white floral cami, with lace trim. I thought it looked really pretty, delicate and girly. I figured it would be nice for the salon. I had a thin grey sweater that I decided I would put over top of it when I met the grandparents.

I checked my phone had missed two text messages. The first was from Edward telling me he loved me, too. I smiled and then checked the other message. It was from Heidi. She said she would pick me up at nine. I sent her a reply and told her that was perfect.

I went downstairs to make myself some toast. I was just pouring my orange juice and the doorbell rang. It was only eight. I hoped it wasn't Heidi, already. I opened the door and was met by my gorgeous boyfriend. He passed me a bright yellow gerbera daisy. "Good morning, angel." He said, leaning down to kiss me. "You look beautiful." He traced his fingers over my arm.

"Thanks, babe." I said. "Is this okay to wear to meet Nanny and Grandpa? I was thinking of putting a grey cardigan over top, through."

Edward smiled at me. "It's perfect." He leaned in for another kiss. "Don't worry so much. They're going to love you."

We heard the car horn honk and I looked out to the street to see Esme smiling and waving at me. I waved back. "Edward, your mom is waiting for you." I laughed.

"Okay. Have a good day, honey. I just had to see you before we left." He said smiling at me. "I love you." He leaned down for one more kiss.

"I love you, too. See you tonight." I said. Edward jogged back to his car and got in the driver's side. I stood on the porch and waved as they drove off. I smiled and went back in the kitchen to put the flower in water and have my breakfast. I had just finished cleaning up when the doorbell rang again. This time it was Heidi and Rachel.

"Hey, Bella. Are you ready?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, just let my grab my purse." I said. We got in the car, me in the backseat, and Rachel and Heidi in the front. "I thought we were meeting you in Port Angeles, Rach?"

"Yeah." She laughed. "I ended up staying with Paul last night. He had to work today, so I didn't want him to have to drive me home."

Heidi laughed. "He's a cute boy. Are you sure that was the only reason?" We all laughed. The rest of the drive to the salon was the same. We did what every girl did during a girls' day: talked about boys. It was a great drive, and even though I hadn't spent a lot of time with either girl, we all got along great and had an amazing time. We parked and walked to the salon. Rachel had made us appointments at ten.

They sat us all in a line, with Rachel on my left and Heidi on my right. First, we got a paraffin treatment, dipping our hands in warm wax. After it dried, they peeled it off and I swear, my hands had never felt softer. It was amazing. Then, they cleaned, buffed and clipped our nails. Rachel had her nails painted black with white tips. Heidi had a clear coat put on, and I decided to get a French manicure, with pink and white polish. It looked pretty.

At around eleven, we stopped for pastries. We sat in a cute little coffee shop and talked about how much we enjoyed the manicure. Rachel made us promise we'd go again. "So, Heidi, how come there's no man in your life?" Rachel asked. "Have you ever been married?"

Heidi laughed. "No. I've never been married. I'm forty five and I've just never met a man worthy of marrying." She looked over at me. "Or, at least one that was interested in me, as well."

I sighed. "Heidi, my dad made me promise not to interfere, but I think it's safe to say that if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then the feeling is mutual." I laughed. "If that made any sense, I don't think that counts as interfering, right?"

Rachel laughed at me, before turning to Heidi. "Heidi, are you sweet for the chief?"

She blushed. "Well, it's a weird situation. I think he's a strong, dedicated and hardworking policeman. And as a man, he seems so loyal and loving. I mean, you should hear how much he talks about you, Bella. He's so proud of you." I smiled at her as she continued. "Charlie's a great man, but I just don't know if he's interested and even if he is, I wouldn't know how to go about bringing it up." She laughed to herself. "I can't believe I'm talking about this with his daughter."

"I don't mind, really." I said. "I just want him to be happy. And, I'm realistic. I can't be home with him all year, just in the summer and on holidays. He's been alone for so long." I shook my head. "But, I'm officially still not inferring."

Heidi laughed. "No, you're not. But, thanks for sharing that with me, Bella. It means a lot to me."

At quarter to twelve, we dropped Rachel off at her apartment, and then Heidi and I drove back to Forks. We spent the drive home getting to each other. I told her about what I was studying in university, and told her about life in Phoenix. She told me that she was born and lived in the Spokane area before coming to Forks. I really liked her and she seemed like an honest and truly nice person with a warm heart. I hoped either my dad or Heidi got their act together. I thought of how much happier I was since I had Edward in my life. I wanted that for my dad.

I had Heidi drop me off at Edward's place. I gave her hug. "Thanks so much. I had a great time, today. Give me a call sometime. I love girls' day."

"Absolutely, Bella." She said. "I'm so glad we're getting to know each other. Have a great afternoon."

I got out of her car and ran up to the Cullen house. Little Alice was sitting on the front steps waiting for me, and Emmett and Jasper were both sprawled out on the deck with their school books. "Bella." Alice said, jumping up and running to meet me. I leaned down and pulled her into a hug.

"Hi, Alice. Did you have a good morning?" I asked, taking her hand, and leading her up to the porch.

"It was alright. Em and Jazz were a little boring." She whispered.

"Well, we have to give them a break. High school is hard work and they have lots of studying to do." I told her. "Hi, boys. Are you guys going to stay out here? Have you had lunch?"

"Hey, Bella." They both said at the same time. "No, we haven't eaten, yet. I'm up to my eyeballs in Macbeth." Emmett laughed.

"Okay. I'll make you guys some lunch and I'll call you when it's ready. Oh, and Emmett, if you need help, just let me know." I told them. They thanked me and Alice followed me in to help with lunch. "You want to help, Alice?" I asked her, going into the kitchen.

"Yeah." She was hopping around the room. I had her set the table and I started warming a couple of cans of tomato soup, and heated up the frying pan for grilled cheese sandwiches. Alice helped me butter the bread and put cheese slices on the bread. I put them in the pan, and sent Alice to get the boys. I flipped the sandwiches and then poured the three bowls of soup. I cut each of their sandwiches for them and brought them over to the table, just as they walked into the kitchen.

"This looks great, Bella." Jasper said, giving me a hug, before sitting down.

"Yeah, Bella, thanks." Emmett said with his mouth full of food. I smiled at them. I loved this family and I loved taking care of them.

"So, how's the studying going?" I asked, sitting with them.

"It's annoying and I can't wait for summer holidays." Emmett sighed.

"I know." I said. "But, you're almost done. Hang in there, guys."

My phone vibrated and I got up to check it. It was a text from Edward. "Hey, guys, Edward, your mom and grandparents just left Seattle." I told Emmett, Jasper and Alice. They all seemed excited. Edward also said that he couldn't wait to kiss me, but I kept that part to myself. I texted him back telling him I couldn't wait for him to kiss me.

They all finished their lunch, and the boys went up to their rooms to study for a few more hours before their grandparents got here. Alice decided to go watch TV for while, so I stayed in the kitchen to make dessert for tonight. I made some dough for cinnamon knots. While the dough was rising, I went up to Edward's room. His bed was a mess and he had his clothes on the floor. I laughed to myself. He would never change. I picked up his laundry and then changed his sheets and made his bed, so his room was ready for his grandparents.

I came back downstairs and noticed Alice had fallen asleep on the couch. I was going to have her help with dessert, but if she was tired, I'd leave her to sleep. I smiled at her and went to finish the cinnamon knots. I put them in the oven and then went upstairs to get Emmett and Jasper. "Guys." I called. "It's quarter to four. Everyone's going to be here soon." They both came out of their rooms and we all went downstairs. I woke Alice up, and combed her hair, before they all went out to the porch. I ran to the kitchen to take the dessert out of the oven to cool. I heard car doors outside. They were here. I slipped on my sweater, took a deep breath, smoothed out my skirt, and went outside to meet two of the most important people in Edward's life, Nanny and Grandpa Masen.


	132. Chapter 132

**A/N - Thanks again for the hits, reivews, favorites and alerts! Let's meet the grandparents! Enjoy!**

Chapter 132 - Nanny and Grandpa

I walked out on the porch and Alice was hopping around the front yard. I saw Edward get out of the car and open the back door for his nanny. I smiled as I watched him. He was amazing. The next few minutes were filled with hugs and laughter, as the Cullen kids were all reunited with their grandparents. I stood back on the porch and let them have their moment as a family. And, admittedly, I was a little nervous.

Grandpa Masen was tall and slender and looked to be in his late sixties, but was by no means frail. Just like Edward told me he would be, Grandpa was wearing dress pants and a white shirt. He had thick white hair, combed back neatly, and had a huge smile on his face. He was laughing at something that Alice was telling him. Emmet had his arm around his Nanny's shoulders. She was small, like Esme, and actually looked a lot like her, just a little older. She had silver hair and wore a pair of very fashionable glasses. She was dressed in a nice, off white blouse and a pair of navy blue dress pants. She looked very classy, but still had a very friendly, contented smile on her face. You could see the love they had for their grandchildren.

"Hi, sugar." Edward said. I hadn't even seen him walk over to me. I smiled up at him. He leaned down for a kiss. "I missed you so much, today." He pulled me to his chest for a quick hug. "You smell like cinnamon buns." He whispered into my hair, making me laugh.

"Surprise." I laughed. "I missed you, too. Did the trip go well?"

"It was great." He said. "You ready to meet them?" Edward looked so excited.

"Yeah." I agreed. Edward took my hand and led me down to join the family.

"Nanny, Grandpa. This is the love of life, Bella Swan." Edward said, proudly, his hand on the small of my back. He was so sweet. He could have just as easily introduced me as his girlfriend.

"It's so nice to meet you both, Mrs and Mr Masen." I said. "I've heard nothing but good things." I smiled.

"Oh, aren't you a sweetheart. You can call us Nanny and Grandpa, too." Nanny said, pulling me into a gentle hug.

Grandpa took my hand and kissed the back of it. "Such a beautiful girl." He laughed. "Bella, we've heard so much about you, too. You're Edward's favourite topic."

I blushed. I was so happy they were as accepting of me as Edward said they would be.

"Grandpa, guess what." Alice said, tugging on his hand. "Bella came over and made us soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, 'cause she said that we had to give Em and Jazz a break. High school is hard work." She took a deep breath, before continuing. "And, then I fell asleep, but when I woke up, I think Bella made dessert for us, too." Grandpa picked Alice up, groaning as he leaned over, and set her on his hip. Alice smiled. "And, Bella is also my best friend. She even said so."

Esme and her mother smiled warmly at me. "Wow, she sounds like a great girl, huh?" Grandpa said, winking at me. Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind and placed a kiss on my head. I could feel him laughing at Alice behind me.

"Okay, you guys are embarrassing me." I said, setting my hands on Edward's arms.

"Oh, don't be, sweetie." Nanny said, smiling at me. She turned to Esme. "So, who's bedroom are we stealing this time?" She laughed.

"Mine." Edward laughed. "Just let me run up there and tidy up a bit, first." Edward let go of my shoulders, but I grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Oh, I already changed the sheets and picked up your room." I admitted. Everyone looked at me, with a mixture of surprise and awe, making me blush, again. "Um, I had time while the bread dough was rising." I explained. It must have looked like I was trying too hard.

Grandpa laughed, making me relax again. "Marry her, Edward." He said, looking right at his grandson. "I mean it, boy. They don't make girls like her anymore."

I looked back at Edward and he winked at me, making my stomach flutter. I smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

Thankfully, my dad and Carlisle pulled up. I was so glad to have the attention taken off of me for awhile. "Good to see you, Elizabeth. Edward." Carlisle said, giving his mother-in-law a hug, and shaking hands with his father-in-law. "You remember my good friend, Charlie Swan." He introduced my dad to the Masens. "He's Bella's father, the police chief of our town and my fishing buddy."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Charlie." Grandpa said, shaking my dad's hand. "We've just met your beautiful daughter. It seems the family is quite smitten with her."

My dad laughed. "She's a great kid."

"Okay, kids. We caught dinner, so let's help your grandparents bring their bags into the house, so we can eat." Carlisle said with a smile.

Edward kissed my forehead, before going to help Emmett and Jasper grab the luggage from the trunk. Alice asked Nanny if she could carry her purse inside. It was so sweet that she wanted to help. Esme slowed down and took my hand, pulling me off to the side. "Sweetheart." She said, looking a little teary eyed. "I can't thank you enough for taking care of the kids today. And, for setting up Edward's room for my parents. You are just an absolute blessing." She pulled me into a hug. "You are so special." She whispered into my ear.

I smiled at her and took her hand in mine. "I just wanted to help, Esme. You've been so busy these last few days." I told her. "Really, it was no trouble."

She squeezed my hand and we walked into the house to join the family for dinner. I went in the kitchen and plated my cinnamon knots on two large plates. I was just about to bring them out, when Edward walked into the kitchen. He took the plates from my hands and set them on the counter. He pulled me into his arms and started kissing my neck. "Oh, Bella. I missed you so much." He said, before kissing my lips. His hands moved down from my shoulders to my hips. I reached my hands up, and weaved my fingers into his hair, as he deepened the kiss.

I slowly pulled back from him, giving his a few more quick kisses. "I missed you, too."

"Edward, is everything alright?" I heard Grandpa's voice from behind Edward. When he saw us, kissing up against the counter, I heard him start to laugh.

"Yeah, Grandpa. We're fine." Edward chucked. "We'll be right there."

I blushed and buried my face into Edward's chest. "Edward." I whined. "I'm not going out there. Can't you keep your lips to yourself?" I said, trying to be serious, but laughing, because I was just as guilty. I couldn't resist him.

"No, beautiful." He smiled, leaning in for one more kiss. "I can't. And I'm going to have to find somewhere for us to sneak away, soon." I laughed.

"Okay, you work on that. Let's go join your family." I said, picking up a plate of cinnamon knots. Edward grabbed the second one and followed me into the dining room. Everyone looked up as we walked in. I looked straight at Emmett, knowing if anyone would say anything about where we were, it would be him. He smiled at me, looking a little mischievous, but didn't say anything. I'd have to thank him later. Edward's grandpa, however, couldn't help himself.

"Edward, my boy, you've got to stop having your dessert before dinner."

Everyone laughed and I rested my head in my hand. Edward just laughed and took my other hand under the table, giving it a little squeeze. He looked down at my hand and lifted it up to look at it. "You're hands are so soft." He whispered in my ear, smiling at me.

"Manicure." I told him, quietly.

As we ate, Emmett and Alice caught their grandparents up what had been going on since they saw them last at Christmas. Nanny made sure to ask Jasper about school and baseball, because he tended not to be as vocal as the other two.

"Any girlfriends?" Grandpa asked the boys.

This time, they both blushed. "Uh, yeah. Actually, Jazz and I are dating sisters." Emmett chuckled.

Nanny smiled at them and then looked at Esme, who nodded back at her. Their mother/daughter connection was amazing. They communicated without needing to say a word. "They're really nice girls." Esme added. "Rose is a ballerina and she's a junior like Em. And Maria is a freshman with Jasper. She's a real sweetheart." She laughed. "You have to see her at Jasper's games. She must have hundreds of pictures by now." Jasper was bright red at this point, nervously running his hands in his hair.

"Maria and I are going to scrapbook this summer. Apparently she's quite crafty." I added, hoping to take some attention off of Jasper.

"Well, I can't wait to meet them." Nanny said.

After we finished the pizza, everyone dug into my cinnamon knots. I'm sure the boys all had at least three. "Bella, darling, these are delicious." Nanny said smiling. "Edward told me that you were a great cook. He was right."

"Thank you so much, Nanny. That means a lot coming from you." I said, smiling.

"Well, I'm ready for a nap. That was a long trip." Grandpa said. "I'll see you kids in the morning." He stood up. "It was nice meeting you Bella, Charlie." He said with a smile. Nanny got up to follow him, giving Alice a kiss on the cheek. She wished us all goodnight, and Esme led them upstairs to get them settled. Edward asked me if I wanted to go downstairs for awhile. Apparently, my dad, Carlisle and the boys were going to watch the game upstairs for awhile. I kissed my dad on the cheek and headed down with Edward, while Alice snuggled up to her dad.

I sat down on the couch and Edward came and sat beside me. He started kissing me immediately, his hands everywhere. Within two minutes, I was laying down, with Edward beside me. I slid my hands under his shirt, tracing along his body with my fingernails. It had been a long day without Edward, but the separation just made being back in his arms that much better.


	133. Chapter 133

**A/N - Wow! Over twenty reviews for the last chapter! I'm glad you all like Nanny and Grandpa! Thanks so much for your encouragement! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 133 - Heart to Heart

Edward and I ended up falling asleep in each other's arms on the couch downstairs. I was woken up by Esme patting my shoulder. "Honey, your dad's going home. It's eight-thirty and the game is over." She whispered. I was glad that she came down to get me instead of my dad, considering my skirt had inched up and Edward's hand was on the back of my thigh. She giggled and then went back up the stairs.

"Edward, wake up. I'm going home, now." I said softly. He slid his hand up. I reached down and stopped him. "Babe, my dad is waiting for me."

He smiled, and leaned in to kiss my neck. "Do you have to leave?" He groaned.

"Yeah." I got up and straddled him to get off the couch as he had me pinned against the back cushions. He smirked at me, before getting up and following me up the stairs. "Call me tomorrow and let me know if you want to do anything. My dad is on the noon to eleven shift, again. But, if you want to spend time alone with your grandparents, that's fine, too." I said.

"Baby, I'll pick you up at noon." He said. "Do you actually think I could go that long without seeing you again?" He laughed, as we walked to the porch, where everyone was standing.

I got hugs and thanks from everyone. I truly loved the Cullens. Edward walked with my dad and I to his truck and opened the door for me. He gave me a quick kiss, before I got in. "See you tomorrow, honey. Goodnight, Charlie." Edward said, before he shut the door.

My dad and I waved as we pulled away from the Cullen's place. "So, did you have a good day, kiddo?" My dad asked as we drove back home.

"Is that your way of getting dirt on my morning with Heidi?" I teased. I really couldn't resist. It was so obvious how much he and Heidi cared about each other.

"No. That was my way of asking if my only child had a good day." He said seriously.

I giggled. "I had a great day. It was weird being apart from Edward. I missed him a lot." I admitted. "It just feels like we're supposed to be together."

My dad chuckled. "Young love."

I smiled at that. "But, anyway, Rachel took Heidi and I to this great salon and they dipped our hands in this warm, liquid wax. When it dried, they peeled it off and it made my hands really soft."

"Huh." My dad said. "I've never heard of anything like that."

I giggled. "Me neither. Anyway, we all got our nails done, went out for pastries, and then Heidi drove me back to Forks and dropped me off at Edward's. I made the cinnamon knots, hung out with the kids and tidied up. It was sort of weird hanging out over there without Edward, you know. But, I really love the Cullens. They include me. It's a nice feeling."

I loved that I could talk to my dad about things; my boyfriend, things that made me happy, my concerns. Nothing was off limits. I loved this relationship we had built in such a sort time. I hadn't even been back in Washington for a full year yet, and most of that was spent at school. My dad and I just clicked. It was an amazing friendship and I was so happy to have this time with him. Another major perk for me, was that my dad was as close to the Cullens as I was. It was nice that both families could spend time together without any awkwardness, like we had tonight.

"It is nice. I couldn't have wished for anyone better for you, Bells. Honestly. Edward is committed to you." My dad said, smiling at me as we pulled up to the house.

We both went in the house and plopped down on the couch together. We sat there quietly for a few minutes, until my dad finally caved. "Okay, Bella. I was trying to play it cool there, but did Heidi say anything about me?" He cheeks were a little flushed and he was squirming in his seat. It was adorable.

I held back my giggles the best that I could. "Dad." I sighed. "She likes you. But, she doesn't know if the feeling is mutual. She's never been married before, so I think she's nervous to put herself out there. And, because you two work together, she's concerned about how that would affect things at the station, you know?"

"Wow." He said under his breath. He looked at me and grinned. "So, she said that she likes me?"

This time I did laugh. "Yes. She admires you. She thinks you're a good cop, a great man, and she thinks you're an amazing dad." I smiled at him. "And, I have to agree with her." He looked down and nodded his head, like he was going over everything I told him. "Dad. Why don't you give things a shot with her. You don't have to do something crazy, like marry her tomorrow. I'm just suggesting maybe go get lunch, or a cup of coffee together. But, as Charlie and Heidi, not as co-workers. Get to know each other." I really wanted my dad to take a chance on this.

My dad looked up at me and smiled. "You like her, Bells?" He asked. I felt the tears in my eyes as he asked me that. My dad loved me so much and was taking my feelings into consideration before his own. I gave him a watery smile.

"Yeah, dad." I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "I think she's amazing."

"Oh, don't cry, kiddo." My dad said, pulling me into a hug.

"I just want you to be happy, dad." I said into his shoulder.

"Bells, I'm the happiest I've been in years, since you came home." He told me patting my back. "And, I think the fattest." He teased, rubbing his stomach, referring to my cooking. I laughed at that.

I sat back on my side of the couch. "So, did you have a good day fishing with Carlisle?" I asked.

"Always do." My dad answered.

"What do you guys talk about out there all day, anyway?" I asked, curious.

"Oh, just family, work, fish. You know, the usual stuff." He said, smiling. "So, what do you think of the Masens?"

I smiled. "I think they're great people. Nanny is a lot like Esme, you know, classy, but really friendly and caring. And, Grandpa, well, he's a character." I laughed. "He just seems like a happy guy, but he likes to tease, that's for sure."

"Yeah. I think they seemed nice." My dad said. "How long are they staying?"

"Um, I think until Edward's birthday, so about two weeks." I said. "I guess they want to see some of Jasper's game, Alice's dance performance at the year end assembly at school, stuff like that."

My dad and I talked a little more, before he decided to go up to bed. He gave me a hug and went upstairs. I picked up my phone and sent Edward a text. 'Hey, babe. Are you awake?'

While I waited for a reply, I went upstairs, washed my face and changed into my Washington t-shirt. Just as I sat on my bed, a get a text. I opened it and smiled. 'I'm awake. This couch doesn't have the same appeal without you on it.'

I laughed quietly. 'Neither does my bed.' I texted back.

'Now, I really can't sleep.' He wrote back.

'Sorry.'

'Don't be, beautiful. I love you. You're hands were pretty. Did you like the manicure?'

I giggled. 'Thank you. I had a great time.'

'How did things go with Heidi?'

'Great. I like her. She likes my dad and he likes her. I think he's going to ask her out.' I told him.

'You okay with that?' I smiled. I loved how Edward always thought about my feelings.

"Yeah. I want him to be as happy as I am.' I typed back.

'You're a great daughter. You make me happy, too.'

'Now, you're going to make me cry, again.' I was feeling a little emotional tonight, with all the heart to heart conversations.

'Again? Is everything okay?' I didn't mean to make him worry.

'Yeah. When my dad and I talked, I got a little teary. I'm okay.'

'Honey, I love you. I wish I was there to give you a hug.' Seriously, Edward was the sweetest man on earth. I was so lucky that he was mine.

'I love you, too. And I'll collect on that hug, tomorrow.' I giggled as I typed that.

'Can't wait, baby. I'll see you tomorrow at noon. Get some sleep, okay?'

'Okay, goodnight, Edward.'

"Goodnight.'

I drifted off to sleep, completely satisfied with how the day had gone.


	134. Chapter 134

**A/N - Again, you are all amazing! Thanks so much for your encouragement! After 134 days, the fact that you're all still reading and enjoying this story with me, makes be feel so lucky and happy! As my way of saying thanks, have some Edward! Enjoy!**

Chapter 134 - Talking in Bed

I woke up at around seven, slipped on some sweat shorts and went downstairs to make my dad some breakfast. We had pancakes today. As we ate together, my dad brought up Heidi again.

"So, you think if I asked her to go out for breakfast on Saturday, that would be okay? I mean it's not too casual, is it?" My dad mused. He looked so unsure of himself, and I'd never seen him that nervous.

"I think that sounds great, dad. Start slow, right?" I wanted to reassure him, but at the same time, I didn't want him to get scared and back away from a relationship that would be good for him, if he felt like things went to fast. I mean, he had been a bachelor for close to fifteen years.

"Right. So, I'll ask her this afternoon." He said, taking a sip of his coffee.

I smiled at him. "You're going to be fine, dad. She likes you, remember?" He nodded and then smiled at me. After we finished our breakfast, my dad showed me how to clean a handgun on the kitchen table. Our father/daughter activities might not be the norm, but they suited our lifestyle. I just liked spending time with him, no matter what we did.

At ten thirty, I went upstairs to have a shower and get dressed. It was rainy and overcast today, so I wore a pair of jeans and cute, chunky knit, short sleeve sweater. It was a pretty indigo color and I loved it. It felt snuggly and like a warm hug. I pulled my hair up in loose ponytail, and slipped on a pair of black flats. I ran downstairs and gave my dad a hug before he left for work. "Good luck, dad. And relax. Just be yourself." I said.

He laughed. "Thanks, Bells. I'll let you know how it goes." I waved at him from the door and watched as he drove off to work. I really hoped he got up the courage to ask Heidi out.

At ten to twelve, the doorbell rang. I hopped up and opened the door. Edward was there with a pretty white rose. "Oh, Edward. It's beautiful." I said, before pulling him into a huge hug.

He laughed, before wrapping his arms around me. "You look amazing, baby." He said, leaning down and lifting me up by the back of my legs. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and he kicked the door closed. I kissed his neck, enjoying being in his arms, again. "You want to go upstairs for a bit?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said, before kissing his neck, again.

"Mmm. I missed you, babe." He said, walking up the stairs to my room. He set me down on the bed and ran his fingers down my legs, slipping off my shoes. He kicked his off and crawled over to me. Like magnets, we were back in each others' arms, again.

"How are your grandparents this morning?" I asked him, running my fingers through his soft hair.

He kissed my forehead. "They're great, honey. We all had breakfast together, and Alice didn't want to go to school and leave them. I had to drive her or she wouldn't go. It isn't going to be pretty when they go back home to Chicago."

"Aw. Poor girl." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "I can relate. I hate goodbyes." I said, before kissing him, again. "I missed you, babe."

Edward chuckled. "I know how you feel." He rolled over, halfway leaning on me, running his hands down my body. "You are so gorgeous, baby. I love you so much." He said, leaning in to kiss me.

I sat up quickly, pushing Edward back. A thought just popped into my head. "Edward. What if your grandparents find my stuff in your room?" I panicked a little. I didn't want them to think badly of me.

He chuckled, before rolling back over to me. "If they find it, they find it, babe. You're mine, and nothing else matters." He smiled, before kissing me.

"I know. You're right." I agreed, relaxing back into my pillows. "So, what are their plans for today? Are they expecting you to be right home?"

"I guess my mom is making us all lunch when we get there." He said, kissing my neck.

I reached up and ran my hands over his shoulders. "Shouldn't we be going, then?" I giggled. His lips were tickling my skin.

"Yeah, we should have been there by now, but I needed you for a minute." He laughed, looking into my eyes.

I laughed with him. "I can't blame you. I needed you, too." I kissed him once more, before sitting up. Edward sat with me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I leaned into his chest, closing my eyes. "So, my dad is going to ask Heidi out today." I told him.

"Really?" He said, smirking. "Good for him."

"Yeah. I'm really excited for him." I said, tracing my fingers over his chest. "Oh, and my mom e-mailed me. Phil bought her out of the business, and she's moving to Denver. She got a new job there."

"That's good. I hope she's happy there." Edward said.

"Me, too. She said she wants to fly us down to visit her. Do you think you would want to go see her again, you know, after last time?" I was worried that after the fiasco in Florida, Edward wouldn't want to give my mom another chance. I couldn't really blame him if he didn't.

Edward took my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing my wrist, palm and fingertips. "Babe, she apologized for last time. She was going through a separation with her husband. If you want to go, I'll go with you, if you want me to."

I smiled and leaned in to kiss his lips. "Of course, I want you to go with me."

"You know what a trip to Colorado means?" Edward said with a smirk. "Another t-shirt."

I laughed. "You're so crazy, but I love it." I smiled at him. "How long do you think it's going to take to get a shirt from all fifty states?"

"Hmm. Well, I've only known you for about two and half months, and you already have five, so at this rate, I guess just under two years." He said, showing off his super sexy math skills.

"So, are we quitting school to travel the country?" I asked, with a smile. "We'll take a leave of absence from the university, and I'll just tell them that my boyfriend has a fetish for souvenir t-shirts." I laughed.

Edward looked over at me and smiled. "You think you're pretty funny, huh?" He asked with a smirk. Uh oh. I was in trouble. He got up on his knees and grabbed my legs, pulling me down to lay on the bed. He straddled my legs and started tickling my sides.

"Edward." I squealed, trying to grab his hands. I was laughing so hard, I was crying. "Stop. I can't breathe." I giggled.

He stopped tickling me, but stayed over top of me. "You are so beautiful when you laugh." He said, dropping down to lay beside me. He had such a big smile on his face, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were sparking.

"You're beautiful." I said, tracing my fingers softly over his lips. He kissed my fingertips. We just laid there, looking at each other, for a couple minutes until Edward's phone rang. He groaned, but pulled his phone out of his pocket and picked it up.

"Hello. Oh, yeah, sorry. Um, we'll be there in fifteen minutes." He laughed. "You got that right, Grandpa. I love you, too. Bye." He shut off his phone and sat up. "We're late for lunch."

"Oh my god, Edward." I said sitting up. "I probably look horrible." I said, going into the bathroom to fix my hair. Edward walked in and sat on the edge of the bathtub, looking at me through the reflection in the mirror.

"They're not mad, babe. My Grandpa just teased me, that's all. They can see how happy you make me. They can see what an amazing person you are."

"Really?" I asked. "I just want to make a good impression, you know. Your mom told me how important they are to you."

"Sugar, Grandpa told me to marry you five minutes after he met you." Edward said, standing up and wrapping his arms around my waist, looking at me in the mirror. "I think it's safe to say that you've made a great impression, already."

"Have I told you how much I love you?" I said. Edward was always there to comfort me when I needed him.

"Yes, baby. And I love you, too." Edward said, kissing my cheek. "You ready for lunch?" He asked, sliding his hands over my stomach.

"Yeah." I said, smiling at him. I took his hand we headed out to the car. We got to his house in about ten minutes. Nanny and Grandpa were sitting out on the swing together. They were both dressed to the t, just like Edward had once told me. They looked adorable, holding hands and talking quietly together. I knew that Edward and I would be together and in love as long as they were.

"There you two are." Grandpa said, grinning. "I was going to send out a search party." I blushed and Edward laughed.

"Edward Masen, you leave those kids alone. They're in love." Nanny scolded her husband, then smiled at me.

"You don't need a search party. If I'm not here, I'm with Bella." Edward said honestly, sitting down on the porch across from them. I sat beside him, and he took my hand, playing with my fingers.

"We're so sorry about keeping you waiting." I apologized.

"Oh, honey, don't mind this guy. He just likes to tease." Nanny said, patting her husband's cheek, making him smile. "And, besides, we're on vacation. We're in no hurry, sweetheart." I loved Nanny. She was such an amazing woman. "Plus, Edward is a lot like his Grandpa, so I understand, believe me." She giggled. I smiled back at her, before looking at Edward. He was watching me with a smile on his face. He was right. I had already gained their acceptance and approval. Now, I just needed to enjoy our time with them.


	135. Chapter 135

**A/N - Thanks, again! I'm so glad you all love Nanny and Grandpa! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 135 - Sharing and Siobhan

Lunch was great. Esme had made grilled chicken salads and homemade dressing. Esme, Nanny, Grandpa, Edward and I spent the afternoon, sharing stories. I told them how Edward and I met, and Grandpa teased Edward about taking so long to go after what he wanted. Nanny just kissed Edward's cheek. That boy was so spoiled, and could do no wrong. I loved it. I treasured every minute I spent with this family.

I was lucky enough to get to hear stories of Edward's childhood, as well. Nanny told me that they came to watch Edward play little league when he was about eight years old. "When his team lost, he tried so hard to keep a smile on his face for his team, telling them they had done a good job, anyway. But, we would find him in his room, when we got home, with big tears running down his cheeks." I looked over at Edward, and he was blushing. I put one hand on his warm cheek and kissed his other, making him smile at me. "He was such a perfectionist." Nanny said, smiling fondly at her grandson.

"And, he taught his brothers, well. When he was thirteen, he used to have poor nine year old Jasper outside until it was dark, going over drills and plays." Grandpa added with a laugh, taking a mint from his pocket to suck on.

"You guys make me sound like a horrible kid." Edward said, shaking his head.

"Oh, Edward. You sound like you were as dedicated then as you are now. It's one of my favourite qualities of yours." I told him, squeezing his hand. "Plus, look at how great Jasper is at baseball. You are a huge part of that. You should be proud of yourself."

Edward smiled at me, leaning in for a kiss. I kissed him quickly on the lips before putting my hand on his chest to hold him back. I was already blushing, I didn't need him to make me more embarrassed. I chanced a quick look at Nanny and she had her hands to her heart, and huge smile on her face. "You two are just the sweetest thing." She said.

I smiled at her. "He's a great guy. Did you know that Edward has brought me a flower everyday since we started dating?" I wanted to brag about him a little, seeing as he was a little embarrassed about the childhood stories they were telling me.

"Well, beautiful girls should have beautiful things." Edward said, smiling at me.

"There's my boy. See, Edward. I always told you that chivalry is the way to go, didn't I?" Grandpa asked Edward.

"Yes, you did, Grandpa." Edward agreed.

"You taught him well, Grandpa." I continued. "He always opens the car door for me, too." Edward's manners were impeccable.

"You see, Bella." Grandpa said, leaning back in his chair. "It's the little things that a man does, that shows his gal how much he cares."

"I'm been hearing these tips my whole life." Edward laughed.

"But, you listened, and look what it got you." Grandpa said, winking at me. "Never doubt an old man with over fifty years of experience with these things."

We all laughed. I really enjoyed Grandpa, and I could see why Edward had such a close bond with him. I was so glad that I was included. I had never really had the chance to enjoy any kind of relationship with my grandparents and, by watching Edward with his, I realized how much I had missed out on.

At three o'clock, Edward and I left to go pick up Alice from school. I had never been to her school before, and I thought it would be a nice surprise for her, for both of us to get her, considering the rough morning she had, not wanting to leave her grandparents.

On the drive to the school, Edward took my hand and gave it a little squeeze. "You look like you're deep in thought. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything is perfect." I said, smiling back at him. "I'm just really enjoying this time with your grandparents. You are so lucky to have had them when you were growing up."

Edward pulled into the school parking lot and turned in his seat to face me. "I am lucky. My family is incredible and I owe them everything. But, honey, as different as your life was from mine, it made you who you are. Growing up with your mom and Angela and the Webers, may not have been traditional, but it was yours." I blinked back a couple of tears from my eyes. Edward always had a positive way of looking at things.

"Thanks, Edward." I told him, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. We were in an elementary school parking lot, after all. "I'm so happy I have you, now."

"You have me forever." Edward smiled, and leaned forward to kiss my forehead. "Now, let's go get the princess, shall we?" Edward and I got out of the car and walked into the school. Edward seemed to know where to find her classroom. "Alice showed me where her room was this morning." We walked down a set of stairs and went to wait in front of the second door on the right. The bell rang and the hallways were swarmed with kids.

Alice came out of the classroom, and as soon as she saw us, her face lit up. She ran over to us and Edward picked her up. She leaned over to me and gave me a hug. "Bella. Do you want to meet my teacher?"

"Of course, Alice. Will you introduce me?" I always wanted Alice to be happy, and I would do anything for her.

Edward and I waited for the rest of Alice's classmates to run out of the room, before we walked back it. "Miss Jones." Alice called out to a young woman sitting at a wooden desk at the back of the room. "This is my brother, Edward, and my best friend, Bella." The woman looked up at us and I realized she was quite young. She looked to be only in her late twenties. I thought she was gorgeous. She had long dark hair, a pale complexion and had a fuller figure. She was dressed in black dress pants and a pink blouse.

She smiled when she saw Alice. "It's so nice to meet you, both. Alice talks about you both all the time." She extended her hand and both Edward and I shook it.

"She's told us a lot about you, too." Edward said with a smile. "You want to show me your desk?" He asked Alice, setting her down. Alice ran to the front of the class. I wasn't surprised to see that Alice sat front and center. She loved school. We all followed her to her little desk, and she showed us her name tag that was scotch taped to the front of the desk. She had drawn pink flowers all over it.

Miss Jones led us over to the bulletin board to show us Alice's lion drawing. "Alice seemed really excited about this report." She told us, smiling.

"Yeah, she worked on it with Edward." I told her. "You should have seen them. They had books all over the room." I smiled, remembering how cute Edward was, just getting over his cold, helping Alice research for the project.

Edward kissed Alice on the top of the head. "Good job, princess. You ready to go see Nanny and Grandpa? They're waiting for you."

Alice smiled. "Yeah. Let's go. Bye, Miss Jones. See you tomorrow." Alice said, turning to hug her teacher. She patted Alice on the back. I really liked her. She seemed so loving towards Alice and I could understand why Alice was reluctant to leave her classroom at the end of the school year.

"Have a good evening, Alice." She said, before turning to us. "It was so nice to meet you both." She smiled at us.

"You, too, Miss Jones." Edward said, leaning down to pick Alice up, again.

"Oh, you can call me Siobhan." She told us. "Alice tells me that I'll see you both at the year-end assembly."

"We wouldn't miss it." I told her. She was so friendly. An idea popped into my head. Miss Jones. She clearly wasn't married. I wondered if she was dating. She would be perfect for Alec. My matchmaker side was just itching to work it's magic. She was close to his age and I thought she would be good for him. She seemed so caring, and Alec loved to have people dote over him. I'd run my idea past Edward when we got home.

After we got back to the house, the boys came home from school, and Carlisle from work, we all shared dinner together, before watching Alice's ballet recital on video. The boys went up to study after dinner. The rest of us sat around the dining room table and grandpa pulled out a deck of cards from his shirt pocket. Edward chuckled. I could only imagine the fun times he had spent learning card games with his grandpa. Alice sat with us, drawing pictures for her grandparents.

Esme, Carlisle, Nanny, Grandpa and Edward, spent the next three hours trying to teach me how to play a huge variety of card games. I don't know why, but I just wasn't getting it. Carlisle suggested that we play poker as couples. I was so grateful to him for that suggestion. He smiled at me and nodded his head. I think he could see my frustration. Edward was trying so hard to explain the games to me, but I had honestly never played cards before. Once Edward and I were playing together, and he could see my cards, he could explain the reasons behind the moves. I was starting to get how to play.

At ten o'clock, Nanny and Grandpa gave us all hugs before going up to bed. "You'll be a card shark by the time I'm finished with you, Bella." Grandpa teased, making me laugh. Esme and Carlisle followed them to bed shortly after. Edward and I went downstairs to the game room. I laughed when I saw it. Edward had a huge pile of jeans, shirts and underwear on one of the chairs. There was a laundry hamper for his dirty clothes by the stairs.

"You look like you're getting pretty comfortable down here." I giggled. Edward laughed with me.

"Yeah. It's okay. Emmett is mad that my underwear is in his chair, but they have so much studying to do, they're not going to be down here too much." Edward said, taking my hand and leading me over to the couch to snuggle.

"I had fun today." I told him, laying my head back on his chest. "I love Nanny and Grandpa."

He traced his fingers down my arms. "Sorry about the card game marathon up there. Once they start, they don't want to stop." Edward laughed.

"That's okay, babe." I said. "I love spending time with them." We sat quietly for a few minutes, just enjoying each others' company. Suddenly, I remembered my matchmaking idea from earlier. "Edward. I have an idea."


	136. Chapter 136

**A/N - It's been a super busy week for me, but as usual, my fanfics come first, so you get another chapter. Thanks so much for reading. It really does keep me motivated! Enjoy!**

Chapter 136 - Distractions and Dates

I was reclined against Edward's chest on the couch in the basement, basking in the feeling of his arms around me. I don't know when I had turned into such a matchmaker, but now that I was happy and in love, I wanted to share that feeling with those around me. First, with Angie and Ben, then, my dad and Heidi.

Now, I really wanted to set Alec up. He had been shot, left with bruised ribs, and had no one in his life, besides his co-workers, to care for him. I had felt bad for him, probably going overboard in helping him out. I was only trying to be a good friend, but apparently, guys don't see things the same way. Both Edward, my dad and Carlisle, explained it to me. I liked Alec as a friend, but apparently caring about someone, may somehow appear to be showing interest in them. I still didn't get it, but regardless, I wanted Alec to be happy.

When Edward and I had met Alice's teacher this afternoon, and I noticed that she wasn't married, was beautiful and successful, and so very caring. I thought she might be perfect for Alec. He was a friendly guy, and he deserved someone like Siobhan in his life. I knew Alec was divorced, but I didn't know a lot of the details of his past, except that he had no one close to him.

Edward leaned forward and started kissing my neck. I reached my hands up and ran my fingers through his hair. "A plan, huh?" He said, moving his hands over my stomach. "Are you going to tell me?"

"Not if you keep doing that." I giggled. "You're distracting me, and I can't remember what I was going to say."

"Maybe it wasn't that important." He said, switching to kiss the other side of my neck.

"Maybe I just shouldn't try to talk to you when you're kissing me." I said, running my nails up and down his arms.

He placed one more kiss on my neck, before he sat back. "I'm sorry, baby. I like hearing your ideas. What do you got?" I turned so I was sitting beside him, but flopped my legs over his.

"Okay. I know I'm probably going out of control with the matchmaking thing, but what do you think about hooking up Alice's teacher and Alec?" I asked him with a huge smile on my face.

Edward laughed at me. "You are so adorable. You know that?" I just giggled at him. "Hmm. I guess that could work."

"I think she is gorgeous, and Alice loves her, so she must be a great person. And she looked like she was in her late twenties, which is the around the age Alec is interested in." I explained.

"She's really good with Alice; you're right." Edward said. "But, she seems a little more reserved, and Alec seems like a bit of a player, you know?"

I looked at Edward. "Do you think he is?" Edward shrugged. He would know better than I would. "I suppose we could ask them if they're interested, right?"

"Well, my mom usually throws a Fourth of July party every year. We could invite them both to that, and introduce them." Edward suggested.

"I like that, Edward. It's a casual setting and if things don't click, they're not obligated to hang around with each other." I said smiling. "We can invite her when we see her at the assembly next week."

"Sounds good." Edward smirked. "You're pretty sexy when you're matchmaking."

I climbed onto his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Thank you, but I'm done thinking now." I smiled, leaning in to kiss him. Edward smiled against my lips, running his hands down my back to rest on my hips.

"As much as I'm loving this right now, it's getting late. I should take you home." He said softly. I groaned and rested my head on his shoulder.

"You're right. I just can't enough of you, Edward." I said, kissing his neck.

He laughed. "I know the feeling." He put his hands on my bum and stood up, lifting me with him. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, giggling and he carried me up the stairs.

"Going home, Bella?" I heard a voice from behind us and I think I may have squeaked in surprise. "Oh, sorry, sweetheart. I just came down for a cup of tea." Edward set me down, and we turned to see Nanny walking out of the kitchen, all bundled in a light green housecoat.

"Oh, that's alright." I said, smiling. "Yeah, Edward was just going to take me home. My dad should be home from work soon."

"Couldn't sleep, Nanny?" Edward asked, walking up to her to kiss the top of her head. It was such an adorable gesture.

"Oh, your grandpa is snoring again, that's all." She laughed. "You kids get going. You don't want to keep your dad waiting. I'll see you tomorrow, my sweethearts."

"Goodnight, Nanny." We said, before going out to Edward's car. He opened my door, leaning in to kiss my cheek, before going around to his side.

As we drove, I voiced my concerns about my dad. "Do you think he went through with it, Edward."

"What's that, honey?" Edward asked.

"My dad. Do you think he asked Heidi out?" I asked, nervously wringing my hands together.

Edward looked over at me and smiled. "Stop being so nervous, angel. He'll handle it." He chuckled. "Look how long it took me to get up the courage to talk to you? Guys aren't always as sure of themselves as they seem."

"So you keep saying, Casanova." I teased as we pulled up to my house. "This coming from the boy that kissed me speechless, not twenty minutes ago." Edward just laughed at me. My dad pulled up behind us. "Okay, I'll text you later. I love you." I said leaning in for a quick kiss. "Thanks for the ride, babe." I said, getting out of the car.

"I love you, too, baby. Goodnight." Edward said, smiling at me. It almost hurt to leave his side. It was getting harder and harder. I couldn't wait to live with him, so I wouldn't have to leave him at night.

My dad walked up to the car. "Goodnight, Edward." My dad said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I turned and waved at him, before he drove off. "Have a good day?" My dad asked me as we walked in the house.

"Yeah. I met Alice's teacher and played cards, horribly I might add, with the grandparents. I had a great time." I knew my dad was stalling. "How was your day, dad?"

We walked into the living room and sat on the couch together. "Um, it was alright. Had a minor vandalism call. Graffiti." He said. "Went on patrol. Mostly paperwork, though."

"Dad. Stop stalling." I said, smiling at him in encouragement. "Did you ask her? Are you and Heidi going out for breakfast on Saturday?"

I watched as a slow smile spread over my dad's face. "Uh huh."

"Oh my god, dad. Really?" I leaned over on the couch and gave him a hug. "What did she say? What did you say?" Clearly, I was a little overexcited.

My dad chuckled. "Okay, kiddo. Calm down."

I sat back down and nodded. "Sorry. Go on." I said, smiling.

"Well, she's on the day shift and was out on patrol when I got in. She came back at around two-thirty with donuts. So, everyone was crowded around, eating, so I couldn't very well ask her then. And of course, Alec is on desk duty for the rest of this week, so we were never alone in the office." Clearly, he was giving me the long version. But, it was cute how into the whole dating thing he was. I would happily listen to him tell his story all night.

"So, what did you do?" I asked, making my dad chuckle again.

"Well, when the vandalism call came in, I asked Heidi if she would join me." He told me. "She smiled at me, almost like she knew something was going on." I smiled. I could just picture my dad acting nervous and jittery. His behaviour was likely a dead give away for her. "Anyway, while were driving, I just flat out asked her if she had any plans for breakfast on Saturday morning. She told me that she didn't, so I asked her if she would like to share breakfast with me at the diner." I bit my lip. The diner. I hoped Heidi knew it was a date.

"So, you're really keeping me in suspense here, dad." I laughed.

"She said that she'd love to." My dad said proudly. "And, we got to talking and she's going to join us at Jasper's game that afternoon."

"Wow. That's great, dad. I'm so proud of you." I said smiling. I gave him another hug. "Now you have four days to decide what to wear." I said giggling.

I said goodnight, and headed upstairs. I got ready for bed and climbed under the covers. I grabbed my cell phone and noticed Edward sent me a text. 'Well? Any news?' I smiled. I was so glad that Edward cared about my family as much as I did about his.

'He asked. She said yes. Breakfast Saturday.' I typed back.

'That's great, baby. I love you.'

'I love you, too.'


	137. Chapter 137

**A/N - Thank you all so much! Summer Vacation had over 3300 hits yesterday alone! I'm so excited that you're all excited about this story! Enjoy! **

Chapter 137 - Nanny and Esme

We had scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, I took a shower, washed clothes and then watched TV with my dad. It was a relaxed morning, but it was nice. My dad worked long shifts, so it was good for him to rest in the mornings before work. And me, well, the Cullens always wore me out, so the quiet time with my dad was a nice break.

My dad left for work at eleven-thirty and Edward came by about fifteen minutes later. He was wearing a navy blue polo shirt and light wash jeans. He looked amazing. "You look nice." I said, when I opened the door for him and we walked into the front hallway. "Big plans?"

He chuckled. "Well, firstly, I have to tell you that look beautiful." He said, leaning in for a quick kiss. I was wearing a pair of jean Capri pants and a blue ruffled cami. Casual, but still pretty, I figured. "Secondly, this is for you." He said, bring his hand out from behind his back to pass me a pretty yellow chrysanthemum. I liked it. It was different and looked so happy and sunny, just the weather today.

"Thanks, Edward." I said, leaning up to kiss his chin. "I'm still pressing these, you know. I really do love that you do this, babe. By the time we're your grandparents age, we'll have to have a whole library to hold all my journals of pressed flowers." I teased.

Edward laughed. "That's okay with me. Every page will be a reminder of how long I've been lucky enough to have you in my life."

I smiled. "You're really romantic, you know." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. "How are you only eighteen?"

He laughed. "Well, Alice told me this morning that I will be nineteen in twelve days." He said, leaning down to kiss the top of my head.

"You old man." I giggled. "Do you have any plans for the big day?" I knew I wanted to do something special for Edward on his birthday, but I would work around his family's plans.

"Um, not really. We usually just have a family dinner; spend time together." He explained. "But, this year, it will be even better because I have you." He smiled.

That sounded nice. It was great that the Cullens celebrated together. I wasn't surprised that Edward didn't want a big party. He was a quiet guy and his family was the most important thing in his life. It seemed only fitting that he would want to share his birthday with them.

I kissed his chest. "So, Edward. Are we going to stand here all day, are we going upstairs to snuggle, or did you have something else in mind?" I asked.

"Bella." Edward whined. "That's not fair. My mom and Nanny wanted me to ask you if you were up for a girls' afternoon, and if so, I was under strict orders to bring you straight back home. But, now, I want to snuggle." I giggled. Edward was so cute when he pouted.

"You, mister, are absolutely adorable." I said, reaching up to bring his face lower for a kiss. "I would love to spend time with them, but I promise, there will be snuggle time before the day is over." I laughed as he smiled.

"Okay, it's a deal." He said smiling. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah." I said, grabbing my purse. We walked outside together, and I welcomed the warm sun on my face. The summer weather was really kicking in. Growing up in Arizona, I loved the heat. Edward opened my door, and we got in the car.

On the drive to his house, Edward held my hand. "So, handsome, what are you're plans for today?" I asked him.

He smiled at me. "Oh, I'm hanging out with Grandpa. We're going for lunch, then we'll pick up Alice and take her to watch Jasper's practice with Emmett."

"Aw, Edward. That is so sweet." I said, smiling at him. "I love that you're so involved with your family."

We pulled up to the Cullen house and everyone was waiting on the porch for us. "Okay, I'll see you later, baby. I love you." Edward said, putting his hands on my cheeks and leaning in for a long, slow kiss. I got lost in the moment, savouring my time with him. He pulled back, smirking at me.

I laughed at him. He was so smug and I thought it was adorable. "Now, I want to go back to my house and snuggle." I teased.

"Don't tempt me, angel." Edward laughed. "Have a good day."

My passenger side door opened and Grandpa was standing there. "Alright, Bella. I'm throwing you out." He said, making me laugh. "We figured sending Edward to pick you up was a bad idea, but he insisted."

"You're right. It was a bad idea." I laughed. I got out of the car, and Grandpa slipped in the seat. "I'll see you guys later. Have a great day." I told them. I walked over to Esme and Nanny, who were standing my Esme's car, which looked similar to Edward's, only it was blue. I gave them both a hug. "So, what's this I hear about a girls' day?" I asked, as we got in the car.

"Oh, I'm so excited that you're up for this. We were thinking of heading to Port Angeles for tea and sandwiches. I also wanted to pick up something for Edward's birthday." Esme told me.

"That sounds great. I need to get Edward one more present, too." I said. "Would it be alright if we stopped at a bookstore?"

"Absolutely, sweetheart." Esme said.

We spent the drive to Port Angeles having 'girl talk,' as Nanny called it. I decided, however, it was their scheme for me to give them as many details about mine and Edward's relationship as they could get. "So, I hear Edward took you to a Bed a Breakfast two weekends ago." Nanny would say, for example. She wouldn't say anything else, just left the statement hanging there, so I would feel like I needed to give them details. They had me fooled at first, but over the course of the drive, I realised what they were doing, and held back a little more.

I couldn't blame them, though. As a girl, I totally understood the need to brag about my man, but as friendly as I was with Esme and Nanny, Edward was their son and grandson, and I wasn't going to gossip about what we did behind closed doors.

"The Bed and Breakfast was amazing. And Port Townsend is a cozy little town. I really liked it there. We went out to eat, went whale watching and Edward played his guitar for me on the beach." I told them.

"That sounds so romantic, sweetie. But, Bella, give us the good stuff." Nanny laughed.

I blushed and started laughing. I couldn't believe that Edward's almost seventy year old grandma wanted me to talk about mine and Edward's private life. "Um, I don't really know what to tell you." I thought back to the time Edward and I spent in our room at the Bed and Breakfast and smiled. There was no way I was telling them about that. "I can tell you that Edward fed me chocolate cheesecake on the beach and we danced in the sand until the sun set."

"Edward's a good boy." Nanny said. "You raised him right, dear." She said to Esme.

The rest of the trip continued that way. Apparently, Nanny was quite filled in on the details of mine and Edward's relationship from Esme. I thought it was nice that she cared about her grandson so much. I thought it was even nicer that she was treating me like one of her grandkids.

When we arrived in Port Angeles at around one o'clock, we at stopped at a small café for a small lunch. While we ate, Esme filled me in on her plan for Edward's birthday. She thought it would be nice to buy him a bed for the new apartment. "It was part of the reason we that we need you to come with us. Edward doesn't have much style when it comes to decorating, so I thought, you might have some ideas in mind for your new room."

I smiled at her. "That is so generous of you." I said. "Thank you so much." I knew that this was Edward's present, but I would sleeping with him in that bed. Also, I was happy that Esme thought to include me in her decisions.

"Oh, Bella." Esme said, gently placing her hand on my arm. "When will you learn that we love you like one of our own? Sweetheart, Edward is my oldest, and he's pretty much moved away from home. I want to be able to spoil him, and his birthday is a perfect excuse for me to do that."

"Yes, Bella." Nanny added, finishing her cup of tea. "And, even though he's the oldest, we all baby him."

I laughed at that. "I've noticed." I had learned from experience that Edward usually got what he wanted, even if he didn't ask for it. And I was so in love with him, that when he did pout, I usually gave in to him, too.

"He's so lucky to have you, Bella." Esme said, smiling. "You keep him in line, but I have honestly never seen him so happy." She shook her head. "That girl in high school did a number on him. I didn't think he would ever date after that, but when he first saw you, it was like he knew he was ready to give his heart to someone, again."

"I'm happy to hold onto it for him." I said, with a smile. "Because, he has mine, too."


	138. Beds, Books and Bedrooms

**A/N - You are all so great! Thanks so much for all your reviews, alerts, faves and hits! But, when you leave unsigned reviews, I can't answer you're questions, even though I really want to! I will address a couple though. Firstly, the date in the story right now, is Tuesday June 8th. Another question I keep getting is if I can post the chapters faster. The answer is unfortunately not. As much I love writing, I do have other things going on in my life, so I only have time to update when I do.**

**Thanks again for all your support! Enjoy!**

Chapter 138 - Beds, Books and Bedrooms

We all got back in the car and, while Esme drove us to Angeles Furniture, I sent Edward a quick text. 'How was lunch with Grandpa? Nanny wants details of our love life. Help.' I smiled to myself, just thinking about the cute expression that would be on Edward's face when he read that text. Just as we pulled up to the store, my phone vibrated. I opened the text and had to hold back my laughter. 'Grandpa is giving me advice, Bella. Things I never wanted to hear him say. Help me.' My poor Edward. I text messaged him back quickly, before we got into the store. "I love you, babe. Hang in there.'

Esme, Nanny and I walked into the furniture store together. It looked to be extremely high end. To be honest, I had never shopped for bedroom furniture. I had the same twin bed in my bedroom at my dad's that I'd always had. My mom had bought my twin bed in Phoenix, and the dorm room had basic furniture. This was all new to me. We walked around the showroom, and nothing seemed to jump out at me. Everything seemed to 'old' for us. Nothing seemed to suit Edward. A lot of the furniture was too feminine.

I was getting discouraged, until Nanny pointed to a beautiful bedroom set in the corner. It had a white panel headboard and footboard, with dark cherry wood trim. It was bright and young and it suited Edward. It was beautiful. I looked at Esme and she was smiling at me. "Do you like it, sweetheart? You think Edward will like it?"

"It's gorgeous. I think Edward will love it. It's classic, but still youthful." I smiled back at her. "I think it's perfect."

"But, you like it, too, sweetie?" She clarified.

"Absolutely." I assured her. "It's amazing."

Nanny took my hand and patted the back of it. "I'm so happy for you, two." She said. "I can't believe my little Edward is all grown up and moving into an apartment with his girlfriend."

I smiled back at her. "I'll take good care of him, Nanny."

"I know you will, Bella. You already are. He's just glowing. I have never seen him so happy." Nanny told me. Hearing that from his grandma meant so much to me.

Nanny and I walked around the store, looking at bedding and décor, while we waited for Esme to place the order for the bed. As we looked around, I found out that Nanny and I had similar tastes. We both like clean, classic styles. Esme came to find us after about fifteen minutes and we drove to the bookstore.

When we got there, Esme and Nanny looked at the cookbooks, and I snuck off to pick out Edward's gift. I wanted to get him some cat care books, so we could have, in Edward's words, 'the happiest, healthiest, most spoiled cat in Seattle.' I picked out three different books; one specifically on kitten care, one on cat care and behaviour, and one general guide book. I took them up to the till, and bought them. I didn't show them to Esme or Nanny, because we hadn't told anyone about our idea of getting a cat, yet. I wanted to wait until we could tell everyone together. It would be our first pet, together. Something that would be ours to share and take care of together. It showed our commitment to each other.

Nanny, Esme and I all headed back to Forks. I had enjoyed my time with time with them immensely. They treated me like I was family and that was so touching to me. On the drive home, we all decided to make dinner together. When we got back, all three of us stood at the counter peeling potatoes. As we worked, Nanny gave me all sorts of cooking tips and tricks. Next, Esme made some glazed pork chops and Nanny taught me how to make her famous butter biscuits. I was honoured that she would share her recipe with me.

We were just getting dinner on the table when Carlisle came in the house, followed right after by Grandpa, Alice and the boys. Everyone came in the kitchen sharing hugs and hellos. It was so sweet, and what I wanted my own family to be like in the future. Edward wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. It felt so good to be in his arms again. "I missed you so much, sugar." He whispered in my ear.

I looked up at him and he leaned down for a quick kiss. "I missed you, too." I told him before we joined the family.

Alice was excited about Edward and Grandpa picking her up from school, and the fact that she got to go to the high school to watch baseball practice. Carlisle asked Jasper about practice and he seemed a little upset that this Thursday's practice was the last one for the year. "I'm sorry I missed your practice this afternoon, Jasper." I told him. "I was kidnapped for a girls' day." I teased, making Nanny laugh.

Jasper ran his hand through his hair. "Um, that's okay, Bella." He replied. "You're coming on Thursday, though, right?" I was so touched that Jasper wanted me at his practices. I was glad that I wasn't the girlfriend that took his brother away, but one that was close to the family.

"Of course, Jasper." I said, smiling at him. "I wouldn't miss it." He smiled and nodded. Edward slid his hand down my thigh and squeezed my knee.

"And how's the studying going Emmett?" Esme asked her son.

"Um, alright. I hate Shakespeare, though." He said, chuckling. "Can't he just speak English? I mean it's hard enough to understand what he's trying to say, let alone analyze the themes and stuff."

"Emmett, do you want me to help you with your study questions after dinner?" I asked.

"God, yes, Bella." He said, laughing.

After we finished dinner, Edward and I went up to Emmett's room to help him with his Macbeth study questions. Edward, it seemed, just wanted a bed to lay on. As soon as we walked in Emmett's room, Edward jumped on his brother's unmade bed and flopped back on his pillow. "I miss my bed, bro." Edward said, closing his eyes. I smiled to myself, thinking of how surprised Edward would be with his gift from his parents.

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't drool on my pillow." Emmett teased, smacking Edward's leg as he walked by.

Edward just laughed. I had never been in Emmett's room before, so I looked around. He had a lot of posters on his wall, some were swimsuit models, some were sports stars. He had CDs and DVDs all over his desk and on the floor in front of his TV and stereo. He a small love seat in the corner of the room and there were magazines all over it. There were also socks and laundry scattered on the floor. I chuckled to myself. Emmett was the polar opposite of Edward. While Edward did leave his clothes on the floor, he kept everything else fairly organized. This room was the typical teenaged boy's room.

Emmett noticed me looking around. "Sorry about the mess, Bella, but I never have time to clean it." He laughed.

Edward started chuckling from the bed. "It always looks like this."

"Boys, boys." I teased. "Let's not fight." Both Emmett and Edward looked over at me with stunned looks on their faces.

"Oh my god, Bella, you sounded just like mom." Emmett laughed.

"Sorry." I giggled. "Um, where do you want me to sit?" There was seriously no where to sit in this room.

"Um." He looked around before knocking some notebooks off his desk chair and wheeling it over beside his bed. "You can have the chair." He said, before grabbing his copy of Macbeth and sitting on the end of his bed.

I sat down and Emmett passed me the book. "Okay, Emmett. What do you need help with?" I asked, as Emmett flipped through his notebook.

"Well, we have to pick a character and then prepare a short essay on their role in the play." Emmett said explained. "It's worth half of our final exam grade."

"Okay, which character did you pick?" I asked.

"The three witches." Emmett said with a smile. "They're cool, right?"

"I think so, too, Emmett. Good choice." Emmett and I spent the next hour talking about the role of the witches and their possible symbolism of the temptation to evil. Emmett was very intelligent. The only help he really needed was someone to talk out his ideas with. Edward fell asleep for the majority of the time we studied. He only woke up when Emmett shoved him because he had started snoring.

Edward just kicked him in the leg and rolled over, falling asleep again. I loved watching Edward and Emmett interact with other. They loved each other so much, but teased each other a lot, too. I felt bad for Edward. He was really tired, so he must mot have been sleeping well on the couch.

By the time Emmett and I finished studying, he had an outline written for his paper with most of the points he wanted to write about. He got up and gave me a hug. "Thanks so much, Bella. You're the best."

"You're so welcome." I said. "You up for a break?"

"Of course." He said, smiling. "What's your plan?"

"Mario Kart rematch. Me and you." I said, giggling. I looked over at Edward and he was sound asleep. He looked so peaceful, that I figured we should let him sleep. I followed Emmett out of his room, and shut the light out behind me, so Edward could sleep. He only had a couple of hours before Emmett would come up here and kick him out, anyway.

Emmett laughed. "You're on."


	139. Brothers I Never Had

**A/N - Thanks so much for all of your encouragement! Summer Vacation has now reached over 1500 reviews! I can't believe it! Thank you, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 139 - Brothers I Never Had

When we went into the hallway, Emmett knocked on Jasper's door. "Jazz, Bella and I are playing Mario Kart. You want to take a break?"

Jasper opened his door. "Okay, cool." He smiled, running his hand through his hair. "Where's Edward?" He asked as we walked down the stairs.

"Oh, he fell asleep on Emmett's bed when we were studying." I laughed. "I don't think he's sleeping well down here."

"Oh, come on, Bella." Emmett laughed. "It's a leather couch. It's wicked comfortable." I was going to have to talk with Edward tonight when he woke up. I hoped nothing was bothering him. He seemed tired a lot of the time this last week.

Jasper put in the game and Emmett and I played one round. Jasper would play whoever lost. We kept rotating that way for the next hour. But, for the most part, I beat Emmett. "How are you so good at this game?" He laughed after his tenth straight loss.

"I have no idea, Emmett." I laughed. "But, put any other game in and I would lose."

"We can teach you, if you want, Bella?" Jasper said.

"Okay. What do you got?" I said. I was having so much fun with Emmett and Jasper. They were like the brothers I never had. Emmett went upstairs and brought pop and chips downstairs for us. We didn't talk about anything serious, we just had fun.

Emmett put in some kind of fighting game and they spent the next half hour trying to teach me various button combinations to make my character do different moves. I, of course, failed miserably, and only beat Emmett once, by accident. I finally gave up and Emmett and Jasper continued to battle it out, still explaining how they got the characters to move in different ways.

I got up and started folding Edward's pile of clean cloths on the chair. He still had them in a big, messy stack. At about ten to ten, I kissed both Emmett and Jasper in the top of the head, leaving them both blushing. "Thanks, guys. I had a great time." I told them. "I'm going to go kick Edward out of your room, Emmett."

"Okay, thanks." Emmett said, as he and Jasper continued their game.

I went upstairs, passing Esme and Carlisle in the kitchen. "How's it going down there? Are you still winning?" Carlisle asked.

"I was until we switched games. I appear to be unteachable." I laughed. "I'm just going to go wake up Edward."

"Okay, sweetheart. We're heading up to bed soon." Esme said, giving me a big hug. "Thanks again for coming with us to Port Angeles. You were a big help."

"Oh, thank you. I had a great time." I smiled. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Bella." Carlisle said.

I left the kitchen and went up to Emmett's room. I opened the door and noticed that Edward was still asleep. My poor, sweet, Edward. I walked up to him and sat beside him on the bed. "Babe." I said, tracing my fingertips down his arm. "Edward, wake up." I leaned over him and kissed his cheek.

He groaned and rolled over onto his back. "What time is it?" He rasped out.

"It's almost ten o'clock." I told him. "You fell asleep in Emmett's bed."

He stretched and then sat up. "I'm sorry, baby." He apologized.

"It's okay, Edward. Your brothers and I just played video games for the last couple of hours." I told him. "But, Emmett is going to be coming up to bed in a few minutes, so I had to wake you."

"You could have woke me sooner, Bella. I wouldn't have minded." He said, getting off the bed. "I'll be right back." He walked into Emmett's bathroom. I straightened out Emmett's blankets for him, while I waited.

Edward came out and took my hand. "Do you want to hang out downstairs for a bit, or do you want to head home?" He asked quietly as we walked back downstairs.

"I think I promised you that we would snuggle today, right?" I teased.

"You did, and I fully plan to collect." Edward said, squeezing my hand.

"Okay. Let's go to my bed then." I said.

"Too much information." Emmett laughed, walking past us, as he and Jasper made their way up to bed. I blushed and covered my face. I didn't see or hear the boys coming upstairs. "Just kidding. See you guys tomorrow." He said. "And, thanks again for your help tonight, Bella."

"No problem, Emmett." I said, smiling. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Goodnight, guys. I love you." Edward said.

I ran into the kitchen to pick up my purse and my shopping bag from the bookstore. I noticed Esme had put it in a cloth tote bag, so Edward wouldn't see the bookstore bag. I loved how thoughtful she was.

"What's in the bag, sugar?" Edward asked trying to peek, as we walked out to the car.

"You never mind." I told him, holding the bag to my chest. Edward just laughed as he opened my door. On the drive home, I told Edward how great Emmett was doing on his Macbeth paper.

"Yeah, he's a smart guy. A lot people think that because he's a football player, he doesn't study, but he really is a well-rounded kid." Edward said, clearly proud of his brother.

We got to my house at about quarter after ten. We went straight up to my room. I hid Edward's books in my closet and then slid off my capris, before joining Edward on my bed. We laid on our sides facing each other and I reached my hand up to run my fingers through his hair. Edward sighed and closed his eyes.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on with you?" I asked him.

He opened his eyes and looked me in the eyes. "What do you mean?" He asked, taking my hand in his and kissing my wrist.

"Well, for one thing, you fell asleep for about three hours tonight." I said gently. "Are you not sleeping? Is something on your mind?"

He shook his head. "Honestly, no. I'm not sleeping that well. I'm just really happy with life right now, and I just lay there at night thinking about everything and how lucky I am. I just haven't been able to sleep." He told me. He traced his fingers down my back. "I sleep so good with you in my arms, though." He said, before leaning in to kiss my neck.

I reached up under his shirt, running my hands over his chest, then around to his back. I loved how his muscles felt under my hands. "Soon, baby." I whispered.

Edward ran his hands down my bare legs, and back up again. "So, Nanny really asked you for details about our relationship today?" Edward asked, between kisses.

I laughed, and rolled over to rest my head on his chest. "Yeah. She asked about our weekend in Port Townsend." I told him, moving my hand across his stomach.

"Really?" Edward chuckled, making my head move on his chest. "I'm sorry she put you on the spot like that. But if you would have heard the wisdom my grandpa tried to share with me this afternoon, you'd be feeling pretty lucky you were with Nanny."

I laughed. "That bad, huh?" I looked up at Edward's face and his cheeks were a little pink.

"Yeah." He said, leaning down for a kiss. "But, I will never repeat it, so don't even ask." He chuckled.

"Don't worry. I don't want to know." I told him. I snuggled my face into his chest and wrapped my arms around him tightly. "I missed you so much today, babe."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled us closer together. "So did I, baby." He said. We held each other close and kissed for the next half hour. As much fun as I had today, I just missed having Edward at my side. I loved that we could take this time to reconnect.

I heard the front door close downstairs, so I knew my dad was home. Edward gave me one last kiss, then groaned, rolling onto his back. I giggled at him, then got up and slipped on a pair of yoga pants. "Come on, you." I said to Edward.

"Do I have to go home?" He said, getting off the bed.

"Unfortunately, yes. But, Edward, just so you know, I'm not leaving your side tomorrow." I said, making him smile. I took his hand and led him downstairs with me. I had missed him too much today.

"Hey, kids." My dad said, as we got to the bottom of the stairs. "Have a good day?"

"Yeah, spent it with my grandpa, because my mom and nanny stole Bella." Edward said, pouting a little. My dad just laughed at him.

"Alright. See you tomorrow, Edward." My dad said.

I walked with Edward out to his car. "I love you." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist.

He smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "I love you, too, angel. I'll see you tomorrow."

I watched as he drove back home and then headed back into the house. I understood how Edward felt. I was starting to feel empty without him.


	140. Making Plans

**A/N - Running a little late today, so I'll let you get right to it! Thanks again for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 140 - Making Plans

The next morning, after I had a shower and straightened my hair, I put on a black t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. I went downstairs and made toast and strawberry banana smoothies for my dad and I.

While my dad read the paper, I sat with him at the kitchen table, looking at my laptop. I was trying to figure out what to do for Edward's birthday. The problem was, Edward's birthday was on June 20th, Father's Day. The Cullens were going to have a busy day, likely having a Father's Day breakfast with Carlisle and Grandpa, and then Edward's birthday dinner later in the day. I, also, wanted to spend time with my dad. This would be my first Father's Day that I spent with him since I was four years old. It would be the first time that Father's Day didn't just mean a phone call from thousands of miles away.

I wanted to go away with Edward for his birthday, somewhere close, but I wanted us to have some time alone. With Edward's grandparents here to visit, we hadn't had much of a chance to be just Edward and Bella. And, Edward always did so much for me. I wanted him to feel special.

Now, I just had to figure out where I could take Edward. I didn't know Washington very well, so I didn't want to stray too far from Forks. As I looked through the tourist sites and maps of Washington, I found the town of Ocean Shores. It was only about an hour south of Forks. There was a hotel right on the beach. I looked up the rooms and I could get one with a king sized bed with a whirlpool tub right in the room. There was also a rooftop restaurant on the hotel. We could dress up and have a birthday dinner together. It seemed like a perfect place for us to spend the night.

I figured that maybe if I took him away on the Saturday afternoon, we spent the night in the hotel, then came home early the next morning, that wouldn't interfere with everyone's plans too much. My dad and I could have brunch together, and Edward could spend the morning with his family, and then, my dad and I could go over to the Cullens' for Edward's birthday dinner. I would have to call Esme and make sure that would work for them, too.

I went up to my room and called Esme. "Hi, sweetheart." She answered.

"Hey, Esme. I was planning on surprising Edward for his birthday next weekend, and I was hoping to take him to Ocean Shores for the night on Saturday." I explained.

"Oh, that sounds lovely, Bella." She said.

"The reason I called, is that I know Edward's birthday falls on Father's Day this year, and I was hoping that if we're back by about nine in the morning on Sunday, that wouldn't interfere with your plans for the day."

"No, Bella. That sounds perfect, actually. Carlisle always sleeps in on Father's Day until about ten, so you should fine." She laughed. "He says that's what he wants every year; just one day to sleep in."

"So, I'll make the reservation, then." I confirmed.

"Absolutely." She said. I could hear the smile in her voice. "Oh, we're going to have Edward's birthday dinner at around three o'clock. Does that work for you?"

"It's perfect, Esme. Thanks, again." I said, before hanging up.

I came back downstairs and noticed my dad was in the living room watching a fishing show. I sat beside him with my laptop on my legs. I made the reservation online. It cost me two hundred and fifty dollars for one night, but Edward was worth it.

"Dad." I said. "I'm taking Edward to Ocean Shores overnight the day before his birthday." I wanted him to know my plans. I loved the open relationship that I had with him.

"Okay." He said. "That's not this Saturday, but next, right?"

"Yeah. We'd leave on June 19th and be back early on Sunday the 20th." I told him. "Edward's birthday falls on Father's Day, so I want to back be about nine, so you and me can have breakfast together. You up for it?"

My dad smiled at me. "It's our first one together in a long time, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm really excited about it, dad." I told him. "What do you say to brunch at the Lodge?"

My dad smiled at me, looking really excited. "That sounds great, Bells." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, do you need to talk about anything with me before your trip with Edward?"

My head shot up and I looked at him in shock. I guess it was only natural for him to be concerned about me, but as open as we were with each other, I wasn't sure I wanted to be that open. I blushed. "Um, no. I think I'm good, dad. Edward and I are taking things slow, okay?"

My dad nodded and let out a deep breath. "Okay. I just want you to know that you can come to me if you need to." He reassured me.

"Thanks, dad." I said, setting my laptop on the coffee table before giving him a hug.

"You're welcome, Bells." He said, getting up to head to work. "And, I mean it. If you need to ask me anything, you can." I blushed and nodded my head.

"Okay." I said. "Um, have a good day at work."

"I will. You have good day, too." My dad said.

"Thanks, dad." I replied, as he turned to go to work. Once the door was closed, I flopped back on the couch. I wished that I didn't get embarrassed so easily. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I guess planning nights away with my boyfriend was going to lead to those conversations, though.

I heard the door bell and got up to let Edward in. Today he had a yellow daffodil. "You seemed to really like the yellow flower yesterday, so I thought I'd get you another one." He said with his gorgeous smile. He was genuinely a good person. I smiled back at him and brought his face down to kiss him.

I pulled back, smiling at his glittering eyes. "Thank you, Edward." I said. "I love you so much." I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his chest.

"I love you, too, angel." He said, kissing my forehead. "Not that I'm complaining, but you seems extra huggy today. Is everything okay?"

I giggled. "Yeah. Everything is great. My dad just asked me if I need to talk to him, or ask him about anything, if you know what I mean." I looked up at Edward and his brow was furrowed for a second, before his eyes opened wider in understanding.

"Oh." He said. "Um, why would he ask you that? Did you say something to him?"

I didn't want to tell him about my plans for his birthday trip, yet, but I guess I would have to. I took his hand and pulled him into the living room. "Okay, listen." I said, sitting down on the couch. He sat beside me, lifting my legs onto his. He started lightly tracing my bare legs with his fingers. "Um, I sort of made plans for your birthday, but it's a surprise." He looked over at me with a smile.

"Really?" He asked, leaning over to kiss me. "You don't have to do anything for me, honey." But, the smile on his face showed me just how happy and excited he was that I had planned something. "But, what does that have to do with 'the talk'?"

I blushed and shook my head. "Edward, I don't want to tell you anything about my plans, yet, but I do have to tell you that we'll be gone overnight. Is that okay?"

Edward's smile got bigger. "Of course that's okay, angel. You can kidnap me anytime you want. I'm you're willing prisoner." He teased, before winking.

I smiled back at him. "I'll keep that in mind." I laughed.

"You do that." He said, crawling over me, to lay on top of me. He started kissing me, his fingers in my hair. "You're so beautiful." He whispered. Edward was so good for my confidence. He didn't just tell me that he was attracted to me, he showed me, and made me feel it.

We spent the next fifteen minutes kissing and whispering words of love to each other. I guessed that was what happened when we separated so long.

"Do you have plans with your grandparents today?" I asked him, running my hands down his back.

"I'm still a little embarrassed about yesterday, to be honest." Edward laughed, burying his face into my neck.

I ran my fingers through his hair. "My poor, sweet boy." I giggled. "What did your grandpa say to you?"

"I told you, I'm not talking about it." He mumbled into my neck, before laughing. His breath on my neck tickled, making me laugh. "God, I love you." He whispered, kissing along my neck.

"I love you, too, handsome." I said, turning my head to kiss his lips.

"You up for just hanging out at the house with Nanny, Grandpa and my mom, today?" Edward asked, slowly sitting back up.

"Absolutely." I smiled. "If you're there, then I am." And I meant it.


	141. Scarf School

**A/N - As always, thank you! Enjoy!**

Chapter 141 - Scarf School

I was so glad that Edward and I decided to hang out at his house that afternoon. When we got there, we found Esme and her parents sitting in the family room. Grandpa was watching TV, a do-it-yourself program on how to build a log cabin. I giggled at that. He seemed very intrigued. Nanny and Esme were sitting beside each other crocheting.

"Hey, kids." Grandpa said, looking over at us quickly, before turning back to his show.

"Hi, Grandpa." I said, as Edward and I sat in between the grandparents.

"Bella, Edward. Help yourselves to some sandwiches and fruit." Esme said, referring to the plates on the coffee table. She also had a pitcher of iced tea and glasses set out. She was really quite the homemaker.

"Thanks, mom." Edward said, taking a bite from a sandwich.

"Bella, sweetheart, do you crotchet?" Nanny asked me, as we ate.

"Oh, no." I answered. "I've never had anyone to show me how."

"Would you like me to show you, dear?" She smiled, looking quite excited. "That is, if you two don't have any plans for the day?"

I looked over at Edward. He smiled at me, before turning to Nanny. "No plans."

"I would love to learn, Nanny. Thank you." I told her. This was what I had missed. This relationship with a grandmother. Esme was smiling at me proudly.

"Okay, sweetheart, why don't I teach you how to make a scarf? That's pretty simple and at least you get something out of it in the end." She said, reaching into a little blue bag with wooden handles.

She pulled out a little case on opened it. "You're going to need a crochet hook." She said passing me a red, six inch, metal rod with a hooked end. She pulled out a grey hook and passed it to Edward. "Here, Edward. You might as well learn this, too." She said to him, winking at me.

"Nanny." Edward whined.

I turned to him and whispered in his ear. "Come on, babe. I don't want to leave your side today, and a least you'll have something to do while I'm learning this. Plus it'll make Nanny happy." I smiled at him, before placing a quick kiss on his lips.

Edward smiled, then turned to Nanny. "Okay, I'm in."

Nanny and Esme giggled. Even Grandpa laughed. "She's got you tamed, huh, Edward?"

Edward just laughed. "Absolutely." He leaned down and kissed my cheek, making me blush.

Nanny reached into her bag and pulled out a blue ball of yarn. She took the end and started some kind of stitch, but she did it so fast, I couldn't see how she did it. "Here, Edward." She said, passing him the yarn. He took it and set it on his lap.

"All I have is green, Bella, is that alright." She asked, pulling out a ball of forest green yarn from her bag.

"That's perfect, Nanny." I told her. She did the same starting stitch on mine before passing it to me.

"Okay, kids." She said. "We have to make a chain about ten inches long. That will be one of the ends of the scarf." She proceeded to show us how to make the chain stitch, which was pretty simple; just pulling the yarn through the loop, making a new loop, and repeating the process. I looked over at Edward and even he seemed to be getting it.

When we were finished our chains, Nanny came over and pushed us apart, sitting in between us, so we could both she what she was doing. "Okay, now the fun begins." She laughed. "This is a single stitch." She said, showing us how to crochet our first row along the chain. She sat in between us, watching as we completed our first rows. "Very good." She showed us how to turn it at the end of the row, and we began the process of starting the next row. She patted both our legs before getting up and going back over to her project. It looked like she was making a blanket.

Edward and I sat quietly for the next half hour, intently focusing on our projects. It wasn't until I saw a flash, that I looked up and noticed Esme had taken our picture. I looked up at her and smiled, before looking at Edward. I burst out laughing. His cheeks were pink with embarrassment. "Mom." He said, trying to sound serious, but ending up laughing. "First the aprons, and now this."

I leaned over and kissed his warm cheek. "You look adorable, babe." I said. "Thank you for doing this with me."

He smiled at me, before leaning in for a kiss. "Anything." He said in my ear. I knew he would do anything I asked him to. I loved him so much for sharing his Nanny with me. He knew that I had never gotten to experience this kind of relationship before and he would happily spend his afternoon doing something he didn't want to do, just so I would be happy. It was the things like this, that seemed so insignificant to anyone else, that meant the most to me. It was moments like this that illustrated just how lucky I was to have Edward in my life.

I had finished about three inches so far on my scarf. Nanny came over to take a look at it. "You are doing a beautiful job, Bella." She praised. "Look at how even your stitches are. I think you're a natural." She said, wrapping her arm around me and kissing me on the cheek.

"Thanks, Nanny." I said, glowing. There was nothing like a grandmother's praise. I looked over at Edward and he was smiling at me. I think he could see how much this afternoon meant to me.

"Do you think I'll have this finished before Father's Day?" I asked her. "I think I'll make this scarf for my dad." I laughed. "I know it's June, and that probably doesn't make sense, but I think he's like something that I made for him, anyway." As I child, because of the distance between us, I didn't get the chance to make art projects, like clay paperweights, for my dad like all the other kids did. But, I figured, it wasn't too late to start now.

"Oh, Bella." Esme said with a smile. "That is so sweet. I'm sure he'll love it, sweetheart."

"Well, we have a week and a half, right? I'll make sure you get it finished, honey." Nanny reassured me, patting my hand.

"Thanks, Nanny. This really means a lot to me." I told her. I wanted her to understand that this wasn't just something I was doing to pass the time.

"You're very welcome, sweetheart." She said, pulling out a tissue she had tucked in the sleeve of her blouse, and dabbing the corner of her eyes. I didn't mean to make her cry.

Edward wrapped his arms around Nanny and gave her a hug. "Nanny, what's wrong with mine. It looks all wobbly." Edward asked. He held up his scarf and the sides went in and out.

Nanny laughed. "Sweetheart, you aren't counting your stitches. It looks like you missed some stitches in one row and then added some in the next. That's why it's uneven." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I still love you sweetie."

Edward laughed. "Bella, I'm not good at this, and I can't wear this scarf."

I laughed with him. "You are so cute. Why don't you keep going a little more and then we can use it as a potholder in our new kitchen. It's blue, so it matches our dishes." I told him, to make him feel better.

"Are those the dishes that are up in your room, Edward?" Nanny asked.

"Yeah. Bella bought them for our apartment when we were in Port Townsend." Edward said.

"Edward Cullen." Grandpa said, firmly.

Edward laughed. "She wouldn't let me buy them, Grandpa. She begged, and I can't say no to her."

Nanny, Esme and I all laughed. "Sorry, Grandpa." I said. "Don't blame Edward for that. I'm trying to convince him that he doesn't have to buy everything for me."

"That's because I taught him that way, and his dad taught him that way." Grandpa explained.

"I'm just excited you're buying things together. It's so sweet." Esme said with a smile.

"Okay. I'm stealing my girlfriend for a few minutes." Edward said standing up and putting his potholder down on the couch. I set my scarf down and took Edward's hand, following behind him.

"I guess we'll be right back." I giggled.

Edward led us to the basement, and pulled me onto his lap after he sat on the couch. He wrapped his arms around me. "Sorry. I just needed to kiss you." He said, before kissing me. I giggled against his lips, making him smile.

"I don't mind." I said, leaning down to kiss his neck, as Edward ran his fingers through my hair and down my back. I would never complain when my gorgeous boyfriend wanted to kiss me.


	142. Time Flies

**A/N - Hello, again! Thanks for reading! This chapter spans three days, from Wednesday, June 9th to Friday June 11th. I'm excited for the things to come, so I needed to move things along a bit. Enjoy!**

Chapter 142 - Time Flies

After a half hour kissing break, Edward and I went back upstairs. Grandpa winked at us, as we sat back down, making Edward laugh.

We started crocheting again until the rest of the Cullens got home. Edward finished his unintentionally zigzagged potholder. Nanny tied some tassels on the ends for him. Edward looked so proud of it, and I was proud of him, too.

"For your new kitchen, angel." Edward said, passing me the potholder.

I smiled at him, leaning over to give him a kiss. "Our new kitchen." I corrected. I seriously could not wait to move in with Edward and begin that new adventure in our lives. "Thank you, baby. I love it."

I was a woman obsessed when it came to the scarf I was working on. After dinner, I worked on it all evening. Nanny had shown Alice how to make chains, and Alice was making friendship bracelets for everyone in her class. Esme sat beside her and tied off the ends. By the time she went to bed, she had made twenty five bracelets; enough for everyone in her class and Miss Jones.

While I crocheted, Edward sat with Jasper at the kitchen table and helped him with his science study questions. Emmett, Carlisle and Grandpa sat with us and watched the baseball game on TV. I loved the family atmosphere in the house. Even more so, I loved that I was a part of it.

I continued working on the scarf on Thursday afternoon at the Cullen house, after Edward had picked me up, complete with a yellow tulip in hand. Nanny was thrilled that I was so interested in crocheting. Grandpa and Edward sat with us in the family room and played checkers together all afternoon. I looked up at Edward every ten minutes or so, and he was always looking back at me. He would wink at me and flash me his gorgeous smile, before looking back down to the game.

By the time we all left to go to Jasper's practice, I was about seventy-five percent finished with the scarf. Nanny said it was perfect and she couldn't believe I would have it finished tomorrow.

It was Jasper's last practice of the year, so Esme was picking up Alice, then bringing her to watch. Even Carlisle was leaving work early to watch his son. I could have cried. The support this family showed one another was amazing.

The Cullens filled the bleachers, watching as the Forks Spartans prepared for the last two games of the season, as well as the year end tournament. I took a couple of pictures of Jasper for Maria, and a bunch of us on the bleachers. Nanny and Grandpa looked so proud of Jasper.

When practice was over, Edward and I ran down to the field and asked if we could get a couple of pictures of the team together. They all happily agreed. I took a few of the whole group and then one of Jasper with his coach. I took another of Jasper with his friend Mike, as well, who was a little too excited to be singled out. Jasper went in the school to change and we all went to the parking lot to wait for him. We decided to go out to eat for dinner, and settled on burgers and fries at the diner.

We filled two booths. Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Alice and I in one, and Esme, Carlisle, Nanny and Grandpa in another. I absolutely loved hanging out with everyone. We always got along and laughed a lot. Alice told us how much everyone in her class liked the bracelets, and Emmett talked about Rose, and the hot outfit she was wearing today.

When we got home, Edward and I decided to go for a walk. We walked hand in hand through town, just enjoying the other's company. "So are you going to give me any hints about my birthday surprise?" Edward asked as we walked, a sexy smirk on his face.

I laughed at him. "Of course not." I said, smiling. I was really excited for that trip.

"What if I pout a little?" He asked sticking out his bottom lip. I giggled. I loved that we could joke with each other.

"That just gets you a kiss." I said, standing on my toes, and pulling his head down for a quick kiss.

"Well, I guess I can't complain." He laughed. "But, how am I going to know what to pack?"

I smiled at him. "Can I pack for you?"

"Absolutely." He said. "Can I watch you pack?"

I laughed. "Nope."

That night, after Edward brought me home, I went to bed with a smile on face.

The next morning, Friday, while my dad watched TV, I went online to look for a dress for dinner at the hotel. I found a beautiful dress online at Banana Republic. It had a crossover v-neck and would hit mid thigh. It was white, with a black watercolour design. I thought it was dressy enough for dinner at the rooftop restaurant, but still sexy for a night out with my boyfriend the night before his birthday. I placed the order, excited that it would be delivered early next week, in time for our trip.

My dad was getting nervous because his Saturday morning breakfast with Heidi was the next day. "Dad. Relax. She's known you for years. You can do this." I reassured him.

Edward brought me a yellow carnation when he came to get me. He kissed my hand in the car, all the way to his house and moved to kiss my neck once we had pulled up in front of the house. "I can't wait to get you all to myself." He whispered, before cupping my cheek in his hand and leaning in to kiss me.

"I can't wait either." I said, softly. "One more week, babe."

We went in the house and I spent the afternoon finishing my scarf. Edward brought down his guitar and played for us while we crocheted, today. I found it really distracting and found myself watching him, more than my project. He was a vision to behold with that guitar in his hands. But, the fact that he watched me while he played, made it even harder to concentrate. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt and I could see the muscles in his forearms and biceps flexing while he played.

Despite the distraction, that I liked to call my boyfriend, I finished the scarf for my dad. It turned out really well and I was very happy with it. Nanny and I tied the tassels to the ends and we finished just before dinner.

Tonight was important, because Rose and Maria would be at Jasper's game. They had yet to meet Nanny and Grandpa and I could tell that Emmett was nervous. He cared about her a lot. I didn't know why he was worried. Rose was amazing, and Nanny and Grandpa would love her. They were great people.

The boys were also excited because it was their last day of classes. All they had left before their summer began, were two days of exams, on Monday and Tuesday. They had worked hard and I was proud of them. I couldn't wait to spend more time with everyone once school was out next week.

While we ate, Jasper told us that they had received their yearbooks today. I had always loved yearbooks, so I was excited to look at theirs. After dinner, Jasper showed Nanny and Grandpa Maria's yearbook photo. He blushed as he pointed her out.

"She's a pretty girl, Jasper." Grandpa said. Jasper just nodded and ran his hands through his hair.

"She looks happy." Nanny added, wrapping her arm around him. "That's what you want."

Jasper took his yearbook and headed upstairs to get his game bag. I felt bad for him, because he seemed so nervous. I hoped that he relaxed in time for his game. "I'll be right back." Edward said, following Jasper upstairs. I loved that big brother side of Edward. He always knew what to say to make Jasper feel better.

Emmett sat down between Nanny and Grandpa with his yearbook. "And, this is Rose." He said, pointing her out. He looked so proud to be showing her off.

"She's beautiful, Emmett." Nanny said.

"She's kind of quiet when you first meet her. But, she's a dancer. Um, like ballet." Emmett said, with a smile on his face.

"Well, I can't wait to meet her, honey." Nanny said, patting Emmett's cheek.

Edward came back downstairs, and Jasper came right after him, with his bag over his shoulder. He looked a lot less nervous, now.

We all we headed out to the cars, The 'kids' in Edward's car and the 'adults' in Carlisle's. As we drove, the guys talked baseball. I turned around and smiled at Alice who was squished between Jasper and Emmett in the backseat. Jasper had his arm around her shoulders and she was resting her head on his side. Jasper might be shy, but he was a great brother. She smiled back at me. She had to be used to her brothers talking about sports all the time.

I was excited to hang out with Maria and Rose again. I missed being around them, but their parents really wanted them to focus on their schoolwork. I understood, but I was still glad they let the girls come to the home games.

Jasper gave us all hugs before heading into the school to change. We made our way to the bleachers and took our seats. Watching a baseball game with friends and family was a perfect way to spend a summer night.


	143. Baseball and Breakfast Plans

**A/N - Hi, readers! Busy weekend, but I did it! I finished the chapter! Thanks again for all the great reviews! Enjoy!**

Chapter 143 - Baseball and Breakfast Plans

I loved sitting at baseball games with the Cullens. Our group took up so much room in the bleachers. But I loved that, knowing that so many people were here to back Jasper and his team. We were only sitting for about five minutes when Rose and Maria showed up. "They're here." Emmett said excitedly. Nanny smiled lovingly at her grandson, and Grandpa patted his shoulder.

Emmett stood up and gave Rose a kiss when she got to our row. She blushed, putting her hand on his chest. I smiled at her. Those two were adorable.

Emmett and Rose turned in their seats. "Nanny, Grandpa. This is my girlfriend, Rose Hale." Rose was blushing and I could tell that she was a little nervous to meet them.

"It's so nice to meet you, both." Rose said shyly. "Emmett's being telling me all about you at school this week."

"I bet he has." Grandpa laughed.

"He's been going on about you, too, sweetheart." Nanny said, making Emmett blush. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Maria inched down the row and sat beside me. "Hi, Bella. Hi Edward. How's Jasper? He seemed a little on edge at school today." She said.

"He's okay." I told her. "Don't worry about him. You just enjoy the game." She was so perceptive. Jasper was a little nervous today, but I think that was mostly because he would be introducing Maria to his grandparents.

Maria turned in her seat to face Nanny and Grandpa. "Hello. I'm Maria Hale. Nice to meet you." She said, in her happy, bubbly voice.

I looked at Nanny and she was smiling. "It's so nice to meet you, sweetheart. We've heard so much about you from our grandson."

Grandpa smiled at her. "You'll have to show us your pictures of the games."

I know, I would have blushed at that comment, but Maria just laughed. "Yeah, I have a lot." She pulled her camera out of her purse and held it up. "I just can't help myself. These games are exciting. Jasper is very talented."

"He is." Grandpa said proudly.

"We're very proud of him, too. This is the first time we're getting to watch him play since he's been in high school." Nanny told her.

"Well, you'll be impressed." Maria went on. "I don't want to brag, but he is the best player on the team." She had a huge smile on her face.

Nanny, Grandpa, Esme and Carlisle all laughed with her. I loved her. She wore her heart on her sleeve and was so genuine. She was perfect for Jasper.

It was twilight, and the lights were on at the baseball diamond. It was a hot summer night and the atmosphere was perfect for baseball. Edward took my hand and brought it to his lips. The teams ran out to the field. Jasper's team was batting first. They were playing the Rochester Warriors.

Jasper's friend Mike was up to bat first. He hit a nice ground ball passed second and made it safely to first base. We all cheered for him. I was watching Jasper on the bench with his team mates. He was laughing and seemed to be having a great time. He absolutely thrived out on the field. Jasper hit a double, moving Mike to third and himself to second.

Our whole section cheered, and Maria was snapping pictures as fast a she could. "That's my grandson." Grandpa said to a man sitting nearby. It was so sweet, how proud he was.

Jasper stood with one foot on the base and the other out, leading him. He looked so focused and ready to run. The next boy struck out and the next hit a pop fly. I felt bad for the next batter, with two on and two out, there was a lot of pressure on him. We all cheered when he came to bat. He hit the ball and it went deep into the far right field. We all watched on the edge of our seats as Mike ran home. The Warriors' player just got to the ball and turned to throw it in. Jasper looked up and rounded third, heading in for home.

"He's going to slide." Edward said, with a smile on his face. I had no idea how he could tell, but sure enough, after Jasper ran as hard as he could, he slid into home. The umpire called him safe, just as the catcher caught the ball. Edward stood up, cheering and clapping for his brother. "Great slide, Jazz." We all stood and cheered for the boys, up a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first inning.

"Is he okay, Edward?" Maria asked concerned, watching Jasper get up and brush himself off.

"He's fine." Edward said, smiling. "He knows how to slide so he doesn't get hurt."

Jasper walked over to his team and they all high fived each other, a few slapping Jasper's bum. Jasper looked back at us and smiled. You could tell he was happy that he got to show off his skills to his grandparents.

The rest of the game continued to be just as exciting as the first inning. The Forks Spartans won the game 8-5. We all waited for Jasper to change. Maria was showing me the pictures she had taken. She had gotten some great action shots. Scrapbooking with her was going to be so much fun.

Jasper came over to us after about twenty minutes. Nanny ran over to him and pulled him into a hug, kissing his cheek. Grandpa patted his shoulder. "Great job, son." He said.

Jasper's face was flushed at all the attention. He came over and gave Maria a hug, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "Thanks for coming." He said softly. Watching Jasper being affectionate with Maria was so cute. He kept one arm around her shoulder. A couple minutes later, Mrs. Hale pulled up to pick up the girls. We all said our goodbyes and then got in Edward's car to go home.

"You were amazing, Jasper." I told him as we drove back to the house.

"Thanks, Bella." He said, smiling at me. "I could hear you guys screaming." He laughed.

"Yeah. That was Edward." Emmett laughed. I looked at Edward and he was smiling. He loved his family.

When we got back to the Cullens' house, I picked up my finished scarf, gave everyone a hug and Edward and I went over to my house. As much as I loved everyone, I was absolutely thrilled about being alone with Edward.

We went up to my room and I hid the scarf for my dad in my closet and then joined Edward on my bed. "That was a great game." I said, laying on my back beside him.

Edward laid on his side, facing me, running his fingers through my hair. "Yeah. I love watching him play." Edward said. He set his hand on my stomach and started tracing his fingers over it.

I started thinking about tomorrow. My dad was going on his first date in years. I was excited for him, but nervous at the same time. I wanted everything to work out, but I was also a little scared. Edward leaned over and kissed my cheek. "What's going on in your pretty head, baby."

I looked over at him and I felt my eyes start to burn. A tear fell from my eye and I reached up to wipe it away. Edward sat up quickly looking panicked. "Bella, what's wrong?"

I shook my head. "It's stupid, Edward." I said, sniffling. "And selfish."

"Baby, come here." He said, pulling me over to his lap, cradling me in his arms. "Honey, talk to me. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out."

"It's just that I want my dad to be happy, and I think Heidi can do that for him, but a part of me is a little jealous. I know it's irrational, but I'm scared that I'm going to lose him, and I just got him back." I admitted, my breath hitching. "And, it's so stupid, because I'm the one that pushed him into this."

I felt Edward press a kiss to the top of my head. "You're not stupid. And, I know change is scary. Welcoming new people into your life is scary." He was rubbing my back. "But, Bella, she's not going to take your dad away. Charlie loves you too much for that. You're his only daughter, and he just got you back in his life." Edward shifted me so that I was looking at him. "Did you know, that when we were growing up, your dad always talked about you? He loves you, Bella. It'll be okay."

I smiled at him, before leaning in to place a kiss on his lips. "I love you." Edward made sense and I felt better. I guess I just needed some reassurance.

"I love you, too, honey." He said, kissing me, again. "I'll tell you what. I'll come pick you up and we'll go for breakfast together, just you and me."

I kissed him on the lips. "Thanks, baby. I'd love that."


	144. Luck and Love

**A/N - Happy Halloween! The costume is ready and the pumpkins are carved. I cannot wait to write Edward and Bella's first Halloween together. Guess I'll have to wait for the sequel! In Edward and Bella's world, it is Friday, June 11th, 2010. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I love hearing your favorite parts of the chapters! But, let's get to it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 144 - Luck and Love

Edward left just before my dad got home from work. He gave me a big hug at the door. "I love you. I'll call you tomorrow, okay, babe?"

"Yeah. Thanks again, Edward. I love you." I said. I waved as he drove off, then came back in the house and waited for my dad on the couch.

Ten minutes later my dad came home. "Hey, Bells. Have a good day?" He said walking in and sitting down beside me.

"Yeah. Just hung out with Edward's grandparents, then went to Jasper's game tonight." I told him. "Actually, dad. Can I talk to you about something?" I decided not to keep my feelings inside and just talk to my dad.

He looked over at me. "Of course, Bells. You can talk to me about anything." He seemed worried, and I didn't want that.

"You're date tomorrow morning." I started. "I really like Heidi and everything, but it's not going to change things with us, right? I mean, we'll still spend time together and stuff?" My eyes teared up again. I hated that I was making a big deal about this, but I couldn't help it. I just needed my dad's reassurance.

He smiled at me, before pulling me into a hug. "Of course it won't change things, kiddo." He said, patting my shoulder. "Heidi's a nice woman, and I'd like to spend some time with her, but Bells, you and I are family. I love you, and nothing is going to change that."

I smiled up at him. "I know, dad. And it was stupid of me to think otherwise, but I just wanted to check."

My dad kissed my forehead. "You're not stupid." He said. "Now, go get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning. Will you save us some seats at the baseball game tomorrow?" I smiled and nodded at him. I was happy that my dad and Heidi would be joining us at Jasper's last baseball game before the year end tournament. I figured it would help ease my concerns if I could spend time with them together and see them as a couple.

"Goodnight, dad." I said, before I went upstairs.

I decided to have a shower before I went to bed. When I got out, I towel dried and then French braided my hair. I slipped on my Arizona t-shirt and crawled into bed.

I fell asleep quickly, feeling very loved and content.

It felt like I had just closed my eyes, when I heard a knock on my bedroom door. It was already morning. "Come in." I called, stretching my arms over my head.

"Hey, kiddo." My dad said, walking in and sitting on the foot of my bed. He looked nice. He was wearing a pair of tan cotton pants and a brown polo shirt. I had never seen him so dressed up before. He looked great. "It's eight-thirty. I'm going to head over and pick up Heidi."

I smiled at him. "Okay. You look great, dad. Have a good time." I told him. "Tell Heidi I say, 'hi.'"

"I will, Bells." He patted my ankle. "I'll see you this afternoon at the game." He stood up and headed to my door. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck, dad. See you later." I said. He smiled, before leaving.

I got up and picked up my phone from my bedside table. I had a text message from Edward. 'Good morning, angel. Text me when you get this. I love you.' I smiled. Edward really was perfect.

'Just woke up. Love you.' I sent back.

I went into the bathroom, washed my face and brushed my teeth. I unbraided my hair and ran my fingers through the waves. I went back in my room, trying to figure out what to wear, when I heard a knock on the door.

I ran down the stairs and opened the door to find Edward standing there with a smile on his face, my favourite sight in the world. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and a pair of worn, light wash jeans. He held out a single yellow rose. "Good morning, baby." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Hi." I smiled back at him. "Thank you. It's gorgeous." I said, bringing the flower up to my nose.

"You're welcome." He said, stepping in the house. "Not that I don't think you are so sexy in that t-shirt, but why aren't you dressed?" Edward laughed.

"Because, I don't know what to wear." I teased. I took his hand and led him up to my room with me.

He sat in my desk chair, while I walked over to my closet. "Your hair is beautiful, by the way." He said, smiling at me.

"Thanks, Edward. I was too lazy to blow dry it last night." I laughed, flipping through the hangers in my closet.

"It's pretty." He said from behind me. All of a sudden, his arms were around my waist, making me scream.

"You scared me." I laughed, turning around in his arms.

"You're just too tempting to watch from across the room." He said, leaning down to kiss me. He moved my hair from off of my neck, before leaning down to kiss along my neck and shoulder. He slid his hands down my body, before dipping under my t-shirt and moving his hands along the bare skin of my back. My shirt was up around my waist, and I only had my underwear on under the t-shirt.

"You're not helping me decide what to wear." I teased, sliding my hands into the back pockets of his jeans.

"I'm sorry." He laughed into my neck. "And, I promised you breakfast, didn't I?"

"Yes." I said, pulling my hands out of his pockets and pushing him back. He sat back on my bed and I pulled out a green plaid shirt dress. I loved the warm weather because I loved wearing skirts and dresses. I went in my dresser to get a bra and underwear. "Okay, close your eyes." I said, when I noticed he was still watching me.

Edward smiled and flopped back on my bed, throwing his arm across his eyes. "They're closed." He laughed.

"Good." I giggled. I slipped off the t-shirt and put on my bra, deodorant and the dress, before sliding off my underwear and pulling on a pair of black boy shorts. "Okay." I said, walking over to him and squeezing his knees. "I'm ready. Feed me."

Edward laughed as he sat up. "Yes, ma'am." He said, getting up and taking my hand. "You look incredible, by the way."

Edward took my hand and led me out to the car. We drove down to the beach and I noticed he parked a lot farther down than we did last time. "I thought we were going out for breakfast." I said, surprised at where we had ended up.

"Technically, the beach is out, right?" Edward teased, making me laugh.

He opened my door for me and then went to get a flannel blanket and a picnic basket from the trunk. He took my hand and we walked along the rocks for a few minutes. He brought us back to our rock. I was so touched.

"Is this okay?" He asked. "I thought you might like to be alone, just us."

"It's perfect and I love you." I said, kissing his chest. "But, you could have warned me. I'm wearing a dress." I playfully scolded him.

He laughed. "I don't mind, really."

I shook my head at him. "I'll bet."

He set down his picnic basket and lifted me up by the hips. I crawled up on the rock, before turning to look back at Edward. He was smiling at me, and then winked, before passing me the blanket and basket. He pulled himself up and we spread out the blanket on the rock.

Edward sat behind me again, with his legs on either side of me. I opened the basket and took out two cans of orange juice, a container full of what smelled like freshly baked muffins and a small package of strawberries. I turned around and looked at Edward. "This is amazing, babe." I said. "Thank you for doing this for me."

"Bella, I told you I would do anything for you, and I meant it." He kissed my lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I said. I reached forward and picked up a strawberry. I brought it up to his lips and he took a bite. I finished the strawberry.

Edward laughed. "Nanny had me up at six-thirty this morning. Grandpa was snoring again last night, so she was awake when I got home. I told her I wanted to make you breakfast, so she woke me up and taught me how to make muffins."

I looked back at him and smiled. "How'd you do?" I asked.

"You tell me." He chuckled. Picking one up and breaking off a piece, before bringing it to my mouth.

"Delicious." I said. And it was. "I'll have to tell Nanny that you did an excellent job."

Edward leaned down and kissed my neck. This was the best breakfast I had ever had.


	145. Dressing Up

**A/N - I hope everyone that celebrates had a great Halloween. It is November! Ah! Well, we can take comfort in the fact that it is only June in Summer Vacation. Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 145 - Dressing Up

Edward and I sat together on our rock on the beach for about two hours. It was nice and warm out, and I loved being in Edward's arms. We talked about how I felt about my dad dating. I really did want him to be happy, but sometimes it's hard to share your dad. Edward was glad that I told my dad about my concerns. I really was excited for my dad and Heidi. Sometimes those thoughts in the back of your mind just get the better of you.

I loved this breakfast with Edward. We fed each other the rest of the fruit and the muffins. It was such an intimate experience feeding one another. I loved it. After we had eaten, Edward wrapped me tightly in his arms, placing gentle kisses on my neck.

Edward looked at his watch and noticed it was twelve o'clock. Jasper's game was at two that afternoon. I was excited, but a little sad, that this was the last regular season game. I had never really appreciated sports, but since I had been with the Cullens all summer, I found myself really enjoying it.

"We'd better head home, angel." Edward said, kissing my cheek.

"Okay." I smiled. "I really loved this, Edward. Thanks so much." I turned and pulled him into a searing kiss.

I finally pulled back, breathless. Edward smiled. "Well, that's incentive to do this again." He laughed. and I laughed with him.

We packed up the picnic basket and Edward hopped off the rock. I passed him the basket, then folded the blanket. Edward took it from me and set it down. "Okay, babe. Let's try to do this without hitting our heads together this time." He laughed.

"Sounds like a plan." I giggled. I sat on the side of the rock and Edward walked up to me.

"Hmm. Why don't you get onto my back?" He suggested, turning around. I had the smartest boyfriend. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms and legs around his body, then slid off of the rock. He leaned down to pick up the basket with one hand and then put his left hand on the back of my thigh.

He walked back to the car that way. "Edward. I can walk. You look like a pack mule." I giggled.

"I like carrying you." He said, lightly squeezing the back of my leg. My dress had ridden up, but I didn't see anyone else around, so I didn't really mind.

When we got back to the car, Edward set the basket down, and I slid down his back, quickly adjusting my dress. "Thanks for the ride." I laughed.

"You're welcome." He said, smiling. "I'm glad you had a good time."

"I did. I love spending time alone with you." I said, standing up on my toes to give Edward a kiss. He smiled against my lips.

We got back in the car and drove to Edward's house. When we got there, we found Alice on the front porch dancing. She was so priceless. When she saw the car, she skipped over to meet us. Edward opened my door and I got out. She hugged me around the waist. "I love your dress, Bella." She said smiling. "I want to wear one, too. Want to help me pick one out?"

"Absolutely, Alice." I said, talking her hand. I turned to Edward. "We'll be right down, okay?"

Edward smiled at us. "Okay." He winked at me. "We won't leave without you." Alice laughed at that, and pulled me into the house.

We headed right up the stairs and into Alice's room. She closed the door and opened her closet door. "What do you think I should wear?" She asked me. I loved Alice. She was such a little diva.

I looked through her clothes and found a navy blue, short sleeved dress with an elastic waist and little beaded embellishments on the front. It was cute and summery, but not too dressy. She was going to baseball game, so I didn't want her to wear something too fancy. "I love this one, Alice." I told her, knowing she would wear it, if I picked it out.

"Oh, me too, Bella." Alice said excitedly, taking it from me.

"Can you get it on by yourself?" I asked her. It was the type of dress that just slipped over the head.

"I think so." She said.

"Okay. I'm just going to run to the bathroom, quickly. I'll be right back." I told her. I went into the bathroom in the hallway. After using the bathroom and finger combing my wavy hair, I went back to Alice's room. I knocked on the door. "Can I come in, Alice?" I asked.

"Yeah. Hurry, Bella. I'm stuck." She said. I walked in quickly and found Alice with her arms in the air and her dress stuck over her head. "Help." She said quietly, sounding defeated.

I grabbed the bottom hem and pulled the dress down. Her head popped out of the neck hole. Her cheeks were a little flushed, but she started laughing. I smiled at her. "Are you okay?" I asked laughing with her.

"Yeah." She said, walking over to the mirror. She put her hands on her hips and turned around to look at herself. "What do you think?" She asked.

I smiled. "I think you're beautiful." I told her. She was going to keep Carlisle on his toes when she grew up.

"Girls. We're leaving." I heard Carlisle call from downstairs. Alice looked at me with a concerned look on her face, as if they would leave us behind if we didn't get downstairs. We giggled and ran down the stairs together.

"Don't you girls look nice." Carlisle said to us.

"Thanks, daddy." Alice said, running out to join her brothers by the car.

I turned to Carlisle. "I hope it's okay. She wanted to wear a dress, because I was."

"Oh, that's fine, Bella. Thanks for helping her." He said.

"Oh, it was no problem." I told him. "I love spending time with her."

"Are you doing okay?" Carlisle asked. "Edward said he was making breakfast for you to make you feel better, but that's all he said." I loved Edward's open relationship with his parents, but I was still glad that he didn't tell them everything.

I smiled at Carlisle. He was already becoming like a second father to me. "Oh, yeah. I'm okay. My dad is on a date this morning." I told him. He started nodding.

"I imagine that would be a little difficult for you." He said. "But, Bella, I'm sure you know how much he loves you."

I smiled at Carlisle. "I do. Thank you for the reassurance, though." I said, turning to give him a quick hug.

"Anytime, sweetheart." He said.

I walked over to Edward's car and Emmett, Jasper and Alice were already in the back seat. Edward leaned down to kiss me quickly, before opening my car door. I got in and he ran around to the driver's side.

"So, Jasper. Are you ready for another game?" I asked as we drove to the diamond.

"Yeah. We're playing the Toledo Indians, again." Jasper said. "They were the team that we tied with earlier in the season." I remembered that game. Jasper was quite upset that his team didn't win. "I really want to beat these guys this time." He said.

"I have a good feeling about today, Jasper." Edward said. He reached his hand over and took my hand. He traced his thumb over my knuckles as we drove.

"I hope so." Jasper said.

"Well, Bella and I dressed up, so I think you're going to win." Alice explained to her brother, making us all laugh. She was absolutely adorable.

We pulled up to the school beside Edward's parents and grandparents and, after good lucks and hugs, Jasper ran off to join his team in the locker room. The rest of us were just walking over to the bleachers when I saw my dad's truck pull up and park. He and Heidi were here. I was excited to find out their date had gone.

Everyone else continued over to the seats while Edward and I waited in the parking lot for my dad and Heidi. Edward stood behind me with his arms wrapped around my shoulders. We watched as my dad went and opened Heidi's door for her and helped her out of the truck. It was sweet. Heidi looked great, wearing grey Capri pants and white, short-sleeved blouse. She wearing her long brown hair down, but had the front pinned up in a pretty twist.

But, the best part, was how both of their eyes shone. They both looked truly happy, and I felt completely reassured that this was the right step for my dad to take in his life.


	146. Making Dates

**A/N - Hey! Thanks so much for reading! We've passed 1600 reviews, now! To say that I'm excited would be an understatement! You're getting the chapter early today because I'm sick and I can't sleep. I need Edward to come make me some canned soup or something! I think he could do it! Anyway, thanks again for reading. Enjoy!**

Chapter 146 - Making Dates

"Hey, dad. Heidi." I said as they walked up to us. They weren't holding hands but their fingers brushed as the walked. It was sweet.

"Hey, Bells." My dad said. Edward let go of me and my dad pulled me into a hug. "Doing okay?" he whispered in my ear. I nodded, and squeezed him back hard. "Hi, Edward." My dad said, after letting me go. He shook Edward's hand and patted his shoulder.

"Good afternoon, Charlie." Edward said with a smile. "Did you two have lunch, yet? Bella and I were at the beach this morning and haven't eaten. Would you like me to run and pick up some hotdogs?" My Edward was perfect. Not only did he somehow know I was hungry, but he was giving me a minute alone with my dad and Heidi.

"No, we haven't. That sounds great, son." My dad said with a smile. Edward winked at me, before turning to head to the concession booth they had set up by the baseball diamond.

I smiled at them. "So, did you guys have a good time?" I asked.

Heidi smiled at me. "It was great, Bella." She said, wrapping her arm around me. "Do you have plans tomorrow?" She whispered. I shook my head and she smiled. I guessed she would fill me in later.

We walked to the seats together, with my dad beside Heidi. We joined the Cullens, and I noticed that Carlisle had a small smile on his face when he saw Heidi and I together. It was so nice to have people that cared about you.

I noticed that Rose and Maria were already there, which explained the huge smile on Emmett's face. Heidi and my dad sat behind me and I sat by Alice, who was saving seats for Edward and I.

Edward came back with a huge box full of food. He passed us our hotdogs, before giving the box to Emmett. It was full of chips, candy and cans of pop. I leaned over and gave Edward a quick kiss, before eating. He had put ketchup and pickles on my hotdog. I loved this boy.

As we ate, the game started. Toledo was up first. And, just like last time, they played well. But, the Forks Spartans were playing great, too. The score was tied 3-3 by the top of the ninth inning.

Jasper hit a single, and then was batted in by a home run. The Spartans beat the Indians 5-3. We all stood up and cheered. I was happy the team won, but I was even happier that Jasper got his redemption. This game meant a lot to him.

I enjoyed going to these games with the Cullens, but it was nice having my family here, too. I had looked back a few times during the game, and I noticed that my dad and Heidi were holding hands. It was cute.

After the game, Heidi pulled me aside. "Hey, Bella. I was wondering if you wanted to head up to Port Angeles tomorrow afternoon with me. Your dad asked me to go out again next Saturday." She looked so excited, taking both of my hands and squeezing them. "Anyway, I don't have a lot of dress clothes, and I was wondering if you wanted to be my shopping buddy?" I was so glad that she asked me. I was sure that my dad had told her about my concerns, and she wanted to have the chance to talk to me about it. She was a great woman.

"Absolutely." I said, pulling her in for a quick hug. "I could use a girl's advice on something, myself." I told her. I wanted to buy something to wear to bed next Saturday when I went away with Edward, but I had never bought anything remotely sexy. I could use a woman's advice. I wouldn't be comfortable with Esme in this case.

"Okay. It's a date. Would it be alright if I pick you up at around eleven-thirty tomorrow morning?" Heidi asked.

"Sure. That sounds great. I'm looking forward to it." I told her. And I was. I had really enjoyed myself when I had spent the day getting manicures with her and Rachel.

My dad and Edward walked over to join us. "Edward, Heidi, do you want to join my dad and I for dinner at home, tonight?" I didn't think my dad would mind, especially if he had invited her out again next week.

My dad's smile told me that he was more than okay with that plan. "I would love to, Bella." Heidi said with a smile.

"Sure, baby." Edward said. "I just have to drop Em, Jazz and Alice off at home, then I'll be right over." He leaned down to kiss my forehead. "See you in about twenty minutes." Edward waved and jogged over to join his family.

After waving to all the Cullens, I rode home with my dad and Heidi in the truck. "So, Edward calls you baby?" Heidi teased on the way home. She was sitting in the middle between my dad and I. My dad just chuckled. It was kind of nice that we were all just acting normal with each other. Heidi seemed to fit right in.

I blushed, but laughed. "Yes. Angel, babe, honey, sugar. He only ever calls me Bella when he's being serious about something." My dad knew all this anyway, so I guess I nothing to be embarrassed about.

She smiled at me. "I think it's sweet."

When we got home, Heidi offered to help me make dinner. We shooed my dad into the living room to watch the baseball game, making him laugh. Heidi and I decided to make tacos tonight. I had just started browning the beef, when the doorbell rang. I ran to get the door and was greeted with a big kiss from my gorgeous boyfriend.

"Mmm. I missed you." Edward laughed when he pulled back. "Twenty minutes was too long."

I giggled. "For me, too. Heidi and I are making dinner. Do you want to go watch the game with my dad?" I asked him. "It will only be about a half hour."

"Sure. Thanks, babe." He said, kissing me again, quickly. He walked into the living room and I went back to join Heidi.

Heidi and laughed and talked of nothing important, just cooking and recipes, while we worked. I really liked her. She was a great person, and great friend. "So, what are you looking for tomorrow in Port Angeles?" Heidi asked quietly, while we stood side by side at the counter chopping vegetables.

I looked over my shoulder to make sure my dad and Edward were still in the living room. "Lingerie." I whispered back, blushing.

Heidi smiled at me. "I don't know if you're asking the right girl for that." She giggled.

"Oh, please. My mother and best friend live across the country, and I can't talk to Esme Cullen about this." I was begging. "Edward and I are going away overnight next weekend for his birthday and I want something nice."

Heidi smiled at me. "Okay. But we're not telling your dad I agreed to this."

I giggled. "Fine by me. I was hoping you would say that."

We finished making dinner and called the boys into the kitchen. My dad and Edward walked into the room talking about some sort of sports statistics. I loved that they got along and there was no awkwardness there.

We all shared a great dinner together. It felt right, all of us being together. I knew I was jumping way ahead of myself with this line of thinking, but we almost felt like a family. After dinner, my dad drove Heidi home. Edward stayed with me, offering to help me with the dishes.

"Aren't you a sweet guy?" I teased, kissing his chin as I walked over to the sink to fill it up.

"You know I would do anything just to be around you a little longer." He said, leaning down to give me a proper kiss.

"I love you." I breathed after he pulled back. "Thank you for being here tonight."

"Of course." He said, pulling me to his chest and wrapping his arms around me.

"Babe. I'm going to Port Angeles tomorrow afternoon with Heidi." I told him. "Are you doing anything in the morning? Our dad's are going fishing, right?"

"Yeah. I'm glad you're going to spend time with Heidi. You seem alright with everything today." Edward said, running his fingers through my hair.

"Yeah. I don't know why I worried so much last night." I said. "Let's call it temporary insanity." Edward laughed, before leaning down to kiss me again.

"You're not crazy." He said smiling. "Do you want to come have breakfast at my place tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah. I'll have to have my Edward fix before I leave for the afternoon." I told him. He smirked and then leaned in for another kiss.

"I didn't think any of those dishes would get done." My dad said from behind me. I laughed, turning around. "Don't worry about it, Edward. Bells and I will finish them."

"Thanks, Charlie." Edward said with a smile.

"Be right back, dad." I said, taking Edward's hand and walking with him to his car. "So, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you and thanks for today."

"You're very welcome. I love you, baby." Edward said, giving me one more kiss. I waited until I couldn't see his car, then went back in the house. I couldn't wait to hear the details of the date from my dad.


	147. Bonds and Breakfast

**A/N - Firstly, thanks for the get well wishes. I'm still sick, but feeling slightly better. Also, thanks for the reviews. I love hearing your thoughts on the developments of the story. I answer every signed review personally, so if you have any questions, ask away! Enjoy!**

Chapter 147 - Bonds and Breakfast

I walked back inside the kitchen after seeing Edward off. My dad was at the sink washing the dishes. "So, I think today went well. How about you?" I asked him.

He smiled. "It was great. Thank you for inviting Heidi over for dinner tonight. I could tell that it meant a lot to her."

"I really like her dad. She's great." I sighed. "And, I want to apologize for making you worry about me. I'm so happy for you; for both of you. I think I was just nervous for you, that's all."

"Bells. Never apologize for telling me how you feel, okay." He said, passing me a plate. "I'm not upset and it's my job to worry about you." I smiled at him and nodded.

"So, how did it go?" I asked. "Do I get any details?"

My dad shook his head as he laughed. "Well, we had a nice breakfast at the diner, and then we went for a walk until it was time for the game."

I looked at him incredulously. "Those aren't details, dad." I laughed.

"Okay, okay." He said, chuckling. "We talked about our families and I got to learn about her childhood." He looked at me. "I just can't believe no one has snatched her up."

I laughed. "You're a lucky guy, dad."

We finished the dishes and then I decided to head up to bed. I was exhausted, even though it was early. "Hey, dad. Can you take me to the Cullens' house tomorrow morning when you go pick up Carlisle?"

"Yeah, but I leave here at around six-thirty in the morning. Can you be up?" He asked.

"No. But I'll try." I laughed. I gave my dad a hug. "I love you, dad. I'm so happy things went well today for you."

"Me, too, Bells." He said, hugging me back.

I went upstairs and picked out my outfit for the next day, a short yellow skirt and a white t-shirt. I had a shower and braided my hair again. I was getting way too lazy this summer. Oh, well. Edward loved wavy hair, so it was a win/win situation. I crawled into bed, excited for the next day.

My dad woke me up and it was still dark out. "I'm leaving in fifteen minutes, kiddo." He chuckled. I felt like a zombie. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face. I slipped on a bra under my Texas nightshirt, and a pair of sweat shorts. I folded my clothes for today, put them in my bag and headed down to meet my dad in the truck. My dad laughed at me, but I think I fell back asleep as we drove.

My dad patted my shoulder to wake me up. I gave him a quick hug before sliding out of the truck and heading up to the Cullens' front door. Carlisle was just coming out of the house when I got there. "Edward is still sleeping downstairs." He told me. I thanked him and headed straight down.

Sure enough, Edward was still asleep. He was only wearing a pair of red plaid boxers. I held back my giggles, and snuggled in beside him on the couch. "Baby?" He rasped out, opening his eyes a little.

"Yeah. Go back to sleep, Edward." I said, wrapping my arm around his waist and resting my head on his bare chest.

"Okay." He groaned, pulling me closer with his strong arms, and tucking my head under his chin. "I love you." He said, but already sounded like he was back to sleep.

I kissed his chest and fell asleep, again.

I woke up to the feeling of kisses along my neck. I giggled, then opened my eyes. Edward was smiling at me. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Good morning, handsome." I said in return. Edward's hair was a complete mess, but he looked adorable.

"What a nice way to wake up." He said, before going back to my neck.

"My dad brought me over this morning." I told him, placing a kiss on his chest.

"Remind me to thank him later." Edward teased. He sat us up slowly, smiling when he saw my t-shirt. "I'd better run take a shower. I'm going up to my room. Do you want to come finish getting ready up there with me?"

"Sure, baby." I said. We both got up and I grabbed my purse in one hand and Edward's hand in the other. We went upstairs and said hi to Esme, Nanny and Grandpa as we passed through the kitchen.

"Breakfast in a half hour." Esme said with a smile.

"Thanks, Esme. I said, smiling back at her.

Edward and I headed up to his bathroom. He got in the shower and then threw his boxers out of the shower before starting the water. I took off my pyjamas and slid on my skirt and t-shirt. As I undid my braid, Edward started singing. His voice made me smile and shiver at the same time. I loved that we were so comfortable around each other. I finger combed my hair and then brushed my teeth, again, glad that I had a toothbrush here.

I put on some light makeup and lip gloss and I was ready for the day. Edward shut the water off, so I passed him a towel. "Thanks, babe." He said. Not a minute later, the shower curtain opened and Edward stood there looking gorgeous, wearing just a towel and a smirk. I blushed and smiled. He was so beautiful.

"If you're trying to impress me, mission accomplished." I teased, as Edward walked over to me.

"Then my work here is done." He said, before wrapping his arms around me from behind. We were looking at each other through our reflections in the mirror. "I can't wait to do this with you everyday." Edward said, smiling.

I smiled back. "I know." I said. "I still can't believe we'll have our place in August. What are we going to do with our time?" I giggled.

"Well, I have a pretty girl to look at, and soft lips to kiss." He whispered, bringing his fingers up to gently trace my lips. I kissed his fingertips, before turning in his arms. I reached up, running my fingers through his hair, and pulled his face down for a kiss. He pulled back chuckling. "Something like that."

I smiled at him and traced my fingers down his chest. "Okay. Um, I'll leave you to get dressed. Meet you downstairs?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'll be right there." He said, leaning in for one more kiss. "You look amazing by the way." He called after me.

"Thanks." I smiled. "So do you." I said, before turning and walking back downstairs to join the Cullens for breakfast.

When I got downstairs, everyone was there. "Edward will be right down." I told them.

"Alright, thanks, sweetie." Esme said, standing at the stove.

"So, Nanny. I meant to tell you yesterday how great the muffins were that you and Edward made." I told her.

She smiled at me. "I'm glad you enjoyed them, sweetheart." She said, patting my hand. "So, I hear you're heading out town today."

"Yeah. I'm going to be spending some time with Heidi, the woman my dad just started dating." I told her. "She's great and we get along really well, so far. We're going shopping in Port Angeles."

"That's nice, Bella." Esme added. "Good for you for making an effort to spend time with her."

Edward came down the stairs then and leaned over me to kiss my forehead. He was wearing a pair of worn in jeans and a navy blue t-shirt. He sat down beside me at the table, just as Esme brought out two huge plates of French toast.

As we ate, we talked about how excited the kids were for their summer vacation to start. Apparently, Carlisle would be taking a few weeks off of work starting on Tuesday afternoon off for Alice's assembly at school. It would be nice for the kids to get to spend more time with their dad. I admired Carlisle's dedication to his family. They were an amazing family.

"So, any plans for the day?" I asked. Emmett and Jasper had exams the next day, so they would be studying. Esme, Edward, Nanny and Grandpa were going to take Alice to the park for the afternoon. After we ate, We helped Esme clear the table and the boys went upstairs. You tell they were getting so tired of studying.

Edward and I went to sit on the porch swing for about twenty minutes before Heidi came to get me. I sat down and Edward went and pick some small purple wildflowers for me that were growing on the edge of the tree line. He brought them over to me with a cute smile on his face.

"Thanks, baby." I said, leaning in for a kiss, before laying back on his chest. "You're the sweetest guy I know." I said, running my fingers along the sides of his thighs.

'You bring it out in me." He whispered in my ear, before wrapping his arms around my waist. It was so peaceful out here. I was tempted to just stay all afternoon, but I had something to get done today, and it was for Edward, so I almost didn't mind when Heidi pulled into the driveway.


	148. Intimidation

**A/N - Thanks again for all the great reviews! And to BB, for offering to send Edward to take care of me! I really appreciate every single review! So, here is the shopping trip! Enjoy!**

Chapter 148 - Intimidation

Edward gave me a hug and a kiss, before I got up, picked up my bag and ran over to Heidi's car. Heidi honked at Edward and he laughed and waved. He was so gorgeous. Heidi laughed at me. "Bella, you're swooning."

I turned to look at her as we drove down the highway. "Was I?" I giggled.

"You were. You're really in love with him, aren't you?" She asked.

"I am." I agreed. "You know, it's funny. He's my very first boyfriend. Ever. And he's just so perfect in every way."

Heidi smiled. "Well, I'm happy for you, Bella. He seems amazing." She said. "So, how long have you two been together?"

"Um, well, I've been swooning, to use your word, over him since January. We locked eyes and shared a little moment twice a week starting in mid February until mid March. Then, we worked on a project together after spring break and have pretty much been inseparable ever since." I told her. "So, about three months, I guess. Officially dating for two."

"Charlie says you seem happy." She added.

"I am. I'm happy about a lot in my life right now. I've been working things out with my mom, I've reconnected with my best friend in Arizona and I have all of the Cullens in my life." I told her. "I have Edward to thank for all of that."

"I've worked with your dad for years, but since you've been home, I haven't seen him more content than he has been for the last six weeks." She told me.

"I'm glad. I was so depressed as a child when I was taken away from my dad at the age of four." I confided in her. "Being back in Washington is so important to me. I have loved being home with my dad. We have such a close relationship, too."

"I don't want to step out of any boundaries, but is that why you were upset about him dating me? I mean it isn't me, right?" Heidi sounded so unsure of herself and I felt horrible.

"Heidi, no." I said. "I have to apologize about that. I am your number one cheerleader. I really encouraged my dad to ask you out. Being with Edward has made me realize how much happier I am with life with someone to share it with. And I'm realistic. I can't be here with him all the time. Edward and I are getting our own apartment in Seattle in the fall. Edward will be in school for another five years, so that's how long I'll be away." I took a deep breath. "Heidi. I just panicked a little, that's all. I was worried I would lose him."

"Oh, Bella." Heidi said, reaching her right hand over to take my hand. "I would never break apart the relationship you have with your dad. You are his whole world. At the station, we all felt like we knew you because he talks about you so much."

"I know." I told her smiling. "In fact, you are a welcome addition to our little group. And I meant what I said last night. I don't have a woman to turn to up here besides Esme. And while I appreciate everything she does for me, I can't always talk to her about personal things between Edward and I."

"Like the lingerie." Heidi added with a smile.

"Exactly." I giggled, blushing.

"Bella, you don't have to tell me if you don't want, but why do you feel the need to buy the lingerie?" Heidi asked. "I mean, it's clear he is head over heals with you already."

"It's his birthday next weekend." I told her. "We're going away overnight on Saturday."

"And, are you ready to go further in your relationship? I mean, just because it's Edward's birthday, you don't have to rush into anything you're not ready for." Heidi told me.

I smiled at her. "Oh, no. Edward and I are moving really slow. We haven't done a whole lot physically, yet. And Edward is very understanding. He always checks that everything is alright." I said. "I just wanted something nice to sleep in. You know, to make the weekend special. We've haven't been together that long, yet."

Heidi smiled. "I'm glad to hear you're being so mature about this, Bella. I know a lot of teenagers wouldn't wait."

"Edward is a big part of that. He always tells me that, with us, it's when things will happen, not if. He says that we're it for each other, and I agree. We don't need to rush because we have forever." I said. And I truly believed that.

"That's great, Bella. So, do you have something in mind?" She asked.

"Um, I was thinking maybe something satin?" It came out sort of like a question.

"That sounds nice. Like a nightgown?" She clarified.

"Yeah. I don't want to be too risqué. It's not me." I told her as we pulled up to First Street in Port Angeles. There looked to be a lot of little boutiques on this street. I looked over at Heidi and she smiled.

"I did a little research last night." She said. She looked really excited. We got out of the car and stopped at a little coffee shop for scones before we started our afternoon.

We went in the first shop, and I swear I was bright as a tomato. Now, I was intimidated. The lingerie was way too sexy. It was primarily transparent lace, and not very much of it, for that matter. As soon as we walked out the door, Heidi and I burst out laughing.

"Even I was embarrassed in that store." She said, giggling. "Don't get discouraged, Bella. There's still a couple more shops."

She linked her arm with mine and we walked in the next boutique as a united front. It was blatantly obvious that we didn't frequent these stores on a regular basis. I liked this shop. It smelled of rose petals and had a classier atmosphere.

Heidi pointed out a beautiful midnight blue, satin, baby doll nightgown. It had a v-neck and spaghetti straps. It was tight under the bust line and then hung loose. It was trimmed in a delicate black lace. It was gorgeous and I could actually see myself wearing it. I took it to the change room and slipped it on. It hit about two-inches under my bum and had slits up the sides. I opened the door and Heidi slipped in the room with me.

"Oh, Bella. It's beautiful and classy. And it fits you perfectly." She said, smiling.

"Yeah. I love it. I think I'm going to get this one, but I think I'll get the black bikini briefs to wear with it." There was no way I would feel comfortable in a thong.

"Good call." Heidi giggled, before slipping back out of the change room. I took one last look at it and smiled. This was perfect.

We spent a little more time browsing this shop, and Heidi bought herself a white lace bra. I also found some cute cotton boy shorts with little bows on them. All in all, this store was a great experience and I felt a lot closer with Heidi because of it.

We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at dress clothes. Heidi found a nice black pencil skirt, and a couple of pairs dress pants. She also bought a few really pretty blouses, that were nice, but not too over the top. It was Forks, and there weren't that many fancy places to eat.

I also found a strapless sundress. It was teal and coral and hit mid thigh. I thought I could wear it to Esme's Fourth of July barbeque.

We finished shopping at five o'clock. We had a great time and I enjoyed my time with Heidi immensely. I was so happy, mostly for my dad's sake, that we got along.

The ride home was great, and we talked and laughed about our day together. I invited her over for pizza tonight at the Cullen's, knowing that Carlisle and my dad would be bringing it home since they went fishing.

She seemed happy to be invited, but told me that she was going to go home and iron all her new purchases, then get to bed. She was on the night shift this coming week and wanted to get some rest.

She dropped me off at Edward's and I made sure to tuck the lingerie bag in the bottom of the dress bag. I gave Heidi a hug before I got out of the car. "Thank you so much for today, Heidi." I said. "I had a great time."

"Me, too, Bella. I couldn't have hoped for today to go any better." She admitted.

I got out of the car and waved, before running up to the house. I knocked on the door and Grandpa let me in. "Hello, Bella. Did you have a good afternoon?" He asked.

"I did." I told him. "How was the park?"

"Wonderful. That little girl has endless amounts of energy." He laughed. I smiled. Alice was great.

"I'm just going to put my bag down in Edward's room." I told him. I headed downstairs and found Edward laying back on the couch with his eyes closed. "Hey, handsome." I said setting my bag with Edward's clothes.

He smiled and opened his eyes. "Come here. I missed you like crazy." He said, opening his arms. I crawled onto his lap and snuggled against his chest. He leaned down to kiss my cheek, his fingers running up and down my legs. This was the life.


	149. Emotions and Embarrassment

**A/N - Hey! Thanks for reading! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 149 - Emotions and Embarrassment

As I sat in Edward's arms, he was really quiet, just tracing his fingers on my legs. I wondered what was wrong. "Baby, is something wrong?" I asked, looking up at his face.

"No." He answered, his eyes still closed. "I just have a bit of a headache, that's all."

"Aw, my poor Edward." I said, rubbing his chest. "Do you want me to get you a cold towel for your forehead?"

"No, thanks, honey. I'm okay." He said, smiling a little. His smile looked forced and I was worried that something was bothering him.

"Edward. I know you too well. You're not okay. What's wrong?" I was going to pester him until he told me.

He let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry. When we were at the park, I saw Jessica. You know the girl I dated in high school."

Okay, that explained everything. She had really hurt him and I could understand why he was upset. He had told me that she was his first girlfriend when he was seventeen. She had called him a loser when he called her out for bullying. He was confused and upset that he had been with her for a month and hadn't seen her true colours.

"That's horrible, babe. Did she say anything to you?" I asked, before kissing his cheek. I wanted to make him feel comforted and loved.

"No, she just smiled and waved at me, but kept walking." He let out a deep breath. "I just thought she moved, and sort of put her out of my mind. But, I guess her parents live here, so it makes sense that she would come back to visit." He shook his head. "I don't know why I even care, it's just that seeing her brought back those old feelings."

I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. "I understand." I leaned in to kiss his lips. "She hurt you, but you are an amazing man and the love of my life." I kissed him, again. "You're mine now, so she has no power over you." I kissed him again, and felt him smile against my lips. "I love you."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. "I love you so much, baby." He said into my hair. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And, Edward. Please just tell me if something is bothering you, okay?" I said, looking into his eyes. "We'll always figure it out."

He smiled at me. "I know. And, I'm sorry. You just looked so happy when you came down here." He said. He was always thinking about me above himself.

"I know, and thank you, but I'm only happy if you are." I said, leaning in to kiss his neck, running my hand over his strong shoulder.

We snuggled together for a few minutes, not saying anything, just enjoying each others' presence. I always missed him when we were apart. I kissed his chest.

"How was your afternoon?" He asked, running his fingers through my hair.

I smiled. "It was amazing. Heidi and I got along so well." I told him. I could hear the happiness in my own voice. "We really had a great time. And I found a dress for the Fourth of July barbeque."

"Are you going to model it for me?" He asked with a smirk. This boy and his fashion shows. I giggled.

"Okay." I smiled. I figured I might as well humour him. I got up and slid off my skirt and pulled my t-shirt over my head, before pulling the dress out of the bag and slipping it on. Edward watched me the entire time, and to be honest, I didn't feel embarrassed in the least. "Will you zip me up?" I turned around and he slowly pulled the zipper up, before kissing my bare shoulder.

"Beautiful." He said, when I had turned around.

"Thanks, Edward." I told him. "Just ignore the bra straps." I would have to wear a strapless bra with this dress.

"Now, why would I want to ignore something as sexy as that?" He asked, smiling.

I shook my head at him, blushing a little bit. If he thought my white bra straps were sexy, he was in for a surprise on his birthday. I giggled to myself.

Edward got up off the couch and walked over to me, pulling me to his body. He leaned in and kissed down my neck and along my bare shoulder. "You are so gorgeous." He whispered.

I ran my hands down his back. "Thanks, babe." I said softly. "You want to unzip me?"

"Absolutely." He said, sliding his fingers down my arms until he reached my hands. He lifted one hand up and spun me around, as if me were dancing, but stopped me when my back was to his chest.. He ran his fingers along the top of the dress before slowly unzipping the dress. Everything he did showed me how much he loved me. He always took things slow and took extra care to make me feel special.

The dress fell from my body, and I turned back around to pull Edward into a kiss. He rested his hands on my hips, moving his thumbs along my bare sides.

"I'd better get dressed." I whispered.

Edward looked down at me and smiled. "Yeah." He leaned in to kiss my neck, again. "How did I get so lucky?"

I giggled. "You know that I'm the lucky one." I told him. I took the dress and put in it back in the bag. I didn't want Edward to see the bag from the lingerie store.

I turned around and Edward passed me my skirt. I slipped it on. I just picked up my t-shirt when I heard the basement door open and footsteps on the stairs. "Hey, Edward. Dad and Charlie are home." I quickly covered my chest with the shirt and Edward stepped in front of me to block me from view. "Are you going to…" Emmett stopped when he got to the bottom of the stairs and saw us. "Oh, my god. I'm so sorry, Bella. I didn't know you were back, yet." His face was bright red, and he quickly turned around.

"It's okay, Emmett." I told him. "We'll be right up." I didn't want him to feel bad. I knew he didn't see anything, and I should have locked the door.

"Um, okay." He said. "Sorry, again." He took off running up the stairs.

I buried my face in Edward's back. Edward laughed and turned around. "I'm sorry, baby." He kissed my cheek.

"It's okay. He didn't see anything." I said, slipping my shirt over my head.

"Oh, I know. But, I'm apologizing in advance for what's going to happen when we go upstairs." Edward said, his cheeks a little pink.

"What's going to happen?" I asked. I didn't know where this was going, but I didn't like it.

"I'm going to assume that Emmett is going to be acting weird, his face is all red and everyone probably saw him come up from the basement." Edward explained. "I'm a little nervous to go up there." He chuckled.

I smiled at him. "Okay. Let's just do this. The longer we wait down here, the worse it's going to be."

"You're right." He said, taking my hand and walking over to the stairs. "What about your dad? Bella, I can't face him."

I giggled. "Edward. You didn't do anything wrong, so don't act so guilty."

I squeezed his hand and we walked up the stairs. We walked into the kitchen and just Carlisle was there. It seemed like he was waiting for us and everyone else was already in the dining room.

He smiled at me, then turned to Edward. "Kids, I know you're adults and I'm pretty lenient with things, but with Alice here, please try to remember to lock the door, okay?"

"Sorry, dad." Edward said, his cheeks still pink.

"Carlisle. I was just trying on the new dress I bought this afternoon, that's all. And, I'm the one that didn't lock the door." I didn't want to cause problems between Edward and his dad.

Carlisle chuckled a little, patting Edward on the arm. "It's alright. I'm not upset. I was just going on Emmett's face." He laughed again. "And, Edward, stop acting so guilty."

He turned and walked into the dining room. I took Edward's face in my hands and brought him down for a kiss. "I love you." I told him, hoping to make him relax a little.

He smiled back at me. "I love you."

"Why do you look so nervous, still?" I asked him, taking his hand.

"Because, my dad is easy." Edward said, squeezing my hand. "We haven't faced Grandpa, yet."


	150. Consequences and Connections

**A/N - We made it to 150 chapters! I can't believe it! Thanks to everyone who is reading! These characters are very special and I'm so happy that you all want to share in their journey of love. Thanks again, and enjoy!**

Chapter 150 - Consequences and Connections

Edward and I walked into the dining room together, and everyone turned and looked at us. Esme and Nanny were trying to hold back their giggles, Emmett was still red as a tomato and my dad and Carlisle were smiling at us.

"Well, there's the two lovebirds." Grandpa said, chuckling. He didn't need to say anything else. That got everyone laughing.

Edward turned to look at Emmett. "I didn't say anything. Honestly." Emmett said holding up his hands.

I figured I'd let them have their fun. For once, I decided that I wasn't going to be embarrassed. I knew I didn't do anything wrong. I sat down and pulled Edward to sit beside me. I turned and kissed his cheek. Edward turned and looked at me, surprised. I just smiled at him and he seemed to relax when he saw that no one was getting to me.

"So, what kind of pizza did you catch tonight, dad?" I asked, hoping to take the attention off of Edward and I.

"Oh, um, cheese and pepperoni." My dad said.

The rest of dinner went well and everyone started acting like normal, again. I had no idea what they all thought was going on down there, but I had never been more glad that I took Heidi with me to buy my new nightgown to wear for Edward's birthday. I'm sure I never would have heard the end of it if Esme or Nanny were with me.

After dinner, I went downstairs to grab my bags. Edward came down behind me. "Bella, let's move right now." He said, laughing. He walked up to me, took the bag out of my hand and pulled me onto the couch with him.

"Baby, I have to leave. My dad is ready to go." I told him. My dad was on the day shift this week, so he wanted to get home.

"I don't care." He said, laughing as he leaned in to kiss me. "I've had enough and I want to go back to Seattle. I want to move into our apartment. And, I want to watch you try on dresses all day." He said, kissing my neck. I knew he really didn't want to leave. He was just embarrassed.

I laughed. "Well, in about ten weeks from now, you can have all of that." I told him, running my hands up and down his back.

"Even the dress thing?" He asked. Looking surprised and a little hopeful at the same time.

"Yes, Edward. You can watch me try on my whole wardrobe if you want. But you have to wait until the fall." I laughed, getting up off the couch. Edward got up after me and passed me my bag.

"Okay." He smiled. "But, I'm holding you to that promise."

"Deal." I said, smiling back at him. "Plus, remember, I'm stealing you away on Saturday. Can you make through the rest of the week?" I asked as we walked up the stairs together.

"I'll try." He said, pouting out his bottom lip. He looked so cute.

We walked to the front door and found everyone there waiting for us. "Goodnight, everyone. Thank you for breakfast, Esme and Nanny." I said giving them hugs. I gave Alice a hug, and then turned to give hugs to Jasper and Emmett. "Good luck on your exams tomorrow, guys."

"Don't worry about tonight. We're not mad and it wasn't your fault." I whispered in Emmett's ear.

He nodded and kissed my cheek. "You're the best, Bella." He said back to me, making me laugh.

"Goodnight." Charlie said, walking out to the truck. I waved at the Cullens and followed my dad out to the truck. Edward held my hand and walked me out. I got a kiss before he opened the passenger door for me and lifted me in. I set the dress bag by my feet and caressed Edward's cheek, making him smile, before he closed the door. 'I love you.' I mouthed through the window. Edward winked back at me, making my stomach flutter.

"So, what was all that about at dinner table?" Charlie asked on the ride home. I'm sure Carlisle told him, but he just had to ask.

"Dad. I don't know what you want me to say. I was trying on the dress I bought today to show Edward, and Emmett came downstairs." I told him, feeling my cheeks flush a little. "Emmett was embarrassed and the whole thing got blown out of proportion." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Okay, okay." My dad said, trying to hold back his smile. "So, the shopping trip went well, then?" I was so glad that he changed the subject. I did not want to be talking to my dad about changing in front of Edward.

"It went great. I really like Heidi." I told him, smiling. "You should have seen how well we got along together. I could talk to her about anything. She is so understanding and just an all around good person."

My dad looked at me and smiled. We had just pulled up at the house. "I'm so glad to hear that."

"I don't know, dad. I might steal her away from you." I teased. "We literally talked the entire day and never ran out things to say. Connections like that are so hard to find."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we walked up to the house, as he laughed.

The next morning after my dad and I ate breakfast, and he left for work, Edward came over. I wasn't even dressed, yet. He leaned down and pulled me into a deep kiss before he even said hello. He pulled back laughing. "Sorry, baby. I just missed you so much."

I giggled. "Never apologize for kissing me. I love your lips." I said, reaching up to trace his lips with my fingertips. "Come in." I said, pulling him in the house. I led him straight up the stairs to my room.

We sat on the bed together. "For you, angel." He said, passing me a small branch with three bleeding heart flowers on it.

"Oh, that is so beautiful, baby." I said, turning my head to kiss him. "Thank you so much. I love you."

"I love you, too, honey." He said, leaning over me and gently pushing me down to lay on my back. He was running his fingertips along my arm. "I just want to apologize again for yesterday; for the way everyone was acting." He leaned in to kiss my neck.

I reached up and ran my hands over his toned arms. "It's okay, Edward." I said, smiling. "But, right now, no one is going to walk in here."

He smiled at me, before lowering his body over mine. He started kissing me, again. He moved his hand down the side of my body, and I wrapped my arms around his back, bringing him closer.

We spent the next while kissing and caressing each other. It was nice to be alone with Edward. I loved that we could be so comfortable with each other. It was nice, too that we could spend an hour kissing, and I didn't have to worry about Edward trying to move to the next level. We felt connected as it was. Our love ran so deep between us that it was almost overwhelming to me.

A tear fell from my eye, as Edward gently caressed my cheek. "Are you okay, baby? Did I hurt you?" Edward said, moving off of body to lay beside me. He reached up and wiped away my tear.

"No, Edward. I just love you so much." I said smiling at him. I rolled over to snuggle into his chest.

"Aw, sugar." He said, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "I love you, too." He ran his fingers up and down my back, soothing me.

After a few minutes of quiet snuggling, Edward kissed my cheek. "Did you have anything that you wanted to do today?" He asked me.

"Actually, I was wondering if we should go ask Alec if he's interested in coming to the Fourth of July barbeque and meeting Alice's teacher." I suggested.

"Yeah. I think that's a good idea." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my forehead. "And, we haven't seen him since the barbeque." I was glad that Edward didn't seem jealous of Alec anymore. I thought that the matchmaking idea made him feel better.

"I was sort of thinking we should make sure Alec is up for this, before we ask Siobhan tomorrow at Alice's assembly." I told him. I didn't want to ask her if she was interested in playing along with our matchmaking unless we knew that Alec was going to do this. I thought that would be cruel.

"That's smart." He said rolling back over on me. "You're so smart." He leaned down to kiss me again.

If we could ever stop kissing each other, we would get to Alec's house. But, based on how soft Edward's lips were, and how much passion he was showing me, it didn't seem like we would ever leave.


	151. Parcels and Possibilities

**A/N - Wow! Well over 3000 hits yesterday! I am so amazed, and feel so lucky, that you are all interested in the lives of these characters! Thank you all so much! Enjoy!**

Chapter 151 - Parcels and Possibilities

At around nine o'clock, and Edward and I were both kissed out, for the time, I decided to go have a shower. Edward stayed on my bed, looking like he was going to fall asleep. It would be nice for my poor boyfriend to get his bed back soon.

I had brought in a pair of black shorts and a blue v-neck t-shirt. After I showered and got dressed, I dried my hair and curled it, and went back into my room. Edward wasn't in my room. "Edward?" I called.

I went downstairs and he was just closing the front door. He turned around and I saw a package in his hands. My face lit up. It was the dress that I had ordered last week to wear for Edward's birthday dinner. "Okay. Looking at your face, I really want to know what's in this package I just signed for." Edward said, smiling.

"Nope." I giggled, snatching it from his hands and running up the stairs with it. I heard Edward laugh behind me and then I heard his footsteps. He was chasing me up the stairs.

I just got to my bedroom door when his strong arms wrapped around my waist. "Gotcha." He laughed. He lifted me up and I was kicking my feet, trying to squirm out of his arms. "What's in the box?" He asked.

"Edward, put me down." I squealed.

"Okay." He said, gently dropping me on the bed. I laid on my stomach, hiding the small box under me. I felt the bed dip down under his weight as he crawled over to me, straddling my legs. He started tapping his fingertips up my legs, over my hips and to my sides. Then, he started tickling me.

"Edward." I laughed, holding onto the box tighter.

"Bella." He said back, chuckling himself. He was having way too much fun with this. But, it was totally obvious to me that he would be a handful on his birthday and Christmas every year. I was going to have to ask Esme and Nanny about that, this afternoon. Clearly, Edward didn't like secrets being kept from him.

"Okay, okay." I said, defeated. I couldn't take the tickling. I rolled onto my back, looking up at Edward. He was still straddling my legs.

He took the now slightly squished box in his hands, looking smug. I looked up, blinked my eyes at him and pouted out my bottom lip. "Bella." He whined. "You're cheating."

"Well, I have to." I said, snatching the box back and holding it above my head. I giggled at him. "Babe. It's part of your birthday surprise." I admitted.

He dropped down on the bed to lay beside me, pulling me back in his arms. He looked into my eyes, then leaned in for quick kiss. "Thank you, honey." He said, reaching up tuck a lock of hair behind my ear.

"For what, Edward?" I asked.

"For planning something for me. You didn't have to do anything. Just having you in my life is all I'll ever want or need." He leaned in for another kiss. "I've never been this happy." He smiled at me, looking in my eyes, again.

"Edward, you're going to make me cry, again." I said, reaching up to stroke his face. I sat up, looking at the box in my hand. "And, you are so lucky that this isn't breakable." I laughed. I got up and put it in the back of my closet. I turned around and Edward was sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Are you sure I didn't wreck it?" He asked, looking worried.

I laughed, walking up to him, standing between his spread legs. I reached up and ran my hands through his hair. "I would never have laid on top of it, if it was breakable."

He put his hands on my hips, looking up at me. "Can I have a hint?" He asked. I burst out laughing at him.

"No." I giggled. "Let's go to Alec's. Clearly, you can't be trusted in my room, so we'll have to leave." I took his hand and pulled him off my bed. He just laughed and followed me down the stairs.

In the car, I called Alec's house and he picked up the phone. I was happy he was home. I didn't want to bring this up at the station. "Hello?" He answered.

"Hey, Alec. It's Bella."

"Hey, Bella. How's it going?" He asked, sounding happy to hear from me.

"Great. Um, would you mind if we popped over to your place for a few minutes?" I asked, feeling a little stupid that I didn't give him more notice.

"Oh, yeah. Head on over. I'm on night's this week, so I'm just hanging out, watching TV." He told me.

"Okay, thanks Alec. See you in a few." I said, hanging up. I turned to Edward. "He's home."

We pulled up to Alec's about ten minutes later and went to the door. "Hey, guys." Alec said when he opened the door. He shook Edward's hand and pulled me into a hug. "Come on in." We followed him into the living room and sat on the couch. Alec sat on the chair, facing us.

"So, what brings you two by?" He asked.

"Actually, we wanted to invite you to the Fourth of July barbeque that my family has every year." Edward said.

"Yeah, man, sure. That sounds great. Thanks." Alec said, smiling. "I have the day off, so I'm up for it."

"Great." Edward looked over at me, waiting for me to fill Alec in on the plan.

"Okay, what's going on? Is there something else I should know?" Alec laughed, looking at us.

I blushed a little. "Okay, Alec. We went to the elementary school last week to pick up Edward's little sister." I started.

Alec looked at Edward and I and chuckled. "Uh huh." He said, obviously trying to figure out what I was getting at.

"Anyway, we met Alice's teacher, and she's so nice and I'm pretty sure she's single." I looked up at him and he looked like he was holding back his laughter.

"And, you want to set me up with her." He finished for me. "Is she interested in cops or something?" He chuckled, leaning forward on his knees.

"Um, she doesn't know about this, yet." I confessed. "But, I didn't want to tell her, unless you agreed."

He leaned back in his chair, putting his arms on the back of his head. "Okay. I'm in." He said, shrugging his shoulders, smiling at me. "Do I get any info? Name? Age? Appearance? Or, is this completely blind?" He laughed. I was so glad that Alec was so light-hearted. He was an honestly good guy, and I really hoped this worked out for the best.

"Um, well her name is Siobhan Jones, and she looks like she's in her late twenties. She teaches the second grade and is incredibly friendly." I told him.

Alec looked at Edward. Edward smiled at him, obviously understanding what he wanted to know; what she looked like. "She's pretty; pale skin; long, dark hair; she's maybe about 5'4; a little more filled out."

Alec smiled. "She sounds great." He said, looking excited. "Now you have my hopes up." He laughed.

"We'll call you tomorrow afternoon and let you know for sure." I told him.

"She'll say yes." Alec said. "Now, tell me why I have to wait until July Fourth?"

"Oh, um, we just thought it would be a neutral environment. You know, if things don't click, you're not stuck with each other?" I explained.

"Okay, I see your logic." He said, laughing. "But, if she's up for it, let her know, I'm ready to do this when she is. We don't have to wait two weeks." I was so glad that Alec was this excited for the date. "You can give her my name and number, too." He added.

We stayed and caught up with Alec for another half hour, before we got up to leave. He mentioned getting a quick nap in before work. This shift work was hard on all of them.

"Well, thanks so much for thinking of me when you meet single girls." Alec teased, as we walked to the door, making us laugh.

"That's all Bella." Edward said, squeezing my hand. "She's quite the little matchmaker."

Alec gave me a quick hug. "Keep it up, Bella. You're still my favourite person." He whispered, making me smile.

"Okay, see you, buddy." Edward said. "Fingers crossed, she agrees."

Alec laughed. "She will." He said, with a knowing grin on his face. The guy did not lack confidence. I was so excited to ask Siobhan, tomorrow.


	152. Swans and Secrets

**A/N - Thanks again for the hits, reviews, favourites and alerts! You are all amazing and I can't thank you enough for keeping me motivated to write! Enjoy!**

Chapter 152 - Swans and Secrets

After Edward and I left Alec's, we stopped for lunch at Subway, splitting a barbeque chicken sub. We went back to his house and spent the rest of the afternoon with Grandpa on the porch. He was determined that I understand how to play cards. We played for hours, me and Grandpa against Edward. I did a lot better with Grandpa telling me which card to play. We had a great time, and thankfully Grandpa didn't tease us too much.

Emmett and Jasper got home from school at around four o'clock. They both figured they had done well on their exams, and seemed excited that they each only had one more exam tomorrow morning. I was proud of them and glad they could have a break soon.

My dad came over for dinner, and we all enjoyed Esme's pasta casserole. At around seven, and after a goodbye kiss from Edward, my dad and I headed home.

My dad seemed pretty excited about something, but wouldn't tell me until we got home. When we pulled up to the house, my dad passed me a heavy box from the back of the truck and then grabbed a bag of sand. We both trudged around the side of the house to the backyard. Our yard was pretty big, and was bordered by the woods at the back and two tall fences on each side. "So, what's going on, dad." I asked.

"Well, kiddo, you and me are putting in our very own horseshoe pit." He said, excitedly.

I laughed. "Okay. I hope you know what you're doing though, because I wouldn't know the first thing about it." I told him. "Where did you get this stuff?"

He laughed. "Oh, at lunch, I stopped by the sporting goods store and got the horseshoes, then I stopped at the hardware store for sand and lumber. Which, reminds me." He said, turning and going back to the truck. He came back a few minutes later with a saw and few lengths of lumber.

"Okay, sounds fun. What do we do first?" I asked, always happy to spend time with my dad.

"Well, you take this end of the tape measure, and stand right here." He said. We were on the right side of the backyard, about ten feet from the fence. He walked towards the woods. "The two posts have to be forty feet apart." He placed a stone down to mark his spot, so I did the same on my side. He walked back over. "Now we have to build some frames."

My dad and I worked until the sun went down. I went I the house and turned the back porch light on, so we could finish. We had built two frames for each end, dug shallow holes and buried our frames, hammered in the long, metal rods, and filled the frames with sand.

We were covered in dirt and exhausted. My dad sat on the porch, looking over the directions, and I went inside to get us each a glass of lemonade. I came back out and we sat side by side, just taking a rest. "I think it looks good, dad." I said.

"Yeah." He said. "We make a good team. So, what do you say? You want to give it a shot? Break it in?"

I laughed. "Alright." So there we were, the Swans, outside in the dark, throwing horseshoes at night. I was not very good at this game, but I gave it a good try. I'm sure by the end of the summer, I'd get a ringer and get my horseshoe around the pole. But as it stood, now, after throwing the blue horseshoes about twenty times, I had tapped the horseshoe only twice on the pole.

It was all worth it though, because my dad hugged me both times, telling me that I was getting it. My dad, however seemed to be a natural and only missed a couple the whole time. Maybe the red horseshoes were luckier?

Perhaps he was trying to show me, that just because he was dating Heidi, we would still do things together. Whatever the reason, I had a great time. I wasn't great at sports, or even building things for that matter, but my dad made me feel like I was.

We finally went into the house at eleven o'clock. I gave my dad a hug, then headed in the bathroom for a shower. I braided my hair, because I was too tired to dry it.

I crawled into bed and fell asleep immediately. I woke up in time to make my dad some scrambled eggs before he left for work. "Hey, Bells. Why don't you invite the Cullens over tonight for dinner. The boys will be done school, and we could play some more horseshoes." I smiled. It was sweet that he always tried to do things that would make me happy.

"Okay. I think that would be great actually. Carlisle is on vacation for a few weeks, too, so I think they'd love to come over." I said. "Thank you, dad."

"No problem. I think everyone would have fun." He said. "Okay, I'm off to work." He got up and gave me a hug before leaving.

I smiled as I walked over to the phone to call Esme. "Hello, Bella." She said, sounding happy to hear from me.

"Hi, Esme. My dad and I wanted to invite you all over for dinner tonight." I told her. "We have something to show off." I laughed.

Esme giggled. "Okay, sweetheart. That sounds great. What are you doing this morning?" She asked.

"Um, I don't have anything planned." I said. I usually never had any idea until Edward came over.

"Why don't you come over, and I can help you make some dinner for tonight. There's a lot of us, and I would feel bad if you had to cook for everyone." She explained.

"Oh, thank you so much. That sounds great, actually." I said. "I'll see you soon." I hung up the phone and went to go upstairs to get dressed, when the doorbell rang. I ran to get it. Edward. "Hey, babe. I missed you." I said, kissing his chin.

"I missed you, too, angel." He said, tucking a daisy behind my ear, then kissing my cheek. "What did you and your dad do last night?" He asked, as I took his hand and led him upstairs.

"Well, we installed a surprise in the backyard." I giggled.

"A surprise, huh?" Edward asked, pulling me onto the bed.

"Yes. But, you'll find out tonight with the rest of your family." I said, leaning in for kiss.

"Mmm. I missed your lips." He moaned, against my mouth, before pulling me back in for another kiss. His hands dipped under my t-shirt, moving up my bare back. One hand came back down over my bum and down the back of my leg. His other hand held me close to his body. We couldn't seem to keep our hands off of each other these last few days. And, I was loving every second of it.

He finally pulled back, laying his head on my pillow. He chuckled. "Sorry. What were you saying?" His cheeks were a little flushed.

I smiled at him. "You and your family are coming over for dinner tonight, and then you can see the surprise in the backyard." I told him, sitting up beside him, running my hand over his chest. "I've got to get over to your house this morning and cook with your mom."

He ran his fingers up and down my arm. "Okay, sounds good. Maybe you should get dressed, huh?" He teased.

I laughed, leaning down to kiss him once more. "Good idea." I said smiling. "You look great, by the way." I told him. He was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a black t-shirt.

"Thanks, babe." He smiled, pulling me down for one more kiss. I unbraided my hair, finger combing the waves, and placing the daisy back behind my ear. I felt a little like a flower child, but if Edward liked the flower in my hair, I wasn't about to take it out. "You are so pretty." He said, running his fingers along my thigh.

"Thank you, Edward." I smiled. I got up and went to my closet, pulling out a black short sleeved blouse and a white skirt. I wanted to look nice for Alice's assembly this afternoon. I went to my drawer and pulled out a white bra and underwear. "Eyes closed." I said to Edward. I turned my back and pulled my nightshirt over my head and put on my bra.

"So, there's something in the closet and something in the backyard that I can't know about. What's with all the secrets?" Edward asked, laughing as I was buttoning my blouse. I looked over at him and he still had his eyes closed. I smiled. It was so nice that I could trust him not to peek.

I slipped my underwear off and slid on the white pair, before pulling on my skirt. "Well, sometimes I like surprising you." I said, going over to him to sit beside him. "You're always surprising me. You do so much for me all the time, that I've been feeling the need to pay you back." I ran my fingers along his cheek. "Open your eyes." I whispered.

He blinked and opened his eyes, looking down at my clothes, and bare legs before looking back into my eyes. "You look beautiful, baby." He said. I leaned down and kissed his lips. He smiled at me. "And, you don't have to pay me back. I love taking care of you." He said, reaching down to caress my legs.

I pulled him up to sit beside me, and crawled into his lap. "Well, I like taking care of you, too." I said, kissing his neck. "But, we better get going, Edward." I said, standing up. "Your mom is waiting for me, and longer we take, the more ammunition we're giving your grandpa."

Edward laughed. "You're right." He said. He took my hand and led me down the stairs and out to the car.


	153. Dreaming and Dancing

**A/N - Thanks again for the all support! So excited for the chapters to come! Enjoy!**

Chapter 153 - Dreaming and Dancing

When we got to Edward's house, Esme and Nanny were already buzzing around the kitchen. Grandpa was sitting at the kitchen table playing solitaire with his deck of cards.

"Hey, kids." Esme said, giving us both a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi, mom." Edward said, pulling her into a hug. "Hi, Nanny." He turned to hug his nanny, too. It was the little gestures that like, that really showed me what a great person Edward was.

Edward went and sat with his grandpa. Grandpa shuffled the cards, and they started playing blackjack. I giggled to myself. Grandpa was a real card shark.

"So, what are we making?" I asked Esme.

"Oh, I was thinking maybe some chicken kabobs, grilled veggie skewers, a potato salad, maybe a mixed fruit salad." She started listing everything off and it sounded wonderful.

"That sounds great. Thank you so much, Esme." I said giving her a quick hug. I was so lucky to have her in my life. She really filled the role of a mother for me lately, and I couldn't thank her enough for that.

"Oh, you're welcome, sweetheart." She said, her own eyes looking a little misty from the hug. I was happy that she actually wanted me here. "Do you want to make the veggie skewers?" She asked.

I agreed, chopping up yellow peppers, zucchini and cucumbers. I threaded them on the bamboo skewers, along with some cherry tomatoes. Nanny showed me how to mix up some vinegar, oil and sugar to marinade them in. I sealed them up in a Tupperware container to grill them when I got home.

Nanny made the potato salad and Esme made the chicken and then the fruit salad. We were all pretty efficient and worked well together in the kitchen. I honestly felt like one of the family.

As I cooked, I looked up at Edward and smiled. He was laughing at something his grandpa said. It was such a beautiful thing to watch the connection they shared. He really was the perfect man for me. As I stood in the kitchen, spending time with the Cullens and Masens, I thought about how great it would be to really be one of them; if I married Edward, and these were my in-laws. I couldn't wait to really share my life with him one day. We had already said that we were tied to each other, but it would be amazing to make it official.

Edward had always said, not if, but when. He had promised to take me to Arizona for our fortieth wedding anniversary. Thoughts like these surprised me when they popped into my mind, but not in a bad way. It showed my conscious mind how deep my love for Edward really was. I had brought up our wedding to Edward before, after one of our chats with Angie and Ben, and he seemed happy that I was thinking that way. Our relationship was still new, but it was forever.

Edward looked up at me, then, and unleashed his beautiful smile on me. He winked and I blushed, as if he could tell what I was thinking about. I was snapped from my thoughts when I felt an arm around my waist. I turned and looked to see who it was. It was Esme.

"Is everything alright, sweetheart?" She whispered. "You seemed so deep in thought."

I smiled back at her. "I couldn't be better. I was just dreaming about the future." I admitted.

She smiled and pulled me into a hug. "I can't wait for all the great things to come for you and Edward." She said, softly in my ear. I smiled back at her. I couldn't wait either.

We heard the front door and Emmett and Jasper coming in the house. "School's out." I heard Emmett yell, before he walked into the kitchen. "We're free."

I laughed when I heard him. The boys came into the kitchen and Edward got up. He gave each of his brothers a high five, before coming over to wrap his arm around my waist. Jasper came to give his mom a hug. He looked so tired. "Tough exam?" She asked him. He just nodded. Esme kissed his cheek, before letting him go. "Okay, boys, go get ready for your sister's recital." She told them.

"Congratulations, guys." I told them, as the headed upstairs.

"Thanks, Bella." They yelled back. I giggled at them. Esme, Nanny and I put all the food in the fridge. I had a little trouble moving around with Edward hanging onto me, but he kept laughing, and wouldn't let go. Nanny spanked him, but that didn't deter him.

"Be right back." He said, taking my hand and leading me downstairs.

"Edward." Grandpa called out. "No hanky panky. We're leaving in twenty minutes."

Edward burst out laughing and my face caught fire. "Sure thing, Grandpa." Edward said, holding my hand as we went downstairs.

"Edward Anthony Cullen." I scolded. "That was so embarrassing."

"I know." He laughed. "I'm sorry, but I just wanted to be alone with you for a few minutes." He said, leading me over to the couch. We sat beside each other, and Edward lifted my legs across his lap. "Lay back." He said. I did and he held onto my feet. He started rubbing the arch of my right foot for me. I moaned and laid my head back on the arm rest.

"That feels amazing, Edward." I said, making him smile.

"Good. You work too hard, baby." He said. "You looked like you were having a great time with mom and Nanny. You fit in so well." He switched to give the other foot the same attention, making me moan, again.

"You know, I was thinking the same thing." I admitted. "They make me feel like family."

"Well, you are my soul mate." He said with a smirk. "I can't wait until you're my wife." He said, looking into my eyes.

"Can you read my mind?" I laughed, shaking my head in disbelief. It was nice to know that Edward and I were on the same page with our plans for the future.

"You want me to be your wife?" Edward teased, tickling the bottom of feet. I laughed, kicking at his hands. "But, I can guarantee you look better in skirts than I would." He said, crawling up my body, tracing his fingers up my legs. He laid on top of me; his head resting on my chest. "I love you, Bella." He said, setting his hand on my waist.

I ran my fingers through his hair. "I love you, too, Edward. Forever." I whispered. We sat together quietly for a few minutes, just letting the significance of what had just talked about sink in.

"You both decent." Emmett called down the stairs.

Edward laughed. "Yes." He called out. "Unfortunately." He whispered in my ear, before sitting up. I blushed.

"Dad's home, so we're all heading over to Alice's school." Emmett said, walking over to the couch and sitting down on top of Edward. Edward laughed, as he tried to push his brother off of his legs. "Can we ride with you? Mom only wants us to take two cars." Emmett asked, casually, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Yes, now get off my legs." Edward said, still pushing him. I giggled. I loved how the boys bugged each other.

After a couple more minutes of struggling, Emmett finally got up and ran upstairs. "Shotgun." He yelled.

Edward looked over at me, and shook his head. "He's on summer vacation, Edward." I said, smiling. I didn't mind Emmett's silliness. He worked hard for the last couple of weeks.

We all rode over to the school, with Emmett in the front seat and Jasper and I in the back. Jasper told us that Maria and Rose were having a family dinner tonight with their parents, but the girls would be a the baseball tournament tomorrow.

Edward parked beside Carlisle and we all walked into the gymnasium, taking our seats. All the kids were sitting on the floor in front of the families. We spotted Alice, close to the front at the left. She turned around and waved when she found us. She looked so excited to see us all there.

We sat through an hour of announcements and award presentations. Alice, and about fifty others, received a certificate for perfect attendance and we all cheered for her, and Carlisle snapped a picture of his baby girl.

The principal announced that we would be get to see three examples of the arts and clubs in school. First, we watched four fifth grade girls from the skipping club do a three minute jump rope routine. They were pretty good and were really fast. Next, was a third grade little boy on the piano. He played an incredibly difficult classical piece and everyone was blown away by his talent.

And, as the closing for the assembly, Alice Cullen was announced. She did her dance routine from the recital last month. She was so delicate and pretty. We all stood up and clapped and cheered for her. She did a little curtsy, and then waved at us. She was adorable, and I was so proud of her. I looked up at Edward and he was beaming. He was such a proud big brother.


	154. Setups and Setting Up

**A/N - Thanks so much to everyone for reading! Thanks to my reviewers, as well! I would also like to thank those that have reviewed, but aren't signed in. I can't directly reply to you, but I really appreciate that you have taken the time to let me know what you think of the story. **

**Today is also the fifth month anniversary of Summer Vacation! It feels like I just started! Enjoy the next chapter! **

Chapter 154 - Setups and Setting Up

The principal dismissed the kids for the summer and they all cheered. I watched Alice in the crowd and she ran up to Siobhan and gave her a hug. Siobhan looked to be on the verge of tears and I could tell she was sad to see her class leave. She looked to be a very

dedicated teacher. I admired her, and hoped that someday, I would be as good as her.

She took Alice's hand and they walked over to the Cullens. "Good job, princess." Edward told her. "You were beautiful." Everyone complimented her and she looked so happy.

"Stand with your teacher, Alice. Daddy wants to take your picture." Esme said with a smile. Siobhan set her hands on Alice's shoulders and Alice held up her certificate. After Carlisle took a couple pictures, Alice turned to give her teacher a hug. Siobhan crouched down and patted her back.

"I'm going to miss you, Alice. Will you come visit me sometime in the fall?" She asked. Alice nodded her head, her bottom lip pouting a little.

Grandpa leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Did you know you were getting an award?" He asked, trying to make her feel better. Carlisle picked Alice up and asked to see her certificate. It was nice how the family made Alice feel so proud. It was a great environment for her to grow up in.

"Well, have a great summer, Alice." Siobhan said, turning, likely going to say goodbye to her other students.

"Thanks, Miss Jones." Alice said, sniffling a little, and laying her head on her dad's shoulder. I knew this day was going to be hard for her.

"Oh, wait. Siobhan.?" I asked, placing my hand on her arm. "Can I talk to you for a minute, privately?"

"Of course. It's Bella, right?" She asked, as we walked away from the family.

"Yeah. Um, I know this is going to sound weird, but are you single?" I asked her. She looked at me, seeming a little surprised.

"Um, yes, but, I…" She stated.

"Okay, good." I cut her off. Everything would make a lot more sense once I explained. "I have a good friend, named Alec Barrelli. He's a deputy with the Forks Police Department and an incredible guy." Her face flushed a little and I hoped I wasn't making her too uncomfortable. "Anyway, when we met last, in your classroom, I though you two should meet."

She looked at me a little hesitantly. "I don't know, Bella. I mean, I'm just new to town this year, and I haven't had a chance to meet anyone, what with being so focussed on my first year of teaching, but a blind date?"

"I completely understand your concern. I was thinking maybe you'd like to meet him at the Cullens' July Fourth barbeque, and that way there is no pressure. Plus, Alice would love to have you." I said, feeling a little guilty, bribing her with Alice.

"Wow, thank you. I think the barbeque sounds great, but do you think maybe I could meet him before that?" Huh. I was surprised. She sounded like she was coming around.

"Okay?" I said, waiting to see where she was going with this.

"To me, a barbeque has too many prying eyes. I don't know. You said he was your friend. Do you think maybe a double date, or a group thing, with a few couples?" She suggested.

"Absolutely. That is fine with me. Edward and I are friends with another guy from the force and his girlfriend. I'm sure I could put something together if that would make you more comfortable." I told her, thinking Paul and Rachel would be a great addition to the group. The more people, the less chance for a lull in the conversation.

"Okay." She said, looking really excited, now. "His name is Alec? Anything else?"

"Yeah. He's in his early thirties, he has dark hair, he's good looking and athletic." I told her.

"Oh, um." She looked down at herself. "Does he know about this date? Does he know what I look like?" She looked a little hesitant, again, and almost seemed insecure. That was sad to me, as I thought she was absolutely gorgeous. I was hoping that Alec could help bring out some more of her confidence. I had always found Alec to be very complimentary.

"Yes, and he is very eager to meet you." I said with a smile, thinking back to Alec trying to get me to give her his number.

"Really?" She asked looking hopeful.

"Really." I assured her. "So, he's on the night shift this week, but do you want me to try and set something up for next week?"

"Okay. I'm really nervous, so I think the sooner the better." She said. She gave me her phone number and I agreed to call her the minute I knew anything. She gave me a quick hug and then turned to talk to a little boy that had walked up to her with his mom following behind him.

I walked back over to the Cullens and Edward reached out and took my hand. He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Well?" I looked up at his face and nodded my head, smiling. He smiled back at me and squeezed my hand.

"You guys ready? We're eating at my house tonight." I said. "We have to celebrate. You're all done school for the year."

"Awesome." Emmett said. "I'm starving." We all walked out to the parking lot, Alice still in her father's arms. It looked like she was riding home with her parents.

We got back to the car and Jasper called shotgun, when he saw Emmett start to open his mouth. Edward laughed and high-fived his brother. Emmett and I sat together in the back seat, and ended up in a rock, paper, scissors battle, for absolutely no reason other than the fact that Emmett stuck out his fist and said best two out of three. We ended up losing count and just ended up playing over and over again. We were pretty even in wins, but it kept us laughing.

We got back to the Cullens' and we all went into the house. Edward helped me load all the food into his car. The rest of the Cullens were going to meet as at the house at five o'clock. It was only three-thirty, so Edward and I were going to go back to my place to start getting everything organized.

On the way my house, I had Edward stop at the store so we could get some ingredients for punch. I wanted the kids to feel special today. As we drove home, Edward held my hand in his. "Why is that whenever my brothers are with us, you never get to sit in the front seat?" He asked, laughing. "Why do you never call shotgun?"

I giggled. "Well, when we go somewhere, I always just assume that we'll ride together, and I never think about it." I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed it.

Edward and I brought in the food and put everything in the fridge for the time being. I leaned against the counter and let out a deep breath. "Everything okay, baby?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. I'm just relieved that Siobhan sounded excited to meet Alec." I told him.

"What did she say?" He asked, sitting down at the table. "You guys seemed to be talking for a while."

"Oh, she wants to meet him sooner. She thinks it would be too much pressure, and too many people around, to meet him at the barbeque." I explained. "She wants us to do a group date next week. I was thinking it would be great it Paul and Rachel could join us."

"Sure. I'll call him later." Edward said. "That sounds fun." I was looking forward to it, too. "Why don't you call Alec and let him know she said yes?" He chuckled. "I know I would want to know. He's probably going crazy."

I laughed. "Okay." I picked up my cell phone and called Alec. He was at work and could only talk for a minute, as he was driving out to a call. "I won't keep you, but she's interested and wants to meet early next week as group. I think she's a little nervous. Is that alright?"

"Yes. That's fabulous. I told you she would say yes." He gloated, making me laugh. "I'm on days next week, so anytime after six is good."

"Alright, I'll call you soon with the details." I said, before he thanked me again, and hung up. "He's bragging that he was right." I laughed with Edward, who came over to give me a kiss.

Edward and I spent the next hour setting up for the dinner. Edward put my dad's folding table on the back deck and took a couple of TV trays out, as well. He took the potato salad and fruit out to the tables, as well as some paper plates and cups. While he did that, I made the fruit punch, heated the chicken kabobs in the oven and grilled my veggies on the stove. We had just finished taking everything outside when my dad walked in the door with the Cullens right behind him.

"Hey, kiddo." My dad said, giving me a quick hug. "Edward." He patted Edward's shoulder.

"Hi, everybody. Thanks for coming." I said. "Food's out on the back porch." I said. Everyone came in giving us hugs, even though we had just seen them over an hour ago. Edward picked up Alice, who seemed to have cheered up and we all went out to the yard, so my dad could show off our hard work from the night before.


	155. Horseshoes and Huddles

**A/N - Thanks so much for all of the support and encouragement. I have the best readers on FanFiction! I'm sure of it! Thanks, again, and enjoy!**

Chapter 155 - Horseshoes and Huddles

When I walked outside, I saw my dad and Carlisle bringing lawn chairs out of the shed. Edward brought out a couple chairs for the kitchen and set them on the deck and I brought out a big picnic blanket and laid it on the grass.

Everyone got their food and dug in. Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Alice and I all sat together on the blanket. I looked around and everyone was laughing and happy. My dad and I didn't have much, and it wasn't as fancy as a Cullen barbeque, but nobody seemed to care. It was the company that mattered.

"Alice, guess what?" I asked her. She was sitting beside me, trying to peel the skin off of a grape on her plate.

"What?" She asked, looking like she was happy for the distraction.

"I asked Miss Jones if she would come to the Fourth of July Barbeque and she said yes." I told her.

"Really? That's so cool." She said, smiling her gap-toothed grin at me.

"Alice, you don't have to eat that grape." Emmett said. "You hate grapes."

"Well, I just wanted to try it." She said, looking at my plate with a small sprig of grapes on it.

"Alice. I have an idea. I have a really good recipe for frozen grapes. You and me can make them some time, okay? You might like that better." I told her. I thought it was cute that she was trying to emulate me, but I didn't want her to be stuck with food she didn't like.

"Okay." She smiled. We all finished our lunch, and I went in the house for a big garbage bag. Easy cleanup.

My dad called everyone over to the horseshoe pit. "Okay. So, last night, Bells and I were up to our elbows on dirt, lumber and sand. It took us a few hours, but we built our own horseshoe pit." He smiled at me proudly, as Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek.

"Good work." Edward whispered in my ear.

"Wow." Grandpas said. "Looks regulation, too. I haven't thrown a horseshoe in years."

My dad looked excited that Grandpa knew the rules. Carlisle, Esme, Grandpa and my dad decided to play a round.

"Did you take shop in high school, Bella?" Emmett asked, looking impressed.

I laughed. "Nope. Let's just say, I was the helper and my dad was the brains of the operation." I said.

"You did a great job." Jasper added. "Do you know how to play?"

"Absolutely not." I laughed.

"Hey, I have a football in the truck. You guys want to play a little two on two?" Emmett asked.

"Um, okay." I agreed. "But, I have no idea how to play."

"That's okay. I'll take you on my team." Emmett said. Edward held onto me a little tighter. "Edward. It only makes sense. I could take you both alone." He laughed.

"Fine." Edward pouted. "Go get the ball."

I pulled Edward's head down to me and whispered in his ear. "I'm going to go change out of this skirt. Want to come with me?"

I looked into his eyes. He looked surprised and happy as he nodded. He took my hand and we ran in the house and up the stairs. He closed my bedroom door and immediately leaned down for a kiss. I giggled and turned to my dresser, pulling out a pair of sweat shorts.

I pulled my skirt off and Edward sat on my bed to watch me. "You have the prettiest legs." I smiled and slipped on my shorts. "Are you going to wear that blouse?" He asked. I laughed.

"Good point." I said, unbuttoning it. Edward's eyes bugged out a little, until I turned my back, slipped off my shirt and slipped on a black cotton tank. I heard Edward chuckle.

Edward came up behind me, wrapping me in his arms. "I love when you tease me." He whispered, before moving my hair off of my neck and leaning down to kiss me there.

I giggled. "Ready to go play football?" I asked, walking over to my desk. I took the daisy from my hair and pressed it in my journal. It was getting a little wilted and I didn't want to lose it in the yard.

"Absolutely." He said, taking my hand as we walked down the stairs and back outside.

"While you were gone, Bella, I've recruited us a new team mate." Emmett said, laughing, as he picked up Alice and put her on his shoulders, making her laugh.

"I don't think we stand a chance now, do we Jasper?" Edward teased, winking at Alice.

The boys proceed to go over a whole list a rules, that I didn't understand in the least. I looked at Alice we both laughed. "Emmett, why don't you just tell us what to do and when to do it?" I suggested.

"Deal." He said, putting Alice down, then giving both me and Alice a high five. I gave Edward a quick kiss before following Emmett and Alice over to the our spot, right in front of the porch. Jasper and Edward were facing us with their backs to the trees. "Bella, fist rule." Emmett said. "Don't kiss the opposing team."

I blushed. "Sorry. It won't happen, again." I laughed.

"Okay. So I'm going to hike the ball to Alice. Alice, you pass the ball to Bella. Bella, you run for the trees." Emmett explained. "Alice and I will try to keep Edward and Jasper away from you, okay?"

I laughed. "Okay. This sounds fun." I kind of liked the sound of this game. It seemed easier than baseball.

Emmett leaned forward, holding the ball in the ready position to hike it to Alice. I stood beside Alice, so she could pass me the ball. I looked out at Edward and Jasper and they were both scheming. Edward pointed at me and winked. Uh oh.

"Hike." Alice said, giggling. Emmett gently passed the ball to Alice from between his legs and Alice ran over and put it in my hands. "Run, Bella."

I started running and from the corner of my eye I saw Emmett tackle Jasper. Alice was trying to get to Edward, but he was too fast. "Ah." I screamed as I tried to pass Edward. He smirked at me, before grabbing me around the waist.

"Gotcha." He whispered. He lifted me off of my feet and spun me in a circle. We both ended up laughing and Edward fell to the ground, making sure I landed on him and didn't get hurt. Alice finally ran over and fell on Edward's legs.

"Just about, Alice." I laughed. Emmett and Jasper walked over, and Emmett lifted Alice off of Edward.

"Okay, girls. We have three more chances to get to the edge of the trees." Emmett told us. I crawled off of Edward and he tried to lean in for a kiss but I turned my head.

"Sorry, babe. I'm not allowed." I giggled, at his pouting face. "It's the first rule of football. I can't kiss the opponent."

"She's a quick learner." Emmett laughed, taking my hand and helping me up. We set up like last time. The only difference was that Emmett tackled Edward this time, and Jasper was too shy to touch me, so I ran right to the tree line, and threw the ball down. "Woo." Emmett yelled, still on top of a laughing Edward. Alice had caught up to Jasper and was holding his leg, looking so proud of herself.

I heard applause and looked over to the horseshoe pits. My dad and Edward's family were watching us and Nanny had a camera in her hand. I couldn't wait to see those pictures.

We all played outside until it got dark. Alice had fallen asleep on Grandpa's lap and the 'adults' all sat on the back porch with a cup of coffee. Emmett, Jasper, Edward and I took a turn with the horseshoes, and I was about as bad tonight as I was the night before when I played with my dad. Edward tried to stand behind me and guide my arm, but with everyone watching us, I felt so embarrassed, I let it go to early and the horseshoe fell short.

When it got too dark, the Cullens' decided to head home. They thanked us for a great night and Edward kissed me on the front step before he left.

My dad seemed to be really happy with how the night had gone. I stood in the kitchen, washing out Esme's Tupperware, and my dad dried the dishes for me. "That went well, huh?" He said, with a smile.

"It did. I had a great time, dad. Thank you so much for suggesting it." I said. "Maybe next time we could invite Heidi."

"Yeah. I would like that, Bells." My dad said, smiling at me.

"Me, too, dad." I smiled back.


	156. Promise

**A/N - Thanks again to everyone reading! Everyday, I'm blown away by the response I'm getting. These characters have become a huge part of my life, and I often find myself thinking about them throughout the day. What will they do next? How would they react to a certain situation? Thank you for sharing them with me. Enjoy!**

Chapter 156 - Promise

Before I went to bed, I whipped up a batch of peanut butter cookies, put them in a little box and tied a ribbon around them. Tomorrow, June 16th, was the two month anniversary of the official start of mine and Edward's relationship.

The next morning I was up early to make my dad hash browns and sausages. As we ate, we talked about last night, again. My dad seemed to get along really well with Grandpa. He had met him last week, but hadn't had a chance to spend much time with him. I couldn't be more excited that everyone got along. I sighed in contentment. My life couldn't be more perfect.

After my dad left for work, I went upstairs, showered and got dressed in a pair of jean cut-offs and a royal blue t-shirt. It was the team color of the Forks' Spartans, so I thought I'd show my team loyalty for the big tournament this afternoon. I put my hair up in a ponytail, and then headed back downstairs. I was just finishing up the dishes from breakfast when the doorbell rang. I ran over to answer it.

Edward was standing at the door with a huge bouquet of calla lilies. They were white and pink, and there must have been a least two dozen of them. They were absolutely beautiful, but even more gorgeous was Edward's smile. "Happy Anniversary, beautiful." He said, passing me the vase.

I was speechless. He was every girl's dream. He remembered all the important dates. I looked up at him and smiled. "Edward. Thank you so much. They're beautiful. I love them. I love you." I set them down on the table by the door and wrapped my arms around his waist, squeezing him tightly. "How did I ever get so lucky?" I whispered.

I felt Edward place a kiss to the top of my head. "I'm the lucky one, Bella. I love you with everything I have." He whispered, making tears flood to my eyes. I looked up at him and he smiled, reaching up to wipe the tears away. "Don't cry, honey." He leaned down to kiss me softly on the lips. "Are you ready to go? I have somewhere I want to take you." He said, before kissing me once more.

"Um, yeah. Let me just set these on the coffee table." I said, picking up the vase and taking it to the living room. I stood and admired them for a minute. They were absolutely stunning. I picked up the box of cookies for my guy. I turned and saw Edward leaning against the door frame. He was smiling at me. He looked so gorgeous, wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of beige khaki shorts. "I really love them, Edward. It's a beautiful arrangement." I walked over and kissed his chin. "I love you." I smiled.

I passed him the box. "Happy Anniversary." I said, hoping he's like my surprise. He pulled the ribbon and opened the lid.

"Mm." He said, smelling the cookies. "These smell amazing, baby. Thank you." He leaned down to give me a kiss, and then grabbed a cookie, eating it in one bite. I had to laugh at him. He was absolutely adorable.

He smiled and took my hand, leading me out his car. We drove out to the beach again, and I had a feeling we were going out to our rock, our special place. Edward had grabbed his backpack and the blanket from the trunk. He seemed quiet and his hand, that was holding mine, was a little sweaty. I wondered why he was so nervous.

He lifted me up to the rock and I laid out the blanket. He sat cross legged in front of me, and I mirrored him. The water was crashing into the shore to my left, and the sky was clear. It was warm outside today, and there was only a light breeze. Edward took my hands in his, and looked into my eyes. He cleared his throat. "Bella. I love you now, and I'll love you forever. From the minute I saw you, I knew you were perfect for me. Every day we spend together, and the more I learn about you, the more sure I am." He took a deep breath and looked down at my hands. "Yesterday, downstairs, I had mentioned that I couldn't wait for you to be my wife. I meant that, Bella." He turned and reached into his backpack and pulled out a small black box.

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I had no idea what he was doing. He smiled at me, a little nervously. "I think it might be too soon for an engagement, but I want to give you something that shows you how much I love you." He opened the box and I saw a beautiful ring. It was a thin yellow gold band with a gold heart and a small diamond in the center. It was simple and delicate, but the most gorgeous piece of jewellery I had ever seen, because it was from Edward.

"Oh, Edward." I breathed, putting my hands over my heart, in an effort to slow it down.

He chuckled a little. "Bella. This is a promise ring. It is my promise to you that you will own my heart forever. We belong together." Tears were rolling down my cheeks, but I was smiling at him. "So, will you wear my ring?"

I practically launched myself at him and threw my arms around his neck. "Yes, Edward. Yes, yes, yes." I squealed. "I love you so much. Thank you." I said, turning my head to kiss his cheek. He was laughing, holding onto my waist.

I finally let him go, and sat back down in front of him. He pulled a tissue out of his bag and passed it to me, making me laugh. He knew me so well. He picked up my left hand and placed a delicate kiss on my left, ring finger. "Let's save this finger." He whispered, lightly rubbing his thumb where an engagement ring would go. He set my hand down on my lap and picked up my right hand, placing a kiss on my ring finger. He took the ring out of the box and slid it on my finger.

He kissed the ring, then started kissing a trail up my arm to my neck. He got up on his knees, and slowly laid me down on the blanket. He laid beside me, on his side, his body pressed into mine. He smiled at me before leaning in to kiss me. The kiss started slow, but soon escalated to the point where we were both gasping for air, but couldn't seem to break away from each other. My whole body was tingling with warmth. Finally, Edward started kissing down my neck to my chest, his arm across my body, his hand holding onto my side, his thumb moving back and forth.

"You're heart is pounding." He whispered against my skin. "Are you okay?" He asked, sitting up.

I smiled as him, as I sat up. "I have never been better in my life." I answered. "I love you so much, Edward." I said, moving to sit on his lap.

He felt him smile into my neck, before he started kissing me, again. "You're mine." He whispered. I loved that Edward was a little possessive. It just showed me how much he loved me. It was an amazing feeling to know that the person that you loved more than anyone else, loved you back with the same intensity. I knew Edward was always scared to lose me. He had confided in me a couple of times that he was concerned that there was nothing holding me to him. I knew this ring meant as much to him as it did to me.

I turned and kissed his lips. As much as I never wanted to leave Edward's arms, I knew Jasper's big tournament was starting soon, so we have to head back soon. "When do we have to go back?" I asked, before kissing him again.

"Soon." He said, against my lips. "I love you."

I giggled, wrapping my arms around him. "I love you, too, Edward."

We reluctantly folded up the blanket and Edward hopped down off of the rock. I put his backpack on and climbed onto his back. We had this down to a science now. As usual, Edward didn't put me down, and piggy backed me to the car. As we walked, I asked him why he seemed so nervous before.

He laughed. "Well, I was about to ask the most important person in my life, if she would spend forever with me." He squeezed my leg. "I just worried that you would think it was too soon, that's all." He admitted.

"I can tell you, Edward, that I'm so happy you did this for us." I said, kissing the back of his head. "I really do want forever with you, and longer if you can figure out how to get it for us."

"I'll put it on my to do list." He teased.

"Thank you." I giggled. "How long have you had the ring?"

"Oh, um, I picked it up in Seattle when my mom and I went to pick up Nanny and Grandpa from the airport." He said. "I actually saw the ring I wanted back when we were still in Seattle, and I sort thought I'd get it and give it to you, once we got back to school."

"Couldn't wait, huh?" I asked.

"Nope." He laughed. "I just love you so much, I couldn't wait."

"Well, I'm glad you're so impatient." I said, lightly biting his earlobe.

"Mm, Bella." He groaned, moving his hand up to my bum. "You're biting, now?"

I blushed and laughed. "Um, yeah. I guess." I really didn't know why I did that, but it just felt right. "Why? Did you like it?"

"Yes." He said, immediately. "I love when you touch me, and kiss me and, now, bite me." He chuckled. "I love it all, Bella."

"I can't wait to kidnap you this weekend." I whispered into his ear as we walked up to the car.

Edward laughed. "That makes two of us, baby." He said, letting go of me, so I could slide off of his back. He popped the trunk and put the blanket in and then reached over to me and took the backpack off of my shoulders, putting it in the trunk, too.

He leaned into me, against the car. "Three more days, my beautiful, sexy, delicious girlfriend." He said, leaning in to kiss my neck. He moved his lips up and sucked on my ear lobe, before lightly nipping at it. It sent shivers through my body. I had goose bumps all over my arms.

Edward chuckled and ran his fingers over my arms. He knew what he did to me. "I love you." He whispered.

"That makes two of us, baby." I repeated.


	157. Spread the News

**A/N - Thanks so much for the great reviews! I'm glad you all seemed to like Edward's surprise! Edward would have loved to have proposed, and to him the promise ring is a pre-engagement ring. **

**Thanks so much for reading. Enjoy!**

Chapter 157 - Spread the News

Edward and I finally got in the car and headed over to his house. We held hands the whole way and neither of us could seem to stop smiling. I was feeding him cookies as he drove, laughing when he would try to bite my fingers. When we got to the house, Emmett and Jasper were out front throwing a baseball back and forth.

"What's with the big smiles?" Emmett asked, walking over to us. Jasper walked over, as well. He was wearing his uniform already.

I held up my hand and showed them my hand. "You're engaged?" Jasper asked, with a smile on his face.

"Not yet, bro." Edward said. "It's a promise ring."

"Awesome. Congrats, guys." Emmett said, pulling us into a hug at the same time.

Jasper gave me a hug, once Emmett let go. "I can't wait until you're my sister." He whispered in my ear. I started crying, again. It meant so much for Jasper to accept me. Edward pulled a Kleenex out of his pocket, and passed it to me. He really was perfect for me.

"Thank you, babe." I said to Edward, wiping my eyes. "I love you boys." I choked out between tears.

Edward stood behind me and wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head. Esme and Nanny came running out of the front door. "Well?" Esme said, coming over and taking my hands in hers. She looked down at my hand and smiled. "Oh, Bella." She cried, pulling me out of Edward's arms and into a hug. I looked over at Edward and Nanny had a death grip on him.

Alice came flying out of the house and ran up to me. "What's going on?" She asked, looking around. Edward crouched down so he could look at her. "I gave Bella a ring this morning. It's a promise ring and it means that we promise each other that we're going to be together forever." He explained.

I crouched down beside her and showed he the ring. She traced it with her finger. "Is Bella my sister, yet?" Alice asked Edward.

"Well, we're one step closer." Edward laughed, kissing her forehead. Alice wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tight. I stroked her hair.

Carlisle and Grandpa came out of the house with smiles on their faces. It was clear that Edward told his parents and grandparents about his plans this morning. I thought it was sweet. They walked over and there were hugs all around. "I know it's not official yet, but welcome to the family, Bella." Carlisle said, bringing on more tears. I don't think I had ever been this happy.

"Okay, thank you all, but let's all try not to make her cry anymore." Edward teased. "We'll be right back." He took my hand and we went inside so I could wash my face quickly before we left. As we walked upstairs to the bathroom, Edward squeezed my hand. "You doing okay?" He winked.

"Yes. I'm just so happy and overwhelmed." I told him. "I have just never felt this much love and acceptance before." I wiped my eyes, again.

"Well, get used to it, honey. It's only going to grow." He said, smiling.

We went into the bathroom together, and Edward sat on the side of the bathtub. "So, you're happy?" He asked as I washed my face.

I patted my face dry and turned to him. "So, so much, Edward." I told him, as he stood up, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Do we have time to stop by the station? I want to tell my dad."

"Of course, honey." He said, rubbing my back.

We held hands and went downstairs. "We'll meet you at the game, guys. We're just going to stop at the police station." Edward said. He pulled Jasper into a tight hug. "Good luck, Jazz. We'll be cheering for you, buddy."

"Thanks, Edward." He said. "Congratulations, guys."

I gave him a hug. "Have fun out there, Jasper." I said, kissing his cheek. "We're very proud of you." Jasper smiled and blushed.

"Yeah, we'll see you at the game if the chief doesn't lock you up?" Emmett laughed.

Edward just shook his head, laughing, and opened my door for me. We drove to the police station and I was happy to see my dad's car in the lot. I realised that this wasn't an engagement ring, but knowing Edward, that wasn't too far off. This ring showed Edward's commitment and true intent towards our relationship. Some people might not think it was that big of a deal, but I knew it was.

We walked in and after a quick hello to Sue, we went back to my dad's desk. "Hey, you guys. To what do I owe the pleasure?" My dad asked, leaning back in his chair and smiling at us.

"Daddy, Edward gave me a promise ring this morning." I told him, smiling. I held out my hand so he could see the ring.

"Congrats, kids." He said, standing up to give me a hug. The minute my dad's arms were around me, I started crying again. I started getting flashes in my mind of him giving me away at my wedding and our father/daughter dance. My dad started rubbing my back. Edward passed me another tissue, making me laugh through my tears. "She been like this all morning?" My dad asked Edward, chuckling.

"Yes, sir." He said, laughing.

I pulled back and looked at my dad. "You're taking this news pretty well." I said. My dad and Edward looked at each other and chuckled.

"Well, I may have received a visit from an honourable young man this morning." My dad said, patting Edward's shoulder.

"Aw, Edward." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. "That means so much to me." I told him, sniffling. I was happy and touched that Edward thought to include my dad in his plans.

"Edward, my boy, wait until you propose." My dad laughed, referring to my incessant tears. I just couldn't help it. I went from feeling alone for most of my life to having so many people that loved me in such a short time. Plus, I had always cried at the drop of a hat, so really, they should have been expecting it.

"Okay, dad. We've got to get over to Jasper's tournament." I told him, giving him another hug.

"Alright. Have fun and give me a call if he makes it to the finals. I'll try to make it out there." He said. "And, congratulations, again, kids. I'm happy for you both."

"I will. Thanks, dad. I love you." I said, as Edward took my hand. "See you tonight."

"I love you, too, kids." He said. Edward smiled, and squeezed my hand. My dad's approval meant everything to me, and the fact that Edward had known that, and stopped to talk to my dad before giving me the ring, just proved how much he really did love me.

As we drove to the baseball diamond, I took Edward's hand and placed little kisses all over it. "I really appreciate that you went to see my dad this morning." I told him.

"I wanted his support." Edward admitted. "He's very important to me, too. I've always looked up to him." His face flushed a little. "Bella, I know how important you and your dad are to each other, and while, I want you to be mine, forever, I don't want to take you away from him."

"Thank you, Edward." I leaned my head back and blinked. I wanted to stop crying. Edward laughed at me.

"Bella, you can cry." He chuckled. "You don't have to hold it back with me, honey." He brought my hand to his lips and held them on my hand until we got to the ballpark. I sniffled a little, but I had myself together by the time we got there.

When we parked, Edward came around to open my door, and pulled me into his arms. He leaned down to kiss my forehead. "I love you so much."

We walked over to the bleachers and joined Edward's family, Rose and Maria. Nanny took my hand, patting the back of it. "You've had an emotional morning, sweetheart. Are you doing alright?"

I giggled. She was so sweet. I probably looked horrible, with puffy eyes and red nose, but I had never been happier. "I'm great, Nanny. Thank you." I smiled at her.

Jasper's first game began and the Forks Spartans easily made it past the first round, winning 6-1. The innings were reduced for the tournament, so each game didn't take as long. He came over and sat with us while two other teams played. We all had hotdogs and potato chips. He looked really excited to see Maria, and after they ate lunch, they held hands. It was absolutely adorable. Maria was all dressed up in grey shorts and blue t-shirt to match team colors. When he was called back out for the second round of competition, he gave Edward and Emmett high fives and kissed Maria's forehead, making her giggle for a few minutes. It was priceless.

The rest of the afternoon continued in the same manner. We all had fun together cheering on the Spartans. The team made it easy for us. They were playing the best baseball they had all year.

At five o'clock, when we found out that Jasper made it to the finals, I called my dad and he made it in time for the last couple of innings. It was an exciting game. They played the Rainier Mountaineers in the gold metal match. The teams were tied until Jasper hit a homerun, batting Mike in for a two point win.

We all cheered and Maria, Nanny, Carlisle and I were snapping pictures. Jasper stood proudly as his team was presented with metals. I looked up at Edward and he looked so proud. The team did a victory lap and then Jasper ran over to us. We all pulled him into a group hug. It was an amazing moment to add to an already perfect day.


	158. Packing

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I love your great reviews. Thanks so much for your encouragement! I have the best readers! Enjoy!**

Chapter 158 - Packing

That night, after the tournament, we all had pizza out in the Cullen's backyard. Jasper's friend and team mate, Mike, and his dad joined us, as well. We spent the evening recounting the great moments of the tournament. It was a lot of fun, and Jasper and Mike were so excited, wearing their metals all evening.

The next two days were amazing. Thursday, Edward came over at eight o'clock, with a pink carnation in hand, and we went up to my room. We had a web chat with Angie and Ben. My best friend cried when I showed her my promise ring and told her the story of how Edward gave it to me. When Ben passed her a tissue, Edward and I started laughing. They were a lot like us. After a half hour of catching up, Edward drove us back to his house.

The Cullen kids, the Hale girls and I, all spent the day in the basement. On paper, it was a horrible place to spend the first day of summer holidays. However, this was Forks, and it was pouring rain. Nanny and Esme spoiled us and made cookies, snack mix, and homemade popcorn balls.

Edward and I moved all his clothes to a laundry basket, and Jasper and Emmett brought down the beanbag chairs from Jasper's room. We watched movies, played video games and ate way too many snacks. It was incredibly fun and carefree. Jasper was a lot more comfortable around Maria and Emmett and Rose kept their hands to themselves, thankfully, because Alice was hanging out with us.

I left around five o'clock and made my dad and I had sloppy joes for dinner. We spent the evening working on our horseshoe game in the yard, as the rain had stopped.

Friday, my dad and I had French toast together before he left for work. I had showered and gotten dressed in jean capris and a white t-shirt. Edward showed up at around eight-thirty with a white rose. He kept me company while I packed for our trip tomorrow. He wasn't allowed to see what I was packing, so I tied a silk scarf around his eyes. He laid on my bed trying to guess what I was packing. I packed my dress that I had ordered online to wear out to dinner, my bathing suit for the hot tub, my new baby doll nightgown to sleep in, and a black cotton eyelet skirt and a blue tank to wear home on Sunday.

"You're sure packing a lot." Edward said, chuckling. "Aren't we just going for one night? What could you possibly be packing?" I looked over at him and he was laying on his back, throwing my little stuffed stingray in the air, then catching it. He was doing pretty good for being blindfolded.

I giggled. "That's for me to know, and you to find out." I said. I walked over to him and leaned over his face, placing a small kiss on his lips.

"Mm, Bella." He said, trying to reach for me, but I jumped back. I laughed and then went back to my dresser, to pack two bras and my underwear. "What are you packing, now?" I looked over at him and he had a cute smirk on his face. "That sounded like your underwear drawer."

"Well, aren't you talented." I laughed, packing my underwear and zipping up my suitcase. I crawled onto the bed and Edward rolled over and pulled me into his arms.

"I'm so excited to run away with you tomorrow." He whispered, burying his face into my neck. He started kissing me and lightly biting my neck. It felt so good.

"Edward." I whispered, running my fingers through his hair. I untied his blind fold and pulled it off him so I could look into his beautiful green eyes.

He smiled at me, before kissing my lips. "What do you want to do today?" He asked, before kissing me again.

"Well, I need to go to your house and pack for you." I told him. I didn't want him to know that he needed fancy clothes and his swimming trunks. I wanted the whole weekend to be a surprise. "Oh, and I need to stop and get something for your dad for Father's Day." Carlisle was an amazing man and he had been there for me, giving me advice and comfort when I needed it. I wanted him to know how much that meant to me.

"You are such an angel." He said, kissing me, again. "You sure you don't want to just stay here in your bed?"

I laughed. "Well, I really do want to stay here with you. I'm tired, and I sleep so well in your arms, but I have so much to do today. So don't tempt me." I told him.

"Aw. Stop doing so much for everybody." He said, stroking my cheek. "And, you don't need to spoil me so much. I'd be happy to spend my birthday right here."

"Well, it's a little late for that." I teased. "I've already packed my underwear."

Edward burst out laughing, before hugging me to his chest. "God, I love you." He said, laughing. He took my right hand and kissed my promise ring. "Okay, you. Let's get going." He said, getting out of my bed. "Do you want me to put your suitcase in the trunk?"

"Sure. Thanks, baby." I said, getting up. Edward took my bag down the stairs. I looked in the mirror to brush out my hair before we left, and I noticed some small red marks on the base of my neck and collarbone. "Edward." I called, panicked.

I heard him running up the stairs as fast as he could. "What's wrong?" He asked, out of breath. I moved my hair to the side, tipping my chin up, showing him his handy work, the little bite marks on my skin. "Oh." He chuckled, looking a little flushed. "I'm sorry. Does it hurt?" He asked, before leaning in to kiss my neck.

"No, but Edward, what do I do?" I asked, concerned about what our families would think.

"Relax, baby. Your hair covers it up. No one will notice." He said, trying to make me feel better. It wasn't working. I sighed, grabbed my purse and headed downstairs. Edward followed behind me. "Bella, don't be mad." He begged.

I got to the bottom of the stairs and turned to look at him. He looked so cute. I smiled at him. "I'm not mad. I'm just embarrassed." I explained.

"Don't be. They're love bites." He chuckled. "Here." He said, passing my the light blue silk scarf that I used to cover his eyes. I smiled at him and tied it around my neck. He took my suitcase in one hand and my hand in the other, and led me to the car. I figured I'd just have to get over it. They would probably take a couple days to fade.

We stopped at the sporting goods store, and I bought my dad a new fillet knife for fishing. I wanted to give him something else for Father's Day besides the scarf. They had a display case on the counter that had silver plated fish cufflinks. They were so cute, so I bought them for Carlisle. Edward thought he would get a kick out them, and figured his dad would actually wear them, considering they were from me.

We drove to Edward's house, and went upstairs to Edward's room, luckily avoiding everyone. I wasn't ready to be humiliated, yet. He sat on his bed and I untied the scarf from around my neck, and tied it around his eyes. "You're sure you are alright with me going through your stuff?" I said, pulling his suitcase out of his closet.

"Of course, babe. I have nothing to hide from you." He said. I found his swim trunks, a pair of charcoal dress pants and a maroon dress shirt.

"Any preference on what you want to wear home on Sunday?" I asked him going through his closet.

"Nope." He said. I picked out a black crew neck t-shirt and a pair of green cargo shorts and put them in his suitcase.

"Boxers or briefs?" I asked, giggling.

"Um, it depends which pants I'm wearing." He said, folding his arms under his head. I opened his drawer and pulled out two pairs of boxers, one black, one blue, and two pairs of boxer briefs, one white and one grey. Better to have the more than enough, than to bring the wrong ones, I figured. "I feel like you're interviewing me for a magazine." He laughed.

"Which magazine? Sexy soon-to-be pharmacists?" I teased, zipping up his suitcase.

Edward uncovered his eyes, and looked at me with a smirk. "You would so read that magazine." He teased, getting up and walking over to me. He lifted me up and flopped me over his shoulder, spanking my bum. "Thank you for packing for me." He said, carrying me out of his room and down the stairs. I was laughing, but hanging onto his waist for dear life.

We walked into the kitchen and found the rest of the Cullens eating lunch. Edward set me down, and we sat at the island with Emmett, Jasper and Alice. "Wow, Bella. Edward couldn't wait for lunch?" I looked up at Emmett and froze. He was looking right at my neck, chuckling. Darn it. I forgot to put the scarf back on. I quickly brought my hand up to cover the marks, then turned to frown at Edward.

Nanny, Grandpa, Esme and Carlisle all looked over at us with knowing smiles on their faces. Edward's cheeks were flushed. He gave me a half smile before he lowered his head, and rested his head on his hand. I couldn't be angry. He was embarrassed enough. Plus, I really enjoyed the process of him making these marks, so who was I to complain?

We made it through lunch, surviving a few more jokes. The rain started up again, so we all headed down to Sunset Lanes, Forks' only bowling alley, and ended up spending the rest of the afternoon there. We all had a lot of fun, eating way too much junk food. I was alright at bowling, but not great. Alice and I ended up rolling the bowling balls with two hands between our legs. Edward laughed at me, but I knew he was enjoying the view. It was a great afternoon and I was really going to miss Nanny and Grandpa when they left on Monday morning.

At five o'clock, after hugs all around, and well wishes from the family for a good trip, Edward drove me home. I had a ton of stuff to do before the trip. I wanted this weekend to be perfect. He walked me to the door and wrapped his arms around my waist. "So, you want me here at eleven AM sharp tomorrow morning?" Edward repeated my instructions from the car.

"Yeah. That should give me enough time to get everything ready." I told him.

"That's eighteen hours." Edward said, leaning in for a quick kiss. "But, try to get some sleep, okay?" I nodded and he leaned in for one more kiss. "Thank you so much for doing this for me."

"You're welcome. I would do anything for you." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head on his chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby. See you tomorrow." He said. We reluctantly parted, but I was excited, because our weekend was almost here.


	159. Chapter 159

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and for your great reviews! Summer Vacation has now had over 1800 reviews! **

**It's finally here! Bella and Edward's time away! Enjoy!**

Chapter 159 - Going Away

After Edward left, I went in the kitchen and quickly made a meatloaf, putting it in the oven for an hour. My dad came home and after giving me a hug, went to watch the game. I went and put a load of laundry in the washer, before going up to my room.

I wrapped my dad's scarf and fishing knife, and then put Carlisle's cufflinks in a little gift bag. Then, I got Edward's kitten care books out of my closet and wrapped then up. I wrote 'Happy Father's Day to the Daddy-to-be, Love Bella and Robert,' on a little gift tag. I giggled. I hoped he would like the gesture.

I brought out the blues vinyl records I had picked out for him in Seattle with Emmett. I wrapped them in blue paper and tied it with a silver ribbon. I hoped that he liked his gifts. I started to worry that I didn't get him enough. I hoped he liked the weekend away. I was so excited, but nervous, too. I had never had a boyfriend before, so everything we experienced together, was completely new to me.

I walked downstairs and took the meatloaf out of the oven. "Dad." I called, serving us each a couple of slices. I made us some toast to eat with it. I was too tired to do anything else.

"Hey, kiddo. This smells great." He said sitting beside me and digging in. I smiled and looked down at my plate. "What's wrong, Bells?" He asked.

"I bought Edward some records and a couple of books. I'm starting to think I didn't get him enough and I don't have time to do anything else." I sighed, moving my food around on my plate.

"Bella, I think he'll be thrilled. That boy loves you, kiddo. He'd be happy just to spend the day with you." He reassured me. "Plus, you guys are going away tomorrow."

"I know, I'm probably overreacting. It's just that this is the first time we'll be celebrating our birthdays with each other." I told him, smiling.

"There's that smile." My dad said, patting my shoulder. "Just relax and have a good time tomorrow, okay? You work too hard."

I laughed. "That's what Edward said." I told him.

"He's a smart kid." We finished our dinner and my dad went back to watch the game. I put the meatloaf in the fridge and then whipped up a batch of chocolate cupcakes. I put them on the counter to cool and then decided to just head to bed. I'd finish everything in the morning. I gave my dad a goodnight hug, then went up to my room, I slipped off my capris and bra and collapsed in my bed, falling asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.

I woke up to a knock on my bedroom door. My dad came in and sat on the foot of my bed. "Sorry to wake you. Carlisle, Grandpa, Emmett, Jasper and I are heading out to go fishing now." He told me. "We're coming home at around four, and then I'm going out with Heidi tonight. I'll have my phone on all day, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to call." I loved how my dad was so protective of me.

"Thanks, dad." I said, leaning over to give him a hug. "Have a good day and I'll see you tomorrow morning for our Father's Day breakfast. I love you."

"I love you, too, kiddo." He said, getting up to head out. "Tell Edward I said Happy Birthday."

"I will, dad. See you later." I said. I sighed and leaned back on my pillow. I was so excited for today. I looked at the clock and noticed that it was seven o'clock in the morning. I had four hours to get everything finished. I was making Edward a picnic lunch. I thought we could eat on the beach when we got to Ocean Shore at around noon. Then maybe we could hang out on the beach for while, then check in, get ready for dinner on the hotel rooftop, then try out that hot tub.

I got out of bed and went for a shower. I took my time, enjoying the hot water on my back, and made sure to shave my legs really well. I had an insanely short nightgown to pull off tonight. I curled my hair and pinned the front back, then put on a little makeup. I went back in my room and got dressed in a black t-shirt and pair of beige shorts. I packed all my toiletries, then went downstairs.

I put some chocolate icing in a pastry bag and iced all the cupcakes. I packed up six of them in a Tupperware container and put them in the bottom of the cooler that I had found in the closet. I melted some chocolate and then dipped some strawberries I put them in another Tupperware container and set them in the freezer so they would chill faster. Then I made Edward and I meatloaf sandwiches. I packed some coke, water and a thermos of coffee for Edward. I knew Edward had a big blanket in his trunk, so I only needed to pack plates and napkins. I added a birthday candle and matches to the bag and then set everything by the door.

It was ten-thirty and I had everything under control. I called Edward. "Hello, angel." He answered, making me smile. "Everything okay?"

"Everything is perfect, my handsome, sexy, soon to be birthday boy." I said, giggling and blushing at the same time. "In fact, everything is so perfect, that I'm ready early."

"Say no more, I'm on my way over." He said. He sounded so excited. "Do I get to know where we're going, yet?"

I laughed. "No, you don't Edward." I said. "Just get over here, and we can leave. You'll find out soon enough."

"Okay, baby. See you in five." Edward said, before he hung up. I quickly ran upstairs to use the bathroom and then I grabbed my dad's map of Washington, so I could tell Edward where to drive. The doorbell rang and I ran down the stairs to get the door. Edward was wearing a white t-shirt and pair of light blue worn in jeans. I smiled at him. He brought his hand out from behind his back and passed me a beautiful red tulip. "For my beauty." He said, with a wink.

"Aw, thank you, babe. I love it. It's so pretty." I said, reaching up to stroke his cheek. He must have just shaved this morning. His skin was so soft.

He took my hand and kissed the back of it. "You're welcome. You ready? I can't stand the secrecy anymore?" He admitted, chuckling.

"Yes." I looked down at my purse, makeup bag, picnic bag and the cooler. It occurred to me that I forgot to pack the chocolate covered strawberries. "Oh, wait. I forgot something. Can you take my bags to the car, please? Leave the cooler, though."

He smiled. "Absolutely." He took my bags and walked out to the car. I ran to the freezer to get the strawberries and then added them to the cooler. I lifted it up and locked the house. I turned and Edward was there, taking the cooler from my hands. He kissed my forehead, before walking over to finish packing the car. We got in the car and Edward turned and leaned in for a kiss. "Before we go, I just want to say how much I love you for doing this. And, I can't wait to spend this time with you."

I smiled, kissing him a few more times. "Well, I can't wait either, and I'm doing this because I love you." I told him. I looked down at my map. "Okay, babe. Head south on the 101." I said. "Let's start this trip."

Edward laughed. "South it is." We drove south for the next hour and half, taking our time, so we could enjoy the scenery. The view of the ocean was incredible. I had never been south of Forks, yet. I loved seeing this state with Edward. He kept looking over at me and smiling. He looked so genuinely happy.

As we drove, he told me that his mom, Nanny and Alice were having a girls' day, since all the boys were out fishing. Edward figured that they were cooking and setting up for dinner on Sunday. I guided Edward off the 101 highway to the smaller roads that led to Ocean Shores. Edward looked confused and when we drove into town, Edward smiled. "I've never been here." He said, sounding excited.

We drove to the beach and Edward parked. I was so happy that it was sunny today, but it wasn't so hot that it was uncomfortable. We brought the cooler, Edward's blanket and my picnic bag and found a nice spot in the sand to set up. Edward laid on his side, looking out at the water. He had his sunglasses on and literally looked like a model. I took out my camera and snapped a picture of him. He looked over at me and laughed. He looked even better, so I snapped another one. "Bella." He chuckled, reaching out and taking my hands, pulling me to lay beside him. He reached over and started tickling my sides. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Yeah." I laughed. "But, you're so beautiful, I got distracted." Edward leaned in to kiss me and we spent the next couple of minutes sharing small pecks. We weren't alone on the beach, so we kept things pretty chaste. I finally sat up and unpacked the cooler.

Edward was thrilled with the meatloaf sandwiches. "You are the best cook. I've never tasted anything better than your cooking." He was even more excited that I had packed coffee. I knew my boy. I brought out the chocolate covered strawberries and lifted one to Edward's lips. He smiled at me, before taking a bite. "Mm." He hummed. "I could get used to being spoiled like this." He chuckled before taking another bite.

"You're fun to spoil." I smiled. He reached in the container and proceeded to feed me a strawberry. As soon as I finished chewing, he leaned in to kiss me.

"You taste so good, sugar." He whispered, before kissing me, again.

I smiled. "So, do you." I turned to the cooler and pulled out the cupcakes. I brought one out and set it on a plate. I put the candle in the middle. Edward was smiling so brightly. "Okay, I know it's a day early, but I wanted to make you a little birthday cake. This is the first time I've been lucky enough to celebrate your birthday." I leaned in for a quick kiss, before I lit the candle. "Happy birthday, Edward. I love you." He took his sunglasses off, and I snapped a picture of him with the cupcake in front of him. "Make a wish."

He looked up at me and smiled, before blowing out the candle. He sat up and held his arms out. I scooted over and sat between his legs, with my back to his chest. He wrapped me in his arms, and kissed my neck. "I have everything I could ever wish for right here in my arms, Bella." He whispered. "Thank you so much for this. I loved it." I smiled, ecstatic that he had enjoyed the picnic. If only he knew what was to come.


	160. Chapter 160

**A/N - Thank you all, again, for reading! I'm glad that you're excited about Edward's birthday weekend. I'm having fun writing it, so it will conitinue for a few chapters. Let's get back to it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 160 - Flying High

Edward and I snuggled on the beach for a while, just enjoying our time alone together. He was back to kissing my neck. I had my hands up in his hair, running my fingernails along his scalp. "Mm, baby." Edward finally leaned back, taking my hands out from his hair. "Baby, we'd better stop. We're probably making a scene." He chuckled looking around at the people on the beach.

I blushed. When I was with Edward, the rest of the world disappeared. "Do you want your cupcake, yet?" I asked, giggling. We had gotten distracted.

"Absolutely." Edward smirked. "Will you feed it to me?"

I laughed. He was so spoiled. "Of course. It is your birthday weekend, after all." I took the candle out and peeled off the paper before bringing the cupcake up to his mouth. He took a huge bite, making me laugh. He smiled and brought my fingers up to his lips. He ate the rest of it, and then, surprised me, by sucking the chocolate frosting off of my fingers.

"Delicious." He said, winking at me, making my stomach flip. He picked up a cupcake and lifted it to my lips. I took a bite and smiled. They were really good. Edward leaned in and licked my bottom lip, making me blush. He chuckled. "Sorry. You had a little icing there." Edward was always very affectionate, but he was acting even more so on this trip.

Edward ate one more cupcake, before we packed everything back up in the cooler, and went back to the car. It was only two o'clock and we didn't need to check into the hotel until four. I looked up at Edward and he was watching people running along the beach with kites.

"We have two hours until check-in." I told him. "What do you want to do, birthday boy?" I asked while wrapping my arms around him and sticking my hands in the back pockets of his jeans.

He looked down at me, smiling. He reached back and put his hands over mine in his pockets. "Well, I like this." He said, laughing. He leaned down to kiss me. "What do you think about trying to fly a kite?"

I smiled at him. "I think I like the sound of that." I said. "Angie and I used to fly kites when we were about eight years old." I told him It had been so long since I had done something like that, though.

"Yeah?" He asked, running his fingers up and down my sides. "I love learning these little things about you. My brothers and I used to fly kites, too."

"Good. So, you know what you're doing, right?" I laughed. "I can't really remember how to do it."

"We'll figure it out." He laughed. We got in the car and drove down the street along the beach front. We passed about four different kite shops. We stopped the car, and went in the first one. We looked around and I was amazed by the selection. Edward asked the sales person to help us find a kite for beginners.

We ended up picking out a two string kite that looked like a big butterfly. It was black, white and yellow and I thought it was really pretty. The woman in the store went over the flying instructions with us before we left. Edward and I held hands as we walked back to the beach.

We took off our shoes and sat down together to unpack the kite. Edward laid the kite in the sand and unwound the lines. "Okay, baby. You want to try and get it up in the air?" He asked, looking excited. "I'll hold it and you run with the lines."

"You want me to run?" I asked, standing up and kissing his chin. He was the runner out of the two of us.

"So, maybe I want to watch my girlfriend run on the beach." He laughed. "Consider it another birthday wish."

I laughed with him. He was such a guy. "You're going to be using that all weekend, aren't you?"

"Maybe." He chuckled. He picked me up and spun me around, making me laugh. "This is the best birthday I've ever had." He said, setting me down and leaning in for a kiss.

"And, just think, it's not even your birthday, yet." I giggled, making Edward tickle my sides.

"Okay, you hold the lines, and run into the wind." He said, crouching to hold the kite upright. There wasn't a strong wind, but the breeze was hard enough to both lift the kite and mess my hair. "Ready when you are, babe." He called.

I held the lines and started running down the beach. I felt the wind take the kite up in the air. "It's flying." I heard Edward call. I stopped running and looked up at the kite. It was so pretty. Edward ran over to me and kissed my cheek. "You looked amazing doing that. Thanks for fulfilling another wish." He whispered in my ear.

I giggled. He always made me feel so special. We sat down in the sand, me between Edward's legs, his hands over mine, and we lightly pulled the left and right lines to make the kite move gently on the breeze. "This is such a pretty kite." I said, while we watched it in the sky. "I'm sure Alice would love to watch it fly."

Edward let go of my hands and wrapped his arms around my waist, and snuggled his face in to my neck. "She'll love it." He whispered. "God, you're so perfect."

I turned my head to looked at him over his shoulder. "You're good for the ego." I giggled.

"Bella, the kite." Edward said, grabbing my hands. When I turned, I must have pulled one of the lines too hard and the kite started spiralling down to the beach. Edward tried to pull the other line and it started to level out, but it had already come to low. It crash landed into the sand. Edward ran out to check it. He turned and held his thumbs up, smiling.

I was so happy that I didn't wreck it. Edward came running back over to me. "So, I didn't kill it?" I laughed.

"No, you didn't kill it." He chuckled. "But, even if it was broken, I could have fixed it." We each took a line and wound them up, walking along the beach until we got to the kite.

Edward carried the kite and we walked hand in hand back to get our shoes, and then back to the car. Edward put the kite in the back seat and then looked at his watch. "It's almost four o'clock. You want to go check in, or do you have something else planned?" He asked, walking over to me, and pulling me back into his arms.

I looked up at his beautiful face and smiled. "I have plans, but we can go check in now." I told him, before kissing his chest.

We drove to the Lighthouse Suites and checked in, then took the elevator up to the second floor. I opened the door and Edward followed me in with our bags. The room was beautiful. It had taupe walls with burgundy accents. There was a balcony looking out at the beach and the water, a beautiful sitting area with a sofa, a fireplace and TV, and then the bedroom area had the king sized bed and a Jacuzzi bath tub just steps away, with tiles surrounding it.

I looked up at Edward's face and he was smiling so wide and his eyes were sparkling. I think he was really touched by the plans I had made for us. "Bella, this is amazing." He said, setting our bags down. "Thank you so much. I can't believe you did this for me."

He walked over to me and lifted me up, carrying me to the bed. We laid down beside each other, and I traced my fingers over his chest. "Well, like I said on the beach, I love you and I thought you deserved something special."

"I am blown away, seriously." He said, kissing me on the tip of my nose. "I was happy with the picnic." He laughed. "I love this. I love you." He rolled over half way on top of me, kissing my face, neck and chest.

I was giggling, and he was laughing between kisses. We were both just overwhelmingly happy. It was amazing that no matter where Edward and I went, and no matter what we were doing, everything always felt right. I was so comfortable with him.

"So, what's the plan, angel?" Edward asked, his hands dipping under my t-shirt, running his fingers along my stomach.

I had made dinner reservations for seven o'clock, so we had a couple of hours to spend together right now. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to try out that whirlpool tub over there?" I asked, before kissing his lips.

"Um, yes. Absolutely." He said, looking at the tub, then back at me. We had never done anything like this before. We had been in the ocean together, but we had never been in a tub together. Edward looked both nervous and excited at the same time. I thought it was cute. He probably had no idea that I had packed our bathing suits.

I kissed him again, before getting off of the bed and going to our suitcases. I unzipped them and pulled out our bathing suits. I tossed Edward his swim trunks, before going over to start filling up the tub. "I'll be right back." I said, smiling at him, before running into the bathroom to change.

I put on my tankini, the same one I had worn in Florida, and then pulled my hair up, and pinned it on the top of my head. I let a few tendrils hang around my face.

I wanted to look pretty for him. I wanted the entire trip to be special and be something he wouldn't forget.


	161. Chapter 161

**A/N - Thanks again to everyone for reading! I am having a blast writing the birthday weekend! I'll let you get back to it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 161 - Bubbles, Bathrobes and Birthday Cake

I walked back out into the room and noticed Edward's clothes in a pile on the bed. It made me smile. The tub was almost full, and Edward was standing in his swim trunks, reading the back of a small bottle. I was always blown away by how gorgeous he was, and when he was shirtless, I blushed every time.

He turned around and smiled. "So, you knew about the hot tub, huh?" I nodded, stepping closer. I was naturally a little speechless. He looked incredible. "You are so beautiful." He said, lightly running his fingers up and down my arms. Edward leaned over to shut off the water and turn on the jets in the tub, before helping me in. He climbed in the tub himself and we sat beside each other.

"The water smells really good." I said, moving to sit on his lap. He smiled and wrapped his arms around my hips, his fingers lightly touching my thigh. The water was churning around us and foam started to form on the top of the water.

"There was some bubble bath sitting by the tub, so I dumped it in." He told me. It had a beautiful rose fragrance and the bubbles were pink. We watched as more and more bubbles formed, and then started to spill over the side.

"How much did you put it?" I laughed. We were literally surrounded by pink foam, as the jets were causing the bubble bath to foam.

His cheeks flushed a little. "Um, the whole bottle." He chuckled. I moved over to the edge and picked up the empty bottle. I read the back and it said to add a small amount. He probably didn't read the back until he had already put it in the water. I smiled at Edward, before climbing back onto his legs.

"Well, I like it like this." I said, hoping to make him feel better. I moved some of the bubbles away from Edward's neck, before leaning in to kiss his under his ear.

Edward moved my legs so I was straddling him, and then, moved his hands to my bum before he ran his fingers up and down my legs. "You're skin is so soft." He whispered.

I smiled, as I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I love you." I told him, before leaning in for a long passionate kiss. His hands moved gently over my body, as mine did with his. The water was churning around us and the bubbles made it feel like we were in the clouds. Edward had the same effect on me.

After forty five minutes in the tub, my fingers were feeling like prunes. Edward shut off the jets and then pulled the plug to drain the water. "We're going to have to get the landlord to have one of these tubs installed in the apartment." He teased, making me laugh.

We both stood up and Edward grabbed a fluffy towel from beside the tub and wrapped it around my shoulders. He took another one and dried his chest and arms, before wrapping it around his waist. We got out of the tub and walked to the bathroom together. There were two fluffy bathrobes so we each took one. Edward kissed my lips before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

I striped off my bathing suit and pulled the robe on. It was about six o'clock and I had made reservations for seven o'clock upstairs at the rooftop restaurant. I didn't want to get dressed for about forty five minutes. I didn't have any clothes in here with me anyway, so the robe would have to do. I walked out into the room and saw Edward out on the balcony in his bathrobe. He was leaning on the rail with his arms, watching the surf crashing in.

I walked out and joined him. He looked over at me and smiled, wrapping his arm around my back. He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "So, are you having a good time so far?" I asked him.

He smiled at me. "I'm having the time of my life, angel. Being here with you is the best birthday present I've ever received." Hearing him say that made me so happy. I stood up on my toes and he met me half way, placing a kiss on my lips.

He pulled us over to a deck chair and sat down, pulling me onto his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning in to kiss his lips. I rested my head on his chest and he wrapped me in his arms. We sat together quietly, just enjoying being in the other's arms and looked out at the beach. Edward was running his fingers along my hip and I almost fell asleep.

It was moments like this that I loved the most. We were alone, just the two of us. I loved being in his arms. He always made me feel so safe and comforted. Listening to his steady heartbeat, I was at home.

After about a half hour of snuggling, I slid off of Edward's lap and leaned over to kiss him. "We have reservations upstairs in a half hour." I told him, smiling. "I'll lay out your clothes, okay?" I ran my fingers through his hair.

He reached up and took my hand, bringing it to his lips. "Okay, thank you, baby." I left him on the balcony and went back in the room, laying his dress pants and shirt on the bed. I also put a pair of boxers and a pair of boxer briefs out. I giggled to myself. That guy and his underwear. He was so particular.

I went to my suitcase and unpacked my new dress and black lace underwear. I went in the bathroom to change. I slid the dress on, adjusting the crossover neckline. The dress was fairly short, but the silky fabric made it look elegant. I brushed out my hair and pulled it back into a twist. The combination of the wind and the bubble bath ruled out the option of leaving it down. I washed my face and put on some fresh make up, using a little eyeliner to make my eyes stand out. I put on some strawberry lip gloss, slid on some low heels and walked out to show Edward another one of his surprises.

He was sitting on the sofa flipping through the TV, looking dashing in his dress clothes. He had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, though, but I thought it made him look comfortable and confident. When he heard me walk over he looked up and his breath caught a little. He whispered something under his breath that I couldn't make out. A smile spread on his face as he stood up and walked over to me.

"Wow, Bella. You look absolutely amazing." He said. He took my hand and twirled me around slowly. I know I was blushing from the attention. Edward leaned down, putting his hands softly on my hips, before kissing me deeply. He pulled back slowly smiling at me. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, honey. I am the luckiest man on the planet." He said, smiling.

"Thank you so much, babe." I said. "So, I take it you like the dress?" I giggled.

He laughed. "That would be an understatement. I'm pretty close to not letting you out of the room."

I flushed even redder, and Edward traced his fingers along my cheek. I felt the love and desire he was projecting at me. I was speechless, but Edward snapped me out of it by leaning in for another kiss. When he finally pulled back, we both laughed, and just like that, my nervousness was gone. Edward had such a way with me.

Edward ran to the bathroom quickly and I folded up the clothes he had left on the bed. Edward walked up behind me, and wrapped his arms around my waist. He pressed his warm lips to my neck "Stop cleaning. This weekend is for you, too. Relax, angel."

I giggled, and turned around in his arms "Sorry. I can't help it."

He kissed my forehead, then took my hand. "Let's go eat. I'm starving." He said, practically pulling me to the elevator. In the elevator, Edward wrapped me in arms. "When did you get this dress, Bella? You look phenomenal." He said.

"Well, do you remember a certain little parcel that came in the mail and resulted in a little chase up to my bedroom?" I asked, laughing.

"Mm, baby. I remember. Are you telling me that I could have had a fashion show?" He asked with a sexy smirk on his face.

"No. I wanted it to be a surprise." I told him as the elevator door opened.

He winked at me. "Consider me pleasantly surprised." We walked hand in hand to the restaurant and were seated outside on the rooftop patio. We had a beautiful view of the beach, and the sun was getting low on the horizon. I wanted eat this late, so we could see the sunset. After we were seated, Edward took my hands across the table. "It just keeps getting better and better." He said, smiling. "I love you so much."

We enjoyed an amazing meal, pasta primavera for me, and chicken cordon bleu for Edward, and even better company. I told Edward he had to wait until we got home to get his gifts. He scolded me for getting him anything at all, considering I had planned this night away. After assuring him it wasn't that big of a deal, Edward spent the entire meal trying to figure out what his gifts were. He had me laughing hysterically, because he was teasing and throwing out ridiculous guesses. "A tacky tie? A fanny pack? A blender?"

I laughed. "I wish, Edward." I said. "We need a blender for the apartment."

"Is that a hint for your birthday, then?" He asked laughing.

"Yes." I said laughing with him. "I would love a blender."

After we finished eating, the waiter brought a huge slice of coconut cream cake with a sparkler in the top. "Happy birthday, sir." He said, setting it down in front of Edward. I may have tipped off the staff that it was Edward's birthday. Edward smiled at me, squeezing my hand and thanked the waiter.

After we watched the sparkler, Edward took a spoonful of cake and brought it to my mouth. It was moist and delicious. "Mm." I hummed. "It's really good."

Edward looked up from my lips and smiled at me, before taking a bite of the cake himself. "Thank you, Bella. For the picnic, flying the kite, the room, the Jacuzzi, dinner and especially that dress. Everything. The whole day has been perfect."

I blinked back my tears. I was glad that I had made Edward so happy. But I had one more surprise for my guy before bed. Hopefully, it would be his favourite.


	162. Chapter 162

**A/N - Summer Vacation has now had over 300, 000 hits! You are all incredible. Thank you to everyone who has read this story and supported my writing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 162 - One More Surprise

After we finished the cake, the waiter brought the bill. I tried to grab it, but Edward got to it first. "Edward." I whined. "It's your birthday meal. I brought you here. Let me pay for it."

Edward chuckled at me and looked straight in my eyes. "No." He said. "Bella, I can tell by looking at that room that you have already spent way too much money on me." He took my hand and traced his thumb along my knuckles. "And, I appreciate it. I really do, but just let me pay for dinner." He batted his eyelashes at me and pouted out his bottom lip. Darn it. He knew I couldn't resist that face. He was so adorable.

"Fine, Edward." I sighed, smiling at him. He brought my right hand to his lips and kissed my promise ring.

"Thank you, baby." He said looking a little smug. You really couldn't argue with such an old-fashioned guy. But, his manners were one of my favourite qualities of his, so I couldn't complain.

The sun was setting and the sky was pink and orange over the ocean. It was absolutely stunning. After Edward paid the bill, the waiter told us that we could go up the observation tower. It had a 360 degree view from the very top of the hotel.

Edward took my hand and we walked over to the stairs. It was a spiral staircase that led to a viewing gallery and an outdoor balcony. "I'm going to have to take off my heels." I told him. "Otherwise, I'll break my neck."

"Or," Edward said, smirking, "your boyfriend could carry you." Before I had the chance to object, Edward scooped me up bridal style, and pressed a kiss to my lips. The way he was holding me, and because the dress was so short, anyone who looked at us would be able to see my lace covered bum.

He started walking up the stairs, while I fidgeted, trying to bring my hand down to hold my skirt to my legs. "Edward, I don't want to flash anyone." I whispered. He just chuckled at me.

We got to the top of the staircase and Edward set me down, giving me kiss, before taking my hand and leading me outside to the observation deck. We walked over to the west side and watched the sunset. I shivered a little, so Edward stood behind me, wrapping his warm arms around my shoulders. He leaned down to kiss the top of my head.

We stood and watched until the sun had completely disappeared. "That was so amazing." Edward whispered in my ear. It was now completely dark out, except for a few lights scattered around the outside of the hotel. The breeze was getting quite cold off the water.

"It was beautiful." I said. I snuggled a little closer to Edward's body.

"Let's go back to the room. You're freezing." He said, placing a warm kiss on my shoulder. "We can try out that fireplace."

I laughed. "Sounds like a plan." I smiled to myself, thinking of what I was going to wear in front of that fireplace.

Edward carried me back down the stairs, which I thought was pretty romantic. We held hands back to the elevator and then back to the room. Edward walked over to the fireplace to figure out how to turn it on. "I'll be right over." I said, sneaking my nightgown out of my suitcase and running into the bathroom.

I leaned against the door and took a deep breath. I was both excited and nervous about wearing the lingerie for Edward. Edward had always made me feel beautiful, even when I usually wore baggy t-shirts to bed. In fact, he was the one that bought them for me.

I shouldn't have been nervous, though, because outside this door, was Edward, the man of my dreams. He always made me feel safe and loved. But, as a girl, I had my insecurities, and I had never, ever worn anything like this before. I took another cleansing breath and took off my dress and bra before slipping the deep blue satin nightgown over my lace underwear.

I walked over to the mirror and looked at myself. The nightgown was a lot shorter than I remembered. My cheeks and chest were flushed. I let my hair down and ran my fingers through the loose waves. Having my hair down, covering my back and shoulders, made me feel a little less exposed.

I had no idea why I was still standing there. Edward was probably wondering what was taking me so long. I took another deep breath, repeating over and over in my head, 'Edward loves me.' As I reached for the door knob, I noticed that my hand was shaking. I opened the door and stepped out into the room.

I looked up and noticed that Edward had ripped the comforter off of the bed and laid it on the floor in front of the fireplace. He also had about six pillows over there, too. He was so romantic. Edward was sitting on the blanket with his arms resting on his bent knees. He was wearing only a pair of white boxer briefs, and the orangey glow of the fireplace was flickering over his body. He looked beautiful.

He hadn't seen me, yet, but must have felt me watching him. He turned his head, smiling. But, the minute he looked at me, his smile fell from his face and was replaced with what I could only describe as absolute shock. I will admit I freaked out for a half of a second, until the smile returned in full force on Edward's face.

I continued walking over to him and he stood up, taking my hand in his. "Isabella Swan, I think you're trying to kill me before I turn nineteen." He said softly, as he chuckled. I laughed. I was glad he was trying to lighten the mood, because both of our outfits left very little to the imagination and I was still fairly nervous about wearing this.

He gently moved his hands to my hips, as if he was almost wasn't sure he should touch to the nightgown. "You are so beautiful, Bella." It didn't escape my attention that he was using my name, and not one of the pet names he always used for me. I knew he was being absolutely serious. He also told me that I was beautiful, not the nightgown. I smiled shyly at him and he brought one hand up to stroke my cheek. "You're shaking, angel. Come here." He said wrapping me in his arms. "Cold, or nervous?" He whispered in my ear.

"Both." I answered quietly. He leaned down to kiss from behind my ear, down my neck and along my collarbone to my shoulder.

He took my hands and guided me to sit down on the blanket in front of the fire. He sat beside me and he gently pushed me back, so my head was on a pillow. "I thought it couldn't get better than that dress." He whispered, laying down beside me. He took my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing my fingers, my palm and my wrist. "You are perfect."

He slowly moved his hand down my arm, to my shoulder and then delicately down the side of my body. His eyes followed his fingers' path. His touch made me shiver. My shiver made him smile. "I love you." I breathed.

He leaned over me, his lips moving with mine. I reached my hands up and traced them over his strong back and arms. Edward dipped his fingers under the baby doll nightgown and moved the, gently across my stomach, as he moved his kisses down my body.

Our physical relationship moved forward that night. We were still moving slowly, and I loved that Edward didn't try to push things with me. The whole long term relationship thing was new to Edward, too. Neither of us really knew what we were doing, but we just went with what felt right.

It must have been a least midnight by the time we went to the bed. We snuggled together in the middle of the bed. "Where did you get this?" Edward asked, running his fingers along my back.

"The baby doll?" I asked. Edward nodded, leaning in to kiss my neck. I giggled. "Um, I bought it in a lingerie shop in Port Angeles."

"Mm. What I wouldn't have given to see you in there." He chuckled, moving his fingers up and down my arm.

I laughed. "Well, just picture Heidi and I walking around a lacy boutique with bright red faces. That about sums it up." I giggled.

"Heidi's not going to tell your dad, is she?" Edward asked, looking panicked.

I laughed and kissed his cheek. "She promised that she wouldn't." I told him. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. "I was glad she was there with me though. I wouldn't have known what to pick out."

"Well, baby, I'm sure I would have loved anything you picked out, but this one, it's amazing. The colour looks fabulous against your skin and the short length makes your sexy legs look so long." He whispered. "By the way, you didn't need to buy me anything else. You are the only birthday present I will ever need."

I laughed. "Well, I'm glad you like the nightgown. But, are you sure you're going to be okay with me going back to the souvenir t-shirts to sleep in." I teased.

"Of course, my sweet, beautiful girl." He said, cuddling his face into my neck. "The clothes are pretty, but it's the girl underneath that I love." Edward always said the sweetest things. "But, thank you for braving the lingerie store for me."

"You're welcome." I laid my head on his chest. We were both falling asleep. "Happy birthday, Edward."


	163. Chapter 163

**A/N - Thanks again to everyone for reading! I'm glad you all liked their night away! Today in the story, it is June 20th, which happens to be both Edward's birthday and Father's Day. Enjoy!**

Chapter 163 - New Traditions

I woke up in Edward's arms when the alarm on my cell phone rang. It was six-thirty in the morning. Edward stretched and then squeezed me back to his chest. "Happy nineteenth birthday, babe." I said, kissing him over his heart.

"Thank you, baby." He groaned. "Why am I awake?" He chuckled.

"Because, we have to head home in about an hour. It's Father's Day." I told him.

"So, I'm taking you home, but when do I get you back?" He asked, rolling on top of me, and kissing my neck and chest. "You're my favourite birthday present."

I giggled. "Um, I think your mom said three o'clock." I lifted my arms and ran my fingers through Edward's messy hair. "I love you so much." I said, kissing his forehead.

"I love you, too, babe. Thank you so much this weekend." He said, looking up in my eyes.

"You're very welcome." I answered, smiling. "Oh, I have an idea. New birthday tradition." I giggled. "Lay on your stomach." I told him. Edward smirked at me and then lifted himself up on his arms and I wriggled out from underneath him. He laid flat on his stomach with his arms above his head. I straddled his waist, and leaning forward, I started to rub his shoulders and back.

"Oh, sugar. That feels so good." Edward hummed. I smiled. I had loved every second of spoiling Edward this weekend. I completely understood why he always spoiled me. It was such a good feeling to make the one you loved happy.

After about ten minutes, I laid down on his back and kissed between his shoulder blades. "You want to go have a shower while I pack?" I asked him. I traced my fingers up his sides and tickled his armpits, making him laugh.

"Okay. If we have to leave." He sighed. I rolled off of him and flopped down in the blankets and pillows. Edward turned and looked at me. "I love you." He said, before kissing me, again.

We both got up and I passed Edward his t-shirt and shorts before he went for a shower. I packed up our bags and set everything by the door. Edward opened the bathroom door and while he brushed his teeth, I slipped into the shower, tossing my nightgown out from behind the shower curtain.

"Baby. I know you're going out to eat with your dad when you get home, but that's not for a couple of hours. Do you want me to get us something light to eat for now?" Edward asked, as I rinsed out my shampoo.

"Um, yeah, thanks. I'm starving, actually." I said. "Oh, the hotel has a free breakfast buffet, if you want to get something from there."

"Awesome. I'll be back in a few." Edward said. "I love you."

"Thanks. I love you, too, birthday boy." I said giggling. I heard Edward laughing as he left the room. I got out of the shower and got dressed in my black skirt and blue tank. I brushed my teeth and then dried my hair straight. I gathered up the rest of our laundry and toiletries and packed them in our bags. I walked into the bedroom and saw Edward laying on the bed with two heaping plates of food. One had sliced pineapple, watermelon and cantaloupe, and the other had pastries.

"Something light?" I giggled, as I came over and sat beside him. He smiled, then leaned in to give me a kiss.

"Honey, if you haven't already noticed, guys eat a lot of food." He said, popping a piece of pineapple in his mouth.

I laughed. "Oh, I've noticed. I often feel sorry for your mom."

Edward laughed at me. "What?" He picked up a piece of watermelon and brought it to my lips. I opened my mouth and took a bite. Edward ate the rest, making me laugh. We continued to feed each other for the next twenty minutes. The simple, light hearted moments were often the most fun.

We checked out and were on the road before eight o'clock in the morning. As Edward drove, we held hands. I sat sideways in my seat, staring at my beautiful boy. I brought his hand up to my lips and placed light kisses on it. "What does it feel like to be nineteen?" I asked him.

"Um. The exact same as being eighteen." He laughed. He looked over at me and smiled. "Why? Do I look different?" He asked.

"Well, I think you might be more handsome." I told him, honestly, making him smile.

When we pulled up to my house, I leaned over in my seat, wrapped my fingers in his hair and gave Edward a long, deep, passionate kiss. We both pulled back breathless. "That should last you until three o'clock." I whispered.

Edward chuckled, looking a little surprised at my boldness. "Or, it left me wanting more." I smiled and leaned in, planting another one on his soft lips. "I wish we were still in the hotel." He whispered, making me blush. I was thinking of what we did together last night by the fireplace. I loved how comfortable Edward made me feel.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, smiling, sweeping a lock of my hair behind my ear, before placing his cool fingers on my warm cheek.

"About you. About the way you make me feel." I admitted, looking down at my lap, playing with his fingers.

He lifted my chin to look into my eyes. "I love you." He said. "I'm glad I can make you feel that way." He leaned in to kiss my lips. "Because you make me feel amazing."

I giggled. "I love you, too."

"Okay, we better get you inside." He said. We both got out of the car and Edward carried my suitcase to the front door. "Enjoy your time with your dad, and I'll see you this afternoon." He said, kissing my forehead. "Thank you for this weekend, Bella."

"You're welcome, Edward. Happy birthday." I said, giving his hand one more squeeze. He jogged back to the car and honked at me before driving home. I smiled as I opened the door. It had been a great night away.

"Dad. I'm home." I called when I walked in the house. I lifted my suitcase in the door and left it by the stairs.

My dad came out of the kitchen. "Hey, Bells." He pulled me into a nice, warm hug.

"Happy Father's Day, dad." I said, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

He blushed a little. "Thanks, kiddo. Did you and Edward have a good time?" He asked.

"It was great. I'll tell you about it later, but right now, I want to give you your Father's Day presents." I said, running up the stairs to my room. I grabbed the scarf and fishing knife and headed back down the stairs. My dad was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Bells." He said, smiling at me, as I passed him his presents. "I'm just happy to have you back in Washington."

I blinked back my tears. "Dad." I sighed, and he laughed as I wiped under my eyes.

"Sorry." He chuckled. He ripped open the first package and smiled when he saw the knife. "Wow. Thanks, kiddo. This is great."

"The guy at the store said it was the best fillet knife they had." I told him.

"I can tell. This is really great." He said, beaming.

"Open the other one." I said, excitedly. He tore open the paper on the scarf and held it up. I giggled. "Let me explain that one. I know it's the summer, but I made that myself and I wanted you to have it."

"You made this?" He asked, looking surprised. He wrapped it around his neck, making me laugh. I quickly ran into the front hallway and grabbed my camera from my purse, snapping a shot of my dad in his new scarf.

"Yeah. Last week, Nanny taught me how to crochet, and she thought that scarves would be the best thing for a beginner to make." I explained. "Edward tried too, but it ended up as a potholder." I laughed.

My dad got up and gave me another hug. "I love it, Bella." He said. "Thank you so much."

I wiped away a couple more tears. I would never regret my decision to move back to Washington. I was so happy to have my dad back in my life.

"Okay, you want to go for brunch?" I asked him.

"Absolutely, Bells." My dad said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, as we walked to the front door.

"Um, dad? Are you really going to wear the scarf to the restaurant?" I asked giggling.

He smiled at me. "Of course I am. My little girl made it for me."


	164. Chapter 164

**A/N - Thanks to everyone for reading! I love sitting on my little love seat, writing about these characters. Thanks for loving them, too. Enjoy!**

Chapter 164 - A Special Day

My dad and I drove to the Lodge for brunch. We got a great little table for two by the window and ordered a lot of food. While we ate, I told my dad the parent friendly version of mine and Edward's trip. He heard about the picnic, how we flew a kite and the great dinner we shared. I also told him about the sunset. He thought it sounded great and was glad that Edward had a good time.

"So, dad. How was the date with Heidi last night?" I asked, taking a bite of a slice of bacon.

He smiled. "It was really good, Bells. Things with her just seem to feel right. Everything is so easy." He said, smiling. He looked truly content. I was so happy that he had found someone that made him seem so fulfilled. He and Heidi had worked together for years and had already developed a strong friendship with each other.

"I'm so happy for you, dad. I really like her." I said.

He smiled. "She said how much she enjoyed shopping with you." I giggled, thinking of the lingerie store. "She said you're like the daughter she never had."

"She said that?" I asked in surprise. I was so touched that she saw me that way.

My dad reached across the table and patted my hand. "She did."

"You're really trying to make me cry today, aren't you?" I said, sniffling.

He chuckled. "Sorry, kiddo."

"Um, why don't you bring her to Edward's birthday party this afternoon?" I suggested. "I haven't seen her all week."

"Well, I guess I could give her a call. You sure?" He asked.

"I'm positive. I told you, I like her." I said, smiling. I loved that my dad was always looking out for me. "Oh, what do you think about asking her to come camping with us?" I asked. "There's already going to be eight of us."

My dad looked deep in thought. "Well, I could ask her. I'm not sure that she has any camping supplies, though. I've never heard her mention going out."

"Well, you have a tent, right? All she would need is a sleeping bag." I was excited. I thought she would have a really good time with us. "But, only with you're comfortable with it, dad."

"So, you're going to be sharing a tent with Edward?" My dad asked.

"Um, I don't know. I assumed I was, but no one's really talked about it yet." I told him. It was nice that my dad and I could talk about these things.

"Okay, well, I'll talk to Heidi and see if she's interested." He said, looking excited at the prospect of having his, dare I say, girlfriend, come camping with us. "Did they ever decide when we're going?" My dad laughed.

"Nanny and Grandpa are leaving on Monday, so I figure we'd be leaving later this week." I told him. I loved making plans with my dad. As much as I loved doing things with the Cullens, it was going to be great having my dad there with us. We would have to get all the details about the camping trip from the Cullens this afternoon. I really did hope Heidi could come with us. It would give us some more time to bond, and I'm sure Esme would love her, too.

We finished our breakfast and then headed home. I called Esme and asked her if she would mind if Heidi came with us this afternoon. Of course she was more than okay with it. "Sweetheart, you never have to ask. You and your dad are family." She told me, again, almost bringing me to tears. My dad called Heidi and she said that she would meet us over at the Cullens' at three. I was really excited that she could come.

My dad and I decided to spend the afternoon just hanging out in the backyard, eating the leftover chocolate cupcakes and playing a round or two of horseshoes. It was the perfect way for us to spend Father's Day: just being ourselves, and spending time together. We really just spent the time catching up. We laughed a lot when we were together, sharing stories from our years spent apart.

At around two-thirty, we went in the house to get Carlisle's cufflinks and Edward's presents, and then drove over to the Cullen's for Edward's party. I noticed my dad had a flat box wrapped up in tissue paper. I thought it was sweet that my dad had a gift for Edward.

We got to the party at about ten to three. We got out of the truck and walked up to the porch. Edward was sitting on the swing waiting for us. I missed my birthday boy. "Happy birthday, Edward." My dad said, walking up to him and patting his shoulder.

"Thanks, Charlie. Everyone's out in the backyard." He said. My dad smiled and nodded, heading out to the backyard. He a smirk on his face, as if he knew Edward wanted to be alone with me for a minute.

"We'll wait for Heidi." I told him. The minute was dad was in the house, I set Edward's gifts on the swing and stood on my toes, pulling Edward's lips down to meet mine. I kissed him like I hadn't seen him days, not hours. When we finally pulled back, Edward started laughing. "I missed you, baby." I whispered.

"I can see that. And, the feeling is mutual." He smiled, leaning down for one more kiss. He turned and picked up a single red rose from the swing. "For you." He said, passing it to me.

"Thank you, Edward. But, you don't need to spoil me. It's your day." I said, reaching up to put my hand on his cheek.

"But, I love you everyday. That will never change." He said, pulling me into a hug. He was so sweet. "How was your day with your dad?" He asked, resting his hands on my hips.

"It was great. He loved his scarf so much, he wore it to brunch." I laughed.

"He's proud of you." Edward said, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "So things went well with him and Heidi last night?"

"Yeah. That's okay with you that she's coming this afternoon, right?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Absolutely, baby." He chuckled. "I have to personally thank her for her help with a certain little purchase you modeled for me last night."

I blushed a little and buried my face into his chest, until Edward tickled my sides. "Heidi told my dad that I was like the daughter she never had." I told him.

"That's not hard to believe. You pretty darn lovable." He said. Just then, Heidi pulled up to the house.

She came over to us, carrying a blue gift bag. She was wearing a pair of white Capri pants and a black t-shirt. "Hi, Bella. Happy birthday, Edward." She said. "Thank you so much for having me over."

"Oh, you're welcome here anytime." Edward told her genuinely. "Oh, and while we're alone, I wanted to thank you."

Heidi started laughing right away. She totally knew that he was referring to the nightgown. "No problem. So you two had a good time, then?" She asked.

"It was great." I told her. We would have to have some girl talk later, and I'd give her some more details.

We all headed out to the back yard, and Heidi and I put our gifts on the present table. I watched as my dad walked over to her and took her hand in his. It was so sweet. I had never seen my dad affectionate with a woman before. It was a little weird for me, but it was so nice to see him happy. They walked over to talk to Edward's parents and grandparents.

I was also surprised to see Maria and Rose in the yard. It was nice that everyone was here for Edward. Alice came bouncing over for a hug. She was wearing a cute yellow sundress. "Bella, guess what? I helped mom and Nanny make Edward's birthday cake last night." She said.

"I bet it's delicious, Alice. I can't wait to taste it." I told her as Edward leaned down to pick her up, giving her a kiss on the cheek, and making her laugh.

Esme called everyone over to eat and all thirteen of us sat down in the backyard to enjoy a great barbeque. With so many people, there were lots of conversations going on at once, but I loved how everyone was so happy. I really enjoyed big family gatherings. Every so often, Edward would kiss my cheek, or squeeze my knee. It was nice that he always showed his love for me through small gestures. He really was perfect.

After we ate, and cleared off the table, Esme carried over a huge cake, which must have had three layers. It was frosted in a beautiful mocha brown color, with dark brown dollops around the edge. It read Happy 19th Birthday Edward, and was covered in little white music notes. It was beautiful, classy and perfect for Edward.

He looked so happy with it. "Thank you so much. I love it." He said looking at his mom and Nanny. I snapped a couple of pictures of the cake and Edward with the cake. Esme was beaming. She lived for her kids.

We all sang for Edward, and his cheeks were a little pink from the attention. We were all a little off key, but we tried. He managed to blow out all nineteen candles in one breath and everyone clapped.

Esme cut the cake into slices for Edward. It was the sweetest thing. I loved how she babied him. As we all ate birthday cake, which was a delicious chocolate mocha, I looked around at the great group we were lucky to have in our lives. It was a special day with special people.


	165. Chapter 165

**A/N - Thanks again for all your support for my story! It really does mean a lot to me. Now, because I love my sweet Edward so much, I've dedicated another chapter to spoiling him! Enjoy!**

Chapter 165 - Presents

After we ate our cake, Edward got up and ran into the house. He came out with a small black bag and passed it to my dad. "Happy Father's Day, Charlie." He said. "It's from all of us."

"You kids didn't have to do this." My dad said, looking shocked. I had no idea they were going to get him anything. I thought it was such a nice gesture.

"Well, you're always there for our games, you eat dinner with us every weekend and, most importantly, you're very supportive of my relationship with Bella." Edward explained. "You are important to me, to all of us. We love you, Charlie."

That did it right there. I had been on the verge of tears all day, but when Edward told my dad that he loved him, the floodgates were opened. Nanny passed me a tissue and Edward chuckled at me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and ran his fingers up and down my arm.

My dad looked so touched by the gesture. He opened the bag and pulled out a small box. "A fish finder." My dad said, exasperatedly. "This is too much."

"Charlie, let the kids spoil you." Nanny said, patting his hand. My dad got up and came around the table to give all the Cullen kids a hug. It was such an amazing moment.

I leaned over and whispered in Alice's ear. "Will you please go and grab that little red bag on the table for your dad?" She nodded her head and ran to the table. She hopped over to Carlisle and gave him the bag.

"Daddy, this is from Bella." She said, crawling on his knee.

"Thank you, sweetheart." He said, opening the bag. He opened the little box and chuckled at the cufflinks. I was so glad he liked them. He passed them around so everyone could see. "Bella, they're great. I love them." He set Alice down and came over to give me a hug.

All of the sudden, Alice came running over to the table with a present in her hand. "I found another Father's Day present, but I don't know who it's for." She said loudly. "This one says 'Happy Father's Day to the Daddy-To-Be, Love Bella and Robert.'" Edward turned to me and started chuckling. I was glad he got the joke.

Everyone's eyes turned to Edward and I. Esme and Nanny gasped and my dad's eyes were as wide as saucers. They were all speechless. "Holy crap, Edward." Emmett said in shock.

"Who's Robert?" Alice asked, still confused.

Edward just laughed and tore open the wrapping paper. He looked through the kitty books and smiled at me, leaning over to kiss my lips softly. "Thanks, baby. These look great." He looked up at everyone. "We're going to be adopting a kitten in September." He explained with a smile.

"We're going to be pet parents." I said, proudly.

My dad started laughing in relief and Heidi wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"A good scare will keep you young." Grandpa said, laughing.

"No, I think Bella's going to give me grey hair." My dad, laughed.

Esme actually looked a little disappointed. I could tell that she would be a doting and loving grandma, but she'd have to deal with a grandcat for a few years first.

"Wait a minute." Emmett starting laughing, again. "You're naming your cat, Robert?"

Edward looked at me, as if to say, I told you so. He predicted he would get teased when people found out the name. I just giggled. "Edward picked out the name." I said. Edward pinched my side, making me laugh harder. "I think it's adorable."

I leaned over to kiss him and that seemed to make him feel better. "We better get him more presents." Nanny teased. "We don't want him to pout on his birthday." Edward just laughed at her.

Alice ran over and brought him a small box. "This is from Em and Jazz." She said, coming over to sit beside me. Edward looked up and smiled at his brothers. He opened the box and pulled out a brown leather cuff bracelet. It was really nice and Edward seemed to love it. He held out his wrist and I put it on him.

"Thanks, guys. This is really great. I love it." He said, getting up to hug his brothers. Alice brought over the gift that my dad had brought. Edward opened it up and smiled, looking up at my dad and reaching across the picnic table to shake his hand. "Thank you, Charlie." My dad had framed Edward's target from the shooting range. I knew that my dad was really proud of Edward and this was his way of showing it.

The gifts continued. Rose and Maria gave Edward an iTunes card. Heidi gave Edward a self-defence book. She said it would make the cop in her feel better, with us living on our own in Seattle in the fall. Alice gave Edward a coffee cup with a guitar on it. She seemed so proud of it. Edward picked her up and started placing kisses all over her face, making her laugh.

Next, Edward opened the vinyl records I got for him. "Baby, these are incredible. They're all my favourites. Where did you get them?" He asked.

"I got them in Seattle when we got our apartment. Emmett helped me." I told him.

"Thank you so much, baby." He said, leaning in for a kiss. I blushed a little because everyone was watching us.

"Okay, Edward." Esme said. "Nanny, Grandpa, your dad and I all went in together to get you your present." She passed him an envelope. Edward looked at her and smiled, before opening the card. A photo fell out. Edward picked it up and looked at it. I looked over his shoulder and smiled. It was a photo of the bedroom group that Esme and Nanny had looked at in Port Angeles. "Edward, that entire bedroom set will be delivered to your apartment on August fifteenth." Esme told him. "The bed, the mattresses, the dresser and the bedside tables."

I knew about the bed, but I had no idea that they were getting the whole set. Edward turned to me, smiling, and squeezed my hand. He looked so excited. He got up and hugged his parents and grandparents. "This is amazing. I love it. The style, the colour, everything. Really. Just, wow. Thank you so much." I was so glad that Edward loved the bedroom set.

"Well, Bella helped pick it out, so we knew you'd like it." Nanny said, smiling. Edward winked at me.

Carlisle passed Edward a small box. "One more thing, son." Edward opened the box. It was a beautiful stainless steel watch with a black dial face.

"Wow, dad. It's great. Thanks." He said, getting up to give his dad another hug. He turned to face everyone. "Thank you to everyone. This all just too much. I love everything." His eyes actually looked a little teary and I could tell how much it meant to him that everyone was here. Edward was such a family man. His mom got up and gave him a hug.

Rose and Maria had to leave shortly after. Apparently the Hales were going out for a Father's Day dinner with their parents. Edward, Emmett, Jasper and I walked them to the front door. Edward gave the girls hugs and thanked them for coming and for the gift. We planned to hang out together this week. Emmett gave Rose a long kiss, and Maria and Jasper were holding hands while she talked about the restaurant they were going to and what she thought she might order. I loved her. She didn't pretend to be anything she wasn't. But my favourite thing was the way Jasper hung on her every word.

When Mrs. Hale pulled up to get the girls, Jasper kissed Maria's cheek and Emmett gave Rose a kiss on the lips. She pushed his chest back, giggling, because, knowing Emmett, he would have deepened that kiss.

We waved at the girls before going back to the yard. Everyone was sitting around and talking and laughing. Alice was sitting on her grandpa's knee. Carlisle and my dad were talking about camping. It sounded like we were leaving bright and early on Friday morning and we'd been gone for a week. I was really excited. It would be another new experience for me.

My dad said he could get the time off to be there. "What do you say, Heidi? Do you want to join us?" My dad asked, looking at her hopefully. "As your boss, I'll okay the holiday time." He chuckled.

Heidi looked over at me, as if to seek my approval. I smiled at her and nodded my head. "I would love for you to be there." I told her honestly.

"Okay. It sounds like fun. I've never been before, though." She admitted.

"Well, neither has Bella." Charlie told her. "Two rookies." He laughed.

"And, Alice tells me that there are bathrooms." I said, giggling, making Alice laugh. I was so excited for this camping trip. My dad looked ecstatic to have Heidi coming with us.

Esme had brought out some vegetables and sour cream dip, and some cheese and crackers at around seven o'clock. We stayed out in the yard, until it started to get dark, just talking and spending time together. I was glad to spend this time with Nanny and Grandpa, considering that they were leaving the next morning. Carlisle and Esme decided that they would drive her parents to Seattle and then spend the night, coming back on Tuesday. Esme asked if I would stay over on Monday night to watch Alice. The boys were more than capable, but Alice had already started to cry a little, snuggling close to her grandpa's chest, at the thought of them leaving. I was more than happy to stay.


	166. Chapter 166

**A/N - Thanks again for reading! I'll let you get right to it! Enjoy! **

Chapter 166 - Taking Care

My dad gave Heidi a kiss at her car, before she got in to drive home at around ten o'clock. I gave Nanny and Grandpa goodbye hugs. "Thank you both so much for everything." I said, wiping my own tears. They were the grandparents that I never had and I would miss them so much.

"Oh, sweetie, don't cry." Nanny said. "We'll be back in about a month for Esme's family reunion." I had forgotten about that. I would be meeting all of Edward's aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as Carlisle's parents. It would be quite the gathering. "I love you, sweetheart." She said, kissing my forehead.

Grandpa came over and gave me a hug. "You keep that boy in line for me, okay?" He said, chuckling. Edward laughed and wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"She always does, Grandpa." Edward laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

My dad came over and shook their hands, but Nanny pulled him into a hug. I kissed Alice on the cheek and wiped the tears off her cheeks. "I'm sleeping over tomorrow. We'll have a slumber party, okay?" She nodded her head and smiled at me through her tears.

Edward gave me a kiss. "Thank you for everything today. I love you." He said. "I'll call you tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Okay. I love you, too, babe. I'm glad you had a good birthday." I said, kissing his chin. My dad and I got in the truck and drove home. "I loved that you gave Edward his target." I told my dad.

He chuckled. "He did good, and I thought he might like it." He said. "So, you're going to be watching Alice tomorrow night, huh?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said. "Plus, those boys are going need breakfast on Tuesday."

"Okay, well give me call if you guys need anything, okay?" He asked. "Both Heidi and I are on the day shift this week, so we'll probably have dinner together tomorrow night. Don't worry about me."

I laughed. "I'm so glad you guys have hit it off. And, I'm really happy she decided to come camping with us."

"So am I. That was really nice of you to make her feel welcome." My dad said. "I think she looked pretty excited." I smiled at my dad. He was really good boyfriend material. I was so glad that he had Heidi in his life now.

When we got home, I went upstairs and got ready for bed. My stomach started cramping up and I realized that I was starting my period. I let out a deep breath. Hopefully, the cramps wouldn't last so long this time. I took an aspirin and went to bed. When I got up, I slipped on my sweat pants, took another pill, and went downstairs to make my dad I some pancakes. I felt really tired and my cramps still hurt, but it wasn't too bad.

After my dad left for work, I went upstairs and had a long, hot shower. I dried my hair and got dressed in a pair of black sweat shorts and a white t-shirt. I wanted to be comfortable. I dried my hair and put on some lip gloss. I packed a little overnight bag. I had lots of things at Edward's house, but I didn't want jeans. I packed a comfortable black cotton skirt and a purple tank for the next day.

Edward called at nine-thirty. "Hey, baby. Do you want to come over? We have some sad kids over hear that could use some cheering up."

"Aw. Of course. Did Nanny and Grandpa leave?" I asked.

"Yeah, they just left. Alice is crying and Jasper is having a tough time, too." Edward said. "But, I'm on my way, okay? I'll see you in about ten minutes."

"Okay. I love you, Edward. See you then." I said, hanging up. The Cullens were such a close family, and it was hard on the kids when their family left. I knew Alice was probably upset that her mom and dad were gone for the night, as well.

I went up to the bathroom and took one more pill. I heard the doorbell, so I came down to let Edward in. He passed me a little bunch of yellow buttercups. They were so simple and pretty. He pulled me in to his arms and I hugged him back. "Thank you for the flowers. You doing okay, Edward?" I asked into his chest.

He chuckled. "Yeah. It's just hard to see Alice cry." He said. He pulled back and looked at my face. He frowned a little. "You're pale. Do you feel okay?" He asked, tracing his finger on my cheek.

"Cramps." I told him. His cheeks flushed a little and he nodded his head.

"Aw, baby." He said, pulling me back to his chest. "Do you want me to rub your back for a couple minutes before we leave?" He was such a considerate guy.

"Actually, yeah. That sounds really good." I said, smiling at him.

We walked to the living room. Edward sat on the couch and I straddled his legs, facing him before leaning in and resting my head in the crook of his neck. Edward wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my lower back. It felt so good. I placed little kisses on his neck making him smile. We sat there for about ten minutes and I almost fell asleep.

"Babe, we should probably go." I said, before leaning in to kiss his lips. "Thank you. That felt amazing."

"Anytime, baby. Are you sure you don't want to just stay here and lay down? I can come get you later." He suggested.

"No, Edward. Thank you, but I'm alright. I promise." I said. He was the sweetest boyfriend a girl could ask for. I knew how lucky I was to have him. We got off the couch and Edward carried my overnight bag and purse to the car for me. I giggled. He was such a gentleman.

On the way to his house, I had Edward stop at the grocery store. I picked up two huge bunches of grapes, one green and one red. Edward laughed at me. "What?" I laughed. "Trust me, Edward. You're going to wish I bought more of these." I decided that I would make the Cullen kids some frozen grapes. They tasted like sorbet. I thought it would cheer them up.

We got to the Cullens' house and found Emmett and Jasper sitting on the couch, watching TV. Alice was curled up on Emmett's lap. Jasper looked up and smiled at us, but his eyes were red. "Hey, guys." Emmett said. "What's in the bag?"

"Grapes." I said. "I have a really good recipe you guys will like." We came and sat on the couch with them. "Come here, Alice." I said. She sat up and I saw her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were red. She was still in her pyjamas. "Aw, honey. It's okay. We all miss them, but they be back to visit again soon." I told her.

"I know." She said, sniffling.

"Come on." I said getting up. "Let's go get you cleaned up and you can help me make a snack for your brothers." I held out my hand and she slid off the couch and took my hand. Edward winked at me, and then got up to sit by Jasper, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. It was sweet. Jasper was young and quiet, and it was heartbreaking to see him upset.

Alice and I went up the stairs to the bathroom. She sat on the edge of the bathtub and I ran a face cloth under warm water. I knelt down in front of her and washed her tearstained face. I sat with her while she brushed her teeth, and then we went to her room. I brushed her hair and pulled it back into little pigtails. We picked out some pink cotton shorts and a white t-shirt for her to wear. My stomach was cramping a little bit, so I laid back on her bed. She crawled in beside me and I must have fallen asleep.

I woke up to a kiss on my lips. I opened my eyes and was met by Edward's beautiful face. "Where's Alice?" I asked looking around.

He smiled at me. "She's downstairs. She came down about a half hour ago and said you fell asleep."

I sat up. "I'm sorry." I said, feeling bad that I fell asleep.

Edward leaned in to kiss me again. "Don't apologize. Do you want to go back to sleep on my bed? Do you need anything?" He asked. It was so cute how he was doting over me.

"Actually, I'm going to run to the bathroom, but do you have any aspirin?" I asked. Some days, I just hated being a girl.

"I think there's some in my bathroom." He said.

"Okay, thank you." I said, kissing his lips. "I'll be right down." I went to Edward's bathroom, before going back downstairs to join the Cullens. They were all sitting at the kitchen table. I started laughing when I walked in. "Waiting for lunch?" I asked. They were all so helpless. I just loved them so much. I could completely understand why Esme wanted me to come over. I had four kids to baby sit.

"No, we were trying to figure out what to make." Emmett laughed. "We're between pizza pockets and mac and cheese."

I looked in the freezer and found some ground beef. "Why don't we make a huge plate of nachos?" I asked. Everyone seemed excited, so I gave them each a job. I set out a cookie sheet and Alice got to lay all the chips on it. I let Jasper grate the cheese, and I had Emmett open the can of beans to heat in the microwave and Edward chopped the tomatoes and peppers, while I browned and seasoned the beef.

When everything was ready, I put all the toppings on the chips and put it in the oven for ten minutes to melt the cheese. When they were ready, I put a big dollop of sour cream on the top to finish it off. We all sat around the table and just ate them straight from the cookie sheet. It was messy, but it was a fun and relaxed meal that everyone was a part of.


	167. Chapter 167

**A/N - Hey! Thanks again for all the support. I just want to quickly reply to an unsigned review...this is my ideal world, and my characters. I feel that Esme is a very loving and welcoming character. Charlie is Carlisle's best friend and is considered a part of the family. Of course they would want him to bring his girlfirend camping. To quote Esme, families grow.**

**I seriously love hearing what you think, but if you want a reply, please send a signed review. I literally answer every single one. This story means a lot to me and I have been working on it since June. I put a lot of time into thinking about how my characters would react in certain situations.**

**Again, thank you all for reading!**

Chapter 167 - Calls and Falls

I was glad that, during lunch, everyone was laughing and happy again. I hated seeing Alice sad. I knew she missed her grandparents.

"Bella, these are really good." Jasper said, as we ate our nachos.

"Yeah. We're going to be up in Seattle every chance we get." Emmett said, shoving three more chips in his mouth.

"Well, we'd love to have you." I said smiling. I was so looking forward to having family come up and visit us when we went back to college.

After we ate, I got out a plate and spread a thin layer of sugar on it. I washed the grapes and we all stood at the counter rolling the grapes in sugar before putting them in the freezer. "So, you think I'll like grapes this way?" Alice asked.

"I think so. They're really good." I told her. "They're even better than ice cream. But we'll have to wait a few hours."

"Well, do you guys want to get out of the house for a while?" Edward asked when we finished. "Maybe go to the park?"

Everyone agreed. Emmett and Jasper went upstairs to get their sunglasses and a football and Alice went up to the bathroom. Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and looked down at me. "Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." I said standing on my toes to kiss him. Edward was so sensitive and caring. He was always looking out for me.

We all got in Edward's car, Jasper beating Emmett to shotgun, again. Alice clung onto me like a little spider monkey in the back seat. We drove to the park, and Emmett and Jasper ran out to the field just past the playground equipment and started tossing the football back and forth. Edward and I walked with Alice in between us, each holding one of her hands, over to the swings. Alice and I each sat on a swing and Edward took turns pushing each of us. Alice was giggling because Edward got her up pretty high.

After about ten minutes on the swings, Alice wanted Edward to help her with the monkey bars. I stayed on the swing and watched as Edward held Alice up to the bars and carried her along, letting her move her arms from bar to bar. It was adorable, and again, I had visions of Edward doing things like that with our own kids. He was a great big brother and he was going to be an amazing dad someday.

My phone rang in my purse so I got up to check it. Alec. "Hey, Alec." I said. I knew he was calling about the group date.

"Hi, Bella. I was talking to Paul and he has tomorrow night off. So he and Rachel and are in. Do you think Siobhan would be up for Tuesday night, at around six? Are you and Edward free?" He asked. He sounded so excited.

"I think we're free. How about I call Siobhan right now and I'll call you right back, okay?" I was really looking forward to this and I hoped Siobhan wouldn't get cold feet.

"Okay, you're the best." Alec said, before hanging up.

I got up and walked over to Edward. "Alec said he and Paul are both free tomorrow night. You want to go at around six?" I asked him.

Edward smiled. "Sounds good, angel." he said, setting Alice down. She ran over to the slide and started climbing the ladder. Edward looked worried, so we walked over to stand and watch her. "Have you called Siobhan?"

"No, I'm going to do that right now." I said. He leaned down to kiss me, before I walked back to the swings. I dialled her number and she picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, Bella. Have you been able to get a group together?" She asked. I was glad that she sounded so eager for this date. I had a really good feeling about it.

"Yes. Actually Alec worked everything out. He just called and he sounds really excited to meet you." I told her. "Is tomorrow night at six alright?"

"It's perfect." She said. "So, you think he's really looking forward to meeting me?"

I smiled. These two were going to be great together. "Siobhan. The boy is practically salivating in anticipation." I laughed.

She laughed with me. "Okay. Um, do you think you could pick me up? I would feel a lot better walking into the restaurant with someone."

"No problem." I said, reaching in my bag for a pen and paper. I wrote down her address and told her we would pick her up at about ten to six tomorrow night.

"Thanks again for setting this up, Bella." She said.

"It was my pleasure. I'll see you tomorrow." I said hanging up. I was so excited for this date tomorrow night. Alec was so alone in his life without family, and I thought that Siobhan might be able to fill that void for him. And even if it didn't work out, maybe they could at least gain a friend out of it.

I looked up and saw Alice running towards me on the sidewalk. "Hey, Bella, do you want to try the monkey bars?" She asked as she ran. She looked back to see if Edward was behind her and she tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. She fell on her hands and knees on the concrete. "Ow."

I flew off the swings and crouched down in front of her. "Alice, are you okay?" I said. Edward was right there, and he picked her up carrying her to the park bench.

Alice was trying to be so brave, and she wasn't crying, but a single tear fell from her eye. Emmett and Jasper ran over. Her knees were scraped up and her hands were red. Edward leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. "Okay, princess. What hurts?" He asked her.

"It stings." She whispered.

"Em, will you go grab the first aid kit from my trunk?" Edward asked, tossing him his keys. "I know it stings, and we'll clean it up, but can you wiggle your fingers and move your wrists?"

She wiggled her little fingers and turned her wrists around. Edward was watching her face to judge her reaction. He reached down and checked her knees, she flinched a little, but I think it was just because the scrapes hurt. "It doesn't look like anything is broken." Jasper said.

Emmett came running back over and opened the first aid kit. Edward opened an antiseptic towel and wiped her knees. "Owie." She cried, clinging onto Jasper's neck.

"I'm sorry, princess. I'm almost done, okay?" Edward said, frowning. You could tell that it was hard for him to see his sister hurt. Emmett and I each opened up a bandage and put them on her knees.

"There you go, Alice." I said, patting her leg. "All better." I smiled at her and she forced a smile back at me.

The Cullens couldn't be cuter. I absolutely loved how they rallied around each other, even for scraped knees. "Okay, let's get home. What do say to a movie marathon and Chinese food?" Edward asked his sister, knowing that she loved Chinese food.

"Really?" She asked, smiling, scraped knees forgotten. Edward chuckled at her and kissed her forehead.

"Anything for my princess." Edward told her. Emmett leaned forward and picked up his sister, setting her on his hip and walking to the car. I closed up the first aid kit and Edward took my hand. We all walked back to the car and got in.

"I want ginger beef and sweet and sour pork and pineapple chicken." Alice said, as we drove to the Golden Gate restaurant. I was laughing so hard. She was so tiny, but she loved to eat and she wasn't afraid to ask for anything that she wanted. Edward looked at me and chuckled.

"We've created a monster." Emmett said from the backseat.

"But, she's our little monster." Jasper said, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm not a monster. I'm a princess." Alice said. "Edward even said so." Edward just laughed.

"Do you want anything special that Alice hasn't already requested, baby?" Edward asked me after we pulled into the parking lot.

"No, babe. I'll eat whatever you get. Don't worry about me." I told him. This meal was already going to cost him a fortune. But, again, his considerateness shone though. He reached over and squeezed my hand.

Emmett carried Alice, and we all went into the restaurant. Emmett, Alice and I sat in the chairs in the lobby and Jasper and Edward went to place our order.

"So, Emmett, when does football practice start?" I asked him, while we waited.

"Uh, like the middle of August." He said. "But, I've got to start running everyday and lifting weights. I've got to keep up this amazing physique." I laughed.

"Well, I'm glad I'll get to see your practices before we go back to Seattle." I told him. "I'm so proud of you boys. You are so committed to your teams."

"Well, we've always been athletic, and I love to compete." He told me, his cheeks lightly flushed.

Edward had just paid the bill and he and Jasper were walking back over to us, when the restaurant door chimed, and a girl about my age walked in the door. She was wearing a pair of short shorts and a very low cut top. She was heavily made up, and was very attractive. She smiled at Edward and walked over to him, placing her hand on his arm.

Edward looked angry, upset and embarrassed all at once. Emmett leaned over and whispered in my ear. "That's Jessica, Edward's ex."


	168. Present Meets Past

**A/N - Wow! An incredible response to the cliff hanger! I checked my inbox later in the day and was amazing by the number of messages! Thanks so much for reading! Let's meet Jessica, shall we? Enjoy!**

Chapter 168 - Present Meets Past

Edward's ex-girlfriend, Jessica, was really pretty. In that moment, sitting in the lobby of the Chinese restaurant, wearing old sweat shorts and t-shirt, that may or may not have had a nacho stain from lunch on the sleeve, I felt a little inferior. I was always a shy girl, but being around so many people that loved me, my confidence was growing. When Edward told me how much he loved me, I felt like the most beautiful girl in the world. But, seeing her, made me feel average. I'm going to blame the hormones.

I looked at Edward, and he was looking at me. He looked so helpless in that moment. So, I did what any girlfriend would do. I put my own feelings and insecurities aside, got up and walked over to save my boy. Edward was always so confident, but with Jessica standing beside him, he looked so insecure.

I wrapped my left arm around Edward's waist and held out my right hand, to shake hers. "Hi, I'm Bella Swan, Edward's girlfriend." I said. I felt Edward let out a deep breath, as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I could tell he was relieved that I was that was with him.

She looked at my hand, before reaching out and shaking it tentatively with her manicured hand. "Jessica Stanley." She said, eyeing me up and down. "You know, Edward and I dated in high school during our senior year." She said, acting as if that gave her some kind of hold over him.

"I've heard." I said, clearly taking her off guard. "But, Edward is dating me, now. And, that's not going to change. So, if you'll excuse us." I said, walking back over to the chairs, with Edward in tow, and without so much as a glance back towards her. She had hurt the love of my life and, while I could be civil, I wasn't about to pretend that I was happy to meet her.

"Nice one." Emmett laughed. I just smiled back at him and shrugged my shoulders innocently.

We sat down and Edward picked up my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it over and over and again. I looked over at him and smiled, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. We didn't need to speak to communicate. He was thanking me for intervening and I was showing him that I would always take care of him and be there for him. We really were perfect for each other.

I looked up and noticed that Jessica was gone, so she must have been seated in the dining area. I really wished that Edward would realize that she wasn't superior to him. But, everyone had their insecurities and I was not one to judge. All I could do was be there for him. I would ask him if he wanted to talk about it later.

"I'm hungry. Is it ready, yet?" Alice asked, bringing us all back to the present. I giggled at her. She was so priceless.

"Almost, princess." Edward said. "Which movie do you want to watch first when we get home?"

"Um, what about Aladdin?" She asked.

"Sounds good." He said. He seemed to be acting like his old self again, and I was grateful for that.

Our order came up and Edward and Jasper each went to grab a bag. Edward had ordered a lot of food. The drive back to the house was quiet, except for Alice singing her favourite songs from Aladdin. I held Edward's hand, running my fingers over his palm.

When we got back to the Cullens' I ran upstairs to use the bathroom. When I came back out, Edward was sitting on his bed. He held his arms out for me and I came and sat on his lap. He leaned in and kissed my neck, before looking up at me. "How are you feeling, angel?" He asked rubbing my back.

"A lot better, actually." I said. "I think it's because you take such good care of me." I leaned in and kissed his nose.

"Well, I just wish you didn't have to go through that. I hate it when you're in pain." He said.

"I know. I feel the same way about you." I leaned in and kissed his lips a couple of times until he smiled. "Do you want to talk about Jessica?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "No. Not right now." I sighed. I didn't want him to close up, but I wasn't going to push him. He would talk when he wanted to. But I was here when he needed me. "Maybe later, okay?" He added.

I smiled at him and kissed his lips. "Okay. I love you so much, Edward. I'm here for you whenever you need me."

He smiled against my lips before kissing me again. "Thank you." He whispered. "Thank you for approaching her. I don't know why, I just feel so defenceless around her. She's just so damn arrogant and vain." He sighed. "I can't figure out what I ever saw in her. Why was I so blind?"

I guess he did want to talk about Jessica. "Well, for one thing, she acted one way with you and another with everyone else. And, secondly, she's really pretty." I said. "I'll be honest with you, Edward. When I first saw her, I felt self conscious."

"What?" Edward asked, genuinely shocked. "Bella. You are the most beautiful woman I have every seen, both inside and outside."

"Thank you, Edward." I said kissing him. "But, she is a pretty girl."

Edward just shook his head. "It's all superficial, though."

I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him in a tight hug. I was so lucky that he was mine. "Should we go eat?" I asked him, kissing his cheek.

"Yeah, Alice is probably going crazy down there." He chuckled. We stood up and went downstairs, hand-in-hand. I loved that he was getting better at talking to me about his concerns.

Emmett and Jasper had glasses and plates set out on the coffee table and they were taking all the Chinese food cartons out of the bags when we walked into the room. Alice was putting the DVD into the player. We all sat on the floor around the coffee table and started digging in. Edward put a little of everything on Alice's plate, but kept the portions small. "Can I have more?" She asked with a cute little grin.

"Alice, eat what you have first, okay? If you're still hungry, you can have more." He explained to her. Award winning dad material, I thought, again.

"Okay." She agreed, but kept her eyes on the food.

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He turned and smiled at me. "You're such a good brother." I whispered in his ear, nipping at his ear lobe. "You're going to be a great kitty dad."

Edward chuckled, and Alice turned and frowned at us, because we were talking during the movie. "Sorry." He whispered, winking at her, making her giggle. "But, it was Bella's fault." He added, tickling my side.

"Hey." I said. "I can't believe you tattled." Edward just laughed.

"Bella." Alice sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. I'll paint your fingernails tonight after dinner, okay?" I figured I would be forgiven.

"Yeah. That sounds fun." Alice agreed.

We all ate our dinner and finished the movie. Alice didn't even finish everything on her plate. I ate so much. We all crawled onto the couch and I leaned against Edward. "I'm so glad I'm wearing sweat shorts." I groaned.

Edward chuckled and set his hand on my stomach, rubbing it back and forth slowly. "What's next princess?" Edward asked.

"Um, what about 'High School Musical'?" She asked, holding up the DVD. Emmett groaned and Jasper just laughed. "What?" She asked. "It's a good movie."

We ended up watching 'The Princess Bride.' I absolutely loved how the guys watched these movies with their sister. She really was spoiled.

Halfway through the movie, Jasper and I went to the kitchen to get the grapes. He got out two bowls and we split the grapes up. He popped one in his mouth. "These are awesome." He said, quietly. "How do you know how to do all this stuff?"

I giggled. "Because, I'm old. Just think how much you'll know by the time you're my age." I wrapped my arm around his waist.

"Well, maybe now that you're around." He said shyly.

"Aw, Jasper." I said. "Don't make me cry."

"Sorry." He chuckled, patting my shoulder. He was so sweet. He and Emmett were the brothers I never had. I loved having them in my life.

We walked back into the family room and Alice was sitting on Edward's lap. I sat beside them and Jasper sat by me.

"Okay, Alice. Give this a try." I said, passing her a grape. She sucked the sugar off of it, first, then bit it in half.

A big smile spread on her face. "Mm. This is so good."

"Awesome, Bella." Emmett said. I took one out of the bowl and fed it to Edward. He smiled at me. He mouthed 'delicious' and I smiled.

Today had it's ups and downs, but any time spent with the Cullens was perfect in my eyes.


	169. Alice

**A/N - Thank you again for all the great reviews and to everyone who is reading! You are all amazing. Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers. Enjoy!**

Chapter 169 - Alice

After the movie was over, and we ran out of frozen grapes, Alice ran up to her room to get the nail polish I had bought her for her dance recital. The guys starting flipping through the TV and ended up leaving it on Sports Center. Alice came downstairs and we sat together at the kitchen table, so I could paint her fingernails.

The phone rang and I heard Emmett pick it up. "Hey, mom." He said. All the boys passed around the phone, and I could hear Edward telling his mom about Alice's fall. Edward came in the kitchen and put the phone on the table, turning it to speaker phone.

"Hi, mommy." Alice said. "Guess what? Bella showed us how to make nachos, and then we went to the park and I fell, but then Edward bought us Chinese food and Bella made us frozen grapes and they were really good and we watched movies and now Bella's painting my fingernails."

I was giggling at her and how she managed to sum up the entire day in one sentence. "That sounds great, sweetheart. But, I'm sorry you fell. How are your knees?" Esme asked her.

"Um, I think they're okay. I have band-aids on them, so I can't see the scrapes." Alice explained. I was glad they didn't hurt anymore. Kids were great. Once the band-aid was on, the tears stopped.

"Okay, sweetie, your daddy and I love you and we'll be back tomorrow around lunchtime." Esme said. "Thank you, Bella, for everything."

"It's absolutely my pleasure." I told her honestly. "Have a great night." We said our goodbyes and I turned off the phone.

"Alice. Do you usually have your bath before bed or when you wake up in the morning?" I asked her, as she hopped around the room, waving her hands around to dry her nail polish.

"At night." She said.

"Can you do it by yourself?" I asked her.

"Yeah. I think so, but my mom usually sits in bathroom with me." She told me.

"Okay. Well it's after nine, so we'd better get you ready for bed." I told her. We got up and went back in the family room. Alice gave all her brothers goodnight hugs and kisses before she came back and took my hand.

"Edward, I'm just going to get her ready for bed." I told him.

"Thanks, babe. I'll be up to read you a story, okay princess?" Edward said.

"Okay. Goodnight, Em. Goodnight, Jazz." Alice said with a cute little yawn.

We went upstairs and I filled the bathtub up with water for her. I left the room so she could get in the tub and she called for me once she got in. When I walked back in the bathroom, she had the shower curtain closed and I could hear her splashing around. I had brought her pyjamas in with me.

"Hey, Bella? Will you sing with me?" She asked. "Me and my mom always sing together."

I actually blushed at the thought of singing. "I'm a horrible singer, Alice." I laughed. "Why don't you sing something for me?"

"Okay, but only if you sing for me, first." She giggled. She was a smart kid. She could not be tricked.

"Alright. What do you want me to sing?" I asked her.

"What about 'A Whole New World?' from Aladdin?" She asked. "I love that song."

"Okay. But, it's not going to be pretty." I admitted, making her laugh. I cleared my throat and started singing. "I can show you the world." It was terribly off key and even I cringed when I heard my voice. But, it was for Alice, so I kept going. By the time I got to the chorus, Alice had joined in with me and we sang together. I'm sure we got half of the lyrics wrong, but we were giggling and having fun.

When we finished the song, Alice told me she was done with her bath. "Okay, your towel and pyjamas are on the counter." I told her, before leaving the room and going back to her room. Edward was laying on Alice's bed, holding a book. He looked up at me with a huge smile on his face.

"You are amazing and absolutely adorable." He said, sitting up. I sat beside him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"You heard the singing?" I asked with my eyes closed, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Yeah." He chuckled. "You know, I have heard you sing before. In the car on the way to Tucson."

I laughed. "True, but the radio was on and Angie was singing with me, so you couldn't really hear how horrible I sound." I defended.

"Sugar, I love everything about you." He said, kissing my forehead. "Thank you for being so amazing with Alice. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Aw, Edward. You're sweet. But, you never have to worry, because I'm not going anywhere." I told him.

Alice came out of the bathroom in her pyjamas and wet hair. "Hi, Edward." She said. "Can someone help me dry my hair?"

"I will, Alice." I said, getting up. She sat at her little vanity and I stood behind her and dried her hair. It didn't take long because she had fairly short hair. "Okay, all done." I said.

She got up and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Thanks, Bella." She said. "Will you stay while Edward reads the story?"

"Of course." I said. Edward leaned against Alice's pillow, and Alice and I each crawled in on either side of Edward. We both laid our heads on his chest, making him chuckle.

Edward started reading poems by Shel Silverstein. I smiled, as I remembered Angela and I reading these poems in the library when we were growing up. Alice and I giggled at the poems until she eventually started to fall asleep. I sat up and took the book from Edward. He scooped Alice up and moved her to the middle of her bed, pulling her blankets up around her. He placed a kiss on her forehead, and smiled down at her. "I love you, princess." He whispered.

Every time I watched Edward with her, my heart swelled with love for him. I had never seen someone outwardly show that much love. It was beautiful.

Edward stood up and took my hand, leading me out of the room. He flicked off the light and we went into the hallway. He leaned into my body, against the wall and kissed my neck. "Bella. You are going to be an amazing mom someday. You are so good with Alice." He whispered into my ear.

"You think so? But, I'm so horrible with babies." I giggled remembering what a nightmare babysitting Seth had been for me.

Edward reached up and stroked my cheek. "You were just nervous." He said, reassuring me. "It just takes practice. But, you have this natural way about you with kids." He leaned in and kissed me on the lips. "I just love you more everyday." He whispered.

I smiled back at him. "I feel the same way about you." I told him truthfully.

"You want to go to bed?" He asked. I agreed. I was exhausted. "I'll just go say goodnight to Em and Jazz." He said, before jogging down the stairs.

I went into his room and went to get my baseball shirt out of his drawer. I slipped off my shorts, t-shirt and bra before bulling my nightshirt on. I went into the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face. I came back into Edward's room and noticed that Esme must have already changed the sheets before they left this morning.

I slipped into Edward's bed and laid back, closing my eyes. I think I had missed Edward's bed as much as he did. I heard the door open and I looked up to see Edward walking in the room. "You look so perfect in my bed." He chuckled, taking his shirt off. "I'll be right there." He said, going into his bathroom. He came out in about three minutes, in just a pair of grey boxers and climbed into his bed with me. He smelled so minty and delicious.

I leaned in to kiss him, pulling my body close to his. I ran my fingers over his bare back, just enjoying the feeling of his skin on my hands. "I love you so much." I whispered, as his hands moved down my body to my legs.

"I love you, Bella Swan." He said softly into my neck. "I love you for knowing what I need, for standing up for me, for loving my family and taking care of us." I could have cried. My basic assumption about men, was that they didn't share their feelings so openly. But, my Edward was different. He was perfect in my eyes, and I wouldn't change a thing about him, or about us.

We fell asleep in each others' arms. I had never felt so content.


	170. Having Spent the Night

**A/N - Hello my awesome readers! Thanks again for all the support! Have a great weekend! Enjoy!**

Chapter 170 - Having Spent the Night

One of my absolute favourite things in the world was waking up in Edward's arms. I loved that he was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. He was still asleep, so I slipped out if his arms and went to use the bathroom. It was still early, so I figured a few more minutes of snuggling wouldn't hurt. I climbed back in to bed with him, and kissed his chest.

He stretched his arms up above his head, before wrapping them around me. "Good morning, angel." He said, his voice a little raspy.

"Good morning. How did it feel to be back in your bed?" I asked him, considering he had spent the last two weeks on the couch in the basement.

"I've never slept better." He chuckled. "But, then again, that could be because you're here."

"You're such a sweet talker." I giggled, running my fingernails along his stomach.

"It's true, though." He smiled. We cuddled a little while longer, before I went to go have a shower. After I got out and got dressed, Edward got in the shower while I dried my hair. I pulled it back into a French braid so it would be wavy for our group date tonight. I loved our little routine. We already had it down to science. Living together in the fall was going to go so smoothly. I really couldn't wait until this was an everyday occurrence.

Edward went to go wake up his brothers for breakfast and I went in to get Alice. She was already awake, looking through her closet for something to wear. She was such a little fashionista already at age seven. I couldn't wait until she was seventeen. She would need more closet space.

"Good morning, Alice." I said, walking over to her to give her a hug.

"Hi, Bella. You're wearing a skirt? Can I wear one, too?" She asked.

"Of course. Let's be twins." I laughed. "Do you have a black skirt?" Alice ran over to her dresser and pulled out a little black skirt and slid it on. She looked so excited. "Okay, do you have a purple shirt?" I asked.

She ran back to her closet and brought out a purple t-shirt with little white flowers on it. "Do you think this counts?" She asked. She was so cute.

"I think so." I told her. She slipped off her pyjamas and pulled on the t-shirt. I waited for her at her vanity table. She ran over and I French braided her hair to match mine. We stood together in front of the mirror and giggled. She was almost an exact copy of me. It was adorable. "Let's go get Edward to take a picture of us." I told her. She looked so excited. I took her hand and we walked together down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Emmett was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and Jasper had on a pair of grey sweat pants and a white t-shirt. The looked like they just got up, but Edward had them hard at work in the kitchen.

"Hello my beautiful girls." Edward said with a smile. "Take a seat. The Cullen brothers have got breakfast covered this morning." Alice and I giggled as we sat down together at the kitchen table. Edward poured Alice a glass of milk and me a glass of orange juice.

Emmett and Jasper were laughing as they were working at the counter, while Edward set the table. I smelled something burning but I didn't say anything. I thought the gesture was sweet and I loved them all for doing this.

The boys walked over and set down a plate of frozen waffles and one of toast. Both stacks were a little burnt around the edges, but looked edible. They also brought over two boxes of cereal. "Thank you guys so much. It looks delicious." I said. I was really touched.

I took two waffles and poured syrup on them. "They're the cinnamon ones." Jasper added, looking pretty proud.

"Really, guys, this is so great." I said, smiling. We all crunched through our breakfast, and it really wasn't that bad.

Over breakfast, Emmett told us that Maria and Rose were going to be coming over for a while this afternoon.

"So, do the Hales have any big plans for the summer?" I asked them.

"Yeah. I guess they're going on a family trip to Seattle for a week. They're going shopping for clothes and stuff." Emmett said. "They leave on Saturday."

"So, they're not coming camping with us?" I asked.

Jasper laughed. "There is no way their dad would agree to that." He said quietly.

"Dad's are very protective of their daughters. Well, maybe we can do a day trip with them." I suggested. "We talked about going hiking together. Do you think they'd want to go tomorrow or Thursday before we left?"

"That would be awesome. We'll ask them this afternoon." Emmett said, smiling.

"We could go on the Ruby Beach trail." Jasper suggested. "It's a fairly easy one."

"Good idea, Jazz." Edward said. "It's really pretty once you get to the end, Bella. You'll like it." I smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

"Alright. I'm in." I was excited about this outing. We finished our breakfast and Emmett and Jasper volunteered to clean up the table. I got up and gave them all a hug. "Thank you so much for doing this for Alice and I." I said. "You are sweet boys. I love you, both."

They both had pink cheeks as they hugged me back. Edward chuckled and I came over and kissed his chin. "Thank you, babe. I love you." I said, smiling at his beautiful face. "Um, I need to run home and get a dress for tonight. You want to drive me?"

"Of course, baby." Edward said, kissing my forehead.

"Can I come?" Alice asked, looking up at me.

"Of course, Alice." I said, smiling at her. "We are twins, today. We can't be apart."

"Okay, guys. We'll be right back." Edward said. The three of us walked out to the car and Alice got in the back seat. Edward held my hand as we drove back to my house.

"I've never seen your bedroom before, Bella." Alice said when we got there.

"Head on up the stairs and go in the door to the left." I told her, as she scurried up the stairs.

Edward took that moment to lean down and give me a kiss. "I was hoping for a half hour alone with you." He whispered with a sexy smirk.

"Mm. Don't tease." I giggled. "What should I wear out tonight?" I asked Edward, as we walked up the stairs together.

"What about that pretty blue dress you wore in Florida?" Edward asked. "I remember that you looked so sexy in it." He whispered.

I smiled at him. "Okay." I agreed, making him smile. Everything I wore was for Edward's eyes, anyway, so if he wanted to see me in it, I was all for it.

We walked into my room and Alice was sitting on my bed. I sat beside her and asked Edward to take our picture. We had gotten sidetracked by breakfast. He agreed and told us that we looked beautiful.

"I love your purple bed spread." Alice said with a smile.

"Thanks. My dad bought it for me when I moved up here last summer." I told her. Edward sat beside her on the bed, while I went to my closet to get out the dress. I quickly snuck my strapless bra out of my drawer, and slipped it into my purse. Edward held back a chuckle. I didn't want Alice to see it and want one because I had one. That conversation was one for her and her mom a few years from now.

"Okay, I'm just going to put in a load of laundry before we go back to your house." I told Edward and Alice.

"Okay. Alice and I will go put your dress in the car." Edward said, standing up and taking the dress and my purse from me, after placing a quick kiss on my lips.

"Thanks, babe." I said. They went down the stairs and I went in my dad's room to get his laundry. When I walked in, I noticed Heidi's blouse on the floor. I knew it was hers right away because it was one of the tops she had bought when we went shopping together in Port Angeles.

I picked it up and folded it, setting it on the bed. I sat down on my dad's bed. I honestly wasn't surprised that she had spent the night. Her and my dad had know each other for years as colleagues and friends. They were both single adults who seemed to have an amazing connection. I was happy for them.

I wanted my dad to be happy and Heidi made him the happiest I've ever seen him. And, Heidi gushed about him. She was so nice and sweet, and always made sure I was feeling okay with their relationship.

"Baby?" I looked up and Edward was peaking his head around the door. "Is everything okay?"

I smiled at him. "Yeah." I said, getting up and grabbing my dad's laundry basket. Edward took it from me and carried it down the stairs for me and into the laundry room. "Where's Alice?" I asked him.

"She's in the living room watching TV." He said.

I nodded. "Heidi stayed here last night." I told him as I sorted the clothes. Edward was my soul mate and I would always share everything with him.

"Oh. How do you feel about that? You okay?" He asked, grabbing my hands, and stopping me for a minute.

I looked up at his face and smiled. I was always so touched by how much he cared about my feelings. "I'm great, Edward. I want him to be happy, and I think she's the one for him."


	171. Love Bites

**A/N - You are all incredible! I'm always amazed at how supportive and encouraging my reviewers are! Thanks to everyone from around the world that is reading! You all make me feel special! Enjoy!**

Chapter 171 - Love Bites

Edward sat on the drier while I put a load of laundry in the washer. "I'm happy for your dad. He deserves to be have a great girl in his life." Edward said. "And I'm even happier that you and Heidi get along so well. I know how important your dad is to you."

I smiled at him. "Have I told you how perfect you are?" I asked. "I mean, you really are. I don't even think you have a single flaw."

Edward chuckled. "Now that's a stretch, but I'm glad you think so."

"Well, you do leave your dirty clothes on the floor." I giggled. "But, that is one my favourite qualities about you. It proves that you're human."

Edward laughed, hopping down off the drier and walking over to me. He wrapped me tightly in his arms before leaning in for a deep kiss. He ran his fingers lightly up and down my arms, making me shiver. He started kissing down my neck. I lightly pushed him back. "No, Edward." I giggled. "I will not be teased by Alec and Paul tonight if you give me more of your so called love bites."

He burst out laughing. "I'm sorry. You're just so delicious." He whispered. "So technically, it's your fault."

"My fault?" I laughed. "That you can't keep those pretty lips to yourself?"

"Yes." He said, before bringing his lips back to mine. He pulled my body close to his and held me in his arms. By the time he pulled back, I had forgotten what we were talking about. Those lips were as talented as they were pretty.

"I love you so much." I whispered, laying my head on his chest.

"I will never ever get tired of hearing you say that." He said, before kissing the top of my head. "I love you, baby."

I kissed his chest, before looking up at him. "We should get home so we're there when your mom and dad get home. Alice wouldn't want to miss the homecoming." I said with a smile.

"You're right." He said, kissing my forehead. "I think you're the perfect one."

"Oh, wait. Can I ask you a favour?" I asked him, before we left the laundry room.

"Of course, angel." He said.

"Um, can I wash my nightgown, you know the one I wore in Ocean Shores, at your house?" I blushed at my odd request.

Edward's hand immediately came up to stroke my cheek. "Yeah, honey. But, can I ask why?" He looked a little confused.

"Well, it has to hang to dry and I don't want that hanging in the bathroom where my dad's going to see it." I explained.

Edward chuckled. "Say no more. I completely understand." I giggled, grabbing a cloth laundry bag and packing my laundry soap for delicates and my lingerie. Edward carried it for me and we walked out to get Alice. "Princess, time to go. Mom and dad will be home soon." Edward called.

I went into the living room and shut off the TV. I took Alice's hand we went out to the car. Edward put my bag in the trunk after he had opened both mine and Alice's doors. "Can you stop at the station quickly? I just want to let my dad know our plans for tonight, okay?" I asked Edward. I hadn't seen my dad since yesterday morning and I wanted to make sure he knew I would I would out late tonight. It was a relief to me, in a way, that he had someone in his life and I didn't have to worry about leaving him alone when I was out with Edward. It was funny, considering he had been without me for so many years, but I felt really close with him now.

"No problem." Edward smiled, turning towards the station. We all went in, but Edward and Alice stood at the front and talked with Sue, the receptionist. I really appreciated that he gave me a minute to talk to my dad alone.

As I walked in the office area, I noticed that Alec and Heidi were also in. Alec got up and came over to me, giving me a quick hug. "I'm so excited for tonight, Bella. I can't thank you enough for setting this up."

"Well, I just hope you two hit it off." I told him. "She's amazing." I giggled at him, as he couldn't seem to get the goofy grin off of his face. I couldn't wait for him to meet Siobhan.

"Awesome. See you tonight." He said, before going back to his desk. I waved at Heidi before walking over to my dad's desk.

"Hey, dad." I said, pulling Jake's chair over and sitting beside him.

"Hey, kiddo, what's going on?" He asked, likely curious as to why I was there.

"Oh, firstly, sometimes a daughter just wants to see her dad." I said, leaning over to give him a hug, and making him laugh. "And secondly, I just wanted to let you know, in case Alec hasn't said anything, Edward and I are going on a big group date tonight with Paul, Rachel, Alec and his blind date."

"Okay. You going to be out late?" He asked.

"Probably, but I'm coming home tonight. I'm just not sure how late. Maybe eleven?" I guessed.

"Alright. Have fun and be careful out there." He warned. "I'll be at Heidi's for dinner tonight, but remember to call if you need anything." I smiled. My dad the cop.

"I promise I will." I giggled. "I love you, dad. You be careful out there." I said, standing up to give him another hug. Heidi got up and came over to us. She looked so happy. I gave her a hug and she hugged me back tightly. "I folded your blouse." I whispered in her ear. I looked at her shocked face and winked. I needed her to know that was okay with her my dad getting serious. I giggled. "You two have a good night."

I turned and waved, before walking back over to Edward. "Ready to go?" He asked.

"Absolutely." I said, smiling. I said bye to Sue and we all drove back to the Cullens'. It was about eleven thirty and Emmett told us that his mom called and they would home in about a half hour. Edward and I took my dress and laundry bag up to his room. He locked the door as I hung up my dress. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to his bed. He crawled over top of me and laid down. Placing kisses on my neck.

"Is this okay?" Edward asked. He placed his hand low on my stomach. "I'm not hurting you? No more cramps?" I giggled at how cute he was.

"I'm fine. Kiss me." I said, reaching my hands up to his face.

Edward chuckled before kissing me hard. I absolutely loved when Edward kissed me. He showed his love for me every time. His hand moved down my body and he started tracing my legs with his fingers. "You are so beautiful." He whispered as he moved his hands up over my body. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed his touch. I lost track of time when he touched me. I reached my hands up to his chest and he rolled off of me. I sat on his legs and ran my hands over his chest. I pulled off his t-shirt before kissing and nipping at his skin. I wanted him to feel as good, and as loved, as he made me feel.

"It's so nice having your bedroom back." I said, flopping down beside Edward.

"I'm going to have to agree with you." He chuckled, his eyes still closed.

I sat up and got out of Edward's bed, grabbed my laundry bag and went into the bathroom. I filled his sink with cold water and soaked my satin nightgown and lace underwear. I came back out and Edward was sitting with his back against the headboard, still shirtless. I sat in his desk chair. If I got closer, I would never leave that bed.

"You are so gorgeous." I told him. "But, I think I gave you some love bites." I giggled, noticing the three little red marks on his chest and stomach.

"Giggle all you want, Sexy, but I'm wearing these proudly." He told me, making me laugh.

"That pet name doesn't leave this room." I said seriously.

"What?" He asked innocently. "Sexy?"

"That's the one." I laughed.

""I'll try to hold back, but I can't guarantee anything. You are a sexy girl." He said, making me laugh again. I went into his closet and took out two plastic hangers before going back into the bathroom. I rinsed out my clothes and patted them dry on a towel, before hanging them up on his shower rod. I turned around and Edward was leaning against the door. "I'm going to admit that I'm excited about seeing things like this all the time when we live together." He said with a smirk.

I laughed. "Seriously, Edward. That is the only thing that I own that looks like that." I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed his bare chest.

"Well, I'm just going to have to change that. You looked so beautiful wearing that on Saturday night." He whispered.

"What about the t-shirts?" I teased. "You don't like those anymore?"

"Mm. I love you in those, too." He said, kissing my cheek. "I could spend my entire life looking at you, babe. You are just so perfect. I can't get enough of you." Edward made me love him more everyday.


	172. Chapter 172 Heart to Heart

**A/N - Thanks again for reading! Hope you are all having a great weekend! Enjoy!**

Chapter 172 - Heart to Heart

We heard a knock on Edward's bedroom door. "Mom and dad are pulling up." Jasper said through the door.

"Thanks, bro." Edward called out, pulling his shirt back on. "Ready?" He asked, taking my hand. I giggled and nodded and we went down the stairs together. We really needed that half hour alone. I enjoyed every second of it.

We went out to the porch and Emmett, Jasper and Alice were all sitting on the front steps as Emse and Carlisle parked the car. Carlisle came around and opened Esme's door for her. I smiled at that. Just like Edward, I thought. Esme ran over to her kids with her arms opened and we all ran down for a group hug. I was always amazed and touched by the way these three teenaged boys craved their mother's love.

Carlisle came over and picked up Alice. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he kissed her head. Esme gave me a hug. "Thanks so much for watching Alice, sweetheart. You're amazing." She whispered.

"I really loved it. She's so wonderful and very easy to take care of." I told her.

"Daddy, did you see that me and Bella are twins today?" Alice asked. "We have the same clothes and the same hair style." She sounded so proud.

"Look at that. You both look beautiful." Carlisle said, smiling at her. All the boys went to help Carlisle bring in their suitcases and shopping bags. Esme took my hand and we sat on the porch swing together.

We were swinging slowly and she patted my hand. "Is everything going alright? We haven't had much of a chance to talk, just you and I, in a couple of weeks. Things seem to be getting serious with your dad and Heidi."

I smiled. "Well, if this is just between you and I?" I started and she nodded.

"Of course, sweetheart." She agreed.

"Um, I'm pretty sure Heidi spent the night with my dad last night." I told her.

"Did they tell you that?" She asked, a little surprised.

I laughed. "No. I went home this morning to get some things, and I went in my dad's room to get his laundry. I found Heidi's blouse on the bedroom floor." It was nice to confide in another woman. "And, I'm okay with it. I mean, she makes my dad really happy and I like her."

"That's great, sweetie. I'm glad everyone is happy." She said. She squeezed my hand. "You know, no one will think any less of you if you feel a little upset. You've been the only person in your dad's life for a lot of years."

I rested my head on her shoulder and she wrapped her arm around me. A warm summer breeze was blowing on us, and I felt so comforted in her arms. "It's just a little strange for me, you know. He's going on all these dates and Heidi is making him dinner, and I'm used to being the one to do that for him." I confessed. "And I know it's such a totally selfish thing for me to be feeling. I mean, I'm with Edward most of the time, myself. It really is nice for him to have someone. I've never been happier in my life than I am with Edward and I want that for my dad, too."

I felt her kiss the top of my head. "Oh, sweetheart. Everything you're feeling is perfectly normal. But, you know, Bella, look at Carlisle and I. We are so in love with each other, even after all these years, but we still love our kids more than life itself. Your relationship with your dad is still going to be just as strong. That's the thing about love, Bella. Love doesn't have to be shared. It grows." I smiled at that idea. It made sense.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a genius?" I asked her, sitting up, to give her a hug.

She laughed. "I'm just a woman, a wife and a mom." She said. "I mean it, Bella. I see you like a daughter, and if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here for you."

"Thank you so much, Esme." I said. "Thank you for listening."

"Anytime, sweetheart. Now, we'd better get in and check on the boys. I'm sure they're already rooting through the bags." She laughed.

We walked into the house and sure enough, they were all sitting in the family room. "Bella, they bought us souvenirs." Alice said excitedly.

I went and sat between her and Edward on the couch. "Is everything okay, baby?" Edward whispered in my ear. I smiled at him and nodded my head. He wrapped his arm around me and I set my hand on his chest. I loved being so close to him.

Esme and Carlisle went through their bags. First they gave Alice a new Barbie doll. It was a apparently a 'Girly Fashionista' doll. Alice was so excited about it, taking it out of the box right away to look at. They bought Emmett and Jasper each a new video game. They both looked really happy with them, talking about strategies and characters. Next, Carlisle set a huge bag in front of us. Edward opened it and pulled out a bedding set. It had queen sheets, pillow cases and a comforter. It was a beautiful sapphire color that would look great with the white and brown bedroom set Edward got for his birthday.

"I hope it's okay. I just saw it, and thought it was perfect for you two." Esme said. I could see how excited she was about decorating our new apartment. I would take any help I could get.

I got up and went over to give both Esme and Carlisle a hug. "Thank you so much. I love it. It's gorgeous." I said. Esme looked so happy that I liked it. Edward got up to give them each a hug as well.

"Thank you, mom, dad." Edward said, smiling.

"You like it, sweetheart?" Esme asked Edward, holding her hands to her chest in anticipation.

"I really do, and if Bella loves it, than I'm even happier with it." Edward said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders from behind me.

"See, you are a sweet talker." I said to him, looking up at his face. Edward just leaned down and kissed my nose, smiling at me.

"Oh, you two are so cute." Esme giggled.

"If I ever get like that, kick me in the butt." Emmett teased. Just then the doorbell rang. Emmett flew off the couch. "Rose is here." He called running to the door.

Edward burst out laughing. "Can I kick him?" Edward asked, looking at his dad. We all laughed. It was so cute how all the Cullen boys were so smitten.

Maria walked in the family room and Jasper got up, smiling at her. He took her hand and they sat together on the couch. "Hi Jasper, hi everyone. How was your trip, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen?" She asked.

"It was great, sweetie. Thank you." Esme smiled. "We bought you a little something." She said. She gave Maria a little hand cream set. Maria jumped up and hugged her.

"I love it. Thank you." She said. Jasper chuckled quietly. Rose and Emmett finally joined us, both looking a little flushed. They were so cute. After Esme gave Rose her gift, we all went downstairs to hang out together. Esme even brought us sandwiches for lunch.

We spent the afternoon together, just playing video games and watching movies. It was a lot of fun to just be teenagers together. Planning for the new apartment lately made me realize that Edward and I were really adults. But, it was nice to relax sometimes, with no worries. Edward and I sat together on one of Jasper's bean bag chairs. I loved being as close to him as possible.

Emmett asked the girls if they wanted to go hiking on Wednesday or Thursday. They both looked really excited and they agreed to go with us tomorrow. We decided we'd meet for lunch at Subway and then go hike the Ruby Beach trail that Jasper suggested. I was looking forward to spending more time with the girls. I knew Jasper and Emmett were going to miss them when we were camping.

At four thirty, Edward and I gave everyone hugs and then went upstairs to get ready for our big date with Alec, Siobhan, Paul and Rachel. I was so excited and nervous at the same time. I wanted so much for Alec and Siobhan to hit it off.

Edward locked his bedroom door and pulled me over to his bed. I giggled. "Edward. We have to get ready to go." I said, as he wrapped me in his arms and we laid back on his pillows.

"I know, but it's early and you're so pretty and I need to kiss you." He mumbled against my lips, before kissing me. I smiled against his lips, before kissing him back. I loved how Edward's lips felt so soft against mine. I started kissing his neck, before Edward reached down and pulled his shirt off. As I kissed down his chest, I asked him what he was wearing tonight. "I don't know." He chuckled. "You decide. I picked your dress."

I supposed that he had me there. Edward reached down and pulled off my tank top, before he started kissing my stomach, making me laugh. It really tickled, so I kept trying to push him away, but he took my hands and held them away from him. "Edward." I breathed between giggles. He finally rolled back onto his back and I snuggled up beside him. "What about a white polo and dark jeans?" I suggested, getting back to what he was going to wear.

"Sounds good. Should we get up?" He chuckled.

"Yes. We shouldn't have laid down in the first place." Edward leaned over to kiss me once more, before we got up to get dressed. I changed in the bathroom and took out my braid, leaving me with wavy hair, Edward's favourite.

Edward came in the bathroom with me and we brushed our teeth together. It was these little everyday things that made me the happiest.


	173. Chapter 173

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Many of you told me how excited you are for the big date with Siobhan, Alec, Paul, Rachel, Edward and Bella. So I won't keep you waiting anymore. Enjoy!**

Chapter 173 - The Date

Edward and I left the house at five-thirty, but only after Esme had taken our picture together. We got hugs from all the Cullens, as well as Rose and Maria. Apparently they were staying for dinner tonight.

I promised Siobhan we would be to her house at ten to six, but I wanted to make sure we were early. She didn't need anymore worries tonight. I was sure she was already really nervous. I had never been on a blind date, but based on my nerves the day I had first talked to Edward, I was guessing she had some pre-date jitters.

Edward stopped at a flower shop and ran in. He was out in about two minutes, having bought me a white rose. It was so sweet that he always did this. I gave him a few kisses before we left the store front.

We pulled up to Siobhan's apartment complex and Edward got out of the car. I watched as he rang her buzzer, and then waited for her to come down. Siobhan looked gorgeous. She had her long hair straightened and parted to one side. She was wearing a short sleeved, black a-line dress that hit just below her knees. It had a row of crystals just under her bust line. She had black peep toe heels on as well. Alec wouldn't know what hit him.

Edward, always the gentleman, took her arm and walked her to the car. She seemed so surprised by that gesture, and laughed at something he said to her. Edward opened the car door and helped her in. As he walked around to the drivers side, she whispered to me. "Is he always that chivalric?"

I giggled. "All the time." Edward got in and we drove to the Mill Creek Bar and Grill. Paul suggested it. Apparently he and Alec hang out there after work from time to time. It was apparently a laid back atmosphere. We parked and Edward opened our doors for us.

Siobhan grabbed my left hand, as Edward held my right. "I'm so nervous." She whispered.

"I know, but you'll be fine. He really is a great guy." I reassured her.

"And if you don't like the guy, just kick my leg and we'll leave. No questions asked." Edward said, smiling. That made her laugh and I was glad she was relaxing a little.

Edward opened the door for us and I walked in with Siobhan clutching to my arm. The bar was fairly busy for a Tuesday and there was a band on stage, playing rock music. There was a dance floor and about thirty tables and booths surrounding it. Edward pointed to our right and I looked over and saw Rachel, Paul and Alec sitting in a horseshoe-shaped booth about halfway up.

When Alec saw us, he smiled widely. They all got up from the booth and walked over to us. Paul and Rachel gave us hugs. Rachel looked pretty in a leopard print mini dress and Paul was wearing jeans and a grey button up rolled to his elbows. Alec shook Edward's hand and then kissed my cheek. "You look beautiful." He whispered, winking at me. He was such a flirt. He looked great, though, wearing a pair of charcoal grey dress pants and a black polo shirt.

"Alec, this is Siobhan Jones. Siobhan, this is Alec Barrelli." I said, introducing them. Edward took my hand, giving it a little squeeze. Siobhan looked up shyly at him. He was fairly tall and quite broad in the shoulders, so he may have been a little intimidating to her, but his smile balanced him out. He couldn't have look happier. She reached out her hand to shake his and he brought her hand to his lips. "It is an absolute pleasure to finally meet you." He said, sounding completely genuine. "Thank you for agreeing to this. And, you look lovely, tonight." He was being quite charming.

She was blushing and smiling, and looked like a teenager in love. It was sweet. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you, too, Alec." She said, smiling.

"Let's take our seats so we can order some food." Paul said. Edward and I sat at the back with Siobhan and Alec to my right and Paul and Rachel to Edward's left.

"Siobhan, this is my buddy, and co-worker, Paul and his girlfriend, Rachel." Alec introduced. They all shared greetings, but Siobhan kept looking down at her hands in her lap. She was visibly shaking and it fairly obvious that it had been a long time since she had been on date. Alec leaned in and whispered in her ear, making her giggle. She nodded her head and he got out of the booth. She took his hand and he led her out to the dance floor. He turned back and winked at us, making us all laugh. He was a very confident guy, that was for sure.

We watched as Alec set his right hand gently on the small of her back and took her right hand in his left. They danced casually, but it was clear that Alec knew what he was doing out there, as he led her around the dance floor. Alec was leaning in close to her as he spoke. She looked a little stiff, but it was clear she was feeling a little more comfortable. She kept laughing, so he must have been laying it on thick.

"Well, they make a cute couple." Rachel said, watching them dance. We all agreed. The waitress came and Paul and Edward decided to order nearly everything on the menu: deep fried mushrooms, chicken strips, mozzarella sticks and the list went on. Edward and I got cokes and Rachel and Paul each ordered a beer. After we ordered, Paul and Rachel decided they were going to go dance for a while, too.

"Do you want to dance, angel?" Edward asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "Or, do you want to eat first?"

"Um, I want to stay right here for now." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist and laying my head on his chest. "You smell amazing, by the way." I whispered.

He looked down at me and laughed. "I love the things you say." He said, kissing my forehead.

"Well, it's true." I leaned up for a kiss. "But, I want to dance before we go, though." I added. I knew Edward loved to dance, even though I couldn't.

He smiled at me, kissing me once more. "Sounds good." He said looking out at the dance floor. "So it looks like Alec and Siobhan are hitting it off."

"It does. I can tell that she really likes him." I said, running my hands up and down Edward's side.

"How can you tell?" Edward asked, smiling down at me. "Explain a woman's mind to me."

"Um, girls aren't really that hard to figure out. If she wasn't attracted to him, she probably wouldn't have that much trouble talking to him or making eye contact with him. She's nervous because she likes him, and she wants him to like her. She's laughing at everything he's saying, even if it's not funny, because she's trying to show him that she enjoys his conversation." I looked up and Edward and he nodded his head, looking deep in thought.

"Huh." He said, making me laugh. "So, are you telling me that you're faking it when you laugh at my jokes?"

I laughed harder. "No, Edward. I love everything you've ever said to me." I kissed his chin. "Maybe not all girls are like that, but I can relate to her. We're both fairly shy."

Our food came then and Edward and I started eating. "So, are you going to fill me in on a guy's mind?" I asked him, between bites. "Does Alec like her, too?"

"He likes her." Edward said. "Guys are a lot more physical. Notice how he's pulled her closer to his body. His hand has moved from her back to her hip. He's leaning in to her. All those actions are possessive. He's trying to show all the other guys in here, his competition, that she belongs to him. If he didn't like her, he would have kept his distance." Edward's explanation made sense to me. I giggled a little at how men's minds worked. They were animalistic in a way, claiming their territory.

"Is that why you're always holding on to me?" I asked him. "Because I'm yours?"

"Well, yeah. That, and I love how you feel in my arms." He said, flushing a little.

"Aw, babe. I think it's cute." I told him. "Does it help you to know that I like when you hold me? I want everyone to know that we belong together."

Edward smiled at me and leaned down to kiss me deeply. He was doing it; the possessive thing he was just talking about. He was showing everyone in the bar that I was his. And I loved every second of it. I loved being his.

"We leave you alone for fifteen minutes and you can't keep your hands off of each other." Paul teased. I looked up from Edward and noticed that Rachel and Paul had joined us back at the table. I laughed and blushed a little.

"Well, what can say? She's irresistible." Edward chuckled. "Are Alec and Siobhan still dancing?"

"No, they went up to the bar." Rachel said. I looked up and saw Alec and Siobhan walking back to the table, drinks in hand. Alec's hand was on the small of her back. It was so adorable and Siobhan was glowing. They slid into the booth with us, Siobhan beside me. She reached down and squeezed my hand. I could tell how excited she was.

"Bought enough food, Edward?" Alec teased.

"Hey, we've all seen you eat, man." Paul laughed.

"Yeah, you're right. When I got shot in May and I lived off of Bella's cooking." Alec told Siobhan.

"Oh my gosh. Are you alright?" She said, looking so worried. I shook my head at Alec. He told that story like it was no big deal. I cried for a week when it happened.

"Oh, yeah. I was wearing my vest. Just got a bruised rib, but everything's fine." He explained, trying to reassure her. "This stuff rarely happens in Forks."

We finished our food and Siobhan, Rachel and I excused ourselves from the table. We were going to the bathroom for some girl talk. I had to know what she thought of Alec.


	174. Chapter 174

**A/N - Thank you all so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the date. Let's get to the rest of it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 174 - Lessons

When we got to the bathroom, Siobhan turned to me and took both of my hands in hers. "Bella. He is amazing." She all but screamed. "He is so sweet and kind and funny, and to top it off, he's absolutely gorgeous."

Rachel and I laughed. "So, you like him?" Rachel teased.

"I do." She said. "Do you think he likes me?" It was interesting to me that a beautiful, educated and successful woman, like Siobhan, would question herself so much.

"Well, Edward told me that by his gestures, he was acting very protective of you. So, we think he really likes you, too." I told her.

"Plus, you're hot, so what's not to like?" Rachel added bluntly, making Siobhan blush.

"So, what did you guys talk about when you were dancing?" I asked.

"Oh, well, the music was so loud, we couldn't really talk, but he just said nice things to me, like that he thought I looked great and that I was a good dancer. He told me some jokes. Nothing major." She said, grinning. She couldn't seem to stop smiling. "But, why didn't you tell me he got shot?"

"I'm sorry. I thought I'd let him tell you, but if I would have known he was going to just blurt it out like that, I would have told you. It was a scary time, but he's fine." I told her.

We all used the bathroom, before fixing our hair and reapplying a little make-up. I just needed my lip gloss. I couldn't wait for my kiss when Edward noticed I had it on.

"You ladies ready?" Rachel asked, pulling her dress down a little in the front. I giggled at her and she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. She took both of our hands and we walked out together to meet our boys. They were standing up waiting for us.

"I'm cashing in on that dance." Edward whispered in my ear. He took my hand and led me out to the dance floor. Paul and Rachel joined us, but Alec and Siobhan went back to the booth. The band was taking a break and the bar was playing music over the stereo. It was a slow song, thank goodness. Edward pulled me close to his body and rested his hands low on my hips. I put my hands on his chest. He leaned down and pressed a few kisses to my lips. He pulled back smiling. "You are so delicious." He whispered in my ear. He leaned back in and started kissing me, again.

Edward was getting way more open with his public displays of affection. Maybe it was the atmosphere, or maybe he just wanted to show me how much he loved me. But, I really didn't mind, anymore. I used to feel so self conscious and embarrassed when Edward kissed me in front of other people, but our love had just grown so much over the last couple of months. I wore his ring, now. I was confident in our relationship. He finally pulled back from me and smiled. "I love you so much, baby." He said, winking at me. No matter how many times he told me that, and how many times he winked, I still got butterflies.

The band came back on stage and started singing an upbeat song. I started walking back to the table. I couldn't dance to save my life. I didn't mind the slow ones, because Edward could just hold me, but I was nowhere near comfortable enough to dance to a fast song. I always felt awkward.

I noticed Alec and Siobhan were still sitting together, talking and laughing at the table. Edward came up behind me and gently grabbed my shoulders. "Where are you running off to, my beautiful girl?" Edward whispered in my ear.

I turned around and smiled. "Edward, I can't dance to this music." I whined.

"Yes, you can." He laughed. "I'll show you. Come on." Edward took my hand and led me back out on the floor. We stood beside Paul and Rachel, who were all over each other. Edward laughed at them, and then took my hips in his hands and started moving them. I just stood there laughing at him. He couldn't teach me how to do this. "Bella. You're not even trying." Edward laughed.

"I told you, I can't do this." I said, giggling. I stood on my toes to kiss his chin.

He took my hand and spun me around, so my back was to his chest. I could feel him moving his body behind me. He placed his hands on my hips and leaned down to whisper I my ear. "Can you move against my body?"

"I don't know how." I laughed. It felt way too intimate for me. "Not here."

"It's okay. Thank you for humouring me." He chuckled. "You want to go sit down?"

"Okay." I agreed. "But we can try dancing again in your room if you want." I smiled at him and winked. He looked a little shocked, before he smiled at me.

We all came and sat down, hanging out with each other for the next hour. Alec and Siobhan seemed to be really hitting it off, and I noticed that they were holding hands. It was sweet and I loved seeing Alec showing a sensitive side. They both seemed really happy and I was so glad that this match worked out for them both.

At around ten-thirty, we decided to head out of the bar. It was getting too loud and both Alec and Paul had to work the next day. Alec offered to give Siobhan a ride home, so Edward and I were going to take Paul and Rachel back to Paul's house. After hugs and handshakes, we went our separate ways. We dropped Paul and Rachel off before Edward headed to my house. My dad still wasn't home from Heidi's, so Edward came in the house with me.

We pulled off our shoes and sat together on the couch. Edward laid back and I snuggled into his body. "I'm exhausted, baby." He said with his eyes closed.

I giggled at him, running my hands over his chest. "That's because you're a dancing machine." I laughed.

He opened his eyes and looked into mine. "I didn't make you feel uncomfortable did I?" He asked looked a little worried.

"No, baby. I love when you kiss me and when you hold me. I had so much fun tonight." I told him leaning forward to kiss him. "And I like dancing with you, too. I just really don't have a clue when it comes to dancing sexily." I blushed as I said that.

"Well, honey, you have the sexy thing down, for sure." He chuckled. "I think the trick to dancing is that you need to believe that you're as sexy as you are." He reached forward to run his fingers through my hair. "I wish you could see yourself through my eyes, Bella. You are so beautiful. I could barely keep my hands off you tonight."

"I noticed." I giggled. "But, seriously, Edward. You do make me feel that way. And I love you for it." Edward sat up to meet my lips and we kissed.

I heard my dad's truck door close outside, so I knew he was home. Edward leaned in for one more kiss. He got up and walked over to the door to put his shoes on. "Okay, I love you and I'll see you tomorrow." He said, leaning in for a quick kiss.

The front door opened and my dad walked in. "Hi kids. Did you just get in?" He asked, slipping his shoes off. He was wearing jeans and a dress shirt. I was still getting used to my dad in fancy clothes. But, I liked it.

"About twenty minutes ago, dad." I told him and he nodded. "We set Alec up with Alice's teacher tonight. Major success." I said, making him laugh.

"I'm glad to hear it." My dad replied. "Love is in the air, I suppose." Hmm. Love?

Edward wished us a goodnight, before heading out to his car. My dad and I walked back in the living room and sat down on the couch together. I picked up my rose from Edward, that I had set on the coffee table when we had got home. I ran my fingers over its delicate petals, before bringing it up to my nose.

"You have a good time tonight?" My dad asked. I told him that I had. We both sat quietly for a minute. I figured that Heidi would have told him that I knew about her having spent the night here. I was sure that my dad was trying to figure out what to say to me. He sighed, but stayed quiet. I decided to break the silence before things got awkward.

"Dad. I know about Heidi staying over here last night. It's a little weird for me to think about because you're my dad, but you seem happy, and she seems happy. I'm really glad you have someone to share your life with." I told him.

"Bells." He sighed. "Don't say it like that. I'm not replacing you, okay. I've never been happier in my life, since you came home to me. I actually think you taught me a lesson about love."

I looked up at him. "Really?"

"Yes. You are the one that encouraged me to pursue a relationship with Heidi because you knew how much happiness love could bring." My dad told me, smiling. "Just months ago I was alone, and now I have two beautiful girls in my life."

I smiled at that. "I love you, dad." I said, getting up to give him a tight hug.

"I love you, kiddo. Never, ever forget that." He said, as he let me go. "Now, Heidi was wondering if you and Edward would like to join us at her place for dinner tomorrow night?"

I wiped a tear from my eye and smiled at him. "I would love to." I told him honestly. "I'll send Edward a text message tonight and let you know if he can join us, tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Okay, great." He said, looking relieved that I had agreed, as if I would ever say no. "Goodnight, Bells." He said.

I went upstairs and changed out of my dress and into my Florida nightshirt. I pressed my rose before I laid down to send Edward a text. 'Dinner with my dad and Heidi tomorrow?'

A minute later, he replied. 'Sounds good. I love you, sexy.' I laughed before texting him back an I love you. I fell asleep feeling really good about life.


	175. Chapter 175

**A/N - Happy first day of December! It's cold and snowy here in Canada right now, so I really enjoy writing this story where it's June! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 175 - Bare Feet

I woke up early to make my dad breakfast. I prided myself in the little things I did for him. I thought sharing breakfast together was important and he seemed to enjoy it, too. We had scrambled eggs and toast today.

"Edward said he'll come to dinner with us." I told my dad as we ate.

"Great." He chuckled. "I didn't actually doubt that he'd be there for a minute."

I smiled. I don't think Edward had ever said no to me. I valued his devotion. "So, what time is dinner? And, does she need any help? Should I bring something?"

My dad chuckled again. "Dinner's at six. And, no, you don't have to bring anything. I think Heidi is trying to get on your good side."

I frowned. "Why? I already consider her to be a very close friend." I explained.

"I know. I already told her that, but she feels bad about not talking to you first about, um, well, staying over here." My dad stumbled out. "She said she didn't want to cause problems between you and I."

"Aw. Well, she's really sweet to worry, but I haven't changed my opinion of her. So tell her to relax. I'll come to dinner because I like her, but not so she can go overboard trying to impress me." I told him smiling.

"I'll let her know." My dad chuckled, getting up to head to work. I got up and gave him a hug. "Have a good day, kiddo and I'll see you tonight."

"Okay, bye dad. I love you." I said, before he left. It was just before seven, so I went back upstairs to bed. Why did I always have to up so early? I snuggled into my pillow and shut my eyes, drifting off to sleep. I woke up to my phone ringing. I rolled over and noticed it was nine AM. I felt so much more rested. I picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Good morning, baby. What are you up to?" It was Edward, sounding wide awake and happy.

"Um, I just woke up." I giggled. "What are you doing?" I asked, laying my head back down on the pillow.

"I'm driving to your house. Is everything alright?" He asked, sounding worried.

"I'm fine, just tired. I went back to bed this morning after my dad left. I'm still in bed. There's a key under the mat on the front step. Just come up to my room, okay?" I asked. It was always the hardest to sleep without Edward when I had spent the night before with him. I missed him and I wanted to snuggled with him for a few minutes.

"Okay. I'm here. See you in minute." He chuckled, before hanging up. I heard the front door and then his footsteps on the stairs. My bedroom door opened and I was met by my favourite site in the world. My Edward. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. "Hello, beautiful." He brought his hand out from behind his back and he was holding a pretty pink carnation.

"Hi, babe." I said, smiling. "Come here." I said, pulling the covers back. Edward smiled and crawled into my bed with me. He gently traced the flower on my cheeks, before kissing my forehead and pulling me to his chest.

"Mm. I missed you, baby." He said, rubbing my back. "Ten hours was far too long to be apart."

"It was." I agreed, burying my face closer to his chest.

"So we're going to Heidi's tonight?" He asked, kissing my neck.

"Yeah. My dad told me she's doing this to make sure I still like her after she slept over." I told him. "Can you believe that?"

"Well, I guess she doesn't want to cause problems. I think it's a nice gesture." Edward said into my hair, moving his hands down my body to my legs.

"I agree, but I don't want her to think she had to bribe me into liking her, you know. I want us to be friends like we were a couple weeks ago." I confided.

"Have you told her that?" Edward asked, looking into my eyes.

"No." I said, quietly. I sat up. "But, I think you're right. She and I need to have some serious girl talk." I crawled over his body and kissed his lips, before getting off the bed. "I'm going to go have a shower. Be right out."

"I'll be right here." He chuckled, winking, before rolling over and snuggling under the covers. He was so cute. I grabbed a pair of khaki shorts and white t-shirt before heading to the bathroom. I had a quick shower, got dressed and then pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I brushed my teeth and then headed back to my room. Edward was snoring quietly and I held back a giggle.

I crawled into bed behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I slowly rubbed his chest. I loved his body and how it felt under my hands. "Mm." Edward groaned as he started to stretch out his body. He was awake. He rolled over and wrapped me tightly in his arms. "You smell so good." He whispered before burying his face in my neck.

"Edward, that tickles." I laughed. His soft hair was caressing my skin.

"Maybe I just like hearing you laugh." He admitted, lifting his face up to look at me. "I love you." He leaned in and kissed me. I smiled against his lips.

"I love you, too." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair, making his eyes close. "So, we have a couple of hours before we have to go meet your brothers and the girls for lunch and hiking. What do you want to do?"

"I have an idea." He said, with a mischievous smirk on his face. "Meet me in the backyard in five minutes."

I laughed. "Meet you? Where are you going?" This boy and his ideas.

"You'll see." He chuckled, getting up and walking out of my room. I laughed. Every minute I spent with Edward was fun. I got up and went downstairs and then out to the back yard. I sat on the back step waiting for my crazy boy.

He came running around the side of the house with his iPod in his hand. He walked up to me and stood in front of me. I reached out and set my hands on his hips and he put his left hand over mine. "Okay, so when I got up this morning, I went through all my music to find something good to dance to and I came up with a list."

"Okay. And why are going to need to this list?" I teased. I figured he was going to try and teach me how to dance.

Edward laughed. "Because, my gorgeous girl, I'm going to show you that you can dance." He slipped his iPod into the front pocket of his jeans, showing my a quick peak of his abs when his arm pushed his shirt up. He was so hot. "Come here." He said, leaning down so I could wrap my arms around his neck. He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his hips. He put his hands on my bum as he walked out to the middle of our back yard. We both had barefeet.

"Can't we just dance like this?" I asked, biting lightly on his ear lobe.

"Bella Swan, don't try to trick me." He said, before spanking me lightly. I giggled.

"It was worth a try." I whispered, before kissing his cheek, unwrapping my legs from him and hopping back on the ground. "Okay, bossy, show me what to do."

He looked at me with a look of mock surprise on his face, making me laugh. "I'm not bossy." He said, reaching down to tickle my sides. He pulled out an ear bud and put in my left ear and he put the right one in his ear. He turned on a really slow song and then put his hands on my hips. "Put your hands on my shoulders, babe." He said. He started to slowly sway his hips, basically rocking back and forth, and really slowly turned us in a circle. "See, you can dance." He smiled. "This is pretty much what people do in casual settings."

He reached up and took my right hand off of his shoulder and took it in his hand. "Now what are you doing?" I asked, comfortable with the first dance we were doing. It was easy and I didn't want to stop.

"Don't look so scared." He chuckled, leaning down to kiss my lips. "I'll teach you the basic waltz step."

"That sounds hard." I said, hesitantly.

"It's basically just a box step. Just follow my lead, okay?" I looked up and him, and bit my lip in concentration. I was a little nervous, but he started whispering directions as he moved. "Step back with your right foot. Good, baby. Now step back and to the side with your left foot." I stepped back and put my foot down, while Edward stepped to my left. I twisted over my feet and fell into Edward's chest. He caught me and held me close. "Are you, okay?" He was trying to hold back his laughter.

I could feel my cheeks burning in embarrassment. "I'm fine." I said softly.

"Aw, honey. You're so sweet." He said, putting his hands on my warm cheeks, lightly caressing them with his thumbs. "That was my fault. I didn't explain it right." He said. "And, babe, it's just you and me out here, okay? Don't be embarrassed. It's your first time."

"Okay, let's try that again." I said giggling. If my gorgeous boyfriend wanted to dance barefoot with me in the cool grass, who was I to refuse him?


	176. Chapter 176

**A/N - Thanks so much for reading! I'm so glad you liked dancing with Edward. Let's get to the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 176 - Weddings and Walks

We spent the next two hours mastering the box step. There were more falls and a lot of laughs, but, by noon, I was a master box stepper. Edward had even gotten down on his knees and guided my legs with his hands. I was laughing so hard, but it made sense that way.

He was smiling so wide when I finally got it. He lifted me off of my feet and squeezed me tightly to his chest. "I love you so much, Bella." He said, twirling us around the yard. "See, you are amazing." He whispered.

"Well, maybe I have a good teacher." I giggled. "I happen to think it's pretty sexy that you know how to dance." I leaned in and kissed his neck.

"Really?" He said, looking a little smug. "I happen to think it's pretty sexy that you're letting me teach you. Just think, angel, by the time we get married, you'll be waltzing all over the dance floor."

"Do you think about that a lot?" I asked, holding back my happy tears. "Our wedding?"

"All the time, baby." He said, smiling. "It is going to be amazing. I can't wait to see you in a gorgeous white dress, your dad walking you down the aisle, our first kiss as Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, feeding you vanilla wedding cake, dancing." He leaned in and kissed me.

When I closed my eyes, a couple of tears fell. I could picture everything he was describing. And I wanted it, too.

"Happy tears?" He asked, wiping my tears away with his thumb. "Or, you wanted chocolate wedding cake?"

I laughed. "Maybe lemon?"

He laughed, leaning in to kiss me. "Lemon it is."

"So, when's my next lesson?" I asked, as he carried me back to the house.

"Well, I figured we might take a break from the waltz and try some club dancing next."

"You just want to watch me make a fool of myself, don't you?" I giggled, as Edward set me down.

"No, I want to watch you move that beautiful body." He said, making me blush for the second time that afternoon.

"Oh my god, Edward. Now, I'm really nervous." I giggled. "Can we at least wait until we get back from camping? Maybe I'll get lucky and get eaten by a bear."

Edward laughed. "I won't let anything happen to you when we're camping."

"Thank you, baby." I said, kidding his chin. I ran up to the bathroom, before we drove to Subway to meet Emmett, Jasper, Rose and Maria for lunch.

"By the way, speaking of camping, do you have hiking boots?" Edward asked as we drove to the restaurant.

"No. Just the running shoes I'm wearing now." I told him.

"Well, I think I'd better take you on a little shopping trip to the sporting goods store tomorrow." He said, looking excited.

"Honestly, I don't even have a sleeping bag." I told him.

"Oh, this is going to be fun." He said smiling. "And, I haven't forgotten that I said I was going to zip our sleeping bags together. It does get cool at night."

I laughed. "So you're just using me for my body heat?"

"Maybe." He chuckled, as he parked in front of the restaurant. He came around and opened my door for me. The Cullen boys and Hale girls were already there sitting at the one big six person booth at the back of the restaurant, one couple on each side.

They already had their sandwiches, so Edward and I went up to order. Edward got a foot long meatball sub and I got a six inch barbeque chicken sub. Edward bought them, of course, as well as a large coke. I told him I would just have a sip of his, as I didn't want to end up having to go to the bathroom on our hike. Edward just kissed my cheek and told me I was cute.

Edward and I had to sit across from each other, so we played footsie with each other under the table. We could not be kept apart.

Lunch was fun and I loved listening to Maria tell stories. She told us about dinner last night that Esme had made for them. Then she talked about her family's annual trip to Seattle. She was clearly really excited about it, and her and Rose told us all their favourite shops. I recognized a couple of the stores. I didn't do a lot of shopping last year. I focused on my school work. Plus, I didn't have a car, so I only went to the one mall close to the university.

After lunch, and a quick bathroom break, Emmett and Rose took his truck, while Jasper and Maria rode with us. "Where's Alice today?" I asked.

"Oh, um, she and mom started cooking for the camping trip." Jasper said, smiling.

"Yeah, Bella, we eat good when we camp." Edward laughed.

"Oh, you always eat good." I teased. Edward parked beside Emmett's truck and we all got out. Edward locked all of purses in the trunk, but Maria and I both had our cameras in hand.

We all walked to the trailhead and started on the path. The path was dirt, but was quite smooth. The trail was wide, and had small ferns and bright green shrubs along the sides. Behind the low plants were tall pine trees. The path headed north along the beach. Through the trees on the left, you could see the beach and the ocean waves. It was beautiful.

Edward and I held hands as we walked. "The trail is only about a mile and half long, so it shouldn't take us any more than hour." He told us.

"I'm going to speak for those of us with short legs, Bella and I, and say that I bet it takes us longer." Maria said, turning and flashing a smile at Edward and I, making Jasper laugh. I smiled back at her. She was priceless.

The hike turned out to be more of a scenic walk than a hike, as the trail was quite flat. I was more than happy with that though. I kept taking pictures every two minutes of everything; the scenery, our little group, the wildflowers on the side of the trail. A squirrel that Emmett pointed out in a tree.

But because I kept stopping, it took us an hour to get to the end of the path and we still had to go back. Everyone was surprisingly patient with me, but this was my first time in the 'wilderness' and I was loving every second of it. At the end of the trial, there was a clearing. Edward pointed out the large rock formations in the ocean, telling us that the biggest one was Abbey Island. I may have swooned a little. He was gorgeous and smart.

Emmett though that instead of walking back the way we came, we should hike down the small embankment to the beach and walk back along the water. "The sand had tiny grains of garnet in it. They're what make the sand look pink." He told us. Rose smiled at him and kissed his cheek. It was clear that I wasn't the only one who swooned over the smart boys.

Climbing down the embankment was easier said than done, however. It was steep and rocky and Edward stopped me from falling about six times. Why we listened to boys, I will never know. But when we got to the beach, I realized why they wanted us to see it. The sand was beautiful. I sat down to take my shoes off. I had to get my feet in it. It looked so soft. Rose and Maria followed my lead, while the boys laughed at us. Edward took my camera and snapped a picture of us sitting with our feet buried in the sand. I took the camera from him and snapped a picture of the boys in their shoes.

We reluctantly put our shoes back on and walked along the beach, back towards the cars. It was really beautiful, and for being raised in the desert, I was really liking the coast. Halfway back, we were getting tired. Walking in the sand was really draining. "Why don't we give you girls piggyback rides?" Emmett suggested.

Maria's face fell instantly and she looked like she was going to cry. I quickly walked over to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "What's wrong?" I whispered, as we walked a little ways away from the boys. Rose jogged over to us.

"I'm too heavy for Jasper to carry. I can't ask him to lift me." She explained. Maria was a little filled out, but she was by no means as heavy as she saw her left to be. It was so sad to see that she had such a poor self image.

"Maria. You are not heavy." Rose said sternly.

All of the sudden, Jasper walked over to us and took Maria's hand. They walked away from us. I watched as he crouched down to look at her face. He hesitantly reached up and stroked her hair. He was saying something to her, and then she laughed. I was so proud of Jasper. I knew he had trouble vocalizing himself, but he knew his girlfriend needed him and he stepped up to make her feel better.

Edward walked up to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "Is everything okay?"

"It is now. You have an amazing brother." I told him.


	177. Chapter 177

**A/N - Thanks for reading and for all the great reviews! You are my motivators! Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 177 - Laughter

I watched as Jasper crouched down and Maria held onto his shoulders. Jasper stood up easily and wrapped his arms around her legs. He looked like he had absolutely no trouble carrying her. She looked a little embarrassed, but I had never seen Maria look happier that someone could give her a piggyback ride. Jasper had a huge smile on his face, and I could tell that he was proud of himself for making her feel that way.

Rose hopped on Emmett's back, giggling and carefree. "Up you go." Edward laughed. "I'm not about to be outshone by my little brothers."

I figured I'd play with him a little. I took off running down the beach. I was laughing and I knew he would like the chase. I could hear him gaining on me. He gently grabbed me around the waist and leaned down to kiss me behind my ear. "My little escapee." He chuckled. He leaned down and picked me up bridal style, walking along the beach.

"Edward." I giggled. "I can walk, you know."

"Oh, I know, but I like carrying you." He said, leaning down to kiss me. "And this is way better than a piggyback, because your lips are right here." He laughed, kissing me quickly once more.

He actually carried me all the way to the car. We all headed back to the Cullens' house for a while. It was only three o'clock and Edward and I didn't have to be to Heidi's until six. I sat in the backseat with Maria, while Jasper rode with Edward up front.

"What did Jasper say to you?" I whispered. She smiled widely.

"He told me that I was beautiful and that he would carry me anytime I wanted him to." She whispered back in my ear before giggling. Her cheeks were flushed and she was smiling.

"The Cullen boys are pretty special, huh?" I said, looking in the front seat at my boy.

"Definitely." She giggled.

When we got back to the house, we were all met with big hugs from Alice. "Bella are you staying for dinner tonight?" She asked. Edward and I had been out dancing the night before and missed dinner and I felt bad that we weren't going to be here tonight, either.

Edward crouched down in front of her and gave her a hug. "Princess, we're going to eat with Bella's dad and his friend Heidi tonight." She looked really sad and it broke my heart.

"Alice, why don't we go hang out right now for a while?" I suggested.

"Really?" She asked, looking excited. "Do you want to play Barbies?"

I smiled at how cute she was. "Okay." I agreed. I would do anything to make her smile.

"Edward, you can be Ken." Alice said, smiling. She knew she had her big brother wrapped around her little finger. I held back my laughter, as Edward picked Alice up and flopped her over his shoulder.

"Alright." He agreed, hauling her up the stairs to her room. I followed behind them, laughing with Alice, as Edward had her hanging upside down.

We got to her room, and after Edward set her down, she wheeled out a little pink suitcase and opened it up, displaying all of her dolls. She must have had about ten different barbies and two ken dolls. She went back to the closet and brought out another box full of clothes and dumped it out on the rug. Edward and I both sat down and she passed us each a doll.

"Okay, let's have a fashion show. We have to put them all in fancy clothes and then they can go on the stage." Alice explained. She divided up the dolls between us so we could pick out the outfits. Unfortunately for Edward, the two Ken dolls were already dressed in suits, one black and one grey. He was going to have to help us prepare the Barbies for the fashion show.

I picked out a pink ruffled dress and started dressing the first doll in my pile. Edward went to pick out a jean skirt and Alice took it from him. "Edward. That's not fancy enough. It's a fashion show." I laughed at Edward and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, Alice. I'm not a girl. It's a skirt, isn't it?" Edward asked, trying not to laugh.

"Can you believe him, Bella?" Alice asked seriously with her hands on her hips. I had to laugh at her. She was so cute. She took her dolls very seriously.

"Well, Alice. That's the first thing you need to learn about boys. They don't get fashion." I giggled.

Edward picked up a yellow sundress and started trying to dress the Barbie, his big hands making it a little difficult for him. I couldn't get over how totally adorable Edward was trying to play with dolls for his little sister. Alice sighed. "Edward. That's a little better, but it's still a little casual."

"That's it." Edward said laughing, setting down the doll. He got up and lifted Alice onto her bed and started tickling her. She was laughing so hard, she could hardly speak.

"Bella. Help." She got out between giggles.

I climbed on her bed and started tickling Edward's sides. He was laughing, but still tickling Alice. I reached my hand down and squeezed his bum. He sat up straight and turned to look at me in surprise. "Get him, Alice." I laughed, pushing Edward's shoulders, so he fell back on the bed. I used his shock, to distract him. Alice and I sat on either side of him, tickling his armpits and stomach. He could have easily gotten away from us, but I think he was laughing to hard to move.

I was startled by a flash and I looked up to see Carlisle and Esme standing in the door, Esme with her camera in her hands. They were both smiling warmly at us. They had likely come upstairs to see what the commotion was about.

"Look, daddy. Bella helped finally win a tickle war with Edward." Alice said proudly.

"It's about time, huh?" Carlisle said chuckling.

"And it all started because Edward would take our fashion advice." I added, laughing. I looked down at Edward, still laying on his sister's pink bed. His cheeks were flushed from laughter and he had a huge smile on his face. I ran my fingers through his messy hair.

"Alice, did you want to help me make dinner?" Esme asked her. "It's five, you two." She told us.

"Oh, okay. Thank you, Esme." I said. Alice gave us both big hugs before we went into Edward's room.

"So, you play dirty, huh?" Edward asked, lifting me up and sitting me on his bed.

I blushed. I was feeling incredible confident around Edward, lately. First the kissing at the bar, in public, and now the bum grab. I loved that I could feel this free with him. I could show him what I always felt towards him. I giggled nervously. "It was the only thing I could think to do that would distract you."

"Well, it worked." Edward chuckled and leaned in to kiss me, before getting up and walking to his closet. He slipped his t-shirt and jeans off, before pulling on some grey dress pants and a black polo. I loved Edward's body and I loved the little show he gave me. I'm sure all our little trips we had taken, three so far this summer, had made us way more comfortable around each other.

"You are so gorgeous." I mused out loud. Edward chuckled a little.

"Well, thank you, angel." He said smiling. Maybe I didn't tell him enough. I would have to make a note to tell him everyday how handsome he was.

Edward took my hand and we went downstairs to give hugs and kisses to everyone. I adored the loving relationships that the Cullens shared. Edward and I left and went back to my place. I wanted to change for dinner, too.

We went up to my room and Edward sat in my desk chair. "Thank you so much for playing with Alice." He said out of nowhere, while I was looking trough my closet. "She really loves you. I think she's always wanted a big sister to play with. I try, but I always do it wrong." He chuckled.

I turned and smiled at him. "Edward. You are the best big brother I have ever seen. You do everything for your brothers and Alice. They are incredibly lucky to have you." I told him honestly. "And, I love Alice, too. Being an only child, I envy what you have. But, you know, your entire family has made me feel welcome and I actually feel like I belong."

Edward got up and walked over to me, running the back of his hand on my jaw. "You do belong." He whispered, before leaning in for a kiss. He pulled back and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I love you."

I looked up at him and smiled. "I love you, too." I said, before I pulled off my shirt and went back to the closet to get my black wrap blouse. I put it on, before pulling off my shorts and slipping on a pink skirt. "This okay?" I asked, taking my hiking clothes over to my laundry basket.

"It's perfect." Edward said, leaning in for another kiss. "You're perfect."


	178. Chapter 178

**A/N - Thanks again for reading! Busy morning...both of my stories updated today! Who is ready for some girl talk? Enjoy!**

Chapter 178 - Girl Talk

Edward and I drove to Heidi's house. On the way, Edward stopped at the grocery story and picked up a box of those delicious mint chocolates. We had been to Heidi's for the barbeque, but I hadn't seen the whole place. Edward opened my car door for me and we walked to the house hand in hand.

We rang the door bell and my dad opened the door. It was a little strange to see him answering the door at someone else's house, but things were changing and our family was growing. Edward squeezed my hand, as if he understood what I was thinking.

"Come on, kids." My dad said, smiling. He was dressed up in black pants and a navy blue shirt. We walked in and my dad patted Edward's shoulder and then gave me a hug. "Thanks so much for coming, Bells. I know this means a lot to Heidi."

"I wouldn't have missed it." I told him.

"Come sit down in the living room." My dad offered. Edward followed my dad into the nice sitting room to the right of the front door. She had beautiful white carpeting, caramel coloured sofas, with white and pink accent pillows and a nice oak coffee table. It was classy, but feminine and it was perfect for Heidi.

My dad and Edward sat down and turned on a baseball game. I smiled at them, loving that they had such a great relationship with each other. I had no idea what I would have done if the two most important men in my life didn't get along. But, luckily, I didn't have to worry about that.

"I'm going to go check if Heidi needs any help." I said, walking through the living room to the kitchen. They both nodded, eyes glued to the screen. Guys and their sports, I thought to myself, smiling.

Heidi was wearing a great sleeveless dress that had wide purple and navy stripes. Her and my dad coordinated their outfits. It was so adorable.

"Hi." I said, walking into the room. "It smells delicious in here." I complimented.

"Oh, hi, Bella. Thank you." She said, leaving the stove to come and give me a hug. She looked a little nervous and I wanted to put an end to it right away so we could enjoy our evening together.

"Can I talk to you for minute?" I asked, sitting at the kitchen table.

"Of course, Bella." She said, sitting beside me.

"Heidi. I like you. I think you are an amazing woman. You are a perfect match for my dad. You are a great role model for me, and I consider you to be one of my closest friends." I just wanted to lay everything I was feeling out in the open, so she would understand my feelings towards her. She held one hand over her heart and brought the dish towel she was holding up to wipe under her eyes. I figured I'd just continue. "I'm happy that you and my dad are getting serious about each other. I've never seen him so happy and I'm glad he has you in his life. I am in no way upset with you, okay?" I added.

"Oh, Bella." She said, getting up and pulling me into a tight hug. "That is exactly what I needed to hear." She said. "I was so worried that you would be upset with me."

I giggled a little. "I'm going to admit, it was a little awkward and surprising, but I'm pretty sure that's because it's my dad we're talking about." I told her honestly. "And, I want to be here for you as friend too, if you want to talk about things. Just leave out the details." I laughed.

She laughed with me. "I'm so happy that you feel that way, Bella. I've enjoyed our friendship so much."

I smiled. "So have I." I said. "Who else would take me shopping for underwear?" I laughed. She got up to check the food in the oven and I walked over to the cutting board, noticing that she had everything laid out for a salad. I started chopping and she came over and joined me.

"How did that go, by the way?" She asked, making me blush. "Did he like his surprise?" She asked, referring to the satin nightgown. Edward had thanked her on his birthday, but she hadn't heard the details.

"He loved it." I whispered. "He was so shocked at first, and I was a nervous wreck. But Edward always makes me feel beautiful and comfortable." I told her.

"And, you're still going slow?" She asked, flushing a little. "But, I guess that's a little hypocritical of me, isn't it?" She giggled.

"No, it's okay." I reassured her. "I really appreciate that you are here for me. Edward and I have done things together. I mean, we touch each other." I sighed, dropping my head down. My face was on fire and I was so embarrassed to talk about this with anyone.

Heidi wrapped her arm around me, and I rested my head on her shoulder. "You're doing fine, Bella. I'm hear to listen, not judge, remember?" She reassured me.

I sighed again. "I know. It's just hard to actually say out loud." I giggled.

"I completely understand." She said, laughing with me.

"I think I'm satisfied with where we are right now in our relationship." I told her. "I mean, I know moving forward is inevitable for us, but right now, I'm content. This is new to both of us and things feel perfect right now."

"Good. I'm happy for you two. But, make sure that you talk to him about it, too." She said smiling. "You both seem like you're in this for the long haul."

"We are." I told her smiling. "Just this afternoon, Edward was telling me that he couldn't wait until we got married. He has it all pictured in his mind, too." I giggled. I was so in love.

"That's sweet. You hold on to him. Not that many men his age are that ready for commitment." She told me.

"Oh, I know how lucky I am." I told her. "I think his values, goals and dreams come from his family. They are so amazing and they always help each other out. It is beautiful to see a family that honestly wants the other members to be happy." I giggled. "Edward was even playing Barbie doll fashion show with his little sister this afternoon. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen."

"Wow." She said, looking impressed.

"I know." I giggled.

"Dinner smells great." My dad said. I turned and saw my dad and Edward standing in the kitchen door. "And our ears were burning." He teased. "We're not interrupting any girl talk out here, are we?"

I laughed. I loved how comfortable my dad was over here.

"Of course you're interrupting girl talk." Heidi told him, walking over to him to kiss his cheek. "In fact, I was just hearing about a certain Barbie doll fashion show." She giggled.

Edward blushed a little when my dad turned and looked at him. "Bella, how could you?" Edward chuckled, teasing me, and making me laugh.

"Girlfriends tell each other everything." Heidi told them. "Don't you boys forget that."

My dad and Edward looked at each other, looking a little worried. Heidi and I both laughed at them. Edward looked so sweet. I walked over to him and kissed his chin. "Don't worry, babe. I only ever brag about you." I whispered, making him visibly relax and smile. He leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

"Come on, let's eat." Heidi said, pulling on some oven mitts and pulling a glass pan out of the oven. Edward took the salad bowl to the small dining nook off to the left of the kitchen. My dad took a bowl of mashed potatoes, I took her dish of green beans and Heidi brought out a plate of mushroom pork chops. It looked amazing.

We took a seat around Heidi's table. It was a cute square table that was white with wooden accents. "This look's great, Dee." My dad said smiling at her. She blushed a little and I smiled at the fact that my dad already had an adorable name for her.

"Yes. Thank you so much for having us." Edward added. I squeezed his knee under the table. He was so sweet. I was so grateful for him being here, watching baseball with my dad, so I could have some time to talk things out with Heidi.

We enjoyed a great dinner and mainly talked about the camping trip. Heidi and I were both excited, but equally clueless when it came to the outdoors.

After dinner, Edward went to he living room to get the chocolate he had brought, and Heidi went to the kitchen to get coffee. I went with her and got a glass of lemonade. I just couldn't stomach hot coffee. We met back at the table, but I noticed my dad was missing. I heard the front door close, and my dad walked back into the dining area holding two large bags.

"I got you girls both a little something." My dad said, smiling proudly, passing Heidi and I each a bag.

"Thanks, dad." I said excitedly. I opened the bag and pulled out a pink sleeping bag. I smiled and looked up at Heidi. She had the exact same sleeping bag. "This is so cute. I love it." I told him. He looked so happy. Well, it was one thing less for Edward and I to get at the sporting goods store the next day.

I noticed Heidi leaned over to kiss my dad's cheek, making him blush. I was so glad that tonight had been such a success. My relationship with Heidi was stronger than ever. It was also great to see my dad interact with her. They both looked so happy together.


	179. Chapter 179

**A/N - Thanks so such for all your great reviews! I love that you are all reading and enjoying the story! My friend Kerri requested a scene from this chapter and it totally fit with the direction of the story and the plot right now, so this is dedicated to her! Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 179 - Talking

We all left Heidi's place at around nine thirty. My dad and Heidi both had to be up early for their last day of work. I gave Edward a kiss at his car door, before going home with my dad in his truck. I thanked him again for the sleeping bag. I though it was sweet of him. When we got home, he gave me a hug and went up to his room to pack his camping bag. I was going to wait and pack with Edward, as I had no idea what to bring.

I had a shower and dried my hair, before laying down on my bed. I checked my phone and noticed two text messages from Edward. 'I had a great day with you. If it's possible I love you more than yesterday.' I hugged my pillow to my chest and smiled. Edward was seriously the best boyfriend a girl could ask for. I held out my hand to admire my promise ring. It was so pretty. But, what it meant to both of us, was so much more important.

I checked the next text. 'I can't believe that I'm going to be sleeping in a pink sleeping bag.' I laughed at that. I knew Edward was really looking forward to shopping with me tomorrow, and I'm glad we weren't just going for sleeping bags, or our plans would have been shot.

I sent him a text message back. 'I love you more than I can ever tell you. If you don't want to sleep in a pink sleeping bag, I can keep my body heat to myself.'

He sent a message right back. 'Don't even think about it, hot stuff.' I laughed. He was adorable. My phone buzzed with another message. 'Get some sleep, my angel. Sweet dreams.' I snuggled in to my blankets, and closed my eyes. I couldn't wait for tomorrow and I couldn't wait for this camping trip.

I got up the next morning feeling excited. I was looking forward to shopping with Edward today and I couldn't wait to spend seven straight days camping with my dad, Heidi and all the Cullens. I went downstairs and made my dad and I my special French toast.

"You're in a good mood today." He chuckled, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I am, dad. I had a great time last night at Heidi's and I'm really anticipating this camping trip." I told him, setting a stack of French toast on the table.

My dad dug in and covered his with syrup. "I am, too, kiddo. I think you're going to really like it."

"Thank you for the sleeping bag, by the way. I really like it." I told him.

"Good. Now, after work I can take you to get anything else you might need." He said.

"Thanks, but Edward has his heart set on getting me hiking boots today." I told him. My dad chuckled and shook his head. He knew Edward was crazy about me.

After we finished our breakfast, and I got a hug from my dad, he left for work. I set the dishes in the sink, before going upstairs. I got dressed in a little blue skirt and a black tank. I figured there would be no skirts when we were camping, so I might as well wear one today. I went in the bathroom and curled the ends of my hair, brushed my teeth and put on my lip gloss.

Edward showed up at eight o'clock. He had a beautiful purple tulip today. It was gorgeous and was a deep plum colour. I gave him a long deep kiss on the doorstep, making him smile. "Well, good morning, beautiful." He said chuckling.

"Good morning. I'm so excited for shopping with you." I told him, walking into the kitchen, to put the tulip in water for the day. I brought it upstairs so I could enjoy it while I was packing. "Are you going to help me pack?" I asked him, smiling.

"Of course. I packed last night." He told me, giving me a quick hug.

Edward brought my suitcase from my closet for me and set in on the bed. "So, did you work everything out with Heidi last night?" He asked me, unzipping the suitcase.

"Yes. It was amazing. We're back to how we were before, talking about everything and anything." I told him, smiling. "Even you."

"Me?" He chuckled. "What did I do?" He teased.

"Aw. You're cute." I giggled. "Actually, can I talk to you about something?" I figured I'd take Heidi's advice and talk to Edward about my feelings.

"Of course." He sat on the bed and opened his arms. I sat on his lap, and ran my fingers through his hair. "Is something bothering you?"

"No, everything is perfect. I just wanted to make sure that you knew that I like where we are concerning our physical relationship." I told him blushing. "Is it alright if we stay with what we're doing for now? I mean, it's just that I feel pretty comfortable with that, and I don't want to rush things." I was pretty sure I was full out babbling, and I hoped that Edward understood what I was trying to say.

He leaned in to kiss my warm cheek, smiling at me lovingly. "Baby, I feel like the luckiest man in the world every time you spend time with me, every time you let me touch you." He looked down and traced his fingers along my arms. "Like I've told you before, Bella, we have forever. We can take as long as we want." He looked up into my eyes. "But, what we did in Ocean Shores, that was okay, right?"

I smiled at him. He was such a worrier. "Yes." I leaned in to kiss his lips. "It's just that it's all so new to me." I explained.

"No, no. I understand, really. You don't have to explain yourself to me." Edward said, smiling. "We'll just go with what feels right." He leaned in and kissed me. "And, thank you for telling me. I never know what's going on up here." Edward said, kissing my forehead. "I wish I could read your mind." He chuckled.

I leaned my head on his shoulder. "Why is this so hard to talk about?" I whispered, before I giggled, giving away my nerves.

Edward rubbed my back. "I know it is, baby. But it's good that we do." He said, kissing my hair. "Never, ever, be afraid to tell me anything, Bella. We're going to be together forever, so we need to communicate."

"Okay. Do you want to know what I'm thinking now?" I asked, pushing Edward's chest so he laid back on my bed.

"I really, really want to know." He said, smirking a little. "Please, tell me."

I giggled, straddling his waist, and leaning down towards his mouth. "I'm thinking that I want you to kiss me."

Edward smiled against my lips. "And I'm thinking that I like the way you think." He said, before bringing his hand up behind my head to bring our lips closer together. We kissed for a while, just enjoying being with each other. I rolled off of him, laying beside him on the bed.

"Maybe we should pack." I laughed. "But I thoroughly enjoyed that distraction."

Edward chuckled with me. "Me, too." We rolled out of bed and I went to my closet.

"What should I pack, babe?" I asked him.

"Uh, just t-shirts, a couple of pairs of jeans, some shorts. And some hoodies. It gets pretty darn cold at night. Hence, my need for your body heat." He laughed.

I giggled as I pulled out two older, comfortable pairs of jeans from my closet. Edward was shuffling through my sock drawer. "Why don't you have any real socks?" He asked, picking up a pair of my super thin, nylon socks. I hated wearing socks, so when I had to, I wore the thinnest ones possible. I was raised in Arizona after all.

"Edward. I don't like socks." I told him.

He laughed. "Well, we're going to get you some nice and toasty ones to keep your little toes warm." I burst out laughing at how cute he was. "What?" He laughed. "It's that or you'll be begging me to wear my wool socks. I guarantee it." I giggled. I liked wearing Edward's clothes, so maybe I would steal his socks anyway.

"Alright. You are the camping master." I told him, stroking his ego. He smiled proudly. "Now, scoot over." I said, bumping him with my hip and making him laugh. I opened my drawer and pulled out a pair of sweat pants, some sweat shorts, about five or six tank tops, and about five t-shirts. I passed them all to Edward and he took them to my bed for me. I packed a couple of pairs of shorts as well. "Do I need my bathing suit?" I asked him.

"Uh, yeah. We go in the lake, but it is very cold." He said. I packed an extra black tank top to wear over top of it. I packed a couple of sports bras and a bunch of cotton underwear.

"Do I have anymore room in there?" I asked him. I was probably over packing, but I had never been camping, so it was better to be safe than sorry I figured. I held up a black hoodie, a pair of yoga pants and Edward's plaid shirt that I stole in Arizona.

"No." He laughed. "But we'll put them in my suitcase, okay?" I walked over to him and kissed his chin.

"Thank you, babe." I said, smiling. It was only ten in the morning and today was already turning out to be amazing.


	180. Chapter 180

**A/N - Thanks again to everyone for reading! Let's go shopping with Edward! Enjoy!**

Chapter 180 - Wool Socks and Short Skirts

Edward and I drove down to the sporting goods store for our 'shopping spree,' to quote Edward. "So what do I need?" I asked him, as we walked through the parking lot, swinging our hands back and forth between us.

"Well, the aforementioned hiking boots, wool socks and maybe a raincoat or windbreaker. Oh, and I'm getting you long underwear. You are going to look so sexy in those." He whispered the last part in my ear.

I pointed at him, blushing. "You, stop making trying to make me blush." I laughed.

"Sorry, baby. But, you know I love your rosy cheeks." He said, smiling, before kissing my cheek.

We walked into the store and Edward grabbed a shopping cart. I was so embarrassed because I knew he was going to go overboard, but he looked so excited. First he walked over to the socks and underwear aisle. He was looked through packages of grey, wool socks. "You like the ones with red toes and heels, or blue?" Edward asked, holding up two six packs of socks. I giggled at his adorableness. I was just about to decide, when Edward laughed. "What am I talking about? You'll need both." He said, putting them both in the cart.

"Why do I need twelve pairs of wool socks for a week, when I haven't needed one pair in my entire life? I asked.

Edward looked at me. "Bella. You lived in a desert for most of your life. Trust me. If it rains and your socks get wet, you'll be happy I made you bring so many."

I giggled a little at him. "Okay, okay. I trust you. What's next?" I asked.

"Long underwear. In case it's really cold and wet out there." He said. "Um, what size are you, baby?" He asked, looking along the wall.

"I don't know my long underwear size, Edward." I teased, poking him in the side. "Um, medium." I told him.

"Good to know." He said, smirking. "Colour preference?" He asked holding up white and grey.

I laughed. "You pick. It seems you already have it pictured."

"Mm. You're right." He said, tossing the gray set in to the basket. He started to push the cart to the end of the aisle, before he ran back and grabbed the white pair, too. I shook my head at him and he shrugged. He looked absolutely adorable.

We walked over to the outerwear section and Edward, being the expert that he was, found me a great waterproof shell. It was thin and had a hood and would be great to wear over my hoodie in cases of a sudden downpour. It was black and had neon green accents. I loved it. I tried to look at the price tag, but Edward snatched it out of my hands and put it in the cart.

"Bella Swan. Let me spoil you." He said, sternly. I shook my head at him and pushed the cart towards the boots. I felt a little guilty that he was buying all of these things for me. He wrapped his arms around me from behind. Putting his hands on the shopping cart handle beside mine. He kissed the top of my head and then leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Come on, baby. I'm enjoying this so much."

I put my hands over his and gave them a little squeeze. "Okay. But you're not buying me the most expensive boots they sell." I said, turning to look at his face. I smiled at him, and he winked at me.

"But, what if the most expensive boots are the only ones that fit?" He asked, raising his eyebrow at me.

"We'll worry about that if it happens." I said. We got to the shoe department and we walked over to the wall of shoes. They had all sorts of boots and I had no idea what to even look for.

"These are cute." Edward said, picking up a short boot. They were brown and tan and looked almost like running shoes, but had the grips and laces of hiking boots. "Do you want to try them on?" He asked.

"Okay." I said, looking around for a salesperson. I saw Mike Newton heading over to us. Jasper's team mate from his baseball team. He was a nice kid and Jasper's friend, but he had a little crush on me. Edward never cared about that, especially, because lately, Mike wasn't that obvious about it.

"Hey, Bella." He said, excitedly. "Going hiking?"

"Actually, I'm going camping with Edward and his family." I told him, trying to throw out some hints. He nodded, a little frown on his face. It was cute because he was in the ninth grade and it was glaringly obvious that nothing would ever happen between us. I turned and took the boot from Edward, smiling at him, and passed it to Mike. "Do you have this in a seven?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah we should. We just got these in." He said, smiling. He took the boot and walked to the back. I sat down in the worn blue chairs and Edward sat beside me, playing with my fingers while we waited. Mike came back and crouched down in front of me, taking the boots out of the box, and lacing them up.

I was starting to regret wearing the skirt right then. I pulled it down a little, shifting a little uncomfortably. Edward passed me a pair of wool socks from the little sock basket on the floor and I slipped them on. Mike did the whole shoe store routine, opening the shoe and holding it open for me to put it on, then lacing it up for me. I thought he took a little too long down by my legs. He repeated the process with the other boot.

I liked to put on my own shoes and I always felt awkward in shoe stores. I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder, and I heard him chuckling a little. He was laughed during my torture. I'd get him back for that one day.

"Okay, Bella." Mike said with a smile. "Why don't you go for a walk and see how they feel?" I got up and walked away from them, taking a little tour around the store. I felt two pairs of eyes on me. The shoes, on the plus side, felt pretty comfortable. They would have been too big if I wore my regular socks, but with the wool socks, they felt pretty comfortable.

I walked back to Edward and sat down. "Yeah. I like them." I said, sitting down to untie them. Mike reached for the laces to untie the shoes for me, and touched my fingers. "I've got it, Mike. Thanks." I told him.

"Oh, yeah sure." He said, standing up. I passed him the boots and he put them back in the box. Edward took them from him and put the boots in the cart. "Well, have a great time camping, Bella." Mike said. "Uh, say hi to Jasper for me."

"We will do that, Mike. Thanks so much for your help." I told him.

Edward pushed the cart over to the camping accessories area. Once we were out of Mike's hearing range, I slapped Edward on the chest. "What?" He asked, looking innocent, rubbing his chest.

"Why didn't you get him the heck away from my legs?" I asked. "That was creepy. He put on my shoes, Edward."

Edward leaned down to kiss my forehead. "I'm sorry. But, baby, that's his job." He told me softly. "Do you want me to go over there and rough him up?"

I giggled. "Edward, no." I laughed. "Okay. Let's get back to business. Are we finished?"

"Let's look around a little more." Edward said. He walked up and down the aisles and looked at all the little camping knick knacks. "Do you want a bear bell?" Edward asked, holding up a little gold bell. "It has a little clip to attach it to your coat."

"I hadn't thought about bears." I said. "Now, I'm nervous. Why didn't you bring that up before?" I honestly hadn't thought of the wildlife. I was so caught up in looking forward to the new experience.

"Oh, sugar. We'll be okay. We've been camping in the same campground for years and we've never had a bear problem. We saw one on the side of the road one year driving up to the lake. But, honey, they don't want to be around us, either." Edward explained. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "I love you too much, babe. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

I looked up at him and smiled. "You always know what to say to me, don't you?" He smiled back and leaned down for a quick kiss. "But, we'd better get that bear bell." I said, giggling a little. "Just to be safe."

"We'll get you two." Edward laughed, putting a red and a gold bell in the shopping cart. Edward kept putting more and more things in the basket; a flashlight, a compass, a folding pocket knife. The list went on. He even bought me a little back pack with a drawstring top to pack all my supplies when we hiked.

He actually filled our shopping basket. I had no idea a person needed this many things for camping. I was so glad that my dad had already got the sleeping bag. The bill came to just under three hundred dollars.

We packed all the bags into the trunk and then got back in the car. I turned in my seat to face Edward. I took his hand and brought it to my lips. "Thank you, Edward. I wish you wouldn't spend that much on me, but I really do appreciate it." I told him honestly.

"You're welcome, angel. I just want to you to be happy and have the best time on your first camping trip." Edward said, leaning over in the car to kiss my lips.

"I am happy, babe. I'm always happy when we're together." I giggled. "Except when Mike Newton is tying my shoes." Edward laughed at that.

"It will never happen again." He chuckled.


	181. Chapter 181 Preparations

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I can't believe we're up to Chapter 181 and we're not even half way through Bella and Edward's summer! Hopefully this helps get those of us in the colder climates through the winter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 181 - Preparations

We went back to Edward's house for lunch. Esme pulled me into a tight hug. "How was shopping?" She asked, smiling. "Did Edward go crazy and buy the whole store?"

I giggled. "Pretty much." I said, pointing to Edward, who was sitting at the kitchen table, packing my new back pack with all the new gadgets he bought. Alice was kneeling on the chair beside him, watching what he was doing.

"Edward loves camping and always has. I think he's very excited that he gets to share this part of his life with you." She told me. "I'm glad you let him do this. It's his way of showing you that." Esme knew her children so well. I loved hearing her insight. And she was right about Edward. He was always doing everything for me. I just wished that he would realize that I would be just as happy borrowing his socks and using my dad's old flashlight.

"And I love him for it." I told her, smiling. Esme finished making sandwiches for lunch and all the Cullens trickled into the kitchen to eat.

"So, Mike says hi, Jasper." I told him while we ate.

"Oh, okay. Thanks." Jasper said. "What was he up to?"

"He was putting shoes on Bella." Edward told him. I pinched Edward's side. "And, looking at her legs."

"Did you kick his butt?" Emmett asked Edward, laughing.

"I did offer, but Bella told me not to." Edward said, before kissing my cheek.

After lunch, Emmett and Jasper left to go spend time with their girlfriends before they were separated for over a week. I thought it was adorable and I couldn't blame them. I could barely be apart from Edward for an entire day. Thankfully, that situation hadn't come up, yet.

Edward and I went upstairs for a while. He brought my extra clothes and new purchases to pack in his suitcase. Plus, I wanted to talk to Angie before we went camping. I missed her so much. Edward set up his laptop for me, but unfortunately, Angie only had a few minutes to talk. Her and Ben were going to spend the afternoon with his niece, over at his brother's place.

"Okay, Ang. I just wanted to let you know that Edward is taking me out to the woods for a week." I told her.

"That sounds so fun. Have a good time, you two." She said raising her eyebrows up and down at us, making Edward laugh and me blush.

"Angie, both of our families are going to be there, too. So, keep those eyebrows to yourself." I defended. "And to think that you're the daughter of a pastor and a Sunday school teacher." I teased.

Angie laughed. "I'm just teasing you, girlie."

"I know and I love you for it." I told her. "But, we'd better let you go. Give all the little munchkins a hug for me. And, say hi to Ben for us. I love and miss you so much."

"I will and I love you, too. I'll talk to you when you get back. Have a great time, and Edward, take care of her out there, okay?" She said. Both of our eyes welled up a little. We were both horrible at goodbyes.

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek. "I'll bring her back safe and sound." He told her. We said our goodbyes and Edward shut off the webcam. He led me over to his bed and we laid down together. Edward pulled my close to his chest and rubbed my back.

"I miss her." I said quietly.

"I know, baby." He whispered, kissing my forehead. He looked into my eyes and wiped the few escaped tears from my eyes.

I laughed at myself and how emotional I was. "I'm sorry for always crying. But, you know, just seeing her, and being able to chat with her, makes being apart from her a lot easier to live with."

"I'm glad. We'll just have to make sure we visit them more frequently." Edward said. "You know, road trips aren't as expensive as flying, so maybe we could give that a try sometime." Edward suggested.

"Yeah, that would be fun. We'll have to look into that." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "Thank you for always making me feel better."

"Always, baby." He said, kissing me a few more times.

I wriggled away from him, locked his bedroom door and walked over to my new long underwear. I took my tank top and skirt off, before pulling on the two piece set of grey, thermal pants and long sleeved shirt. It was comfortable, but likely not very flattering. Edward was watching me, with the sexy smirk on his face. The one he wore when he got something he wanted. I did a little turn for him, playing it up.

"God, baby. You look even better than I imagined." He breathed, getting up off the bed and walking over to me. He ran his hands down my arms, before leaning in to me to kiss my neck.

I giggled, because it tickled. "Edward. You have the weirdest opinions on what is sexy." I said, dipping my fingers under his t-shirt to run my fingers over his chest.

"No, Bella. I find you sexy. No matter what you're wearing." He told me, looking into my eyes with a smile.

"Even this?" I said looking down at myself with a frown.

Edward chuckled before kissing me. "Especially that." He ran his hands down my back and then squeezed my bum with both hands. "You're beautiful."

"Thank you, Edward." I said, kissing his chest. "I seriously can't wait to see you in a pair of these." I giggled.

Edward winked at me. "I'll be happy to model them for you in the tent." I couldn't wait.

After I changed, Edward and I went back downstairs and I helped Esme with her last minute food prep. She had three coolers packed with sandwiches, fruit, macaroni salad, hotdogs, cheese and the list went on. I helped her pack three huge bags of marshmallows, potato chips, graham crackers, soup, bread, buns. It was incredible to see this much food.

While I was helping Esme, Edward was helping his dad load the topper for the car with all the camping supplies. We were bringing four vehicles, Carlisle and Edward's car and Emmett and my dad's trucks. Based on everything I had seen to be packed so far, we would need them all.

At six o'clock, my dad and Heidi showed up with pizza. I thought it was sweet and Esme looked relieved that she didn't need to make dinner. After dinner, Edward gave me a long, hard kiss, before my dad, Heidi and I left in the truck. We dropped Heidi off at home. My dad walked her to the door and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. It was sweet.

On the drive home, my dad told me we would leaving at six in the morning, so we could go to Heidi's house and load all her things in the truck, and then go the Cullens'. I decided that I would get up at four thirty in the morning, so we could have breakfast and pack our things.

I had a shower and French braided my hair, and them crawled into bed at around nine pm. I sent Edward a text. 'Thank you again for everything today. You are an amazing man. I'm so lucky you're mine.'

My phone buzzed. 'I'm yours forever. I love you and I can't wait to sleep in your pink sleeping bag with you.' I laughed. Edward was wonderful. I did not know it was possible to love someone as much as I loved Edward. I never wanted this feeling to end. My heart felt so full and I felt so happy. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

My alarm went off at four-thirty. I groaned and snuggled a little deeper under my blanket. It was Friday morning and I was going camping today. I smiled. The next time I woke up, I would be in a pink sleeping bag with Edward. That thought got me out of bed.

I went to the bathroom, washed my face and brushed my teeth. I got dressed in a pair of jean Capri pants and a black v-neck t-shirt. I took my hair out of my braid and pulled my now wavy hair up into a high ponytail. I packed my shampoo, some soap, deodorant and my toothbrush in a little bag. I threw my journal into the bag as well. I had no idea what kind of great mementos I would gather on this trip.

I went downstairs and made my dad and I pancakes for breakfast. My dad could hardly sit still. He looked so excited and that excitement transferred over to me. After we ate, I washed the dishes and walked around the house, checking that all the windows were closed and the appliances were unplugged. My dad went outside to pack his tent, our sleeping bags, and our suitcases. He had another large duffle bag full of camping supplies, I'm sure. By six o'clock we were in the truck, on the way to Heidi's house.

My dad and I helped her load her suitcase, sleeping bag and a small cooler full of sandwiches she made last night. She looked cute in a pair of jeans and a yellow t-shirt. I had never seen her that casual, but it suited her, her beauty still shining through. The three of us drove to the Cullen house, laughing the whole way there. I was so happy that my relationship with Heidi and I was back to normal.

We pulled up to a lot of hustle and bustle in the front of the Cullen house. Everyone was packing and organizing and Alice was dancing around the yard in a pink floral shorts set. Edward came over and helped me out of the truck. He pressed his warm lips to mine, before pulling back with a smile. He passed me a small, simple white daisy. It was perfect for today. I reached up and tucked it into the elastic in my hair. "Beautiful." Edward whispered. "You ready, angel?" He asked, taking my hand and leading me to his car.

"Absolutely." I answered. I was ready and so excited to start this camping trip.


	182. Getting There

**A/N - I'm so excited about this camping trip. Knowing me and my high level of distractability, the trip will be a lot of chapters. Thanks again for reading and reviewing! You are all awesome! Enjoy!**

Chapter 182 - Getting There

There were nine of us and four cars, so we all paired off; Edward and I, my dad and Heidi, Emmett and Jasper, and Carlisle and Esme. Alice rode with her parents. Edward's car was fairly full, to full to fit Alice in the back seat. And as much as I loved Alice, I was really looking forward to this alone time with Edward. I gave my dad a hug, before getting in the car with Edward.

"So, Edward. Where are we headed? Do I get any details?" I asked, before I leaned over to kiss him.

He smiled at me, before giving me one more kiss. "I've got good news and bad news." He laughed.

"Okay. Bad news first." I said, smiling at him, because he looked so excited.

"It's a five hour drive." He said. "But, the good news is that we get to spend it together."

"Well, I like that." I giggled, kissing him, again. I heard a honk and looked up to see Emmett and Jasper pulling out of the driveway. I blushed. I looked around and noticed that my dad and Carlisle had already left. It was so easy to get wrapped up in Edward.

Edward laughed, honked back and pulled out behind his brothers.

"So, five hours. You know what my first question is going to be, right?" I asked, laughing.

"Yes, baby. There are seven bathrooms on the way. I personally checked myself." He laughed. I loved this man. He knew me so well.

"Thanks, Edward. You're so perfect, I may have to keep you." I teased. I brought his right hand up to my lips and placed kisses all over his hand and arm.

"Do you want me to pull over for a minute?" He asked with a sexy smirk on his face. "You're teasing me."

I smiled at him. "I'm sorry." I giggled. "I could always stop touching you for the next five hours if you want."

"Don't do that, beautiful. Touch and kiss away." He laughed.

I pressed a long kiss on the inside of his wrist, before taking his hand and holding it in my lap. "So where in the woods are you taking me?"

"We're going to Beacon Rock State Park." He said proudly. "It's great. There's camping, hiking, fishing, swimming, campfires. I think you'll like it." He said. "It's right on the Columbia River on the border between Washington and Oregon."

"It sounds fun." I told him. "You should have seen my dad this morning. He was like a little boy on Christmas morning. He could hardly sit still." I smiled at the memory.

"Well, I can't blame him." Edward told me. "I'm so excited to be a part of your first camping trip." I smiled at him. He always said the sweetest things to me. And the best part was that he really meant it.

"I'm excited that you're taking me on my first camping trip." I said, leaning over and resting my head on his shoulder.

I made it two hours before we had to stop for a bathroom break. We had spent the time talking about all the things I was looking forward to doing. Edward was telling me all about his past childhood experiences and how Emmett always pretends that there is a bear in the campsite by scratching the side of the tent. I was grateful for the warning.

I sent out a text to my dad, Esme and Jasper to let them know we were going to stop in Aberdeen. It was only eight-thirty in the morning and we were getting close to being halfway. Because it was a Friday, the traffic on the highway wasn't as bad as it would have been had it been a weekend.

"Hurry, Edward." I whined, jumping in my seat. He was laughing at me, as usual. He pulled into the gas station and I ran in to use the bathroom. I must have the smallest bladder ever. I came out and Heidi ran in. I laughed. Another thing we had in common.

I found Edward wandering through the convenience store. He was holding a huge Styrofoam cup of coffee and a bottle of iced tea. "Is this okay?" He asked me lifting the bottle.

"It's perfect. Thank you, babe." I said, kissing his arm. We each bought a cinnamon bun, too. I was already hungry, considering I had eaten breakfast hours ago. We passed Emmett and Jasper in the potatoes chip aisle. Emmett tugged my ponytail and I pinched his arm. Jasper gave me a high five, before Edward and I went out and sat in the car to eat. I loved the two brothers I never had. Emmett and Jasper were amazing guys and I was so happy that they included me so easily in the family.

"So, this is another perk about camping." Edward told me. "The majority of food that we eat is junk." He laughed, leaning over to take a bite from my cinnamon bun.

"Hey." I said, frowning at him, guarding my cinnamon bun like the starving woman I was. He laughed at me, before breaking off a piece of his and bringing it to my lips. He winked and I smiled. I ate the pastry before sucking the gooey syrup off of his fingers. He seemed to like that, because he took the bun from me, set it on the dash and leaned over to pull me into a searing kiss. "Mm." Was all I could get out. I could tell he wanted to touch me, but his hands were sticky.

He pulled back a little breathless. "You are so delicious." He laughed. "I can't wait to get you in that tent."

I'm sure I was blushing bright red, because Edward leaned in to kiss each of my cheeks. Edward's phone beeped and he checked his text message. It was his turn to blush. I took his phone and read the message. It was from my dad. 'Get off of my daughter. We're heading out.'

I burst out laughing at Edward's face. He looked shocked, embarrassed and a little nervous. "Edward. He's just kidding." I giggled, caressing his cheek with the back of my fingers.

My dad honked his horn and we looked up. "I tried to stop him." Heidi called from her open window, making me laugh more. It was nice have someone on our side. Edward just waved at my dad and Heidi, then hung his head down.

"Baby." I said, rubbing his arm. "Now, cheer up. It's our first camping trip together."

Edward looked at me and smiled. "I'm fine. Just admit that that was the most embarrassing thing that could have happened."

I laughed. "No. When Emmett came downstairs and I didn't have a shirt on and then we had go upstairs and face your whole family. That was the most embarrassing thing that could have happened." I told him.

"Okay, okay. You've got me there." He said, kissing my cheek. We pulled out and drove the next one hundred and thirty four miles to Vancouver, Washington.

We arrived in Vancouver at about ten after eleven. Esme had called and told us that we were going to stop for lunch in the city. We all pulled into a little hamburger place and all nine of us piled into the restaurant. The waitress looked overwhelmed. I loved belonging to group of so many wonderful people.

My dad patted Edward on the shoulder when we walked in. My dad loved to tease, and I was so thrilled they had that bond.

Alice sat between Edward and I while we ate. She was telling us that she had seen licence plates from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and one from British Columbia. "That's a province in Canada." She told us proudly. I loved Alice. She was so happy all the time and I found it refreshing to see the world through her eyes.

Emmett and Jasper were sending test messages which I'm sure were to Rose and Maria. They were so adorable.

After lunch, and one final bathroom break, we all loaded back into the cars. Our caravan headed out to the campground. We only had forty five minutes to go. I was getting really excited now. We were driving along the Columbia River and I could see it out the passenger side window. "Baby, we're going to have to find a way to cross into Oregon. I think my girl needs a new nightshirt." Edward said, as I looked across the river.

When he brought up pyjamas, a random thought just popped into my mind. "Hey, Edward. What did you ever do with my satin nightgown I left to dry in your bathroom?" I asked, smiling at him. I could just picture him trying to fold it.

Edward looked at me and smiled. "I hung it in my closet. I just left it on the hanger you had it on. Was that okay?" He asked. I giggled at the thought of my lingerie hanging up in Edward's closet with his t-shirts and jeans. He was so cute. "So, not okay?" He asked, unsure of himself.

I leaned over and kissed his shoulder. "It's fine, baby. I just love how cute you are." I told him. He smiled at that, looking so proud of himself. "So, what kind of tacky, huge t-shirts do you think Oregon is going to sell?"

Edward chuckled. "I don't know, but I can't wait to see it draped over your beautiful body."

"Now, I can't wait to get you in that tent." I told him, giggling as I reached over to put my hand on his thigh.

Edward looked over at me and smirked, as I had repeated what he said to me after the now infamous cinnamon bun kiss. This trip was going to be amazing.


	183. Our Camp Site

**A/N - Thank you all so much! I'm having fun with this trip and I'm so glad you are all enjoying it so far, too! Enjoy!**

Chapter 183 - Our Camp Site

We soon approached the Beacon Rock State Park entrance gates. As we sat waiting in line, Edward's phone rang. "Hi, mom." He said. "Okay, thanks. Uh huh. Yeah. Alright, thanks. See you a few." He said before hanging up.

I laughed. "I can never figure out your phone conversations. You're so vague on the phone." I mused.

Edward laughed with me. "Well, she said that my dad paid for us already and we just have to stop at the window to get our park pass." He took my hand and brought it to his lips. "And, I'll try to be more informative when I talk on the phone." He teased.

"That's all I ask." I giggled. It was finally our turn at the booth and the middle aged woman in a khaki green outfit passed us a little slip of paper to tape to the inside of the window. She also gave Edward a packet of pamphlets. He passed them to me, before thanking the woman and following his family into the park.

As we drove, I noticed how beautiful the park was. I had my window rolled down and I could smell the fresh air. It smelled clean, like pine and water. I immediately felt relaxed. I could see why people liked the outdoors. It was so peaceful here.

My phone rang and it was Esme. "Hi, sweetheart. We had to get two campsites. They're side by side. Your dad, Heidi, Carlisle, Alice and I will be in site number eleven and you and the boys will be at site number twelve. Just follow us, okay?"

"Alright. Thanks." I said before hanging up.

"You know, you're more vague than I am on the phone. I least I say who it is." Edward laughed.

"It was your mom, nosy. We're at site twelve, they're at eleven. She said to follow her." I told him. I loved this playful banter we were having. I loved that we could be so light hearted and fun almost always.

"So, I'm nosy and bossy, now? How do you ever put up with me?" He laughed.

"Well, you're pretty sexy, so I can suffer through the other things." I told him. We laughed as we drove up the mountainous road. The road had trees on either side and was getting more dense, the higher we got. It was only about a twenty minute drive until we pulled up to the campground. We passed a few other sites, a couple with tents already set up.

Edward parked beside Emmett and we got out of the car. Out camp site easily had room for two tents. There was also a fire pit and a picnic table at each site. They were a lot bigger than I thought they would be. But, to me, the best part was that the sites were quite sheltered and bordered in trees.

Esme, Alice and Heidi walked over to us. "Hi, kids. Bella, do you want to come with us? We're going to go find the bathrooms." Esme asked me.

"Of course." I giggled. I kissed Edward on the chin, before taking Alice's hand and following Heidi and Esme. "So, did you have a fun drive?" I asked Alice as we walked along the gravel path to the end of the road.

"Yeah, it was okay. And we even saw a licence plate from California." She told me with a grin on her face.

"Edward told me that you went to Disneyland a few Christmases ago." I mentioned. "I've never been to California."

"You would like it. It was pretty, but they have palm trees instead of regular trees and Christmas trees." She said, crinkling her little nose. I giggled at her.

We walked up to a large log building. On the left was the women's and the right was the men's washrooms. We all went in and found that there were two shower stalls and two bathroom stalls along the back wall, and across from that, was a counter and four sinks with mirrors above them. There were even two electrical outlets on the wall, for hair driers. It looked really clean. I was definitely impressed.

Esme smiled at the looks on mine and Heidi's faces. "It's pretty good for the woods, right?" She asked. "This bathroom is the reason we have been camping here for years."

"Well, you definitely made a great choice." Heidi said.

Esme and Alice went to use the bathrooms first, and Heidi and I fixed our hair in the mirrors. "So how much did my dad see, back at the rest stop in Aberdeen?" I asked her.

She laughed. "Well, I saw the whole thing." She winked. "But, your dad just saw the kiss."

I giggled with her. "I can't help myself sometimes. That boy is irresistible."

"Who's irresistible?" Esme asked, walking over to the sinks to wash her hands. Heidi abandoned me and went into a bathroom stall, leaving me with the mom of the boy in question.

I blushed and shook my head. "My soul mate." I giggled.

"You two are so priceless." She laughed. It was so nice that she was so supportive of my relationship with her oldest child. Alice walked out of the bathroom and came to wash her hands, so I went to use the bathroom.

When we were all ready, we walked back to our campsites. The boys had been busy and it looked like Edward, Jasper and Emmett almost had one tent put up. Edward was crouched down with his back to me, pounding a tent spike into the ground. He looked so gorgeous, and I may have been staring at how sexy he looked, his arm muscles flexing.

Emmett and Jasper were already unpacking the second tent and unfolding it. Edward stood up and turned around. "Hey, baby." He said, smiling when I saw me. He wiped his hands on his jeans before coming over to kiss me. "What do you think of the bathrooms?" He asked, pinching my sides.

I slapped his chest, lightly. "They're pretty good." I laughed.

"Hey, Bella. Quit distracting him." Emmett called, making me laugh.

"Sorry. Can I help?" I asked.

"Um, we've got the tents, so why don't you go see if you can steel the air pump from my dad." Edward laughed.

"Okay." I said. This was so fun. I loved watching the guys building us a shelter. It was so primitive, but I loved that they could take care of us. I guessed I was an old-fashioned girl. I went over to the other site and found just as much hustle and bustle over here. Carlisle and my dad already had a tent up as well, and they and Heidi were setting up the second one. Esme was putting a plastic red and white checked table cloth on the picnic table. She had another one in her arms and was heading over to our table.

"Esme. I've been sent to get an air pump." I told her. I couldn't very well steal it, if I didn't know what I was looking for.

"It's in Carlisle's trunk." She told me. I thanked her, before going over to get it. It was small and not too heavy. It looked like it plugged into a cigarette lighter in the car. I lugged it over to our camp site and set it down by Edward's car.

Emmett and Edward were slipping the aluminium poles through the tent, and Jasper walked over to me. "Hey, Bella." He said, tucking his hair behind his ear. "Um, do you want me to show you how to fill up the air mattresses?"

I smiled at him. "That would be great. I'm feeling pretty clueless." I admitted.

"'Kay." He said. He walked over to the back of the truck and brought over four blue air mattresses. Jasper leaned into the car and plugged the pump in before kneeling beside me. He showed me how to fill the first mattress and then watched as I did the next one. He looked pretty happy that he had taught me something. He took two of the mattresses over to the first tent, while I kept filling. By the time I was finished, I heard Edward hammering in the tent spikes. These Cullens were so fast and efficient.

Jasper and I each carried the mattresses over to the tent. "Okay, Bella. Which tent do you want to be your home for the next week?" Edward asked, wrapping his arms around me from behind and kissing the top of my head.

The tent on the left, which was blue and grey, was closest to the trees. "Um, I think that one." I said, pointing to the tan and orange tent on the right, which was closer to our parents. There was a fair sized gap in between, but Esme and Heidi appeared to have slid the two tables together in between our two campsites. "It's not as close to the woods." I added, making Edward laugh.

"Good choice, angel." He chuckled. "The bears will have to get through my brothers, first." Edward and I walked over to my dad's truck to get my sleeping bag and suitcase, before going back to our tent to set up our beds.

Edward carried our two sleeping bags into the tent and I followed. He zipped the door closed and pulled me down to lay on the air mattresses. He leaned in and kissed me. "I've finally got you alone in the tent." He whispered, before he leaned down to kiss my neck and chest.

I may have moaned a little bit, because I could never help myself when Edward had his lips on me. I ran my fingers through his hair, lightly scratching his scalp. "Bella, that feels so good." He said, before moving back up to kiss my lips.

"Hey." I heard Emmett yell from outside the tent. "That tent's not sound proof, you know." I heard what sounded like laughter, so I buried my face into the crook of Edward's neck.

He started laughing really hard, which made me start. I was embarrassed, but too in love to really care.


	184. Outdoor Life

**A/N - Thank you all again for reading and for your great comments. More camping...Enjoy!**

Chapter 184 - Outdoor Life

"So, maybe we should set up our bed." Edward said, after he finally stopped laughing at his brother for calling us out for kissing.

I leaned in for one more kiss before I sat up. "Okay. What do we do?" I asked. I felt really clueless.

Edward chuckled as he walked over on his knees to pick up our sleeping bags. His was green. "Unzip your sleeping bag all the way." He told me, as he unzipped his. I giggled as I noticed that his sleeping bag had a plaid flannel lining. He laid it out on the floor.

I unzipped my pink bag and noticed the inside had a red, pink and white plaid pattern. "Okay, now we lay yours on top of mine and zip them together." He said, taking one end of my sleeping bag from me. I sat down and watched as he crawled around the floor, zipping our two sleeping bags together to make one big sleeping bag for two.

He looked so cute. He pulled the sleeping bag onto on the air mattresses. "I want to test this out with you, but if we get in, I'll never want to get out." He laughed.

"I agree." I giggled, standing up on my knees. As short as I was, I couldn't even stand upright in the tent. The highest part of the tent was about four feet tall.

Edward leaned down to kiss me, and slid his hands in the back pockets of my jeans. "I love you, angel." He said against my lips.

I smiled. "I love you, too. Thank you for this." I said, looking around our little shelter. "I'm so happy, Edward."

"I've never been happier, either." He said. "And, I have to say that I'm so glad that you agreed to come camping with us. You know, a lot of girls would be too high maintenance to rough it out here in a tent with me. And, yet you somehow manage to look gorgeous at the same time." He said, before leaning down to kiss my shoulder.

"Well, thank you." I said, kissing his lips. "And I have to add how strong and handsome you looked setting up the tents." I whispered.

"Really?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

I slid my hands up his arms and lightly squeezed his biceps. "Really." I said.

"Kids." Esme called. "We're going to go for a walk around the campground. Do you want to come with us?"

Edward mouthed 'no' to me, making me smile, before calling out to answer his mom. "Yeah, we'll be right there."

I giggled. "Come on, Edward." I said, kissing his lips. "It's a family camping trip."

Edward and I stood up, ducking a little and unzipped our tent door, before stepping back outside into the fresh air.

"All settled in?" Esme asked, smiling a knowing smile at us.

"Yeah." We both said at the same time. I thought that we sounded a little guilty.

Edward went to his car and got out my little backpack and helped me slip it on my back. He had clipped one of my bear bells to the bag and one on my coat. I loved that he was so protective of me. I grabbed my camera from my purse and we were on our way.

We walked down the road that we had driven in on before turning off to the right, just taking in the surroundings. It was so pretty out here. The trees were bright green and the sky was so blue. I couldn't get over the sap and pine smell. I loved it.

My dad walked up beside me. "What's in the backpack?" He asked snickering a little.

"Um, I don't know. Edward packed it when he bought out the sporting goods store." I laughed. "I'm pretty sure we could survive out in the wilderness for weeks with all of my supplies."

"I like the bear bell." He laughed. "And, it's good that Edward is prepared. It's better to be safe than sorry, anyway." My dad added, making Edward blush a little. There was totally a hidden message in there. I frowned at my dad. He'd already embarrassed Edward once today. He didn't need to keep going. He held up his hands like he was innocent. I smiled at him so he knew I wasn't mad. He was just being a dad and it was in his nature to be overprotective.

We all followed a little walking path on a loop past the campground. I took lots of pictures of everyone, just walking and laughing. We came across a little bird, about the size of a chicken, sitting on a fallen tree on the side of the path. It was beautiful and had a nice brown and white pattern on his feathers. My dad told us it was a grouse. I snapped a couple pictures of it. I was already loving this experience. "Oh, look behind it." Carlisle said, pointing out a little chick. "Do you see the baby?" He asked Alice in a whisper, holding onto her shoulders so she wouldn't jump around and scare it away.

I took a couple pictures of the baby bird, too, before we kept walking. We didn't want to disturb the birds. Edward held my hand as we walked along the path. Apparently we were walking the Little Beacon Rock trail and it only took us about an hour to finish the loop. Most of what we saw was trees and more trees, but the atmosphere was amazing. It was so different from the desert that I was used to.

This must have been how Edward felt in Phoenix. He was seeing where I grew up. And, by camping and seeing the places that Edward visited while growing up, just showed me another side to him. I loved learning everything there was to know about Edward. By the end of this vacation, I would be able to understand his camping stories a lot better, having experienced what it was like myself.

We wandered back to the campsite at around four o'clock. We decided that we were going to just stay at the camp for the rest of the afternoon and the evening. I was excited about that because this was the experience that I was looking forward, too. Just relaxing by the campfire.

I took the flower from my hair and laid it on the bed. It was getting wilted and I had to press it in my journal.

Up here in the higher elevations, it was cooler, and combined with the shade of the thick trees, it was already feeling chilly. Edward brought our suitcases and my purse into the tent. I wanted to change into something more comfortable. I took off my jean Capri pants and opened Edward's suitcase to get my hoodie and my yoga pants. I sat down on our 'bed' and pressed my flower, before I pulled on a pair of my new wool socks. I wiggled my toes. These were pretty comfortable. I decided that I was going to wear wool socks all the time when we got back home.

Edward pulled a flannel shirt on over his t-shirt and we went back out to join our families. Alice had a crocheted hat on, a gift from Nanny I was sure, and a pink jacket and was sitting at the picnic tables.

Esme and Heidi were laying out some Tupperware containers of sandwiches and cookies and some fruit. My dad and Emmett were starting a fire in our fire pit and Carlisle and Jasper were doing the same with the other fire pit. They came over and we all sat down for our first meal in the woods.

I honestly couldn't keep the smile off of my face. This was so fun. There were no worries except keeping warm and being fed and it looked like that was handled. I snuggled up to Edward and flopped my legs over his. He set his warm hand on my thigh and absently moved his thumb back and forth as he ate.

Dinner was great. I could feel the excitement in the air. It was clear how much the Cullens loved this annual tradition. I felt so lucky to be a part of it. After dinner, Carlisle and my dad went to fill up two basins of water from the little water tap by the road so we could wash the dishes. Esme washed and I dried. The boys ran off to get the football and they all stood on the road, tossing it back and forth.

"So, what do think so far?" Esme asked as we dried the plates.

"I really like it here." I told her honestly. "I had no idea what to expect, but I'm having a lot of fun already."

"I'm glad you like it. Camping is so important to Edward, I'm sure we'll be doing this forever. I hope after all the boys are all grown up and have families of their own, that we'll still all make time to do this." She mused.

"Aw, Esme. Don't make me cry." I said, sniffling a little. The bond that the members of this family had to one another was very strong and I was sure that this tradition would always continue.

She wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "I'm sorry." She giggled. "I just like seeing my family all together and having fun."

"Well, I for one would never try to keep Edward from this." I told her. "He loves you all so much. When we first started dating, he talked about you guys all the time. One of the main things that impressed me about him was that he spent his spring break at home with his brothers and sister. I loved that he has this bond with you all."

"Oh, sweetheart. Now you're going to make me cry." She laughed, wrapping her arm around me.

"Oh, no you don't." Carlisle called out, jogging over to us. "No, mushy moments and tears on this camping trip." He chuckled. He lifted her up and carried her over to the rest of the family. She was giggling and I loved that they still had fun like that.

Edward came over to me and kissed my forehead. "Are you okay? Is my mom getting nostalgic, again?" He laughed.

"I'm fine. And, yes she is." I said. He took my hand and led me over to the family.

"I'm going to have to keep you two apart." He said, smiling. "Come on. I'm going to teach you how to throw a football."


	185. Football Throws and Sticky Kisses

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Because this camping trip is the real reason I started this story, I am having a fabulous time writing it! I'm happy to hear that you are enjoying it, too! Let's get back to it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 185 - Football Throws and Sticky Kisses

Emmett tossed Edward the football and he passed it to me. "So, are you trying to turn me into a boy?" I teased.

Edward laughed. "Absolutely not. Trust me, I love that you're a girl." He whispered in my ear. "Because you are the prettiest girl I have ever seen."

"Throw the ball, Bells." My dad called out from down the road. I looked up and saw everyone standing there laughing at us.

"Edward." I whined. "You're going to have to stop distracting me. It's getting embarrassing." Edward just laughed and waved at my dad.

"Okay, baby." Edward said. "Hold the ball like this." He took my fingers and spread them out, so my hand was wrapped around the ball, my fingers touching the laces. He stood behind me and lightly kicked my left leg forward with his. My body was pressed into his. "Now bring the ball up to your shoulder. Now release the ball off of your fingers."

I threw the ball and it fell about halfway between us and my dad. Emmett started laughing, and Esme slapped his arm. "Good try, kiddo." My dad said, smiling. Jasper ran over and picked it up, before running over to stand with us.

"Bella. You have to let it go a little sooner, that's all. You did everything else right." Jasper told me with a smile.

"Thank you, Jasper." I said. "My coach didn't tell me that part." I teased, pinching Edward's side. Jasper threw the ball to his dad perfectly.

Edward leaned down and whispered in my ear. "I'm sorry. I got distracted with you leaning into me."

All of a sudden, I felt arms that were not Edward's wrapped around my waist and I was being lifted off the ground. "Come on, Bella. We're separating you guys. You're on our team, now." I heard Emmett telling me as he literally carried me down the road and away from Edward. I was laughing because I couldn't believe that he actually did that. Carlisle and Esme ran over to join Jasper and Edward, with Alice trailing along behind them.

Edward was standing there laughing, looking a little shocked and disappointed. His mom reached up and put her hands on his cheeks. It was so cute. "Okay, Bells. Try it again." My dad said, passing the me ball he had just caught from Carlisle.

I copied the stance that Edward had shown me and then looked up to Edward who was smiling at me, and holding his hands open, ready to catch the ball. He was so adorable. I brought my arm back and threw it towards Edward. The ball went way to the left and Edward ran towards it and caught it.

"Great job, honey." Edward called to me, making me smile.

We continued tossing the ball back and forth for while, all having fun and laughing. Heidi was worse than I was at throwing the football, which my dad thought was hilarious. Heidi crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow at him. I started laughing at that. She was totally putting my dad in his place.

"Oh, come on." My dad laughed. "It's only funny because you're a better shot than I am at the shooting range."

"What do you think, Bella?" She asked. "Should I forgive him?"

"Nope." Emmett laughed.

I laughed. "Yeah, you should forgive him. I think it was his way of complimenting you." I told her.

My dad came over and gave me hug. "Thank you, Bells. I knew you were my favourite daughter for a reason."

"Well, a girl's got to stand up for her favourite dad." I teased. We decided to call it a game for a while. I was glad because I missed my boyfriend, who I was forcibly pulled away from. Edward ran over to me and lifted me up into a hug.

"Thank you for running to catch my ball." I said, when he set me back down.

"Anytime, angel." He said, smiling. "Do you want to go sit by the fire?" He asked taking me hand.

"Um, will you walk me to the bathroom, first?" I asked blushing.

"Of course." He said, taking my hand and leading me up the road. "Bella. Why in the world are you blushing? You know this doesn't bother me. I think it's cute."

"I know." I said, squeezing his hand. "It's just weird that you have to take me there, that's all." There was no way I was walking through the woods alone.

"Baby, anytime we can be alone together is perfect in my books. Even if it's walking back and forth to the bathroom." Edward said, leaning down to kiss the top of my head.

We got to the bathroom and Edward walked me right to the door, before letting go of my hand. After I used the bathroom and washed my hands, I came out and found Edward waiting for me by the door. What a boyfriend. Edward gave me a piggyback ride back to our campsite. He couldn't seem to let me go, or stop touching me today. I loved that. We were almost inseparable.

When we got back to the camp, we saw that everyone had set up lawn chairs around the fire at my dad's site. Edward set me down and we walked over to join in. I slipped off my running shoes and crossed my legs so I would be more comfortable. Edward was on my left and Heidi was on my right. The fire was warm, but I was still shivering. You really took a warm house for granted, until you were out in the woods.

Edward took his flannel shirt off and laid it across my legs. It was so warm from the heat of his body. "Thanks, babe." I whispered. He got up, kissed my head and then walked over to our tent. He came out a minute later with a hoodie on. I really didn't know how much love could grow, but with Edward, everything he did made me love him more. He was a genuinely kind and loving man and I felt so lucky to have him.

Heidi passed me a sharpened stick with a marshmallow on the end and then one for Edward. "We're making s'mores." Heidi told me with a smile. I was so excited. Angie and I used to make these in her backyard with her dad, over the barbeque.

Edward and I leaned forward and held our marshmallows over the fire. I looked around at everyone. Alice, who was sitting on Carlisle's lap under a blanket, had chocolate and marshmallow all over her face. She was so cute. Esme was leaning over tried to wipe her face. Emmett and Jasper each had three marshmallows on their sticks and they were trying to catch them on fire. My dad had his arm around Heidi's shoulder and they both looked so content. I looked over at Edward and he was looking at me with a smile on his face.

I leaned in to kiss his lips because I couldn't resist. When I pulled back, I noticed that both of our marshmallows were on fire. We quickly pulled them out and blew out the flames. Heidi passed me a couple of graham crackers with chocolate in between them. I squished my marshmallow inside and started eating. It was so good. I forgot how delicious these were. I looked over at Edward, who had put the whole thing in his mouth.

I started laughing at him, because his cheeks were puffed out and he had a little bit of melted marshmallow on his lip. "Wha…?" He tried to ask with his mouth full. After he swallowed, I leaned in close to him, lifted the flannel shirt from my lap to shield us from prying eyes and I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth. He tasted so sweet. From the way his eyes were popping out, I could tell he was surprised by what I just did.

But, he quickly snapped out of it, and smiled. I set the shirt back down on my lap. "Sorry. You had a little marshmallow on your lip." I giggled.

"Don't apologize." He smirked. "In fact, I may be purposefully messy from now on."

"You would, wouldn't you?" I laughed. Edward nodded his head, looking a little mischievous.

We roasted marshmallows for a while longer, before Esme went into the trunk of the car to get more blankets and pass them out. Edward scooted out chairs closer together and covered us with one big blanket. I rested my head on his shoulder and he rested his head on mine. He was holding my hand under the blanket, tracing his fingers up and down my arm.

Everyone was talking about childhood memories and I loved listening to them. I thought it was beautiful that they had those memories to cherish their whole lives. And as much fun as I was having, my eyes were getting heavy. I blinked them, trying to stay awake.

I looked across the fire and saw that Alice was asleep in her daddy's arms. It was sweet. In about ten years, that could be Edward, sitting by the fire with our little girl in his arms. I loved thinking about forever. Mine and Edward's forever.

At this point, I was losing the battle I was having with wakefulness. Edward's steady breathing and the rhythm of his heartbeat were lulling me to sleep. The next thing I remember is being carried in Edward's arms. I didn't know where I was, but I felt safe and warm. I felt Edward's soft lips on my forehead and I heard him tell me that he loved me. I'm sure I fell asleep with a smile on my face.


	186. Body Heat

**A/N - More camping! Enjoy!**

Chapter 186 - Body Heat

I woke up in the darkness. It was pitch black and I couldn't see a thing. It was also dead silent. I couldn't hear a thing. It was so quiet it was almost loud. I panicked a little, reaching out until I felt someone beside me. "Edward." I whispered. He groaned a little and reached out to pull me to his chest. "Edward, wake up."

"What's wrong, baby?" Edward whispered.

"I have to go to the bathroom." I said. And, I literally did. My bladder felt like it was going to explode.

Edward chuckled. "Okay, baby. Get your shoes on." He said. He rustled around a little bit and all of the sudden, there was light. Edward had found his flashlight. We slipped out of the sleeping bag and I slid my running shoes on. I was still wearing my hoodie and yoga pants from the night before.

I looked up and noticed Edward was wearing green flannel pants and a grey hoodie. He looked gorgeous. He slid on a pair of runners without socks and then unzipped the tent. He slipped out and I followed him. The air was really brisk and I was surprised by how cold it was.

Edward took my hand and we walked in the darkness along the road, with just a flashlight to guide us. I pulled my hood up and snuggled close to Edward's side. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I should have woken you up to go to the bathroom, but you looked so peaceful." Edward whispered as we walked.

"It's alright, Edward. Thank you for carrying me to bed." I said, kissing his chest. "What time is it, anyway?" I asked him. He shone his flashlight on his watch.

"Just after one in the morning." He told me. "It's pretty cold out here, huh?"

"It's freezing." I giggled. "I completely understand the whole body heat thing, now."

"Well, now that you're awake, we can test that out, when we get back to the tent." Edward laughed.

"Sounds good." I told him.

We got to the bathroom. "Will you be waiting right outside the door? I'm scared of being out here in the dark." I asked him.

"Of course, angel." He said. "I'll be right outside the door."

"Thanks, babe." I said, kissing his chest. I went into the bathroom and turned on the light. I quickly used the bathroom and washed my hands before opening the door. Edward was right there, like he said he would be. "Do you need to go?" I asked.

He laughed. "I just did."

"How is that possible? Why are guys so fast?" I asked him, taking his hand.

"One of life's great mysteries." He said. We walked back to our tent. It was so quiet out here, that it was almost eerie. "Look at the stars, Bella." Edward whispered when we were halfway back. He was probably trying to distract me from my fears of the dark, but it was working. We stopped and I looked up. The night was really clear and there must have been thousands of stars. It was so pretty.

"It's beautiful, Edward." I whispered.

"Almost as beautiful as you." He said, before kissing my cheek. I giggled at how cheesy that sounded, but I knew he meant it seriously. "I mean it." He said, pinching my bum.

"I know you do." I whispered. "Thank you."

We got back to camp a few minutes later and tried to be really quiet. I could hear snoring, so it didn't seem like we woke anyone up. I took off my hoodie and yoga pants and slipped my bra out from under my t-shirt. I was left in a t, a pair of boy shorts and my wool socks. Edward took off his hoodie and was left in just his flannel pants. We climbed into our sleeping bag and cuddled close together.

"You are warm." He chuckled into my neck, pressing our chests together.

I slid one of my legs between his so we could get closer together. I wrapped my arms around his back and started rubbing his bare skin to keep him warm. Edward moved one of his hands down to rest on my bum.

His touch made me all tingly and I loved it. His other hand slid under my t-shirt, and moved along my back and sides. I moaned a little bit. Edward shushed me. "Baby, you have to be quiet." He laughed.

"I can't help it." I whispered. "It's your fault, anyway." I brought my hand down and slid it into the back of his flannel pants, giving his bum a firm squeeze. He groaned and I laughed.

"Okay. You made your point." He chuckled quietly. "Maybe if we kiss, we'll be able to keep quiet." He suggested.

I giggled against his lips. "Is that what you think?"

"It's worth a try." He laughed.

"Okay." I said. Edward leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. I hummed. I loved his lips.

He pulled back a little and smiled. "Shh." He whispered before leaning back in to deepen the kiss. He rolled over on top of me and moved his hands up to my hair. Mine moved along his back to his bum and back up.

He started to kiss a trail down my neck and along the v-neck of my t-shirt. I lifted my arms and threaded my fingers through his hair. "I love you." I whispered and his fingers dipped under my t-shirt and moved along my stomach.

Edward moved his leg up a little and I gasped as his cold toes touched my leg. He pulled back immediately "What?" He asked.

"Your feet are freezing cold." I said, giggling. "Where are your socks?"

"I can't wear socks when I sleep. I can't breathe." He said, rolling off me to lay on his side.

I giggled at him. "See. This is what I like. I like learning these little quirks about you." I wriggled down in the sleeping bag and rubbed my socked feet on his bare feet, making him laugh.

Edward pulled the sleeping bag over his head and we snuggled together in the warmth of the pink sleeping bag.

I pressed my lips to his chest and snuggled in close to Edward's warm body. I eventually fell back asleep. Edward was right. This body heat thing was amazing.

When I woke up, it was light out. Edward's head was buried in my chest, his arms were wrapped tightly around my waist and he was snoring quietly. I ran my fingers lightly through his hair and then down his back. I lightly scratched his back and he groaned a little.

He opened his eyes and looked up at my face then back down to my chest. He blushed a little, before he rolled off of me to lay on his back. "Sorry, baby." He chuckled.

"It's alright." I said, reaching over to rub his bare chest. "What time is it?" I asked him, reaching for his arm to look at his watch. "Eight-thirty."

"Should we get up?" Edward asked stretching his arms up over his head.

"Probably." I said, rolling over to cuddle up to his chest, placing a couple kisses on it. "I'd like to go have a shower."

"Me, too." He said. "So, how did you sleep? Were you warm enough?"

I giggled. "Absolutely." Edward unzipped the sleeping bag and we crawled out and over to our suitcases. The air was cool and it was quite the difference compared to our little warm cocoon.

I pulled out a pair of jean cut offs, a black racer back tank top, a black cotton bra and some black underwear. I slipped them into my little backpack along with my toiletry bag and hair brush. I slipped on my yoga pants, Edward's plaid shirt and my flip flops and then wrapped my hair up in a messy bun. I was ready to head to the showers.

Edward had his clothes for the day wrapped up in a towel. He passed me one and I tossed it over my shoulder. I hadn't thought to pack towels. It was clear that I was used to staying hotels.

Edward had slipped his jeans and t-shirt from the day before back on. He unzipped the tent door and we stepped out into the day light. I looked around and noticed my dad and Carlisle sitting by their fire pit, each drinking a cup of coffee. "That smells so good." Edward said.

"Do you want to go have a cup?" I asked him.

"No. Let's go get ready, then I can come back and have two cups in a row." He laughed. My boy and his coffee. We waved at our dads before heading up the road to the showers.

If today went as good as last night, we were in for a great day.


	187. Teasing

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, as well as for the alerts and favourites! You are awesome! Enjoy!**

Chapter 187 - Teasing

I ran into Esme and Heidi the bathroom. They both had their hair wound up in towels and were wearing bathrobes. I held back my laughter. It was cute. Esme told me that there were two other campers in the shower, so, after using the bathroom, I sat on the counter and waited. A young girl around my age came out of the shower and smiled at me, before walking over to the sinks. I hoped off the counter and went over to the shower stalls. They had solid doors and there was a little changing area, and then a curtained in area for the shower. It was nice that I had a place to hang my backpack.

I stripped off yesterday's clothes, took my hair down and walked into the shower. It felt so good to be under the water. I shampooed my hair, washed my body and shaved my legs. I dried off and got dressed. I stuffed my clothes into my bag and headed out to the sinks.

Esme was curling her hair and Heidi was brushing her teeth. I set my things on the counter and brushed out my hair. I decided to just French braid my hair today, so I didn't have to dry it. I brushed my teeth and put on my lip gloss. I was ready before Esme and Heidi. I laughed a little at how high maintenance they were for a camping trip. I walked out of the bathroom and found Edward and Emmett outside talking. Edward's hair was damp and so was Emmett's. They were both wearing white t-shirts and cargo shorts, Edward's tan and Emmett's navy.

"Hey, Bella." Emmett said. Edward walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind.

"Hi. Where's Jasper?" I asked.

"Oh, he's putting his gel in his hair, or something." Emmett laughed. I smiled. It was so cute that he was still doing his hair like I taught him back in May.

"Hey, it's Vidal Sassoon, himself." Emmett teased when Jasper walked out of the bathroom. He was wearing a brown t-shirt and a pair of tan cargo pants. Jasper blushed a little, but tucked his hair behind his ear.

"Whatever, Em." Jasper laughed. "Edward does it, too."

"Boys, boys." I playfully scolded. "Now, you all look handsome." Edward kissed the top of my head. "What's the plan for today?"

"I have no idea. I can't think when I'm hungry." Emmett laughed. Edward took my hand and we all walked back towards the campsite. Emmett teased Jasper as we walked. "They say you shouldn't use hair products in the woods. It attracts the bears." The guys just laughed, but that scared me. I knew I smelled like strawberries.

"Is that true?" I asked, a little panicked.

"I think it's more hairspray than anything else." Edward said. "It's sweet smelling."

"I think that bears just like girls, because they always smell good." Emmett added. I looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Emmett." Jasper and Edward said at the same time.

"I'm just teasing, Bella. We'll wrestle those bears away if they come to eat you. I promise." Emmett laughed. Edward squeezed my hand as we walked over to our dads.

"Hey, kids. You hungry?" My dad asked.

"No, but apparently the bears are." I said, looking at Emmett. He just shrugged, looking innocent.

"Emmett, stop trying to scare Bella." Carlisle said. "And no bear talk around your sister, either." Emmett chuckled a little, but nodded his head. He would never try to scare her.

"Where is the little princess?" Edward asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"She's still asleep." Carlisle said smiling. "She's snuggled in mom's sleeping bag."

Heidi and Esme walked back to camp looking gorgeous. They were both wearing cotton shorts and tank tops, but their hair looked runway ready. I smiled at them. They were a lot alike, personality wise, and I was glad they were getting along so well, considering that my dad and Carlisle were best friends.

"Is Alice still sleeping?" Esme asked and Carlisle nodded his head. Esme went into the tent to get her.

My dad and Carlisle brought two frying pans over to the picnic tables. One was full of scrambled eggs and the other with a couple pounds of bacon. The boys all loaded their plates. I loved watching them. They were all so different, but it was very clear that they were brothers.

"It's sure nice having the cooking done for you, isn't it Bella?" Heidi asked me.

"I'd say. If I knew my dad could make scrambled eggs this fluffy, I think I would have put him to work months ago." I teased, making my dad laugh.

Esme and Alice walked out the tent. Alice was dressed in yellow cotton shorts and a white t-shirt. Her hair was messy, but she looked cute. "Good morning sleepyhead." Carlisle said to his daughter as she climbed up beside him at the picnic table. He got her a plate with some eggs and a couple of slices of bacon.

We all shared a great breakfast together. And I'm sure Edward had four cups of coffee. After we ate, Edward and I volunteered to take Alice to the bathroom to brush her teeth. I think Edward just wanted to get out of cleaning up, but I refused to walk through the woods alone.

Edward carried Alice on his back and held onto her legs with one hand and my hand with the other. "So you slept good last night, Alice?" I asked her.

"Yeah. I love sleeping in sleeping bags." She told me with a smile. "I'm like a caterpillar." I laughed because I had the same thought this morning.

We got to the bathroom and I took Alice in. We both used the bathroom before she brushed her teeth. I washed her face with the face cloth that Esme had sent with us and then I wet a comb and brushed through her hair to flatten it down. I pulled her hair back into pigtails.

We came out and found Edward waiting for us. I felt bad that he had to spend so much time standing out here waiting. "Well don't you look pretty?" Edward said to Alice, making her giggle.

"Bella did my hair." She told him proudly. Edward leaned down and kissed my lips quickly.

We walked back to the camp and Esme came and gave me a hug for helping Alice. I don't know why she felt like she had to thank me all the time. I happily volunteered to spend time with her.

While we were gone, they had decided that we were going to go fishing. I was excited because I hadn't been fishing since I was four years old.

I rode with my dad and Heidi in his truck, Edward, Emmett and Jasper took Emmett's truck and Carlisle took his car with Esme and Alice. I liked that Edward was spending time with his brothers.

"So, are you girls having fun so far?" My dad asked, as we drove down the road to the edge of the river.

"I'm loving it so far." I told him. "And I'm really excited for you to teach me how to fish." My dad looked thrilled at that.

"What are we fishing for, Charlie?" Heidi asked.

"Well, this is pretty exciting, but Carlisle and I were thinking that we would try for sturgeon." My dad said. "June is the perfect time for them and the Columbia River is the known for their sturgeon. They can get up to fifteen feet long."

Heidi and I looked at each other and then started laughing. "Charlie, you sweet, crazy man." Heidi said to him, patting his knee as we parked by the water. "You're going to let us beginners fish for dinosaurs?"

My dad smiled, his eyes sparking at her. "Of course not, you beautiful, silly lady." He chuckled. "There's steelhead trout and salmon fishing opened, too."

I could not get over how cute my dad and Heidi were together. They teased each other and got along amazingly. I was so happy for both of them.

"Okay, you two. Daughter in the truck." I teased.

"Bella, this is nothing. You are a thousand times worse with Edward and don't even try to deny it." Heidi said, giggling. My dad chuckled and nodded. I loved that we were teasing each other like friends. "I actually woke up in the middle of the night, last night and I…" I quickly covered her mouth my hand, my face bright red. She must have heard Edward and I even though we tried to be quiet.

Heidi started laughing so hard and I looked at her with desperation that she wouldn't say anything else in front of my dad. She winked at me and I knew I was safe. I hopped out of the truck and was met by my gorgeous boy.

"Why are you blushing?" He asked smiling, leaning for a quick kiss.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face into his chest. "Apparently kissing doesn't keep us quiet." I mumbled. Edward laughed and kissed the top of my head.

"We'll have to practice again tonight?" He whispered. I couldn't wait.


	188. Water

**A/N - Thanks for all of your support! Camping life continues. Enjoy!**

Chapter 188 - Water

We all walked down to the water. The beach here along the river was like gravel and we all sat down along the shore. Alice waded into the water up to her knees. She squealed and giggled. "It's so cold." She laughed.

My dad and Carlisle went into a bait and tackle shop that was set up across the parking lot to buy bait. I rested my head on Edward's shoulder and took in the surroundings. It was gorgeous. The river was incredibly wide here, and we could see large islands in the water. There were pine trees everywhere. It was so green and beautiful.

"Alice, are you trying to scare away all the fish?" We heard Carlisle ask as they walked back towards us.

"Just the baby ones, daddy." She laughed, hopping out of the water and running towards him for a hug.

"Good girl." My dad said to her smiling. "We only want the big ones, right Alice?"

"Right." She agreed, smiling.

My dad and Carlisle each had a few fishing rods. Esme brought a book to read and Alice had a child's fishing rod. Carlisle and my dad passed them out to us and helped us tie on the hooks and bait them. They put worms on our hooks. Apparently that was good for catching salmon. I will admit that I gagged when I saw it. Emmett laughed at me and called me a girl, making me laugh hysterically and forget about the grossness that was fishing.

My dad cast my line for me, because I asked nicely and kissed his cheek. Heidi followed me lead and my dad cast her line as well. We both laughed at how easy that was. All the Cullen boys baited and cast their own lines. Edward did really well, and he looked gorgeous standing in the sunshine by the river.

Carlisle told us all to move our lines in a slow arc and then jerk the line every once in a while to catch the salmon's attention. We all stood on the shoreline waiting for something to happen. My dad and Carlisle baited their hooks with shrimp. They were determined to catch a sturgeon. I thought it was cute how excited they got over this. It didn't seem that interesting to me, but the company was great.

After about ten minutes, Heidi felt a pull on her line. "Charlie, help." She called out, laughing. "What do I do?"

"Reel it in a little, then let it go some." He said, quickly reeling in his line and jogging over. He stood beside her and guided her. "Keep bringing it in, Dee. You're doing great." I smiled, watching them.

Finally, she reeled in the fish. "It's a salmon, but it's only about ten inches." My dad told her, unhooking the fish. "We've got to put him back in."

"Dad, take her picture with it." I said, pointing to my purse.

My dad passed Heidi her fish and then took her picture. She was making the best face. She look scared and excited and disgusted at the same time. It was awesome. Heidi took the fish and set it back in the water, letting it swim away. My dad walked up to her and gave her a kiss. "Great job." He baited her hook and cast her line for her again.

The morning went well. Unfortunately for my dad and Carlisle, the sturgeon were not biting today. Jasper caught an eighteen inch salmon. Edward held my rod and I took his picture. He looked really excited about have caught one. Edward caught a brown trout, but had to release it. Only the steelhead could be kept. The same thing happened to Emmett. There were so many rules to fishing.

I wasn't having any luck, so I reeled in my line and just took pictures of everyone. It was quite the experience and I had fun. We decided to head back to camp and cook Jasper's fish for lunch.

After a quick run to the bathrooms, we all settled back into camp. Esme, Edward and I, all hated fish, so we hung out at our camp, along with Alice, and Esme heated up a couple of cans of chicken noodle soup for lunch.

"I can smell it." Esme said, giggling. "Even though we're outside."

I laughed with her. "The smell doesn't bug me so much as the thought of eating it after you caught it. When I watched the fish swimming when Edward and Heidi put them back in the water, I couldn't imagine eating it." I explained.

Edward kissed my cheek. "You're so sweet." He said.

After lunch, Alice asked us if we could go swimming. Edward, Emmett, Jasper and I agreed to go. We decided to leave the 'adults' back at camp. Edward said that we could go to Ridell Lake It was halfway between our camp and the river where we were fishing this morning.

I went into the tent to get changed. I put my bathing suit on, but slipped my tank top and shorts back on over top. I got out of the tent and Edward slipped in to change. Both Emmett and Jasper were sitting on lawn chairs in their board shorts. Jasper had a white t-shirt on with black shorts and Emmett had navy blue shorts and decided to go shirtless.

Alice came running over in pink bathing suit with a little built in skirt. She looked really cute. Edward came out of the tent in his white plaid board short and a blue t-shirt. Esme gave us a stack of towel and we all loaded into Edward's car.

Ridell Lake was fairly small, and surrounded by tall trees. It had a very isolated feeling to it. We laid out our towels and Emmett and Jasper raced each other in, diving under the water. I though they were crazy.

Alice ran out but only got up to her knees. Edward called her back and slipped on her orange lifejacket, before snapping the clips closed. She looked a little pouty at having to wear it, but I though it was a great idea, especially in a lake. He kissed her cheek, and she smiled at him, before running back out to the water.

I slipped off my shorts, but left my tank top on. "You want to go in?" Edward asked, pulling his shirt off over his head. "It's going to be cold."

Luckily for Edward, he looked so sexy, I would follow him anywhere, even a cold mountainous lake in the woods. "Alright. As long as you promise to warm me up later." I said smiling at him.

"It's a deal." He said, smirking at me. We held hands and slowly waded into the water. It was freezing cold and I already had goose bumps. The water was really clear and I could see all the rocks on the bottom. We reached Alice, who was in up to her waist now.

"It's so cold." I said, shivering. I reached my arms up and wrapped them around Edward's shoulders. I figured he would walk us out a little farther. He got out to about his waist and then dropped us under the water to his shoulders. I screamed. I wasn't expecting him to dunk us in right away.

Alice was laughing as us, as she paddled her arms over to where we were. I was in up to my shoulders. I paddled away from Edward, towards Emmett and Jasper. "I'm not talking to you, Edward." I called as I swam away from him. I looked over my shoulder and saw Alice hanging onto Edward's shoulder as they swam over to me.

"Bella, get back here." He laughed. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not." I laughed. He was gaining on me and Alice was yelling at Edward to swim faster.

"Yes, I am, angel." He said, grabbing onto my feet. I screamed as he pulled me close to him and pulled me into a hug. Alice let go of Edward and swam over to Emmett.

We were out a lot deeper and I couldn't touch the ground, so I held onto Edward tightly. He pressed a kiss on my lips. I smiled at him. "You're forgiven." I giggled. "But, only because you're such a great kisser."

"Mm." He said, leaning in for more. I laughed and moved my face from his.

"You wait for the tent." I laughed, letting him go and swimming out deeper. Edward disappeared under the water and I knew he was coming for me. I looked around but didn't see him. "Where is he?" I called out to Emmett and Jasper.

"Hold your breath." Jasper said. "He always does this."

All of the sudden I felt something on my leg and then I was tugged under. I held my breath and then resurfaced. Edward came up and started laughing. I could see how much Edward loved camping. He was acting so carefree. I swam around behind him and pushed down on his shoulders, pushing him underwater. He resurfaced and started shaking his hair like a dog.

"Alice, help me." I called out to her. "Your brother's crazy." I giggled, swimming over to her. I hid behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. Edward swam over, trying to get closer and Alice was splashing at him, laughing.

Edward grabbed her hands and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Gotcha." He said.

All of a sudden Emmett and Jasper grabbed Edward from behind and pulled him underwater. He sprung out of the water and the boys were laughing and splashing and having a great time. Alice and I swam towards the shore and then walked along the edge. It was way too cold to stay out there that long, especially with three rowdy brothers.

We picked out some pretty rocks. Alice found a nice pink one and I found one that looked like a little green heart. It was so pretty and I decided to give it to Edward. Alice and I went back to the beach and sat on our towels. I unclipped Alice's lifejacket and pulled off my cold, wet tank. We both laid down on our towels to try and warm up in the sun. It was really warm once we got out of the water.

The boys finally came in. I heard them laughing, before I held up my hand to shield my eyes from the sun and watch them walk in. Edward laid down beside me and pressed his cold, wet body next to my warm, dry skin. "Edward, you're so cold." I said, pushing him back on his towel.

"Come on, baby. Warm me up." He said, snuggling back into me. He was shivering and his lips looked a little blue. But, he was my the love of life and I'd love him even if he was as cold as ice.


	189. Socks

**A/N - Thank you all again for your support! I'm so happy that you all want to share these characters' lives with me. Enjoy!**

Chapter 189 - Socks

I sat up with Edward and wrapped his towel around his shoulders, rubbing my hands over his arms. It was nice seeing the boys having so much fun together and I loved that they that strong brotherly bond.

Emmett and Jasper had their towels wrapped around their shoulders, too. We all just took a minute to take in how beautiful it was out here at the lake. There were a few other people playing in the water, but for the most part, it was fairly quiet and very peaceful. "This is really pretty." I said, looking at the sun flickering on the surface of the water.

"It's awesome here." Emmett said. "I have a Nerf football in the back of my truck. We should all come back out to the lake again tomorrow to play catch in the water."

"Sounds good, bro." Edward said, looking a little more warmed up.

"Hey, guys, look." Jasper said, almost in a whisper. He was pointing to the right side of the lake about thirty feet away from us. There were four deer coming out of the trees and walking to the water to drink. They were so beautiful. We all sat quietly and watched them. After a few minutes, they walked back towards the trees.

"That was amazing." I said.

"They were so cute." Alice said. "I liked the one with the horns."

"Alice, remember that deer have antlers and goats have horns." Edward told her. "Do you remember the difference?"

"Yeah, I think so. Antlers fall off but horns stay on. Right?" Alice asked.

"You're right. Good girl." Edward praised. "And could you tell what kind of deer they were?"

"Um, the boy deer had forked antlers and their ears were big, so they were mule deer." She said, excitedly.

"Right again, princess." He said, smiling.

"He's really like a walking, talking encyclopaedia, isn't he Bella?" Emmett laughed.

"Yeah, but he's mine, so I love him anyway." I teased, squeezing Edward's hand. Edward leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"I'm trying to impress you." He whispered in my ear.

I giggled and turned to whisper back in his ear. "I'm always impressed and I think you're smartness is sexy." I lightly bit his ear lobe.

He smirked at me, but was blushing lightly at the same time. It was so cute. He tried to act confident, but I could see that he was still a little nervous about our physical relationship, too. I liked that we were figuring it out together and I loved that we were getting so comfortable with each other.

"I'm hungry." Emmett said.

"Me, too." Jasper agreed.

"Okay, let's head back to camp." Edward said. He stood up and took my hands, helping me up. I slid my shorts back on and took Alice's hand. We all walked back to the car together. Jasper sat in the front seat with Edward and I sat in the back with Alice and Emmett.

"Was that your first time swimming in a lake?" Emmett asked me.

"Yeah. I've been in the ocean with Edward, but never a lake." I told him. "It's nice, because it's a lot more calm. And you don't have to worry about sharks."

He laughed. "Well, there are fish in that lake. It's filled by a creek from the mountains and then another one empties out to the Columbia river. Things can get in and out of the lake."

"Yuck." Alice said, frowning. "I don't like to think of what's in there."

We all laughed with her. "I'm going to have to agree with Alice." I said. "Do the fish bite?" I asked.

"Well, they could nibble on your toes." Emmett said. "But you should be okay."

"Now, I don't want to go back in." I said. "That's creepy." The boys all laughed at me, but if I had thought about the fish, I don't think I would have been as comfortable in the lake.

We got back to the camp and Alice ran over to show her mom the pink rock she found. I decided to go change, so Edward and I went into the tent.

"We're in the tent." He whispered. "I was promised a kiss once we got back in the tent."

I pulled his hand and we laid beside each other on the sleeping bag. I placed a light kiss on his lips. "There you go." I giggled.

Edward laughed. "That's all I get?" He pouted.

I giggled. "Don't use that pout on me. You know I can't resist it."

Edward laughed. "That was the plan." I smiled at him and leaned in for a long passionate kiss. I gave him a few more short kisses.

"That better?" I asked against his lips.

"Much." He smiled, kissing me, again.

"You look beautiful, by the way." He whispered. "I love how you look in this bathing suit." He traced his nose down my neck and chest. I grabbed his head in my hands and brought it back up.

"Baby." I said in a warning tone. He laughed. "Come on, we have to get changed, so we can go eat."

"Sorry. But I had to watch my hot girlfriend running around the beach all day. I think I behaved pretty well." He said.

"You were very good." I said, running my fingers through his hair. "And thank you for saying that I'm hot."

"I'm not just saying it, Bella. You are beautiful." He said, leaning in to kiss my neck. I loved that he made me feel beautiful all the time.

"Oh, just thinking about how much I love you, reminded me of something." I reached down into the pocket of my cut-offs and pulled out the little heart-shaped rock I found on the beach. "Here, babe. I found you a rock." I passed it to him. "It's a heart and it's green like your like pretty eyes."

He smiled at me, then looked down at the rock. "Thank you, honey." He said, leaning in to kiss me, again.

"Edward. Um, we're roasting hotdogs." Jasper called from outside the tent. I smiled. It was obvious that the family sent him to get us. I guess we were taking too long to change.

"Okay, thanks Jazz." Edward called out. We sat up and went to our suitcases. I turned my back to Edward, and slipped off my bathing suit top and pulled on a sports bra. I pulled on Edward's plaid shirt and left my cut-offs on.

I turned around and Edward was just pulling on a pair of sweatpants. "I love when you wear my clothes." He said, smiling.

"Okay, then." I said, going over to his suitcase and pulling out a pair of his wool socks. I sat down to pull them on. Edward laughed and climbed over me, trying to get them out of my hands. I rolled over on my stomach and started laughing. He was reaching around me, tickling my sides. "Edward, stop." I laughed. "Just let me have the socks."

"Bella, I bought you twelve pairs of your very own." He said, reaching around my stomach and rolling us over with my back to his chest. He kissed the back of my neck.

He reached around and grabbed the socks. I wriggled out of his hold and sat in front of him. I pouted out my bottom lip. "Don't try to trick me, Bella." Edward warned.

I figured I'd try another tactic. I really wanted those socks. His looked so soft and warn in. I unbraided my hair and ran my fingers through it, tossing around the waves. Edward's eyes were a little wide. I knew he liked my hair like this. I got up on my knees and slowly trailed my fingers down my neck to the first button of the shirt. I popped it open and moved my fingers down to the next button. Edward sucked in a deep breath. He was off guard, so I took my chance and lunged for the socks. I grabbed them and unzipped the tent, running out towards our families. I sat down beside Emmett and slipped on Edward's socks.

It was really quiet and I looked up. Everyone was staring at me. Heidi and Esme were smiling at me and my dad had a little frown on his face. I remembered that Emmett told us the tent wasn't sound proof. I felt my face heating up. "I wanted his socks." I explained lamely.

"Well, I guess you got them." Emmett laughed. I brought my knees up and wrapped my arms around them. It was my attempt at hiding.

Edward finally came walking over to the fire and sat beside me. He seemed a little frazzled. He looked at me and winked, before reaching over and squeezing my foot. "Alright, so what's for dinner?" He asked, effectively putting an end to the discussion. I had never been so grateful.


	190. Hotdogs and Sing Alongs

**A/N - I am having so much fun writing this camping trip! I hope you're all enjoying it, too! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 190 - Hotdogs and Sing Alongs

Esme passed us each a hotdog on a stick. "Okay, Bella. I promised to teach you how to cook a hotdog." Emmett laughed.

I giggled. "Alright, Emmett. What do I do?"

"Well, you hold it over the fire until it blisters on all sides." Emmett told me. It was clear he took his food seriously. "You don't want to over cook it, or it get's tough."

"Sounds good." I said, holding the stick over the fire pit. We all cooked our hotdogs to perfection, according to Emmett, and then went over to the picnic tables to eat. Esme had hotdog buns and potato chips laid out on the table for us. Edward passed me the ketchup and pickles. "Thanks, babe." I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

The hotdog was really good. I swear I had never had a better hotdog. "That was really good." I said. "Emmett, you should be a chef." I told him.

"Thank you, Bella." He sighed. "Finally someone appreciates my culinary techniques." We decided to have s'mores again tonight, too. Camping was so much fun. The entire purpose was to have fun. I loved it.

After a group bathroom run, we all settled back around the fire. "Sweetheart." Esme said to Edward. "Will you play your guitar for us?"

I had no idea that Edward packed his guitar. I was so thrilled at the thought of hearing Edward play, again. Edward looked at me, blushing a little. It still surprised me every time he acted nervous about playing his guitar. He was so talented, but I think it was the crowd that made him nervous. I figured he was looking at me for support.

I smiled at him and nodded. "Okay." He said. He got up to get his guitar from the trunk.

"I've never heard him play." My dad said to me.

"You'll be pleasantly surprised. He's really good." I told him, honestly.

Edward came over, threw the guitar strap over his shoulder and sat on the edge of his lawn chair. "Um, do you want me to sing, or just play?" He asked his mom.

"You do whatever you feel the most comfortable with." She told him. She was such a perfect mom.

Edward looked back to me and then smiled. "Okay, um, this is the song I wrote for Bella." He said.

I hadn't heard this song since he played it for me in the bar in Port Angeles. He started strumming his guitar and I remembered how I felt that day. I remembered how loved and special that I felt because he wrote a song for me and about me. The song was called 'Captivated,' which was really ironic, because I felt that way when he played.

But the best part was that he never took his eyes from my face the entire time he played, both in Port Angeles and now. And, just like the last time I heard it, I cried. I wiped my eyes with my shirt sleeve.

When Edward told me he loved me, I knew in my heart he was telling the truth. But, when he sang it, I felt it in my soul. It was such a difficult feeling to describe. When Edward sang to me, with words written for me and because of me, I felt completely connected to him.

When Edward finished the song, I got up and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Thank you, Edward. I love you." I whispered in his ear. "I'll be right back." I told everyone, and quickly ran off to mine and Edward's tent. I was rummaging through my bags. I knew I had some tissues in here somewhere.

"Bella." I heard from behind me. I turned and saw Heidi standing in the doorway on the tent. "Can I come in?" She asked, smiling at me.

"Of course." I said, sitting on the bed. "Is everything alright?"

She laughed. "That's what I came to ask you." She said as she sat beside me.

"Oh, yeah. I'm great. Edward just made me cry, but he does that a lot, so it's no big deal." I laughed. I wiped my eyes again and blew my nose.

I could hear Edward playing one of his folk songs and I smiled. "He's really talented, isn't he?" She said.

"He's amazing. It just gets to me sometimes that he loves me as much as he does. It's overwhelming." I told her. "And, mainly because I feel the exact same way about him."

"That's a beautiful thing, Bella." She said, she leaned in and gave me a hug. "So, are you going to tell me how you got the socks?" She asked, laughing.

My cheeks flushed. "How much did you all hear out there?" I asked, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Oh, we just heard hysterical laughter." She told me, smiling.

"Well, nothing was working, not even pouting, so I took my hair down first. He loves when my hair is wavy. Then I started to unbutton my shirt. It only took one button before he was distracted enough for me to snatch the socks from his hands."

Heidi laughed with me. "Boys." I smiled at her. It was so nice that I had someone to confide in. We got up and walked back over to the fire. Esme smiled warmly at me.

I squeezed Edward's shoulder as I walked passed him to sit down. He looked at me and smiled, as he finished his song. Everyone clapped for him. "You okay?" He mouthed to me.

I nodded and smiled at him. He reached down by his seat and passed me a small little yellow flower. He didn't forget. Sweetest boyfriend ever.

Edward started playing oldies like he did when he jammed with Paul. Everyone started singing along with Edward and even I joined in, even though I couldn't sing. I figured no one would be able to hear how horrible I was with this many people singing. We must have hung out by the fire until around ten o'clock. Apparently, there were no loud noises allowed in the campground after ten. We all cleaned up the campsite and then headed up to the bathrooms in a big group to get ready for bed.

Heidi, Esme, Alice and I all went into the girls bathroom to brush out teeth, wash our faces and use the bathroom. When we came out, we found all five guys waiting for us. It was sweet.

Carlisle picked up Alice and she was asleep in his arms by the time we made it back to camp. I gave my dad a goodnight hug, before Edward and I went into our tent for the night.

"You are in trouble." Edward whispered in my ear.

"What did I do?" I giggled.

"You know what you did." He laughed. He pulled off his t-shirt and laid back on the bed, lifting his hips to pull his sweatpants off. He was left in just a pair of white boxer briefs. I will admit that I stared unabashedly at his body. He was glorious, really. Edward chuckled. "If you were holding a pair of sock right now, I could easily swipe them from your hands."

"I'm going to have to agree with you there." I laughed. Edward slipped under the sleeping bag and snuggled in. He looked so cute with just his face peeking out.

I walked over to my suitcase and pulled out my journal, pressing the little yellow flower from Edward. I thought it was so sweet of him to keep up with his flower tradition, even though we were camping.

I unbuttoned the plaid shirt and took it off. I pulled off my jean shorts and realized I was still wearing my bathing suit bottom. I grabbed Edward's t-shirt and slipped it over my head, before reaching underneath, and pulling my bra through the sleeve. I slipped off my bathing suit and pulled on a pair of black cotton boy shorts.

I crawled into the sleeping bag with Edward and he pulled me close to his body, wrapping his arms around me tightly. "I love you so much." He whispered into my hair. "You are so beautiful."

"Thank you, handsome." I said. "And, I loved that you played my song tonight." I told him, reaching up to trace my fingers over his face. "I love hearing it."

He smiled at me. "Well, I'm sorry that I made you cry." He chuckled, kissing the end of my nose.

"It's alright." I told him. "I was just telling Heidi how much of a connection I feel with you when you sing."

"I'm glad you feel it, too, Bella." He said, moving his hands under my shirt and rubbing my back with his bare hands. He snuggled his face into the crook of my neck, then started to laugh quietly. "I still can't believe you tricked me."

I laughed with him. "I'm sorry, but it was too easy." I whispered. "You know, you could have just given me the socks."

"I know, but it was so much more fun my way." He said, before reaching up and pulling the sleeping bag over our heads and pulling me under. We laughed and kissed and touched. I loved being in our own little world, sandwiched between pink and green sleeping bags.


	191. Frisky

**A/N - Thanks again for all your support and encouragement. More camping! Enjoy!**

Chapter 191 - Frisky

There is honestly nothing better than waking up in the arms of the man you love. Yesterday morning, Edward's face was on my chest. Today, mine was on his. This first thing I heard when I woke up was Edward's heartbeat. And I could tell by the slow, steady rhythm that he was still asleep. It looked like it was close to dawn. It was still dark, but looked almost grey, based on the light through the tent.

I started placing little kisses on Edward's chest, and tracing my fingers over his stomach. He groaned and then stretched his arms over his head. "Good morning, angel." He said, before opening his eyes.

"Good morning, Edward."

He opened his eyes and looked down at me with a smile. "Want to snuggle?" He asked, rolling onto his side to face me.

"Yes, but not now." I said, giggling. "I woke you up for a reason."

"And, that reason wasn't snuggling?" He asked with mock seriousness. "I don't know, Isabella, but you might have to punished for that." I loved when he called me Isabella. It sounded so sexy coming from his lips.

"Sound good." I teased. "But, can we go to the bathroom first?"

"Of course, baby." He laughed. "I would never stand between you and the bathroom."

I pinched his side, before unzipping the sleeping bag and slipping out. "It's freezing out here." I said, shivering, as I went over to my suitcase.

"It is." He laughed. "Do you want to shower while we're up there, or go back after breakfast?"

"Um, I guess we might as well, right?" I said, pulling out a pair of tan shorts, a white t-shirt, a white bra and underwear. I pulled my hoodie on over Edward's t-shirt and slipped on a pair of sweatpants to wear to the bathroom.

I turned and giggled at Edward who was laying on the bed, trying to pull on his sweatpants. It was so hard for him to get dressed in the tent because he couldn't stand up and he was so tall. "Stop laughing." He chuckled. He threw on his hoodie but left it unzipped. He had his towel with his clothes rolled in it and passed me a towel, again.

We got out of the tent and I was surprised that we were the first ones up today. We slipped on our flip flops and headed up the road to the bathrooms. The air was so fresh and crisp. Camping air was different. I liked it.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look when you're camping?" Edward asked, squeezing my hand.

I giggled. "Edward, I'm sure my hair looks like a bird's nest right now and I'm all rumpled."

Edward laughed. "Bella, Bella. You look so cute when your rumpled. And, I think you're sexy when you first wake up."

"Well, as along as you think so, because you're going to be waking up to this everyday once we go back to school." I said, smiling at him.

"I'm a lucky guy." He said, winking at me. Edward walked me to the door of the ladies room. He kissed my forehead. "I'll be right outside when your finished."

"Thanks, baby." I said, before going in. I used the bathroom before showering and brushing my teeth. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and put on some lip gloss, before heading out to join my boy. Edward was standing there in a tight black t-shirt and his camo cargo shorts. He looked gorgeous. He passed me a little blue wildflower, before bending down to kiss my lips.

"Thank you, Edward. It's beautiful." I said, smiling.

"Okay, now you get your punishment." He chuckled, crouching down and picking me up by the legs and throwing me over his shoulder.

"Edward. Don't drop me." I called out.

"I would never." He said, holding my legs with one arm. He reached up and spanked my bum as he started walking back to camp.

I starting laughing. He was actually spanking me. He didn't hit me hard at all, because I knew Edward would never hurt me. I reached down and spanked him back. He laughed. "This is supposed to be your punishment."

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. Your bum is right in front of me." I laughed, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"It's okay." He said, trailing his fingers up and down the back of my legs.

"Are you going to carry me all the way back to the campground?" I asked. "I'm getting a little dizzy."

"Oh my god, Bella." Edward said, panicked. He crouched down and set me on my feet. "Are you okay?" He looked so worried. It was adorable and I felt a little bit bad for lying. But, a girl had to do what she had to do to get the upper hand.

"I'm fine, Edward. Don't worry so much." I said, before winking at him. I took off running down the road, laughing.

"Bella." I heard him call, before he laughed and I heard his footsteps running behind me.

He caught up and grabbed me around the waist. "You little sneak. You weren't even dizzy, were you?"

I laughed. "I'm sorry, but you're just so fun to tease."

"I think all this fresh air has made you frisky." He said, taking my hand as we started walking again. "Not that I'm complaining." He laughed.

"Maybe you're going to have to take me camping more often." I told him. "I like seeing you so relaxed."

"Well, you get two more months of relaxed Edward." He said.

"Do you really find university that stressful, babe?" I asked him, letting go of his hand and wrapping my arm around his waist.

"It's mostly just being away from home. I worry about Jazz and Alice a lot." He confessed. My eyes actually teared up when he said that. "Bella, sugar, don't cry, okay?" He said, leaning down to kiss the top of my head.

"I'm going to miss them all so much, too." I said, blinking back my tears. "But, we're going to be seeing them a lot this year, now that we have our own place for them to stay when they come to visit."

"I know. And I have you this year, too. Sorry. I didn't mean to get so serious." He chuckled. "But we've got a lot more summer to go, so let's focus on that."

"Okay." I said, rubbing his side. "But, you can talk to me, Edward. Anytime you need to, I'm here to listen." I really hoped that Edward wouldn't keep his feelings, concerns and worries inside to protect me. I wanted to be there for him, like was always there for me.

"Thank you, baby." He said, stopping to kiss my lips. "I love you." He leaned in to kiss my neck. "And, I really like it when you're frisky." He lightly bit my earlobe. "I think I might even start calling you that."

"I like it." I giggled.

"Okay, you two. You're worse than bunnies." Emmett said, punching his brother in the arm. He had a towel over his shoulder and was heading to the showers.

"Oh, hardly." I called out. Edward and I looked at each other and laughed. We walked over to the camp and noticed everyone was getting up. Alice ran over and gave Edward and I hugs. She was still wearing her pyjamas, which were little pink shorts and a matching shirt.

"Good morning, princess." Edward said, kissing her forehead.

"Hey. You guys actually got up before us today." My dad said, following Heidi out of his tent.

"You know it, dad. It's Sunday morning. Edward and I will make breakfast while you all go get ready." I said.

My dad came over and gave me a hug. "Thanks, kiddo." He said, kissing the top of my head.

Everyone left up the road to the bathrooms, and left Edward and I alone at the campsite. Edward sat in a lawn chair and pulled me onto his lap. "So, you're telling me that we have some time alone together, and we have to make breakfast?" Edward said softly in my ear.

I giggled. "You're right. That was stupid." I ran my hand over his chest and shoulder, before leaning to kiss him. "But, I think we have time for a kiss, first."


	192. Spoiled

**A/N - Thank you all so much for everything! With the holiday season, I've been a busy bee, but your support keeps me writing. Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 192 - Spoiled

After a five minute kissing marathon, I finally got off of Edward's lap to make breakfast. Edward added more wood to the fire and I made up some instant pancake batter. I poured a little oil in the frying pan and started making up pancakes.

Edward made a pot of coffee and set the dishes on the picnic table. I had one full plate of pancakes by the time Emmett and Jasper came back from the showers. I sent the boys to the table to eat and kept working on making more pancakes. My dad and Carlisle came back and I brought over another plate of pancakes for them.

Edward came back over to the fire pit to make another pot of coffee. "I feel bad that you're working and haven't eaten." He said, coming over to kiss my lips.

I licked my lips. "You taste like maple syrup." I giggled, making Edward smile. "Well, until you learn how to make pancakes, I'm stuck with cooking duties." I teased.

"Well, let me do it, baby. I want you to eat." He said, trying to take the bowl of pancake batter from me.

"Edward, I'm fine. One more batch and I'll eat with your mom, Alice and Heidi, okay?" I said, rubbing his stomach. "Why don't you take this plate and see if your brothers or our dads want more."

"Okay, but you do so much for everyone." He said. "I'm going to have to spoil you later."

"I like the sound of that." I giggled. Edward took the plate back to the table, and I heard a chorus of 'Thanks, Bella,' making me smile.

Edward came back to sit beside me. He had a plate with three pancakes on it, covered in syrup. He cut a piece off and then stood up bringing it to my mouth. "Open." He said, smiling at his brilliant idea. I opened my mouth and let him feed me.

Edward was so cute. Everything he did was for me or to make me happy. I couldn't believe that there was someone that cared about me that much. It was an amazing feeling and I knew how lucky I was.

I just finished swallowing, and he already had a new fork full of pancakes to my lips. I laughed at his craziness. He was smiling so much it was contagious. I kept cooking, filling the last plateful. I was so thankful when the Heidi, Esme and Alice came back from the showers. I brought the last of the pancakes over to the picnic table and sat down.

Edward sat beside me and I leaned into him, turning so my back was to his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder.

Everyone finished eating together and my dad and Carlisle offered to wash the dishes. I thought that was so sweet of them.

"Okay, when the dishes are done, is everyone up for a hike this morning?" Esme asked. "I thought Bella, Charlie and Heidi would love to see the falls."

Everyone agreed and we decided that we would leave in a half hour. I went into the tent to get my hiking boots and Edward followed behind me. I flopped down on the bed. Edward sat at my feet. "Are you too tired from cooking to climb a mountain?" He asked, picking up my right foot. He started rubbing the sole of my foot and I groaned.

"I'll be alright, but if you keep doing that, I might fall asleep." I said, closing my eyes and enjoying my foot massage.

"Well, I'm trying to spoil you." He said. He set my foot down and I heard him rustling around for a minute before I felt something on my foot. I propped my arms behind my head so I could watch him as he slid my wool sock onto my foot, carefully adjusting it. He picked up my hiking boot and put it on my foot. He was crouched on his knees in front of me, my foot pressed into his thighs. He leaned over and tied up the laces. "Too tight?" He asked looking up at me.

I smiled at him. "It's perfect. You're perfect." I told him.

He just smiled at me, before picking up my left foot. He followed the same routine; foot massage, sock, boot. He set my foot down, before crawling up over my body and laying down on top of me. He held his weight off of me with his arms, before leaning in for a kiss.

"You know, Edward. I could get used to being spoiled." I said, reaching my arms behind his back and pulling him down on top of me.

Edward chuckled and leaned in to kiss my throat. I laughed. "Your lips still feel sticky. How much syrup did you use?"

"I like sweet things, sugar." He said winking at me, before leaning in to lick my neck. It wasn't like Edward to be that bold, but I really liked it. Maybe the fresh air was making him frisky, too. "Mm. Bella, you're delicious." He whispered hoarsely in my ear. His hand travelled down my body and I felt his fingers dip under the hem of my t-shirt and move up my side.

I knew the moment was supposed to be sensual, but it tickled and I started laughing. I brought my hand down on his to stop him from moving it. I looked up at Edward apologetically, but he just smiled back at me. He rolled off of me and laid back on the sleeping bag, closing his eyes. I missed his weight on my body.

I snuggled into his side. "Are you mad at me?" I asked, placing my palm on his chest. "It just tickled, that's all."

He turned his head and smiled at me. "Of course I'm not mad at you. I love to hear you laugh. And, it's actually a good thing that you stopped me. We have to go hiking in a few minutes." He said.

I leaned over his body to kiss his soft lips. "Are you going to make sure I don't get eaten by a bear?" I asked before kissing him, again.

"Mhm." He said, not really able it answer as I got up on my knees, leaning over him and deepened the kiss. I could have kissed Edward forever. The softness of his lips against mine was such an amazing feeling. In that moment, I wished that I didn't need to breathe. I pulled back for a second to take a breath and Edward smiled at me, before reaching his hands up behind my head and bringing me back to meet his lips, again.

"Hey, Thumper, Bugs Bunny. We're leaving." Emmett yelled through the tent. I pulled back from Edward and started laughing. It looked like Emmett was going to keep up with the teasing today. He had said we were worse than bunnies before breakfast.

Edward chuckled, as he sat up. "Which one am I?" He asked as he pulled on his socks and hiking boots."

I giggled. "Um, well Bugs Bunny is taller, but Thumper is cuter." I shrugged. I turned and grabbed Edward's plaid shirt and slipped it on, leaving it opened.

Edward chuckled. "You can call me whatever you want, but you're my frisky girl." I gave him a quick kiss, before we opened the tent zipper and climbed out.

Edward grabbed my backpack slipping it over my shoulders, and then took my hand. My dad and Carlisle both had backpacks on, too. Alice ran over to me and showed me her new hiking boots. "Look, Bella. They have pink laces." She said proudly. "My boots from last year were too small, so I had to get these ones. Dad told me to stop growing." I laughed with her.

"Well, I think they're great, Alice. Do you like mine?" I asked her.

"Yeah, they're cool, too." She told me. "Can I walk with you?"

"Of course." I told her. "You're my best friend, and I've never been hiking up a mountain before, so you'll have be my tour guide."

She smiled and looked really excited, reaching her hand up to take my hand.

"Hey." Emmett said, tickling her stomach. "I thought I was going to get to carry you? You know I have to train for football."

Alice giggled. "Well, I guess after I show Bella what to do, you can carry me. But only if I get tired." She told him seriously. She acted so mature for a seven year old. I looked up and noticed Esme and Carlisle laughing quietly at their daughter. She could handle her three older brothers.

"Alright." Emmett said, winking at her.

We all walked up to the bathrooms, because I was told it was at least a three hour hike, and there was no way I was peeing in the woods.

The trail head started just down the road from the campground. Edward and I each took one of Alice's hands and we followed behind Emmett and Jasper who were leading the way. My dad and Heidi were right behind us, followed by Esme and Carlisle.

As we walked, Emmett told us that we were hiking up to the summit of Hamilton Mountain. Apparently we were going to pass two separate waterfalls. I was excited for the photo opportunities. I need to stock up on pictures. I'm sure once we got back to Forks, Maria and I were going to start our scrapbooks.

At first I was going to just scrapbook mine and Edward's trip to Phoenix and Florida, but I figured, I would just keep going and try to keep a thorough record of our relationship. I figured in ten years, it would be nice to look back and see how our relationship started.


	193. The Hike

**A/N - More camping! It's still pretty cold here in Canada, so I am loving the escape into summer with Edward and Bella. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 193 - The Hike

Hiking the Hamilton Mountain trail was a lot different than the ocean side hike that we did back in Forks with Maria and Rose. This one had quite the incline. I was very glad that I had hiking boots on, and I was even happier that they were comfortable.

I wasn't really one for exercise, so I found that after about forty five minutes of walking, I was already getting tired. "Are you tired, Alice?" I asked her. Her legs were half as long as mine, so I knew she'd be taking double the steps that I was.

"Um, not really." She said, smiling up at me. Edward chuckled and I playfully frowned at him.

"I wish I could capture your youthful spunk." I teased her.

"Oh, come on, Bella." My dad said from behind me. "You're only eighteen." He and Heidi laughed.

I turned around and looked at them. "I'll have you know that I'll be nineteen in less then three months."

"Well just think how hard this is for your old man?" He added with a wink.

"Oh, Charlie, you're far from old." Heidi added.

"Well, at least Bella's complaining is keeping the bears away." Emmett added, making me laugh.

"Um, Bella. We're at the first waterfall." Jasper added. "It's called Hardy Falls."

We walked into a clearing and I noticed that there were wooden railings around the viewing area. Alice let go of our hands and ran ahead. Emmett picked her up so she could see the falls a bit better. Edward took my hand and we walked to the edge.

We looked down at the falls from our position. It was a rocky cavern with all sorts of trees and plant life growing on the edges. Hardy Falls was a thin column of water pouring from the river above. It looked like about a hundred foot drop. It was really beautiful. I looked at Edward and he was smiling at me. He leaned down, put his hand on my cheek and kissed me. I enjoyed the feeling of his lips on mine, the sound of the waterfall beneath us and the smell of the freshwater and nature around us. It was a beautiful moment.

I saw a flash and turned to see Esme standing there with her camera. I smiled at her. I would definitely have to get a copy of that picture.

We looked down at the falls a little while longer, before I spotted a bench in the clearing behind us. I ran over to it and plopped down. I was exhausted already. My dad came over and sat beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "So, you having a good time so far?" He asked.

I rested my head on his shoulder. "I really am." I told him honestly. "We should do this more often."

He chuckled. "We should, kiddo." He said. I felt him kiss the top of my head. "I'm glad we got the chance to do this."

"Me, too, dad." I said. I looked over at the Cullens and they were all looking over at the falls. They all looked so happy and they were joking and laughing together. I was enjoying the moment with my dad. I saw another flash and looked up. This time Heidi had taken a picture of my dad and I together. I smiled at her.

"Do you want me to take a picture of you and my dad?" I asked her, getting up.

"Sure, Bella. Are you done with your rest?" She teased, making me laugh.

"Yeah, yeah." I said. I turned and took a quick candid shot of the Cullens, while I waited for Heidi to sit down. I snapped a shot of my dad and his girlfriend. I smiled. They looked so happy together and I hoped that they would make this relationship last. They had so much in common and got along seamlessly.

I felt warm arms wrap around my shoulders. "Did you get enough of a rest, babe?" Edward asked me.

"Yeah." I laughed. "I guess I can make it a little further."

"Good girl." He teased. "Maybe we can have a little nap when we get back."

"I like the sound of that." I said, smiling at him.

"Alright, now get those sexy legs walking." He said, spanking me. I giggled and started running up the path. I knew Edward was chasing me.

"Help, Jasper." I called, grabbing onto his arm. He laughed, and started pulling me up the path. He was pretty fast and I could hardly keep up, especially because I was laughing so hard.

"Come on, Bella." Jasper laughed. He let go of my arm and stood behind me, pushing my back as he ran.

"Stop, Jasper. I can't go any more." I laughed. He stopped running and we both leaned against each other to catch our breath.

Edward caught up to us right away. He was laughing, too. "Why are you running?" He asked confused, but still laughing.

"I was just running because she told me, too." Jasper explained.

"I just shrugged my shoulders. "I guess I'm just frisky." I said, winking at Edward.

"You are." He laughed. "Are you guys thirsty, now? Because dad has water."

We waited for the rest of the family and Carlisle passed us each a bottle of water. Edward took my hand and we walked another five minutes to Rodney Falls. It was beautiful. The falls looked like they cut right through solid rock. Edward and I posed in front of it and Heidi took our picture.

We crossed a beautiful wooden bridge across Hardy Creek and then followed the path back into the trees. It was an hour and half walk to the summit of the mountain. Emmett had Alice on his shoulders. He was a really big guy and he said he had to keep up his endurance for football. He would be a senior next year and I knew that he wanted to be in the best possible shape he could be.

The walk was nice, but still a little steep. Edward started singing to me, because I was worried about the bears. No one could blame me though, as there was nothing but pine trees along either side of us. If you looked through the trees, there were boulders, plants and grasses. Anything could have hidden along the edges.

He was singing his folk and blues songs for me. I loved listening to his voice and it was a nice treat to here him without the guitar, just his smooth, gorgeous voice in the wilderness.

"How did you get into that style of music, Edward?" Heidi asked him, when he stopped to take a drink.

"Oh, my grandpa. I've just never really liked the modern styles, so when we would visit them, I would look through his albums, and I found a Robert Johnson vinyl. I was hooked." He said. "I just like the sound of it. It's relaxing and I just feel good when I hear it." He laughed. "We brought my iPod with us when we flew south to visit Bella's mom and best friend and I swear poor Bella must have been sick of it by the end of the week."

"Oh, I doubt that." My dad laughed. "It's funny the things a person will do for love."

I brought Edward's hand up to my lips and kissed the back of it.

"We're almost at the top." Emmett called back. I squeezed Edward's hand and we hurried around the last turn in the path.

We looked down at Beacon Rock State Park. The view was absolutely breathtaking. You could see two other mountains in the distance. There was an information plaque at the top that labelled the features. There was the rocky and green Table Mountain on the left and the snow covered, distant Mount Adams. I took a bunch of pictures.

Edward had Alice and I stand together and took a picture of us. Alice was so excited. "I think my hiking boots worked really good, dad." She said, proudly.

Carlisle smiled at her and kissed her head. "I'm glad, sweetheart." He told her.

My dad opened his backpack and passed out some bags of trail mix. I gave him a hug. "That should give you enough energy to get back down, Bells." He teased.

We began the hour long descent. I was glad we were heading back, because I was starting to regret all the water I had drank on the way up. The walk back down went a lot faster, because we had gravity on our sides.

Alice tripped once and scraped her hands a little bit. Esme rinsed them with water, and then Carlisle carried her on his hip for a little while. She didn't cry, but I think it hurt her.

Edward held my hand all the way back down. I really enjoyed the hike overall and the morning was a lot of fun. By the time we got to the bathrooms, I was jogging. The hike was a real test on my bladder, that was for sure.

When we got back to camp, Alice and I decided to have nap. I knew Edward had wanted to nap with me, but Alice asked so nicely. She came in mine and Edward's tent with me and we snuggled up together, after kicking off our hiking boots. I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.


	194. Tents and Talks

**A/N - Thanks to everyone that is reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 194 - Tents and Talks

I woke up to gentle kisses on my lips. I opened my eyes and was met with Edward's gorgeous green eyes. "Where's Alice?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Oh, she got up a half hour ago. I stole her spot." Edward laughed. "It's time for lunch, though, angel. Do you want to get up?"

"Yeah." I said stretching my arms up over my head. "How long did I sleep?"

Edward reached his hand over and traced his fingers over my stomach where my shirt rode up. "Only about an hour, baby." He said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "Every one was just sitting around, resting and our dads are frying up some hamburgers."

"Mm. That sounds good." I said, rolling over and snuggling into his chest. "I had fun this morning." I told him, before kissing his chest.

"I'm glad." He said. "Can I have a kiss?" I giggled. So that's why he really woke me up.

"You'll have to come and get it." I teased, rolling over onto my stomach and burying my face into the pillow.

Edward laughed, but I felt him straddle my legs. "It will be my pleasure." He whispered. "I know all of your weaknesses." He rested his hands on my shoulders and started giving me a really good shoulder massage. I hummed. It felt incredible. "You like that?" He asked, and I could hear the smugness in his voice.

"I love it." I answered, a little muffled from the pillow.

His hands moved down my back and he started giving me a nice back rub. I felt so relaxed, I could have fallen back asleep. His fingers dipped under my shirt and he lightly traced up and down my sides. He found my ticklish spot. I started squirming and laughing and Edward easily turned me over.

He laughed and leaned in for his well earned kiss. He pulled back with a smile, still sitting on my legs. "Come on, frisky, let's go have some lunch."

I giggled as he got up and then pulled me up to my feet. We walked out of the tent and went to sit at the picnic table. My dad was bringing over a plate of hamburgers and then sat down.

"Have a good nap, Bells?" My dad asked me.

"Yeah. Hiking is really exhausting." I said. "I told you that I was old."

"Yeah, you really are." Emmett laughed. "How many eighteen year olds need afternoon naps?" Everyone laughed. I loved that Emmett teased me, just like I was his sister. My relationships with everyone in Edward's family were better than I could have ever hoped for.

Over lunch, Jasper reminded Emmett that we were going to go play catch at the lake this afternoon. "That sounds like fun." Carlisle said. We all decided to head to the lake this time.

We all went to change into our bathing suits. Edward zipped us into the tent, took off his camo shorts and was left in his black boxer briefs and black t-shirt. "You are so gorgeous." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. I trailed my fingers down his back and rested them on his bum, giving it a squeeze.

"Bella, baby, don't start that right now." He groaned. He reached behind his back and moved my hands, making me giggle. "Later, though." He said, winking.

I blushed and buried my face into his chest. "Sorry." I whispered. I was a little embarrassed at how forward I had been acting with him, but lately, I just couldn't seem to keep my hands off of him.

He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. "Don't apologize." He whispered. "I like when you touch me, but our families are right outside that thin nylon wall."

I laughed. "It's not my fault that you're so attractive." I whispered, reaching down and pulling my shirt over my head.

"Uh, Bella. You're killing me here." Edward whined. "I'm going to turn around and get changed. Let me know when you're dressed, okay?"

I giggled, while I watched him reach into his suitcase and take out his board shorts. I turned around and unclasped my bra, slipping on my bathing suit top, then taking off my shorts and underwear and pulling on my tankini bottoms. I peaked over my shoulder and Edward was on his knees with his elbows out and his hands on the back of his neck. I walked over and my knees and slid my hands around his body and over his chest.

"You look so stressed out." I giggled. I reached my hands up and started rubbing his bare shoulders. "What's on your mind, Thumper?"

Edward laughed. "It was hard for me to turn my back." He admitted.

"Me, too." I told him.

"And, you're not really going to go with the nickname Thumper, are you?" He asked, laughing.

"No, babe." I giggled. "I was just teasing you." I slipped my shorts back on, and then Edward and I left the tent to meet up with our families.

Emmett moved his eyebrows up and down at us. He was hilarious.

We all drove back down to Ridell Lake and laid out our towels on the beach. Carlisle put Alice's life jacket on her an she ran straight to the water, again. You could not keep this little girl out of the cold water.

Esme waded into the water up to her knees to watch Alice. She had a great navy blue one piece bathing suit with a square neckline and a white straps. She was in amazing shape.

Emmett, Edward and Jasper all took off running into the lake. When they got up past their knees, they dove under the water and started swimming out further into the lake. It looked like they were racing each other, again. I smiled at them. They were adorable.

My dad and Carlisle, both in board shorts, dark green and grey, respectively, were standing on the beach, tossing the Nerf football back and forth.

Heidi and I sat down beside each other on our towels. "You're bathing suit is gorgeous." I told her. She was wearing a burgundy halter top one piece suit, with a ruffle along the bust line and down the front.

She laughed. "Thanks, Bella. It's called a miracle suit and it holds me in."

I laughed with her. "I don't think you need that, but you look great." We both sat quietly for a while, just watching Alice and the boys in the water. "So, how are things going with my dad?" I asked Heidi.

She smiled. "Everything is amazing, Bella. I have never met a man like him in my life. He's so sweet and loving, but at the same time, he respects that I'm an independent woman. I mean I am forty five years old and I've never been married." She looked over at my dad and smiled. "But, we have so much in common. This transition from co-workers and friends to a relationship has gone so smoothly. And honestly, Bella, I think we have you to thank for that."

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

"Absolutely." She said. "You are your dad's whole world and if you didn't support this relationship, he never would have went though with asking me out. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize your relationship."

I smiled back at her. "I feel the same way about him and I would never stand in the way of him being happy. You make him happy. He seems to have an extra spring in his step."

Heidi laughed. "He does. But, I could say the same about a certain Cullen boy."

"Yeah, he's pretty amazing." I said, watching Edward and his brothers out in the lake.

"You two have been spending a lot of time together in that tent." She said, leaning over to bump shoulders with me. "Need to talk about anything?"

I giggled, my natural reaction to embarrassment. "We're getting more comfortable with each other's bodies. It's getting harder and harder to keep my hands off of him." I admitted.

"I've noticed the same thing with him." She told me.

"Has my dad noticed?" I asked her. "Does he talk to you about me?"

"Yes, he's noticed. And, as a dad, I think seeing his daughter in a serious relationship is a little tough for him." She told me. "But, Bella, he knows, and I think everyone can tell, that you and Edward are meant to be." She picked up my hand and looked at my promise ring. "The day Edward came to the station to tell your dad about the promise ring, it just confirmed everything he already knew. His daughter is grown up and has found the man that she is going to spend her life with."

I felt the tears prickling my eyes, and I smiled at her. Heidi patted my hand.

"I know you two are taking things slow, but Bella, when you decide to take things further, please come to me first. I know you're uncomfortable talking about your physical relationship, but I can go with you to get birth control, and answer any questions you have." She told me. I was blushing furiously when she told me that, but I so grateful to have Heidi in my life. I would definitely take her up on that offer.


	195. Love and Pain

**A/N - Thanks again for reading! I know it's a busy time of year and I appreciate that you are taking the time to read my story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 195 - Love and Pain

Esme came over to sit with Heidi and I. "What's with the serious looks, ladies?" She asked, with a smile. "You're on vacation."

I giggled. "It won't happen, again."

As if on cue, Edward came running out of the water, dripping wet and absolutely gorgeous. "Babe, you look frozen." I laughed.

"It's not that bad." He said. "Do you want to come swim with me, beautiful?" He asked with a wink.

Esme and Heidi were laughing at him. "Well, since you asked so nicely." I said, standing up and taking off my shorts.

Edward crouched down and lifted me up bridal style, carrying me into the water. I wrapped my arms around his neck and peeked at Heidi and Esme over his shoulder. They both waved at me and I giggled as I waved back.

"Your skin is cold." I told him, kissing his neck.

"That's because I didn't have you to warm me up." He said, making me laugh.

Edward kept walking until my bum and toes hit the water. I gasped. "That's so cold."

"Do you want me to keep walking in slowly, or just dunk us in all at once?" He asked, looking a little mischievous.

"Well, this goes against every single one of my natural instincts, but I'm going to say dunk us." I told him, holding on tightly to his neck.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded my head and put my face into the crook of his neck. "One, two, three." He counted, before dunking us both completely under the water. It was ice cold and I clutched tightly to Edward's neck. He laughed when we resurfaced.

He was so beautiful when he was having fun. He smiled at me, before leaning in for a kiss. "I love you so much, Edward." I told him. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he walked us further out, until the water hit his shoulders.

"I love you, too, angel." He said, leaning in for another kiss. "You were blushing pretty bright back on the beach. Is everything okay?"

I loved that Edward noticed those things about me. Even though he was in the water with his brothers, he was always aware of me. I didn't feel it as possessiveness. It was like we were two pieces of a whole, and we were always aware of where our other half was. We seemed to have such an intense bond.

I nodded. "Yeah. Heidi and I were just talking about you."

Edward chuckled and I laughed. "All good I hope." He said, before kissing me, again.

"Of course." I told him. I laid my head on his shoulder. "She just made sure I knew that I could talk to her about, well, you know."

Edward moved his fingers up and down on my back. "Oh. Um, okay." He said, sounding a little flustered. "You know you can talk to me, too, right? I mean my dad's a doctor and my grandpa has given me more advice than I ever really wanted to hear." He chuckled. "So, trust me. I'm pretty well informed when it comes to 'you know.'"

I giggled. I loved that he used my words. I remembered how embarrassed Edward was that day when he and his grandpa had lunch together. I kissed his neck. "Thank you." I said. I knew I wanted to wait, but it was nice that I had so many people to talk to.

"Edward. Can I ask you something?" I whispered.

"Of course, Bella. Ask me everything about anything. I'll tell you whatever you want to know." He said seriously.

"Okay, um, did you and Jessica, um, you know, ever do anything, uh, physically?" I stuttered. Just the thought of Edward sharing what we had so far in our relationship with someone else, made me feel sick. But, I needed to know, or it would drive me insane.

Edward looked down at me and kissed my cheek. "No, Bella. I mean we kissed, yes, but nothing more than that. It's probably one of the main reasons she didn't want to stay with me. She wanted more." He explained. "But, don't worry about anything like that."

I let out a relieved sigh. He chuckled. "I'm as new to all this stuff as you are." He said. I smiled up at him. "It's nice, I think. I mean we'll be the only partner the other has ever had."

"I agree." I said, before I kissed Edward's cheek. "Thank you for telling me about Jessica."

"You're welcome. I thought you knew, so I never said anything." He said, then he shook his head at himself. "But, I guess, how would you have known?"

I giggled at his cuteness, before kissing him. "Am I a better kisser?"

He smiled his absolutely breathtaking smile at me. "By miles." He laughed. "Babe, you're perfect in every way." I rested my head back on Edward's shoulder, cuddling close to him.

It was nice out here in the water with Edward. It was cold, but his body was warm pressed to mine. I heard a splash and felt a spray of water on my face. I turned around and looked up. The football was floating in the water next to us.

Edward shook his head. "Emmett. You could have hit her in the head." He called.

Emmett chuckled. "I was trying to hit you, bro."

I let go of Edward and he swam over to get the ball. I was treading water to keep my head up. "Do you remember how to throw the football?" Edward asked, swimming back over to me.

"I think so." I said.

"Okay, I'll hold you up and you throw the ball right for Emmett's head." Edward chuckled. I lifted my eyebrow up at Edward. He laughed. "Don't worry, babe. He'll catch it. This is what he does."

"Alright, but it probably won't get very close to him." I said, holding the ball to my chest.

"You just do your best and let them worry about catching it." Edward told me. He came up behind me and grabbed my hips. "Throw it whenever you're ready."

I was completely distracted by his hands on my hips. The sides of the bikini bottoms were ties, so his hands were on my bare skin. I had no idea how his hands felt hot in water this cold.

"Are you going to throw the ball?" Edward whispered over my shoulder, chuckling a little. I think he knew the effect he had over me.

I brought my arm back and threw the ball towards Emmett. "Good job, honey." Edward said, proudly. I have to say it was a pretty good throw. It landed a few feet short, though, but Emmett swam to get it, giving me the thumbs up.

Edward let go of my hips and I turned around to give him a hug. I brought my legs up, as I thought I'd cling to Edward's body, again. He stepped close to me at the same time, though, and my knee hit him right between the legs.

"Oh, my god, Edward. I'm so sorry." I said, as he doubled over and brought his hands down to his crotch. I felt horrible, because I could see the pain on his face.

He let out a deep breath, and forced a smile at me. "It's okay, babe. Don't worry." He said. He was trying to make me feel better, even though he was the one that was hurting.

Emmett and Jasper came swimming over. "What happened?" Emmett asked, making me blush. I felt bad enough already.

"It's nothing." Edward said, trying not to make a big deal of it.

"I kneed him in the groin." I admitted, sheepishly. They were going to find out anyway, so I figured that I might as well be honest.

Both boys cringed as if they felt their brother's pain. "Getting too handsy, bro?" Emmett teased. "Did Bella have to put you in your place?"

Edward and Jasper chuckled. "It was an accident, and I'm okay." Edward said, winking at me. "She didn't kick me too hard."

"Let's go back to the beach for a while." Jasper suggested. He was such a sweet brother. We all walked back to the beach and Edward sat down on his towel with his knees up, reaching up his hand for mine, so I would sit beside him.

"Bella kneed Edward between the legs." Emmett broadcasted.

"Emmett." I whined. "I didn't do it on purpose."

My dad chuckled at me. "It doesn't really matter why, does it Edward? It hurts just the same." He said.

Edward chuckled. "Yeah." He turned and kissed my cheek. "But, she's forgiven." He said, winking at me.


	196. Past, Present, Future

**A/N - I couldn't be busier right now, but I'm working like crazy to get you Saturday's chapters a day early! Thank you all for reading...you are my motivation! Enjoy!**

Chapter 196 - Past, Present, Future

After drying off in the sun for about an hour, we headed back to camp. I decided to have a shower early, and then I wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning. Edward grabbed a towel and headed up to the bathrooms with me.

"So, you're sure you're okay?" I said, still feeling bad about hurting my boyfriend.

Edward chuckled. "Yes, baby. Now, stop feeling bad about it. It was an accident and I'll live." He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "It's happened to every guy, sometime in their lives. Trust me, it wasn't the first time I've been hit between the legs."

"I know, but I still feel bad." I said as we got to the bathrooms.

Edward leaned down and kiss my lips. "Stop it." He laughed. "Now, I'll be right outside when you're finished."

I went in the bathroom and showered, before dressing in a pair of sweat shorts and a black tank top. I braided my hair, because I didn't want to make Edward wait too long. I walked back out and found Edward leaning against the building. He was wearing his camo shorts, again, with a white tank. He had such gorgeous arms. He smiled when he saw me. "Feel better?" He asked, taking my hand.

"Yes." I said. "But, I am starving."

Edward laughed. "Let's go feed you." He said, as we walked back to camp.

It looked like everyone had started dinner. "Dig in Bells, Edward." My dad said, passing us plates. We sat at the picnic tables and dug into a big pan of scrambled eggs. It looked like we were having breakfast for dinner. I thought it was a fun idea.

Emmett walked over with two cooked hotdogs on sticks for us.

"Here you go, guys. Cooked to perfection." He playfully nudged Edward in the arm. "And I thought it would be better if we didn't give Bella a weapon." He laughed.

Edward laughed with him. I had a feeling I wouldn't be living that down anytime soon. I just sighed. Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kiss my cheek.

"Bella." Carlisle said. I turned and looked at him. "Just ignore them." He said. "The reason that Emmett referred to the stick as a weapon, was that when the boys were younger, Edward got hit in the groin with a stick."

I giggled. I liked how at least Carlisle wasn't teasing me. "What happened?" I asked.

"Well, the boys all watched a movie about the three Musketeers. Anyway, they were all so intrigued by it, that they went out to the yard, found some sticks and started having sword fights." Carlisle explained. I could just imagine how cute they all were.

"I was a nervous wreck." Esme added, shaking her head at the memory. "Three boys with sticks attacking each other."

Carlisle laughed. "Anyway, Emmett lunged at Edward and hit him square between the legs with the stick. I was at the hospital and I got paged to my office. I came in to find a frantic Esme, and my oldest son, doubled over in pain."

"Aw. My poor Edward." I said, kissing his lips. He smiled at me. He seemed to like the sympathy attention he was getting from me. "How old were you?" I asked him.

"Eleven." He said.

"The moral of the story, Bella, is that you shouldn't feel bad. Just ignore, Emmett. He's done worse, okay?" Carlisle told me, while patting Emmett's shoulder. Emmett just laughed.

"Thank you, Carlisle." I said. He was going to be an incredible father-in-law some day.

After dinner, we all sat around the fire for a quiet evening. Alice was sitting cross legged in her chair, reading a little book about fairies. Emmett was reading a car magazine and Jasper, comic books. Edward was reading one of the cat care books I bought him for his birthday/Father's Day. My dad and Carlisle were reading fishing magazines and talking about the sturgeon they couldn't catch. I sat between Esme and Heidi and the three of us looked at gossip magazines.

"Isn't that the prettiest dress?" Esme said, pointing to long, yellow Valentino dress, with a gorgeous asymmetrical neckline.

"It's beautiful." I said. "I love the bright colour." I said.

"This Roberto Cavalli gown is gorgeous, too." Heidi added. We all agreed.

Esme closed her magazine and turned to me. "I can't wait to look at wedding magazines with you." She said to me.

I smiled at her. I honestly couldn't wait, either. I looked over at Edward and he was smiling at me. He winked at me, and my stomach flip-flopped. I knew he heard the wedding comment. It was always amazing to me that he seemed to be excited about the prospect of marrying me. Everything I had ever seen on TV, suggested that guys were afraid of commitment, except in fairytales. But, I figured I was living one.

"Have you ever thought of what kind of wedding dress you want, Bella?" Heidi asked me.

Edward sat up and closed his book, listening intently. I giggled at him. "Um, well, I always thought something simple and classic." I told her. "Just a long, clean silhouette. Maybe strapless."

"That sounds beautiful." Esme said, her voice sounding dreamy.

Edward was smiling at me, so I thought I would humour him and keep going. "I can just imagine Edward in a black tuxedo, with his brothers at his side, Emmett pulling at his bow tie." Esme and Edward laughed. "And, I'll have a bouquet of red roses. Angela and Alice will be with me, in red dresses, holding white roses."

"Bella, sweetheart, you're going to make me cry." Esme said, blinking back her tears. I apologized, giggling. I figured I'd better stop with the dreaming, before I put my dad in a panic. He was quietly reading, but I noticed he hadn't turned the page in quite some time.

After another hour by the fire, and a quick trip to the bathrooms, we all decided to head to bed. It was pretty cold, so I kept my sweat shorts and tank top on, just slipping my bra off. Edward took everything off except his boxer briefs. "Babe. When am I going to get to see you in your long underwear?" I asked, from inside the sleeping bag.

Edward laughed. "You want me to put them on now?" He asked.

"Yes." I said. "I want my fashion show." Edward laughed, but pulled his grey long underwear out of the suitcase. He laid down on top of the sleeping bag and tried to pull them on. They were quiet snug and he was squirming around, struggling to get them up in our small tent. I was laughing so hard and that just made Edward laugh, too, making it harder for him to get dressed. I wiggled out of the sleeping bag and grabbed my camera. I took a picture of Edward with his long underwear pulled up to his knees. It was a sexy shot, as he was laying on the bed in nothing but white boxer briefs. For my eyes only, I decided.

"Bella." He whined, still tugging at his underwear. After a few more minutes, and a lot more laughing on my part, he got them on. I snapped another picture, because it was a beautiful site.

"You look hot, Edward." I told him bluntly. "Feel free to wear those around the apartment. All the time." I giggled.

"Well, maybe I won't if you're going to laugh at me." He said, pouting, as we climbed back into the sleeping bag.

I leaned in and sucked on his bottom lip, making him groan. He rolled over on top of me and we shared a few passionate kisses.

He rolled back over and pulled me close to him, wrapping me in his arms. I placed a small kiss over his heart. "So, you've thought that much about our wedding?" He asked me, kissing the top of my head.

"Yeah." I told him, smiling.

"I've mainly thought about you, and maybe the dancing." He laughed.

"You love to dance, don't you?" I said, moving my hands over his back.

"I do." He said. "And, don't think I've forgotten about teaching you how to club dance." He said, moving his hand down my leg. "You were so great with the waltz."

I giggled. "I was hoping that you would have forgotten about that by now." I told him. "I'm embarrassed just thinking about it."

"Don't be embarrassed." He said. "You look beautiful no matter what you're doing."

I smiled into his chest and closed my eyes. "Thank you, Edward. I love you." I said, starting to drift off.

"I love you, too, angel. Sweet dreams." He said, kissing my forehead. Who needed dreams when I was already living one?


	197. Time Alone

**A/N - Thanks again to everyone that is reading! Let's get right to it...Enjoy!**

Chapter 197 - Time Alone

I woke up in the darkness. I heard a banging sound outside of the tent. Bears were my first thought. I felt frozen to the spot. I was so scared. I turned my head and looked at Edward. Asleep. Why was he such a sound sleeper?

"Edward." I whispered. "Edward, wake up." Nothing. I shook his shoulder lightly.

He groaned. "Shh." I said. "Edward. I think there's a bear outside."

That got his attention. He opened his eyes and looked at me. "What?"

"I heard a clanking sound. Do you think there's a bear out there?" I whispered.

Edward slipped out of the sleeping bag, pulled on his hiking boots and grabbed the flashlight. "Stay here." Edward whispered, as he unzipped the tent.

I grabbed Edward's hoodie and wrapped it around my shoulders. I was worried sick about Edward out there with the bear. It was quiet for a couple of minutes, until Edward peaked his head back into the tent. "It's not a bear. There are three little raccoons out on the picnic table. Do you want to come see them?" He said, holding out his hand.

I let out a sigh of relief. I slipped on my flip flops and grabbed Edward's hand. We walked over to the picnic tables and Edward shone the flashlight on three little dark shadows. They were so sweet and were making little growling sounds. It almost sounded like they were talking to each other. They must have smelled dinner, even though I thought we had cleaned everything up.

Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "What do you think?" He asked. "Pretty cute, right?"

I giggled. "They are adorable." I whispered. We watched them for a couple minutes, before the scuttled away, back into the trees behind the tent. I turned in Edward's arms and wrapped my arms around his waist. He had goose bumps. "Come on. Let's get you warmed up. You're frozen." I said, running my hands over his bare chest.

"I like the sound of that." He whispered. He took my hand and we snuck back into our tent. We kicked off our shoes and snuggled back into our sleeping bag. Edward slipped his hoodie off of me and pulled me really close.

"I'm cold. Can I have your sweater back?" I giggled.

"No." He said, running his hands up and down my arms. "I'll keep you warm."

"You'd better." I giggled.

Edward rolled on top of me and cuddled his face into my neck. He started lightly biting and sucking on my collarbone. His hands were moving gently over my body and I was biting my lip to keep quiet. I was holding onto his strong shoulders. I felt amazing.

Edward moved his mouth up to mine and we started kissing. Edward pulled back and smiled at me. "How am I doing?" He whispered. "Are you warm enough?"

"Mm." It was all I could really say. Edward chuckled, before leaning back in for another kiss.

"I love sharing a sleeping bag with you." He said, rolling us onto our sides. He lifted my leg up and set it on his hip, moving our bodies closer together, our chests touching.

"The feeling is mutual, Edward." I whispered, leaning in to kiss his lips. After a few more tender kisses, we both drifted off back to sleep.

When I woke up, I could see the filtered light through the tent. I looked over and Edward was awake, watching me. I smiled at him and he smiled back. "Good morning, sleepyhead." He said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "How did you sleep?"

I smiled and stretched. "Well, I had this amazing bed warmer." I teased.

"Sounds great." He chuckled. "But, I need to tell you something, and you might be upset with me." He said, sounding serious all of the sudden.

"What? Why would I be upset with you?" I asked, confused.

"Well, if my memory is correct, you seem to be opposed to love bites." Edward said, looking a little nervous. I quickly looked down and felt my neck and chest, where Edward paid the most attention last night.

"I don't see anything." I said. "How bad is it?"

Edward reached up and lightly ran his thumb over my collarbone. "Well, it's just a little purple mark, right here." He said.

"Okay." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Just, okay." He said, looking a little surprised at my response. "You're not mad?"

I leaned in for a quick kiss. "Nope." I said. I sat up and Edward sat with me. "After talking with Heidi yesterday, she made me realize that it's not just you and I that see our connection to each other. She said that everyone can see that we are perfect for each other. Your mom and I even talked about wedding dresses last night. I don't have to worry about what everyone thinks, because, apparently, how we feel about each other is incredibly obvious." I took his hand and raised it to my lips. "So, if my boyfriend gives me a hickey from time to time, then so be it. It's just another symbol of how much you love me."

Edward smiled at me. "I should have got that in writing." He teased.

"You don't need to, baby." I said, pushing him onto his back. I straddled his waist and leaned down to kiss his neck. He brought his hands up to my back and slowly moved them up and down. "Can I give you a love bite, too?" I whispered into his skin.

"Please." He whispered, as I leaned in and played vampire on his neck. Edward had his hand on the back of my neck, holding me close to him. I brought my head up before leaning into his lips for long, deep kiss.

I finally sat back. I brought my hand to his chin and turned his face so that I could look at his neck. He had a small red mark for now. I should have been embarrassed that everyone would see it, but I wasn't at all. I felt so incredibly in love with him and I wanted everyone to know it.

"Well?" He asked. "How does it look?" He placed his hands on my waist, lightly running his thumbs back and forth on my sides.

"It looks like you have a girlfriend that is incredibly attracted to you." I told him.

"Good." He said. "Now, how would you feel about helping me get this long underwear off?" He chuckled, his cheeks turning a little pink.

"I'm pretty sure that I will love that job." I said, unzipping the sleeping bag. I lightly trailed my fingers over his chest and down to the elastic waistband of his long underwear. I hooked my fingers under it and slowly pulled them down. Edward was holding onto his briefs. "Lift your hips." I said. He did what I said, and I helped him undress.

By the time I got them off of him, and he was laying in front of me in just his boxer briefs, we were both blushing. I had to giggle a little at the situation. We were both new at this sort of thing and it was glaringly obvious, that neither of us was one-hundred percent comfortable, yet. But with time and practice and love, we would get there.

We still turned our backs to each other when we got dressed. It was just more comfortable, and made everything less tense. I pulled on a black bra and underwear, a black crew neck t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. "Dressed?" I asked Edward.

"Yeah." He said. I turned around and saw Edward sitting on the tent floor. He was wearing his black board shorts and a white t-shirt. I crawled over to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders and rested my chin on his shoulder.

"I love you." I whispered.

"I love you, too." He said, and I could hear the smile in this voice. "Come here." He said, taking my hand as I walked on my knees in front of him. He pulled my hand and I fell onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and leaned in for a kiss. "I really, really don't want to leave this tent." He chuckled. He looked at his watch. "And these last nine and a half hours have been amazing."

I smiled at him. "They have." I said, kissing him, again.

"Can I ask you something?" He said. "You can say no if you want."

I frowned. "Edward, ask away."

"Can I unbraid your hair." He asked quietly, almost like he was embarrassed.

I smiled at him. "Of course." I said, kissing his chin. I turned around so my back was to him. I felt him reach up and very gently take the elastic out of the bottom of my braid. He slowly untwisted my hair. I had never felt him be so gentle. When he finished unbraiding my hair, he leaned in and I could feel his nose press into my hair. He delicately ran his fingers through my hair. "You have such beautiful hair." He whispered.

I smiled and turned around. "Thank you, baby." I said.

I could hear talking and zippers outside of the tent, so I knew that everyone was getting up. Our time alone was over for now. But, it was only Monday morning and we still had three full days of camping to look forward to.


	198. Bites

**A/N - Thanks again to everyone for reading! So, today is your lucky day! Because tomorrow is Christmas day, I won't be posting a chapter. But I'm posting the next chapter, Chapter 199, today, to make up for it. You can read them both today, or ration them out and save one for tomorrow! haha! **

**Anyway, enjoy and have a Merry Christmas!**

Chapter 198 - Bites

Edward and I reluctantly climbed out of the tent and joined the family. My dad and Carlisle were already starting the coffee. I loved that they were best friends in their forties. I hoped when Angie and I were both in our forties, we would still make time to get together. We would have to plan a yearly trip down to Arizona to visit her, because I couldn't imagine my life without her.

"Good morning kids." Carlisle said to us. "Bella, sweetheart. Can I ask you a favour?"

"Of course, Carlisle." I said.

"Esme and Heidi already went up to the showers, but Alice just got up. Would be able to take her to the bathroom?" He asked.

"Oh, absolutely. I was just about to go up there myself." I told him. "Is she still in your tent?"

"Yes. Thank you, Bella. I don't want her going in there alone." I smiled at how protective he was over his daughter.

As I walked over to the tent, I heard Carlisle talking to Edward. "Son, what's on you neck. Did you get an insect bite? I have a tube of hydrocortisone in my bag." I held back a laugh. Apparently Dr. Cullen wasn't familiar with the appearance of Bella bites on his son's neck.

But, I couldn't hold back my laughter when Edward was trying to explain himself. "Dad, just forget it. It's not an insect bite." His voice sounded desperate, like he didn't want his dad to keep talking about it. That may have been because my dad was sitting by the fire.

I burst out laughing and I turned back to look at Carlisle. He looked over at me and then back to Edward. He started laughing once he figured it out. "Oh, okay. Sorry, son." My dad was chuckling to himself. I had to say I was a little relieved.

But, my poor, sweet Edward had a red face and ears. I couldn't feel too bad for him, though, because I had asked him if he wanted me to do it, and he was more than enthusiastic.

I zipped opened the tent and found Alice sitting on her sleeping bag in her pyjamas. I climbed in and sat beside her. "Good morning, Alice. Do you want to go to the bathrooms with me?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what to wear." She said. I smiled at this little diva in the making.

"I'm just wearing a t-shirt and shorts." I said, opening her little suitcase. I pulled out a little pair of white shorts and a blue and white stripped shirt. "This is cute." I told her.

She smiled. "Okay. Just let me get dressed. Will you wait for me?" She asked, looking worried.

"Of course. I'll be just outside the tent." I told her. "I won't leave without you."

She smiled at me as I slipped out of the tent and zipped it up. I walked over to the fire and sat on Edward's lap. He smiled at me and wrapped his arms around my waist. His face was still red. I put my palm up on his cheek, and then leaned in to kiss his chin.

I turned and looked at my dad and Carlisle and they were still chuckling quietly. I shook my head at them. My dad held up his hands, like he was innocent, but I knew he wasn't.

Alice came out of the tent in her cute little outfit and flip flops. She was so cute with her messy hair. "Do you have your toothbrush?" I asked her. She laughed and ran back into the tent.

She back out with her little Ziplock bag containing her toothbrush and a little travel sized tube of toothpaste. "Yes." She laughed.

"Good, let's go." I said. I really wanted to get Edward away from our dads for a few minutes.

We got up and Edward picked up his sister. I put my backpack on and took Edward's hand. We walked over to the road and headed up to the bathrooms.

"Hey, Alice." Edward said. "Last night there were some little visitors to the campsite."

"Really, who?" She asked.

"Racoons." He told her, making her smile. "Bella and I only got to see them for a minute before they ran back into the woods."

"Were they cute?" She asked.

"They were adorable." I told her.

"Do you think I'll get to see one this week?" She asked.

"I hope so." Edward said.

We got to the bathrooms and Edward set Alice down, and kissed my cheek. He winked at me before walking to the other side of the building to the boys side. Alice and I went in and used the bathroom. We stood side by side at the sink and brushed our teeth. We were laughing at each other because we both hand toothpaste on our chins. Esme and Heidi both came out of the showers in their robes and walked over to the sink.

"Good morning, girls." Heidi said.

"When did you wake up, sweetie?" Esme asked Alice.

"Um, just a little while ago." Alice said, as Esme washed Alice's face. I leaned against the sink and waited while Esme brushed Alice's hair.

Heidi walked over to me and lightly touched my neck, right where my hickey was. "Someone was busy last night." She whispered. I laughed and blushed.

"And this morning." I giggled. "My dad and Carlisle were teasing Edward relentlessly."

She laughed. "Do you want me to talk to him about it?" Heidi asked, teasingly.

"No, don't worry about it. It doesn't bother me at all." I told her.

Alice ran over and grabbed my hand. "I'm ready, Bella."

I smiled at her. "Alright, let's go get something to eat." I said. "See you both back at camp." I said to Esme and Heidi.

Alice and I walked over to Edward who was standing with his brothers. Both boys had wet hair. Edward had pink cheeks, again. I took it that they were teasing Edward, too. With the Cullens, I knew it was all good humoured, but my poor Edward was a little shy.

"Hi, Bella." Jasper said, quietly.

"Good morning, Jasper." I said, walking over to the boys. Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind. It almost seemed that he was hiding behind me.

Emmett picked up his little sister and she gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "So you were a busy girl this morning, huh, Bella?" Emmett said. Edward reached out to punch his arm, but Emmett dodged him, laughing.

"What did Bella do this morning?" Alice asked Emmett.

Emmett laughed and shook his head. "Oh, uh, I guess she just cleaned up in her tent." He mumbled, shaking his head.

I giggled. I figured that Emmett was so interested in his brother's love life because he missed Rose. I would forgive him, because I knew how hard it was to be apart from Edward, for even a day. It had been three days that the Cullen boys and Hale sisters had been apart, so far.

Emmett walked ahead with Alice, and I walked in between Jasper and Edward. "So, boys. What are we doing today?" I loved camping and I was looking forward to even more new experiences.

"Do you want to go canoeing?" Jasper suggested. "That's pretty fun."

"Sounds good to me." Edward said. "What do you say, babe?" He asked me, squeezing his hand.

"I'm up for the whole camping experience. I'm leaving it up to you guys to show me all the good stuff." I said.

Jasper laughed. "But, you're having fun so far, right?" He asked.

"I'm loving this trip, Jasper." I said. "Camping with the Cullens might just be my favourite thing to do."

Jasper and Edward smiled at each other. It was sweet. I felt so lucky to be included in this vacation. I was so thankful that Edward's family was so supportive of our relationship.


	199. Canoeing

**A/N - So, here's Saturday's chapter a day early! Thanks, enjoy and I'll talk to you all again on Sunday!**

Chapter 199 - Canoeing

When we got back to camp, we all had bowls of cereal and fruit. Every time Emmett looked at either me or Edward, he would lift his eyebrows up and down. We just laughed him off. He was a seventeen year old boy. I knew where his mind was all the time.

Esme and Heidi came and joined us and we all shared a great breakfast. A little chipmunk scuttled over to us, looking for food. Edward took a grape and crouched down. The little critter came over and put his little hands on the grape, before taking it and putting it in his cheek. It was so sweet.

"Bella, do you think I could feed him?" Alice whispered.

"You could try." I told her. I passed her a grape and we walked over to Edward. Alice crouched down beside Edward. I leaned against the tree to watch them.

"Hold out your hand, princess." Edward said his sister. "He's not going to want to come too close."

"What if he bites me?" She whispered, holding the grape to her chest.

"He won't. He wants the grape." Edward said, He wrapped his hand around Alice's, and extended her arm out to the chipmunk. The chipmunk was watching them for a minute, before he slowly crawled over and then stood on his hind legs. He reached his tiny hands out, took the grape from Alice and popped it in his mouth. Alice giggled, and Edward laughed with her, before kissing the top of her head.

For a girl that was terrified to have a baby, when I watched him with Alice, I wanted nothing more. He was so patient and gentle with his sister.

After a few more minutes with the chipmunk, we decided to head out and rent some canoes. Apparently, we would be canoeing in an inlet off of the Columbia River, called Skamania Landing. I was excited for this new experience. I had never been in a canoe before, but I was really excited to try it out. We all drove down in two cars, Carlisle's and Edward's. Alice sat in the front seat with Edward, her chipmunk buddy, and I sat in the back between Emmett and Jasper.

Emmett looked over at me and I pointed at him, silently trying to get him to keep his mouth shut. He just laughed. Edward looked at me in the rear view window and smiled.

I leaned over and whispered in Emmett's ear. "You do realize that the minute Rose gives you a hickey, you're never going to hear the end of it."

Emmett just laughed and shook and his head. "You're right." He laughed. "But when that happens, the teasing will be worth it."

I just laughed at him. But he did make a very valid point.

We pulled up to a parking lot and Edward parked beside Carlisle. We all got out of the car, Jasper offering me a hand out. "Thank you, Jasper." I said, after I kissed his cheek, making him blush.

We all walked over to the dock. There were a whole bunch of canoes all lined up in the water. Carlisle went over to a small building to rent some canoes. Edward wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to kiss me, while we waited. "You look so pretty today, angel." He whispered against my lips. "I love you so much."

I smiled at him. "And you look so incredibly gorgeous, yourself, Mr. Cullen." I said, placing a kiss on his chest. "I love you."

"Kids, come get your life jackets." My dad called. We all walked over to a little hut where a young girl, about sixteen years old, was passing life jackets to my dad and Heidi. She was wearing a white tank top tied in a little knot in the front, so her stomach was showing and a short pair of pink shorts. She had her eyes locked on the Cullen boys. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. They were all very cute guys.

Jasper was blushing before we even got to the life jacket booth. "So, where are you guys from?" She asked Emmett, as she passed him a life jacket.

"We're from Forks." He said. He was being friendly, but it was clear he wasn't interested. It was nice to see that all the Cullen boys were faithful to their girls.

"I'm from Vancouver, Washington." She volunteered. Emmett nodded his head. "My name's Kristie."

"Emmett. Nice to meet you." Emmett said.

"So, I'm off in a couple of hours. Do you guys want to hang out?" She asked, smiling at Emmett and Jasper.

"Uh, we both have girlfriends, so we'll have to pass." Emmett said, politely. "Um, which canoes are we taking?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, the guy down there, Raoul, can help you out."

"Thank you." He said, smiling at her. Jasper took his life jacket from the girl and quickly followed behind Emmett.

She passed Edward and I our life jackets and we went down to the dock. There was a guy in board shorts and a grey t-shirt down at the dock. While we waited our turn, Edward helped me adjust the straps on my life jacket. "Do I look like a marshmallow?" I asked him.

Edward laughed, before leaning down to kiss me. "Of course not." He said. "You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen, and not even remotely close to a marshmallow."

I laughed. "Well, you look a little bit like a marshmallow." I teased. Edward laughed and lightly spanked me. "But, you are the sexiest marshmallow I've ever seen."

"That's better." Edward said, leaning down to kiss my cheek.

"Alright, guys. This is your canoe." We turned and saw Raoul, who was about our age, standing in the lake up to his ankles. "Do either of you have canoeing experience?" He asked.

"She doesn't but I've been canoeing quite a few times." Edward said.

"Okay, we'll put her in the front." Raoul said to Edward.

Edward agreed and held my hand so I could get in the boat. Raoul reached for my other hand and walked in the water along side the boat so I could get to the seat in the front of the boat. I sat down and Raoul passed me a paddle. I looked over my shoulder and saw Edward getting into the boat.

"Okay. Stay close to the edges, for easier paddling. Have fun." Raoul said to us, smiling at me.

"Thank you." I said. Raoul pushed us into the water and Edward paddled us out into the inlet. Edward didn't seem jealous of Raoul, which I was happy about.

"Okay, honey." Edward said. "Hold your paddle up vertically on the left hand side of the boat. Put your right hand on the top of the handle and then hold the neck of the paddle with your left hand about waist high."

I smiled at how patient Edward was. He was so calm and clear when he gave instructions. I wanted to kiss him, but I had to concentrate on the task at hand. "Good girl." He said. "Raise your top hand straight up above head height and push your bottom hand forward. Now, dip the paddle in the water and pull it straight back towards me." I did what he said. It didn't seem too difficult, but I guessed I had an incredible teacher.

I tried it a few times on my own. "Was that right?" I asked him, looking over my shoulder.

"It was perfect, baby." He said, smiling. "I'll steer the canoe, babe, so you just keep paddling. And if you want to switch sides, you can."

"Alright. Tell me if I'm doing something wrong, okay?" I said.

"Sugar, you're perfect." Edward said. I felt the canoe really pick up speed, so I knew Edward was paddling, now. We rowed up beside Emmett and Jasper. They seemed to be waiting for us.

"What was that about?" Emmett asked us, referring to the life jacket girl. "Do you think I handled that okay? I wasn't rude, was I?" He looked so concerned.

"You weren't rude at all, Em." Edward said.

"You guys are all just too cute for your own good." I said. "But, I really admire that you told her the truth. If she takes it wrong, that's not your fault."

"Okay, good. Because, that was awkward." Emmett laughed.

We kept rowing for about a half hour. We stayed fairly close to the shore, about twenty to thirty feet out. The water was fairly calm and the tall evergreen trees surrounding us made me feel protected and sheltered.

"I'm exhausted, Edward." I said, turning in my seat to look at him. "This is hard work."

Edward chuckled. "Bring your paddle in the boat and take a break, sugar." He said.

"Are you sure?" I asked him. "I don't want to tire you out."

"I'm fine, babe. I promise." He said, smiling at me, as he continued paddling. "I would row you around all day." I smiled at his cheesy line. I had the best boyfriend ever.


	200. Romance

**A/N - I'm back! I hope everyone had a great holiday! It was honestly hard for me to stay away! Thanks so much for reading and for the great reviews. I'll respond to everyone soon. Let's get back to our lovebirds. Enjoy!**

Chapter 200 - Romance

After a short break, I picked up my paddle and started rowing again. We got to the far west side of the inlet. There was a small embankment where we could get out of the boats. Edward hopped out of the boat and held it steady for me to get out. I stepped into the ankle deep water, which was ice cold. My dad and Heidi were on the shore waiting for us.

My dad came down and held onto my hand, helping me out of the water. "Thanks, dad." I said.

"How was the paddling?" He asked me. "I noticed you taking a bit of a break back there." He laughed.

"My arms are killing me." I teased. "I'm going to have to start working out."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "You're doing fine, kiddo." My dad said. We all sat down on the rocky shore and looked out across the water.

"Bella, I don't have to paddle, 'cause mom and dad are paddling our boat." Alice told me, squeezing between my dad and I. "I get to sit in the middle."

I smiled at her. "You're a lucky girl, Alice. Maybe you should paddle for me, and I'll sit in the middle." I teased her.

Edward came and sat on my other side. He passed me a little sprig of yellow flowers. I smiled at him. "Thank you, Edward." I said, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"You're welcome, baby." He said, kissing the top of my head. He reached over and tucked the tiny flowers behind my ear, before smiling at me.

I leaned in and kissed his lips quickly.

"Kids. Look over there. That's Beacon Rock." Carlisle told us pointing over the water to the east. The mountain was huge and gorgeous. It was a slate grey colour and had a flat face. It was so close to the water, that it's height really stood out. It towered over the rest of the scenery. I could completely understand why they named this state park after that mountain.

"We still have to climb that." Emmett said.

"What?" I asked, surprised. "But, look at it. It's huge."

Emmett laughed at me. "Come on, Bella." He said. "I'm going to have to start picking you up every morning for a run once we get back home."

I laughed. "You wouldn't get very far if you were waiting for me."

"It's actually a pretty easy hike, Bella." Esme said. "It's a path with railings that zigzags up one face of the rock." She smiled. "And the view is gorgeous."

Edward leaned in and whispered in my ear. "And I'll give you a piggyback ride if you get tired." I giggled. Edward loved to carry me around. But I didn't mind, because I loved feeling connected to Edward. It seemed like I always had to be touching him, or vice versa.

"Alright. I'm in." I laughed. Edward reached over and pinched my sides.

After another ten minutes of our break, we all got back into our canoes to paddle back on the other side of the inlet. Edward held the boat for me, again. Ours was the last of the four boats. I liked that because it gave Edward and I little privacy.

"Baby, look to your right." Edward said. "There's a small falls where the creek is draining into Skamania Landing." On the far west side of the inlet, there was a little stream pouring into the water, making a little waterfall. It was gorgeous. The outdoors were filled with amazing little wonders everywhere you looked. I would treasure this vacation forever.

"I love being out here on the water with you." I told him, turning around to look at him over my shoulder.

Edward smiled at me. "You're very romantic out here in the canoe." He said. "I like it."

I giggled. "I can't help it. I'm caught up in the scenery. It's majestic."

"Can I say that I'm also caught up in the scenery?" Edward said. "Your bum looks cute in those shorts."

I laughed. "Of all the nice things to look at, you're looking at my bum?"

"Of course I am. I'm your boyfriend and you're the prettiest scenery I see." He said, making me laugh.

"Don't laugh. It's true." He defended. "I know it always sounds like I'm using a line with you, but I'm just being honest. I am so completely in love with you. I've never felt anything like this before, and I'm almost overwhelmed by it. It's like I can't express to you in words how I feel."

Edward was, hands down, the most romantic and amazing man in the world. I was so lucky to have him. He showed me all the time, with his kisses, sweet gestures and his touch, how much he loved me, but when he voiced his emotions in words, it was enough to take my breath away.

I lifted my legs over the seat and turned to face Edward. He looked so gorgeous, paddling the boat, the muscles in his arms flexing. I smiled at him and he was looking right into my eyes.

"I wish I wasn't five feet away from your lips right now." I told him. "You are so sweet. I love you so much, Edward."

He smiled at me. "And as much as I loved looking your bum, this view is so much better."

I laughed. "I completely agree." I told him. "You're gorgeous. But, if I don't help you row, we're never going to get back. And then, I won't get to kiss you."

"Good point, angel." He laughed. "Get paddling."

I laughed and turned back around in my seat. I paddled the best that I could and we started catching up to the rest of the family, but there was still enough of a distance between us that we could talk privately.

After about ten minutes of paddling, most of which was spent in comfortable silence, Edward said my name. "Bella?" He asked, immediately catching my attention. He sounded serious.

"Yeah, baby?" I said, slowing down my rowing so I could focus on what he wanted to tell me.

"Um, I know how we talked about not having kids until we're finished with school. And, I get that and I agree with you one hundred percent." He said. I turned and looked at him over my shoulder. I had no idea why he was talking about when we wanted to have a baby, right now. He looked really serious and deep in thought.

"Okay." I said, hoping he would tell where he was getting with this. I would love to be in Edward's mind. He was always so thoughtful.

"Well, I was just wondering if you felt the same way about getting married." He said quietly. "I mean, do you want to wait for that, too?"

I turned to look at him. I smiled because he was so sweet and loving and just plain perfect. I loved that Edward was so in love with me, that he wanted to marry me and we hadn't even been dating for three months. But, what made me the happiest, was that in my heart, I knew that I didn't want to wait.

"No, babe. I don't want to wait." I told him sincerely. "I love you with all of my heart and I know that I couldn't wait another four or five years to marry you." My smile widened when his did.

"Really?" He asked, the uncertainty gone from his voice, and the confidence back in full force. I nodded, unable to wipe the smile from my face. "Well, that's good to know." He added, making me giggle.

I loved that Edward was always thinking of our future. I saw myself with Edward forever, and it was so reassuring that he felt the same way.

When we finally got back to the dock, we had ended up spending about two hours out on the water. I was thoroughly exhausted.

Edward got out of the boat first, and then came to help me out of the boat. He beat Raoul to the punch this time. I smiled at Edward and he just winked at me. So, my Edward was a little jealous when Raoul helped me in the boat earlier. We all walked back over to the cars and everyone got in, except for Edward and I.

He took my hand and walked me a little ways away from the car. He leaned down and placed a soft, warm kiss on my lips. Finally. My kiss. That was a long two hours without his lips on mine, especially considering the romantic talk on the water.


	201. Civilization

**A/N - Thanks again to everyone that is reading! I'm working on replying to all the reviews...just a few more to go...so if I haven't gotten to yours, I'm getting there! I think that's the last time I do something crazy like take Christmas day off! Haha! Enjoy!**

Chapter 201 - Civilization

Edward and I got into the car after a couple more quick kisses. Emmett whistled at us, and Edward just laughed. We followed behind Carlisle's car.

"Where's he going?" Emmett asked from the backseat. "This isn't the way back to the campsite."

"Looks like we're heading to the town site." Edward said. "My guess is that mom wants to shop." We all laughed at that. Carlisle was a lot like Edward and would do anything that his wife asked of him.

After about a ten minute drive, we pulled up to a small town. It was really only about two streets. It seemed to consist of gift shops and small restaurants. It had a quaint feeling and there were lots of people bustling in and out of the shops. It seemed like there were a couple of motels along the riverfront as well.

There was small parking lot and Edward pulled in across the lot from his dad. We all piled out of the car and Esme led us over to the public washrooms. We all met out front and my dad told us that he was taking us for lunch.

I was starving so I was excited to here that. We all went into a cute little restaurant with a patio. We sat at two tables on the patio, Edward, myself, my dad and Heidi at one table, and the Cullens at the table beside us.

Edward and my dad ordered burgers and fries, Esme ordered a chicken sandwich and I had a slice of Hawaiian pizza. Emmett, who I had my back to, reached back and gave me a high five over his shoulder. Apparently he ordered the pizza, too.

While we waited for our food, we all talked about the trip so far. "How's your new sleeping bag, Bells? Warm enough?" Edward starting coughing on his drink. He was so horrible at keeping secrets and he made us look guilty all the time, even though we were fairly innocent. My dad raised his eyebrow at me and I just shook my head, patting Edward's back.

"You okay?" I asked him, rubbing his back. His face was red, but he nodded his head. I put my hand on his leg and squeezed his thigh.

"So, you're enjoying the new sleeping bag, Edward? Heidi asked, holding back her giggles..

He chuckled. "It's great." I was honestly surprised he admitted that he and I were sharing a sleeping bag.

Luckily the food was delivered and that saved us from anymore sleeping bag conversation. I took a bite out of my pizza. "This is so good." I said between bites. Edward laughed at the way that I was tackling my pizza. But, I was starving and this pizza was so good, I couldn't help myself.

"How good is this, Bella?" Emmett said from behind me.

"It's amazing." I said. I cut off a piece with my knife ad fork and brought it up to Edward's mouth. "Try this." I said to him.

I got a little caught up in watching his beautiful lips close around my fork. He hummed. "It's really good, baby." He said, smiling at me. "I can't believe you're sharing it with me."

I laughed at him. "I'm not that much of a piggy." I told him making him laugh.

"Of course you're not." He said, winking at me. I snuck a French fry from his plate. He just smiled at me. I loved that we were both comfortable enough to tease each other.

He pushed his plate closer to me. "Eat, baby." Edward said. "You paddled away all your energy this morning." I giggled because I had hardly paddled as much as Edward had.

We all finished eating and luckily no more conversation about the sleeping bags came up until we left. Heidi and I fell into step together and she brought it up to me.

"Did you guys zip your sleeping bags together, too?" Heidi asked. I laughed and nodded.

"Yeah. It's so warm snuggling up to Edward at night." I told her. "Edward had that planned before we even left." She laughed with me. My boy was such a cutie.

We all walked up the street and stopped in some of the gift shops. I saw a nice fleece zip up pullover and a pair of shorts and took them into the change room. I liked both of them. The shorts were little green cargo shorts, that I thought might me a little short, but I figured Edward would like my legs in them.

When I came out, I saw Edward putting his wallet away and he was holding a red bag. I wondered what he bought. I was just walking over to him, when my dad stopped me.

"Let me get those for you, Bells." He said, talking the clothes from my arms, adding it to the pile he was holding.

"Thanks, dad. You don't have to do that." I said. "You just bought lunch."

"I know, but you're my little girl and I want to spoil you sometimes." He said. I smiled up at him and gave him a hug. I always felt a little sentimental and teary when he said things like that to me. I knew he was trying to make up for lost time with me and I loved him for it.

"Well, when you put it that way." I said. My dad leaned down and kissed the top of my head. Heidi walked up to us with a blue t-shirt and held it up to my dad's chest.

"Do you take a medium?" She asked him. It was such a wifely thing to do and I smiled when my dad agreed. I left them alone and I walked over to the little book section where all the Cullen kids were looking through books.

"Bella. Em's going to buy a book about poop." Alice told me, giggling.

"No, I'm not." He defended. "It's about identifying wild animal scat so you can tell which animals have been nearby. And, I'm buying it for you, Alice." He laughed. "I'm getting this book on campfire ghost stories."

I smiled at them. "That's cool." I said. "I didn't know you could identify animals that way."

"Yeah, there's all sorts of books on wild animals. Here's one on animal tracks." Jasper said. "I'm going to get this one."

I turned to Edward who was standing there looking a little smug. "And what about you, big brother? Which book are you getting?" I asked him, taking his hand.

"I'm getting the book on constellations. I want to look at the stars with you." He said. Emmett started laughing at Edward's line, but I really liked the sound of star gazing with my boy.

"Sounds good." I said to Edward, squeezing his hand. "What else did you buy?" I asked him, looking at the bag in his hand.

"Uh, uh, babe." Edward said, chuckled and moving the bag away, out of my reach. "You'll find out tonight." He winked when he said it.

I smiled at him. This boy and his surprises. "I can't wait." I whispered.

We all walked over to the checkout together and after all the kids got their books and my dad and Carlisle each bought two huge piles of clothes, we left the store.

We continues along this way down one street and up the next. We got a few knickknacks and Edward and I each got a Beacon Rock bookmark. The boys bought some handmade fudge, and Alice got a book of postcards that she was really excited about. Esme got her some stamps and she was going to send one to her friend from ballet, Bree, and both sets of grandparents.

Edward and I found a nice red and black flannel blanket. I thought we could use it in our new living room to snuggle under. Edward liked it right away, likely because he was crazy for plaid, but when I told him my snuggling plans, he was sold.

It was a great afternoon and I had to say, that I enjoyed being back in civilization again, even for a little while, after almost four days in the woods. I guess I was a true city girl at heart. Esme and Heidi also looked like they were having a blast and I knew they were loving the retail therapy, as well.

At around three o'clock, and we had looked at all the shops, we dropped our purchases off in the cars and Carlisle took us all to the little ice cream shop. With all nine of us filling the small little shop, the staff looked a little overwhelmed, but smiled through it.

After we all got our cones, we walked over to the edge of the river. There was a little cement wall along the edge of the pathway. We all sat in a long line on the wall, our feet dangling over the edge. We looked out at the river and enjoyed the view.

I was slowly licking my cherry ice cream. Edward had long since finished his maple walnut cone and had his arms wrapped around me, his hand in the back pocket of my shorts. Edward leaned over and took a bite out of my ice cream, looking up me with a cute smile on his face. He loved to be mischievous.

"Hey." I said, giggling. I totally didn't care that he was helping me eat my ice cream. I was still full from lunch.

He leaned in and pressed a cool, sticky kiss to my lips. "Sorry." He chuckled. "That flavour is really good."

"I know." I laughed. "But, I'm full. You want some more?" I brought the cone up to his mouth and he took another big bite. I took a little bite and we kept alternating until the cone was gone. It was always the little moments with Edward that were my favourite.


	202. Reactions

**A/N - Thanks again for the support! Enjoy!**

Chapter 202 - Reactions

After our ice cream, we decided to follow the little walking path along the water's edge. It was so beautiful here and there was a light breeze blowing through our hair. This park was really nature at it's best.

We followed a loop and made it back to the car after about forty five minutes. To say I was exhausted was an understatement. The canoeing, shopping and walking had done me in. I needed a nap and I knew a pair of strong arms that I wanted wrapped around me.

We all loaded back into the cars and started the drive back into the trees and up to the camp. I was asleep before we reached our destination.

When I woke up, I was in our sleeping bag in the tent. I stretched and blinked my eyes. I could tell through the tent that it was still light outside. I wished Edward was in the tent with me. I climbed out of the sleeping bag and immediately felt cold. The evenings got so cool here. I pulled off my shorts and leaned over to go through my suitcase and find a pair of sweat pants.

I heard the tent zipper and turned around to see Edward peaking in. "Hey, you're up." He said, unzipping the zipper enough to climb in before zipping it back up.

"Yeah. I guess I fell asleep. What time is it?" I asked him, sitting down on the sleeping bag.

"It's around six o'clock." He told me as he came over to sit beside me. "We're going to eat, so I came to see if you were hungry."

"I could eat." I said.

Edward smiled at me, before wrapping his arms around me and pulling us both down on the bed. He rolled over on top of me and leaned in to kiss me deeply. I wrapped my arms and leg around him to hold his close. Edward reached back and started tracing his fingers up and down my bare leg.

I moaned into his mouth and reached up to run my fingers through his soft hair. He pulled back a little to smile at me, his eyes sparkling, before moving his kisses down my neck. I started moving my body under his and Edward immediately pulled back and sat on his knees.

"Baby, stop." Edward whispered. "They're waiting for us to eat dinner." I felt a little bit rejected and very embarrassed. I reached for my sweatpants, pulling them on. Edward just sat there watching me. I went to go unzip the tent, but Edward reached back to grab my arm. "Bella, wait." He said. He looked so sad.

"I have to go to the bathroom." I said, shaking off his hand and going for the zipper again.

"Then I'll go with you." He said, following me out of the tent. I started walked up the road away from the camp site. "We'll be right back." I heard Edward call out to everyone. I heard his footsteps as he ran behind me to catch up.

I rarely tried to push things physically with Edward, so when I did and he didn't want me to, I felt really hurt. The crazy thing was that I totally understood why he stopped us. Our families were within ear shot and we were about to eat. I just couldn't control my irrational feelings and the tears that were pricking at the back of my eyes.

"Bella, please talk to me." Edward pleaded. "I'm sorry."

I stopped walking but kept my back to him. I blinked my eyes and a couple of tears fell on my cheeks. I sniffled and roughly rubbed at my eyes. I didn't want to cry over this. I felt really stupid.

Edward walked around to stand in front of me. He reached down and cupped my face in his hands, moving my face so he could look at me. "Can you tell me what's going on in that beautiful head of yours, Bella.?" He said, quietly. "I can't read your mind."

"Nothing, really. I just feel stupid." I told him honestly.

"What? Why?" Edward asked, looking confused.

"This is embarrassing." I said.

"Don't ever feel embarrassed around me, Bella. Just tell me what I did wrong." Edward said.

"You didn't do anything wrong. It's just that when you stopped me, I felt rejected." I admitted. "And I know that's stupid, because you just came to get me for dinner, but I got caught up in the moment."

Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. "You know I would never reject you, right? You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen and I love you with all of my heart. In fact, I liked what you were doing so much, I had to stop you." He chuckled. "I wouldn't have been able to go out and face your dad."

I giggled a little at that. "I'm sorry that I overreacted." I whispered against his chest. Edward rubbed his hand over my back.

"It's okay, baby." He said, leaning down to kiss my cheeks. "Just please know that I wanted that as much as you did, okay? You are so beautiful when you are caught up in the moment." He said, making me blush. He squeezed me tightly to his chest and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "Are we okay?"

"Yes, Edward. We're fine and I am really sorry." I told him.

"Stop being sorry for how you feel." He said. "Do you want to go back to camp and get something to eat?"

"Yeah, I just have pee." I told him, giggling.

"Oh, my perfect, sweet Bella." He said, kissing my cheek. "Don't ever change." He took my hand and we finished the walk to the bathroom.

I went in the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My eyes were a little red and my cheeks flushed. I splashed some cold water on my face and then went to use the bathroom. I washed my hands and smiled into the mirror. I had the sweetest boyfriend I could ever ask for.

I knew I shouldn't have felt rejected. I think my emotions just showed my own insecurities and inexperience. It was so hard to resist the attraction I felt towards Edward, but at the same time, I was clearly not ready emotionally to handle a full physical relationship.

When Edward pulled back from me and told me that our families were waiting, I should have laughed at the way we attacked each other. He didn't stop us because he wanted to. He always had my best interests at heart.

I guess I would have to chalk it up as another learning experience. We were young and had time to figure this all out. I just had to make sure to talk things out with Edward all the time. My embarrassment just won out this time.

I walked out to meet my gorgeous boy. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into another tight hug. "Feel better?" He asked.

"Yes. I love you." I told him. "And I really am sorry about before." I took his hand and we walked back towards the camp.

"Baby, I'll accept your apology, only to get you to stop apologizing." Edward laughed.

"Okay, deal." I said, bringing his hand up to my lips to kiss the back of it.

We joined everyone for dinner. It seemed that everyone was close to finished, but we sat down and ate anyway. There was a plate of sandwiches and Esme poured us each a bowl of soup. Heidi looked at me, as if to ask if I was alright. I nodded and smiled at her.

After we ate, I helped Esme wash the dishes. "Sweetheart, is everything alright?" She asked, always so astute.

"Yes, I'm perfect." I told her honestly. She smiled at me and squeezed my hand. I was glad she let it go for now, but I really did miss our time together. "Esme, when we get home, you and I will have to have a girls day. I really miss spending time with you." I told her.

She had become like a mother to me and was always there for me. But, in the last few weeks we had been so busy with the end of the school year for the boys, her parents' visit, preparing for camping, and my new relationship with Heidi, that we hadn't spent a lot of time together.

She smiled at me and kissed my cheek. "I would love that, Bella." When we finished the dishes, I walked over to the fire and noticed Edward wasn't there. I went over to our tent and climbed in. Edward was laying on the sleeping bags, holding the red bag from the gift shop today. He smiled at me.

"Do you want your surprise, babe?" He asked, as I crawled over to sit beside him.

"Yes." I giggled. "You're killing me here." He just chuckled. I snatched the bag from him and reached in. I laughed when I saw what was inside. It was a huge, oversized Beacon Rock State Park souvenir t-shirt. "Oh, Edward. I love it." I told him, leaning over to press a kiss to his beautiful lips.

He chuckled. "I'm glad you like it. We've been stuck in Washington for a while and I was dying to see you in another t-shirt, but haven't had a chance to buy one for you."

I pulled off my black t-shirt and slipped on my new pjs. "Well?" I asked, giggling when the collar slipped over my shoulder.

He sat up and placed a kiss on my exposed shoulder. "You look gorgeous, sugar."


	203. Campfire

**A/N - Thank you all so much for the favourites, alerts and reviews! It's nice to hear that you are all still enjoying the story! The little story at the end of this chapter is a mix of a few stories I've heard and my imagination. Hope you like it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 203 - Campfire

"Do you know how sexy you are in these t-shirts?" Edward asked with an adorable smirk on his face. He was looking at me in the new Beacon Rock t-shirt he had bought for me today.

"No. I don't really get it." I laughed. "I would think that you would like me in tight t-shirts, not baggy ones."

"Do you want to know why I like them?" He said, getting up on his knees in front of me, looking deep into my eyes. I could only nod. "I like the way the fabric drapes over your body and I can just see a hint of your curves." He whispered, moving his hands down my back and over my hips. "You're so beautiful." He said, before leaning into kiss my bare shoulder, again.

I was blushing furiously when he admitted his the reason he kept buying these t-shirts for me. It made me feel amazing that Edward was so attracted to me. I guess girls needed a lot of reassurance.

He pulled back and looked at my face, smiling. He placed the back of his hand on my warm cheek. I giggled a little. "You like to make me blush, don't you?" I asked.

"Well, you are stunning when your flushed, but you don't have to be so embarrassed that I find you to be the most gorgeous and sexy girl in the world." He whispered, before leaning in for a kiss.

I kissed him back, hard, wrapping my arms around his neck. I pulled back and smiled at the look on his face. He looked surprised and happy at the same time. It was cute. I kissed his chin, before turning to get my new fleece pullover. I slipped it on over my t-shirt and slipped on my flip flops.

"Want to go sit by the fire?" I asked him.

"No." He chuckled. "But we probably should. I'm just going to change out of these shorts and put on something warmer."

"Okay. Meet you out there." I said, slipping out of the tent and walking over to the fire. There were two empty chairs between Emmett and Carlisle. Everyone was talking, laughing or reading. I loved how the our families seemed so relaxed and content to just sit around a fire.

I sat by Emmett, who had his nose deep in his new ghost story book. "How's the book?" I asked him.

He looked up and smiled. "It's awesome. I'm going to tell one of them tonight when it gets dark."

"That sounds fun." I told him. "What are we going to do for this last hour until it gets dark?"

"S'mores?" Jasper said, from his seat beside Emmett.

"I like the way you think, bro?" Emmett said, making everyone laugh. He and Jasper ran over to get the s'mores supplies.

Edward came out of the tent in a pair of navy and white plaid pyjama pants and a grey hoodie, with the new plaid blanket in his arms, and came to sit beside me. He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"What are we doing?" Edward asked.

"Oh, we're going to make s'mores and then Emmett's going to tell us a ghost story from his new book." I said. I zipped up my pullover a little higher. It was getting pretty cold out here. Edward moved his chair closer to me, opened the blanket and covered us up. Edward reached his hand over and took mine in his, giving it a little squeeze.

The boys came back over and passed out sticks and marshmallows. I leaned in to toast mine just right, a nice golden brown. Last time, I was distracted by Edward and burnt mine. My marshmallow was so perfect that I ate it plain. It was so good.

It seemed Edward was distracted by me this time and burnt his marshmallow. I had to giggled a little, but he claimed he liked them like that. Emmett had the bag of marshmallows on his lap, so I pointed my stick at him and he loaded it up with three marshmallows. I laughed at him. He was such a teenage boy. He just shrugged his shoulders and went back to putting five marshmallows on his stick.

"Emmett." Esme said. "Let's not overdo it."

"I'm not. I'll eat them all." He defended. She just smiled at him. He really was a sweet boy. A little rambunctious, but a great guy none the less.

I finished cooking my three marshmallows. I pawned two of them off on Edward and I put the last one on my graham crackers and chocolate. So good. It was finally getting dark and everyone huddled a little closer to the fire to keep warm. Emmett got up to get a couple of props he needed for his ghost story. I giggled. He seemed to be taking this story quite seriously. I was so excited to hear it.

Edward leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Do you want sit on my lap? I'm cold." He placed a quick kiss just below my ear. I looked over at him and he was smirking. He wasn't really cold, but who was I to turn down an invitation to the best seat in the house? I got up and sat down sideways on Edward's lap, with both my feet on one side of his thigh.

Edward wrapped his right arm around my back and put his left hand on my thigh. I pulled the blanket over us, leaned in and laid my head on his chest and he tucked my head under his chin. I could hear his heartbeat, nice and steady. We were nice and snuggled together. I never wanted to move.

Emmett came back with a couple of small twigs and an flashlight. "You all ready for a scare?" He asked with a smile on his face. Alice looked scared and she crawled onto Carlisle's knee and wrapped her blanket around her head, leaving just her little face peaking out. She was adorable.

Emmett turned on the flashlight and pointed it up to his face, so he was lit from underneath. I wrapped my arm around Edward's side and ran my fingers along his ribs. I felt Edward press his lips to the top of my head.

"Okay, so it is said that there were two young girls, just a little younger than Jazz." Emmett started. "They were sisters and best friends and they both went camping out in the woods together. They lived in house by the woods, like we do, back home. And the woods behind their house, looked a lot the woods behind our house, a lot the woods surrounding us now."

Alice's eyes were wide, and my dad chuckled a little. Heidi shushed him. "Anyway, they started a fire and set up their lawn chairs, roasting hotdogs and making s'mores. The light of the fire lit up their faces, but the woods surrounding them was pitch black. They were both laughing and having fun, talking about boys and clothes and whatever else it is that girls talk about when they're together." I started laughing a little at that. He was right on the mark with that.

He put the flashlight between his thighs and picked up a twig, snapping it. "They heard the leaves rustling behind them, the twigs snapping." Emmett continued. "They looked to the woods, but they couldn't see anything. 'What was that?' One of the girls asked. They each thought the other was trying to scare them. Suddenly, the fire roared up and then fizzled right out.

"They looked around each other, trying to figure out what had happened, but they were both scared speechless. They decided to head back to the house. It was too scary out here alone. They started walking back to the house. They weren't that far away. But instead of the house, they came across a small shack, almost like a hunting lodge. They went inside and looked around, noting the hooks hanging from the ceiling, and hearing nothing but the silence and a drip, drip, drip." Emmett said, his voice almost a whisper.

I cuddled closer to Edward. I didn't like where this was going. Edward chuckled and held me tighter, running his hand along my thigh.

"But the silence didn't last. All of a sudden, a loud groan came from the darkness. It was an eerie moaning sound that kept getting louder and louder. The girls panicked, grabbing their flashlights and running back into the woods. They ran smack into the chest of huge burly man, kind of like me, and fell to their knees. They slowly peered up from the ground and noticed two things. The first, was that the man was holding a large rusty butcher knife and the second being that the man had no legs. He was levitating."

Alice started whimpering and Carlisle held her close to him. I pulled the blanket up to my eyes, just barely peeking over. "The girls got up and ran as fast as they ever had, hoping to find the house. They didn't think they were that far out. And again, they ran smack into the man. They thought their lives were over. But, this time, when they looked up, they saw their dad. They had made it. The girls never spoke of the cabin, or what they had seen, until one night, years later, when they woke up to the sound of a drip, drip, drip. When their parents came to wake them the next morning they were both gone. Those sisters were never seen or heard from again" Emmett finished, shutting out his flashlight.

We all clapped for him. He was really good at telling stories. I was terrified. All nine of us went to the bathroom in a big group, not willing to face the woods on either side of the road. After we got back to camp and there were hugs all around, we retreated to our tents.

Edward smiled at me and unzipped my fleece sweater, and pulled off my sweatpants, leaving me in just my huge t-shirt. He unzipped his hoodie, revealing his beautiful chest, and arms, and we climbed into the sleeping bag. This was where I wanted to be all day.


	204. Fear and Fairytales

**A/N - Thanks so much for reading! You are all great! Enjoy!**

Chapters 204 - Fear and Fairytales

Edward and I snuggled close in the sleeping bag. I put my face on his chest. He was so warm.

"Bella." He whispered. "Your nose is freezing."

I pulled back and giggled. "Sorry." I said. "But, you're so warm."

"Well, if you're that cold, than snuggle in close." Edward whispered. He put his hand on the back of my head and brought my nose back to his chest. He had goose bumps all over his body. I started pressing small kisses to his chest. He laughed. "Even your lips are cold."

I crawled up to reach his lips. "Warm me up, then." I whispered against his lips.

"Mm. With pleasure." He whispered, before pulling me in for a long, passionate kiss. His hands moved down and slipped under my t-shirt, moving up my body.

Suddenly, I heard a twig snap just outside the tent. I gasped and sat up quickly. Another snap. It was just like the ghost story. Edward groaned and flopped over on his back. "Emmett. Go to bed." He called out.

I heard Emmett laugh outside the tent, and then I heard the zipper on his tent. Even though I now knew it was Emmett trying to scare us, I was still a little freaked out. I mean, we were in the middle of the woods at night.

"Bella, lay back down. It was just Emmett." Edward said, his arm slung over his eyes. He was chuckling a little. I stayed sitting up, wrapping my arms around my legs. I was too scared to lay down.

I heard Edward rustle the sleeping bag and then I felt his arms around my shoulders. "Are you okay?" He whispered.

I giggled. "Yes. I'm fine. Sorry. You know how your mind just plays tricks on you, sometimes?"

"It's alright, honey." He said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "Do you want me to distract you?" He chuckled. He was such a guy.

I just laughed with him. "Okay." I said. I couldn't turn him down.

We laid back down and Edward rolled onto his side, facing me. He leaned in and started kissing where my neck and shoulder met. He reached across by body and held onto my hip, lightly rubbing circles with his thumb.

I reached my hands up to shoulders and slowly slid them into his soft hair. Edward started to move his hand up my side.

"Bella, Edward." I heard. I sat up. It sounded like Esme.

"What's wrong, mom?" Edward called out.

"Sorry to bother you. Alice is scared and she wanted to sleep with Bella." She said through the tent.

"Send her in." I said. I looked at Edward who was forcing a smile at me. I felt bad for him, because I knew he loved our alone time and it kept getting interrupted. I leaned down and kissed his forehead.

We heard the zipper open and Alice climbed in, standing at the foot of the sleeping bag, clutching her blanket.

"Come here, Alice." I told her, inching closer to Edward and making room for her. Alice slid in and clung to me. "Are you scared from the ghost story?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah." I petted her hair.

"Don't be scared, princess." Edward said, looking over my shoulder at his little sister. "That story was made up. It's not real."

"I know." She whispered. "Daddy told me that, too."

"Edward. Why don't you tell us a happy story?" I asked him, giggling. "You know with bunnies and sparkles and rainbows." Alice laughed.

He chuckled and rolled onto his back. "Okay. Once upon a time, there were two beautiful princesses. Their names were Alice and Bella. They lived in a beautiful white castle with large towers and pretty blue flags on the turrets."

"What did their dresses look like?" Alice asked, making me laugh. It was such an Alice thing to ask. Edward chuckled.

"Uh, well, Alice loved pink and Bella, well, she look gorgeous in blue." Edward said. He was so sweet, but now I knew what his favourite colour on me was. "Their dresses had big puffy skirts and they wore little silk slippers. Oh, and they had long shiny ribbons in their hair."

Alice was giggling and I think his story was already helping. "The king didn't want the princesses to ever leave the castle. He told them that the land outside the castle was dangerous. But, girls being girls, they didn't listen to their dad, the king, and one afternoon, they crept out of the castle. They had never set foot outside, so they were nervous, but very excited. They walked out of the large wooden doors and noticed that there was a forest. They were scared to enter the woods, remembering the warning from their father."

"Edward." I warned. This story was getting a little scary and Alice was hugging me tighter.

"Just trust me. I'm getting somewhere with this." He said, reaching over and rubbing my back. "Anyway, Princess Alice looked up and noticed a beautiful rainbow in the sky. She showed it to Bella and they decided to go through the woods to get to the rainbow. Once they entered the woods, they realized that it wasn't so scary. Little animals of all kinds, like squirrels and chipmunks, were climbing through the trees. The pricesses made it through to the other side, and came across a beautiful field."

"What did it look like, Edward? Were there bunnies?" Alice asked.

Edward chuckled. "Yes, princess. There were bunnies all over the meadow, hopping and um, frolicking." Alice and I both started laughing at him. He was so cute. Edward laughed a little and I could tell he was embarrassed even though my back was to him.

"You're doing great, babe." I told him. "What happened next?"

"Um, oh, and the dew on the grass and the wildflowers glittered in the sun and it looked like sparkles. The girls couldn't believe how beautiful this place was. They held hands and danced." I giggled at that.

"Or Princess Alice danced and Princess Bella watched her?" I suggested.

"No, smarty pants. In my story, the two beautiful princess both loved to dance." He said. "And they sat down in the sun and put flowers in their hair. They had a great afternoon."

"Were there any charming princes?" Alice asked.

"What? No." Edward said, sounding like the overprotective big brother that I knew he was. Alice giggled. She knew her big brother pretty well. "You stay away from those princes. They're not as charming as they look."

I laughed at that. Poor Alice would never be allowed to date. He wouldn't even let her have a pretend prince charming. "Well you and daddy and Em and Jazz are." Alice defended. "Oh, and Bella's daddy is, too."

"Okay, okay, maybe there are some, but not in this story." Edward said. "Anyway, the moral of the story is that sometimes we have to face our fears to find happiness."

"That was beautiful, Edward." I said.

"Yeah, I liked it Edward. You should tell us a bedtime story every night." Alice said. "It's fun in your tent."

"Okay, princess. You try to get some sleep. We have to drag Bella up Beckon Rock tomorrow morning. She's going to need her rest." Edward said.

"Alright. Goodnight, Edward. Goodnight, Bella." Alice said, letting go of me and rolling over.

"Goodnight, princess. I love you." Edward said.

I rolled over and pulled Edward into a tight hug, pressing kisses onto his chest. We tangled our legs together and I laid my head down on his bicep. "Goodnight, baby. I love you." Edward whispered into my hair.

"I love you, too." I told him. "Thank you for today." And I really meant that. He was really the perfect boyfriend and I cherished every moment I was lucky enough to spend with him.

He pulled me closer and rested his hand on my bum. I could hear Alice lightly snoring behind me and Edward sounded like his breathing was evening out. But I felt wide awake. I knew I shouldn't have taken that nap this afternoon.

I stayed up, lightly tracing patterns on Edward's chest with my fingers. My mind went back to what Edward said in the canoe this morning. He really wanted to marry me. I could have squealed in excitement just thinking about it. We had both mentioned our wedding a couple of times, but in the boat he was nervous and really serious, talking about it. I knew he wanted to take that step with me, I just didn't know when. But, whenever he asked, I knew that my answer would be yes.


	205. Daddy's Girl

**A/N - Thanks again to all my fabulous readers! Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve! Enjoy!**

Chapter 205 - Daddy's Girl

I must have finally dozed off, dreaming of my future with Edward. I woke up and noticed Edward was gone and Alice was curled up in little ball in the sleeping bag with me. I slipped out of bed, grabbed my shower bag, a black sports bra, underwear, a black tank and my new little short shorts. I slipped on my sweat pants and quietly slipped out of the tent, as to not wake Alice. I saw my dad and Edward sitting together by the fire pit, each drinking a cup of coffee. Edward was dressed in a pair of tan cargo shorts and a dark green t-shirt. He looked gorgeous.

They were talking and laughing quietly, and I loved that my dad and the love of my life got along so well together. I walked over and joined them, giving each of them a kiss on the top of the head. I noticed Edward's hair was wet. He must have already had his shower.

"Good morning, kiddo." My dad said. "Ready for a big hike this morning?"

I laughed. "I guess." I said. "I was just going to run up the bathroom and take a shower. Who wants to walk me through the scary woods?" I asked.

"Actually, I was about to head up there myself." My dad said. "I'll go with you." He volunteered. My dad went to get his new clothes and a towel.

Edward leaned in and kissed my cheek. "How long have you been up?" I asked him, squeezing his hand. "I missed not waking up in your arms."

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't sleep." He said. "I wanted to cuddle you, but not with Alice in the tent." He said, making me laugh.

"Ready to go, Bells?" My dad asked.

"Okay. See you in few minutes, Edward." I said, kissing his forehead. "I want a rain check on those cuddles." I whispered. I looked at Edward and he smiled and nodded at me.

My dad and I walked together up the road. "How long have you two been up?" I asked my dad.

"Well, I've been up for about a half hour, but Edward was up drinking coffee when I got up." He told me.

"So you having a good trip so far?" He asked. "You like camping?"

"I really am having a great time." I told him. "I thought it would be hard to sleep in a tent, but it's really comfortable and it's just so beautiful out here. The air is fresh, and I love hanging out by the fire."

"We'll definitely have to do this every summer." He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "I can't wait to start new traditions with you, Bells. Having you in my life means so much to me."

I blinked back my tears. "Dad, don't make me cry." I laughed. "Say something funny." I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Uh, I noticed Edward didn't have anymore 'insect bites' on his neck this morning." My dad chuckled.

"Dad." I exclaimed, pushing him on the shoulder. "I said funny, not embarrassing." I laughed, my face turning bright red.

"Hey, you're laughing." He said. "But I heard Alice spent the night in your tent."

I laughed. "Yeah, she was scared from the ghost story." I told him. "Edward told you?"

"Yeah, he told me, but Bells, I might be your dad but I'm a guy, too." My dad said. "Edward was moping a little this morning, like he does when he's apart from you, so I figured that something was keeping you two apart."

"So, what else did you guys talk about?" I asked him.

"Well, Edward didn't actually say anything directly, but he did seem to be touching on the idea of an engagement." My dad said, shifting his eyes over to me.

"Really? He was talking to you about that?" I asked surprised.

My dad laughed. "I think he was hinting around to see what my feelings were on the issue."

"He did the same with me when we were canoeing." I said. "Did you say anything about it?"

"Look, kiddo. Edward makes you happy. He's there for you when you're upset and hey, you're even getting a cat, soon." My dad laughed. We had reached the bathroom and were standing in the woods having our heart to heart. He put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "You're my baby girl, Bells. But you're also eighteen and you're in love with one of the best young men I have ever known. I'll be there for you no matter what you guys decided to do, but one thing's for sure. Edward is going to make a great addition to our little family."

The tears were streaming down my face and I was glad I was about to go have a shower, so I wouldn't be such a mess. I pulled my dad into a hug. "I love you, daddy." I choked out. "Look at the mess I am, and he hasn't even asked me, yet."

My dad patted my back. "Well, he will, Bells. If there's one thing I'm sure of in this world, it's that you are going to be a Cullen." My dad said. "And, we'll make Edward an honorary Swan."

I laughed through my tears. "Sounds good, dad." I said, wiping my eyes, again. "And, for the record, I like making new traditions with you, too."

My dad kissed my cheek, before he turned and went into the bathroom. I walked into the girls' side and went into the shower, washing away my happy tears. I loved that my dad was so supportive of mine and Edward's future together.

I wish I could have seen Edward acting nervous around my dad trying to figure out my dad's feeling on an engagement. He probably looked so cute, and I bet his little cheeks were bright red. I could just kiss him. I finished showering and shaving my legs. I got dressed, braided my hair and brushed my teeth.

My eyes were still a little red, but I looked refreshed and incredibly happy. I went out of the bathroom and my dad was waiting for me.

He took my bag for me and we walked back to the campsite. This walk was much more light hearted and fun. My dad told me jokes and we teased each other all the way back.

We got back to camp and noticed the rest of the gang was up and getting ready to head to the showers. My dad and I offered to make breakfast. My dad was going to make his amazing scrambling eggs again and I offered to make French toast. My dad offered to teach Edward how to fry sausages. I loved that Edward was willing to learn how to cook.

The three of us spending time together was nice. I knew I was thinking of what my dad and I were talking about. My dad was giving me his blessing to get married to Edward. I was so excited. My relationship with my dad was so important to me and I was glad that I didn't have to choose my boyfriend over my family or vice versa. Every time Edward laughed at my dad's jokes, I smiled a little more.

"Bells. You're going to burn the toast." My dad said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, shoot." I said, quickly flipping it over. "Sorry."

Edward stepped over to me and kissed my cheek. "I'll eat the burnt piece, baby."

I laughed. "Thank you, Edward. You're sweet." I said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Is everything okay?" He whispered, gently caressing my cheek. I nodded and smiled at him.

Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle came back to eat and we all sat together. I looked at the boys and Carlisle who was like a second dad to me and smiled again. There was so much love here, I could cry. But, all happy tears, of course. Heidi, Esme and Alice soon joined us and dug in to our breakfast. We were all complimented on a great job. Breakfast was fun and Emmett was still laughing over his prank last night.

After breakfast, Edward took my hand and led me to our tent. We laid down and he pulled me close. "Okay, what's going on? I know you, baby. Your eyes are a little red and your cheeks are a little flushed." Edward was so observant and he knew me so well.

"Oh, my dad and I had a good talk on the way to the bathrooms this morning. We talked about you." I said leaning in for kiss.

Edward pulled back. "You're freaking me out. Your dad was talking about me and you were crying?"

I laughed. "Edward, he practically considers you as a son." I said, making Edward smile. I leaned back in to kiss him, again. I rolled him on his back and leaned over his face, kissing him deeper. "I missed doing this last night." I whispered against his lips.

Edward grabbed my left leg and pulled it over him so I was straddling his waist. "Mm." He said, still kissing me, tracing his fingers up and down the back of my thighs. I rubbed my hands up his sides and started kissing his neck. "So he approves of me?" Edward clarified, turning his neck so I had more room to kiss him. I licked his jaw, noticing that Edward had shaved this morning and his skin was smooth.

"He said one day you will be an honorary Swan." I told him, before kissing his soft lips.

He smiled against my lips. "I can't wait, and I can't wait for you to be a Cullen one day."


	206. Deal

**A/N - Thank you all so much for a great 2010! Your support for my stories means a lot to me! So, Happy New Year! Let's keep this going! Enjoy!**

Chapter 206 - Deal

Edward rolled us over, so I was laying with my back on the sleeping bag and he was laying on top of me. "You are so beautiful." He whispered, before leaning down to kiss my neck. He started placing small kisses all over my chest and shoulders. His hand moved down to caress my leg. "Your skin is so soft, I can't stop touching you." He whispered, his warm breath heating my skin.

"Well, I'm glad that I shaved my legs this morning." I whispered. Edward laughed.

"You know that we would still be in this same position even if you didn't." He reassured me. "And these shorts, baby." Edward sat up on his knees, straddling my legs. He placed his palms on my knees and ran his hands up to the hem of my shorts. "My god, Bella. You are so sexy."

I knew my face was bright red. I brought my arms up and over my eyes. Edward always made me feel so pretty, but lately he was acting more forward with me. It was intense and I didn't always know how to handle it, or what to say back. But I did like it. A lot.

I felt Edward's gentle fingers on my arms, moving down to my hands. He weaved our fingers together and lifted my arms off of my face. "Don't hide that beautiful face, angel." He whispered. "I'm new at all this, too. So you have to tell me what I'm doing right and wrong, okay?"

That made perfect sense and I would want Edward to tell me the same. "Um, okay." I agreed. "I like when you talk to me like that, but I'm not used to it. So, just ignore the blush."

Edward smiled at me, looking so reassuring. "Thank you for being honest, but I'm not going to ignore the blush." He said, caressing my cheek with his fingers. I frowned at him in confusion. "Your body talks to me more than you do." He said.

He laid down beside me and traced his fingers over my arms. "You were blushing. That would normally mean that you were embarrassed, but you were blushing and your eyes were sparkling. Your eyes told me that you liked what I was saying, and your flush told me that maybe you were a little surprised, or caught off guard."

He leaned in for a kiss. "Just remember that I love you unconditionally and if you want me to stop what I'm doing or saying, or if I ever make you feel uncomfortable, just say so, baby." He whispered. "I'll never feel mad or upset with you, so don't hold back because you're worried about me, or my reactions. You know that I love you and I'll love you, forever."

I smiled at him. I was so lucky to have a found a guy that was so articulate and so in control of his emotions. I loved that he wanted to wait until I was ready for everything.

I kissed him, again. "Thank you for being so perfect."

He chuckled. "I'm not perfect, but I try to be good enough." He said.

"Edward. You listen to me, and you listen good. You're my boyfriend and if I say my boyfriend is perfect, then he's perfect." I told him, smiling at his pretty face.

Edward just chuckled and shook his head at me. "Well, I guess if you say so." He laughed. "You're really good for my ego." He brought my right hand up to his lips and kissed my promise ring.

"I just hope that I make you feel as special as you are." I said, wrapping my arm over his body and pulling our chests together until they were touching. I reached up and ran my fingers over his smooth jaw.

"You do, Bella." He said, taking my hand and kissing my fingertips. "You make feel special every time you look at me." He told me smiling.

I leaned in to kiss him and he slid his hand down my back, over my bum and rested it on my thigh. We kissed for a few minutes before we pulled back and looked into each others' eyes.

I loved that Edward and I could have serious conversations every now and then. I never felt like I couldn't talk to him. He was my boyfriend, my best friend and my soul mate. He could disagree with me as much as he wanted, but he was absolutely perfect in my eyes.

Edward smiled, looking pretty pleased with himself. "What are you smiling about?" I asked him, tracing his lips with my fingers.

"Oh, I worked out a little deal with your dad this morning." He said, trying to nip at my fingers.

"What?" I laughed. "Do I get to know what the deal was?"

"Well, I guess because I love you so much, I'll fill you in." He said. "Your dad offered to keep everyone away from our tent for a half hour after breakfast. Did you notice that we got to talk and kiss without being interrupted?"

I giggled. "My dad actually agreed to that?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess I was pouting or something this morning." Edward laughed.

I laughed with him. "I know that was a rough night for you, but you are such a good brother, Edward." I said, kissing him quickly. "Wait. If you made a deal with my dad for this half hour alone with me, what did you have to exchange in return?"

"Oh, well, we are going home on Thursday, but your dad still has Friday off. He wanted to have a father/daughter day with you." Edward said.

"Why didn't he just ask? I would happily spend the day with him." I said.

"Oh, he knows that. But I think he was just trying to cut us a break, that's all." Edward said, smiling. "He's such a great guy. I'm so happy that he likes me."

I smiled. "Of course he does." I said. "What's not to like?"

"Well, if being a dad is anything like being a brother, I understand how protective a guy can be. I think when Alice starts dating in nine or ten years, I'm going to be a nervous wreck." He laughed.

"You're a great brother. But just think, Edward. In ten years, we'll have a house in Forks and maybe a little girl or little boy of our own. You'll even be in town to keep an eye on your sister." I said, placing my hand over his heart. It was beating pretty fast.

"I love listening to you talk about our future." He said smiling. "It makes all my dreams feel so real when we share them, and say it out loud."

"I feel the same way." I said, kissing his chin. "So, if you could pick, would you want a little boy or a little girl?"

"Hmm. Would it sound greedy if I said one of each?" Edward said, smiling at me. In fact, when he talked about babies, he had a glow to his face.

I smiled. "No. That's not greedy." I said, running my fingers through his hair. "It's cute. I like the sound of that."

"You want two?" He asked, moving his hand to my stomach.

"Well, I know that when we decide to have kids, I don't just want one." I sighed. "Growing up alone is not something I want for our baby. I love that you had your brothers to grow up with. I think your relationships with them are beautiful and I want that for our kids, too."

"Sounds good to me." Edward said smiling. "I love kids, so we'll have as many as you want, okay?" He leaned in to kiss me, again.

"Okay. Um, if we're talking about kids, and this is a long way in the future here, what do you think about me staying home with them full time, like your mom did?" I asked. I wanted to be teacher, but if I had kids of my own, I knew that I didn't want to work like my mom did.

"I like that." He said, smiling. "I like the idea of coming home to my perfect little family." He leaned in and started kissing me, again. He pulled back, his eyes shining. "That was the best deal I ever made." Edward chuckled, referring to our half hour of uninterrupted time.

I giggled. "How much longer do we have?" I asked him. He looked at his watch.

"Only about a minute." He said. "Let's make it count, baby." He leaned over me and kissed me hard.

I was trying to kiss him, but I was laughing too much. Edward pulled back. "Bella." He whined. "You're wasting my minute."

"I'm so sorry." I laughed. I leaned in to kiss his neck. He moaned. I think I was forgiven. I sucked on his earlobe.

"Okay, you two. Half hour's up." I heard my dad call from outside the tent.

"You sure?" Edward called out. I laid back down on the sleeping bag and laughed.

""I'm sure." My dad laughed. "We're going to head over to the bathrooms and then drive down to the hike start point."

"Thanks, Charlie." Edward called out.

We sat up and Edward wrapped his arm around me. "Ready to hike?" He asked, leaning in for a quick kiss. If Edward was going, I'd be there with bells on.


	207. Stolen Kisses

**A/N - Thanks, again! So glad you're all enjoying the camping trip! Enjoy!**

Chapter 207 - Stolen Kisses

We reluctantly left the tent and joined the group. Our time alone was amazing. While I loved spending time with our families, I had missed our night alone together, last night. I was so touched that Edward and my dad had made a deal so we could have some alone time. If I thought too hard about, though, it was a little embarrassing, but I knew that my dad trusted Edward and I.

We all started the walk to the bathroom. "Have a good time in there?" Emmett teased Edward, wrapping his arm around his brother's shoulders.

Edward laughed, but he was blushing a little. He wrapped his arm around Emmett's shoulder. They looked so cute together. "Well, it's because of you scaring the girls that I didn't get a good sleep last night." I heard him say quietly.

"Oh, blame the girls. I'll bet you were terrified." Emmett laughed, teasing his brother.

I giggled as I listened to them. It was nice that Edward wasn't upset with his brother for scaring Alice and I. We all went into the bathroom. Heidi and Alice went into the stalls first, and Esme leaned against the counter with me. "Bella, sweetheart. I feel really bad about last night." Emse said quietly, so that Alice wouldn't hear.

I pulled her into a hug. "Oh, don't feel bad." I told her. "I love Alice."

"I know you do, Bella, but still. You two are young and I don't like to interrupt." She said.

I laughed. "Well, Edward's spoiled." I teased. "Just ignore his moping."

Esme laughed. "Oh, I know he's spoiled. But Alice did tell me that Edward told her a story last night."

"It was priceless. He loves Alice." I said. Alice came out of the bathroom and stood on her toes to wash her hands.

"Who loves me?" Alice asked.

I giggled at her. "Everyone loves you, but I was talking about Edward." I told her.

"Yeah. I had fun staying in your tent last night." She said. I hoped she wasn't getting any ideas for tonight. Edward would never say no to his sister. But, Edward and I rarely got to spend the night together, and I knew he wanted to make our last two nights count.

"I'm glad. When we get home, we're going to have to have a sleepover." I told her, hoping she would be satisfied with that.

"Yeah." She cheered. "That would be so fun. When?"

I laughed at her enthusiasm. "We'll have to ask you mom, okay?"

"Okay." She said.

Heidi came out and I went in. After we were all ready, we went out to join the guys. "Guess what, Edward?" Alice said, holding onto her big brother's hand.

"What's that, princess?" He said, swinging their arms.

"Bella said that when we get back, we can have a slumber party." She told him excitedly. "Isn't that cool?"

Edward looked at me and winked. "So Bella's sleeping over, huh?" He asked.

Alice laughed. "Don't get any ideas, Edward. No boys allowed." Kids say the most hilarious things sometimes, and Alice was no exception.

Carlisle came up behind her and picked her up. "That's my girl." He said. "Your brothers taught you well." He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned in to kiss my neck. "I think we taught her too well." He laughed with his dad. "That rule shouldn't apply to me."

"Well, Alice. Why don't you invite your friend Bree, from ballet, and a couple of girls from school? I can call their moms when we get home and they can stay over for the Fourth of July weekend." Esme said. "How does that sound?"

"Thanks, mom." She said, looking so excited.

"With all those little girls, I wonder if they'd notice if I snuck you out for a few minutes?" Edward whispered in my ear.

I turned in his arms, and stood on my toes to kiss his chin. "We'll figure something out." I whispered. We had reached the camp and I went to the tent to get my backpack. I packed my camera and a hoodie and slipped my sunglasses on the top of my head.

I sat down to put on my hiking boots. Edward came in the tent with me. He took the wool socks out of my hands and slid them on my feet. He brought my foot up and kissed the bottom of my socked foot. I laughed because it tickled. I slid on my boots and tied them up. I leaned in and gave Edward a good, hard kiss, before I snuck back out of the tent.

I hopped in the backseat of Edward's car. Emmett was in the front seat already, and Jasper and Alice were in the back. "So did I really scare you when I snapped that twig?" Emmett asked, looking at me through the mirror in the sun visor.

"Yes." I admitted. "I'm not a big fan of ghost stories?"

"Oh, sorry, Bella. I mean to freak you out that much." He apologized.

I reached forward and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry so much, Emmett. I really liked the story. You're really good at telling them. I just scare easy." I didn't want him to feel bad. I loved his pranks. Camping was all about having fun.

"Good to know." Emmett laughed, as Edward got into the car with us.

We drove down the road to the base of Beacon Rock. There was a fairly large parking lot and quite a few vehicles in the lot. We got out and met up with our parents.

We all walked to the trailhead. The path was gravel and was about two people wide. But, if someone was coming down the rock, or needed to pass, we would have to move into single file. The start of the trail had tall trees on the left and fairly tall brush, higher than even Edward's head, on the right. We couldn't see the view, but Esme told me that once we got higher up, there were scenic points that over looked the river.

As we did during our last hike, we walked two by two, with the exception of Alice walking in between her mom and dad. Carlisle insisted that she hold both of their hands, so she didn't slip and fall on the gravel. "We're not going to have any skinned knees today." He said. Emmett and Jasper led the way again, clearly the fittest in the group. Edward and I followed right behind them, with the Cullens and my dad and Heidi finishing off the group.

Edward held my hand tightly as we walked. The trail had an incline of about forty-five degrees, and I will admit that I let Edward pull me along a little. I wasn't doing a whole lot of talking, because I was trying to use my energy to keep up with the Cullen boys and their long legs.

When we would meet up with someone coming down the mountain, Edward would step behind me and hold my shoulders. Every time, he kissed the top of my head. I loved that we always took every chance we could to touch or kiss or just be as close as possible.

Edward would look over at me every minute or so, and smile. He had his sunglasses on and he looked so sexy. The sun would shine through the breaks in the trees every so often and make his hair shine red. The first time that happened, I pulled his hand down, so he leaned towards me, and I gave him a quick kiss on the lips. I didn't care that his parents were behind me. I had absolutely no control. He was gorgeous.

We sort of held up the group. I felt bad, but it was just for a second, and I was rewarded with Edward's great laugh when I pulled back. Esme was giggling at us. And, of course, I flushed bright red. I was always brave for brief moments, but my shyness would always return after my spur of the moment decision. "Sorry." I said quietly, turning back around to keep walking.

"Bella, sweetheart. Don't apologize." Esme said, smiling at me, when I turned to look at her over my shoulder. "You two are adorable."

Edward squeezed my hand and we kept walking, the path turning at a one-eighty. The path was sort of zigzagging up the mountain. At one of the turns in the pathway, there was just a beautiful wall of rock, almost an elephant grey. It had bright green moss growing on it and we all stopped for pictures in front of it.

Edward and I stood together for a picture, in the classic pose, with our arms around each other. "Boring." Emmett called out.

Edward, with his right arm around my shoulders, laughed and looked into my eyes. "Trust me." He whispered, before reaching across me with his left hand, placing his hand square on my bum, and tipping me backwards into a dip. My right leg was off the ground and I would have screamed in surprise if Edward hadn't have leaned in for a kiss; a kiss maybe a little inappropriate in front of our families. "Better?" He asked, a little breathless, making Emmett laugh hysterically.

He set me back upright and I frowned at him, before smiling so he knew I wasn't mad at him. He had totally scared me half to death, not to mention embarrassing me, but that kiss had made it all worth it.


	208. Love

**A/N - Thanks so much for all your great reviews! I'll answer answer a couple of questions for you. This is Tuesday morning in the story, and they are leaving the campsite on Thursday morning. Also, I am planning on writing a sequel to this story. It will pick up exactly where this story leaves off. I was thinking September to December. If you have any other questions, ask away. I love talking about my characters. Thanks, again. Enjoy!**

Chapter 208 - Love

After our trailside photos, we continued on the trail. "I still can't believe you kissed me like that." I mumbled to Edward as we walked. I think my cheeks were still a little bit pink.

He chuckled. "I'm sorry that I embarrassed you, but I'm not sorry that I did it." He said, squeezing my hand. "You're irresistible and just think how great your scrapbook is going to look, now."

I laughed. "You're always thinking of me, huh?"

"You know I am, babe." He said, giving me that million dollar smile.

As we got higher on the trail, some of the path turned into wooden bridges. It was a little scary to me, knowing that these slats of wood were the only thing between me and a freefall. I wrapped my arms around Edward's waist and held onto him tightly. He had his arm around me and held on just as tightly. I knew that he wasn't scared, but he was doing it to make me feel better.

When we got to the top of the mountain, we looked over at the view of the Columbia River Gorge. It was absolutely gorgeous. Carlisle showed us the Bonneville dam out to the east and was identifying the different mountains for us. I loved that Carlisle was both a doctor and an outdoorsman. He did this for his boys. It was nice that he raised his boys to be the same way. They valued their education, sports and recreation. They were all so well rounded.

If you looked straight down, you could see the zigzagged path that we had just climbed, carved out of the face of rock. It was an incredible path and so pretty.

Jasper found a plaque, with the history of Beacon Rock and was reading it studiously. I knew he loved history. We all stood around and took pictures for a while. "Bella, will you take one of me with my brothers?" Jasper asked me, quietly.

I smiled at him. "Of course, Jasper." I said. We walked over to Edward and Emmett who were laughing about something. "Hey, guys. Can I get a picture of the three handsomest boys on the mountain?"

Emmett laughed. "Well, if you put it that way." He said, kissing my cheek. I shoved his chest and all the boys stood along the edge of the railing, with the beautiful view of the mountains behind them. Emmett and Edward stood of either side of Jasper and they all wrapped their arms around each other. The first shot, they all smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. The second shot, both Edward and Emmett leaned in and kissed Jasper's cheeks. I laughed at them. When you put these three boys together, you never knew what they were going to do.

I decided that I was going to frame that picture for Jasper, so he would have it for his desk in his room. I knew Edward being out of town for eight months of the year was hard on Jasper.

The wind started to pick up while we were at the top of Beacon Rock. I took off my backpack and slipped on my hoodie, before slipping my backpack back on. Edward came over to me and rubbed his hands up and down on my arms. "Are you cold, angel?" He asked, kissing my forehead.

"I could use some warming up." I whispered in his ear. Edward smirked at me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to his chest. "Why are you so warm and I'm so cold?" I asked him, kissing his chest.

"Well, you're wearing pretty short shorts." He whispered. "Not that I'm complaining."

"I think you've had too much fresh air." I teased him. "Because, you're the frisky one today." Edward started laughing really hard at that. "I might have to chuck you in the cold lake."

Edward winked at me, still laughing. "Dad? Why would Bella have to throw Edward in the cold lake?" Alice asked from behind me. When Edward heard that, he starting laughing, again.

"Oh my god." I whispered, covering my face. I hadn't seen Alice behind me, or I would have been a lot more careful with what I was saying.

Carlisle was trying to hold back his own laughter. "Maybe, he's warm from climbing the mountain?" He suggested, shrugging his shoulders, but looking at Edward with a smile.

"Sorry." I whispered, to Esme and Carlisle. Esme just smiled at me, and waved her hand, as if to tell me not to worry about it.

"Oh, I'm a little bit cold like Bella is." Alice said to her mom. Esme unzipped the backpack on Carlisle's back and pulled out a little pink coat for Alice. Alice put it on and then came over to me and slipped her hand in mine.

I noticed my dad and Heidi talking to another couple, so we all waited by the railing for them. "What are we going to do this afternoon?" Alice asked me.

"I don't know." I told her. "I'm leaving all the planning up to your brothers."

Emmett laughed. "No pressure there."

"Why don't we go rent bikes in town?" Jasper suggested. These boys and their energy.

"That sound's fun." Edward said. "What do you say, girls?"

Alice looked up at me with a smile on her face. I could tell that she wanted to go, but she was waiting for me to agree. It was so cute how much she looked up to me and wanted to do everything I did. I supposed that I was filling in the big sister role for her. I was so honoured that she felt that way about me.

I smiled at her. "Do you want to ride bikes, Alice?" I asked her.

"Yeah." She said, smiling and nodding her head.

"Alright, bikes it is." I laughed. Edward winked at me and leaned over Alice to give me a quick kiss.

"Ew." Alice said. "I was trapped in a kiss sandwich." She started laughing.

Edward looked at me and laughed. He crouched down to her level and ticked her stomach. "There is nothing gross about my kisses, little girl." Alice was laughing and trying to swat his hands away. "Bella, will you help me show her a real kiss sandwich?" He asked, kissing one of her cheeks.

I leaned in and kissed her other cheek at the same time, assuming that was what he was talking about. Alice squeezed her eyes shut, but I knew she was loving every second of the attention her big brother was giving her.

Alice ran over Carlisle. "Help, daddy." She called out. He laughed and picked her up.

My dad and Heidi walked over to join us. As we began our decent of Beacon Rock, my dad and Heidi told us about the couple they were talking to. They were from Vancouver, Washington. Apparently, they were both police officers as well, also having met on the job. They had been married for ten years now.

I started thinking about the idea of my dad and Heidi getting married. When they had first started dating, I was a little concerned that I would lose the relationship that I had only just started to build with my dad. Since then, however, I had quickly realized that my dad would never risk losing the newly formed bond that we had built over the last two months.

As well, Heidi and I had become quiet close as well. I was more than comfortable with their relationship; I was thrilled for them. But, oddly enough, the idea of a future marriage had yet to enter my mind.

Heidi already acted so much like a mother to me. She cared about me and she worried about me. She was always there to talk, even if I was uncomfortable. She looked out for me and always made sure I knew that I could come to her. And she wouldn't run to my dad and tell him my secrets. She valued our relationship, as well as mine and Edward's.

I wasn't sure what my dad or Heidi's feelings on the issue were, but I knew, the moment that I started thinking about it, that if they wanted to get married, I would be ecstatic. I had honestly never seen my dad smile so much. He laughed more.

I was in my own head for a while, just thinking. Edward stayed quiet and let me have time to myself to think. I loved him so much for that. I brought our hands up to my mouth and kissed the back of his hand. I looked over at his face and he was smiling at me.

I smiled back. "You okay?" He whispered. I nodded, not wanting to bring attention to myself. I didn't want my dad, or Heidi, to worry. I needed a couple of minutes to sort out my thoughts, but I was glad the idea of my dad's remarriage didn't bother me, but instead, made me very happy. Neither of them had brought up the idea, yet, but I knew that they would. They seemed to have that connection to each other. They were comfortable around each other and they could tease each other. They shared a relationship that reminded me of Esme and Carlisle's. It reminded me of my relationship with Edward.

It was amazing to be surrounded by so much love. I had grown up feeling alone, having been taken from my dad. But, it all seemed worth it, now. I knew what it was like not to have this. So, now, that I loved so many people, and they reciprocated that love, I was able to truly appreciate it.


	209. Shock

**A/N - Thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate that you're all sticking with me on the way to the 300! haha! Enjoy! **

Chapter 209 - Shock

Everything was going smoothly until we were about three quarters of the way down the mountain. Edward was fooling around and had me on his back, running down the incline. I was laughing and we had gotten quite far ahead of the rest of the family. He finally put me down and we walked hand in hand for a while. I think he was trying to get a few more minutes alone with me.

"So, what were you thinking about back at the top of the mountain?" Edward asked. "You were so quiet." He reached out, and caressed my cheek.

"Oh, I was just thinking about my dad and Heidi getting married." I told him.

"What? Do you know something I don't?" He asked, smiling at me.

I laughed. "No. It's just that when they were talking about that other couple that met on the force, and have been married for ten years, I started thinking about my dad and Heidi. That's all."

"So, what's the verdict?" He asked me. "How would you feel about that, if or when they decided to get married?"

I loved that Edward's first concern was always for me. His love for me went so deep. I smiled at him. "I would feel incredibly happy for them. They seem to be meant to be, like us. What do you think?" I asked him.

"Well, I really like Heidi and I agree with you. I think they would be very happy together." He said. "Plus, I have a feeling you would be a bridesmaid, and I can't wait to see you in a formal gown." He smirked at me and winked, making me laugh. That would be the reason he would want to go to the wedding.

We kept walking and I looking down at the path. We were in a sunny area and I saw something laying on the path. It looked like a thick twig, that was a greenish brown color. I just about stepped on it, when it slithered away. It was a snake.

I froze and clutched onto Edward's hand. "It's okay, baby. It was just a garter snake. He must have been sunning himself on the warm path." Edward said, trying to comfort me.

I started laughing, almost uncontrollably. I had no idea why either. "Okay, honey, I'm going to sit you down on this rock, here." Edward said, leading me over to a boulder on the side of the pathway. I sat down, still laughing, and Edward crouched in front of me, running his fingers up and down my legs. I was sweating and hot and a breathing really quickly.

"Dad." Edward called out.

I saw Carlisle run up and crouch in front of me. He put his hand on my forehead and then held onto my wrist, checking my pulse. I found it a little hard to focus and I felt light headed. "She's in shock." I heard him say. "What happened?"

"We saw a garter snake on the path. She almost stepped on it. She just froze and then started laughing." Edward said, sounding a little panicked.

I felt Carlisle unzip my hoodie. "Okay, sweetheart. You're going to be alright. Keep breathing, Bella." I heard him tell me, even though his voice sounded a little muffled. "I'm just going to take your sweater off. You're pretty warm." His voice was so calm and soothing. I felt the cool breeze on my arms and then felt something cool on my forehead.

I could hear voices around me and they starting getting clearer. The longer I sat there, the easier it was to breathe. I felt something on my hand and looked down to see Edward's hand holding mine. I have no idea why, but a few tears fell from my eyes.

"Shh, baby. It's okay." I felt Edward lift me up and set me on his lap. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and I felt him lightly rubbing my back. He held me for a couple minutes, before I sat up.

I felt my face flush in embarrassment. I felt really stupid all of the sudden. "I'm sorry." I apologized to everyone. I seemed to have snapped out of it. I tried to stand up, but Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't apologize, Bella. You were in shock. But, you seem to be okay, now. I'd like for you to sit a little longer though, okay?" Carlisle said. He turned and took a water bottle from Esme's hand. "Have a drink of water." He said. I followed doctor's orders and had a drink.

My dad came to sit beside me and he patted my hand. "So, my baby girl's afraid of snakes?" He asked, teasing me. I think he was trying to get me to relax.

I laughed. "I guess so, dad." I said, kissing his cheek.

I tried to stand up, but my knees felt a little weak.

"I can carry her." Edward said. He scooped me up bridal style, before I could even agree. My dad and Carlisle chuckled quietly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "How are you feeling?" He asked quietly.

"I just feel really embarrassed." I told him. "That's never happened to me before." I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I was worried sick, baby." He whispered, resting his head down on mine for a second. "But, don't be embarrassed, okay. We all love you."

We got back to the car and Edward set me down. He unlocked the door and helped me in the passenger seat. He shut the door and I watched out the window as he went over to talk to his parents and my dad. He nodded and smiled, and my dad patted his arm. I smiled. Emmett, Jasper and Alice all got in the backseat of the car.

Emmett was sitting behind me and he leaned forward and hugged both the seat and me around the shoulders. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly. I honestly think it was the quietest I'd ever heard him.

I put my hand over his and gave it a squeeze. "I'm fine, Emmett. Thanks for the hug."

"See, Alice. She's fine." He said to Alice. I looked in the visor mirror at Alice at she looked a little pale. She was holding onto Jasper's arm.

"Guys, please don't worry, okay." I said. "In fact the snake was really cute." I told them. "What should we name him, Alice?" I was hoping to distract her a little bit, because I had probably really scared her.

"I don't know." She said softly.

"What about Carter?" Jasper suggested. "You know, Carter the Garter Snake?" We all laughed at that, even Alice.

Edward got in the car and leaned over to kiss me quickly. "What's so funny?" He asked, starting the car and backing out of the parking lot.

"Oh, Jazz just name the snake that scared Bella, Carter." Emmett said. Edward laughed.

The Cullen boys all tried to keep things light and fun on the drive back up to the campsite. When we parked, Edward and Jasper held on to each of my arms, leading me to the tent. I laughed. "Guys, I think you're overreacting." I said.

Emmett unzipped the tent for us and I laid down on the sleeping bag. Emmett and Jasper left us alone and Edward zipped us in. He sat at my feet, untied my hiking boots and slipped off my socks. Edward laid one foot in his lap and started rubbing the other, nice and deeply with his thumbs.

"Oh my god, Edward. That feels amazing." I said, closing my eyes.

"Good." He chuckled. "Why don't you just relax for a little while?"

"Okay, babe. I love you." I said, quickly falling asleep. Edward's foot rubs were fantastic. That boys hands were magic.

I wasn't sure how long I slept, but it couldn't have been too long. When I opened my eyes, I noticed two things. The first, was that I was covered in our new plaid blanket. The second thing I noticed was a big bunch of wild flowers laying beside me on the bed. I smiled. My Edward was amazing.

I sat up and stretched. I felt really good. I guess I just needed to rest. I had never been in shock before and while it was a little scary at the time, I was happy that it didn't have any lasting effects.

I unbraided my hair, and slipped on my flip flops. I left the tent and noticed that everyone was sitting at the picnic tables. Edward stood up when he saw me and walked over to give me a kiss. "Hi, sleeping beauty. How do you feel?" He asked, running his fingers through my hair.

I smiled at him. "I feel perfect, thanks to your magic fingers and that nap." I told him.

"Good. Your dad bought lunch. Are you hungry?" He asked, kissing my forehead.

I laughed. "I'm starving." I said. I could tell he was still trying to baby me, but that was just Edward. We walked over to the table and Alice came and sat on my other side. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Hey, kiddo, I picked up some more of that pizza you liked so much yesterday." My dad said with a smile. I thought everyone was being so sweet.

"Aw, thanks, dad." I said. I looked over at Emmett and he gave me the thumbs up, making me laugh. I knew he loved this pizza as much as I did.

**A/N - That was based on a true story! I really did almost step on a garter snake. I really did start laughing hysterically. Luckily, I didn't go into complete shock like Bella. Has that ever happened to you?**


	210. Desire

**A/N - Thanks so much to everyone that shared their snake or shock stories! They were great! Thanks to everyone for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 210 - Desire

After a fabulous lunch, where the pizza was just as good as yesterday, and a quick run to the bathroom, the Cullen kids decided that they wanted to go for their bike ride.

"Are you sure you feel well enough to go?" My dad asked me, putting his hand on my forehead.

I laughed. "Dad. I'm perfect. Trust me."

"Okay, you boys keep an eye on her." He said.

"No problem, chief." Emmett said, giving my dad a salute.

"We're going to be fishing, again, this afternoon, so if you need anything, come back down to the dock where we were last time, okay?" Carlisle told Edward.

"Alright sounds good." Edward said. He gave his mom a kiss on the forehead, and then we headed out.

Edward drove back into town and parked in the lot at a service station. There were long rows of bicycles and mopeds beside the building. I was excited because I hadn't had a chance to ride a bike since I left Arizona last year. I didn't want to ship my bike up to Washington when I moved.

We all walked up to the rental window and Edward rented our bikes. I was standing behind Edward and I decided in that moment, that my new favourite site was watching Edward take his wallet out of his back pocket. It pulled his shorts just so, that they hugged his bum in all the right places.

We walked over to the bikes and waited as the attendant unlocked three men's, one woman's and one child's bike. I slid my hand in Edward's back pocket and gave his butt cheek a good squeeze.

He looked at me, smiling, his cheeks a little flushed. "Sorry, you were teasing me." I whispered.

He chuckled. "How?"

"The wallet." I whispered, smiling at him.

"Maybe, I've going to have to toss you in the cold lake." He teased, kissing me quickly, and not nearly as passionately as I was craving at the moment.

I giggled. I was feeling really flirty right now and in fact, being in the water with him right now sounded really good. One thing about Edward was that whenever we went into the water, whether it was the ocean, a lake, or even a hot tub, he had to be touching me. It must have been an unconscious desire to protect me. Well, that, or he just couldn't keep his hands to himself when I was wearing a bathing suit.

Emmett wheeled my bike over to me and I got on. We all followed Emmett as we drove along around the walking paths around the town. Emmett rode first, followed by Jasper, Alice, me and then Edward. We kept Alice in between us so we could keep an eye on her.

About a half hour into our ride, Emmett drove past a small park where some other kids around Alice's age were playing. There was a small slide, a row of about six swings and a jungle gym. Alice was looking over at the kids, like she wanted to play.

"Alice do you want to go play in the park for a little while?" I asked her.

"Okay." She said. I turned and told Edward. We parked our bikes against a bench and Alice ran over to the jungle gym. Emmett and Jasper rode their bikes over to the hills behind the park and were riding up and down on them. Edward and I sat on the swings to watch Alice.

"How are you feeling?" Edward asked. "Not light-headed, or short of breath?" He reached out and took my hand.

"No, I really feel great." I told him. "That was weird, though, wasn't it?"

He smiled at me. "I've never seen anyone go into shock before." He told me. "I'm just glad you didn't faint, baby, because I'm sure I would have had a panic attack."

"You're a sweetie." I said to him. "But, I'm fine, now. So, relax and enjoy the rest of the trip, okay?"

"Okay. I just love you so much, babe." He said, smiling at me.

"Oh, I know." I giggled. "I feel the same way." Edward and I hung out for about twenty minutes watching Alice play with two little twin girls about the same age as she was. They both had red, curly hair and freckles. They were laughing and talking and it looked like they were having a lot of fun.

I looked over at Emmett and Jasper, just in time to see Emmett slip from his bike down the hill. I stood up quickly, and Edward looked over at the boys. Emmett wiped the dirt off his legs then waved us off. "I'm okay." He yelled out. I smiled, as I watched him pick the bike back up and start riding back up the hill.

"He's a tough kid." Edward said, getting up and pushing me on the swing, lightly. I laughed. "You're hair looks so pretty with the wind blowing through it." Edward commented. "What do you think about getting married outside?" He asked. I loved that our future was always on his mind.

"Um, I don't know. I have never thought about a wedding outside. Like on the beach?" I asked. If he had a vision of our wedding, I wanted to hear every detail.

"No, I was thinking about having it in the backyard." He said. "Maybe a warm summer evening."

I giggled. He was so sweet and romantic.

"What? Not good?" He asked, stopping the swing and walking in front of me.

I stood up and brought his head to mine with both hands on his cheeks. "It's all fine with me, baby." I whispered against his lips, before I pressed a long, hard kiss to his mouth.

I placed my hand on his chest and his heart was pounding. He smiled at me, before he leaned in and started kissing me, again. We needed to get back into that tent. It was obvious to me that I hadn't had any alone time with my boyfriend in a while.

And as much as I loved being home with our families, I was looking forward to moving into our apartment. We would have unlimited privacy. Sometimes, a girl just wanted some time alone with her man, especially with how serious Edward and I had been getting.

We were talking about engagements, a wedding and even kids. Without a doubt we would be together forever. I loved Edward with all of my heart and soul and I was getting to the point where I wanted us to start getting more comfortable physically with each other.

The way Edward had been around me, lately, and how disappointed he got when we were interrupted, made it clear that he felt the same way. When we got back from camping, we would have to get past our embarrassment, and talk about this like adults. Even if we both had bright red faces, we were going to have to talk about what we wanted physically.

I pulled back from his lips, reluctantly. "Baby, we're in the park." I laughed.

He smiled. "You started it." He said, tickling my sides. I ran away from him, laughing, and he chased me. He caught me around the waist and I felt him kiss the top of my head. "I love you." He whispered.

Emmett and Jasper rode over to us. "Do you guys want to ride on the path by the river?" Emmett asked. "If we go far enough down, we can go see if our dads caught any fish yet."

"Sounds good." Edward said. "Let's go get the princess."

We walked over to Alice who was sitting between the two little twins. "Bella." Alice called to me. "These are my two new friends, Jen and Mary. They are identical twins." She said proudly. "Guys, this is my best friend, Bella and my brothers Edward, Em and Jazz."

The little girls smiled up at the boys. These little girls and their crushes, I thought to myself. "Nice to meet you girls." Edward said with a smile. "Ready to go, Al?"

Alice looked a panicked, like she had just realized she wouldn't get to see her friends, again. I crouched down in front of Alice and the twins. "Are you girls from Washington?" I asked them.

"Yes." Jen answered.

"We're from Sequim." Mary added. They were so cute. Sequim was only an hours drive from Forks, so I was sure the girls could get together from time to time.

"Well, you girls could be pen pals, and talk on the phone, sometimes." I suggested. They all seemed excited by that idea. Edward and I walked over to the woman sitting on the park bench watching the girls. She introduced herself as the girls mom, and Edward gave her the Cullens' phone number, and she gave Edward hers.

Edward took my hand and we walked over to our bikes, giving a Alice a couple of minutes to say goodbye to her friends.

"That had better the only time I see you giving your number out to another girl." I teased him, making him laugh.

"You're are perfect, Bella Swan." Edward said, smiling. "And, you're going to be a great mom one day."


	211. Nerves

**A/N - Thank you for reading! I know I tell you everyday, but you are all amazing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 211 - Nerves

After Alice gave her new little friends a hug goodbye, we all got back on our bikes and followed Emmett over to the paved trail by the water. The scenery was absolutely incredible and the air was so fresh. This trail was a lot busier than some of the others, so we had to stay in single file.

"There they are." I heard Emmett say. I looked to my left and saw Esme sitting on a large picnic blanket reading a book, and my dad, Heidi and Carlisle on the edge of the water, all with fishing rods in their hands. Heidi and my dad were laughing together. I loved seeing him so happy.

We laid our bikes down and Alice and I went and sat by Esme. "Guess what, mom? I made some new friends at the park and they're twins. They live in Sequim and Edward got their phone number so maybe we could stay in touch and Bella said that we could be pen pals." Alice gave her mom the whole story in one breath. She was so cute when she was excited.

Esme laughed. "Well, that's great news, Alice." She said, wrapping her arm around her daughter and kissing the top of her head. "Maybe we'll give them a call and see if they can come to our Fourth of July barbeque."

This barbeque sounded like a huge event. I was really looking forward to it. I had already bought my dress. It was the infamous strapless sundress that I tried on for Edward, when Emmett walked in on us. We were all embarrassed in front of Nanny and Grandpa Masen at dinner that night. But, the plus side, was that Edward liked it on me and that's all that I really cared about.

I watched the boys as they walked along the edge of river. They were all talking and laughing together. They had an amazing relationship. They did tease each other, but they were always there for one another, as well. I loved watching them interact. Growing up as an only child, I used to envy Angie and her brothers and sisters. There was always something going on in the house. It was the same way with the Cullens, but the bond between the boys far surpassed anything I had ever seen before. They didn't just tolerate each other. They truly cared about, and loved, one another.

And the best part, was that Jasper and Emmett had easily included me into the family. They treated me like a sister. I was just as fair of a target for teasing, but when I was hurt or sad, they tried to comfort me.

Alice got up and ran after her brothers, never wanting to be left out. I smiled as I watched her run down the rocky shoreline. "Wait up." She called out.

"You look like you're feeling better." Esme said to me, bringing me back out of my head.

I smiled at her. "Yeah. I feel great." I giggled. "But, don't worry. Edward asks every ten minutes."

Esme laughed at that. "He's always been the protector of the family, that's for sure." She told me. I smiled at that. Edward was a good man to the soul.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a while. "Esme, can I ask you something?" I said, looking over at her. I valued her opinions and I wanted to talk to her about everything that had bee going on.

"Of course, sweetheart." She said, grabbing a hold of my hand. "You know that I'm always here for you."

I smiled at that. This woman was amazing. "Um, Edward has really been talking a lot about getting engaged and how he sees our wedding, lately. We talked about it, and we don't want to wait until we're finished with school to get married." I confided in her. "I truly love him and I know he loves me."

Esme smiled at me. "That's great, Bella." She patted my hand. "So, what's the problem?" She asked.

"Oh, um, you don't think that's too soon, right? I mean we're still teenagers and we haven't, um, you know." I said, blushing a little. Our ages didn't bother me, but I worried what people would think or say. That we were too young, or that we didn't know what love really was.

"Oh, Bella." She said, wrapping her arm around me. I rested my head on her shoulder. I loved my time with Esme. "Are these your insecurities talking?"

"No, no, of course not. I love Edward more than I ever thought it was possible to love another human being. I want to marry him and I want a future together." I defended. "It's just that the idea of marriage is so vast that it's a little scary, you know?"

She patted my arm gently. "I understand completely." She said. "I think everyone is a little nervous when things change, because we don't know what the outcome is going to be. But, you know what? That's how everything in life is. Were you nervous about leaving Arizona to come to Washington?" I nodded. "Were you nervous to start university?" I nodded, again.

"But, you love Washington and you love your courses. Being scared isn't a bad thing, sweetie. I think it's our body's natural reaction to change." She continued. "But, you know the best way to get over fear is to talk about it. Always talk to Edward. Tell him how you feel. Slow him down if you need to." She giggled. "I'm sure he'd marry you today if he knew he could get you to go along with it."

I laughed. "I think you're right." I took a deep breath. "About everything." I sat up and looked at her. "I think I'm just a little anxious, because this is so new to me. It's all firsts. And, you know, my mom's getting her second divorce."

Esme wrapped her arms tightly around me and held me close. "Sweetie, you are not your mom. You're your own woman, and you are a wonderful woman at that. Your life is your own, Bella. Do what makes you happy." She stroked my hair. "When you think about Edward, what's the first word that comes to mind?" She asked.

I smiled. "Love, and then forever."

I felt her place a kiss on the top of my head. "Then, that's what you focus on." She whispered.

I jumped when Edward sat down beside me. I didn't even see him coming. He chuckled. "Sorry, baby." He tucked my hair behind my ear and kissed my cheek. "Is everything alright?"

Esme got up. "I'll be right back." She said, smiling at me before walking down the beach towards her kids.

"What's going on?" Edward asked, looking a little panicked.

I ran my fingers through his hair. "Nothing, babe. I was just talking to your mom." I sighed. It was so easy to keep things bottled up. He looked into my eyes, like he was trying to figure out what I was hiding. "Look, don't freak out, but I was just talking to her about how I felt about everything we've been talking about lately."

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked. "I shouldn't keep talking about kids. I mean you said that you wanted to wait and that you were nervous around babies, and…"

I leaned forward and kissed his lips, so he would stop babbling. I pulled back and smiled. "No, Edward. You didn't do anything wrong. We were just talking about the idea of marriage. I'm honestly a little nervous about the whole thing, and I think that comes from my mom's lack of success with staying married." I wanted to be honest with Edward.

Edward looked down at his hands in his lap. "We can wait, Bella. If you're not ready, I can wait for as long as you need." He actually looked like he might throw up.

I leaned in and kissed his soft lips. "Edward, just hear me out, please." I whispered. "I love you. And I am ready, well, you know, soon, but I'm still nervous." I told him, truthfully. "Aren't you?"

He smiled at me. "No, baby. I'm not nervous because we love each other and I know everything will work out. I'm excited. I know you're mine and I'm yours, but I want everyone to know it, Bella. I want to wear your ring on my finger, and I want you to wear mine. I just want everything with you. I love you." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

I put my hands on the back of his head and deepened the kiss. He groaned and moved his body closer to mine. He pulled me onto his lap and moved his hands down my back. I pulled back for a breath and Edward moved my hair back so he could kiss my neck. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair.

He sat back up and smiled at me. "Bella, please, please just talk to me if you're worried. I'm not going to propose tomorrow, okay. I just wanted us to talk about it, so we could get used to the idea." He said, delicately tracing my lips with his thumb.

I smiled and placed a tiny kiss on his thumb. "I love you, Edward. Please don't doubt that, okay. And I want to marry you, soon." I reassured him. "I just want everything to be perfect."

He kissed me quickly, before leaning back and smiling. "As perfect as we are together, I'm sure there will be moments that things aren't perfect. I'm sure there will be days when we're stressed, or upset. Things happen, Bella. But what's amazing is that no matter what happens, we'll figure it out together."

I smiled at him. "Thank you for talking this out with me." I told him. "I just over think things sometimes. I think it's a girl thing."

Edward laughed. "Well, girls' minds will always be a mystery to me."


	212. Wet Pants

**A/N - Thanks again for reading! Here's a fun chapter for a Friday! Enjoy!**

Chapter 212 - Wet Pants

Emmett and Jasper came over then and flopped down on the blanket with Edward and I.

"You know, you aren't in the tent, right now, bro. People saw that makeout session." Emmett said, laughing. I blushed. I mean, I knew I was sitting on the beach, and I've said it before, but when I was with Edward, no one else mattered. "Plus, I'm missing my girl really bad right now, and that is not helping." He laughed.

Edward just laughed and shook his head and Jasper laughed with his brother. I could tell they were both embarrassed, though.

"Aw. You are so sweet." I said to Emmett. I loved how he was in touch with his feelings, even though he was so big and tough. I knew being away from Rose this long would be tough for him. "And I apologize for the PDA."

"Apology excepted, Bella." Emmett said, emphasizing my name, while looking at Edward. I giggled, as Emmett wrapped his arm around me.

"Emmett. I am not going to apologize to a guy that kissed his girlfriend for the entire two hour movie in Port Angeles." Edward said.

Emmett laughed at that. "Touche."

"Now, get your paws off of my girl. We've got a long ride back to the rental place." Edward said, getting up and offering me his hand. I giggled and took his hand, standing up.

My dad and Heidi came over to us, just as we were getting on our bikes. "Hey, dad. Catch your sturgeoen?" I asked.

My dad laughed. "No. And, I'm beginning to think that there aren't any in this river." He said, seriously. "I'll see you up at the campsite, okay?"

"Okay, dad." I said, giving him and Heidi each a hug. "Don't let him pout too much." I told Heidi, making her laugh.

Emmett started riding back down the trail, so I gave one last wave to my dad and followed along with the group. We rode a little ways down and Emmett got off of his bike. "Let's go in the water for a while." He said. "It's so hot today." I loved how carefree he was.

Jasper just looked at us and shrugged, making me laugh.

"Okay, just up to our knees, though, right? I said, getting off of my bike and taking Edward's hand.

"We'll see." Emmett laughed.

Edward just laughed at him as we walked into the water up to our ankles. "It's cold." I laughed. Edward laughed with me and lead me out deeper. This was different than when we went in the lake, because the river ran pretty fast. When we got into the river up to our knees, I turned and wrapped my arms around Edward and laid my head on his chest. He was so warm, but but my legs were so cold.

"I just saw a fish." Alice called. "He was just a baby one. This big." She said, holding her fingers about two inches apart.

"Ew. Edward." I whined, making him laugh.

"Get up on my back." He suggested. He turned around and crouched. I grabbed a hold of his shoulders and he reached back to grab my legs. I wrapped my legs around his hips and he held the back of my legs.

Emmett started laughing at Edward and pointed at his crotch. Edward looked down and chuckled. "Apparently I shouldn't carry you around when you have wet feet." Edward laughed.

I started laughing hysterically. "I'm sorry." I could barely talk, because I was laughing so hard.

Jasper and Emmett were leaning against each other, trying to catch their breath and even Alice was giggling. "You know, Bella. It's hard to believe you're sorry when you're laughing that hard." Edward said.

That just made me laugh more. I buried my face in his back between his shoulders, trying to muffle my giggles.

"Perhaps I should toss you back in with the fish." He laughed. That got me to stop laughing.

"No, Edward. Please." I said, gripping his shoulders more tightly.

He laughed and walked us to the beach. We walked over to the huge fallen tree and Edward set me down. "Turn around, Edward. Let me see." I said. He turned around and I saw that he had two huge spots of water on the front of his tan shorts. I looked up and him and smiled. He cheeks were a little pink. "It's not that bad." I said, reaching up to carress his cheek.

"Bella, it looks like I peed my pants." He said, smiling at me.

"Well, let's sit in the sun for a couple minues. It will dry." I said, sitting down on the tree. Edward sat down beside me. "Lean back a little." I told him. He rested his head on my shoulder and started to nibble on my ear lobe.

I wrapped my arm around him and ran my fingernails lightly up and down his arm making him hum. We watched Alice, Emmett and Jasper out in the water, looking for fish. It was cute.

"Since when were you scared of fish?" Edward whispered in my ear.

"Since Emmett said they might nibble on my toes." I admitted.

"Am I allowed to nibble on your toes?" He asked. I looked down at him and he had a smirk on his face.

"Um, I don't know. I guess." I said, blushing a little. "Why would you want to?"

He chuckled. "Because they're your toes and they're cute." He said. He leaned up and kissed my lips. "I love you."

I smiled. "I love you, too." I said. "And I really am sorry about your shorts." A giggle slipped out.

Edward laughed. "And I still don't believe you." It was so hot outside that his shorts looked just a little damp.

"You want to ride back to the bike place?" I asked him. We still had about a half hour ride ahead of us. "I'm getting hungry."

Edward smiled at me and then kissed me once more. "Yeah. It's not too noticeable, huh?" He said, looking down at his shorts.

"No, babe. Plus, no one better be looking there, except me." I said. Edward laughed at my admission, making me blush, again.

He leaned in, brushing his lips on my cheek. "I feel the same way about your body." He whispered. He stood up and held his hand out for me. I got up and we went to collect the rest of the Cullens.

"You guys ready?" Edward called. Emmett picked up Alice under the arms and held her in front of him as he walked in, so her feet didn't get him wet. Alice was laughing. It was so priceless.

"That's how it's done, bro." Emmett said to Edward, laughing.

We all got back on our bikes and finshed our ride along the river, before turning back into the townsite. I was going to have to get a bike for sure when we got back home. We dropped the bike back off at the rental place and then piled back into Edward's car.

Alice fell asleep on the drive back to the campsite, and Emmett carried her over to his parents' tent. Esme was sitting by the fire in our campsite. I had to laugh, because everyone else was at the other fire. I looked over to see what my dad was cooking. Fish. I guess they had caught something.

I walked over to her. "Soup again tonight?" I asked, laughing, knowing how much she hated fish.

"Yeah." She giggled. "Fish to me is the one downfall of camping." She told me.

Edward came walking over to us, his face a little red. I could hear the laughter from the guys at the other fire. "Are they still laughing at you?" I said, running my hand on arm.

"What happened?" Esme asked.

"We were in the water and Bella got scared when Alice saw a fish. I lifted Bella up and her feet wet the front of my shorts." Edward explained. "They've all been laughing at me ever since."

Esme brought her hand up to hide her smile. "You can laugh, mom. Everyone is." Edward said, smiling.

I felt bad for laughing at Edward so much. I would have to make it up to him.


	213. Forward

**A/N - As always, thank you for reading! The favorites, alerts and reviews are the icing on the cake! You guys are the best! Thanks for sharing this little world with me! Enjoy!**

Chapter 213 - Forward

Just as we were cleaning up from dinner, the clouds started rolling in. It was so hot today, I guessed it made sense that we might be in for a storm. I was not looking forward to rain, though.

We all made a quick run to the bathrooms, hoping to beat the storm, but on the way back to camp, the rain started to fall. And it came hard. Edward held my hand and we ran back to camp. We all got into our tents and zipped them up. We were soaked. Edward and I were laughing.

His hair looked so dark when it was wet. He pulled his shirt over his head and then took his shorts off. I followed his lead and pulled off my wet tank and shorts. We were both kneeling in front of each other in our underwear and our eyes were locked on one another. I could feel the tension in the air.

I shivered a little, which snapped Edward out of his little trance. "Um, we'd better put our long underwear on. It's going to get really cold tonight." He said quietly. I nodded. I really didn't want to get dressed. We both just stayed still, looking at each other, neither one of us reaching for our warm clothes.

It didn't look like Edward was going to make a move, so I figured, what the heck. I was waiting all day for alone time with him, and now I had it. I smiled at him, before moving closer. I reached my hands up to his sexy jaw line and leaned in for a kiss.

That was all it took for Edward. He groaned into the kiss, almost in relief. His hands moved gently down my back until he reached my hips. He pulled me close to his body, leaning down to kiss my neck with his cool lips. I had goose bumps all over my body. It may have been from the cold, but more than likely it was from Edward's touch.

"Let's get under the covers." Edward whispered against my skin. We parted only long enough to scramble into our sleeping bag. Once we were covered up, Edward pulled me close to his body again, bringing me into a deep, passionate kiss. We were laying on our sides, our bodies pressed together.

I brought my hands down to his bum and his were moving over my back. His hands seemed to loitering by the clasps of my bra, like he was unsure if he should undo it. I reached behind my back and undid it, myself. He looked up at me, surprised, but then smiled, as I pulled it off.

I should have been nervous, but with Edward, I felt incredibly confident. Our lips met again, and he rolled me over on my back, and started moving his kisses down my neck, to my shoulders and then over to my chest. The sensation of Edward's lips on my body was amazing. But, what struck me the most, was how gentle and slowly he moved. I could tell that he wanted me to feel comfortable.

My fingers were laced in his still damp hair. I was trying to keep quiet. I felt incredible with Edward, and most importantly, I felt so much love. I pushed Edward off of me and rolled him onto his back. I tried to reciprocate, and gently brushed my lips all over Edward's chest and abs. He wasn't as quiet as I was.

We spent the next hour keeping each other warm, and I have to say that Edward was way more effective than long underwear. I fell asleep in his arms, to the sound of his heartbeat and the rain pounding on the top of the tent.

I woke up and the rain was still coming down hard. It was dark, so I didn't know what time it was. I sat up and realized that I had nothing but underwear on. I looked over at Edward and he was still asleep. I crawled over to find something to wear. I grabbed a white tank and pulled it on.

I climbed back in the sleeping bag, and gave Edward a little shove. "Baby, wake up." I whispered. I pressed a kiss to lips and he opened his eyes. I giggled. "You're my sleeping beauty." I teased. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest.

"When did you get dressed?" He asked, rubbing my back. Such a guy. Not 'good morning,' not 'you look beautiful today,' but 'why are you covered up?'

"Edward." I scolded, before giggling. I still couldn't believe my own boldness the night before.

"Sorry." He laughed. He reached over to grab his flashlight and shone it on his watch. "It's four in the morning. Do you have to go to the bathroom?" He asked, stretching his arms above his head.

"Well, now that you mentioned it." I teased. Edward chuckled at me.

"Put on that waterproof coat you got in the sporting goods store. It should keep you dry." He told me, getting out the sleeping bag. I slipped a hoodie on, and then put the jacket on over top, pulling up the hood. I pulled on a pair of cut off shorts and put on my flip flops.

I looked up at Edward and he had a waterproof coat and a pair of jeans on. He was holding the flashlight. "Ready?" He asked. I took a deep breath and nodded. He unzipped the tent and get out. Once I got out, he zipped it back up and took my hand.

The rain was still coming down really hard. I couldn't believe it hadn't let up, yet. It had been raining for almost ten hours. But I figured, we were in Washington, and we had been lucky not to have any rain all week. We had arrived on Friday, and it was already early Wednesday morning. We left in one day. I would miss it, as we had so much fun, but we had so many more great things to look forward to this summer, so I couldn't be too upset.

Edward and I jogged in the pouring rain, hand in hand, up the road to the bathroom. I had my head down and was counting on Edward to get us where we were going. When we got there, Edward walked me the women's side. I reached in and went to flick on the light, but it didn't turn on.

"Edward. The power is out." I said, slightly panicked.

"Take the flashlight." He said, passing it to me. "I don't need it."

Now, I was worried. He had to walk around the building in the dark, in the wilderness. There could have been bears. "No. I'm worried about you." I said clutching onto his arm.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" He asked.

"Um, I don't know. Could you just come in this bathroom with me?" I asked.

He chuckled, but walked in the door with me. "Fine, but don't tell Em about this. He'd have a field day." Edward said.

We walked over to the two bathroom stalls that were side by side. This was going to be really awkward. "Um, Edward, can you sing or something." I asked, glad that the darkness hid my tomato red face.

He laughed. "Yeah." He started singing some kind of folk song I hadn't heard before, but luckily, he was singing loudly, so I could pee, without feeling too embarrassed. This was a major step for me, one that I had hoped that I would never have to take. This was not something a girl ever wanted to do, but my fear was stronger than my embarrassment, and this was camping.

I did up my shorts and grabbed the flashlight off the back of the toilet. Edward and I met up at the sink and washed our hands together. He smiled at me, and pulled his hood back over his head.

We held hands and ran back to camp. I only slid once, but Edward had a good tight hold on me and didn't let me fall. When we got back to our tent, we shed our wet clothes, laying them out flat to dry. We were left in our underwear, again, but I left the tank top on.

We crawled into our sleeping bag and cuddled up close to each other. "Your legs are cold." Edward whispered, burying his face into my neck.

"Um, can I talk to you about what we did last night?" I whispered. We had just talked the week before about keeping things slow, and I was worried that I was sending the wrong message to him. We hadn't gone all the way, yet, but we were getting close.

Edward pulled back and looked into my eyes. "Of course." He said. He reached up and ran his fingers along my cheek.

"I'm okay with what we did, but I still want to move slow." I said to him.

"Okay. That's fine, baby." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I didn't push you too much, right?"

I smiled at his thoughtfulness and kissed his chin. "No, you didn't push me. If anything, I was a little forward." I admitted.

"Well, I like that, Bella. I like that you're in control of things, so I know you're comfortable." He said, kissing my cheek.

"I was. It was just that all day, the only thing I could think of was getting you alone in this tent." I confessed. "It was like I couldn't get close enough to you."

I felt him smile against my lips before he pressed another kiss to them. "I know." He chuckled.

I tucked my leg between his and snuggled up close to his chest. "I love you so much." I whispered before pressing a kiss over his heart.

He ran his hand over the back of my head and over my messy hair, down my back. "I love you, too, angel." He whispered, kissing my forehead.

I drifted off back to sleep, feeling happy and content.


	214. Everything

**A/N - I was asked in a review if I could please keep you all in the know of what the date is in the story. I think it's a great idea. It is Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 in the world of Summer Vacation, right now. I will someimes write five chapters for one day in the story, so it can get confusing. But, thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing! I really do appreciate it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 214 - Everything

I woke up with Edward on top of me, like literally spread out over top of me. I couldn't move. He had me pinned to the floor, his face buried in my neck, and he was snoring lightly. I started giggling. He must have been cold and was using me for heat. I wrapped my arms around him and started rubbing his bare back. He groaned a little, but didn't wake up. This was going to be a challenge. I brought my hands up to his hair. I ran my fingers through it, scratching his scalp.

It almost sounded like he was purring. I was just making him more comfortable. I kissed his forehead before moving my hands to his bum. I snuck my hand under his briefs and I gave his bare cheek a little pinch. And, that did the trick.

"Ouch." He whined. He wriggled around on top of me, looking up at my face. "Why are you pinching me?" He asked, before kissing my forehead.

"Because, you're squishing me." I giggled. Realization dawned on him as he woke up. He chuckled a little and rolled off me. I could breathe now, but I was instantly cold. "Wait come back." I laughed. "You were warm."

"No way pinchy." He chuckled, turning over with his back to me.

I reached my hands down to his bum again and gave it a good squeeze. "You left your bum right there, Edward. It would be so easy to pinch, again." I laughed.

He turned over to face me and grabbed my wrists, bringing my arms above my head. He smiled at me and crawled back over top of me. He brought my hands together and held them with one hand before bringing the other one down to cradle my face. He leaned in for a kiss on my lips, before his hand continued exploring down my body.

He had never held my hands before. I felt so vulnerable, but I trusted him completely. He brought his hand down to my bum and gave it a little squeeze. "I'm starting to see the appeal in this." He chuckled, making me laugh. He let go of my hands and I brought them to his shoulders. He leaned down and started kissing my neck, his hands behind my back, holding me close to his body.

"I love you, Edward." I whispered, rubbing his back, again. "Sorry about the bum pinch."

He laughed into my neck. "You're forgiven." He said, resting his head on my chest. "Hey, it sounds like the rain stopped." Edward mused, turning his face to kiss over my heart. "Do you want to head up to the showers?"

"Okay." I said, kissing the top of his head. "Are you going to come in the girls' bathroom with me, again?" I teased.

"Bella Swan. I told you to not to talk about that." Edward chuckled. He straddled my legs and put his arms on either side of my head, looking down at me. "I'm just going to have to keep those lips busy, so you don't tell my secret."

I giggled as Edward leaned down to kiss me. I groaned and he deepened the kiss. He pulled back and smiled at me. "I'm going to have threaten to spill your secrets more often." I teased. I reached up and ran my fingers over his lips. "I told you I wouldn't tell, Emmett. Don't worry so much." I giggled.

He leaned in for one more kiss before he got out of the sleeping bag and pulled on his hoodie over his bare chest and then his camo shorts. I loved watching him get dressed. He had a gorgeous body. He just smirked at me, and gave me a wink, making me blush. I giggled and pulled the blanket up over my face.

I heard Edward laugh. "Why are you hiding, babe?" I felt him crawl onto the sleeping bag. He pulled the blanket down and kissed my lips. "You can watch me get dressed. I don't mind." He said.

"Well, you're so handsome, it's not like I have a choice." I laughed.

"Thank you, honey." He smiled. I kissed his cheek, before crawling over to my suitcase. I pulled on my hoodie and a pair of black yoga pants. I grabbed underwear, a bra and a blue t-shirt and stuffed them in my bathroom bag.

We slipped out of the tent and noticed some breaks in the clouds. The sun was trying to peak through. We started walking up the path and we saw Jasper and Emmett up ahead of us on the pathway. Edward called out to them and they turned around and waited for us.

"So you didn't get washed away, huh?" Edward asked his brothers.

"That was a crazy amount of rain." Emmett said, as we continued our walk to the showers.

"It's nine o'clock, now. When did it stop raining?" Jasper asked.

"It was still raining at four this morning, but I have no idea when it stopped." I added.

We got to the bathrooms and a repair guy was working on the generator on the side of the building. He looked a little creepy to me. He was about thirty, with black slicked back hair and a thin build. He looked at me with a scary looking smirk. I felt instantly uncomfortable around him. I looked at Edward, a little concerned about having a shower alone in the bathroom with the repair guy standing outside and all the Cullens on the other side of the building.

Edward read my mind and nodded at me. "Go ahead, Bella. I'll be right outside the door." He whispered. I kissed his cheek and went in the bathroom.

I had the quickest shower that I could, even skipping over shaving my legs, so Edward wouldn't have to stay outside, waiting, with the repair guy. The power flicked on while I was brushing my teeth. I finished up quickly, scrunched my hair, leaving it damp, and ran outside to find Edward.

He smiled when he saw me and pulled me close to his chest. "You were fast." He said, kissing my forehead.

"Well, I didn't want you to be out here with that guy too long." I admitted. "He was weird."

"Yeah. He left about five minutes ago. I got the same vibe from him." Edward said.

"Well, thank you so much for watching the door for me." I said, kissing his chin.

"Bella, I will never let anything happen to you, okay?" He said, hugging me tightly and rocking us back and forth a little. "You are way too important to me. You are everything, Bella."

I teared up a little when he said that. "I love you, so much, Edward." I whispered into his chest.

"Is everything okay?" I heard Jasper ask from behind me.

"Yeah. Um, will you take Bella back to the campsite. I'm just going to run and have a quick shower." Edward said.

"No, Edward. I want to wait for you." I said, wiping my eyes.

"I'll wait with you." Jasper said, smiling at me, but looking a little nervous. I assumed it was because of the tears.

"Thanks, Jazz." Edward said, kissing my lips, and patting his brother's shoulder. "I'll be out in five minutes." He said, running into the bathroom.

I wrapped my arms around Jasper's waist and gave him a hug. I still felt a little jittery and creeped out from the repair man. He patted my back, tentatively. "Um, Bella. Is everything okay? That guy didn't say anything to you, did he?"

"No." I told him, pulling back. He kept his arm around my shoulder and we leaned against a large boulder. "He was just really creepy."

"Yeah." He said. "Why do you think they hire people like that?"

"Well, it's an isolated place, and maybe they can't find a lot of people willing to stay out here." I guessed. "I don't really know. Did Emmett go back to camp?"

"Yeah. He went to go make sure our dads kept an eye on mom, Alice and Heidi." He said. I smiled at how protective the boys were of us girls. I was sure that the repair man wouldn't hurt us, but it was nice to know we were on the alert.

I rested my head on Jasper's chest. I loved that I had him as a brother figure, now. "So, when does Maria get home?" I asked him.

"Friday night." He answered. I looked up at his face and he was smiling, just at the thought of her.

"I like her, Jasper. She's a really sweet girl and she's crazy about you." I told him. He blushed a little. "Are you going to scrapbook with us?" I teased.

"Um, I'll watch, but I'm not that good at art." He explained.

"Maybe we can teach we you something." I laughed. "And, I'm sure Maria is full of ideas." He chuckled and nodded his head. I could tell he was thinking about her. It was adorable.

Edward jogged out of the bathroom and came over to us. He didn't shave either. "Everything okay?" He asked, looking around us. I took his hand and squeezed it. Everything was perfect, now.


	215. Last Day

**A/N - Thanks again for reading! We're still on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 215 - Last Day

The three of us got back to the campsite and my dad came over to me and gave me a hug. "Are you alright, kiddo? Emmett said there was a guy up there scaring you."

"It's alright. The guys kept an eye on me." I told him, kissing his cheek. "He didn't do anything. He just had a weird vibe."

"Well, I'm glad, but I'm still going to talk to the ranger this afternoon about it." My dad said. Always the police chief, I thought, smiling.

The majority of the campsite was gravel, so it wasn't too muddy, and it looked like someone had dried off the picnic table. We all sat around the table and ate bowls of cereal. The fire wood was all soaked, so we didn't want to start up the fire pits. Plus I think Esme wanted to use up the milk.

After we ate, Esme, Heidi, Alice, Carlisle and my dad all went up to the showers. The boys decided that they wanted to play football while we waited. We spread out, with Emmett on the road, me between the tents and Edward and Jasper at the end of either campsite. Edward tossed the ball to Emmett, who caught it perfectly. Emmett passed it to Jasper, who then threw it to me really softly. I caught the ball.

"I got it." I exclaimed. I was so excited. The boys all laughed at me. "What? I think that's a big accomplishment." I defended.

"No, you're right, baby. Good job." Edward said, smiling at me. "Throw it to me."

I smiled at him, before bringing my arm back and trying to remember all the techniques the boys taught me last time. I threw the ball and it went way out into the woods to the left of Edward.

"That's quite an arm, Bella." Emmett laughed. "You got some distance on that one."

Edward ran out into the trees to get the ball. I was hoping there weren't any bears. He ran back out with the ball. "Good throw, babe." Edward called out to me and smiled. I loved when he smiled at me.

Edward threw the ball all the way across the two campsites to Jasper. And he did it with perfect aim. He might have been showing off, with his long throw, but it worked. He looked absolutely gorgeous when he played any type of sport. The look of concentration on his face, the way his muscles worked and the sound he made when he threw the ball all worked together to make him insanely attractive to me. I could watch Edward throw a ball all day.

We kept tossing the ball around until our parents and Alice got back to camp. Jasper actually caught the ball when I threw it to him, and I was obviously excited. Edward ran over and gave me a hug. He claims it was because he was proud of me, but I know it's because he hadn't touched me in a half hour and he missed me. But, both were cute reasons, so he got a kiss because of it.

Esme asked us if we wanted to go for another hike. It would be a little muddy, but I guess that what's hiking boots were for. It was the last day of camping and I wanted to get every last experience in, so I was more than happy to go. Everyone agreed as well.

I went in the tent to put on my hiking boots and another pair of wool socks. I was really glad that Edward made me bring them. Edward, as usual, followed me into the tent.

He sat down beside me on the sleeping bag and watched me put on my socks. He brought his hand onto my thigh and ran it down to my calf. "I like the yoga pants, but I don't get any shorts today?" He asked.

I leaned in to kiss his cheek. "No, you don't get any shorts today." I laughed. "I have prickly legs. I was trying to hurry in the shower."

"Oh, I doubt they're that bad." Edward laughed.

"They're not, but still. You're my boyfriend and I always want to look my best for you." I explained.

"Bella, you know I don't care about stuff like that." Edward said, turning my face to kiss my lips.

"Well, then you won't care if I prickle you tonight in the sleeping bag." I laughed.

"No, I won't care. But, I do like this talk about sharing the sleeping bag with you, tonight." Edward chuckled.

I laughed and stood up, crouched a little because the tent was so low. Edward wrapped his arms around my legs and leaned in to bite my bum cheek. I yelped. "Edward Cullen." I scolded, making him laugh.

This camping trip had really been incredible for our relationship. That was surprising to me, because both his family and my dad were here with us. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that we shared a tent, and therefore a bed, for a week straight. But, just sharing new experiences with him, opened up a lot of conversation for us.

With every day that passed, we were getting more and more comfortable with each other. And that included our emotional connection; like sharing our thoughts and fears and hopes, as well as the physical parts of our relationship; touching each other, seeing each other, and in this case, biting each other.

We left the tent and Edward leaned down to kiss me. "Sorry. You're just so irresistible." He chuckled.

"Apology accepted." I giggled. I slipped on my light jacket and my backpack and Edward put on his hoodie. I took Edward's hand and we joined up with the family.

There was one more path that led from the campground up to the north west that we hadn't taken, yet. We headed back up to the same waterfall that we had earlier on the camping trip, but this time, took the path on the left instead of the right. Apparently it was the Hardy Creek Trail and there was a little stream running to the left of the trail. We could hear it gurgling as we walked. It was beautiful.

Edward held both my hand and Alice's and we led the group this time. The path was muddy, but not too slippery, because it was sheltered a lot by the trees. We got to see a grey squirrel and a Alice spotted a really cute black bug sitting on a leaf on the side of the pathway. We stopped to look at him up close and it seemed like some kind of a beetle. Edward took my camera out of my bag for me, and I took a picture of him for Alice.

After about two miles of hiking, we made it to the turn in the pathway to head back south. We had to cross a bridge over the creek. From the bridge to the creek was about one hundred and fifty feet down. It looked like the water had worn through the rock over thousands of years.

"Look, there's a bear down there." Emmett said, leaning over the railing and pointing down at it. It was walking through the water, just talking his time and looking around. The water was only up to his ankles.

"He can't get us, right daddy?" Alice asked Carlisle, who had picked her up so she could see the bear over the railing.

It was cute, but I thought it was a very good question. "No, sweetie." He said. "He's a long way down there."

Now that I knew that I was a safe distance from the bear, I looked at how cute he was. He had long, cinnamon coloured hair and but had dark hair around his face. He had a really long nose and thick, fuzzy ears. It was actually really gorgeous.

Edward wrapped his arm around me as I watched the bear. I looked over at him and he was looking at me, smiling. "I'm glad you got to see a bear in the wild." He told me, quietly. "It's really amazing, isn't it?"

I wrapped my arm around his waist and cuddled into his chest. "It's very cool." I said. I loved being able to share yet another wonderful experience with Edward.

I snapped a few pictures of the bear, before we decided to head back down the trail. We had another two miles to walk, and again, I was grateful for Carlisle and his seemingly endless bag of trail mix.

The walk back was just as fun as the walk up the trail. I was really sad that this was the last hike of the camping trip. But, we would definitely have to go on some more hikes closer to home this summer. Perhaps another day trip was in order once we got home. We did live incredibly close to the Olympic National Park.

By the time we got back to camp, we were all ravenous. My dad and Carlisle drove into town to pick up some dry firewood. Emmett was craving fire roasted hotdogs, just one last time. Esme, Heidi and I all sat together and peeled and sliced potatoes. She was going to fry them over the fire. Apparently it was a tradition to have fried potatoes on the last night of the trip.

"So, ladies. What's the verdict? You like camping?" Esme asked as we peeled.

"I had a great time." Heidi said, smiling. "Being with Charlie for this week has been incredible. I'm so glad that I took the week off to come with you all." I smiled at that. I loved hearing how happy she was with my dad.

"This week has been amazing, Esme." I added, looking over Edward who was reading with Alice in a lawn chair. "But, it's sad to me, because not only is it the end of the camping trip, but today is officially the end of half of our summer home."

"Oh, sweetheart, just think of everything you've already done this summer." Esme said to me. "You still have two more months of making new memories." She was right, as usual. And I couldn't wait to make those memories.


	216. Last Night

**A/N - Thanks so much for reading! I have been getting a couple of reviews questioning the lifestyles of the characters, and their relationship. I, personally, think that my characters are very responsible, and realistic. It seems important, however, to remind you that this is a work of fiction. This is not my life, although I do add some personal experiences throughout the story. This story is meant to be a method of relaxation for me to escape from everyday life. I try to make it as realistic as I can, by doing hours of research on every location and activity in the story. You could actually visit every attraction, hotel, campground and restaurant in this story. I have grown to love my version of the characters over the past many months, and I appreciate all of you for wanting to share them with me. But, if you aren't enjoying the story, and it's not relaxing for you, then there are thousands of other incredible fanfics on this site for you to read. But, I like my story the way that it is. I have plans for my characters. I'm assuming that if you've stuck with me for the last 215 chapters, then you like the story, too! Thanks so much to all of my loyal readers. I continue write this story because you want to read it. Thank you for giving me an outlet to do so. Enjoy!**

Chapter 216 - Last Night

Our dads got back to camp with the dry fire wood and started the fire. Emmett was right there, putting the hotdogs on sticks. We all cooked our dinner and then sat at the picnic tables to eat. The fried potatoes were incredible and I was happy to have gotten in on that tradition.

After we ate, we spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out at the camp by the fire. It was still a bit cool from all the rain the night before, and the fire got rid of the chill. Edward brought out his guitar, again. To say I was excited was an understatement. Watching Edward play guitar was even sexier than watching him play football.

And my excitement must have been obvious, because Heidi smirked at me and Emmett lifted his eyebrows up and down at me. I blushed and brought my knees to my chest and pulled my blanket up, hiding my face, just leaving my eyes peaking out. Edward laughed at me and then winked. Apparently, my attraction to my boyfriend was incredibly transparent.

The minute he started strumming, I got a warm feeling in my chest. He was so amazing. Talented, attentive, loving and gorgeous. And he was all mine. I would happily take the snickers and teasing of the family, because Edward was worth it.

Edward must have played for an hour, and he played beautifully. The clouds started gathering again, so Edward packed his guitar back into the case and put it back in the trunk so it wouldn't get wet. My dad and Carlisle took a tarp and a rope and with a little tying and draping, made a shelter for us at the picnic table in case it started to rain, again. Aside from a couple of drops, it didn't end up raining.

Carlisle brought out a deck of cards and we decided to play poker. Again, I had no idea what I was doing. Grandpa had taught me a few rules, but if you don't use them, your brain easily forgets. Everyone let me cheat, and Edward helped me decided when to play a certain card.

Alice sat beside me and was drawing pictures of the bear, the squirrel and the beetle that she had seen on the hike today. She was doing a great job, and I loved to watch her being so creative. Maybe she would like scrapbooking with Maria and I. If I knew one thing about Alice, it was that she loved to be included.

We played until it got dark. I had so much fun with everyone and was so happy that our two families and Heidi were this comfortable with each other. It was everything I could have ever hoped for.

Upon Emmett's request, we went to sit by the fire and have s'mores. All in all, today had been amazing. I thought it would have been ruined because of the rain, but we made it work. When Alice started to fall asleep in her dad's arms, we decided to call it a night. We made one big family trip to the bathrooms before heading back to the tents. After a round of goodnights, I headed into our tent and Edward followed right after me.

He passed me a little pink flower. "Aw, thank you, babe." I whispered, laying in on my suitcase. He smiled at me and leaned in for a kiss.

We kicked off our shoes and knelt in front of each other on the sleeping bag. "I've been waiting for this moment all day." Edward whispered, leaning in to kiss my neck. He unzipped my coat and pushed it off my shoulders. I followed his lead by removing his hoodie, taking my time to caress his chest and shoulders over his t-shirt.

I figured that I might as well keep going, because I loved the feel of his skin. I reached my fingers under the hem of his t-shirt and moved them up to his abs. He gasped when my fingers made contact with his skin. I stopped moving and looked up at his eyes.

He unleashed his gorgeous smile on me, making me instantly smile back. "You have cold fingers, baby." He whispered. "But, keep going."

I giggled a little before moving my hands up over his pecs. I grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head and off of his arms. I ran my hands up to his shoulders and down his arms. He had goosebumps because the air was quite brisk. I leaned in and placed a kiss over his heart.

Edward reached up to hold my face and leaned in for a kiss. I reached up to run my fingers through his hair. Edward deepened the kiss, bringing one hand down to my back to hold me close to his body.

He reached down to grab the bottom of my t-shirt, but pulled back and looked at my eyes first, checking to see that I was okay with it. I nodded my head and Edward pulled it off of me quickly. His hands and lips were everywhere and I was struggling to catch my breath. Edward's effect on my body was so powerful. He could literally take my breath away with just one touch.

Edward leaned in to kiss my cheek. "Are you alright?" He whispered softly in ear, as his hands moved delicately along my sides.

I blushed, but nodded my head. He smiled and pressed a kiss to my lips. "Okay. Just keep breathing." He whispered, making me smile.

"Well, that's easier said than done." I whispered to him, making his chuckle.

He reached behind me, going for my bra clasp, but I stopped him, by placing my hands on his arms. "Sorry." He whispered, bringing his hands up to my shoulders instead.

"No, it's okay, but can we get under the blankets first?" I asked. "I think I would just be a little more comfortable."

"Oh, yeah. Of course." Edward said. He unbuttoned his shorts, sliding them off, before sliding into the sleeping bag. I followed his lead and took off my yoga pants, and then climbed into the sleeping bag with him. He brought his hand down to my legs and ran his fingers up and down them. "You're legs aren't prickly." He chuckled, leaning in to kiss me.

"Sure they're not, Edward." I laughed. "But, you can touch my legs all you want."

"Thanks, angel. I'll take you up on that offer." He said, lifting my leg over his hip, and moving his hand up and down my thigh. His hand crept up, over my bum and up my back. He reached my bra again and looked into my eyes. "Tell me if this isn't okay." He whispered.

"No, Edward. I'm alright." I reassured him, but I could feel my body shaking a little bit. It was odd, because we had done the same thing last night.

Edward unclasped my bra and pulled it off of body. But, then he pulled my body right to his, wrapping his arms around my back. He kissed my cheek and ran his fingers through my hair. "Relax, babe." He whispered. "You're shaking. We can stop, okay."

"I don't really know why I'm reacting this way. I feel really safe with you." I whispered.

"It's alright, baby." He said softly, rubbing my back very soothingly. "It's just going to take us some time to get used everything. But, remember what I said, Bella. We have forever. As long as I have you in my arms, I'm happy, okay? Don't ever feel rushed into doing anything."

I nodded into his neck and wrapped my arms around his body, holding him impossibly closer to me. "I like how your body feels against mine." I whispered.

He kissed the top of my head. "So do I. You're just so soft, Bella." He brought his head down and his lips sought out mine. We ended up kissing for a while. Nothing more. Edward knew me and he knew my mind. We fell asleep in each other's arms, our bodies pressed together.

"Edward. Bella. It's six o'clock. Time to get up." I heard Esme call from outside the tent. I groaned and opened my eyes. I turned my head and looked over at Edward. He was smiling at me.

"Good morning, beautiful." Edward said, before leaning in for a quick kiss. He reached out of the sleeping bag and grabbed his t-shirt, passing it to me. I had forgotten that I was topless, but I guess Edward didn't.

I slipped it over my head. "Thank you, Edward." I whispered, blushing a little.

"Of course." He said. "How are feeling this morning?" He asked, sitting up and leaning in to kiss my neck.

"I'm fine, Edward. I love you so much." I said, pulling him in for a hug. He was so sweet to always check on me. I slipped my yoga pants and hoodie back on and packed a pair of cute black shorts and a teal tank to wear home today. Edward pulled on some sweatpants and a white tank, before getting his clothes ready to go. He gave me one last kiss before we got out of the tent.

We headed up to the showers and I met up with Esme, Alice and Heidi in the bathrooms. I was happy to finally shave my legs. After we got ready, the girls and I all headed back to camp. When we got there, I was surprised to see the guys had most of the camp disassembled. Emmett and Jasper's tent was down and Edward was unzipping our sleeping bags, before rolling them up.

I kissed his cheek. "What do you want me to do?" I asked, wanting to be helpful.

"Um, I just threw our clothes in a big pile. Do you want to pack our bags?" He asked.

"Sure, baby." I said, kissing his lips. He smiled and kissed me once more. "You look gorgeous, today." He whispered.

I kissed him again, before going over to fold all our dirty clothes and stuff them into our bags. I was not looking forward to all the laundry tonight.

We had the camp dismantled by eight-thirty in the morning. I took one last look at the campground as Edward backed out of the site. It had been an amazing week, and I would never forget it.


	217. Time to Smell the Roses

**A/N - Thanks so much for all of the feedback that I received yesterday. I have some great people reading my story. I'm sad, too, about the end of camping, but considering it is Thursday, July 1, 2010 in the story, we still have two months of summer to go. Lots to come, yet. Enjoy!**

Chapter 217 - Time to Smell the Roses

We all drove into the town site and stopped for breakfast in the same little restaurant we'd had lunch in earlier in the week. I had a glass of orange juice and a blueberry muffin and Edward had a huge plate of scrambled eggs and bacon and, of course, coffee. I would never figure out how he kept his perfect body with the way he ate.

While we were eating, Edward announced that he had plans for the rest of the morning if everyone was up for it. He was being very secretive and I was a little worried. Edward always went for the grand gestures and I was really hoping he didn't do some kind of crazy marriage proposal today. I was hoping that he would at least wait another month or so.

If he asked me today, I knew I would say yes to him, because I had every intention of marrying him. But, I had really wanted to go back home and talk some more about the serious things in our relationship first. We were working things out as we went, but I figured every couple should have a really good talk about the future every once in a while.

We got back in the car after Edward had talked to our dads and Emmett about where to drive. I must have been fidgeting a little in my seat. Edward looked over at me quickly, before looking back at the road. "What's wrong, baby?" Edward asked. Always so intuitive.

"Nothing, Edward. I just don't know what you have planned and I'm a little nervous, that's all." I admitted.

He smiled. "It's just a fun morning, okay, honey. It's nothing crazy." I let out a deep breath and relaxed a little.

We drove for about forty five minutes and I smiled when Edward turned left. I saw a sign that read 'Welcome to Portland.' He had taken me to Oregon. Last week when we were just getting to Beacon Rock State Park, Edward had mentioned that he wanted to bring me over the state line to Oregon to get me another t-shirt. I couldn't believe he had actually rerouted our entire family's trip home just to get me a t-shirt.

Edward smiled when we passed the sign. He looked over at me. "Well?" He said. "What do you think? I brought you to Portland." He looked so excited.

"I think this was a little extreme for pyjamas, but I'm so touched that you did this for me." I told him, reaching over to put my hand on his leg. "You go nuts for the t-shirts, huh?" I teased.

He laughed. "You know it, baby."

We pulled up to a beautiful rose garden at about ten o'clock, and Edward came around to my side of the car and took my hand. "I thought we could spend the morning looking at the flowers, maybe stop for some lunch, and then check out the gift shop for your t-shirt." He told me, smiling.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close to me. "I love you, Edward. This is amazing. Thank you so much." I was always touched by the romantic things that Edward did for me. He was incredible.

"You're welcome." He said, running his fingers through my hair. I felt really bad that I didn't trust Edward with this surprise. He was perfect for me and I never should have doubted that.

The rest of the family joined us in the parking lot and seemed very happy with Edward's surprise. We all walked around the paths in the garden, Edward and I with our arms linked together. We would stop to smell the roses, when we passed a particularly gorgeous plant. I was so happy that Edward brought me here. It was beautiful.

We must have walked through the gardens for an hour. Alice had a great time, skipping along the pathways, always eager to be the first one to smell the flowers. I took a lot of pictures. My favourite being one of Edward with his nose in the rose petals. Even his eyes were closed. If I didn't know better, I would have assumed he was a model. Edward never took a bad picture.

We walked over to Elephants Delicatessan across the street to pick up a picnic lunch. After buying fresh bread, coldcuts and cheese, we all headed back over to the Rose Garden and sat at a picnic table by one of the beautiful fountains.

"This was a nice surprise, Edward." Esme said, patting his arm. "Who ever would have thought that our all-American son would plan stops at a garden?" She teased.

Edward blushed a little. "Well, I guess having a girl to impress will do that to a guy." He said, chuckling.

"I think it's sweet." Heidi added. I leaned in and kissed Edward's cheek.

"Well, I love it, baby." I said, squeezing his hand. He smiled at me and I kind of melted. I always appreciated everything he did for me. After we ate, Edward got up and ran over to a little flower vendor. I smiled as I watched him buying four cut roses. He walked back over and he had one each of red, white, pink and yellow.

Edward crouched down in front of Alice. "Which colour do you want, princess?" He asked his little sister. She smiled and picked the pink one. He kissed her forehead, before giving his mom the white one and Heidi the yellow rose. They both looked so excited.

Edward finally came over to me, sitting beside me. He put his hand on my cheek and leaned in for a kiss. "Your flower, beautiful." He whispered, passing me the flower. I blushed as I brought it to my nose.

I kissed his chin, considering that family was with us. "Thank you, Edward. I love you." I whispered.

"I love you, too, angel." He said, before kissing my lips.

"Okay. I've had enough flowers and kissing and love." Emmett laughed. "I don't get my Rose until tomorrow night. Let's go check out that gift shop." We all got up and I patted Emmett's back. Carlisle and my dad were chuckling at Emmett. I guess Edward and I were always being very affectionate.

"Sorry. I promised you two days ago about watching the PDA." I said to Emmett, laughing.

"That you did." He laughed. "You owe me."

I laughed at that. "Okay. What do you want?" I said to Emmett. I loved that he could be so light-hearted with me.

He just laughed. "I don't know, yet. But I'm sure something will come to me."

"I'm scared, but you let me know." I answered as we walked up to the gift shop.

Edward ran straight over to the t-shirt stand in the gift shop. I went over with him, and he was already hold up a bright green and pink tie dyed t-shirt. "What do you think?" He asked smiling.

I giggled and shook my head. The t-shirt read 'Peace, Love, Portland.' It was actually really cute. "I wear them for you, hot stuff. Do you like it?" He looked up and me and smirked.

"Mm. I like that nickname." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "And, yeah, I like the t-shirt."

"Good. Maybe I'll have to wear it to certain little slumber party this weekend." I teased.

Edward laughed. "Oh, I am so sneaking you out of that slumber party." He told me. I was hoping that he would say that.

We walked up to the cashier and Edward bought me my shirt. "Is this a gift?" The woman behind the desk asked us. "Because, I'm sure we have smaller sizes in the back." She offered, looking at the double extra large t-shirt Edward was buying me.

"No, thank you." Edward said, winking at me. "It's exactly the one I want."

The woman raised her eyebrows at us, but then smiled at us, professionally, folding the shirt and putting it in the bag. I held back my laughter. My sweet, crazy Edward. No one would ever understand his obsession.

We all stopped at the bathrooms, before heading back to the cars. It was about a four and a half hour drive from Portland to Forks. It would be the last bit of alone time that I had with Edward for a while. My dad wanted to spend the day with me on Friday. I was excited for that, too, but after being with Edward for seven days and nights straight, it was going to be hard to be apart.

After hugs all around, we got into our vehicles and started the drive home.

I turned in my seat to look at Edward. He had his window down and the wind was blowing through his hair. He looked incredible. "I can feel you watching me." He teased, looking over at me quickly, with his gorgeous smile.

"Well, this is our last time alone together for a while, and I'm going to savour every second of it, Mr. Cullen." I told him.

"Don't remind me, angel." He said. "How am I going to sleep tonight?"

"Good question. Why don't you just stay over this afternoon with me, instead of dropping me off? You can keep me company while I do the laundry. Maybe if you stay late enough, it won't be so bad to be apart for a few hours?" I suggested. He wasn't the only one that was dreading the night alone.

"I would love, too, baby." He agreed. I smiled, happy that I would get him a little longer.


	218. The Talk

**A/N - Thanks again for everything! This chapter came a little sooner than I expected, but it just felt right, so I went with it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 218 - The Talk

For the first hour of the drive home, Edward and I shared our favourite memories of the camping trip. I laughed when I brought up Edward's wet shorts. He mock glared at me, before laughing. "You're still not sorry." He said, smiling. "I will have to get even with you one day."

I laughed. "I can't believe you're threatening me. What are you going to do? Embarrass me? It doesn't take much, Edward." I said.

He looked over at me and frowned in concentration. He looked like he was trying to decide what he wanted to say. "Actually, babe. Can we talk about that?"

"Um, okay." I said. I was a little bit unsure of what he wanted to know. He knew I embarrassed easily. There was nothing I could really do to control it.

"Yeah. So I wanted to know if you wanted to talk about last night?" He said, glancing over at me. My face instantly went red. I was very embarrassed about how nervous I was last night in our sleeping bag. I turned and looked out the window hoping to hide my red face. Edward sighed. "Bella, talk to me." I was a little surprised by Edward's questions, actually. He hadn't acted like anything was bothering him all morning.

Just then, Edward's phone rang. It was sitting on the center console between us. I just looked at it. I didn't know what to do. Was I supposed to pick it up, or would that look to Edward, like I was avoiding his question. "Will you get it, please?" Edward asked, smiling at me nervously. He looked worried that he'd upset me.

I cleared my throat and picked up the phone. It was Esme. Apparently Alice needed to stop at the bathroom and we were going to stop in Longview. I hung up the phone and set it back down. "Um, Alice needs to stop at the bathroom in Longview." I told him.

"Okay." He said. We sat in silence for a minute. I really didn't want to start a serious conversation if we were going to be interrupted. He pulled up to the gas station and parked a few cars down from his dad. He turned in his seat and reached over to take my hand. "Bella, I'm not upset with you, okay? Don't look so sad." He reached forward and put his hand on my cheek.

I turned my face and kissed his palm, nodding at him, before getting out of the car. I walked inside to the bathrooms, smiling at Esme and Alice as I passed them, and went in. I closed the door and leaned my back against it. It looked like Edward and I were going to have our embarrassing talk, the one that I was saving for when we got home, right now in the car. I sort of wanted a couple days to prepare for this. I let out a deep breath. I heard the ladies room door open and close.

"Bella? Are you in here?" I heard Heidi ask from the stall next to mine.

"Yeah." I said. I really just wanted to be back at home so I could go hide in my room right now. I didn't want to be a responsible adult.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "Edward's pacing the parking lot."

"What?" I asked.

"Do you need to talk about it? Is everything alright?" She asked, sounding worried.

"Can I take a rain check on that offer?" I asked her. I did want to talk to her, but I needed to talk to Edward first. We were clearly misunderstanding each other right now, and I wanted to sort it out quickly.

"Of course." She said, giving me a quick hug after we finished up in the bathroom. I went back out to the car. Edward wasn't out there, so I just waited by the passenger door for him. In two minutes, he came out with a plastic shopping bag, and jogged over to me when he saw me.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I don't know what I said, but please talk to me, okay?" He pleaded. I placed my hand on his chest and smiled up at him.

"Edward, please relax. Can we get in the car?" I asked. We were attracting a little bit of attention and I wanted to talk this out quickly. Edward had a tendency to assume the worst right away. And I was usually too embarrassed to say what I needed to say from the start. We were going to have to work on that.

He nodded and opened my door for me. He went around to his side and got in, passing me the bag, which looked like it was full of gummy bears. I smiled at his thoughtfulness. He turned in his seat and looked at me with puppy dog eyes.

"Edward. Stop overreacting, please. I'm not upset with you. Sex is a very hard thing for me to talk about and I'm really embarrassed." I told him, looking into his eyes so he would believe me.

He leaned his head into mine, so we were forehead to forehead. He put his hands on my face and let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry. And I know that, but can you just keep reminding me of that? When you don't say anything, I don't know what your thinking." He explained.

"You're right. I'm sorry." I said, bringing my lips to his for a quick kiss. "Okay, so I'll talk, you relax." I teased.

He chuckled. "Deal." He started the car and we backed out. Edward drove to the highway and followed along behind Emmett's truck. I dug out a bag of gummy bears and started snacking. I kept slipping them into Edward's mouth. His cheeks were getting puffy, so I stopped feeding him. He was laughing a little bit, and I was glad the tension was gone out of the car, or I wouldn't be able to talk about this.

"Okay, so I wanted to talk to you about, um, you know, sex." I said, blushing already.

Edward's cheeks turned a little pink, but he nodded. "Okay. Like something in particular, or…?" Edward just left his thought in the air. It was actually comforting to me that he didn't really know what to say either.

"Well, Heidi told me that she would take me to get birth control when we were ready. I just don't know when to go." I told him honestly. "Like, I know that Angela is going to wait until she gets married. You know, because her dad is a pastor, and stuff. And I don't know what your feelings are about it." I let out a deep breath. "I'm honestly terrified about it."

Edward glanced over at me quickly, before reaching his hand out to hold mine and give it a squeeze.

"Like last night, I just panicked. The night before, I was feeling brave, but when I tried to do the same thing last night, I froze up. The whole idea just scares me." I admitted.

"I think that means you're just not ready, yet." Edward said, moving his thumb along the back of my hand. "I think you'll know when you are. But, please don't be scared, honey. I will never do anything to make you uncomfortable." He looked at me and smiled. "I haven't been brought up in a church, Bella, but I was always told to wait for the woman I loved. And, I have you, now. But, I will wait as long as you want me to."

I smiled at that. "Thank you, Edward. That really makes me feel better." I told him. "So, do you think that I should make an appointment for the birth control before we go back to school in the fall? Um, you know, just in case?"

"Oh, um, yeah, I guess so." Edward stuttered out. "I know that you went to church with Angela. You don't feel the same way that she does, about waiting?"

"I don't know. With the lack of boyfriends, the issue never really came up." I giggled nervously. "But, Edward, I love you and I trust you. I know we'll be together forever, so that's what matters to me. I'm not saying I want to do it right away, but I think it would be good if we were prepared."

Edward smiled at me. "Alright. And I swear to you that I'm more than covered on my end." He chuckled. "As soon as we got home from college, my dad and I had an extremely embarrassing talk and demonstration, complete with medical journal photographs. It was worse than the talk I had when I was fifteen." He told me. I laughed along with him.

"And, thanks again to my dad and my Grandpa, I have enough contraceptives to last an eternity." He said, his cheeks flushed again. "I am not kidding, Bella. Do not go into either shoe box in my closet if you want to save yourself a world of embarrassment."

I felt so bad for my Edward. This was really hard for him to talk about, too, and, apparently, he had to hear about it from his dad and grandpa a lot this summer.

"Thank you for the warning." I giggled.

"So, we know that we are at least waiting until September, maybe longer." Edward clarified.

"Right." I agreed.

"Does that take some of the pressure off?" He asked. "Because I don't ever want you to be terrified when you're with me."

I nodded. "Yes, Edward." I smiled. "I'm so glad that we talked about this. I was a nervous wreck just thinking about it."

He smiled. "I know. Me, too." He chuckled. "But, we can get through anything, right? I mean, we're good together."

I brought his hand up to my lips and kissed his palm. "We're perfect together."


	219. Back to Forks

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! As requested, I'm working on putting the titles on the chapters in the menu, so it's easier to look back. There are a lot of them, though, so it might take me a couple of days. Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 219 - Back to Forks

I was happy that Edward and I had talked through our concerns and our plans for our physical relationship. He was right. Talking about it made me feel so much more relaxed with him. It was nice to know that we were on the same page. I felt like I could really enjoy these next two months of our summer vacation. I knew that, while Edward and I would continue to get closer, emotionally and physically, we would both stop before going all the way.

"I need to kiss you." Edward said, glancing over at me. "I feel like after that conversation, talking about our future, I just need to show you how much I love you."

I smiled at him. "Has anyone ever told you that you're the sweetest man alive?" I asked, placing small kisses on the back of his hand.

"Um, if anyone has, it would have been you." He chuckled. He flipped on his signal light and pulled over onto the shoulder of the highway. He threw the car in park, undid his seatbelt and leaned over to me. He pressed a quick kiss to my lips before pulling back and smiling.

I giggled. "You're crazy." I whispered against his lips.

"Crazy about you." He said, before leaning in for a deeper kiss. I brought my hands up to his hair and gave it a little tug. He just moaned and kissed me harder. He finally pulled back and placed a few kisses on my lips. "I love you, Bella. Thank you for talking to me."

I smiled. "I love you, too. Thank you for relaxing." I laughed.

"You're welcome." He said, running his nose down my jaw and then my neck. He started kissing my neck and chest, before lightly sucking on my collarbone. He brought his hands down to my legs and ran them up and down my thighs. "You're so beautiful, babe."

"Uh, Edward." I moaned. "You feel so good." I brought my hands up to his hair and brought his mouth back up to mine, so I could kiss him, again.

Edward's phone rang, again. Edward groaned, before placing one more kiss on my lips. He grabbed his phone and picked it up. "Yeah." He said, sounding a little breathless. Then he started laughing. "You're darn right. Yeah. We're leaving." He laughed, again. "Talk you later, Em." He flipped the phone closed.

"We were found out, huh?" I laughed.

Edward smiled at me, kissing my lips once more, before he sat back in his seat and buckled his seat belt. He started the car and pulled back onto the highway. "Yeah. I guess your dad noticed that we weren't behind Emmett. He called Em and then Em called me." He said, smiling at me. "So, your dad wants you to call him. He's worried."

I blushed, as I tried to figure out what to say. "Edward. What do I tell him?"

Edward just laughed. "Tell him we had a responsible conversation, which, in turn, caused your boyfriend to pull over and act very irresponsibly."

I laughed. "So, you're not going to help me?" I pinched his arm. "Is this you getting me back for the wet shorts?"

"Ouch. So violent." He teased. "Always biting and pinching." He laughed.

I huffed. "Fine. I'll figure it out on my own, but if I get grounded, you might not get to see me all weekend." I teased.

"Bella, you're going to turn nineteen in two months. He's not going to ground you." Edward laughed.

"Two and a half months." I corrected. "And he's the police chief. Who knows what he might do?"

"Oh, your dad likes me. I'm not scared." Edward laughed. "Just phone him, babe."

"Fine." I whined. I picked Edward's phone and called my dad. "Hey, dad." I said.

"Bells, we didn't see Edward's car. Did you guys have some car trouble? Do you need me to turn back?" My dad asked, sounding a little worried.

"No, dad. Everything's fine. Edward and I just pulled over to talk for a minute." I said. Edward started to laugh, so I slapped his arm.

"Okay." He said sounding suspicious, but not asking anymore questions. "As long as everything is alright."

"Yeah, dad. Thanks for checking on me, though. Love you." I said. "Oh, can you put Heidi on for a minute?" I asked. I knew she was worried about me at the gas station and I wanted to make sure that she wasn't too concerned.

My dad agreed and then about ten seconds later I heard Heidi's voice. "Hi, Bella."

"Hi. I just wanted to let you know that everything is okay. Edward and I had our serious sex talk and everything is fine." I told her, blushing even though she couldn't see me.

"Oh, that's great, Bella. Can I ask what you decided?" She asked, keeping her words vague as to not give anything away to my dad.

"Yeah, we're waiting for now." I told her.

"That's great, Bella. I'll talk to you during the next bathroom break." She laughed.

After I hung up, I turned to Edward. "Well, he sounded suspicious, and your laughing probably didn't help matters, but as of now, I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not grounded." I laughed, even though I was trying to sound serious.

Edward just chuckled. "You're cute, babe." He said.

The rest of the drive home was fun and full of teasing and kisses on the hands between us. I was so happy that we had our grown up conversation. I knew, that I for one, felt so much more comfortable now.

As we were pulling into Forks, my dad called me. "Hey, kiddo. I'm going to be taking Heidi straight home, maybe get some dinner. Did you want to pop over, or do you and Edward have plans?" He asked.

I smiled. He sounded like he might want to spend the night alone with her, and I understood. His tent had been next to Carlisle, Esme and Alice's tent, and I figured that they might want some alone time.

"No, dad. You have fun tonight. Edward and I are just going to relax at home, okay?" I told him. I didn't want him to worry about me so much. He was in a new relationship and he needed time to build that, too.

"Alright, kiddo. You call me if you need anything, okay?" He asked.

"Will do, dad." I said. "We're still on for our father/daughter day tomorrow, right?" I asked.

"You know it, Bells. I love you." He said, making me smile.

"I love you, too. Goodnight, dad." I said, hanging up. I turned to Edward and smiled.

"Well, you look excited. What's going on?" He asked smiling at me.

"We're going to have the house to ourselves, tonight." I told him smiling. "My dad's spending the evening over at Heidi's."

"Well, he's going to miss out on all the laundry fun we're going to have." Edward teased.

"He is." I laughed.

We got home and Edward helped me carry my bags into the house. I walked around the house and opened the windows to air it out. I started sorting my laundry and I heard Edward calling in an order for pizza. I was way too tired to cook, anyway. I pulled off my black shorts and threw in a dark load of clothes.

"I think I'm liking laundry day." I heard Edward say from behind me.

"Of course you are." I laughed. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He lifted me up and held my thighs, as I wrapped my legs around him. "Are you going to carry me to my room so I can get some sweat shorts?"

"I'll carry you upstairs, alright." He laughed. I kissed his lips, before I rested my head on his shoulder. He carried me up to my room and we laid down on the bed together.

Edward shut his eyes. He must have been exhausted from the drive. I laid on my side and ran my fingers through his hair. He hummed, but in about five minutes, he started snoring. I held back a giggle.

I heard the doorbell. The pizza. I slid out of bed, careful not to wake Edward. I pulled on a pair of sweat shorts and ran down the stairs. I grabbed my purse and paid for the pizza. I sat at the table and let out a deep breath. It was so good to be home.


	220. Skin

**A/N - Thanks to everyone reading! Have a great weekend! Enjoy!**

Chapter 220 - Skin

I opened the pizza box and giggled when I saw that Edward had bought a half and half pizza. He was such a great guy. I grabbed a plate, put a slice of Hawaiian, and one of what looked like three or four kinds of meat, a bottle of water, and went upstairs to my boy.

He was exactly where I'd left him. I didn't want to wake him, but I thought that he might be hungry. I set the pizza on the desk and walked over to Edward. I leaned over him and kissed his lips. It seemed to work when we were camping, so I thought I'd try it again.

I kept my lips pressed to his. I felt him start to kiss me back, and smiled. I leaned back and looked into Edward's gorgeous eyes. He smiled at me. "Did I fall asleep?" He asked, sitting up and stretching his arms.

"Yeah, but it's okay, babe. I just thought you'd want to eat." I said going to get the plate and bringing it over to the bed. I crawled in beside him and set the plate on his legs.

"The pizza came already?" He asked, before taking a huge bite of his gross meat pizza. He finished chewing. "How long was I asleep?"

"Um, maybe fifteen minutes." I said. "After we eat, you can go back to sleep if you want."

"I don't want to sleep. I'm going to be apart from you too much as it is tomorrow." He said, leaning over and taking a bite from my pizza, smiling at me mischievously.

So, I was getting playful Edward. "You're lucky you're so sexy." I said, taking a bite of my pizza. Edward laughed at that and shook his head.

"So, you're saying that on account of my so called sexiness, that I could get away with anything right now?" He asked, throwing his pizza crust on the plate.

I nodded my head, and watched as Edward licked his fingers, then wiped his hands on his jeans. He took my half eaten slice of pizza and set it on the plate, moving it to the foot of the bed. He pulled me over to his lap and took a hold of my hand. He brought my fingers up to his lips and opened his mouth, slowly licking the pizza sauce off of my fingers. I think it was the sexiest thing that I had ever seen Edward do.

I knew my face was on fire. I was a little caught off guard, but I liked this bold Edward. I pulled my fingers from his mouth and turned to kiss him. He pushed me back onto my pillows and rolled over top of me. "I've missed kissing you on a bed." He chuckled, before kissing me, again.

"Me, too." I whispered. "But, I am going to miss that tent."

Edward chuckled. "Yeah, that was fun." He said. "So is your dad coming home tonight?" He asked burying his face into my neck.

I giggled. "It didn't sound like it. And I don't really blame him. He probably wants to spend some time alone with Heidi."

"Mm. Just like I want to spend time alone with you." Edward said. He sat up off me and I moved to sit up. "Can I take your tank top off?" He asked, running his fingers along the hem of my shirt.

"Um, okay?" I said, a little unsure of where he was going with this.

"Just tell me if you don't want to, Bella." He said, seriously.

"No, no. I do want to." I said, trying to reassure him. He looked into my eyes for a second, before reaching down to pull my shirt off of me. He leaned in to kiss my lips.

"Roll over. I want to give you a massage." He said, smiling at me. "I think I've stressed you out a bit today and you deserve to be spoiled."

"Aw, baby, your sweet. But you don't stress me out." I said, leaning in for one more kiss, before I rolled over onto my stomach. I felt Edward straddle my legs, just below my bum. He slowly traced his fingers up my back until he got to my shoulders. He started his massage on my shoulders, really digging in with his thumbs. "Uh, Edward. Don't stop, baby. That feels so good." I groaned.

I felt Edward undo my bra, and then run his hands over my now completely bare back. Then, he was gone. "Edward?" I asked, leaning to the side to look for him. He was over by my dresser looking through my body lotions, taking off the lids and smelling them. I giggled to myself. He was so cute. I slid my bra off completely so he wouldn't get any lotion on it, and then laid back down on my stomach, stretching my arms over my head.

A minute later, I felt the bed move as Edward climbed back onto my bed and then onto my legs. "You look so amazing lying there like that." He said. I could feel his breath on my skin, and then his lips placing tiny kisses up and down my spine, giving me goose bumps. He ran his hands along my sides, from my waist, along the side of my breasts and up my arms to my hands. I could feel his chest on my back as he leaned in to me.

"Take your t-shirt off." I whispered. I wanted to feel his skin on mine. He sat up and I saw his shirt fly to the floor. I started giggling at how fast he did it.

He was chuckling as he laid his body back over mine, the heat from his chest felt amazing on my back. "Who am I to refuse when you ask something like that?" He teased. He brought his hands back down my side and shimmied them under my stomach. He slowly rolled us over onto our sides.

I quickly brought my arm up over my bare chest. Edward started lightly gliding his finger tips over my stomach. "Is this alright?" He asked, his chin resting on my shoulder.

"Yes." I said, feeling relaxed in his arms. "But, what happened to my massage?"

He chuckled. "I'm sorry. I was distracted by your beauty." He said, kissing my shoulder.

I giggled at that. "Edward, I'm wearing sweats."

"Yes, Bella. But, you are topless in sweats. You have no idea what that does to a guy." He said. He reached down and gave my bum a light tap. "Plus, you look gorgeous in those shorts." He leaned in to kiss my cheek. "Now roll over and I'll finish your massage."

I giggled. I loved hearing that Edward thought I was gorgeous and beautiful. He never failed to make me feel wanted and loved. I rolled back over onto my stomach, wriggling around until I was comfortable. I raised my arms back up, and let out a deep breath.

Edward laughed. "Comfortable?" He teased.

"Very. Now get to work." I ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." He said, straddling my legs, again. I heard him flick a bottle open and then I heard his hands rubbing together. He placed his hands on my shoulders and started up with the massage, again. I moaned as he massaged in the lotion. "How's that feel?" He asked, stopping to get more lotion.

"It feels amazing, baby. You might have to come over and do this every night." I said softly.

"I'm in." He laughed, bringing his hands down to my lower back. "Where did you get this lotion, babe? I like how it smells."

I took a deep breath and smelled it. It was a beautiful fragranced lotion from Bath and Body Works. "Oh, um, I picked that up in the mall in Seattle after Christmas." I told him.

"Is this all you have?" He asked.

I giggled a little. "Yeah. But, if you like that much, Edward, you can have it." I teased.

He laughed with me. "I don't want it for me. I want it for you." He said, bringing his hands up my arms and leaning close to my ear. "We'll have to buy them out the next time we're in Seattle." He whispered.

I giggled. "I think it smells pretty, but if I would have known you were going to like it so much, I would have bought more. But then again, this was before I even laid my eyes on your beautiful face."

"I don't even want to think about the time before I first saw you." He whispered, pressing his chest into my back, again. "I love you so much." He said, kissing my cheek.

I was basking in his affection. This was the perfect was to spend an evening. "Okay, switch me spots. I want to rub your back, now." I said.

Edward got up and passed me my tank top. I got up and slipped it on, before turning around to hug him. He leaned down to kiss my lips. I smiled at him, before reaching down to his bum and giving it a quick squeeze. I couldn't keep my hands off of it. "Bella, Bella." He laughed.

"I'm sorry. Does that bother you?" I giggled, squeezing him once more. He groaned and leaned down to kiss my neck.

"No, baby. I love it when you touch me." He whispered, before turning around to hop on my bed. He brought his arms under his chin and rested his head on his hands. "I'm ready for my massage." He said, lifting his eyebrows up and down at me.

I giggled before climbing on the bed to straddle his hips. I squeezed out a little lotion on my hands and after warming it up, I started rubbing his strong, broad back. I loved the feel of his skin.

Within five minutes, Edward was asleep, again. I carefully climbed off of him and pulled a blanket over him. I went downstairs and put my darks into the drier and threw a white load in the washer. I closed all the windows, put the pizza in the fridge and locked the door. I went upstairs and brushed my teeth. I flicked off the lights and climbed into my bed with Edward. At least I got one more night with him. I snuggled in close and drifted off to sleep.


	221. Cold Pizza and Communication

**A/N - Thank you for reading! Summer Vacation now has over 3000 reviews! I can't believe it! Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 221 - Cold Pizza and Communication

I woke up when I felt Edward moving. I could see the sunlight through the window, so I knew it was the morning. I looked over at Edward, and he was getting out of bed. I watched him walk over to the floor to get his t-shirt where he threw it last night. He slipped it on, and started walking to the door.

"Edward?" I said. He jumped and turned around to look at me, his hand over his heart.

He chuckled a little. "I didn't know you were awake?" He said.

"Just got up. You're not leaving are you?" I asked sitting up.

"No, babe. Just going to run to the bathroom quickly." He said. "I'll be right back." He left the room and I snuggled deeper into the blankets. Two minutes later, Edward came back and climbed back into bed with me, with his chest to my back. He pulled my body close to his and started kissing my neck. "Mm. You're so warm."

I giggled. "You're feet are cold." I said, as he tried to press his toes against my legs.

"I think your dad's home." Edward said. "The lights are on downstairs."

"Well, handsome. I guess it's father/daughter day, so I'd better get up, huh?" I said turning in his arms and burying my face into his chest.

I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head. "Yeah, I guess." He said, sounding a little reluctant to let me go. "I'll head home, okay? Have a good day. I love you." He whispered.

"Okay. I'm going to miss you, today." I said, leaning up to brush a kiss on his lips.

"Me, too." He said, pulling me in for a hug. He kissed my forehead and then slipped out of my bed.

"I love you." I said as he walked out the door. I sighed. I already missed him. I got up and grabbed a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt and headed into the bathroom. I had a shower and got ready for the day, before heading downstairs.

I walked into the kitchen and smiled when I saw my dad and Edward sitting at the table together eating cold pizza and drinking coffee. "Good morning, Bells." My dad said. "Look who I caught trying to sneak out the front door." He teased, making both Edward and I laugh.

I went to the fridge to get some orange juice and then sat down beside Edward. I grabbed a slice of pizza and took a bite. "So, what's the plan for today, dad?" I asked, wrapping my feet around Edward's ankle.

"Well, I was wondering if you were up for another drive?" He asked, looking hopeful.

"Sure. Where are we headed?" I asked, rubbing my toes up Edward's leg.

"I was thinking of just heading up to Port Angeles, maybe get some lunch?" He said.

"Sounds fun." I said, smiling. I was really looking forward to just spending time with him.

After breakfast, I walked Edward to the door, and gave him a goodbye kiss. "Have a good day, baby." He said, kissing me one more time.

I laughed. We were both acting like we were going to be apart for days and not hours. "I'll see you tonight, Edward. I love you." I said, before he got in his car to drive home, all his camping gear still packed in the backseat.

I waved at him and then went back in the house. My dad was laughing at us from the kitchen window. "We're pretty pathetic, aren't we?" I laughed.

My dad shook his head, smiling. "No, you're not pathetic. I think it's nice that you two are so close." He said. After a quick bathroom stop, I grabbed my purse and my dad and I headed out to his truck.

We started driving out of town and my dad looked over at me, like he was going to say something, but then stopped. I waited a minute to see if would change his mind, before I just asked him. I had to know. It would drive me crazy. "What, dad?" I asked.

"Oh, I was just going to ask what you were talking about over the phone with Heidi, yesterday." He said, looking out the window. "I mean I'm glad you have her to talk to and all, but I'm still your dad, and I just want you to know that you can talk to me, too, alright? I'm not going to try and embarrass you, but I love you and I care."

I smiled at him, but blinked back my tears. "I love you, too, dad." I said. "And, I know you care. You show me that everyday." I took a deep breath. "Edward and I had a serious talk yesterday and we decided to wait for a while before we um, you know, move forward with things, uh, physically." I finally got out. My cheeks felt warm, but I was glad that my dad gave me the opportunity to talk to him about it, though.

"Alright." He said. "I'm glad that you're both responsible enough to talk these things through. I really like Edward. He's a good guy." I smiled at that. I loved hearing my dad talk about Edward.

"And, just so you know, you didn't have to barter time with Edward to get me to spend the day with you." I added, hoping to change the subject a little bit.

"I know, Bells." He said. "I'm just glad you were up for a day with your dad."

"Any time, dad." I told him smiling. The rest of the drive to Port Angeles went quickly. We talked about anything and everything, just laughing and having a good time.

When we got there, we decided to go to a couple of bookstores, just browsing through the titles. My dad got a fishing magazine, and he found a book on tying flies. "I've never tried it, and I probably won't ever do it, but it might be an interesting read." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

I found a book on interior design for apartments. I figured I would spend my free time when we got back to Seattle, making our apartment feel very homey. After the bookstore, we headed to pick up some lunch. We got some burgers and fries and sat out on the pier in the sun to eat. The seagulls surrounded us and I ended up sharing my fries with the birds. They looked so cute, I couldn't just ignore them.

After lunch, my dad drove up to a furniture store. "Getting a new recliner?" I teased him as we walked in to the store.

"No. Actually, I wanted to get you kids a futon for your new place." My dad said, smiling at me.

"Dad. That's so sweet. Thank you so much." I said, pulling him into hug. I was really touched that both he and the Cullens were helping us so much to furnish our new apartment. I was so excited about the apartment, but when we got it, I didn't really think about how much furniture we were going to need to fill it up. "What made you decide to do this?"

He laughed. "Well, I'm going to need a place to sleep when I come visit my little girl at college." He said, making me laugh. I loved that we had a close relationship. This was what had missed growing up. This bond. But what made me so happy, was that even though we were apart for so many years, it felt like we had picked back up where we left off fifteen years ago.

We walked over to the futons and we both walked right up to a beautiful chocolate brown, hardwood framed sofa, with a tan and brown designed cushion. It was really beautiful, and it looked like a stand alone piece. It wasn't overly obvious that it was a futon. It just looked like a sofa. I loved it.

My dad sat on it. "What do you think, Bells? This one is pretty comfortable." He said, patting the seat so I would sit beside him. I sat down. It was pretty comfortable. I was trying to picture snuggling here with Edward to watch movies, or relax after school. With a couple of pillows and blanket, this could work.

"I think it's great." I said smiling.

"Do you want to ask Edward if he likes it, first?" My dad asked.

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. I stood back and snapped a picture of it with my phone and sent Edward a text message. 'Wanna snuggle on this in September?'

The salesman came over and was showing my dad how to convert it into a bed, while I was sending my message. I only had to wait a minute to get a response.

'Sounds amazing. Where are you?' He wrote back.

'Furniture store. Dad's buying us a futon.' I wrote back, smiling.

'Tell him, thank you from me. I love it. Love you.' He texted.

"Well?" My dad said, walking over to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"I love it and Edward agrees. He says thank you, dad." I told him. My dad kissed the top of my head and then turned to the salesman. "We'll take it."

Luckily, they had one more in stock, so my dad drove the truck around the back of the store and they loaded into the back of the truck. We decided to head home. The way home was just as fun and I turned the tables on my dad, asking him about his relationship.

He admitted, with pink cheeks, that he saw a future with Heidi. I smiled at hearing him actually voice what I already suspected. This had been an amazing day of communicating and bonding and I was so glad that my dad suggested it.


	222. Kitchen Kisses

**A/N - Thank you all for your support! Enjoy!**

Chapter 222 - Kitchen Kisses

When my dad and I got home from Port Angeles, he called the station. Heidi was working today and I watched him smile when he heard her voice. He asked what Paul, the rookie, was doing and then laughed. "Send him over to my place, would you?" He asked. "I've got some work for him." He ended the call by telling her that he missed her. It was so cute.

We went and sat out on the front steps waiting for Paul to show up. He pulled up about five minutes later, complete with a police car and uniform, too. "Hey, Bella. Good afternoon, chief." He said, walking over to us. "What do you need?"

"I need you to help me move this futon from the back of the truck to the garage." My dad said, walking over to the truck. I sat on the steps, laughing, for the next ten minutes, while my dad and Paul tried to figure out how to get it out without dropping it. I probably shouldn't have been laughing because my dad was looking a little frustrated and Paul was looking a little scared, but they were too cute.

When the futon was safely in the garage, I asked Paul if he wanted to stay for dinner, but he was heading out to pick up Rachel. My dad shook his hand and I gave him a hug. He kissed my cheek and told me he'd see me on Sunday for the Fourth of July barbeque.

My dad went into the house to watch the baseball game, and asked me if I wanted to join him. But, one of us to be the responsible one. We had no groceries in our house, considering we had been in the woods for a week. I gave him a hug and took his truck to the store.

While I walked up and down the aisles, I called Angela. I missed my best friend. She picked up the phone, sounding happy to hear from me.

"Hey, girl? How was the wilderness?" She asked.

"It was awesome. Edward and I shared a tent for a week." I said quietly, smiling at an older woman that was trying to listen to my conversation.

"Do I get details?" She asked, laughing.

"Maybe, but not right now. I'm in the grocery store." I said. "But, let me tell you, it was amazing."

"Like amazing, amazing? Did you guys, well, you know?" She asked, and I could actually hear her blushing.

"Angela." I exclaimed, before giggling, while putting the milk in my shopping cart. "No. But, Edward is talking about engagement a lot lately, and we decided that we're not going to wait until graduation to get married. Can you believe it?"

"Oh, Bella. That is really exciting. I'm so happy for you." She said. "When do you think he's going to propose?"

"I don't know, but I think it will be sooner rather than later. He's even talking to my dad about it." I said, unloading my groceries at the cash register. "I'll let you know the second it happens, maid of honour." I promised, making her laugh. "Anyway. I got to run. I'll talk to you soon. Give Ben a hug for me."

"Will do. Tell Edward we say hi." Angie said. "Love you, girl."

"Love you, too, Ang. Talk to you soon." I said before hanging up to pay for my groceries. I hauled everything out to the truck and drove home.

My dad came out of the house to help me bring the groceries in and put them away. "What do you want for dinner tonight?" I asked my dad.

"Oh, actually Esme called when you were out. She invited us over for dinner. They're all just watching the game and eating in the family room." My dad told me.

"Oh, okay. When?" I asked smiling. I missed Edward so much, and I was really happy that my dad was okay with this evening's plans.

"Um, she said whenever you got back, so I guess now." My dad laughed.

"Sounds great." I said. I ran upstairs to use the bathroom and fix myself up a little. I combed out my hair, brushed my teeth and put on a fresh coat of lip gloss. I ran downstairs to meet my dad, who was already in the truck. My dad gave me a knowing smirk, and I just shrugged. I wasn't going to deny that I wanted to look good for my boyfriend.

When we got there, Edward was waiting outside for me with a white carnation. He was so sweet, and it looked like he had missed me as much as I missed him.

Edward winked at me, before he walked up to my dad and shook his hand. "Thank you so much for the futon, Charlie. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it." He said.

My dad patted his shoulder. "You are more than welcome, Edward." He said, smiling. "Now, I'm just going to run in and catch the end of the fifth inning." I laughed as my dad ran to the house, leaving Edward and I alone in the yard.

Edward walked up to me and leaned down for a kiss. "Is it possible that you've become more beautiful since this morning?" He asked, giving me that heart stopping smile.

"Well, you did get more handsome." I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. He smiled against my lips, before kissing me, again. "What did you do today?" I asked him, running my fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

"Oh, we played football in park before lunch and then we've just been watching TV all afternoon." He said. "I swear, all of us guys were moping around today. Rose and Maria won't be home until late tonight, and you were gone. It was horrible, actually." He chuckled.

"Aw, Edward. It was hard to be apart from you, too." I said, kissing his lips once more.

"Oh, here, baby." He said, shaking his head at himself as he passed me the flower that he was still holding.

I smiled at his adorableness. "Thank you, Edward. You are just too perfect." I said, kissing his chin.

"You're welcome, baby. Do you need a new journal, yet." He teased, referring to all the flowers I had pressed, as he took my hand, walking up to the house.

"Actually, yes. I still have the rose in water, but I was thinking of using the encyclopaedia to start pressing them." I told him.

"I'll get you a new book." He said, as we walked into the family room. The couches were full of Cullens, so Edward and I sat in the floor with our backs to the TV. Esme had a ton of food on the coffee table. There were chilli fries, corn chips and dip, a veggie tray, and cheese and crackers.

The boys mumbled out hellos, their eyes never leaving the TV. This family loved their sports. Alice waved at me from her spot sandwiched between her parents. Edward and I filled up our plates and pigged out, watching the family watch the game. I leaned over and whispered in Edward's ear. "You sure you don't want to watch the game?" I asked before I kissed his ear.

"No. I just like being with you." He whispered back, kissing my cheek.

"Edward. You are right below the TV. I can see you in my periphery. One more night, bro. Please." Emmett said.

Edward laughed at his brother. "We'll leave, because I'm not going to stop." Edward said, getting up. I got up with him and we grabbed our plates. Everyone chuckled at Emmett and Edward's little exchange. It was clear that Emmett was getting a little sad and cranky about not seeing his girlfriend for so long.

"Oh, kids. You don't have to go." Esme said, smiling.

"We'll be back." Edward said, taking my hand and leading me into the kitchen. Edward and I sat at the kitchen table, side by side. I lifted one of my legs up and crossed it over his thigh. He smiled and then leaned in to kiss me. "Sorry about that. I'm sure his lips are going to be glued to Rose's once he sees her, again. I actually feel bad for her." Edward laughed.

"It's okay, babe. I completely understand how he feels." I said, dipping a slice of cucumber in some sour cream chip dip and popping it in my mouth.

"Well, I had an idea for us, my brothers and their girlfriends." Edward said, dipping one of his veggies in my chip dip.

"I'm listening." I said, smiling and kissing his cheek. I loved how Edward always had plans. He was constantly thinking about something.

"Well, Olympia, Washington, which is about three hours south of us, has a big carnival called Lakefair, every year. It's about five days long. They have music and rides and greasy food. It's great actually." He said, running his fingers over my leg. "It starts in about two weeks, and I thought it might a fun couples thing for us to do together."

"That sounds really fun." I said. "I'm up for it." I loved road trips with Edward.

"Awesome." He said, smiling. I leaned in to lick his top lip, where he had a little bit of chip dip. He smiled and reached up to cup my face in his hands. He pressed his lips to mine, starting out slow, before we deepened the kiss.

I was pretty happy in that moment with Edward's decision to move to the kitchen. I had missed my gorgeous boyfriend today. but his lips were doing an incredible job of making me forget I was even gone.


	223. Happy

**A/N - Thanks so much for your continued support! I forgot to mention the date in the story yesterday...This chapter picks up where we left off on Friday, July 2, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 223 - Happy

Kissing Edward was definitely one of my favourite things to do. I could always feel how much love he had for me. He would trace his thumb on my cheek, or hold my body close to his. It was always about more than the kiss. It was a way of connecting with him. He made every kiss, even though there were a lot of them, feel special.

Like always, I was so lost in Edward's kiss, I forgot that I was in the Cullen kitchen. That was until I heard the fridge door close. Edward and I pulled back and I looked over to the fridge. Carlisle was standing there with a can of root beer.

He smiled sheepishly at us. "I'm sorry to interrupt." He chuckled. "Carry on." He winked, before walking back to the family room.

I know my face was red, so I leaned my head onto Edward's shoulder. Edward started laughing, as he rubbed my back. "Don't be embarrassed, honey." He said. "Everyone knew that was why we came to the kitchen, anyway."

I raised my head to kiss his cheek. "I know, but still." I said, embarrassed about being caught in a very heated kiss in front of Edward's dad.

He smiled and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. We finished our dinner together in the kitchen, before going back into the family room. We squished between my dad and Jasper on the couch to finish watching the game.

Edward was talking with his brothers and cheering on the team, but I just stayed snuggled into his side, closing my eyes and enjoying the playful banter of the family around me.

I must have fallen asleep to the steady rise and fall of Edward's chest. I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head. I reached up and rubbed my eyes. "The game's over, baby. Your dad wants to head home." Edward whispered softly in my ear.

I sat up and kissed Edward's cheek. "Okay." I said, looking around, and noticing everyone else had cleared out of the room.

"You're dad's waiting outside for you." Edward said, filling some of the blanks for me. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay. I love you so much, angel." He said, before leaning in for another kiss.

"I love you, too, Edward." I said, wrapping my arms around his warm body. Reluctantly we got up and walked hand in hand to the front door. Everyone was outside sitting on the porch.

"Bella, Alice is having her slumber party tomorrow night." Esme told me. "Are you still up for it?"

Alice was looking up at me hopefully, her hands clasped together and a pout on her face. "Please, Bella."

I giggled at how cute she was. "Of course, Alice." I said, crouching down and pulling her into a hug. "I wouldn't miss my best friend's first ever slumber party." I told her.

"Thanks, Bella." She said. "My other friends are going to be here at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon."

"I won't be late." I told her giggling at her enthusiasm.

"Bring your sleeping bag." She said, excitedly.

After I kissed her forehead, and gave Alice one more hug, I got up and gave hugs to all my favourite Cullens. "Thanks for dinner, Esme." I said, giving her a hug. "Do you need me here early to help set up?"

"I think we're fine, but you can come whenever you want, sweetheart." She said, kissing my cheek. "Thanks for doing this for Alice. She's so excited." She whispered in my ear.

"I'm happy to." I said.

Edward took my hand and walked me to the truck. "Can I come bug you before two o'clock?" Edward whispered.

I laughed. "I was hoping you would, actually." I said. "I need my Edward fix before the 'no boys allowed' slumber party."

Edward laughed. "Call me when you're up." He said, giving me a kiss. "Goodnight, baby. Sleep well." He opened the truck door for me and helped me in. "Goodnight, Charlie."

"Night, Edward." My dad said. Edward shut the door, and waved at us as we drove home.

"Sorry, I fell asleep, dad." I said on the way home.

"That's okay. Edward didn't seem to mind being your pillow." He chuckled, making me blush. "So, you're sleeping over with Alice tomorrow night?" He asked.

"Yeah. She's really excited." I told him. "What are you going to do tomorrow?"

"I think I might just head over to Heidi's tomorrow, help her cut the lawn, you know, just a lazy day." He said.

"That's sounds great dad." I said. I loved that he was spending his time with Heidi. They already sounded like a married couple, doing yard work together. I thought it was adorable.

When we got home, we both went straight to bed. I think we were both still tired from the camping trip. I tossed and turned all night, my bed feeling so empty without Edward. Finally at six in the morning, I couldn't stand it anymore. I got up and had a shower. I got dressed in some beige cargo shorts and a bright purple t-shirt. I curled my hair and then headed down to the kitchen to make breakfast at about seven o'clock.

I made a fruit salad and some toast. My dad came down and we ate together. I loved sharing breakfast with him. It was sort of our thing. I liked this routine.

After we ate, he gave me a hug and then headed over to Heidi's house. It didn't escape my notice that he had a small overnight bag with him, but I saved us both the embarrassment and didn't bring it up.

I called Edward at about eight o'clock and he told me that he'd be over in ten minutes. I washed up the dishes and cleaned the kitchen, finishing just as the doorbell rang. When I opened the door, I was met with a pair of lips being pressed to mine. I groaned, as Edward kept kissing me, walking me backwards into the house. I leaned back, laughing.

"Well, good morning." I said, a little breathless.

"God, I missed you last night, baby. I couldn't sleep." He admitted, before he started kissing my face.

"Me neither. I tossed and turned all night." I told him. "You want to go upstairs and lay down? It's easier for me to reach your lips."

Edward chuckled. "What are we waiting for?" He asked, taking my hand and leading me up the stairs. I followed behind him, giggling at his enthusiasm. We crawled onto the bed and looked into each other's eyes. "I love you, Bella." He said, running his fingers through my hair. "Oh, wait. I'll be right back." He said, chuckling, leaning in to kiss my lips once, before he got off my bed and ran out of the room.

I laughed at him. He was so cute. About two minutes later, he came running back into the room with a purple and white variegated tulip, a little gift bag and a huge smile. "Sorry. I forgot this in the car." He said, climbing on the bed and passing me the flower.

"Aw. Thank you, baby. It's beautiful." I said, leaning over to kiss his lips. "You're keeping the flower shop open, huh?" I teased, setting the flower on the bedside table, so I could wrap my arms around him.

"Yeah, I think so." He laughed. "Oh, and this goes with it. My mom made me put it in this bag." He said, quietly, almost like he was embarrassed.

I took the bag from him and pulled out a new beautiful journal. It had a rich brown leather cover. "Oh, Edward it's beautiful." I said, running my hand over the cover. "I love it. Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it." He said, taking it from my hands and setting it on the floor. "Now, where were we?" He asked, his smirk back in full force.

"I believe you were telling me that you loved me." I told him, straddling his lap, so I could run my hands over his chest. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and his light, worn jeans today.

He smiled, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me so I was laying on his chest. "That's right. I do love you." He whispered, leaning in to kiss me, with his eyes closed.

"I love you, too." I said, kissing his chin. "So is Emmett still mad at us?"

Edward laughed. "No, he actually apologized to me this morning at breakfast. He told me to tell you he's sorry for overreacting."

"Aw. I understand how he feels. I guess when you pull two soul mates apart, it's bound to be tough." I said, running my finger through his hair. "So, are the boys already over at Rose and Maria's house?"

"Yeah. They left when I did." He said, smiling. "We were three happy guys this morning."

"Aw, baby. You boys are so cute." I said, resting my head on Edward's chest and he rubbed his hands over my back. "I'm happy, too."


	224. Best Friends First

**A/N - So, it is Saturday, July 3, 2010 in the story! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 224 - Best Friends First

Edward and I ended up having a quick nap in each others' arms in the morning. We both hadn't slept well the night before, so we were taking advantage of our quiet, alone time. I fell asleep instantly, and when I woke up, Edward was still quietly snoring.

I slipped out of bed and decided to make us lunch. I had missed cooking in this kitchen while we were away. I took some chicken breasts out of the freezer and put them in the frying pan. I got a saucepan and mixed up some pineapple and red pepper glaze and then cooked us up some rice.

I was just about to start slicing the chicken, when I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist. "I was wondering where you ran off to?" He whispered, before moving my hair off of my neck and placing a nice long kiss there. "This smells delicious."

"Thanks, baby. I just missed cooking and I thought I'd make us a nice lunch." I explained, as I kept working, despite having Edward stuck to my back. "Do you want to get me two plates?" I asked.

Edward chuckled. "Trying to get rid of me, huh?" He said, letting me go to grab the dishes. He set them on the counter for me and I plated us up some chicken on a bed of rice, before drizzling the glaze over top.

"You are amazing, angel. That looks incredible." Edward said, carrying the plates to the table. We sat across from each other as we ate. Edward moaned and groaned his way through lunch, complimenting me constantly on how good it was. I just laughed at him, considering how easy this meal was to pull together. But, I was happy that he enjoyed it.

"You're going to make this for dinner when we get back to school, right?" He asked, making sure to eat every last bite.

I giggled. "If you want me to. I'll make it for you whenever you want, Edward. It's really easy, actually." I told him.

After we ate, I washed the dishes and Edward dried them. "So, what are you going to do this afternoon when a ton of little girls descend on the house?" I asked him.

"Oh, I guess I'm helping my dad set up tables and chairs in the backyard for the barbeque, tomorrow." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "They're putting me to work."

"Aw. Have you figured out a way to sneak me out of the slumber party, yet?" I asked.

He laughed. "I have, actually." He said, with a smirk. "You know I only ever think of you, babe."

I smiled at that idea. "You're a sweet boy." I said. "Want to help me pack?"

"Yes." He said, with his smirk back in full force. I loved his confidence. He took my hand and we walked back upstairs.

"Okay, I need a pair of yoga pants, a sleep shirt and a pair of underwear." I said, giving him a job I figured he'd like. And, by the smile on his face, I could tell he loved it. I went to my closet and pulled out a red tank top and a pair of jean shorts to wear until the barbeque. I walked over to my bed and sat down, watching Edward rifle through my dresser drawers.

He already had my new Oregon t-shirt on the bed with a pair of black yoga capris. He looked like he couldn't decide between two pairs of panties; a pair of black and white checker or pink with lace trim. I giggled a little and Edward turned around, his cheeks a little flushed.

"Oh, sorry, Bella." He said. "Um, are these okay?" He asked, bringing over the checkered pair.

I pulled him down on the bed to sit beside me, and put my hands on his warm cheeks. "That's fine, Edward." I assured him. "Why are you blushing?" I thought it was funny how I was asking that question for a change, instead of Edward asking me.

He chuckled a little. "I don't really know. I guess I don't have a lot experience with this stuff." He said, looking down at my underwear that he was still holding.

"Aw. You're adorable." I said, smiling at him. I got up and packed my overnight bag with my clothes and pyjamas, slipping the underwear out of Edward's hand and putting it in the bag. I went over to my drawer, and pulled out my strapless bra for my sundress, and a white cotton one for the morning, adding them to my bag. I walked over to my closet and got out my sundress, leaving it on the hanger.

"Okay. I guess I'm all packed." I said, walking over and straddling Edward's lap.

"Good. Sure you can't pack for an extra night?" He asked, leaning in to kiss me. "Why can't I have a slumber party?" He said, smiling, but I was sure he was very serious.

"Edward Cullen. We are moving in together in two months. It will be like an eight month long slumber party." I told him.

He smiled before leaning in to kiss me. He leaned us back on the bed, before turning over so he was on top of me. We spent the next half hour in a heaven of kissing and touching, that left me breathless and a little rumpled.

Edward was currently nipping at my earlobe, while I caught my breath. He really was insatiable. My phone rang, making me jump. Edward reached over to the bedside table to grab it, and then passed it to me.

"Hello?" I asked, still a little short of breath.

"Hi, Bella. It's one o'clock, and you're not here, yet." Alice said frantically on the phone.

I laughed. "I thought the party started at two o'clock?" I asked, rolling over onto to my side, and running my fingers over Edward's chest.

"It does, Bella. But you're my best friend and you should be here first." She explained. "This is my very first slumber party and I might need your help."

"Okay, Alice, don't worry." I told her. "We're on our way and I promise, I'll be the first one there, okay?" I didn't realize that Alice was this nervous for the slumber party.

"Promise?" She asked, sounding so small.

"I promise. I've already packed my bags." I told her.

"Okay. I'll see you soon." She said.

"We'll be there in fifteen minutes." I reassured her. "And, Alice. Don't worry. We're going to have so much fun."

"Alright. Thanks, Bella." She said, before hanging up.

I set my phone down and leaned in to kiss Edward. "Is our time up already?" He asked, pouting out his bottom lip. I giggled at him, before kissing his lip.

"I'm needed at my best friend's house. Apparently, as the best friend, I'm supposed to be the first one to the slumber party." I explained.

"She's nervous?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Yeah." I said. "She'll be fine." I reached up and tried to fix Edward's hair, which was more then a little messed up. "But, I really enjoyed our time together, today." I added.

"So did I, baby." He said. "But, I'll be around the house, or in the yard, so maybe I can steal you away for a few minutes from time to time."

"I doubt it. It sounds like Alice is going to have a very tight reign on me." I laughed. "But, I wish you luck, because I'm going to miss these lips." I said, leaning in for another kiss.

"Mm." He moaned. "I'm up for the challenge."

We got off the bed and I picked up my new journal, pressing my rose from Thursday, my carnation from yesterday and my tulip from today. I would have loved to have kept it out longer to enjoy it, but I wouldn't be home until late Sunday night. I packed my journal in my purse and picked up my dress, while Edward carried my over night bag.

I stopped in the bathroom to grab my deodorant, and makeup bag and tossed them in my bag. We got everything loaded in the car. Edward had just turned on the car when I remembered that I had forgotten my sleeping bag. I ran back in the house to grab it from the closet by the front door.

When I got back to the car, Edward was on the phone. "Princess, we are literally in the car. Bella was in such a hurry to get there that she almost forgot her sleeping bag." He told her. "Okay, we'll be right there. Bye."

"Nobody else is there, yet, right?" I asked, hoping I hadn't disappointed her.

"No, it's only quarter after one, babe." Edward reassured me. We drove to the house and found Alice was pacing on the deck. When she saw the car, she seemed to perk up, running down to meet me. Edward leaned over and pressed a kiss to my lips.

"You made it." Alice said, sounding relieved. "I'm so happy you're here." She took my hand and starting leading me to the house. She looked over her shoulder. "Edward can you bring in Bella's sleeping bag?"

Edward starting laughing and I bit my lip to hold in my giggles. It seemed like her nerves were gone. Alice was so cute when she was down to business. This was going to be an interesting evening and I was really looking forward to it.


	225. New Friends

**A/N - Thanks again for reading! It is still Saturday, July 3rd! Now for the slumber party! Enjoy!**

Chapter 225 - New Friends

Alice led me into the living room where Esme was setting out all sorts of snacks. She smiled at me, before coming over to give me a hug. "Thanks so much for coming, Bella." She whispered.

I smiled. "Happy to be the very first one here." I said, loud enough for Alice to hear.

Edward came in the door with my purse on his left shoulder and my overnight bag on his right. He was clutching my sleeping bag to his chest and was holding my dress in his free hand. He looked so adorable.

"Baby, do you want me to put your things in my room?" He asked. But before I could answer, I saw a flash. I turned and saw Esme with her camera, with Carlisle standing behind her, with a smile on his face. I was so glad she captured that moment. "Mom." Edward sighed, but couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

"I'm sorry, Edward." Esme giggled. "I just thought that Alice would want pictures of her first slumber party."

I looked over at Alice and she had her hands on her hips. "Edward. She is sleeping with us in the family room." She said.

"I know, I know." He chuckled. "So, the sleeping bag stays here." He said.

I walked up to him and kissed his lips. "Thank you, babe." I said. I took the sleeping bag from him. "You can put the rest in your room. I love you." I whispered, sneaking one more quick kiss.

Edward smiled at me. "I love you, too."

"Okay, the first rule of this slumber party is no boys allowed." Alice said.

"Do dads and brothers count?" Carlisle asked Alice, looking over at Edward and I. I loved that they were playing along with her.

"Well, you are boys." She giggled.

Carlisle came over and kissed her cheek. "Have fun, Alice." He walked over to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Good luck." He chuckled.

I watched as Edward trudged up the stairs with my bags. The doorbell rang and Alice and I ran to the door. It was Bree and her mom, Victoria, whom I hadn't seen since the dance recital in May. Bree looked a little nervous, standing there with her sleeping bag in her arms and a little backpack on, but Alice soon had her wrapped up in tight hug, making her laugh.

I waved at Victoria before Alice took both mine and Bree's hand and led us into the family room. I noticed that they had moved the coffee table, so we could lay our sleeping bags in the area between the sectional couches. "This is my sleeping bag." Alice said, sitting on the little purple sleeping bag with Disney fairies printed on it. "Do you want to set yours up, too?" Alice asked, looking at me for guidance. I nodded and smiled at her.

"Okay." Bree said. As we were both unrolling our sleeping bags, I noticed that Bree was wearing the little beaded bracelet form Arizona that Edward had given her from our trip back in May. I thought is was adorable that she was still wearing it. "My sleeping bag is grey." Bree said. "It's actually my mom's."

"I like it, Bree." I said, unrolling mine. "My dad just got this for me." I was just about to ask who else was coming, but the doorbell rang, again. We all looked at each and giggled, before running to the door.

"It's Tia." Alice said, opening the door. There was a little girl, with long, silky, black hair and glasses standing by the door alone. I looked out in the driveway and there was a boy about Emmett's age sitting in a rusty sports car. The little girl turned and waved at him and he honked his horn before pulling out.

"That's my big brother, Benjamin." She said, rolling her eyes, and pushing her glasses back up her nose. I picked up her little suitcase for her and she carried her sleeping bag in. She followed Alice into the family room and started setting up her sleeping bag.

"Is this everybody?" I asked, sitting with the girls. Bree came and sat right beside me, and Alice and Tia sat across from us.

"Yeah, for now. My new friends from camping are going to be here at six o'clock." Alice said.

"Should we all introduce ourselves?" I asked Alice.

She lit up at that idea. "Okay." She said. "You go first."

I smiled at her. "Alright. My name is Bella, and I live with my dad in Forks in the summer and I live in Seattle from September to April to go to school. And I'm eighteen." I said.

"Do you live with your mom in Seattle?" Tia asked.

"No, I lived by myself last year, but this year, I'm going to have a roommate." I said.

Alice laughed. "She's going to live with my brother, Edward. He goes to the same college as Bella."

Tia looked up at me with big eyes. "You have a boyfriend?" She asked with such awe in her voice, like it was the most incredible thing she ever heard.

"Yes." I said, smiling at the thought of Edward.

"Do you kiss him and stuff?" She asked. "And are you going to marry him?" She was a very inquisitive little girl.

I laughed. "Yes to both questions. But, let's not talk about him right now. I was told that there were no boys allowed." I was hoping to take the attention off myself. I was not going to talk about my relationship with Edward with a group of seven year olds.

Alice giggled. "That is the first rule of the slumber party. No boys." That seemed to work for now. "Okay, you guys all know me." Alice said.

"Well, I'm Tia. I'm seven and a half years old." The girl said, pushing her little glasses back up on her nose. I found the habit to be adorable. "I live in Forks with my parents and my older brother and I was in Miss Jones' class with Alice."

"It's very nice to meet you, Tia." I told her. Everyone looked over at Bree, but she still looked a little nervous. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder to encourage her.

"I'm Bree and me and Alice we were in ballet together. I'm seven, too, but I'm from Port Angeles." She said quietly.

"I really like your curly hair." Tia told Bree. "Mine is stick straight and I can never get it to curl."

Bree blushed a little, but thanked her. "Do guys want to go play Barbies for a while?" Alice asked. The girls were all excited at the idea, and I was excited to get upstairs. I hadn't seen Edward come down, yet, so I figured he was still in his room. We all went up to Alice's room, but I excused myself to go to the bathroom.

I looked over my shoulder, and when I was sure I wasn't followed, I snuck into Edward's room. He was just walking out of his bathroom, and when he saw me, he smiled widely. He was over to me one second and was kissing me in the next. He had one hand on my back and the other in my hair. He pulled back, placing little kisses over and over on my lips.

"How did you escape?" He asked, between kisses.

"Oh, I'm supposed to be in the bathroom." I told him, smiling.

"Mm. Good call." He whispered, before kissing me, again.

"Okay." I said, giggling, and pushing him back a little. "I'd better get back in there. We're playing Barbies."

He chuckled. "Okay. Have fun." He pressed one more kiss to my lips. "Love you."

"Love you, too, Edward." I said, before slipping back out of Edward's room, smiling at him over my shoulder.

I went back into Alice's room and joined the girls. We ended up playing for over an hour, dressing the dolls up like princesses and pretending that Alice's bed was the castle. We had a big masquerade ball and Tia kept calling one of the Ken dolls, Edward. I think she was still really fascinated with the idea of me having a boyfriend. It was cute.

At around three-thirty, we headed back downstairs. "What should we do now?" Alice asked me.

"Hmm. Do you girls want to make cupcakes?" I asked them. "Then we'll have something to eat for dessert when the other two girls get here."

I was met with a chorus of excited cheers from the girls, as we all headed into the kitchen. Edward and Carlisle were in the kitchen, just walking out the back door. Edward winked at me, before closing the door.

"Was that Edward?" Tia asked me, and Bree nodded her head, her cheeks pink. "He's really cute." She said, making me laugh. These girls were adorable.


	226. Breaking Rules

**A/N - I'm so glad you all seem to be enjoying the slumber party! Thanks for reading! More to come! Enjoy!**

Chapter 226 - Breaking Rules

The girls all sat around the kitchen table, and added the ingredients in the bowl as I called them out. We made quite a team and had the vanilla cupcakes in the oven in no time. I tidied up the kitchen, while the girls each licked a battered covered spoon.

While the cupcakes cooled by the window, we whipped up some frosting and made a few different colors. We decorated the cupcakes and the girls went overboard with the colors and sprinkles, but it was fun and it was a slumber party, so it didn't matter.

Esme would pop her head in the kitchen to take pictures of us from time to time. I was having fun with the girls, and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves, too. Even Bree was coming out of her shell a little, talking and laughing a little more.

Esme came in the kitchen to make dinner, so the girls and I went back into the family room. Alice had gotten out a huge pile of teen celebrity magazines for the girls to read. I really wasn't up to date on the new young singers that were out now. I was clearly hanging out with Edward and his old time jazz and blues too long.

"Bella. Could you help me in the kitchen for a second, please." Esme called out.

"I'll be right back." I said, getting up. The girls barely noticed I left, as they were fawning over the pictures in the magazines.

I walked into the kitchen and was greeted with Edward's strong arms. He smiled at me and pressed a long, warm kiss to my lips.

"I can't believe I was talked into being an accomplice." Esme said, giggling.

"Thanks, mom." Edward whispered. "I owe you."

"You're very crafty." I teased wrapping my arms around his waist. "I missed you this afternoon."

"Me, too. Are you having fun, though?" He asked.

"I am. And just a fair warning. The little girl with the glasses thinks you're really cute." I told him giggling.

"She's got good taste." He teased, with a smirk. "I'll see you at dinner." He said, kissing me once more, and spanking my bum as I turned around to go back into the family room. I just giggled and shook my head.

When I walked into the family room, Emmett and Jasper were just walking in the front door. "Hey, guys." I said. "How are the girls?"

"Awesome." Emmett laughed. He came over and pulled me into a tight hug. "Did Edward pass on my apology this morning?" He must have still been worried about telling Edward and I not to kiss because he missed Rose.

"Yeah. You're forgiven." I said. "Don't worry about stuff like that. You are the brothers I never had." I told both Emmett and Jasper. "And I love you both. You have my permission to treat me like a sister, and that includes teasing."

Emmett laughed. "Oh, you are so going to regret saying that." He said, making Jasper laugh.

"Where's Edward?" Jasper asked.

"Um, the last I saw him, he was in the kitchen, so start there." I suggested.

"Bella?" I heard Alice call. "Where are you?"

I giggled. "Sorry, guys. I'm breaking the first and only rule of a slumber party. No boys." I said, giggling. "See you at dinner." I ran back into the family room, to find the girls all spread out across their sleeping bags.

I flopped down between Alice and Bree. "Okay, girls. What did I miss?" I asked, hopping they wouldn't smell Edward's cologne on me.

"Oh, we were just deciding who was cuter. Nick Jonas or Justin Bieber?" Tia told me. "I think Nick is, and so does Bree, but Alice thinks Justin." All the girls were giggling. The only cute boy in my books was Edward.

"What do you think, Bella?" Alice asked me. I bit my lip and held back a giggle. "Um." I honestly had no idea what to say. Luckily for me, the doorbell rang. All of the girls scrambled up off of the floor and ran to the door.

"It's Jen and Mary." Alice said excitedly as she opened the door. Alice pulled both girls into a hug. "When did you guys get back from camping?" She asked.

"We haven't even been home, yet." Mary said.

"We just left at lunchtime today." Jen added.

I smiled at the cute little girls Alice had met in the playground when we were camping. They were so adorable with their matching red curls and freckles. "Hi girls. Do you remember me? I'm Bella." I said.

"We remember." They said in unison. Twins were so cool, I thought to myself. They girls ran up and hugged me around the waist.

"This is my friend, Tia, from school, and this is my friend, Bree, from ballet." Alice introduced the girls to each other.

"So, who do you think is cuter, Justin Bieber or Nick Jonas?" Tia asked the twins. They both blushed and giggled as they yelled out Justin. I had to laugh at them. It was amazing how easy it was for kids to make friends. They didn't judge each other. The girls all seemed to make an instant connection.

They all followed Alice into the family room, and I went out on the porch to talk to the girls' mom. "Hi, Bella." She said. "I have a cousin in Forks, so we'll be staying with her tonight." She passed me the number in case I needed anything. Esme came out to the porch to join us and introduced herself. She invites the twins' parents to stay for dinner, but she politely declined. She did agree to come to the barbeque the next day, though.

After Jen and Mary's mom left, Esme wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "How's it going?" She asked me.

I smiled. "It's great. The girls are all getting along well, but I can't decide who's cuter, Nick or Justin?" I teased.

"Oh, Bella. You're doing great." She said. "Dinner's in about ten minutes, okay?" She told me as we were walking back into the house.

"I think I can hold out." I joked. "How's Edward?"

"He's driving me crazy in the kitchen." She laughed. "But, I love having him home." I smiled at that thought.

I joined the girls and they were all giggling over the magazines. "Bella, you have to take this quiz. It tells you who your celebrity boyfriend is." Alice told me.

Alice read out the questions and all the girls and I wrote our answers. At the end of the quiz, we all figured out our answers and laughed over the results. I got matched up with Zac Efron, and all the girls were jealous of my celebrity boyfriend.

"Girls. Dinner." Esme called. We all went into the dining room and I noticed that there were only six table settings. I looked desperately at Esme and she shrugged, looking remorseful. I was so looking forward to eating dinner with Edward. "The boys and I are eating in the kitchen if you need anything." She added.

We all sat at the table, Alice, me and Bree on one side, and Jen, Mary and Tia on the other. Esme had made a delicious meal of spaghetti and meatballs.

"Do you girls like cheese on your spaghetti?" I asked. I was met with a chorus of cheers, so I quickly made my escape into the kitchen. Edward must have been watching the doorway, because the second he saw me, he was out of his chair and over to me.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned in to kiss my lips. "I guess, this morning, Alice asked mom to let you girls eat together." Edward whispered against my lips, before giving me one more kiss.

"I miss you, baby." I whispered. "They're matching me up with Zac Efron." I whined, sliding my hands into his back pockets. The strange thing was that I knew Edward's family was right behind us at the table, and as embarrassed as I normally would have been, I couldn't bring myself to care right now. I missed my boyfriend and I was going to steal every second with him that I could.

Edward chuckled. "Is he cuter than me?" Edward teased, making me laugh.

"Of course not." I said, leaning back in for another kiss.

"Woo." I heard from behind me, followed by a bunch of giggles. I guess I had been found out.

"Hello, ladies." Edward said, smiling at all the little girls and making them blush. "Have you come for Bella?" They all giggled and nodded their heads. "Well, I'm breaking the rules and I'm holding her hostage. You've got to come get her." He said. He lifted me up and ran into the family room. We were both laughing as he flopped us down on the couch.

The girls all ran into the room and started tickling Edward and I. Alice and Bree grabbed my hands and pulled me into the pile of sleeping bags and pillows, still tickling me. The twins were on either side of Edward, tickling his armpits, while Tia sat on the floor in front of him and tied his socks together. I heard laughter behind us, and I knew the rest of the Cullens were watching us.

"Okay, okay. I surrender the fair Bella." Edward laughed. "I can't breathe." The girls all got up giggling and ran back into the dining room to finish their dinner.

"Good try, handsome." I said, leaning over him to press a quick kiss to his lips. With Edward breaking the rules, this slumber party was looking up.


	227. Sneaking and Sleeping

**A/N - Thank you to everyone that is reading! I'm amazed everyday when I see that people are still checking this out! Thank you for supporting my writing, and my little dream world. Enjoy!**

Chapter 227 - Sneaking and Sleeping

The girls and I finished our dinner and then we all went into the family room to watch a movie and eat our cupcakes. I laid on my stomach on the sleeping bag and I noticed the other girls followed my lead. Alice put in 'High School Musical' and all the girls were excited about it. I hadn't seen it, but I was clearly the only one. All the girls were singing along to the songs and they started teasing me, when Zac Efron came on the screen. I had fun spending time with Alice like this. She was such a social girl and it was nice to see her interacting with friends her age.

After the movie, Alice decided we should change into our pyjamas. The girls took their bags to Alice's room, and I went into Edward's room. He wasn't in there, so I went in my purse to get my phone and I sent him a text message. 'In your room.'

I went in his bathroom, and undressed, slipping on my tie dyed Oregon t-shirt and my yoga pants. I brushed my teeth quickly with the toothbrush I had in Edward's bathroom, and then walked back into Edward's room.

I smiled when I saw him laying on the bed. "Hey, gorgeous." He said, moving to sit on the side of the bed. I walked up to him, standing between his legs. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my chest. "You look amazing in this t-shirt." He whispered.

"Thank you." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair and then down over his shoulders. "Where were you?" I asked him, leaning down to kiss his hair.

"Oh, Em, Jazz and I were in the basement playing video games." He told me, moving his hands down gently over my bum.

"I'm sorry that I interrupted, then." I told him, honestly.

"Don't worry about it." He said. "I'm not sure when you're all going to sleep, but I wanted the chance to tell you that I love you, and to say goodnight."

I moved his head back with my hands and leaned down to kiss him. I pulled back, smiling. "I love you, too." I said. "Thank you for sneaking me away from time to time. It's really cute."

He smiled. "But, I guess I'm no match for five little girls, huh?"

"They're like a little mob." I said, sitting on his lap. "But, Alice seems to be having a great time. I'm happy for her."

"So am I. I feel bad that she's just surrounded by us guys all the time." Edward admitted. "I'm so glad she's taken to you."

"Aw. You are such a sweet brother." I said, leaning in to kiss his neck. He groaned a little, wrapping his arms around me tighter. I pulled his collar over and started sucking on skin. He tasted so good.

"Bella, baby." Edward said, his voice strained, his hands running through my hair. "Uh, as much as I don't want you to stop, you'd better get downstairs before they come looking for you."

I smiled against his skin, before kissing a trail along his shoulder and up his neck. I nipped at his earlobe, before whispering in his ear. "I love you." I kissed my way over to his lips and gave him a long, passionate kiss to last him for the night.

We both pulled back a little breathless, and Edward chuckled. "You're amazing, babe. I love you." He said. I got up off of his lap and kissed him once more.

"Goodnight." I whispered, as I slid out of the room. Alice's bedroom light was out, so I went downstairs to join the girls in the family room. They had all the snacks from the coffee table on the sleeping bags and I spotted Alice's collection of hair clips.

"Hey, Bella." Tia called out. "Will you French braid my hair? Alice said you know how to do it."

"Of course." I told her. I sat on my knees behind her and combed out her long hair. I decided that I would only braid half, and leave the bottom long. Once the girls saw that, they all wanted it done. Alice added a couple of little flowered barrettes to Tia's hair.

All the girls were having fun as I took turns braiding all their hair. I did braided pigtails on Jen. Mary wanted the exact same style as her twin. I gave Bree a bun in her hair, because she was a ballerina and Alice got tiny pigtails.

Then they all descended on me. I swear I had five girls all pulling and tugging on my hair. I could feel that they were giving me little braids and pulling up sections. Alice kept adding clips and ribbons and I knew it was going to take me a long time to take this all out. What I didn't do for Alice!

Alice called her mom, and Esme came in to take pictures of all of our hairstyles. It was fun and I liked watching the girls pose for the camera. They were just too cute. Alice put in another movie. Apparently there was a sequel to the first movie we had watched tonight. We all slid into our sleeping bags to watch it, but the girls were out cold by the time we were half way through. I slid Tia's glasses off of her nose and set them on the coffee table. I shut off the movie and then walked over to shut off the light. I saw the light on in the kitchen so I went in to see who was up. Esme and Carlisle were sitting at the table have a cup of tea.

"Hi, Bella." Carlisle said when he saw me. "Are the girls asleep?"

"Yeah. They're out like a light." I said, smiling. "I think they were just excited and having so much fun that they wore themselves out."

"I can't thank you enough for doing this for Alice. She was so excited for you to be here." Esme said.

"Well, I'm happy to do it." I said.

"The boys are all still in the basement if you wanted to go down." Carlisle said. "I'm sure the girls will sleep right through the night."

I smiled at the idea. "Sounds great. I'll see you both in the morning." I said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Esme said.

I went down the stairs and found the guys flopped over the couches watching some kind of action movie complete with explosions and scantily clad women. "Am I interrupting a guys' night?" I asked, giggling.

The smile on Edward's face was breathtaking. "Hey, babe. No, you're not interrupting." He lifted his afghan off and opened his arms. He was laying on the leather couch. I went over and laid in front of him. He covered us both in the blanket and wrapped his arms around my stomach, pressing my back to his chest.

"What's up with your hair, Bella?" Emmett asked.

I giggled. "It's the result of five, seven year old girls loaded up on sugar and teen heart throbs." The guys all laughed. "What are we watching?"

"Oh, this is Transformers." Emmett said. "And Megan Fox." He gave Jasper a high five. I laughed at how much of a teenaged boy cliché they were being right now.

"Never seen it." I said. Edward leaned over my shoulder and kissed my cheek. "Any cute boys in it?" I asked, teasing.

Edward tickled my stomach, and I laughed. "You've got one right behind you." Edward whispered.

"I'm just saying that perhaps you three boys are watching this movie for more than the plot line." I teased.

"We are do no such thing." Emmett laughed, sounding a little guilty. "We all have beautiful girlfriends."

"I'm just teasing you guys." I laughed. "But, thank you."

Edward snuggled in close and we watched the rest of the movie. I was so happy just being back in Edward's arms. I could admit that I craved his touch when I wasn't with him.

I started dozing off close to the end of the movie. Edward leaned in to kiss behind my ear. "You'd better get back to your sleepover before they notice you're gone." He whispered.

I sat up and gave Edward a hug. "Goodnight. I love you." I said to him.

"Love you, too, Bella." Emmett said, teasingly.

"Well, thank you. I love all of you boys." I said, getting up. "See you all tomorrow."

"Goodnight." Jasper said.

Edward took my hand and walked me back up to the kitchen. Being the lucky girl that I was, I got an extra goodnight kiss.

I snuck back into the family room and slid into my sleeping bag. The girls were all still sound asleep. I smiled at them all. They were a great group of girls, and Alice was lucky to have so many great friends in her life.


	228. Fireworks

**A/N - Thanks for reading! Hope you're all having a great weekend! The story date is Sunday, July 4, 2010! Enjoy!**

Chapter 228 - Fireworks

I woke up to a kiss on my cheek. I smiled, and rolled over. Edward was laying beside me on the floor, with his head on my pillow. "Good morning, angel. Happy Fourth of July." He whispered.

I smiled at him. "What time is it? Where are the girls?" I asked sitting up.

Edward sat up with me. "It's nine o'clock in the morning. The girls are outside running around already." He laughed. "They were up at seven o'clock."

"Why didn't you guys wake me up?" I asked, reached up to feel my messy stack of hair.

"Oh, you deserved to sleep. You did so much for the girls yesterday." He told me. "Do you want something to eat or do you want to get dressed first?"

"Um, I probably look really horrible. Can I go have a shower in your room?" I asked him.

"Of course, Bella. What's mine is yours." He said, leaning in to kiss me. "And you look adorable." He said, smiling. He got up and then put his hands out to help me up.

He took my hand and we walked up to his room together. I noticed he was wearing a blue and white striped polo shirt and pair of beige cargo shorts. "You look incredibly handsome, by the way." I told Edward when we got to his room.

"Thanks, baby." He said, smiling. "Here. Sit on my bed and I'll help you get all these ribbons and bows out of your hair."

I smiled up at him. He was so sweet. "Okay, but hurry, though. I have to pee." I said, giggling.

Edward laughed. "Just go, babe. We'll do this when you get back."

I got up and ran to his bathroom. After I used the bathroom, washed my hands and brushed my teeth, I came back over to sit on his bed. "Better?" Edward teased.

I laughed. "Much." I said. "You know, I hope our kids have your bladder and not mine." I mused.

Edward sat behind me on the bed, putting his legs on either side of me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and hugged me to his chest. He kissed the side of my head. "I love hearing you talk about our future." He said.

I smiled, placing my hands on his calves, and gently running my fingers up and down his legs. I noticed he had goose bumps on his skin. "I guess it just feels right, doesn't it?" I asked, more to myself than Edward. As much as I was enjoying our relationship now, I was really starting to think more and more about the future. I knew I had panicked a little on Thursday when I though Edward was going to propose, but I was more than confident about our relationship and spending our lives together.

Edward moved his hands on top of mine on his legs and gave them a little squeeze. "Everything feels right with you, Bella." He said, and I could here the smile in his voice. "Okay, let's get this stuff out, so I can run my fingers through your pretty hair."

I reached up and started undoing a braid on the side of my head. I could feel Edward unclipping a barrette on the back of my head. I brought my hand up and rubbed the back of my head. That's why my head hurt. I must have been laying on that clip.

"Did I pull your hair?" Edward asked, gently running his fingers over my scalp.

"No, babe. I must have slept on that one." I laughed. It took us about twenty minutes to get everything out of my hair. Those girls were crazy.

"All done." Edward said, wrapping his arms around me again, giving me a big, warm hug.

"Thanks, Edward. I guess that's how chimpanzees feel, right?" I laughed.

Edward laughed loudly, before kissing the back of my head. "I'd pick your fleas, any day." He teased, making me laugh. I turned around to face Edward and I pushed him on his back. I crawled up over him and laid on his chest.

"I love it when you're playful." I giggled.

"I'm always playful. What are you talking about?" He laughed.

"I don't know." I said, snuggling my head onto his chest, so I could hear his heartbeat. "I just love you, that's all. And I missed you yesterday. You're going to have to pry me off of your arm today. I'm not letting go of you."

"Well, I like the sound of that, honey. I missed you, too." He said, rolling us over and kissing my lips. The minute our lips touched, that was it. Our kisses kept getting longer and more passionate.

We were both moaning and panting, before I pulled Edward's shirt off. I started a trail of kisses across his bare chest. He was breathing really hard and his chest was moving up and down. He brought his hands to the bottom of my sleep shirt, and started pulling it up. "Can I?" He breathed out. I nodded my head. "No, say it, Bella. I want you to be sure."

"Yes, Edward." I answered. He slid his hands up my body and slowly lifted my night shirt off of my body.

"You are so beautiful, Bella." He whispered, looking down at my body, before he brought his hand over my shoulder and moved his hand down my back. This was the first time his had actually seen me topless face to face. "Is this okay?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Yeah. It's a little weird for me, because no one has ever seen me like this." I explained.

"Thank you for talking to me, and thank you for letting me see you." He whispered, leaning in to kiss my neck. "You are so perfect, Bella." He trailed his kisses lower down my chest. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of his soft lips and hands on my body.

I reached my hands up and ran my fingers through his hair. He was so gentle. This was a first for him, too, so I knew he was nervous. My stomach growled, and Edward chuckled against my skin, before placing a kiss right over my bellybutton.

"You go have your shower, and I'll bring you some breakfast, okay?" Edward asked, slowly sitting up. He passed me my t-shirt and I slipped it on. I sat up and then sat on Edward's lap. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you for being so sweet and patient with me." I whispered, lightly sucking on his earlobe.

"Of course, baby. I love you." He said, running his hands up and down my back.

"Okay, I'll try to be as quick as possible. I'm hungry." I giggled.

Edward laughed. "Take your time, babe. The barbeque isn't until two o'clock." He smirked. "We have hours together."

I smiled at him. "I can't wait." I said. He winked, before pulling his shirt back on and slipping out of his room. I grabbed my bag and went into Edward's bathroom. I turned on the water and had a nice hot shower. I could still feel Edward's lips on my skin. I couldn't get the smile off of my face.

We had made a comfortable step forward. It was a big step for me, but I was fine with it. I knew Edward and I were forever, and I knew that we weren't going to go all the way, so I was okay with it. And I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend. Edward was so sweet and almost too gentle. I actually felt this hands shaking a little on my back.

I knew this was important to him, too. And I was glad that I could share myself with him. I was still smiling when I stepped out of the shower, and as I got dressed, thinking about how far we had come since that day in March when I couldn't even get out my own name. We had been almost inseparable ever since meeting for the that class project. I looked down at the promise ring on my right hand. I was so in love.

I dried my hair and curled it, before putting on some light make up. I walked back out into Edward's room and smiled. He was sitting on the bed with a huge plate of pancakes that were covered in strawberries, whipped cream and blueberries. "Red, white and blue." He said, smiling.

I looked on his bed side table and he a glass of orange juice and small vase with a one each of red, white and blue coloured carnations. "Aw, Edward. This is perfect. Thank you." I said, walking over to him and sitting beside him.

He smiled, clearly glad I liked his surprised. "Well, I wanted to give you breakfast in bed."

"I really love it, babe." I said, leaning over to give him a kiss. We spent the next half hour feeding each other fruit and pancakes. Edward put a dollop of whipped cream on my nose before licking it off. I laughed at his playfulness. I dipped my finger in some of the strawberry syrup and coated it along Edward's bottom lip. I leaned in and sucked his lip into my mouth. Edward and sugar were a dangerous combination. He was delicious. This Fourth of July was starting off with a bang and Edward and I were already making our own fireworks.


	229. From the Heart

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! It is still Independence Day in the story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 229 - From the Heart

We stayed in Edward's room until noon, just laying in bed together, sharing kisses and talking about nothing of importance. It was nice. I loved being in my own little world with just Edward. We were perfectly comfortable with each other, especially after the moment we shared this morning.

"Looking back, you're not regretting what we did this morning, right?" Edward asked, as we sat up to head back to reality.

"No, Edward. I loved it. I wasn't even that nervous." I admitted. "It felt right. It's just like you said. We'll do what feels right, and that did to me."

"Can I be honest?" He asked me, running his hands over his thighs. I hadn't seen him do that in a while.

"Please." I said, taking his hand and bringing it to my lips.

"I was incredibly nervous." He said. I looked up at him and smiled in encouragement. His cheeks were a little flushed at his admission. "I mean, I wanted to. But, that was definitely a new experience for me." He chuckled.

"Did you like it?" I asked, blushing after I said it.

"Absolutely. Bella, you are so beautiful and so incredibly sexy." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "And the fact that you were willing to open yourself up to me, well, that was the best part."

He reached up and ran his fingers through my hair. "But, you think you'd want to try that again?" I asked.

"Yes." Edward said immediately, making us both laugh at his eagerness. "I mean, if you do?" He chuckled.

I laughed at him. "I like that you're honest, though, Edward." I said. "It makes me less nervous."

"Okay. Um, one more embarrassing question." Edward said. I leaned in and kissed his lips, hoping to make him feel more relaxed. "Uh, was it good? Like did it feel okay?"

"Yes, Edward. It felt amazing, and you were very gentle." I told him. "You don't have to be nervous, though. It's just me."

He chuckled. "I know, babe. I just really don't know what I'm doing here." I really appreciated Edward's honesty and I understood his nerves. The best I could do was reassure him, like he always did for me.

"Well, for someone that doesn't know what they're doing, you were amazing." I told him. I straddled his legs and leaned in to kiss him.

"Mm." Edward moaned against my lips. He moved his hands down to my bum, pulling me close to his body.

"Babe, uh, we need to go downstairs and help your mom." I said, as he kissed my neck.

"But, I love you and I want you all to myself." He whispered against my skin.

"You've had me for the last three hours." I laughed. "Come on." I said, standing up. Edward was sitting on the bed, pouting. He was so cute, but so very spoiled. It was my fault, too. I loved spoiling him, but right now, I wanted to help Esme. She was throwing a huge party for a lot of people, some of whom were our friends.

I winked at him before I walked over to the door. It took a lot of will power for me to leave. I unlocked it and started walking down the hall and then down the stairs. I figured he would follow me, and sure enough, as I got to the bottom of the stairs and looked back, I saw Edward jogging down the stairs.

"Darn it, Bella. You have such power over me." He whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. I laughed at him. "But, then again, you knew that, didn't you?" He asked, tickling my stomach.

"Of course." I laughed, swatting at his hands. "But, you love me, anyway."

"I do. A lot." He said, kissing my cheek." He let go of me, and took my hand, leading me in to the kitchen.

Esme was standing at the counter slicing strawberries. "Happy Fourth, Esme." I said, as we walked up to the counter.

She turned and smiled at us. "Hi, my sweeties." She said, pulling us both into a hug together. "Did you have a good morning?"

"It was amazing. Thank you for letting me sleep in." I said. "How are the girls?"

"Oh, Carlisle took them to the flower shop for red, white and blue flowers." She said. I smiled thinking of the patriotic bouquet Edward had gotten me today for our breakfast in bed.

"Do you need any help?" I asked. "I feel bad for not being around this morning?"

"Oh, don't worry, honey. I got most of my work done yesterday morning and while you kept the girls busy at the sleepover." She said. "Plus Edward and Carlisle got the yard set up for me. I just have to decorate the cake and then do the flower arrangements with the girls."

I kissed her cheek. "You are fabulous and so incredibly organized. I hope that I turn out just like you." I told Esme.

"Sweetheart. Don't you dare make me cry." She said, smiling. "You are perfect the way you are."

Edward wrapped his arms around me, again. "I tell her that everyday." Edward added, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "So, where are Em and Jazz?"

"Oh, they just got home from picking up Rose and Maria. They're in the basement." Esme said. "I'll see you kids in a couple hours."

Edward and I headed downstairs to join up with the boys and their girlfriends. As soon as we got to the basement, Maria flew out of her chair and pulled me into a tight hug, and then turned and hugged Edward, too. "Happy Independence Day. I've missed you guys." She said excitedly.

"We've missed you, too. How was the trip to Seattle?" I asked her, as we all went over to sit with Emmett, Jasper and Rose. Emmett and Rose were snuggled together in one of the leather chairs and Jasper was sitting at the edge of the couch. Edward sat in the other leather chair and I squished in beside him. He wrapped his arm me and held me close. It was clear we were still making up for yesterday's lost time.

"It was great. Rose and I got so much stuff." She laughed. "Oh, wait. We have something for you guys."

"Hi." Rose said, smiling at us. "It's in my bag by the stairs, Maria." Maria ran over to the bag and pulled out a white box.

"Sorry, we didn't have time to wrap it." Maria said, setting the box on Edward's lap.

"Don't worry about it." Edward said. "You girls didn't have to get us anything."

"Well, you guys always think of us." Rose explained. "And, we thought you might like them for your new apartment."

Edward looked at me and nodded, so I opened the box, pulling out the tissue paper. I gasped when I saw what was in the box. It was a set of bookends. Each one was a large, stone heart on a black base. They were absolutely gorgeous. I could already imagine putting my journals between them. Those journals were filled with the symbols of our love for each other and it just seemed fitting that the books be held between two hearts.

"They're beautiful." Edward said to the girls. "Thank you so much." I was speechless and I was glad that Edward was doing the talking for us. I set them down on the coffee table before going over to hug Maria, who was sitting by Jasper, and then Rose. While I was hugging Rose, Emmett wrapped his arm around me, turning it into a group hug.

"Thank you. I love them. They are absolutely perfect." I told the girls, before sitting back with Edward.

Rose and Maria looked thrilled that we liked the gift. I was just glad that the girls were home and every looked so happy.

"So what are we watching?" Edward asked, pointing to a movie paused on the TV.

"Independence Day." Jasper said quietly before chuckling. "Em." Both Edward and Jasper said at the same time, before laughing and bumping their fists together.

I looked over at them confused. There was clearly an inside joke going on. "So, Em makes us watch this move every July Fourth." Edward said.

"What?" Emmett laughed. "It makes sense, doesn't it?" Rose kissed his cheek and he smiled, seeming to forget that he was being teased. He was so in love. I wasn't sure if he had figured it out, yet, or not, but it was very clear to anyone watching them.

Jasper turned the movie back on, and we spent the next couple of hours watching the movie and enjoying one another's company. Sometimes it was the simplest things that made one the happiest.


	230. Text Messages

**A/N - We're still on the Fourth of July...you know me by now...I get caught up in the details...lots to come. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 230 - Text Messages

When the movie was over, Edward and I went upstairs to his room. I wanted to change into my dress, and I needed Edward to zip me up. It was a job that I was sure he was more than happy with. I went into Edward's closet and got out my dress. Edward locked his door and then sat on the bed, his eyes never leaving me.

I pulled my tank top over my head and slipped off my shorts. Edward smiled when he saw the black and white checkered panties he'd picked out for me. I walked into the bathroom to get my strapless bra from my overnight bag. I switched bras in the bathroom, before walking back out to get my dress.

"Do I tell you enough how gorgeous you are?" Edward asked from the bed, where he was reclining back on his arms.

I smiled at him. "Yes, Edward. You tell me all the time, and I love hearing it from you." I told him. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome." He said, watching as I slipped on my dress. He stood up and walked over to me, so he was facing me. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips. "I love you." He whispered, before kissing along my bare shoulder.

"Can you zip me up, babe?" I asked, still holding the front of my dress.

"Oh, yeah." He chuckled. "Sorry. You're too distracting." He stepped behind me and slowly zipped up the dress. "Beautiful." He whispered.

He brought his hands up to my shoulders, lightly running his fingers over them. "I know I'm a leg man, but, Bella, these shoulders. Mm." He hummed before he leaned in and started kissing and sucking on my neck.

I know I was blushing, but more from my attraction to him, than embarrassment, although that was there, too. I decided then and there that anytime I need to buy a dress, I would try to find something strapless, if this was the way that Edward was going to react. "Edward, baby. Come on. Our friends are probably here." I said, not even sounding very convincing to my own ears.

"Okay, um, just give me a minute." Edward said, kissing my cheek. He went into the bathroom and I walked over to the bed to sit down. I checked my cell phone and I had two text messages.

The first one was from my mom. 'Happy Fourth of July, Isabella. Have you decided if you and Edward want to come for a visit? I love you. Mom.' I smiled when I read it. I really wanted to work on our relationship and I was glad that she was making an effort with me.

I had talked to Edward a while back about visiting her in Colorado, and he was nothing but supportive about it. I would have to talk to Edward and decide when the best time to visit was. I definitely wanted to go see my mom. Even though we got off to rough start a couple of months back, I didn't want to lose her. She was my mom and I wanted to try.

I opened the second text. I smiled when I saw it was from my best friend, Angie. 'Happy 4th, girl. We have boys to kiss at the fireworks this year. Love you.' Ang and I used to watch the fireworks together in Phoenix. We always rolled our eyes at the couples that kissed under the fireworks, but only because we were jealous.

I wiped a couple of tears from my eyes. It was always the holidays that made you realise how much you missed your friends and family. Edward came out of the bathroom and after one look at me, he was crouched in front of me. He cradled my face in his hand. "What's wrong, Bella?" He asked seriously.

"Oh, I just miss Ang and my mom." I told him. "They both texted this morning." I passed him my phone so he could read them. He smiled when he read them.

"I was going to surprise you, Bella, but every year after the barbeque, once it gets dark, we drive down to the beach and watch the fireworks. We'll take a picture of us kissing tonight and we'll send it to Angela." He told me, leaning in to kiss my lips. "And if you want to go see your mom, we'll go, Bella. Just say the word and we'll get the plane tickets." I slid off the bed and got on my knees in front of him. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. He always knew what to say to me.

"I love you." I whispered into his neck.

"I know, you do. Do you want to go see your mom this weekend coming up?" Edward asked, stroking my hair. "We could leave on Friday and come back Sunday. That would give us a couple of nights there and we won't be there when she's at work." He kissed my cheek. "We could spend the afternoon together on Friday, you know, picking out your Colorado t-shirt."

I laughed when he said that, pressing a kiss to his neck. "And then, we could meet your mom for dinner on Friday, spend the day with her on Saturday and maybe have some breakfast on Sunday before we fly home." He continued. "How does that sound?"

"It sounds amazing, Edward." I said pulling back and wiping my eyes. "Thank you."

"Of course, babe. I live to make you happy." He said, kissing my lips.

"Okay, will you go downstairs and tell my dad I'll be right down? I'll just send these messages and then I'll join you." I told Edward.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked, kissing my lips once more.

"I'm fine, babe. Thanks." I said, as he stood up and helped me back up onto the bed.

"Okay. I love you." He said, walking to the door and closing it behind him.

I sent a text to Angie, first. 'Send me a picture, and we'll send you ours. Love you and miss you with all of my heart.'

Then I sent a message to my mom. 'Would it be alright in we came this Friday to Sunday? Miss you. Bella.'

I got up and went to the bathroom to wash my face and reapply my makeup. I snooped in Edward's medicine cabinet for some eye drops and found some, luckily. My eyes were red and I didn't want anyone to worry about me. After a couple of drops, I looked alright. My cheeks were a little flushed, but nothing too bad.

I smoothed down my dress and walked out of Edward's room. I ran into Heidi on the stairs. "Is everything okay, Bella?" She asked me, pulling me into a hug.

"Yeah. I just heard from my mom and best friend." I told her. "I miss them so much, but I can't talk about it right, now, or I'll cry, again." I giggled.

She smiled at me. "It's alright to feel that way, Bella." Heidi told me. "Edward was telling your dad and I that you're going to go see your mom for the weekend."

"Yeah. She really wants us to see her new place in Colorado, so Edward suggested that we go for the weekend." I told her. "It's perfect, really. It's not too long, but it's enough to spend some time with her. She really wants to make things right."

"That's great. I'm happy for you. Every girl needs her mom." Heidi said, taking my hand and leading into the backyard. I really loved Heidi. She was going to a be a fabulous step mom one day.

We went in the backyard and the barbeque was already in full swing. I saw lots of people I knew and even more that I didn't. All of a sudden I was being hugged. "You okay, kiddo?" I felt my dad press a kiss to the top of my head. My sweet Edward had clearly filled everyone in. He was worried about me and I thought he was so sweet to let my dad and Heidi know what was going on, for me so I didn't have to.

"I'm fine, daddy." I said. "So, you think it's good that Edward and I go see mom this weekend?"

"Yes, Bells. I want you to have a better memory than you do of the last trip." My dad told me. "You go and have fun this time." My dad's support meant everything to me, so I was happy he was behind me on our decision to go to Colorado. I knew how upset he was at my mom during my last trip to visit her.

"Thanks, dad." I looked around and I noticed Esme and Carlisle and a few other people looking over at us. "We're making a scene, though." I laughed. "Break it up." I teased, making my dad chuckle.

"Okay, go socialize." He said. "I'll see you later."

Edward walked over to me and took my hand. He leaned over and kissed the top of my head. "Guess who's here? Together." Edward whispered.

"Who?" I asked looking around.

"Alec and Siobhan." He said, walking us over to them. "Looks like your matchmaking skills are quite superb." Edward said, using a fake British accent. I laughed, because I had never heard him do fake voices or accents before. It was really hilarious, and I knew he was just doing it to cheer me up.

"Why, thank you." I said, trying my own accent, that ended up sounding like some kind of Southern belle.

This was my very first fourth of July without Angela. But instead of focusing on the negative, I was thankful that I had Edward, and was able to spend the holiday this year with so many people that loved me. I was going to make sure I enjoyed every second of today and I couldn't wait until tonight to kiss my boy under the fireworks.


	231. The Fourth

**A/N - Thank to everyone for reading! I've been really busy, but I'll respond to all your reviews. Promise! Enjoy!**

Chapter 231 - The Fourth

Siobhan, who was dressed in a pair of jean Capri pants and a flowy red tank, was holding Alec's hand, and had a huge smile on her face. We walked up to them and Siobhan pulled me into a hug. "How's it been going this last week?" I whispered into her ear. I was so thrilled that things were working out between them.

"Amazing. He's perfect, Bella." She whispered back. We looked at each other and smiled.

Alec, in camo shorts and a black t-shirt, pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. "You look beautiful, today, Bella." Always so suave, I thought to myself.

"Thank you, Alec." I said, trying not to blush.

Edward took my hand, again, after giving Siobhan a hug. "So, things are going good, huh?" Edward asked, smiling at them. And you couldn't help but smile, seeing how happy and content, both Alec and Siobhan looked.

Alec wrapped his arm around Siobhan's shoulder and kissed her temple. "Things are going great." He said, smiling. His whole face was lit up. "We've had each other over for dinner a couple times last week."

"You can cook?" Edward said to Alec with mock surprise. Siobhan laughed and lightly placed her hand on Alec's stomach.

"I can order takeout like a pro." Alec laughed.

I felt an arm around my shoulder from behind me and looked up between me and Edward. Paul had his arms around Edward and I. "Happy Fourth, kids. What are we talking about?" He asked, kissing the top of my head.

"Oh, they were making fun at Alec because he can't cook." Siobhan said.

Alec laughed. "But I have other assets that more that make up for that." He said, making Siobhan blush.

"Okay. That's too much information." Edward laughed. "And everyone, stop kissing my girl." He added, giving Paul a gentle shove, as he still had his arm around me.

"Oh, Eddie's jealous." Paul teased, turning and kissing the top of Edward's head. I was laughing at them. I loved watching Edward with his friends. Paul was such a great guy.

"Stop kissing me. Where's Rachel?" Edward asked, stepping behind me, as if he was hiding. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and was lighting rubbing his thumb on my bare skin. It felt incredible.

"Oh, she's off rounding us up some beers." Paul said.

"That sounds good. You want something to drink, schnookums?" Alec asked Siobhan, causing Paul and Edward to start laughing hysterically. Alec just smiled and shrugged as he led Siobhan to the refreshment tables. "Later." He called.

"God, Edward. He's as bad as you are." Paul laughed. Edward just leaned in to kiss my cheek as Paul went over to join Rachel.

"Bella, your friends are crazy." Edward whispered in my ear, making me laugh.

"My friends?" I said. "I believe you've know Paul for years, Eddie." I teased.

"Yeah, yeah." He said, leaning in to kiss under my ear. "I love you, angel." He whispered in my ear. "You feeling okay?"

I turned in his arms and wrapped my arms around his waist. "I feel great. Thank you for always being there for me, baby." I told him, kissing his chin. "And I'm sorry for all the drama all the time."

"Aw, honey." He said, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "I'm always going to be here for you. Because if you're not happy, than I'm not happy." He said, smiling. "But, please just let me know if you need to talk about anything, okay?"

I smiled up at him. "I'm okay, and my dad is really supportive about our trip to see my mom, so that made me feel better."

"Of course he is, Bella. We all love you and we want you to be happy." Edward told me. "Now, we should go see my mom because she looks like she is going crazy over there. I don't think the macaroni salad can take anymore stirring." He laughed.

I knew Esme cared so much about me. I loved that I had so many positive women in my life that I could go to if I needed anything. We walked over to Edward's parents and Esme had me in her arms in seconds. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" She asked right away, holding onto my hands.

"Mom." Edward said. I think he was trying to prevent her from upsetting me. Yes, I missed my mom and Angie, but I had a quick cry and I was feeling so loved right now. He didn't need to worry so much, but I loved him for it.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I'm just worried, that's all. She's like a daughter to me, and one day you will know how that feels, Edward."

Edward smiled at the thought. He always seemed to melt at the thought of having our own children. "Point taken." He chuckled, and Carlisle patted his shoulder.

"Oh, please don't worry about me. I'm okay. I just got some texts from my mom and Angie this morning." I explained. "I just had a moment of weakness. I was missing them."

"Oh, sweetie. I understand." She said. "My parents live across the country, too, and it takes some getting used to."

"We're going to Colorado this weekend." Edward told his parents. "Renee invited us, again."

"Well, we have to see what she says, first." I corrected. I hoped she didn't have plans this weekend.

"That's great, Bella." Carlisle said. "You are a very mature young woman." I really appreciated his support, too. He was fast becoming another father to me.

"You kids haven't eaten. There is so much food." Esme said, passing us both plates. I smiled at her doting mothering qualities. No wonder Edward had no idea how to cook before I met him.

"Thanks, mom. You did a great job, again this year." Edward said, kissing his mom's cheek. Carlisle cleared his throat. "And, dad." Edward laughed. I laughed at how cute they all were together.

Edward and I filled our plates with food and went over to sit with Emmett, Rose, Jasper and Maria. They had a big blanket spread out on the grass.

"So how are you girls enjoying your first Cullen family Fourth of July barbeque?" Edward asked the Hale sisters.

"It's great." Rose said. "I can't believe how many people are here."

"Yeah. Dad practically invites the whole hospital every year." Emmett explained.

"I'm taking lots of pictures." Maria said. "I have Fourth of July scrapbook paper." She told me excitedly. "Do you want to work on our scrapbooks this week?"

I smiled at her enthusiasm. "I would love to." I told her. "I'm going to have to print out all my pictures."

"The drug store here takes a whole day, but the one in Port Angeles has them ready in an hour." Jasper said.

"Good idea, Jazz. Do you guys want to head up there for the day, tomorrow?" Emmett asked. "Then you'll have your pictures for whenever you want to make your books." Everyone seemed excited about that idea, and I was definitely looking forward to spending time with the girls.

I ate so much food and I set my plate down, leaving a bunch of potato salad. I couldn't eat another bite. Edward picked up my plate and finished off my leftovers in a couple bites. "Go get more if you're hungry." I said. "It would make your mom happy." I laughed.

"Good call, baby." Edward said. "I'll be right back." All the boys went up for more food, and Maria went to take more pictures. Rose and I were left alone on the blanket.

"Um, Bella." Rose said, quietly. "Can I talk to you about something?"

I got up and went to sit right beside her. "Of course, Rose. Is something wrong?"

"No. Well, I'm just not sure about some things, you know with Emmett." She said, looking down at her hands.

"What do you mean, not sure? Did something happen?" I asked, worried about both her and Emmett, now.

"I think I'm in love with him, Bella."


	232. Relationships

**A/N - Thanks for all of the support and for reading! I appreciate it so much! We're still on the Fourth of July! You know me...details, details. I can't help myself. Enjoy!**

Chapter 232 - Relationships

I pulled Rose into a hug. "That's great, Rose." I told her. I was happy to hear that Rose thought she was in love with Emmett, because I was certain that he felt the same way away about her. "What's worrying you?" I asked.

"Oh, um, can I just be blunt?" She asked and I nodded. "I'm worried about sex."

Well, that made two of us. "Have you guys done anything, yet?" I asked her.

"No. But, Emmett is a very, um, loving guy. We're kissing all the time and when he came over yesterday, we were in my room for a while and things got a little heated." She said, flushing a little. "And, I love it. I do. But, ballet is my life, Bella, and as much as I think I love him, I can't risk getting pregnant. At all. It's my whole future."

"Can I tell you something?" I told her, to which she nodded eagerly. "Edward and I have never had sex, either, Rose. And if you want to wait, which I think is smart, you should talk about it with him. Part of being in a relationship is communicating."

"I'm really surprised about you and Edward." She said. "I mean, you guys are always so close and affectionate."

"We are. We love each other and we talk constantly about how we feel and what we want. We've definitely taken steps forward, as we get more comfortable with each other's bodies, but these things take time, Rose." I squeezed her hand. "And I'm always here if you need to talk. I have a few people in my life that I can confide in, and even though I'm always embarrassed, sometimes it helps to have someone else's perspective."

"Thank you, Bella. That really helps." She said. "It's hard to be the big sister sometimes, because Maria is still so young and innocent, so I can't talk about this with her, yet."

"I know what you mean." I told her. I only knew too well what she was going through. But I was so proud of her for coming to me about it. I was even prouder that she had set goals for herself.

The boys and Maria joined us and I watched as Edward ate a second plate of food. I laughed at him, and he just smiled at me. I noticed that Rose seemed more relaxed as well, and I was glad that I could help ease her mind.

It was funny, because I was always the one going for advice on Edward's and my physical relationship, and now I was the one being asked for advice. But, I was happy that I could help her. Love was an incredibly overwhelming emotion to deal with. I wouldn't normally tell anyone about mine and Edward's personal life, but I felt that she needed the reassurance.

The barbeque was going great and everyone seemed to be having fun. We spent some more time with Carlisle and Esme, Heidi and my dad and Paul, Rachel, Alec and Siobhan.

Alice and her friends were so excited to see Miss Jones at the barbeque. I wasn't sure how Alec was going be around five seven year olds, but he handled it well. The little girls couldn't get over how big and tall he was. I think the crushes were back. I thought it was so cute. Siobhan was laughing as Alec was trying to carry both Tia and Bree on his back at once. He was pretending he was going to drop them, but it was obvious how easy it was for him to carry the girls. Alec was nothing is he wasn't fit.

It was clear, with Siobhan being such a fabulous teacher, that she loved kids. I was so happy that Alec was showing his fun loving side to her. It was obvious to me that it was winning him big points in her eyes.

Siobhan leaned over to me and whispered in my ear. "This man is incredible. I feel like I owe you everything."

"Oh, no you don't. I just love seeing people happy and in love." I told her.

"Well, at least come over for dinner sometime this week?" She asked. "You and Edward, Alec and I. It will be nice. It's the least that I can do. I'm so happy, Bella."

"Of course we'll come. But, I'm busy Monday and Friday." I told her.

"Okay, what about Tuesday at seven?" She asked. "My apartment."

I turned and looked at Edward, who was holding Alice on his lap. "Dinner at Siobhan's on Tuesday night?" I whispered in his ear. He smiled at me and nodded his head in the affirmative, before he kissed my cheek. I turned back to Siobhan. "We're in." I said excitedly. I really liked Siobhan and I saw her as a role model. I was going to ask her questions about the education degree while we were over, too.

As the afternoon wound down, the crowd started to disperse. Victoria came for Bree and Tia's brother came to pick her up. Before the twins left, Esme and their mother exchanged contact information, so the girls could write each other letters and send e-mails to one another. Alice seemed a little upset that her sleepover was finished.

"Alice. I think you were a fabulous hostess and your friends had the best time here. I know I did." I told her, as she sat between Edward and I at one of the picnic tables. "I'll tell you what. This week, Maria and I are going to be working on our scrapbooks. Why don't you make one of your sleepover? That would be fun, right?"

She smiled at me. "Yeah. That would be so fun." She said, perking back up to the Alice I knew and loved.

We helped Esme bring the rest of the food back to the kitchen and she sent a bunch of storage containers full of food home with my dad and Heidi. We were all going to head down to La Push Beach at eight o-clock tonight. It was only six, now, so we had a couple of hours to relax. Alice had even fallen asleep on the couch.

Edward and I went up to his room for a nap. Edward locked the bedroom door and we both stripped down to our underwear and crawled into his bed. I pressed kisses on his chest, where I was resting my head.

"Did you have a good time?" Edward asked, stroking my hair.

"I had a great time." I said. "This whole day has been amazing." I told him running my hand up and down his side.

"I'm glad, baby." He said.

"Um, Edward. I need to talk to you about something." I told him.

"Okay." He said, rolling us on our sides so we were facing one another. He always liked to look into my eyes when we talked.

"It's about Emmett and Rose." I said. "Has Emmett talked to you about his physical relationship with Rose?" I didn't want to be nosy, but I cared about those boys like they were my own family.

"Yeah. Last night before you came downstairs after your sleepover." Edward said. "He's seventeen and he's a guy, so he thinks he's ready to take that step with her. Thank god, Rose has enough will power for the both of them." He said, shaking his head. "I talked to both of my brothers about thinking about the consequences of their actions. They all have futures to think about." He shook his head. "Poor Jazz was a beet red, but I think I got through to Em."

"You are such an amazing brother, Edward." I said, kissing his lips. "Rose talked to me about it today at the barbeque. She's not ready, Edward, and she doesn't want to risk pregnancy. I told her that they need to talk about it, so they understand each other. But, what I wanted to tell you was that I told Rose that we hadn't gone all the way. I was trying to give her an example of how a couple could be happy, affectionate and in love without taking that step."

"You are the amazing one, Bella." Edward said, leaning in to kiss me.

"So, you're not upset that I told her about us?" I asked him. I almost felt as if I should have asked Edward before I told Rose about us, but she needed my advice right then and I did what I thought was right. I personally knew how confusing this situation was to deal with. And Rose was two years younger than I was, dealing with the same thing. I barely felt emotionally ready. I figured it really depended on the couple and the situation, but I was happy with the way things were for Edward and I.

In my mind, Rose and Emmett were no where even close to being ready to handle the repercussions of a decision this important. They were just seventeen, and although they felt ready physically, they had to think of their futures and what was right for them.

"Of course I'm not upset, baby. I'm proud of us and while we don't need to broadcast our private life to everyone, I'm fine with talking about things with those close to us. As you've seen, this family is incredibly open and honest. You were looking out for my brother and his girlfriend." He leaned in and kissed me, setting his hand on my bare side. "I love you, baby. Thank you."

I smiled against his mouth. "I love you, too." I whispered. "But, I'm so tired."

Edward chuckled. "It was a busy day. But we still have some kissing to do at the fireworks tonight, so you'd better rest up those pretty lips." He said. "I plan on giving them quite the workout tonight."

I laughed at that, kissing him with my eyes closed. I snuggled in close to his body and tucked my head under his chin. We pressed our chests together and tangled our legs. We always got as close to each other as possible, and I loved it.


	233. The Pre Show

**A/N - Happy Friday, everyone! Thanks for reading! I'm glad you enjoy my details and distractions...because, I've done it, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 233 - The Pre-Show

I woke up from my nap to warm kisses on my chest and shoulders. I kept my eyes closed and just enjoyed Edward's breath on my body in between kisses. I let out a moan when he kissed just under my jaw.

Edward chuckled quietly. "I was wondering how long it would take you to wake up?" He whispered.

I reached my hands up and ran my fingers through his hair. "I love you, baby." I whispered. "What time is it?"

"Um, just about seven thirty. We're leaving at eight." Edward said. "We have a little more snuggle time, if you're up for it."

"If I'm up for it?" I laughed. "Edward you are the cutest boy in the world, I swear."

He laughed with me. "Well, as long as you think so." He said, rolling on top of me, and resuming his trail of kisses across my body.

"I do think so." I whispered. I was definitely enjoying his lips and hands on my body.

"Bella, I don't want to push things today, but can I take your bra off?" He asked, quietly.

I blushed bright red at the memory of the step we had taken this morning. Edward brought his hand up and placed it on my burning cheek. "Are you alright? Too soon?" He asked sounding a little worried. "We don't have to."

"No, no. It's alright." I told him, honestly. I reached behind me to undo my bra, but Edward stopped me, placing his hands on my arms.

"Can I do it?" He asked, looking into my eyes, with an innocent smile on his lips.

"Um, okay." I said, sliding my hands up Edward's arms to his shoulders. I pulled myself up a little so he could reach behind me.

He leaned in to kiss my lips as he reached behind me and started to pull at the back of my bra. After a few tries with the clasps, he started laughing a little against my lips. "God, Bella. This is impossible." He whispered.

I laughed. "Do you want me just to do it?" I asked, pressing a kiss on his cheek.

"No, darn it." He chuckled. "I want to get this." He said, trying, again.

"Ouch." I laughed when he accidentally snapped the elastic of my bra onto my back.

"Oh, god, baby. I'm sorry." He said, leaning in to kiss me, again. "Can you lay on your stomach for a minute, so I can see the clasps?"

Edward was blushing, now. There was one thing I knew about Edward and that was that he liked romance. The way he was struggling, was affecting his confidence. I knew this made him nervous, too.

I was still giggling a little at the way he snapped my back. I knew I shouldn't laugh at him, but he looked so determined to get this. I thought it was one of the cutest things he'd ever done. Plus, I was still a little nervous, too, and I think that was the major cause of my giggles.

Edward climbed off of me and gave me an apologetic smile. "I love you." I told him, so he wouldn't be so hard on himself. I laid on my stomach and I felt Edward straddle my hips, his bare legs along mine. He delicately traced his fingers up my lower back. I instantly got goose bumps all over. And, I stopped laughing. There was nothing funny about the way I felt when Edward touched me. My stomach always felt like it was flipping inside of me.

Edward reached up and popped open the clasps of my bra in seconds. "Finally." He laughed.

"Good job, babe." I said.

"Okay, that was awkward and very, very embarrassing." Edward chuckled, laying down on my back.

"Aw, babe. Can I tell you something? It makes me feel good to know you've never done that before." I told him. "I think it's sweet. And Edward, like you told me, don't be embarrassed around me. I love you."

"I love you, too, angel. Thank you." He whispered.

He sat back up, but just as I about to complain about missing his body heat and the weight of his body, I felt him start kissing the top of my back. I felt his nose move along my skin, from one shoulder to the next. He pressed a kiss on my right shoulder blade, before kissing a trail all the way down my spine, stopping at the top of my panties. He ran his fingers from my hips up along my sides, stopping under my armpits.

"You have the softest skin." He whispered. He laid down beside me and kissed my lips. He was laying on his side, so I turned to onto my side to face him.

Because the bra I was wearing was strapless, it fell right off of me when I moved. His eyes dropped down to my chest for a second, then flicked back up to my eyes, where he held my gaze. That was what I found to be so amazing about Edward. He was a teenaged boy, and today was the first day he had ever had a half naked woman in front of him. I would have expected him to stare a little longer, but he didn't do anything to make me feel self conscious or nervous.

He moved his hand up to my neck, and then leaned in to kiss me. It was passionate kiss that nearly took my breath away. He was showing me that even though my body was right there in front of him, it was me that he loved.

I wrapped my arms around his back and lightly traced my nails over his skin. I moved my body closer to his, so our chests were touching. His skin on mine felt amazing. Our skin was hot to the touch, and it matched the moment.

"I love you, baby." He whispered, pulling back from my lips.

We spent the next fifteen minutes touching and kissing. I loved the feeling of Edward's lips and hands on my body. I was hot, but shivering at the same time.

I loved this time we spent together. I always thought that Edward and I couldn't get closer, emotionally, but with every minute we spent alone together, it seemed that our bond got stronger. We trusted each other implicitly and it showed. Edward was always so careful and loving and I could tell that the first thing on his mind, was to make sure that I felt comfortable.

"Baby, it's five to eight." Edward whispered against my lips. "We need to get dressed."

"I don't want to get dressed." I giggled. "It took way too much work for you get my clothes off." I wanted to tease him a little bit. After so much seriousness, I wanted to keep the mood light.

Edward laughed. "Are you ever going to let me live that down?"

I smiled and kissed his lips. "No. It was cute." I told him. "You're just going to have to get some more practice in." I said, winking at him. We would get more comfortable with time, I was sure.

Edward smiled. "You are very dangerous when you say things like that. You are the sexiest woman I have ever seen. I love you, Bella Swan."

I smiled as I got up to walk to the bathroom. I looked over my shoulder at Edward and he was smiling at me, likely because, I was only wearing my underwear.

I used the bathroom, combed out my hair and brushed my teeth. I got dressed in my jean shorts and red tank from this morning. My cheeks were flushed and my eyes were sparkling. I looked ecstatic. I looked like I was in love. I was glad that Edward could outwardly see how I was feeling on the inside.

I walked out to find Edward dressed, again, and wearing a black hoodie. I smiled at him. He looked gorgeous. I couldn't wait to snuggle up to him at the beach for the fireworks.

"Do you want to borrow a sweater or a flannel shirt? It get's cool out there by the ocean." Edward said.

"Okay. Thanks, baby." I said. I pulled a blue and white plaid flannel shirt out of Edward's closet. "Can I take this one?" I asked, holding it up.

"Of course. You look great in my clothes, my sexy girl." Edward said, as I slid the shirt on. "Come on. We're going to be late. You got your camera?"

"Yeah. It's in my purse." I said. "You ready for your close-up?"

"Yes, babe. This picture of us together at the fireworks is important to you, so we're going to do it." Edward said with a wink. "It's not a hard job being your boyfriend, you know."

I laughed at him. "The feeling's mutual."


	234. Under the Lights

**A/N - Happy Saturday! They're finally here...the Fourth of July fireworks! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 234 - Under the Lights

We walked downstairs and joined the rest of the Cullens. My dad and Heidi were meeting us at the beach. Jasper and Maria rode with Edward and I to the beach. Maria was really excited to see the fireworks, and I was excited for my kiss.

"So, what did you guys do for the last two hours?" Maria asked us on the short drive to the beach. "Jasper taught me how to play his new video game."

"We fell asleep." I told her. Which was true to a certain extent. "Next time Alice has a sleepover, you have to come over and help me. Those girls are so much fun, but they are exhausting." I said. I knew one thing about Maria and that was that she liked to be included.

"That would be so fun. Thanks, Bella." She said. "You know, I'm really excited about our trip to Port Angeles tomorrow. Do you want me to make a mixed CD for us to listen to on the drive? That would be really cool. I think I'll work on it tomorrow morning. Do you know what time we're leaving? Because if we do go really early, I could always make the CD tonight after the fireworks."

Edward was trying to hold back his laughter. Maria was such a chatterbox. I thought she was priceless and I loved that she was comfortable enough with us to speak her mind so freely. "I don't know when we're leaving, Maria." I told her. "We'll have to ask Emmett when we get to the beach, okay?"

"Okay." She said. "What kind of music do you guys like? And it is okay that I make a CD, right?"

"Sure it is, Maria." Edward said. "You put on whatever you like, okay?" I looked over at Edward and smiled. He was the sweetest guy. I reached over and put my hand on his thigh, giving his leg a little squeeze. He looked at me quickly and winked.

"What kind of music do you like Jasper?" I asked him. I had heard Emmett's music, but not Jasper's.

"Um, I don't know. I listen to classic rock, mostly." He said. "The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and stuff like that, but I'll listen to whatever."

"You Cullen boys are so cool." I said. Edward and Jasper laughed at me. "What? It's true. You all have your own identities and interests. It's cool and don't try to deny it. Right, Maria?"

She giggled. "I think so, too." Jasper just chuckled and ducked his head a little.

Edward pulled up to the beach and we all got out of the car. Emmett and Rose came over to stand with us. They were cuddling each other. I wondered if they had a change to talk this afternoon. "Is eleven tomorrow morning good for the trip to Port Angeles?" Emmett asked. We all agreed.

My dad's truck pulled up and he helped Heidi out of it. It was sweet. They came over to join us and my dad gave me a hug.

"Bells, I'm on the night shift for the next two weeks, okay?" He told me.

"Alright. Edward and I and his brothers are heading to Port Angeles tomorrow to get our photos printed out. We're leaving at eleven." I said.

"Sounds fun. I'm glad you'll be home to share breakfast with your old dad." He said.

"Absolutely. I'll even make it." I told him with a smile. He kissed the top of my head. I loved my dad. We had an incredible relationship and I was so grateful for it.

Esme, Carlisle and Alice joined us and we all headed down to the beach. There were a lot of people crowding the beach, all on lawn chairs and blankets. It was so nice seeing all the families down here together.

We found an empty spot in the sand, and Esme and Carlisle laid down a few huge blankets. We all sat down on the blankets, and I sat between Edward's legs, with my back to his chest. I turned my head and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Sorry. Just practicing." I giggled.

"Mm. You can practice whenever you want." He whispered in my ear, before sucking on my ear lobe. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me close to his warm body. I felt so comfortable and loved and just plain happy.

"Hey, Bella. I brought gummy bears." Emmett called over to me, passing the bag down the line.

"Awesome." I said. "Thanks, Emmett. You're the best."

I took a small handful and turned to pop one in Edward's mouth. He kissed my fingers. I leaned my head back on Edward's shoulder and closed my eyes. I was listening to all the all kids laughing and the just the excitement of the crowd. It was nice to be a part of a such a loving family.

I missed my best friend and one year, I would love to spend the holiday with her, again. But, I was so happy with Edward's plan to take our picture and send it to Angie. It gave me a way to feel connected to her, even though she was so far away.

Edward kissed my temple. "I love you, baby." He whispered in my ear, making me smile. He always knew when I needed to hear that.

I saw a flash of light and looked up. Esme had snapped a picture of us. She looked like she was going down the line taking pictures of all her sons and their girlfriends, and Alice on her dad's knee. She seemed so proud. It was cute.

"Mom." Edward called out. "Will you please take one of Bella and I during the fireworks? We need to send one to Bella's best friend."

"Of course, sweetie." She said with a smile. "Is this for Angela?"

"Yeah. She's sending us one of her and her boyfriend, Ben." I told her, passing her my camera. "It's our way of staying close." Edward hugged me a little harder.

"That's nice, Bella." She said.

Just then we heard a loud shot. The fireworks were starting. "Okay kids. Turn and face me, so I can get the fireworks behind you." Esme said. I giggled. We had created a monster.

Edward and I got on our knees and faced each other. He smirked and winked, making me smile, before he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on my lips. I closed my eyes and listened to the popping and banging of the fireworks exploding behind us, as well as the cheers and applause of the crowd enjoying the show. I wanted to really feel the moment because I had wanted this my whole life.

I felt Edward's hand gently cradling my cheek, and his other hand low on my hip, as he started deepening the kiss. I moved my hands up to his shoulders. I tried not to think of the fact that his mom was taking pictures of us. I figured it was good practice for our wedding.

Edward slowly pulled back and placed a few more soft kisses to my lips. I opened my eyes and was met with his gorgeous green ones. "How was that?" He whispered.

I smiled at him. "Thank you. That was everything I've always dreamed of." I told him, pressing one more kiss to his lips.

"Oh, that was so romantic." Esme said, holding her hand over her heart. "I got some great shots. Angela is going to love them."

I got up and gave her a quick hug. "Thank you so much, Esme. This means a lot to me." I whispered.

We sat back down and Edward pulled me onto his lap. The fireworks were nice. They were all red, white and blue. The display was no where near as huge as the ones I used to watch in Phoenix, but these ones were special.

Edward was right. It was cool out here at night and there was a bit of a breeze coming off of the ocean. I had my hands around Edward's back, and my fingers were cold, so I slipped my hands under his sweater and t-shirt and pressed them to his warm skin.

"Ah, Bella." Edward said, sounding shocked. I giggled into his chest. "You're freezing, baby. Do you need my sweater?" He asked, leaning down to press his cold nose on my cheek, making me laugh harder.

"No. I don't want you to freeze." I said. "Just hold me closer."

"I can do that." He whispered, squeezing me closer to him. He kissed my cheek and even his lips were cold.

We watched the grand finale of the fireworks display and we all applauded at the end. It was a fabulous ending to a terrific day. I turned and gave Edward a quick kiss. "I love watching fireworks with you." I whispered against his lips.

He smiled and kissed me, again. "I love every second with you." He said, quietly.

We got up and we all headed back to the cars. Edward dropped me off at home, with a long kiss at the door. "I'll call you tomorrow morning, once we gather all the troops for the trip to Port Angeles." He said, in between soft kisses on my lips. "I'm going to miss you tonight, my sweet, sexy, gorgeous girl."

"Mm. Me, too, my handsome, loving, perfect boy." I whispered. "I love you. Thank you for today, Edward. It was the best Fourth of July, ever."

"Mine, too, baby. We're going to have to keep up the kissing tradition, too." He chuckled. "I loved that." I smiled up at him. I loved it, too.


	235. Writing Letters

**A/N - I hope you're all having a great weekend! Thanks for all of the feedback! Enjoy!**

Chapter 235 - Writing Letters

After Edward left to take Maria home, I went up to my room and uploaded all of my pictures from the weekend onto my laptop. Esme captured some amazing shots of Edward and I at the fireworks. We looked amazing together.

In my favourite shot, both Edward and I had our eyes closed, and our lips were pressed together. Edward looked like he was smiling a little and there were blue fireworks exploding behind us. It was beautiful. I made it my wallpaper on my laptop and then went to my e-mail account.

I had a message from my mom. 'Isabella, I can't tell you how excited I am that you have decided to come for a visit. I have took the liberty of buying two roundtrips tickets for you and Edward on the dates you wanted. It's Flight 844 that leaves at 8:50AM on Friday from Seattle, and your return is Flight 505 that leaves Denver at 12:15PM on Sunday. All you have to do is go to the airport and show your ID. Everything is taken care of. I also booked you two nights at the Ramada Inn and Suites, as I wasn't sure if you wanted to stay at my place. If you do, you are more than welcome to, as I have a spare room made up. I'm really looking forward to spending some time with you and getting to know Edward. I've attached the travel information for you. Thank you for giving me another chance. I'll see you on Friday. Mom.'

I smiled. I was so happy that my mom wanted us to come see her. I was so excited for this trip. It was a completely different feeling from our last trip to visit her in Florida. This time, I knew she wanted us there. She had even purchased our tickets for us.

I sent Edward a text message. 'My mom bought our tickets. We're going to Denver.' I set my phone down and went back into my e-mail account. I sent Edward a copy of the fireworks kiss, with the subject reading 'I love you.'

Then, I wrote Angie a letter. 'I missed you today, Ang. I cried when I got your text message. The fireworks were our thing. But, like I'm sure Ben did for you, Edward made me incredibly happy, today. I've attached our picture kissing at the fireworks. Edward's mom took the picture. Clearly I've gotten over my fear of PDA. Edward and I are nearly inseparable, and even now, I've only been apart from him for a half hour and I miss him. He's been talking about getting married, and having kids a lot lately. And, Ang, I honestly can't wait for it all. I'm going to tell you a secret and you have to promise not to tell Edward I told you. Okay? We're really moving forward, physically, and today, Edward asked me if he could take off my bra. Now, seriously Ang, this is the cutest story in the world, but don't tell him that I told you. He couldn't get the clasps opened on my bra. He was so embarrassed, but, he more than made up for it. He is amazing to me. He treats me with such love and respect. I couldn't ask for anyone better. We're going to visit my mom this weekend. She bought tickets for Edward and I to see her in Denver. I'm really excited this time around. I'll keep you up to date and I can't wait to see your photo with Ben. I miss you, Angie. Love, Bella.'

I got a new e-mail message. It was from Edward so I opened it up. 'Baby, you look gorgeous in that picture. Thanks so much for sending me a copy. Did you send it to Angela, yet? I'm so glad your mom is happy about the visit. She sent tickets! Wow! Tell her I say thanks. What time are we flying out? This time is going to be amazing, baby. I know it. I miss you, already. Love you, Edward.'

I smiled. I could almost hear Edward speaking to me when I read his e-mails and texts. I wrote him right back. 'Thank you, babe. I think we look great together. I sent it to Ang, but haven't got hers and Ben's picture, yet. Our flight leaves Seattle at 8:50AM on Friday. We're going to have to leave home at four in the morning! But, we'll get to Denver around noon. Oh, but I have to ask you something. My mom booked us a room in a hotel, but she said she has the guestroom set up. I think she wants us to stay at the house. What should I tell her? I wouldn't mind staying with her, but only if you're comfortable with it. I was just telling Ang how much I missed you. I love you, baby. Bella.'

While I was waiting for his response, I got a message from Angie. 'OMG, girl! You two are so hot together. That picture is amazing. I can't believe you kiss your man like that in front of his mom. She must love you. Poor Ben is a nervous wreck around my parents. With dad being a pastor, he's nervous to even hold my hand. It's so cute. I'm so happy that things are going so well for guys. The bra story is the best, Bella. I promise not to tell a soul, but I might have to tease Edward when I see him next. He should know he's never safe from the best friend. Plus, he probably knows you tell me everything, anyway. Ben and I are doing great, too. He is such a great kisser. (See attached photo.) We went alone to the fireworks so he held the camera back and snapped the picture himself. We had to do it five times to get it right, but we didn't mind, I promise. Have a great time in Colorado! That is so cool. You are quite the traveller. I want all the details when you get back. Tell your mom I said hi. I miss you, too, girl. All my love to you and Edward. Ang.'

I opened the attached photo and giggled. Ang and Ben had there lips pressed together, but their eyes were looking at the camera, they looked like they were about to laugh, and one of Ben's eyebrows was up. It was hilarious, but so spontaneous. I loved it. I was so happy that Angie had someone in her life that loved her and made her so happy. She was everything to me.

I wrote her back. 'Thanks for all the love and best wishes. You two are the cutest thing! I love the picture. Should I warn Edward that he's in for a teasing? I'll give you all the details on my mom when we get back. Tell Ben it took me a long time to get used to kisses like that in public. Trust me. Maybe you should make the first move, so he knows it's okay. A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do, Ang! Okay, goodnight. Love you, Bella.'

Edward had sent me a response. I giggled. I hadn't done this much typing in months, since I'd been out of school. I felt so popular.

'Hey, angel. If you want to stay at your mom's house, I'm fine with it. Bella, this is your trip, and I want you to have the best time. I was wondering if you want to drive to Seattle on Thursday afternoon and just spend the night, so we don't have to leave home so early on Friday to make the flight. Give me the go ahead and I'll book a hotel. One more night together sounds fun, right? What else were you telling Angela? Just kidding. I love you with all of my heart. Get some sleep. Edward.'

I started laughing. It was almost like Edward knew I told Ang about him. He knew me so well. I sent him a quick message. 'Love your idea. Book the hotel. I tell Angie everything…she's my best friend. Don't worry. She thinks you're cute. We'll try the first night at my mom's and if it's weird, we'll switch to the hotel, okay? I'll send my mom a message and then I'm going to bed. I've attached Angie and Ben's photo. Isn't it cute? Love you, Bella.'

I let out a deep breath. It was late, way after midnight. I decided one more e-mail to my mom and then I was going to sleep. I had a big day tomorrow. 'Mom, Edward and I want to thank you so much for buying us tickets. I'm very excited to come and see you, again. You can cancel the hotel. I'd really like to stay with you. I want to spend as much time as I can with you. I'll see you on Friday. I love you. Bella.'

I shut off my computer and I stripped of my clothes. I slipped on my Georgia t-shirt and went in the bathroom to wash my face and use the bathroom. I climbed into bed and tried to sleep. I was definitely having trouble sleeping. I was so excited for everything that was to come.


	236. A Big Sister

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! It is Monday, July 5th, 2010 in the story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 236 - A Big Sister

I woke up to my alarm at seven in the morning. I stretched and smiled, as I remembered how great this last weekend had been, and how excited I was for the week to come. If I had to use one word to describe this summer so far, it would be busy. We travelled, we went on road trips, we camped and we had visitors. But more importantly, we learned about each other, we grew together and we accepted new people into our lives. And it was only the beginning of July. Classes didn't start again for another two months.

I got out of bed and pulled on my yoga pants. I used the bathroom and pulled my hair back into a messy bun. I went downstairs and found my dad where I always did, at the table, reading the paper with a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, dad." I said, giving him a quick hug on my way to the fridge for some OJ.

"Morning, Bells." He said. "Did you hear back from your mom?"

"Yeah. She sent me an e-mail last night. She bought the tickets for us. We leave Friday morning and come back on Sunday afternoon." I told him. "But we leave at 8:50 on Friday morning, so Edward thought we should drive up to Seattle on Thursday afternoon."

My dad bit back a smile. I laughed. "What?" I asked. "You want me to have to get up at three in the morning?"

My dad chuckled. "I didn't say anything." He laughed. "But, I'm happy that Renee is doing this for you. You deserve this."

"Thanks, dad." I said getting up to make us some blueberry pancakes. "I'm excited, too."

After I made breakfast and we were sitting together, eating, my dad looked up at me. "Bells, I know you like Heidi and you're very supportive of our relationship, but I just wanted to ask you how you would feel if she stayed over here every once in a while. I wanted to make sure that wouldn't be, I don't know, too weird for you."

I giggled a little. It was my turn to laugh at him, now. "Dad. I love Heidi. And I think you two make the cutest couple. I wouldn't mind if she stayed over. And, it is your house, dad." I added.

"Thanks, Bells. But, kiddo, this is your house, too. It's important to me that you know that." He said, patting my hand.

"Thank you, dad. I'm so happy I moved up here. I think it was the best decision I have ever made." I told him, making him smile.

After we ate, I went upstairs to have a shower. I just got to my room when my cell phone rang. It was Rose. I laid on my bed and picked up the phone.

"Hi, Rose. How are you this morning?" I asked. I wondered if she had a chance to talk with Emmett, yesterday.

"Hey, Bella. I'm good. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" She asked, sounding a little shy.

"No, absolutely not. Did you need to talk?" I asked. I figured I'd give her as much support as I could. She needed a big sister right now, and I was glad I could be there for her.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that yesterday, before the fireworks, Em and I went to his room to talk. I explained everything that I was worried about to him. You know, about being afraid of pregnancy because of my ballet, and stuff."

"That's great, Rose. I'm glad you talked about it with him." I told her.

"Emmett was very understanding and supportive. He apologized for making me worry and for trying to move too fast. It was really sweet." Rose said.

"Yeah, Emmett is a great guy." I agreed with her. "I know it's embarrassing and it can be easy to get caught up in the moment, but if you set boundaries ahead of time, it makes things less awkward."

"We talked about that. I told him that I still wanted to do things with him, you know, but just not all the way, yet." She said. "He said that he was happy if I was happy. And, I could tell that he wasn't just saying that."

"That's great, Rose. I'm so happy that it worked out for you guys." I said. And I was. It would be a shame if Rose and Emmett split up or fought over a physical relationship.

"He told me that Edward talked to him about it and said that it was important to think about the consequences of our actions. He said, it's not just things like pregnancy, but there are emotional consequences, too. Edward told him that it was important to make sure that we were strong enough to handle the repercussions." Rose said. I smiled at thought of Edward talking to his brothers. He was so incredibly supportive to them.

"So, you're both on the same page, now? No tension?" I asked.

Rose laughed. "No tension. If fact, it feels like we're closer, now."

"I'm so happy for you guys, Rose. Thanks so much for calling me and letting me know." I told her. "And, if you ever need to talk, I'm always here. Even in the fall, when I'm back in Seattle, I'm only a call or e-mail away, okay?"

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate this, Bella." She said. "Oh, Maria's knocking on my door. I'll see you in few hours. Thanks, again."

"Okay, bye." I said, hanging up. Well, that was good news, I thought, as I went to my closet to find something to wear. I found a floral skirt and a purple t-shirt. I grabbed the pink underwear with the lace trim that Edward liked the day he packed my bag for the sleepover, and a black bra. I had a shower, got dressed and dried and straightened my hair. I packed my camera and sunglasses in my purse and headed back downstairs.

"You look nice, kiddo." My dad said, when I walked into the living room to sit with him. We spent the rest of the morning, just hanging out and watching TV. It was nice, just spending time with him. It had a been a busy weekend and it was nice to just relax.

At quarter to eleven, I got a text message from Edward. 'You ready to go, baby?'

I smiled. I had missed my boy. 'I'm ready and waiting, handsome.' I typed back.

"Edward on his way?" My dad asked.

"Yeah." I said, getting up to give him a hug. "Will I see you, tonight after work?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll be here." he said. "Have a good afternoon, and be careful on the roads."

"Okay. Love you, dad." I said.

"Love you, too, Bells." He said.

I ran upstairs to use the bathroom before the road trip. I brushed out my hair and put on my lip gloss. I ran back downstairs, just as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." I called out, before opening the door.

Edward was standing at the door with my sleepover duffle bag and a white rose, and Jasper was standing behind him with my sleeping bag and the vase with my red, white and blue carnations from yesterday. I had forgotten about everything I left at Edward's place. But, who could blame me? I had been kissed under the Fourth of July fireworks that night.

"Good morning, angel." Edward said with a smile, before he leaned down to press a light kiss to my lips.

"Hi, guys. Thanks so much for bringing my stuff." I said. "Come in." I kissed Edward's chin, and then gave Jasper a hug. I took the vase from Jasper. "Baby, will you put my bag in the laundry room? And, Jasper, you can just set the sleeping bag by the door. I'll be right back." I said, running upstairs to press my carnations. I clipped off the stems and pressed all three flowers, writing Fourth of July, 2010 under it. I ran back downstairs and I found Jasper and Edward in the kitchen with my dad.

"Ready to go, babe?" Edward said. "We've got to pick up Maria and meet Em at the Hale's house."

"Yeah. I'm ready." I said. Edward passed me the white rose, with a wink. "Thank you so much, Edward. It's beautiful." I reached up and brought his head down so I could kiss his lips. He smiled at me, as I brought it up to my nose to smell it.

"Edward, you're a smart boy." My dad laughed, making Edward chuckle and blush lightly. "Okay, Bella. Give me the flower. I'll put it water for you. You kids better get going." I reluctantly passed him the flower and he kissed my forehead. "Have a good time kids." My dad said, patting Jasper on the arm.

"Bye, dad." I said, picking up my purse and taking Edward's hand. Edward opened my door for me and we headed over to the Hale's house.


	237. Fun in the Car

**A/N - Sorry this is a little late...I had an appointment. Thanks so much for everything! Enjoy!**

Chapter 237 - Fun in the Car

"Um, Maria sent me a text this morning." Jasper said about halfway to her house. It always surprised me when he started a conversation, but I was happy to hear him. I was glad he was getting more comfortable with me, though it was obvious that he didn't actually say a lot even around his family.

"Oh, yeah? What did she say?" Edward asked. "Or, can you tell us?"

"If it was private I wouldn't have brought it up." Jasper said quietly, making both Edward and I laugh. I loved seeing the boys tease each other.

"Good point, bro." Edward chuckled.

"Anyway, she said she made three CDs. Three." Jasper said. "But, she wouldn't tell me what songs she put on them."

"Aw, Jasper. I think she's just really excited to spend the day with you, and this is her way of showing it." I explained.

"Really?" He asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes. Us girls try to do things to impress the guy we like." I told him. "Sometimes, we just need little reminders that it's working."

"Oh." Jasper said. "Um, like, I should say something about the CDs?" He was wringing his hands together on his lap.

"Yeah." I agreed. "Or it could be something as simple as a smile, really. Girls, especially at Maria's age, need reassurance, because we're not always as sure of ourselves as we seem."

Jasper nodded his head, slowly, like he was absorbing the information I just gave him. "Thank you, Bella." He said.

"Of course, Jasper. Ask me anything, anytime and I'll try my best to help." I told him, just as we pulled up to the house. Emmett, Rose and Maria were all sitting on the back tailgate of Emmett's truck.

"I'll be right back." Jasper said, taking a deep breath as he got out of the car. Edward and I watched as he walked over to Maria. He ducked his head a little as he said something to her. Her smile said it all, though. She put her hands on his shoulders and he reached up, to hold her waist, tentatively at first, as he helped her off the back of the truck. It was adorable and it took everything in me not to yell out 'Aw.'

Emmett said something to them, then waved at us, before lifting Rose off the back of the truck. She smiled and waved at us, too. Rose was absolutely glowing and I was so glad that she and Emmett had been able to discuss their concerns maturely.

Jasper opened Maria's door for her and she climbed in, sliding down the seat, so Jasper could get in after her. I thought it was cute. "Hi, guys." She said. "I'm so excited about today. I brought my memory cards. I can't wait to scrapbook. Are we going to start them tomorrow?"

"Sure, Maria. I'm excited see all the pictures, too." I told her, as Edward pulled out, behind Emmett. We started down the highway out of town.

"Um, did you bring the CDs? I think that's really cool that you made them." Jasper said to Maria. He was almost too adorable to handle. I could see Edward smiling from the corner of my eye. Jasper had taken my advice already.

"Really?" She asked. "Because I was worried that maybe it was weird?"

"No. It's not weird." Jasper was quick to reassure her. "I, um, I like that you, uh, I like that about you. You, you say what you like and do what makes you happy." He stuttered through his thoughts a little, but what he said to Maria was so sweet.

I peeked over my shoulder at them, and Maria leaned over to pull Jasper into a hug. His face was red, but he was smiling as wide as she was. "Thank you, Jasper." She said.

Edward reached over and took my hand, bringing to his lips. He kissed the back of it, leaving his lips on my skin for a few seconds. It was such a sweet Edward thing to do.

"Okay, so here's the first CD." She said, passing it up to me. "It's sort of popular radio stuff."

I put it in Edward's stereo and looked back at Maria as the first song started. It was Katy Perry. "This stuff is fine with me, for sure." I told her. "I never hear modern music anymore, especially around this guy." I teased, patting Edward's thigh, making Maria and Jasper laugh.

The rest of the drive to Port Angeles was fun, as we finished going through the first CD. Besides, Katy Perry, she had Lady Gaga, Brittney Spears and Taylor Swift. It was a fun, upbeat mix of songs and it suited Maria to the tee. Her personality shone through the music she listened to. She was cute. I noticed that she was singing along and dancing a little in her seat.

But, the best part was how smitten Jasper was. I would glance at them in the visor mirror every once in a while and he was smiling at her, and laughing with her. They were so sweet.

Jasper and Maria were talking quietly in the backseat, so I turned to Edward. "I told my mom to cancel the hotel, because we're staying with her. I'm really excited about it, actually. I have a good feeling about this trip."

"I do, too, baby." Edward said, looking over at me smiling. "So, we're staying in the same guestroom, or is there a couch for me?" He laughed.

I laughed with him. "Well, she said she had the guestroom made up, so I'm assuming there's only one for us to share. It doesn't bother me at all, Edward, if that's what you're worried about. You'd be okay with that, right? I mean we are adults, so I don't think she will mind."

"It's fine with me, baby." Edward said with a reassuring smile. "Any excuse I have to hold you, I'll take."

"I can't wait." I said, squeezing Edward's hand, that was currently holding mine on the center console. "Oh, what did you think of Angie and Ben's picture at the fireworks? Wasn't it adorable?"

Edward chuckled. "They look great together. I'm glad things are still working out between them." Edward mused. "Ben seems like a really great guy."

"I think so, too." I told him. "Ang couldn't believe we kissed like that in front of your mom."

Edward laughed. "Well, I love you and I love kissing you, and you needed the picture. It doesn't bother me at all. I'd kiss you anywhere." He told me. "Plus, you kissed me in front of your dad this morning."

"Huh? I guess you're right." I said, sounding surprised, even to myself. He was right. When he had given me the white rose, I had brought his lips to meet mine in a kiss, in the kitchen with my dad and Jasper standing right there.

I remembered at the start of the summer, that being affectionate with Edward around my dad, embarrassed me. As Edward and I had grown closer, and despite my shy nature, I had gotten a lot more comfortable expressing my love for Edward. I wore his promise ring and we were forever. Perhaps, that was why I didn't mind showing my affection.

"Angie said that Ben is nervous to hold her hand in front of her dad." I told Edward.

Edward nodded his head and chuckled. "I completely understand where he's coming from. He has a pastor to worry about, and I have a police chief."

I laughed. "My dad loves you and you know it, Edward." I said, bringing his hand up to kiss his palm.

"Well, of course. I'm awesome." Edward teased, making me laugh. "But, my darling girl, you might recall a certain incident where I was awoken to screaming and your pyjama clad dad complete with his handgun. It's a scary job being a boyfriend."

"Oh my god. Sorry to eavesdrop." Maria said. "But why did Bella's dad have his gun out?"

Edward and I laughed. "It's okay, Maria." Edward said. "I was sleeping at Bella's and she woke up screaming with a cramp in her leg. Her dad, being the chief, came in with his service pistol to see what was wrong. Let's just say, I was a little freaked out."

Jasper and Maria were laughing in the backseat. I smiled at Edward. He was so sweet to tell them an embarrassing story. He smiled and winked at me. I still melted when he winked.

"Why haven't I ever heard that story before?" Jasper laughed. I smiled, noticing how he was becoming more comfortable.

"Because, it was traumatizing and embarrassing." Edward said, laughing. "Can I trust you both to keep it from Em?"

"Our lips are sealed, Edward." Maria said, trying to hold back her giggles.

"Okay." Edward said, sounding like he doubted them, as we pulled into Port Angeles. It was cute how he was teasing them. I knew he wouldn't care if Emmett found out. He was such a great guy. Based on the fun we had in the car, I was really looking forward to our day.


	238. Flirting and Favourites

**A/N - Happy Groundhog Day! The little rodents predict an early spring! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 238 - Flirting and Favourites

We parked beside Emmett on the boardwalk and all met in the front of the cars. "Before we do anything, can we eat? I'm starving." Emmett said, leaning his back against the wooden railing overlooking the water.

We all agreed to eat first before we had our pictures printed out. We were undecided between Taco Bell and Domino's. Emmett and Jasper decided to arm wrestle each other to decide. As fit as Jasper was, there was no way he would beat Emmett. Emmett's arms were huge. They sat at a picnic table and grasped each other's hands.

Maria and Rose were standing behind their boyfriends, cheering them on. It was adorable. Edward was the referee. Jasper put up a really good fight, but Emmett, aka Team Taco Bell, won the match. Maria kissed Jasper's cheek and told him he did a great job, making him blush.

We all walked about five blocks to the restaurant. Edward and I held hands and followed behind everyone else. He looked down at me and smiled. "You look so beautiful today." He said, quietly. "I love when you wear skirts. Your legs are so sexy."

I giggled a little. "Thank you, babe. I wish we were back in your room right now." I told him quietly.

He smirked at me and winked, as we walked into the restaurant. We all stood in line to order and I got the French fries supreme. Edward got a couple of beef burritos and ordered us a caramel apple empanada to share.

Edward and I volunteered to save the seats while the girls got the drinks and Emmett and Jasper waited for the food. Edward sat beside me and lightly traced his fingers on my knee and thigh. He leaned over and whispered in my ear. "What would we be doing in my room if we were there right now?"

I could feel my face heating up a little and I knew it was a combination of the fact that Edward was whispering in my ear and what he was saying. He usually wasn't this flirty, especially in public places.

He leaned in and kissed my warm cheek. I was always embarrassed and speechless when he said things like that, so I decided to play along for a change. I leaned in to Edward's ear, and pressed a kiss right underneath it. Then, I brought my nose up and traced the shell of his ear with it. I actually saw him shiver. I bit back a giggle.

"I wanted to show you something. That's all." I finally whispered.

Edward closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He looked like he was trying to compose himself. I held back my laughter. He set his elbow on the table and rested his head in his palm, looking over at me, smiling.

"I love you." He said. "Even though you're teasing me right now." He chuckled a little.

I bit my lip, trying to look innocent and batted my eyelashes at him, making him laugh. "What? I do have a little surprise for you when we get home." I told him, referring to my underwear choice today.

"Can I have it now?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. I laughed at him and shook my head.

"Your bedroom, only." I whispered, looking into his eyes. He smiled at me, and I couldn't look away from his face. He was beautiful, especially because his cheeks were a little pink now, too. Flirting with my boyfriend was fast becoming one of my favourite things to do.

But, the food was ready and Edward's brother's and the girls joined us. Not that I didn't enjoy their company, but I'm sure we would be teased for swooning over each other. As we ate, Edward kept stealing my fries. I thought it was cute. I loved that we were this comfortable with each other. He knew I didn't care if he ate my food. We just got each other.

Our relationship was so easy. We rarely fought. We were getting to the point where we talked about everything. If we weren't sure about something, we talked it out. We were definitely more mature than we were at the beginning of the summer. I had absolutely no concerns about us living together in the fall. It would be a new step for us and I couldn't wait for it.

I was sure so many couples worried about being around each other constantly and that it would put a strain on their relationship. But, Edward and I had already spent so much time together, that the idea didn't worry me in the least. We had travelled and camped and spent the majority of our time together anyway. In fact, once we got back to school, we would likely see less of each other, because of our courses.

But, what I was looking forward to the most, was not having to say goodbye to him at night. I actually hated leaving his side at the end of the day. I think that was the main reason I enjoyed travelling with Edward: we were never apart. It was an amazing feeling to have a connection so strong with someone, especially at my age.

Everyone was talking and laughing as they ate lunch. It was nice to be surrounded by so much happiness in my life. "What are you thinking about, angel?" Edward whispered in my ear. I looked up at him and smiled.

"You." I said, bumping his arm with my shoulder. "Us." He smiled widely.

"Anything in specific?" He asked, smirking again.

"Just that we're perfect together." I told him, honestly. "I love you."

He smiled and leaned in to press a quick kiss to my lips. "Aw." We were snapped out of our moment by both Rose and Maria. Edward smiled against my lips, before pressing one more kiss to my lips. I blushed and laughed.

After we finished our lunch, and Edward had fed me plastic forkfuls of gooey caramel and apples, we headed out to walk to The Camera Corner.

Maria and I both had tons of photos to get printed out, so we loaded up our memory card and selected our favourites from the summer so far. Edward stood behind with his chin on my shoulder, pointing out his favourites. Of course, his favourite was when he kissed me during our hike up Beacon Rock. He had dipped me backwards and kissed me in front of our families, when Emmett had called us out on a boring pose for the camera. I remember being so embarrassed.

My favourite was from our trip to Phoenix. We had our picture taken in front of the Orpheum Theater by couple celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary. I loved that picture because, that night Edward and I first talked about our future together. Edward said that he would take me back to Phoenix in forty years, after kissing our children and grandchildren goodbye. It was an important moment to me. I remember Edward being so excited that the couple could see how in love we were.

When I selected the photo on the screen to be printed, Edward turned his head to kiss my cheek. I knew he remembered that conversation, too. "Good choice." He whispered.

It must have taken me a half hour to go through all the pictures and pick the best for my scrapbook. I looked over at Maria's screen and noticed her selecting a shot of her on the bleachers at one of the baseball games, with Jasper standing behind her and his arms wrapped around her shoulders. She had a smile on her face as she selected her favourites.

The woman behind the counter told us to come back in an hour for our prints. The three of us walked outside and found Emmett, Jasper and Rose all sitting on a bench down the street.

"I hope we didn't take too long?" Maria said, as we walked over to join Rose and the boys.

"Well, getting these photos was the reason we came up here, anyway." Edward told her. "I'm sure they're fine."

As we walked up the bench, Jasper stood up and walked over to Maria, reaching out to take her hand. It was so nice to see Jasper taking the lead with her. But, based on the fact that Edward and I took weeks to even talk to each other, and now, only a few months later, we were inseparable, I had a good feeling for the outcome of Jasper and Maria's relationship, as well, even though they were still young.

"So, we have an hour to kill. What do you guys want to do?" Emmett asked, with his arm still around Rose's shoulder.

"Well, the last time Bella and I were up here for the day, I wanted to take her to the outdoor art exhibit at the Fine Arts Center, but it rained." Edward said. "They have all sorts of sculptures outside and some are in the trees. It's pretty cool. Do you guys want to check it out?"

I smiled at the suggestion. I remembered the day in early May when Edward and I had driven up to Port Angeles together for the first time. Edward had confessed to me that he had always dreamed of walking through the outdoor art museum with his girlfriend. I thought the idea was so romantic. And I couldn't wait to share this experience with him.


	239. Promise Me

**A/N - Thanks again for everything! The date in Summer Vacation is Monday, July 5, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 239 - Promise Me

Everyone agreed to go to the Art Outside exhibit that Edward had suggested. We walked back to the cars and Maria and I smiled at each other when both Edward and Jasper opened our car doors. We drove over to the Fine Arts Center, and walked over to the outdoor exhibit.

There were gorgeous metal sculptures, some of them eight feet tall. I started taking candid photos of everyone looking at the sculptures. We kept walking and the path led us into the trees. It was beautiful the way the art and nature worked together to make the pieces seem like they belonged out here.

Maria had Edward and I stand by a large log with a face carved into it. It was supposed to represent a spirit of the woods. It was truly gorgeous. After she took the picture, she ran ahead with the others to look at a modern looking piece, leaving us alone for a minute. I looked over at Edward and he was smiling at me.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked, squeezing my hand.

"I love it here." I told him, truthfully. "The art is amazing. But my favourite part is the company."

He chuckled. "I'm going to have to agree with that." He said. He turned to face me, placing his hands on either side of my face. He looked into my eyes and leaned in to press his lips to mine.

He started to pull back, so I reached up and brought his head back down. He chuckled quietly, before I kissed him, again. He deepened the kiss, as he slowly moved his hands down my neck and over to my shoulders. I pulled back and smiled up at him.

"Thank you for bringing me here. I still remember when you told me that you wanted to come here with me." I said. "Remember that day in May when we came up here for open mic night?"

He smiled. "I remember." He leaned in for another kiss. "And it rained, and we spent out first night together in a hotel room, eating peanut butter out of the jar."

"We've sure come a long way, haven't we?" I asked, telling him my thoughts from earlier in the day.

"We have, baby." Edward agreed. "We'd better catch up." He said, nodding his head to the path where we couldn't see or hear Emmett or Jasper anymore. He took my hand and we started back along the path.

We looked at the different pieces as we walked. There were some great modern pieces mixed in, as well. One of my favourites was a little fern sculpture made out of steel that looked like it was growing amongst the real ferns in the woods. I snapped a picture of it, before we continued on the path.

"Did you get us a room for Thursday in Seattle?" I asked Edward as we walked.

"Yeah. It's at the Fairfield Inn. It's only about a mile from the airport, so we won't have to get up too early." He told me. "And I got us a king sized bed." He said, before winking at me.

I laughed. "Edward Cullen. Don't spend so much money." I said.

"What? Why not? You're mom is paying for this whole trip. All I have to buy is our night is Seattle and your t-shirt." He defended. "Plus the room with the king sized bed was the same price as the room with two queen beds, so I figured, why waste a bed?" He laughed.

"Well, I guess you're just being logical." I teased. "But, thank you for doing that. So, you're still looking forward to seeing my mom, again?" I asked.

To be honest, the only thing that was worrying me at all about this trip was Edward. I was excited to see my mom. I knew things would okay this time. And because she was my mom, it was easier for me to give her that second chance.

But, I knew that she had really hurt Edward. She had questioned his motives with me. She had doubted him. I knew that that upset him when we were in Florida and I was concerned that he was worried about it, but not saying anything to me about it.

He hesitated for a second, before he nodded slowly. "I'm actually hoping to make a better impression this time. I kind of said some harsh words to her at the restaurant, and I feel like that was probably not the best way to show my manners." He confessed.

"Edward, are you serious? You stood up for me. You defended me, when I couldn't handle it and ran off to the bathroom." I told him, stopping us from walking so I could face him and look at him in the eye. "You showed her that you loved me, by standing up to her. You didn't do anything wrong that night."

He let out a deep breath and looked up at the sky through the trees. "It's just a tough situation. She's your mom. I should be seeking her approval, not the other way around, you know?" He said, looking back down at me.

"I think you have her approval." I told him, placing my hands on his hips. "You defended me and I think she respects that."

He nodded his head. "But, I'm actually a little more nervous this time around."

I smiled up at him, moving my hand to his back, rubbing it softly. "Thank you for telling me, Edward." I said, leaning in to kiss his chest. "Are you worried about the sleeping arrangement?"

"Actually, yes." He told me, nodding his head. We had agreed on staying at my mom's house in her guestroom. "But, I'll be fine, okay? I just want you to enjoy this trip. You deserve it."

"I think I'm going to call her and flat out ask about the guestroom." I said. "Edward, I love you for always wanting me to be happy, and I know you're putting your own feelings aside for me. But, I want you to have a good time, too. I can't enjoy myself if you're not."

He nodded his head. "I know how you feel, babe. I think I'll feel better once we get there, you know?" He said.

"Yeah." I agreed. "But, will you just promise me one thing?" I asked him.

He smiled at me, looking a lot more relaxed after we had talked everything out. "I'll give you anything you ask for. You know that." He said.

"Please tell me if aren't comfortable in my mom's house. We'll get a hotel for the other night. Promise me that you'll say something to me. I won't be upset." I told him looking right into his eyes.

He chuckled a little. "You're so cute when you're serious." He leaned in to kiss my lips, then my cheek. "It's actually really sexy." He whispered in my ear.

I pushed his chest back. "I notice that you are avoiding the question. Stop trying to distract me and promise me, Edward." I said, putting my hands on my hips, but winking at him, so he knew I wasn't mad at him. "Do you want to sleep in that king size bed alone? Because I'm not going unless you're going to be honest with me."

Edward smiled at me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I moved my hands up to his shoulders. "I promise, Bella. I'll tell you if I'm uncomfortable." He said. "And, I want you to sleep in that bed me."

I smiled at him. "Okay, then." I giggled. "Was that so hard?"

"No, baby." He chuckled. He reached down and put his hands on my bum and lifted me up. I had to wrap my legs around his waist.

"Edward. I'm wearing a skirt." I laughed, reaching my hand down to make sure my skirt wasn't lifting up.

"I noticed." He laughed. "Because you look so hot in it." He said, leaning in to kiss my neck. "I want to get you home." He whispered, making me blush.

He started walked down the path and out of the woods. Emmett and Rose were standing by a sculpture and Maria was taking a picture of them. Edward set me down and took my hand and we walked over to join them.

It seemed like everyone had a great time. We all got back in the cars and headed back to the store to pick up our pictures. I ended up spending about twenty five dollars, because I bought one hundred prints. Edward was walking around the store and I walked over to him with my bag full of pictures.

"Baby, do you even have a scrapbook?" He asked me, holding a beautiful, brown leather album in his hands.

I laughed. "No." I said. "I was just going to make the pages for now." I explained.

"Do you like this one?" He asked, smiling at me.

"It's gorgeous." I said, trying to take it from him.

"I'll get it for you." He said, pulling it back. "Let's get one for Alice, too. She wanted to make one, right?" I noticed his quick change of subject so I wouldn't protest about his gift for me. He was sneaky.

He found her a pink scrapbook, and took both to the register to buy them. He walked over to me and leaned down to kiss me. "Thank you, babe. I love it." I told him.

He smiled at me and took my hand. I was hoping we were about to head home. I really, really wanted to head up to Edward's room and spend a little time alone with him.


	240. Worth the Wait

**A/N - Thanks, again, for reading! You are the best readers on fan fiction, I'm sure! It's still Monday, July 5th, 2010 in the world of Summer Vacation. Enjoy! **

Chapter 240 - Worth the Wait

We all met up outside the store, and Emmett and Rose decided that we should get some ice cream and eat it on the benches by the water. It was sweet and romantic for them and their girlfriends, but I really wanted to go home with Edward.

But, being the good girl that I was, I got a bubble gum ice cream cone, and sat on Edward's lap on the bench. He was laughing at me, because I kept spitting out the gum into a napkin. "Why would you order bubble gum if you don't like the gum?" He asked, taking a bite out of his rocky road.

"Because the ice cream is awesome." I told him, bringing it to his lips so he could take a bite.

"Okay, you're right. That is awesome." He laughed. He was moving his thumb along my hip and I was getting a little distracted. I leaned towards his face and gave his lips a quick kiss. Our lips were a little sticky, but Edward's lips were amazing as always.

After we finished our ice cream, we decided to head back to Forks. It was only about quarter to four, but I think everyone was tired from all the walking. In the car on the way home, Maria passed me another CD. I smiled when I heard this one. It was a mix of the classic rock bands that Jasper said he liked the night before. I thought it was so sweet that she would make him an album, even though I'm sure this wasn't the kind of music that she liked.

The ride home went quickly, and I was glad. I wanted my alone time with Edward. When we got home, Alice and Esme were in the kitchen, working on making dinner together. It was so nice that they spent this mother/daughter time together.

I wished that my mom would have spent time with me like that when I was growing up. My memories in the kitchen were of Angie's mom. I was thankful to have had her, but I was even more thankful to have a chance to rebuild things with my own mother this weekend.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour." Esme said, as the boys, Rose and Maria headed down to the basement. She walked over and gave me hug, and then Edward. "Did you have a good day?"

"It was nice." I said. "I've got about a hundred photos." I laughed. "I'll be working on this scrapbook for years"

"We're just going to be upstairs for a bit." Edward said, making me smile. I loved that he wanted to spend time alone with me, too. "See you for dinner."

Edward took my hand and led me up to his room. He closed and locked the door. He smiled at me. "Finally." He said, with a smirk, leaning in to kiss me. "I love you so much." He whispered, before deepening the kiss.

I stepped back from him and smiled. "Do you want to see your surprise?" I asked, feeling a little nervous and embarrassed.

He smiled at me, and I saw reassurance and comfort in his eyes. He always knew how I was feeling at the time. "Do you want to show me your surprise?" He asked, putting the ball in my court. I could tell that he never wanted me to feel pressured or rushed.

I smiled at him. "Yes." I said. "Sit down." I gently pushed him towards his bed. His legs hit the bed and he sat down, looking up at me, with a look of surprise on his face. I turned and walked away from him, standing in front of his desk. I took a breath to give myself the courage to do what I was about to do.

I turned to face him, and our eyes met. I smiled, what I hoped was a sexy smile, before slowly pulling my t-shirt over my head, leaving me in my black satin bra. Edward was smiling at me, and I could tell he was enjoying the little show. I leaned to the side and unzipped my skirt, before letting drop to my feet.

I knew my face was red and I was really nervous all of the sudden. It was not like me at all to do a little strip tease for my boyfriend. I looked up at Edward and he looked like he wanted to get up, but wasn't sure if he should.

I don't know why, but all of a sudden, I found the situation to be hilarious. I was hardly sexy or confident enough to pull this off. So, I started laughing. Really laughing. Edward looked confused, with a smile tugging at his lips.

"What, baby?" He asked, getting up and walking over to me. I could see my laughter was contagious as Edward was chuckling along with me.

I started to calm down a little, and wiped the tears from my eyes. "I'm sorry, Edward." I giggled. "I tried to be sexy for you, but I just wasn't pulling it off."

Edward smiled at me, before moving my hair off of my shoulder and leaning in to kiss where my neck and shoulder met. "Bella, Bella." He whispered against skin. He kissed the side of my neck before standing up straight and looking down at my face. He ran his fingers through my hair, before kissing my forehead. "You, my beautiful girl, are the sexiest woman I have ever seen. Trust me when I tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed your little show, laughter included." He told me, so honestly, that I believed him instantly. "You are so perfect for me."

I smiled at him. "Thank you, Edward. Did you notice anything specifically?" I asked, taking a step back from him.

His eyes slowly traced down my body. He smiled, before looking up at my face. "Were those the, um, panties that I liked?" He asked, stepping closer to me. "That's my surprise?"

I nodded, smiling at him. "You couldn't seem to decide between these and the checkered pair." I told him. I spun in a little circle for him. I guess I was getting a little braver. "What do you think?"

"I think you're beautiful." He said. "And I love that you are this comfortable with me." He leaned down to kiss me softly on the lips. "Thank you for doing this for me."

"I wanted to." I told him, honestly. I walked passed him, dragging my fingers over his chest, and crawled onto the bed. I laid back with my head on his pillow. "Can I have a little show?" I asked.

Edward laughed. "Uh, okay?" He said, looking a little nervous. "What do I do? Just take it off?" He laughed. "I'm not skilled in the art of striping."

I started laughing at him. He was so cute. "Edward. You're asking the wrong girl." I giggled. I was so excited that he was humouring me. "Um, just take your shirt off really slowly. I want to see that gorgeous chest."

He chuckled and nodded his head. He looked so determined. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and reached down to the hem of his shirt. He started lifting his shirt up slowly so I could see his stomach. "Wait." He said, dropping his shirt back down. "Maybe I need some music."

I started laughing on the bed. He was taking this so seriously. It was adorable. I watched as he walked over to his stereo and turned on something slow and jazzy. He walked over to the door to check that it was locked. He started dancing really slowly in front of me. It was honestly the sexiest thing I had ever seen. He slowly lifted his shirt over his head. I applauded and cheered. He smiled at me and tossed his shirt on the bed. He was really getting into it.

Edward turned around, so his back was to me, and slowly moved his hips from side to side. I heard him unzip his jeans and watched as they fell to the floor, leaving Edward in a pair of green boxers. He peaked at me over his shoulder and winked. He walked over to the lights and flicked them off, before coming over to the bed. He crawled over to me and pulled me close to his chest.

"How was that?" He asked, leaning in to suck on my neck.

"It was amazing, Edward." I said. "You are so sexy. I love that you danced for me." I reached my fingers up into his hair.

"I told you I would do anything for you." He chuckled against my skin. "But, only in this room." He laughed.

I started kissing his chest, and moving my hands up and down his back. I slid my fingers along the waist band of his boxers. I was nervous to move farther, but I just really wanted to feel his skin. I dipped my fingers under the elastic and slid my hands over his bare cheeks. He groaned, burying his face into my chest. I lightly scratched his skin with my nails.

He reached behind me to the clasps of my bra. He struggled for a couple of seconds, but got it this time. He chuckled a little before kissing my lips. "You're a quick learner." I whispered, making him laugh.

"I have a beautiful woman in my arms as motivation." He chuckled. He took the straps and pulled my bra off of my body. It was easy to feel more comfortable in the dark of the room. "I love you, Bella." He whispered, kissing me everywhere and anywhere.

We were getting a little braver and more comfortable with where we touched. But, I didn't feel any pressure to rush through this. We were taking our time and it made the experience that much more special. This was definitely worth the wait.


	241. Smitty

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I've had writer's block all week and therefore haven't yet had a chance to reply to your reviews in the last couple of days. But, everything is back on track and the ideas are churning in my mind. Thanks for all of your support. It's very encouraging! Enjoy!**

Chapter 241 - Smitty

Edward and I thoroughly enjoyed our hour alone together in his room. I was so love with this man. He always made sure to tell me how much he loved me. But what was better than the words, was how he showed me his feelings. He was gentle and loving and patient. He was everything I had ever dreamed of. He was the ideal man. And he was mine.

"Baby, we'd better get dressed." Edward said, his face buried in the crook of my neck. He had his hand spread out on my stomach and was moving his thumb back and forth slowly. "It's probably time for dinner."

I rolled over so we were face to face. "But, I'm so comfortable." I teased. "Can't you just get dressed and go bring us some food?"

Edward laughed. "How would I explain that to my mom? Just go downstairs in a bathrobe and get a bowl of strawberries and chocolate. 'Oh, don't mind me, mom and dad. I'm just here to get some snacks to take back to my love nest. My scantily clad girlfriend is laying on my bed in nothing but a pair of pretty pink panties and I'm dying to get back up there with her.'" He joked.

I laughed and slapped his shoulder. "And if you said that, Edward, I would never be able to show my face around your family, again." I told him. I sighed and flopped onto my back. "So, you made your point. I'll get dressed."

"Just so you know, I would rather stay here, too." He said, tracing his fingers gently over my lips, my chin, down my throat and along the center of my chest. "You are so, so beautiful." He whispered before kissing my shoulder. "And, I know I tell you all the time, but I really love you, Bella, more than anything in this world."

I turned my head to look into his eyes. "I love you, Edward Cullen." I whispered. "But, stop trying to make me cry."

He chuckled a little. "Sorry, babe." He leaned in to kiss my lips. He got off of the bed and I watched as he pulled on his jeans and then slipped his shirt back on. He picked my clothes up off of the floor and passed them to me, before slipping into the bathroom. I finished getting redressed, just as Edward came out of the bathroom. I went in to quickly comb through my hair. I didn't want to look too dishevelled for dinner.

I walked out, and Edward had shut off the music and had the lights turned back on. He walked over to me and leaned in for a kiss, as he traced his fingertips up and down my arms. "You are so pretty. I can't keep my hands off of you, today."

I giggled. "I'm not complaining." I said, taking his hand and leading him downstairs for dinner.

We walked into the kitchen. Carlisle was leaning against the counter and Esme was just scooping potatoes into a serving bowl.

"Where did you two run off to?" Esme asked, winking at us. "I thought you were gong to miss dinner. Everyone is in the dining room, already."

I flushed bright red and Edward chuckled. "We're on time, aren't we?" He said, leading us into the dining room. Dinner ended up going really well. It was nice that Rose and Maria had decided to stay. Having nine people around the table made for a lot of conversation.

After dinner, Emmett drove the girls home. Maria had asked Esme if it was alright for us to scrapbook here tomorrow. Of course, Esme was thrilled. I think she loved having a lot going on in the house all the time. Her family made her happy. Maria said she would be over after lunch. I was really looking forward to it.

Edward and I flopped onto the couch in the family room. I wanted to look through all of my photos and decide which photos to start with. Esme and Carlisle came and sat beside us and we passed the pictures down the line. Jasper was laying on the other couch reading a magazine and Alice was watching TV.

I got to the picture of Edward laying on the hotel bed in Florida in just his boxers. He had just woken up, was unshaven and hugging a pillow to his chest. He looked so adorable. I blushed a little when I looked at it. I loved it, but I was a little embarrassed to show it to Esme and Carlisle. I mean, I had taken a picture of their son in his underwear. We had skipped over this picture when showing our families the photo slid show when we got back from the trip.

Edward looked over at me and kissed my cheek, when I wouldn't let go of the picture. "I look horrible in this picture." He chuckled.

"No, you look so incredibly sexy in this picture." I whispered in his ear, making him smile.

"Let's see it." Esme said, smiling at us. I closed my eyes and passed the picture to Edward, who then passed it to his dad.

Esme and Carlisle chuckled at the picture when they saw it. "Where was this one taken?" Carlisle asked, thankfully ignoring my embarrassment.

"Oh, um, that was our last day in Florida." I told him. "I found it hilarious that throughout that whole trip, I couldn't get Edward to wake up. He slept in everyday. And when he's in Forks, he's up at the crack of dawn." I laughed.

"You know what this picture reminds me of?" Esme said. "The way he's hugging that pillow, he looks just like he did when he a little boy and he had that big stuffed cat."

"Oh, my god." Edward said, dropping his head backwards to the back of the couch. He face was flushed bright red and he flung his arm over his eyes. Carlisle and Esme started laughing and even Jasper was chuckling.

"Aw, that sounds adorable." I said, rubbing my hand on Edward's thigh.

"It was so cute, Bella." Esme said. "The cat was about three feet tall, and it was bright orange. Edward would drag it around with him everywhere he went. And went he slept, he held it close to his chest, just like the pillow in this picture."

I smiled at the thought of little Edward with his giant stuffed cat. "What did he call it, again?" Carlisle asked his wife.

"Smitty, the kitty." Esme said, smiling at the memory. "I think I have a picture." She said getting up off the couch.

"Mom. Are you serious?" Edward whined. "Why don't you just bring over the naked bathtub pictures?"

"Don't encourage her, Edward." Carlisle chuckled, patting Edward's shoulder.

"Aw, baby. That's adorable." I said to him. "Don't be embarrassed."

Edward lifted his head and wrapped his arms around me, tightly. He kissed my temple. "Promise you won't laugh?" He asked me. I remembered the first time Esme had shown me a photo album of Edward as a child. He had gone to the other room while I looked at it. He was always so embarrassed of his childhood photos. I had no idea why, as Edward was a beautiful child.

"I promise." I said, just as Esme walked over with a photo album.

"I have dozens of these, sweetheart." Esme said, setting the album on my lap, which was opened to the middle.

I looked down and smiled. The first photo was of Edward, about three years old, standing in the backyard, in just his little Spiderman underpants, holding a huge stuffed cat by the leg. He was so sweet. His hair had been combed flat but was sticking up in places, and he had a mischievous little grin on his face. The next photo was Edward sleeping in his bed. He was laying on his side with one arm and one leg flopped over the cat. He was so adorable.

"Oh, Edward. This is priceless." I said, leaning in to press a quick to his lips. He smiled at me, before leaning in for another kiss. I had seen pictures of Edward as a child, but I would never get tired of seeing them.

"Bella, flip to the front of the album." Esme said. I did as instructed and bit back a giggle. There was one picture of Edward as a chubby baby in the tub, totally naked. The photo underneath was Edward at about two years old standing in a bubble bath, stark naked, with a pile of bubbles on his head. "He loved his bubble baths." She giggled.

"Okay, that's it." Edward said, sliding the book from my hands and closing it.

"Edward, you were adorable." I told him, smiling. "I'll see the rest of that album one day." I giggled. "You can't be with me every second."

"Oh, I can try." He said, sounding determined. "We'll just have to see what kind of stories and pictures you're mom's got." He said, kissing my cheek.

I was actually hoping that my mom had some great memories of me as a child. As much as Edward got embarrassed by all this attention, it showed just how much he was loved and spoiled growing up. His parents were proud of him and I hoped that my mom had embarrassing stories and photos of me, too. Because it would show me that she really did care. I nodded my head. "I hope she's got some great ones."

Edward just meant to tease me, but as soon as I said that, he realized what he said. I could tell that he felt bad right away, as I didn't have that close of a relationship with my mom growing up. I didn't want Edward to worry. I wasn't upset with him at all. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I'm sorry."

I looked up into his worried eyes and smiled at him. "Don't be." I said, softly. "But, I'm sure I never had a Smitty the kitty." I teased, pinching his side. He smiled at me and shook his head. I loved teasing my boy.


	242. House Guests

**A/N - Hey, readers! I hope you are having a great weekend! Thanks so much for all the great reviews, alerts and favourites! I love them all! Enjoy!**

Chapter 242 - House Guests

We spent a the rest of the evening looking through our photos from the summer so far. One thing that struck me, was how happy I looked in every single photo. I always had a huge smile on my face, and I just seemed to be glowing. Even Edward always looked either content or excited.

I was really looking forward to working on this scrapbook the next day. At around nine thirty, Edward took me home. My dad would be home at around ten thirty, so Edward and I figured we would spend a little more time alone together.

When we got home, I walked over to my rose, that my dad had put in water on the kitchen table and brought it up to my nose, again. It smelled amazing. I felt Edward walk up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist. He leaned in snuggled into my neck. "I'm tired." He whispered.

"So am I. Do you want to go lay down for a while?" I asked, setting my flower back down and turning in his arms.

He smiled. "Yeah." He said, before kissing my forehead. We went upstairs to my room and Edward flopped back onto my bed. I slipped off my skirt, t-shirt, and bra, before walking over to my drawer and slipping on my Beacon Rock State Park t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants.

I didn't strip for him, but I didn't turn my back to him. I wanted us to be comfortable together, and I was trying really hard to be comfortable with my body. I could feel my face and chest blushing, before my night shirt was on. I walked over to the bed and laid beside Edward.

I snuggled my face into his chest and wrapped my arm around his waist. He kissed my hair and started rubbing my back. "You're so gorgeous, Bella." He said. "But, baby, just because we've been doing a little more with each other these last couple of days, we don't have to do that every time."

"Okay." I said into his chest, feeling a little foolish.

"I just mean that you looked a little embarrassed getting changed in front of me. Tell me to get out of the room, or close my eyes and I'll do it, Bella." He explained. "I don't want you to think that I'm expecting it, you know?"

I nodded my head, but kept my face pressed to his chest. "Why are you hiding your face?" He asked, stroking my hair.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I feel stupid." I admitted.

"What? Why?" He asked, surprised. He wriggled lower on my bed, so his face was in front of mine. "Talk to me." He said, looking into my eyes.

I let out a deep breath and rolled onto my back, looking up a the ceiling. "I don't know. I want to be comfortable with my body and I want to be comfortable in front of you. I figured that I more I try, the easier it will get. I love you, Edward." I said, hoping he understood what I was trying to say.

Edward leaned in and pressed a kiss to my temple. "I love you, too, Bella. And that's why I don't want you to feel rushed." He propped his head up on his arm and looked down at my face. "I'm not going anywhere. We'll get there, Bella."

I smiled at him. I pushed his chest so he fell backwards and climbed over to straddle his waist. "Can I see your chest?" I asked, slipping my fingers under his t-shirt and tickling his stomach.

"Yeah." He chuckled.

I slid my fingers up his stomach, watching his shirt gather on my wrists. I leaned down and started placing kisses on his abs. I slid my hands higher on his chest and up to his shoulders. Edward pulled his shirt off the rest of the way.

I laid down on his chest, kissing his lips. He wrapped his arms around me and moved his hands down to my bum. "I love just spending time with you, and holding you." Edward said quietly.

"Me, too, baby." I said, closing my eyes.

I must have fallen asleep laying on top of Edward. When I woke up, I was laying on my side, snuggled up to Edward's bare chest, and his arm was thrown over my side. It was dark and my light was turned out. I rolled over and looked at the clock. 3:15AM.

I was comfortable and warm cuddled up to Edward and I didn't want to move. But, I had to pee. I lifted Edward's arm and slid out from underneath him. He just rolled onto his stomach in the middle of the bed. He was out cold. I smiled at how sweet he looked when he slept and walked out into the hallway.

I used the bathroom and opened the door to walk back out into the hallway. Just as I did, I saw my dad's bedroom door open. Heidi walked into the hallway wearing a pink bathrobe.

I think we both blushed when we saw each other. I knew that she might be over at the house any time now, considering that my dad and I had talked about it this morning, but I was still surprised to see her.

"Hi, Bella." She said, quietly.

"Hi." I answered. "Um, Edward's here." I told her.

"I know." She giggled. "I shut out your bedroom light. You were both fast asleep with the light on when your dad and I came upstairs."

I laughed, nervously. "We didn't plan on him staying over. I guess we just fell asleep." I explained.

"It's alright. It happens." She laughed. She pulled me into a tight hug. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay. Good night." I whispered, before walking back into my room. I slid back into my bed, and pushed Edward over a little.

He groaned and stretched. "What time is it?" He rasped out.

"It's just after three in the morning." I whispered. "Go back to sleep, babe."

"I'm still wearing my jeans." He said, getting out of my bed. He slipped his jeans off and then crawled back into bed. He threw his arm and leg over my body.

I laughed. "Edward. I'm not Smitty."

He laughed with me, and tickled under my arm, making me squirm. "I can't believe my mom told you about that." He said, reaching up to caress my cheek.

"I love that she did. Edward, you were such a gorgeous little boy." I said, leaning to kiss his lips. "I hope our babies look just like you."

I didn't even know why I said it; why I brought up our future children. It just came out. Edward smiled at me. He looked ecstatic. He leaned in and pressed a hard kiss to my lips. "I love you." He whispered, before deepening the kiss.

I moved my hands around his back, pulling him closer to me. He rolled over on top of me, and started kissing my neck, his hands sliding down my body. "Mm, Edward." I whispered. "Baby, Heidi and my dad are just across the hall."

He brought his lips back up to meet mine. "Really?" He asked, holding himself up off of me with his arms. "Heidi's over?"

"Yeah, I ran into her in the hallway. My dad talked to me about her staying over from time to time, but I didn't realize it would be tonight." I told him. Edward rolled off of me, pulled me over to his chest and snuggled up to my back.

"Does she know I'm here?" He asked, kissing my cheek.

"Yeah. Apparently she shut out my bedroom light." I told him. "I think I fell asleep on top of you." I giggled.

He laughed. "Well, we'll deal with that embarrassment tomorrow morning." He said, as he traced his fingers gently over my stomach. "Let's get back to sleep for a few more hours."

"Okay." I said. "I'm glad you stayed, Edward. I love the feeling of your arms around me."

"Mm. And I like holding in my arms when I sleep." He whispered. I could tell he was starting to fall asleep. He words were coming out slowly.

Edward?" I asked. "I think you should bring some of your clothes over here. You know, for days like this, when we just fall asleep, or whatever." It only seemed right. I had clothes at his house, he should have some of his things here. I'm surprised I hadn't thought of it before.

"Okay." He agreed, tucking his head into my shoulder. "Night."

"Goodnight. I love you." I said, placing my hand on his, and closing my eyes. I never slept better than when Edward held me close.


	243. Family Breakfast

**A/N - Thank you, again, for all of your support of my story! Lately, I'm even seeing tweets on Twitter about it! I cannot tell you how exciting it is to see people that love this story, sharing it with their friends! I really appreciate it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 243 - Family Breakfast

When I woke up, Edward was placing delicate kisses on my cheek and neck. I smiled before I even opened my eyes. "Good morning, my beautiful angel." He whispered in my ear.

"You smell like peppermint." I said, rolling over to snuggle into his chest. "Why are you dressed?" I was surprised that he was already in his t-shirt and jeans.

"Well, babe. It's already eight o'clock. I ran into your dad in the hallway and he got me a toothbrush. I had a shower, got cleaned up." He said.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. "You should have woke me up. Was it awkward?" I asked, stretching.

"It's okay. You're dad doesn't care that I'm here, Bella." He said, leaning to kiss my lips. "He trusts you."

"Oh, my god, Edward. Your mom. Did you call her?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Honey, we're adults. She knows where I am." He said. "But, I did call her this morning, so don't worry."

"Okay. It's just weird, though, you know. Living here with my dad, and you with your family, it just feels like, I don't know, we're still kids." I said.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He said. "I think it's a little easier for me, though, because my parents still have Em, Jazz and especially Alice to worry about, you know?"

"Well, you're still their little boy, Edward." I said. "Your mom loves showing off your baby pictures." I rolled over and ran my fingers over his arms. "Why are you embarrassed when she shows them to me?"

He chuckled. "I don't know. I was always really shy and I feel like, these last couple of years, I've just figured out who I am. I'm just getting confident with myself. So when I look back, I see that little boy that's not sure of himself."

I sat up and looked down at him. "I get that, I really do. I've never felt as happy and as content in my life as I have with you this summer. But, Edward, everything that has happened in your life has made you into the incredible man you are today. I love looking at your pictures, because you had a beautiful childhood."

He sat up and pulled me to his chest. "I love you." He whispered. "And, about yesterday. Bella, I'm sorry if I upset you by bringing up pictures and stories and of your childhood. I feel so bad about that."

"Oh, don't, Edward. Please don't feel bad. I want to ask her, too. I want to hear about my childhood from her, a much as you do." I said.

"Okay." He said, smiling. "We'll ask her." He kissed the side of my head.

I got up and went to have a shower. I brushed my teeth, scrunched my hair with a little gel, and then went back to my room to get dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a yellow tank. Edward wasn't in my room, so I ran downstairs.

I walked into the kitchen and my dad and Edward were sitting at the table together drinking coffee and Heidi was standing at the stove making what smelled like French toast.

"Good morning, dad." I said, kissing the top of his head as I walked over to the fridge to get a glass of orange juice.

"Good morning, kiddo." He said. "Have a good sleep?" He asked in a teasing voice, making Heidi and Edward laugh.

I blushed, as a natural reaction, thinking of how my dad and Heidi saw me sleeping on top of Edward last night. But, I sat beside Edward and set my glass down, feeling confident. Why should I have to be embarrassed, here? "Yes, actually. You?" I asked, turning the tables.

He chuckled. "Touche."

Heidi walked over to the table and set down a plate of toast. "You didn't have to cook, Heidi, but thank you. It looked delicious." I said.

"Yes, thank you." Edward said, picking up two pieces of toast with his fork. I smiled at him. It was nice seeing him so comfortable over here. I wanted him to feel at home here, like the Cullens made me feel when I was at their house.

I had to laugh a little at the whole situation. My dad and I both had someone stay over for the night. It was like we were roommates in college, or something. It was kind of cute when I though about it.

But I was absolutely revelling in the idea of us eating breakfast together like a family. I loved it. It felt so complete. We were all happy and getting along. Edward was joking with Heidi over her choice to put peanut butter on her French toast. It was so light hearted and fun in the kitchen this morning. My dad looked at and me and smiled. I think he was thinking the same thing that I was.

After we ate, Edward gave me a kiss and said that he was going to run home and change. He said he would come back over to get me before lunch so I could scrapbook with Maria.

"Edward. Heidi is driving us into work today, so Bella can take the truck if that's easier." My dad suggested.

"Thanks, daddy." I said, giving him a hug. I walked Edward out to his car. He turned me and pressed me up against the door. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips.

"Mm. I'm going to miss you for the next couple of hours." He breathed, before leaning back in to kiss me, again. "I think I'll pack up some clothes to bring over here, okay? I really liked sleeping over last night."

"I liked it, too. Even though my bed is really small." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"It just means we have to snuggle closer together, that's all. And I definitely like that, gorgeous." He whispered in my ear, before sucking on my earlobe.

I giggled. "Edward, we're making a scene." I laughed nodding my head in the direction of my dad's elderly neighbour. It was an old women in a rocking chair on the porch.

"We probably just remind her of her own love story, when we were her age." He said. "So, really, it's a good thing all around." I laughed at the way he tried to rationalize his public make out session. It was really cute, actually.

He leaned in for one more kiss. "Okay. I'll see you in a couple hours. I love you." I said, stepping back from the car door.

"I love you, too, baby." He said, before getting into the car and driving home. When I couldn't see his car anymore, I went back into the kitchen. My dad was washing the dishes, his hands in the sink, and Heidi was hold a plate and towel in her hand, as if she was drying it. But, they were both leaning into each other, kissing.

I giggled. "Sorry to interrupt." I teased.

Heidi and my dad laughed, pulling apart. "I'm sure Mrs. Crowley, next door, was thinking the same thing about you and Edward outside." My dad said.

I blushed. "Okay, okay, you've made your point." I laughed, sitting at the table. "So, how was work last night?" I asked.

"Oh, it was alright. I think everyone tired themselves out from the weekend's festivities. Not too many calls." Heidi said, putting away a stack of plates. "So what do you have planed for today?"

"Oh, I'm scrapbooking with Maria Hale this afternoon, and then Edward and I are going over to have dinner with Siobhan and Alec tonight." I told her.

"That Alec." My dad laughed. "He's pretty smitten."

"Yeah, he's got this goofy grin on his face all the time, now." Heidi added.

"Kind of like Edward." My dad said, smiling.

"Kind of like you, dad?" I asked, teasing. Heidi smiled at me, as my dad flushed a little. It was cute.

After they finished the dishes, we all went outside. My dad suggested that we play horseshoes together. While we played, my dad bragged to Heidi that I had helped him build the horseshoe pit. He had his arm wrapped around my shoulder. Heidi winked at me, as she told my dad how great we did.

I ended up sitting on the back porch, watching my dad and Heidi have a completive match. She was really good, and my dad looked very impressed. They were so adorable together. My dad was so proud of her, and would kiss her every time she got a ringer. I had run in to get my camera and I got a few great candid shots.

It was a fun morning and I was almost sad to see them go to work at eleven thirty. They both gave me a hug and told me to have a good day. It was already great, and would only get better.


	244. Bubble

**A/N - Thank you for reading! The date in the story is Tuesday, July 6, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 244 - Bubble

After my dad and Heidi left for work, I ran upstairs to pick out something to wear to dinner at Siobhan's place. I picked out my white sundress. It was summery and casual, but still dressy. I folded it up and tucked it in my purse. I figured I would hang it back up when I got to Edward's.

I grabbed my purse and camera and ran out to my dad's truck. I started it up and drove to Edward's house. It was weird to be driving. I was so used to Edward driving me everywhere. I had to say, I liked being the passenger. It was so stress free. Even though Forks was small, there seemed to be a lot of traffic today. Nothing bad or scary happened on the road, exactly, but I was feeling a little shaky when I pulled up to Edward's house, after having not driven for about two months.

I stayed in the truck for a minute or two, just laying my head back on the headrest. I shut my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. I opened my eyes and saw Edward jogging out of the house and over to the truck. He looked great in a black t-shirt and beige cargo shorts. My boy was gorgeous. He was also holding a bright orange tiger lily.

He opened the passenger side door and jumped in. He slid over to me, putting my purse on the floor. He wrapped his strong, warm arms around me and pulled me to his body. I felt so safe and comforted my his touch. Edward knew that I needed him without a word being spoken.

"Are you okay, honey? You look a little pale." He whispered, kissing my forehead, and setting the flower on my legs.

"Yeah. I'm just really not used to driving." I said, playing with the hem of his shorts. "I just feel a little rattled, that's all." I explained.

"Nothing happened, though?" He asked, burying his nose in my hair and taking a deep breath.

"No. I'm just glad to be back in your arms." I said.

"I'm glad to have you back." He said. "How was the rest of your morning?" He asked, as we stayed snuggled together in the cab of my dad's truck. It was nice to have this chance to be in our bubble again before we went into the house.

"Good. Well, except for the fact that Heidi and my dad's lips appear to have magnets in them." I giggled, making Edward chuckle. "We played horseshoes for a while until they went to work. It's so nice to see my dad this happy."

"It is." He agreed. He pressed another kiss to my head. "So, I packed a pair of jeans, a couple t-shirts, some boxers and deodorant. That should be good, right?" He asked. "You have room for me?"

I giggled. "Of course I have room for you." I told him. I sat up and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"You've got the colour back in your cheeks, now." He said, pressing a kiss to each of my cheeks. "You ready to face the scrapbookers in the house? Alice has been bouncing around the house all morning and I think Maria is talking Jasper's ear off about double matting photos, whatever that means." Edward laughed.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I said, smiling. "I get to look at pictures of your beautiful face all afternoon. What are you going to do today?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll hang out with Jazz. Em is at Rose's place this afternoon." He told me. "But, I'd be perfectly content to just sit with you."

"Aw. You're the sweetest, babe." I said. "Oh, I have to hang up my dress for dinner tonight."

"Dinner?" He asked.

I giggled. "Yeah. We're eating at Siobhan's tonight at seven with her and Alec. Remember? We made the plans on Sunday." I reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. At the barbeque." He said. "I totally forgot." He chuckled.

"You still want to go?" I asked.

"Definitely." He said, leaning in to kiss me. "Which dress did you bring?" He asked with a smile on his face.

"The white one with spaghetti straps." I told him.

"The one that hits you right here?" He asked, running his finger across the middle of my thighs. I shivered at his delicate touch.

"Yeah." I all but breathed out. The reactions he caused in me were incredible.

"I love that dress." He whispered, before leaning in to kiss my neck, and wrapping his arm around my back, to bring me closer to his warm body. "You look so sexy in it."

I could only moan in response. I loved that when Edward touched me, the whole world seemed to melt away.

"Oh, babe, don't make sounds like that, if you want to leave this truck anytime soon." He said, bringing his lips to mine for a deep kiss. I reached up and slid my fingers through his hair. I lightly scratched his scalp, while he kissed me. He pulled back placing a couple of soft kisses to my lips.

I smiled, making him smile. "You smell like my shampoo." I whispered.

He laughed. "Well, I figured, it was better to smell like you than your dad, right?" He winked. "I just used the big, pink bottle with the flowers and strawberries on it. Is that weird? Do I smell like a girl?"

I laughed at him. "You are the cutest, Edward. I swear, I don't know how you do it, but everything you say and do makes me love you more."

He smiled, looking pretty proud of himself, and leaned in, putting our foreheads together. "I'm glad. Because I feel the same way." He said, turning his head to kiss my cheek.

I looked up at the house and Alice and Maria were sitting on the porch swing. Apparently we had an audience. "Baby, we'd better get into the house. I think Alice and Maria are waiting for me." I said, nodding my head towards the house.

Edward turned his head and looked at the porch. He waved at them and they started giggling, waving back. Both Edward and I laughed. "Well, I guess our time alone had to end some time." He said.

"I know." I said. "But, it was great while it lasted. Thank you for the flower, Edward. It's beautiful."

"Of course, babe." He said with a wink.

Edward opened the passenger side door, and got out of the truck, before opening his arms and lifting me out of the truck. I leaned back into the truck for my purse and Edward whistled. I turned and looked at him, raising my eyebrow.

"Did you seriously just whistle at me?" I asked, laughing, as I took his hand, walking up to the house.

"Yeah." He said, looking a little embarrassed. "Was that not okay?"

"No, it's fine. You've just never done it before. You caught me off guard." I told him, squeezing his hand.

We got to the porch and Alice and Maria hopped up to their feet. "Ready to scrapbook?" Maria asked, with a huge smile on her face.

"Absolutely." I said. "I just need to run upstairs and hang up my dress. I'll be right down." The girls ran off into the kitchen.

Edward and I went up to his room and he locked the door, making me laugh. "Locking me in, huh?" I asked, setting the flower and my purse on his bed, and taking out the dress. I laid it out on his bed, smoothing out the wrinkles.

"Do you blame me?" He asked, walking up behind me and wrapping me in his arms. I leaned back into his chest, enjoying the feel of his hard body behind me.

"No, I don't." I giggled. "But, unfortunately we are going to have to learn to be apart from each other sometimes. Like when we go back to school in the fall."

"Uh, baby. I don't even want to think about it." He said, pressing a kiss to my hair. "Going to separate classes is going to be torture."

"I agree. But, just think about how great it will be when we get home everyday." I said, trying to make him feel better. "We will be living together, Edward. I'm so excited."

"I know, babe." He said, rocking us back and forth a little. "I think we are definitely ready for that step." I smiled at the thought of how great it was going to be.

"We are." I agreed. "And, as much as I don't want to leave this little bubble, your sweet baby sister and your brother's girlfriend are waiting for me to scrapbook."

"I know." He said, still not letting go of me.

I laughed. "Edward." I whined, reaching behind me around his body to squeeze his bum.

He groaned. "Okay, okay. Go scrapbook." He laughed, letting me go. I turned to face him and stood on my toes to kiss his chin. "Have fun, angel. I love you." He said.

I smiled at him. "I love you more." I told him, with a wink as I walked to his bedroom door.

"I doubt that, gorgeous." He said with a breathtaking smile. No, I was sure that it wasn't even possible for a person to love anyone as much as I loved this man.


	245. Scrapbooks

**A/N - Thank you all so much. We have surpassed 3500 reviews for this story! Thank you! Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 245 - Scrapbooks

I walked downstairs into the kitchen and found Maria and Alice sitting at the kitchen table eating sandwiches and drinking lemonade. Jasper and Esme were sitting at the island. "Hi, guys." I said, walking in to sit by Alice.

"Good afternoon, sweetheart." Esme said. "Help yourself to some sandwiches."

"Thank you, Esme." I said.

"How come you and Edward were sitting in the truck for so long?" Alice asked me.

I smiled at her. "Oh, that was the first time I'd driven in about two months, and I felt a little shaky, that's all."

"I hate driving." Jasper added. "I got my learner's permit last year and I never want to practice. There is just way to much to think about."

I smiled. "Yeah. I've never had my own car, so I haven't really driven that much. You should drive with Edward. He's a great driver."

"Yeah, he always offers to take me, but I'm scared to wreck his car." Jasper laughed.

"You wouldn't wreck it, Jasper." Maria added, always so supportive.

"What wouldn't you wreck?" Edward asked, walking into the kitchen, and sitting at the island beside Jasper, after kissing me on top of the head when he walked by.

"Your car." Jasper said. "We were talking about driving."

"Oh, cool. Do you want to take it for a spin this afternoon?" Edward asked his brother.

"I don't know. I guess." Jasper said, sounding a little unsure.

"We'll go to the parking lot at the school." Edward told him. "No traffic to worry about." Edward looked excited about teaching his brother to drive today. I was glad he was getting out of the house to spend time with his brother.

"Maybe I'll have to take a lesson at the Edward Cullen School of Driving, one day." I teased. "Let me know how it goes, Jasper."

Jasper laughed at that. "Okay." He said, shyly tucking his hair behind his ear.

After lunch, Edward kissed my lips, and Jasper kissed Maria's cheek, leaving them both blushing, before they left. Esme, Alice, Maria and I all went into the dining room to work on our scrapbooks.

"Bella. Did you see what Edward bought me?" Alice asked with a huge smile on her face. She held up her new pink scrapbook that Edward had got her in Port Angeles the day before.

"I did." I told her. "It's beautiful." I smiled, when I saw that Edward had placed my new scrapbook on the table. He was so sweet. I sat down and opened the cover. I noticed that there was a little note tucked in the first page. It was Edward's printing.

'Bella, this summer has been amazing so far. I have loved every moment, happy and sad, because they have brought us to where we are right now. And, baby, I have never been happier. Have fun making this scrapbook, because we'll spend forever looking at it, and remembering our first summer together. I love you. Edward.'

The tears welled up in my eyes and I got up to go wipe my eyes. That darn Edward. He was always making me cry. I was standing in the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face when Esme walked up and leaned against the doorframe. "Are you okay, sweetie?" She asked, softly.

"Yeah. It's just that Edward left a little a note in the front of my scrapbook. It was so sweet and romantic." I giggled. "Esme, he is such a charmer." I told her, laughing.

She came over and pulled me into a hug. "Yeah, he's a special boy. I love him so much and I am so happy that he has you to take care of him, when I can't." She said.

I blinked back more tears. "What is it with you Cullens?" I laughed. "Always trying to make me cry."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." She giggled. "Come on, let's go scrapbook." She said. We linked our arms and we walked back to the dining room.

I decided that I wanted Edward's letter to be the first page of my scrapbook. When I walked into the dining room, I laughed. It looked like a hurricane hit. There were papers and stickers everywhere.

"Ladies." I laughed. "I've been gone for five minutes."

"Oh, Bella. That's the fun of it." Maria said. "I'm starting with the picture that you took of Jasper and I at his very first baseball game of the season." I looked down at the picture and smiled. Jasper was standing behind Maria and had his arms wrapped around her shoulders. Jasper was blushing, but both he and Maria had huge smiles on their faces. It really was a gorgeous picture.

"I think that is a great idea, Maria." I told her. "What did you pick, Alice?"

She showed me a picture of all of us girls from the slumber party in our pyjamas after we did each other's hair. Esme had taken it before we went to bed. It was really cute.

"So, Maria, what do we do?" I asked her.

"Okay, so we start by picking out a twelve by twelve piece of scrapbook paper for the background." She said.

I looked through all the paper she had in a little accordion style folder. It was even colour coded. I found a gorgeous sheet of paper the was sky blue with clouds on it. It looked heavenly, and that's how I felt when I thought of Edward.

"Okay. Now we can mat the photos, or we can use photo corners." Maria continued. She had a little jar full of little black, gold and silver triangles. I picked out four silver ones and, after centering Edward's letter on the paper, I stuck the corners down and tucked the letter in.

I thought the page was done and looked great, but Maria showed me how to add small embellishments, like a silver ribbon along the side of the page.

We had a fun afternoon working on our pages. It was cute how Esme was helping Alice make her pages. Esme would offer suggestions to Alice, but let her put it all together.

Edward and Jasper came home at around three-thirty. Maria was so happy to see Jasper. She proudly showed him the pages she had made so far. Edward came and sat down beside me. I put both of my hands on his cheeks.

"Baby. Thank you so much for the beautiful letter." I said, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you." I whispered. He reached up and took both of hands in his.

"You made Bella cry." Alice added.

"I did?" He said to Alice. "Well, I didn't mean to." He looked back at me and smiled. "I'm sorry, honey." He said, bringing my hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to the back of it.

"Don't apologize, Edward. It was perfect." I told him. I turned and flipped my scrapbook to the first page to show him. I watched as he traced his fingers over the page.

"This is gorgeous, babe." He said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "Great job."

"Edward, look at mine." Alice said. He got up and walked behind her, looking over her shoulder.

"Good work, princess." He said, kissing the top of her head.

Edward and Jasper decided to go down to the basement to watch a movie. "How did the driving go, Jasper?" I asked before they left the dining room.

Jasper nodded his head and smiled. "Alright."

"He's being modest. He did really well." Edward said, wrapping his arm around his brother's shoulder.

Maria and I both decided to work on our Fourth of July pages. We both made a two page spread. On the left page, I put a collage of all my favourite pictures of Edward and I from the barbeque and the beach. Maria showed me how to mat the photos and it looked great. On the other page, I centered my favourite shot of Edward and my kiss under the fireworks. I spent at least a half hour triple framing it, with red, white and blue cardstock. I was thrilled with how the pages came out. I was really happy with my work so far.

We heard the front door close a minute before Carlisle walked into the room. "How's the scrapbooking going?" He asked, walking over to Esme. He pressed a delicate kiss to her cheek, before going over to look at Alice's work.

I had really enjoyed the afternoon with the girls, and I was looking forward to working on this project again, soon.


	246. Getting to Dinner

**A/N - Thanks again for all of your support. Enjoy!**

Chapter 246 - Getting to Dinner

Esme, Alice and I helped Maria pack up all her supplies and clean up the table. I gave her a big hug and thanked her for showing us how to scrapbook. She was absolutely glowing. It was nice to see her in her element. So far this summer, we had seen Jasper at baseball and Alice and Rose at dance. I was happy to give Maria a chance to show us what she loved. It was sweet that Esme included her as well. She just opened her heart and home to everyone important to her children.

Emmett and Rose came home, and after Alice showed Emmett her scrapbook, he, Rose and Maria went down to the basement. Alice, Esme and Carlisle went in the kitchen to make dinner together. Edward came upstairs and we went up to his room to get ready for dinner with Siobhan and Alec.

He pulled me over to his bed and I climbed on. He crawled over top of me and laid down on me, pressing kisses to my neck and chest. I was laughing at his enthusiasm. "I missed you this afternoon." He whispered, before capturing my lips with his.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and slid my fingers up his neck into his hair. When Edward finally pulled back from the kiss, he looked into my eyes and smiled. "I missed you, too, babe." I told him. "Did you have a good afternoon with Jasper?"

He rolled off of me and laid beside me. He reached up traced his traced his fingers along my stomach. "I had a great time. I love that kid." He said with a smile. "We talked about driving, cars that we like, and girls. It was a good afternoon."

"Girls, huh?" I teased. "Any girls in particular." I laughed.

Edward dropped his head down onto my shoulder and chuckled. "Maybe." He slipped his fingers under the hem of my tank top, pulling it up a little. He continued moving his fingers along my skin. "Your skin is so soft."

I laughed. "That tickles." I said, bringing my hand down on top of his, to stop him.

He laughed, sitting up. "Okay, so what should I wear? Is this a really dressy thing?" He asked.

"Um, let me call her." I said, sitting up and pulling my shirt down. I grabbed my purse off of Edward's desk and called Siobhan.

"Hey, Bella. Please don't tell me you are cancelling?" She said when she picked up the phone.

"Oh, no. We'll be there." I reassured her. "We just wanted to know if this was a casual dinner, or…"

She laughed. "Yes, absolutely. Alec is just wearing jeans and t-shirt."

"Okay, thanks. Sounds great. We'll be over soon." I told her.

"Bye, Bella." She said, before hanging up.

I turned to face Edward, who was still laying on his bed. "Alec is wearing jeans and a t-shirt." I told him. "I actually really like what you're wearing now." I said, looking down at his black t-shirt and cargo shorts. "You just look so hot in black."

"Thank you, baby." He said. "Oh, I hung your dress up in the closet." He wasn't moving off of that bed. I pulled my shirt off and threw it at him. He caught it before it hit him.

"Are you expecting a striptease, every time?" I teased, walking over to the closet.

He laughed. "No. I just think you're pretty. I like looking at you." He said, watching as pulled my shorts off. I slipped into the dress, and gave him a little spin.

"Gorgeous." He said.

"Thanks, baby." I said. I walked into the bathroom and started brushing my teeth. Edward walked in and bumped me with his hip, reaching for his toothbrush. We stood in the mirror together, brushing our teeth. He kept smiling at me, and raising his eyebrows, trying to make me laugh. I loved when he acted so goofy and playful. He was truly fun to be around.

I kicked Edward out, so I could use the bathroom, making him laugh. I wet my hands and rescrunched my hair. I walked out and joined Edward, who had a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. I smiled. I had forgotten he packed up some things for my place.

"You know what?" He said, tossing the duffle bag on his bed. "You're rubbing off on me. Now, I have to pee." He laughed, walking over to the bathroom. Two minutes later, we were walking out to the car, having said our goodbyes to the Cullens. Edward opened my door for me, and then ran to his side.

"I'm excited about this." I said, looking over at Edward. "I love that we have plans as a couple."

He smiled at me. "Me, too." He said. "Maybe we should pick up some flowers or something."

"Aw, baby, you are so sweet." I said. He pulled up to the florist and we went in together, Edward holding my hand. "Is this where you get all my flowers?"

"Yeah." He laughed. "They have a nice variety, especially for such a small town." We walked up the one aisle and down the other. "See anything you want to get?"

"I don't know." I said. "I want something unique."

"Oh, well, what about this?" Edward said, walking me over to a row of glass shelves with vases and teddy bears on it. "I saw this here, once. It's an Italian herb garden." Edward brought the box off of the shelf and passed it to me.

I smiled up at him. "You really know this store, huh?" I laughed. "If the pharmacy thing ever falls through, you could always work here."

Edward laughed, leaning down to kiss me. "I wouldn't make any money. I would be giving all the flowers to you." He said. "So, do you like the gift, or should we keep looking?"

"It's cute. Let's get it." I said. After Edward paid for the hostess gift, we drove over to Siobhan's apartment. We pressed the button for her room and she buzzed us in. She lived on the third floor so we took the elevator up. Edward leaned in to kiss me in the elevator.

He tried to deepen the kiss, but I put my hand on his chest. "Edward." I scolded playfully.

"What? They made elevators for kissing." He laughed. "I'm sure of it."

I giggled at him. "So, you get playful and a little crazy when we're apart all day, huh?" I teased.

"Yes, Bella." He said, as the doors opened. "That's why I try to thoroughly enjoy every minute when we are together."

"You're a smart boy." I said, as we walked down the hallway to Siobhan's door. "I love you." I whispered as I knocked on the door.

The door flew open and Alec was standing on the other side. "Hey, guys. Come on in. Siobhan's just in the kitchen." He said with a smile. I smiled up at him. He looked really content and incredibly happy. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked. I just giggled and walked in. He looked at Edward. "Why is she looking at me like that?" I figured it might be too early to tell Alec that he had the look of a man in love.

I left the guys and walked into the kitchen to see if Siobhan needed any help with dinner. I could hear them laughing in the living room and smiled.

When I got to the kitchen, which was just to the right of the front entryway, I saw Siobhan. She was wearing a black a-line skirt that hit just below her knees, a white, short sleeved blouse and had a green apron tied around her waist. She was stirring a pot on the stove. The kitchen was small, but had a great black and white motif. I loved it. It was cozy and very clean.

"Hi, Siobhan." I said. She turned and smiled at me, before walking over to give me a quick hug.

"Thanks so much for coming." She said. "I was so worried you were going to cancel, and I was driving Alec crazy over what to make." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"You don't have to go to so much trouble for us." I laughed. "But, thank you for doing this. It smells delicious." I told her.

"Fettuccini Alfredo." She said.

"I can't wait to try it." I said. "Oh, here's a little something." I passed her the box. "Edward picked it out." I whispered.

"Oh, Bella. This is so sweet." She said. "I've always wanted one of these." I was so glad she liked the gift. "Edward." She called out.

Both Edward and Alec walked over to the kitchen and Siobhan walked up to him and gave him a hug. "Thank you so much for the gift. I love it." She told him.

Alec wrapped his arm around my shoulders and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "What is it?" He asked.

"It's an herb garden for the kitchen." I told him. He nodded and looked over at Siobhan, a smile touching his lips. He was head over heals in love.


	247. Match Made in Heaven

**A/N - Thanks for all the support! I'm glad This story has inspired some to want to try scrapbooking, and others to grow an herb garden. I've been really busy lately, and I really appreciate all the reviews. If I haven't gotten back to you, yet, I'm sorry. I'll get there. Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 247 - Match Made in Heaven

Alec and Edward helped Siobhan carry everything to the table. She had a small square table with four chairs around it, in the living room area of the apartment. The room had hardwood floors, and nice big windows. She had a great berry red upholstered sofa on an area rug, with two unmatched wingback chairs on either side of it. One was brown and beige swirls, that literally looked like melted chocolate and the other was brown with yellow and white flowers on it. The whole place a fun, funky vibe to it. I loved it.

"I absolutely love your place, Siobhan." I told her, as we sat down to eat.

"Thanks." She said. "Nothing really matches, but I just bought one piece at a time and slowly built it up."

"She definitely has good taste." Alec added, giving her a wink. She blushed, and I smiled. Siobhan and I had a lot in common, especially concerning our boyfriends. We both embarrassed easily and we were both were blessed with handsome, confident guys in our lives.

"So, you two seem to be hitting it off, huh?" Edward said.

"Yeah, she's an amazing woman." Alec said, reaching over to take her hand. "She's beautiful, smart and funny. Everything a guy could ever ask for."

He was talking to us, but gazing at her. It was the sweetest thing.

"Well, don't let us interrupt." Edward laughed. Alec turned and laughed with him.

"Oh, whatever, Edward. You have been glued to Bella's side for as long as I've know you." Alec said, punching Edward on the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm not going to deny it. I need this girl like the air I breathe" Edward said, reaching over to squeeze my hand.

"You two are really sweet." Siobhan said. "You're lucky to have found each other so early in life."

Edward and I smiled at each other. I thought about how lucky I was all the time.

We all helped ourselves to the fettuccini and the cheesy garlic bread she made. It was all delicious.

"She's a great cook, isn't she?" Alec said, proudly.

"Very good." I agreed "I really like the bread."

Edward just nodded in agreement, his mouth full. Siobhan just laughed. "You guys are going to give me a swelled head." She said, wiping her lips with her napkin.

"You deserve it, lovely." Alec said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. I held back a giggle. The big, burly, tough cop I knew was now as sweet and gentle as a kitten. It was almost too adorable to handle.

After we ate, Alec jumped up to help Siobhan clear off the table. "You guys can go sit in the living room. I'll bring dessert and coffee over." Siobhan called from the kitchen.

Edward got up and took my hand, helping me out of my chair. He smiled down at me, before leaning in for a kiss. "You look so beautiful, right now." He whispered.

I laughed. "Edward, I'm stuffed and all puffed out, I'm sure." I said, rubbing my stomach.

"Bella, you are not. You're cheeks are lightly flushed and you look so happy." He said, leaning in for another kiss. "You're gorgeous."

I laughed, reaching my arms up to wrap around his neck. "Thank you, baby." I said. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said. "Come on. Let's go sit down." He trailed his fingers up my arms to my hands and brought them down. We walked over to the couch and sat down beside each other. I looked around the room and noticed that she had bookshelves along the back wall, loaded with books. There were some even laying on top of the rows and stacked in front. I guess that's what happened after spending years in university.

Alec came over with a pot of coffee and set it on the coffee table. "Water, Bella?" He asked.

"Yes, please. Thanks, Alec." I said. He winked and then walked back into the kitchen. Siobhan walked out with a tray of dessert. She had four plates, each with a slice of what looked like freshly baked pecan pie, topped with whipped cream.

"Oh, wow." Edward said, looking at the dessert. "That looks great."

"Thanks. Living alone for this last year has given me a lot of time to perfect my recipes." Siobhan laughed. "It's nice to have people over to cook for."

Edward smiled. "Bella is the same way. She spoils me and her dad all the time."

"Yeah, well, living in the dorms last year, I didn't have a kitchen, so being home is amazing." I added.

"You two are getting an apartment this year, though, right?" Siobhan asked.

Edward smiled, reaching over and squeezing my knee. "Yeah. We get our place on August first." He said, smiling. "We're really excited about it."

"Oh, are you moving back to Seattle that soon?" Alec asked.

"No, we're going to wait until September." I told them. "But we're getting some of furniture delivered early."

"So, what does the chief think of all this?" Alec chuckled, moving his hand back and forth in mine and Edward's direction. "You're a pretty brave guy, Edward."

"Oh, Charlie is great to me." Edward said. "We get along really well." He laughed. "Why? Are you scared of him?"

Alec just laughed. "No, but, I'm not dating his daughter."

"Have you met Siobhan's parents, yet?" Edward laughed.

"No, they're in Seattle." Siobhan said. "I have an older brother, too. He's a lawyer and he's married with a baby on the way." Alec smiled, nervously, making her laugh. "Stop looking so scared, Alec. I've already told them all about you and they are very excited to meet you."

Edward and I laughed. "We've both been through it, Alec. Don't worry, so much. If her family is like ours were, they'll just want their daughter to be happy and with a great guy." Edward reassured him. I reached over and squeezed Edward's hand. He was such a sweet guy.

The rest of the night went great. Siobhan had taken the exact same program that was taking, having graduated last year. She took the job in Forks, because she had always dreamed of teaching the second grade. Apparently it was her favourite grade when she was growing up. She had been inspired by her elementary school teacher, and wanted to be just like her.

I absolutely loved getting to know her better. She offered to help me with any problems I came across, and told me to call her if I ever needed reassurance. She said that she found the hardest part of the education program to be the student teaching. She always loved children, but was nervous about speaking in front of them.

"But, Bella, the best advice I can give you, is that kids admire you." Siobhan told me. "That is my favourite part about teaching in elementary school. The kids want to learn and they want to hear what you have to say." She smiled. "Imagine a room full of twenty little Alices. It's a great feeling." I really appreciated her advice.

We stayed over until after ten, just talking and laughing. It was a great time. I especially loved watching Alec and Siobhan together. Their relationship was still new, but they looked incredibly comfortable around each other. Alec would always find a reason to touch her, somehow. His fingers would brush hers, and by the end of the night, he was playing with the ends of her long hair. It was sweet and romantic.

Edward gave Siobhan a hug, and patted Alec on the back, as we got up to leave. Alec leaned down to kiss my cheek, like he always did. "Thank you, Bella." He whispered in my ear and I nodded. I knew he was thanking me for more than coming over for dinner. He looked so content with Siobhan and I was thrilled.

Siobhan gave me a big hug. "Thank you both for coming. We really appreciate everything."

"Well, Bella's the brains in this relationship. She seems to like matchmaking and so far, she's three for three." Edward chuckled.

"Technically, you two are my first blind date match." I said. "The other two already had the feelings there." I told them, referring to Ang and Ben and my dad and Heidi. "They just needed a little push."

"Well, you're definitely great at it." Alec laughed.

"I try." I giggled, blushing a little at all the attention. We said our goodbyes and Edward and I headed back to the elevator. As we stepped in, Edward winked at me, reminding me of his words when we got here. Elevators were made for kissing.


	248. Places to Kiss

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! You thought I wouldn't give you the elevator kiss? I would never deny you that! Enjoy!**

Chapter 248 - Places to Kiss

The second the elevator doors closed, Edward's lips were on mine. He had me pressed into the back wall, with his arms on either side of me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him close to me, deepening the kiss. Unfortunately, all too soon, the elevator chimed, signalling that we had reached the main floor.

I was a little breathless when Edward pulled back. He smiled at me, talking my hand and leading me back to the car. It had significantly cooled off and I was regretting not bringing a sweater with me.

Edward turned the heat on in the car, because I was shivering a little. As we drove to my house, Edward asked if I had a nice time. "I did, baby." I told him. "After going through the whole shooting with Alec, and really getting to know him, it's so nice to see him this happy. I felt so bad for him, being in the hospital that week, with no family to visit him. I'm just glad that he and Siobhan have hit it off."

Edward smiled. "Me, too." He agreed. "They seem to really complement each other. They are such opposites, but they just work, you know?"

"Yeah. And she had such a poor self image. Alec and his boat load of confidence and affection are exactly what she needed. He gives her that reassurance that she is beautiful, and that she does deserve to be happy and in love." I said.

"Bella Swan. You are the sweetest, most caring girl I know." Edward said, reaching his hand over to place on my knee and give it a little squeeze. "I love that you always want everyone to be happy. You have a beautiful soul, angel."

I smiled and placed my hand over Edward's. "Thank you, baby. You make me happy."

We pulled up to my house, and I noticed that my dad wasn't home, yet. All the lights were out in the house. Edward got out and grabbed his duffle bag from the trunk, before coming over to my side and helping me out of the car.

"Want to go take advantage of our alone time?" Edward asked, lifting his eyebrows up and down.

I laughed as I unlocked the front door, letting us in. I flipped on the porch light, before taking Edward's hand and leading him up to my room. Edward set his duffle bag on my bed.

"Where do you want my clothes, baby?" He asked, pulling out his stack of jeans, t-shirts and boxers.

"Let's see if I have room for you." I teased. I opened my middle drawer and moved my t-shirts over. I turned and took Edward's clothes, setting them in the drawer. "Well, look at that. I guess you can stay?"

Edward laughed, leaning down to pick me up. He tossed me over his shoulder and walked me over to the bed.

"Edward, my dress is flipped up." I said, trying to reach back and hold it down.

"I can see that." He said, chuckling. He wasn't saying anything for a second, and I was just about to tell him to put me down, when I felt his teeth lightly bite my hip. He placed a kiss on my skin, before setting me down.

I looked up at him with what I'm sure was a look of surprise on my face. He leaned down to kiss me. "Was that okay?" He whispered against my lips. "I had to taste your skin."

"Um, yeah." I told him. My cheeks, I'm sure, were bright red.

He placed his hands on my warm cheeks, before leaning in to kiss me, again. Edward was a fabulous kisser. He made me forget everything I was thinking, or worried about. He broke the kiss for a minute, to guide me to my bed. He knocked his bag on the floor, before we got on the bed.

I was laying on my side facing him, but he wasn't having that. He rolled over on top of me, pushing me onto my back. He leaning down, attacking my lips with his own. I had my hands on his shoulders and in his hair. His hands were everywhere. They started on my face and moved to my neck, then, my shoulders. Before I knew it, his hands were under my dress and trailing up my thighs.

"Edward." I breathed. I was squirming underneath him. I didn't know if I wanted him to stop, or keep going. His fingers felt so cool against my overheated skin.

He pressed a kiss to my lips, before turning his head to start kissing my neck and shoulders. He was breathing as hard as I was, and I felt his fingers move up under me, to my bum cheeks. He started lightly squeezing them over my underwear. He couldn't really move them much because I was laying on his hands.

"You're beautiful, Bella." He whispered in my ear, before lightly biting my ear lobe. He groaned. "Baby, let go." He said, softly.

It thought it was the sexiest he had ever to said to me, until I realized that he meant my hands. I had a death grip on the top of his arms. I was digging my nails into his skin, without realizing it. "I'm sorry, baby." I said letting go of his arms. I started rubbing his arms.

"No, it's okay, Bella." He chuckled, before leaning back in to kiss me, again. "I love you." He said, sliding his hands back down my thighs. Edward and I were great together. We seemed to know what the other wanted or needed. After another ten minutes or so, Edward rolled off of me, out of breath.

I turned and snuggled into his side. "I love you, Edward." I whispered. "I'm happy you're moved into my room." I giggled.

"So am I." He said, leaning in to kiss me, again. "So, I was thinking that tomorrow we could maybe go to the beach. Remember Jake's brothers have that body board shop down on La Push beach?"

"That sounds fun." I said. "Your brothers would love that."

"Yeah, and I'll get to see you in a bathing suit." He chuckled, leaning in to suck on my neck.

"Babe, kiss me." I whispered. I couldn't get enough of his lips.

He chuckled and brought his lips back to mine. We were in the middle of very hot kiss, when I heard the front door close. "Bells." My dad called out. Edward rolled onto his back before sitting up.

"Upstairs." I yelled out. I got off the bed and straightened out my dress.

"I should probably head home, huh?" Edward laughed, running his hand through his hair.

I giggled. "Probably." I said, taking his hand.

We walked down the stairs together and found my dad and Heidi in the kitchen. "Hey, kids. How was dinner?" Heidi asked.

"It was great. Siobhan is a great cook." I told her.

"And how was Barrelli? My dad asked.

"He is in love." I said. "I can see it on his face."

Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "I think Bella was freaking him out." Edward laughed. "She was looking at him like she knew something he didn't. It was awesome."

"Yeah, but they are so sweet together. He definitely shows his sensitive side with her." I added. "How was your night?" I asked them.

"It was good." My dad said. "Heidi's staying, again, okay?" He said.

I smiled at them. "Of course, dad. Stop asking me." I laughed.

"Did you sell the truck, kiddo?" My dad asked. I frowned for a minute until I remembered that I had driven my dad's truck to Edward's place, but left it parked there.

"Oh, my god, I forgot." I said. "I left it at Edward's. We drove straight here from Siobhan's."

"I'll drive home and get it. I'll just have Em follow me." Edward suggested.

"I wouldn't mind going with you." My dad said to Edward. "Just drive me to your place and I'll bring it back."

"Okay, sounds good." Edward said. He turned me around in his arms and looked down into my eyes. "I love you, babe. I'll see you tomorrow." He said, before leaning down to kiss my lips.

"I love you, too. Call me when you and the guys are ready, tomorrow." I said, standing up on my toes to kiss his chin.

Heidi giggled. "I want to get in on this love fest." She teased, turning to kiss my dad on the cheek, making him laugh. "Okay, boys, out of the house. Bella and I are going to go have some girl talk." She said, grabbing my hand and dragging me away from Edward and towards the living room.

"Bye." I called out, giggling. Edward and my dad were laughing as they walked out of the door. I still couldn't get over how great we all got along.


	249. Girl Talk

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you are having a great weekend! Enjoy!**

Chapter 249 - Girl Talk

Heidi and I sat down on the couch in the living room, both with our legs crossed, facing each other. Heidi was wearing a pair a navy blue sweatpants and a white t-shirt. It looked like she and my dad had stopped at her place so she could change after work. I pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and we covered our legs.

"So, Bella, we haven't really talked since we were camping." Heidi said, reaching her hands over and grabbing ahold of mine. It felt like we were best friends in that moment. This was how Ang and I used to be. "What's going on with you and Edward?"

I giggled and blushed, looking down. "Bella Swan." Heidi scolded, playfully. "What are you hiding?" She laughed. When I didn't say anything, she laughed. "You know, Bella, I saw Edward's arms before he left."

"Oh, my god." I said, hiding my face into my hands.

Heidi laughed. "Why are you embarrassed?"

"I don't know." I said, looking up at her. "Edward and I are getting a lot more adventurous, I guess you'd say."

"Really?" She said,taking my hands, again. "Like how?"

"Well, on July Fourth, um, well." I sighed. "I don't really know how to say it."

"Just say it, Bella. Remember, I'm not going to judge you guys." Heidi said. "Wait. I'll go see if you have ice cream, and you go get in your pyjamas."

I laughed. I really appreciated her efforts to make me feel more comfortable. "Okay, deal." I said, getting up to go up the stairs. I slipped into my Arizona t-shirt and yoga pnats and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I came downstairs and Heidi was sitting on the couch with a small carton of ice cream and two spoons.

I climbed back on the couch and helped myself to a spoonful of ice cream. It was delicious, frozen courage "Okay, so I slept over at Alice's slumber party on the third. When I got up, all the girls were out playing and Edward and I went up to his room. He asked if he could take my pyjama shirt off."

"Did you have anything under it?" She asked, taking a bite of ice cream.

"No." I told her, giggling. "So, I told him he could."

"How did it go?" She asked.

"Um, really well. Edward was so gentle and careful." I told her. "We talked afterwards and he admitted how nervous he was. He wanted know that it felt okay."

She giggled. "He is so adorable."

"I know." I said. "We've done it again, once. And now, I'm getting a lot more comfortable changing in front of him."

"I love that you guys are taking it slow." She said.

"Yeah. He's usually pretty embarrassed about it, too. His dad and grandpa keep having these conversations with him, that make him blush just to talk about."

"Well, at least he knows what to expect, right?" She said. "But, you said, usually?" She asked.

I laughed. "You caught that, huh? Yeah, so that's the where the marks on his arms came from." I said, biting my lip. "So, after we left Siobhan's apartment, Edward started kissing me in the elevator. Anyway, when we got home, he bit my hip before kissing it." I told her.

"Does he bite a lot?" She asked, taking another bite of ice cream. She seemed riveted to my story. It was kind of cute actually.

"Um, not a lot. I bite him, too. And he likes it." I giggled at my admission. "But, he likes to be in charge, I think. He lays on top of me a lot, when he kisses me. I like it. I like to feel his body on mine."

"So, how did he get the marks on his arms?" She asked.

"Oh, well, Edward had his hands under my dress and I was hanging onto his arms. I guess I was so focussed on how his hands felt on my body that I wasn't paying attention to how hard I was holding onto him." I told her, blushing, again.

"That's okay, Bella." She said. "I'm sure he didn't care, did he?"

I laughed. "No. He really is the sweetest guy."

"I'm so happy for you two." She said, smiling.

"So, minus the details, are things going good with my dad?" I asked her.

She laughed. "Things are amazing, Bella, really." She said, smiling. "I have never been happier."

"I'm so glad." I told her. "My dad looks just as happy as you do."

"He does, doesn't he." She laughed. "So, it really doesn't bother you about me spending the night?"

"No, Heidi. As long I don't see anything, I'm cool." I told her, laughing.

"Good." She laughed. We each took a few more bites of ice cream.

"So, do you ever want kids?" I asked her.

"No." She told me. "I'm already forty five. I don't think I could go through the whole thing. You know, diapers, feedings, crying." She laughed. "Don't worry, I will happily be there for you and Edward one day, when you both decided to have a little bundle of joy, but there is no way I'm doing that myself."

I laughed. "You're freaking me out." I told her.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll be okay." She laughed. "You're years away from that, anyway."

"I know, I know." I laughed. "But, you want to be a grandma?"

"Oh, don't make me sound so old." She said, getting up to take our empty ice cream carton to the kitchen. "But, I would love, too." She called out.

I heard my dad's truck pull up. Heidi opened the door for him and he wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning down to kiss her.

I got up and walked over to the stairs. "I guess that's my cue to go to bed." I teased. "Goodnight."

My dad chuckled. "Goodnight, kiddo."

I walked up the stairs, and went into my room, flopping on my bed. I smiled. It had really been a perfect day. And I loved that I had Heidi to talk to about my relationship with Edward. She was such a great woman, even though she had just made me eat way too much ice cream.

I got back up and went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. I went back to my room and closed the door. It was midnight, but I sent Edward a text anyway. 'Goodnight, baby. How did the ride with my dad go?'

I immediately got a text back from him. 'Went good. We just talked about the trip to Colorado.'

I frowned a little. I wondered why my dad would bring up the trip. 'Really? What did he say?'

'Call me.' He typed back.

I giggled and dialled Edward's number. "Hey, baby." He said.

"Hi, what's up?" I said to him.

"Well, you're dad wanted to make sure I was a good boy on our trip." He laughed.

"He said that?" I asked, surprised. "Oh, my god, Edward. I'm so sorry."

Edward laughed. "Don't apologize. I see his point. And he didn't say it that way."

"How did he say it?" I asked, a little surprised.

"He just asked me to be there for you, because he was worried about you and your mom after what happened last time." Edward explained. "And then I think he noticed the scratches on my arms." He laughed.

"Oh, Edward. That is so embarrassing." I said, throwing my arm over my face.

"No, it's okay. He just wanted to make sure that we were being careful." Edward said. "I reassured him that we were waiting for now and he didn't need to worry. I told him that I loved you and would always take care of you."

"Aw, baby, that's so sweet. I love you." I told him.

"I love you, too, angel." He said. "You'd better get some sleep."

"Okay. Goodnight, Edward."


	250. Dads and Daisies

**A/N - Happy Valentine's Day! To those of us without a significant other, I'm sure Edward wouldn't mind filling in! It is Wednesday, July 7, 2010 in the world of Summer Vacation. Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 250 - Dads and Daisies

I woke up at eight o'clock on Wednesday morning. It was later than I usually slept, so I hoped I hadn't missed breakfast. I wanted to cook today, as Heidi had cooked yesterday. I rolled over and grabbed my phone, the first thing I always did when I spent the night away from Edward.

I smiled when I saw the message. 'Good morning, beautiful. I'll come get you for lunch and then we're heading to the beach. Sound good?'

Oh, my adorable Edward. He was even sweet in text messages. I typed him back. 'Sounds great. I love you.'

I got up, and after using the bathroom, I ran downstairs to make pancakes and bacon. I was really surprised that my dad and Heidi weren't up, yet. I had just finished cooking and setting the table, when they both walked into the kitchen. I had to laugh at them. They were both in housecoats and looked pretty rumpled.

"Okay, okay." My dad said, trying to hold back a smile.

"I didn't say anything." I giggled. "But, I'm glad you made it for breakfast."

We all shared a great breakfast, together. "So, what are you doing today?" My dad asked me.

"Oh, we're going to go down and check out that beach shop that Jake's brother's own." I told them. "We met them at the hospital and they invited us to come down and check it out sometime. We wanted to wait for Emmett and Jasper to be on summer vacation before we went."

"That sounds fun." Heidi said. "Edward is really great with his brothers, isn't he?"

I smiled. "He absolutely adores them. He took Jasper driving in the school parking lot yesterday afternoon, while I was scrapbooking with Maria and Alice."

After breakfast, my dad and Heidi offered to wash the dishes for me, so I went upstairs to have a shower and shave my legs. I French braided my hair so it would be wavy for the afternoon. I slipped on my bathing suit and I figured I'd be bold and do something I had never done before. I took my cell phone and held it back, snapping a picture of my face and cleavage and sent it to Edward before I changed my mind.

I went to the closet and pulled on my jean shorts and a black tank top. I packed a small bag with my bra, underwear and a t-shirt, incase I wore my tank in the water. I put my sunglasses on the top of head, packed my camera and then went downstairs. I threw my bag by the door and then walked into the living room. My dad was sitting on the couch, watching TV.

"Hey, dad. Where's Heidi?" I asked sitting down beside him.

"She's upstairs having a shower." He said. He held his arm out and I slid over to him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I laid my head on his shoulder. "So, I just wanted to let you know that I talked to Edward last night."

I giggled a little. "I know." I said.

"What?" He asked, sounding a little surprised.

"I talked to him last night before bed." I told him. "But, thank you for asking Edward to watch out for me in Colorado."

My dad patted my arm and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "Dads just want to look out for their little girls, Bells. You deserve to be happy."

I leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, dad. I understand." I told him. "And, Edward takes really good care of me. You don't have to worry."

"I know, kiddo. Edward's a great guy. I couldn't have asked for a better person for you to share your life with." He said. "But, even though you're an adult, you are still my baby girl, and I'm always going to worry about you."

"Thank you, daddy." I said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Bells." He said, giving me a hug.

My dad, Heidi and I spent the rest of the morning watching talk shows and just hanging out on the couch. It was fun and relaxed and I was enjoying their company, considering that Edward and I would be leaving for our trip on Thursday afternoon.

They left for work just as Edward was pulling up to the house. They honked and waved at each other, and I sat on the step and waited for my boy. Edward got out of the car and I noticed that he was wearing his swim trunks and a white t-shirt. He looked incredible, as usual. He had a textbook in his hand and a yellow daisy in the other.

He walked over and sat beside me, leaning in for a kiss. "Hi, baby." He said with a smile. "This is for you." He passed me the daisy.

"Thank you, Edward. It's so pretty." I said, smiling. I brought it to my nose and traced the petals across my lips. I really did treasure this tradition.

"Bella, you make everything look so sexy." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "Especially text messages." He whispered, biting my ear lobe. "Can we go in for a few minutes?" I figured he had enjoyed the picture I sent him this morning.

I giggled. "Of course." I said standing up. "But, only if you tell me why you're carrying around your Introduction to Chemistry textbook."

Edward laughed and followed me into the house. "Oh, I'm just using it to carry something." He said as we walked up the stairs to my room. Edward shut my bedroom door, making me laugh.

"Baby, no one is here." I giggled. "You don't need to close the door."

"But, it's best not to risk these things." He chuckled. He walked over to my desk and opened his book. "You forgot your flower at my house yesterday." He said. "I hope I pressed it right."

I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I peeked around his body at the pressed flower. "It's perfect, Edward. Thank you." I said, caressing his chest softly with my hands and placing a kiss on the middle of his back.

Edward put his hands on top of mine on his chest. "You're welcome. And baby, that feels good." He said.

He let go of my hands and turned to face me. He looked down at me and smirked, before walking into me, forcing me to walk backwards towards my bed. I sat down and Edward crawled in beside me. "Come here." He whispered, moving so he was laying with his head on my pillow.

I crawled over to him to lay down. His lips were on mine instantly. I was trying to kiss him back, but I was smiling to much. "What, babe?" He chuckled, kissing my neck and chest.

"I just think you're adorable, that's all." I told him.

"I was going for sexy, but I'll take what I can get." He laughed. He slipped his fingers under my tank top strap, pushing it over. "Thank you for the photo this morning. You are gorgeous." He said, moving over me to kiss my shoulder.

"I can't believe I did that." I told him, wrapping my arms around him and holding him close to my body.

"Well, I'm glad you did." He said, leaning back to look at my face. "I love you."

We snuggled for a few more minutes, before Edward's phone rang. He pulled it out of his back pocket and picked it up. "Hello? Yeah. We'll be home in about fifteen minutes. Okay, Em. See you in a few." He shut his phone off and leaned in for another kiss.

"Are we missing lunch?" I asked against Edward's lips.

"Yeah. You ready to go?" He asked, kissing me, again.

I giggled. "You're making it really hard to want to get out of this bed, you know."

"I'm sorry." He said. "But you don't see me flying out of here either, do you?" He teased, smiling.

"Tomorrow night, we'll be in a hotel room in Seattle." I reminded him, sitting up.

"I cannot wait for that." He laughed, following my lead, and getting out of bed. He took my hand and we walked down the stairs together. I grabbed my bag and sunglasses, before we walked out to his car.

Edward had just turned on the car, his blues music filling the quiet air, when I stopped his hand from putting the car in drive. "One more thing before we go." I said. I turned in my seat so my back was towards him. "Will you unbraid my hair for me?" I specifically remembered when we were camping the week before, and Edward had asked if he could take the braid out of my hair.

"Um, yeah. Okay." He stammered. I smiled to myself. Edward was so sweet. He acted incredibly confident a lot of the time, but I knew he was still quite shy. I loved sharing moments like this with him, and I knew he loved them, too.


	251. To the Beach

**A/N - Thanks so much to everyone for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 251 - To the Beach

There was nothing better in life than the feeling of Edward's fingers in my hair. I loved how he was so gentle. When he had finished taking the braid out, he ran his fingers through my hair.

I felt his nose against the back of my head. "Mm." He groaned. "I love the smell of your hair, Bella." He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, bringing my back to his chest. He cuddled his face into the crook of my neck.

I giggled. "Maybe you like my hair better than my legs." I laughed.

Edward chuckled. "Bella, honey, I love all of you."

I turned in his arms and leaned in to kiss his lips. "I love you, too." I whispered. "Are you going to feed me, now?" I teased.

"Well, if you want me to, I think we have some mac and cheese at home, but I think my mom is cooking." He said, looking a little embarrassed. "Oh, god. That sounds lame. Do you want me to take you out, or something?"

I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. "Edward. It's not lame. It's adorable." I reassured him. "Plus, we both live at home right now. I'm not judging you for that. I love that about you. Your family is important to you and you are important to them. Let your mom baby you, while she has you here."

He pressed his lips to mine once more. "Yeah, you're right." He sighed. "Why are you always right?" He laughed.

"Because I'm the girl." I giggled, making him laugh. He leaned back in his seat and started the car. He sang to me as we drove to his house. I sat sideways in my seat, resting my head on the back of the seat, just watching his beautiful lips as he sang. He would smile at certain lyrics in the songs and it made me smile.

When we got to Edward's house, Maria and Rose were sitting at the dining room table with Alice, Esme and the boys. "Hey, kids." She said, with a smile. "Help yourselves." Esme had a huge glass bowl of salad, I plate of grilled chicken and a three different kinds of dressing.

"You sure you don't want the mac and cheese?" Edward whispered in my ear, before kissing my cheek. I laughed at how cute he was.

After lunch, Edward and I helped Esme load the dishwasher. "You kids don't mind if Alice and I tag along this afternoon, do you?" She asked us.

"Oh, of course not. I'd love that, actually." I told her. I was going to miss the Cullens. Edward was going to pick me up tomorrow to leave for Seattle, so today would be the last day I saw them until Sunday. And after seeing them everyday for the last two months, four days away was going to feel like a long time.

Emmett and Rose rode with Edward and I, and Jasper and Maria went with Esme and Alice. "So, how did you here about this place?" Emmett asked, as Edward drove to La Push beach.

"Oh, uh, do you remember the two cops that were shot at the end of May?" Edward asked and Emmett said that he did. "Well, Jake, the one that was shot in the shoulder has two brothers. We met them up at the hospital. They invited us down to check their place out."

"How is Jake doing?" Rose asked. "Is he going to be able to work, again."

"I haven't seen him in a few weeks, but he's doing great. A collarbone takes eight to ten weeks to heal, so he'll probably be going back to work in the middle of August." I told them. "We'll ask the guys when we're down there."

Edward parked at the beach and we walked over to the small building. It was wooden, but was painted bright blue and white. It almost looked like it was a surf shop you would see in Hawaii, not the cold waters of Washington. But, it was cute, and kind of quirky.

The waves were crashing in on the beach, and the boys seemed excited. There were a few guys out in the water on body boards. If fact the beach was quite crowded today. But, I wasn't surprised, considering how hot the weather was today.

While everyone set up the beach blankets, Edward took my hand and we walked over to the counter. Jake was sitting behind the counter, reading a combat magazine. He looked up when he saw us, his face lit up.

"Hey, guys." He said standing up. He walked out from behind the counter and came over to give me a hug, with his right arm. He leaned down to kiss the top of my head. He put his hand out to shake Edward's. "How have you been?"

"Hi, Jake. We're great. But, I want to hear about you." I said, happy to see him looking so good. He seemed happy and he had some color back in his face. But the best part was that he wasn't wearing the shoulder brace anymore.

"I'm okay. It still hurts if I move it too much, but I feel so much better. I can't really do much of anything, but I come sit out here with the guys to pass the time. I still have five weeks off, and then I'm on desk duty for two months." He chuckled. "Apparently, I survived the shooting, but I think I might die of boredom."

Edward laughed. "You'll be fine, man." Edward said. "Meeting any hot girls out here on the beach?" He asked.

Jake laughed and I turned to look at Edward. "Edward Cullen." I scolded, winking at him.

"What? I'm not asking for me." Edward said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"Actually, Edward, yes. There are a lot of hot girls around here, but I've got two brothers out riding the waves and showing off. It's hard to compete." Jake said.

"Yeah, but you're a cop. That's got to be impressive." I told him.

"Well, there's this one girl." Jake said, looking pretty smitten. "She's got long, curly hair that goes to the top of her butt and these gorgeous brown eyes."

"She sounds beautiful." I said. "Did you meet her here? What's her name?"

"Oh, her name is Vanessa and she was down here the last couple of days with her brother. He body surfs and she was here to watch him. I guess they just moved here recently." Jake said.

"Okay, so have you asked her out, yet?" Edward asked him.

"Uh, no." Jake laughed. "I will, I will." He said, before Edward could say anything back to tease him.

"Hey, Bella, Edward. Are you guys going out on the water?" I heard someone say from behind us.

I turned and smiled when I saw Jake's brother Quil. "Hey, man." Edward said, giving him one of those confusing handshakes where their hands change positions a few times. It was cute. Edward waved at his brothers and they came running over. "Yeah, we thought we'd give it a try."

"Are you going to try it, Bella?" Jake asked. I looked out at the waves and then at Edward. "The waves aren't too high today. It's fairly good for beginners out there."

"Do you want to try it?" Edward asked me, running his thumb over my knuckles. "You don't have to, if you don't want to." He was so sweet. He was always looking out for me.

"Um, okay. I'll try it, but I'm not guaranteeing I'm going to like it." I said, giggling. "What about Rose and Maria?" I asked.

"Oh, they're talking fashion with mom." Emmett said, laughing. I thought it was sweet that the girls wanted to spend time with Esme.

"Okay, you're going to need to put on wetsuits. The water is fairly cold." Quil told us. He looked at me, as if analysing my size and weight, and grabbed a blue and grey one off the wall. "I'm going to put you in this one, sweetheart." He said to me. He passed Edward, Emmett and Jasper their wetsuits. The boys pulled their shirts off and Quil started showing us how to get into the suits.

I knew I was blushing. Had I known getting changed in front of five guys was part of the process, I would have already been sun tanning on the beach with the girls. After Jake and Quil showed Edward how to turn the top inside out to pull on, Edward took my hand and led me behind the shop.

"Let's do this back here, okay?" He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. I had never loved Edward more than in that moment. He was already in his suit up to his waist. "Take off your shorts, babe." He said, turning my suit the right way, as I slipped out of my shorts. Edward helped me balance while I got into the suit. I watched as he pulled on his top and I turned him to zip him up, even though he could have done it himself with the cord.

I took off my tank and pulled the top of suit on. "Does it fit okay?" Edward asked.

"Uh, yeah. It's different." I said, moving my arms around.

"It is, but you look gorgeous in it." Edward said, moving his hands down my back to my bum. I giggled. Maybe I was changing my mind about this sport.


	252. Body Boards

**A/N - Thank you again for reading! I am still having so much fun writing these characters, so I'm happy that you like reading about them, too! Enjoy!**

Chapter 252 - Body Boards

Edward leaned down to place a kiss on my neck. "Can I get a picture of you in this wetsuit, Bella?" Edward whispered in my ear. "You are the sexiest woman I have ever seen."

I giggled. "Okay, but only if I can get one of you." I laughed. Edward's perfectly toned body looked gorgeous in his wetsuit.

"Fine with me." He said, winking at me, and taking my hand. I grabbed my clothes and we walked back around the building. Emmett and Jasper were already holding body boards.

"Your suits fit pretty good." Quil said. "It's hard with rentals to get that perfect fit." he turned and grabbed two boards for us off the wall, before picking his up. "Later, Jake." He said, starting to walk over to the edge of the water.

"Talk to you later, Jake." I said. "I'm so glad you feeling better."

"Yeah, and good luck with the girl." Edward told him.

"Thanks. I'll see you when you get back in. Have fun out there." Jake said, smiling. He looked so happy to see familiar faces.

We walked out behind Quil over to the beach. He stood with his back to the ocean and we all stood in a semi circle around him. "Okay, I'll just give you a quick overview of the sport and then you guys can have at it. First things first, you can all swim?" He asked. We all said that we could, but I admitted to not having swam in the waves before. "Alright, Bella. Just stay closer to the shore, okay?"

"Sounds good to me." I laughed. "I'm not that adventurous."

"I'll stay with you, babe." Edward whispered in my ear. "I've never done this either." I smiled up at him. He was so sweet.

"Okay, so there are three basic ways to body board." Quil continued. "The first is prone, where you lay on your stomach on the board. That's what I would recommend that you start with. It's the easiest way to board and you don't need any balance. Then, there's drop knee." He said, getting down like he was going to propose. "You put your dominant foot at the front and your other knee at the back. Feel free to give it a try. And then of course, you can try to stand up on the board, like in surfing. So, get out there and have fun." Quil said, smiling. It was nice to see someone doing what they loved.

"Wait guys. Can I get a group picture?" I turned when I heard Maria. She was standing behind us with her camera.

"Sure." Jasper said. Quil wrapped his arm around both Jasper and my shoulders, and Emmett stood beside Jasper, and Edward beside me.

Maria snapped a few pictures of the group, before Quil headed back up to the shop. Edward walked over to Maria and asked her something quietly. I couldn't hear him, but I knew what he was up to. She passed him the camera and I laughed. Edward walked over to me with his sexy smirk on his face.

"Alright, sexy. Let me get my picture." He said, winking at me.

I laughed and brought my body board up in front of my body, wrapping my arms around it. "How's that?" I giggled. He snapped a picture of me, before coming over and gently pulling the board from my arms.

"That's better." He laughed. "Are you going to pose for me, my beach bunny?"

I rolled my eyes at him, putting my hands on my hips. He snapped a picture. "Is that good?" I laughed. "This is embarrassing, Edward. There are other people on the beach."

"I know, and I love you for humouring me." He said.

I winked at him, sliding my hands up into my hair, and turning a little to the side, sticking my hip out. I pursed my lips and made a kissy face at him. He snapped another picture. "Okay, that's it." I said, blushing. "No more pictures."

Edward walked over to me and pulled me into a hug. "Thank you, baby. You are so gorgeous." He whispered.

I looked up and smiled at him. "Your turn. Go strike a pose for me." I told him, laughing. He stood in front of the water with his hands out to the sides. My boyfriend was so hot. I smiled and snapped a picture of him. Edward turned away from me and looked over his shoulder. He had this serious expression on his face. I took the picture, before I broke out in hysterical laughter.

He jogged over to me, lifting me up in the air. "What's so funny?" He laughed. "That was some serious modelling."

"You're crazy." I laughed as he set me down. I kissed his chest, before I walked over to Maria, Jasper and Emmett, and gave her the camera back. "Thanks, Maria."

"No problem. I'll e-mail you guys the pictures." She said. "Okay, guys. Be careful out there."

Edward came over and took my hand. "Ready, baby?" He asked.

"Okay." I said, taking my board from Edward. We walked towards the water and I squeaked when the cold water hit my feet. "That's so cold." I said.

"Good thing for the wetsuits, right?" Edward said, as we kept walking out, with the waves pushing against us. We got to about waist deep and Edward turned to me. "Do want to lay on the board and ride it in. Just to try it out?"

I loved that he was so concerned for me. "Um, okay." I said. I lifted myself up on the board, holding onto the sides. Turned and saw Edward lift himself up beside me. The waves pushed us back into shore. It was pretty fun and not at all as scary as I thought it was going to be.

We go back up to our feet and Edward came over to me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "What did you think? That was pretty fun, right?" He said.

"Yeah. Let's do it, again." I laughed. Edward chuckled and we tucked our boards under our arms and started walking back out. "It's really tiring walking through the water, isn't it?"

Edward laughed. "It is. We could paddle out, with our arms, but that's probably tiring, too." He said. "Let's try that next time."

This time, we walked up to my shoulders. I propped myself up on my board, crossing my arms and resting my chin on them. The waves kept bobbing me up and down. Edward mirrored my pose and we looked at each other. "This is fun." I said.

"Yeah. I like it, too." He said. "Would you want to come out here and do this again before we go back to school?"

"Sure." I told him. "Can you believe that this time tomorrow, we're going to be in Seattle, and then in Colorado the next day?"

He smiled. "I can believe it." He said. "Because I'm so excited for it. I love spending time alone with you. I love holding you when I sleep."

"Aw. You're the sweetest." I laughed. "Hey, I haven't even packed, yet. Have you?" I was usually so organized. But, this week had been so busy, it oddly hadn't crossed my mind.

Edward laughed. "No. I guess I'll be doing that tonight, though." He said. "Want to help?"

"You just like how I fold your underwear, don't you?" I teased.

"Maybe." He chuckled. "No, I just love how you take care of me, and how you always make sure I pack everything."

"Aw, baby. I'll always take care you. You're fun to baby." I giggled, making Edward smile. "But, you take care of me, too."

"I love you, Bella." He said. He swam over beside me and kissed my cheek. "My feet are getting cold. You want to ride back in?"

"Okay." I said. Edward and I both pulled ourselves up on our boards and rode the waves in. We were laughing as we rode the small waves.

Edward and I went out twice more, and even tried to go up on our knee once. I fell off right away, but Edward made it half way in before falling off. I swam over to him, and we walked in to the beach.

Edward and I sat on the sand and watched as Emmett and Jasper tried to stand on their boards. Edward was laughing at them. "Go out there with your brothers." I told him.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I like sitting with you."

"Edward. We're going to be together for the next four days straight." I told him. "I'll go sit with your mom and warm up. Have fun, baby."

Edward kissed my cheek before running back out to the water. And, I will admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the view.


	253. Reassurance

**A/N - Thanks to everyone for the reviews, favourites and alerts! They never fail to make me smile! Enjoy!**

Chapter 253 - Reassurance

I unzipped my wet suit and pulled my arms out of it. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to wear, that was for sure. I walked over to the board shop and Quil and Jake both got up and came around to meet me.

"Well, what did you think?" Jake asked, as I passed my board back to Quil.

"I liked it. We'll definitely be back this summer." I told them. "Edward is still out in the water with the boys."

"Oh, that's okay. They can spend as much time as they want out there." Quil said. "I'm just glad you guys had a good time."

"Here's your clothes, Bella." Jake said, passing me my shorts and tank, along with the boys' t-shirts.

"Thanks." I said, slipping my tank over my bathing suit top. I was just trying to figure out how to pull the bottom of the wet suit off, when a gorgeous girl walked up to the counter. Jake's face broke out into a huge smile. It was like he couldn't hold it back if he tried.

"Hey, boys." She said. She turned to me. "Hi, I'm Vanessa. You need help getting that wetsuit off?" She giggled.

"That would be great thanks." I laughed. "I'm Bella, by the way."

"Nice to meet you." She said. "Okay, you hold on to your bathing suit bottoms and I'll pull this down."

I laughed, even though I was embarrassed. I held onto my bikini bottoms as Vanessa pulled the wetsuit down to my knees.

"Okay, just step on it and pull your feet out." She said. I followed her instructions and was out of the suit in no time.

"My boyfriend helped me into this thing, and he's still out on the water." I told her.

"Which one is he?" She asked, looking out at the water. I turned and looked out and saw Edward and his brothers laughing on the beach, having just rode the waves in.

"He's the gorgeous one laughing on the left." I said, pointing at them. "Those are his brothers."

"He is hot." She said, smiling. "You guys both from Forks?"

"No. Edward is, but I'm from Phoenix and just moved up here last fall for school. I go to the U of W in Seattle, but my dad is the police chief here in Forks. He's Jake's boss." I laughed.

"Oh, that's cool." She said. "So, that's how you know the guys, huh?" She said, nodding her head at Jake and Quil.

"Bella spoiled me at the hospital." Jake said, smiling.

"That's sweet." She said. "My brother EJ and I just moved up here two weeks ago from Northern California."

"I heard my name." I turned around and noticed a guy in his early twenties, wearing a wetsuit, walk over to Vanessa. He was tanned and had long blonde hair, slicked back. He looked very much like a California surfer.

"I was just telling Bella, about how we just moved up here." Vanessa said.

"Nice to meet you." He said, reaching his hand out to shake mine. "Do you board?"

"No, actually. This was my first time, this afternoon." I told him. "It was a lot of fun, though."

"Well, if you ever need lessons…" He started, before Vanessa cut him off.

"She has boyfriend, E." She laughed.

"Hey, you can't blame a guy." EJ said, winking at me, before turning to the counter. "Quil, I left my boots at home, you got a size eleven for me?"

I pulled on my shorts, and I turned to see Edward and the guys walking over to us. Emmett and Jasper were laughing, but Edward had a serious look on his face. I smiled at him, happy for the view of his chest, as he had the top of the wetsuit pulled down to his waist.

"Hi, baby." I said, to him when he walked over to me. He smiled and leaned down to press a light kiss to my lips. "This is Vanessa, and her brother EJ." I said, introducing them. "This is my boyfriend Edward, and his brothers, Emmett and Jasper." Edward had his jealous look on his face. I wished that he wouldn't get jealous. I loved him, and only him.

Edward looked up at Jake, and smiled, obviously realizing this was the girl that Jake liked, and was telling us about. "Nice to meet you both." He said, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

"So, I hear you guys were out for the first time." EJ said, looking down at Edward's arms, which were holding me protectively.

"Yeah, it was wicked." Emmett said. EJ started talking about the waves down in California, while Edward pulled his wetsuit off. We passed our suits over to Quil and I gave a Jake a quick hug. Edward waved at everyone, and we left Jasper and Emmett to talk with the guys.

I took Edward's hand and we walked along the beach. He had thrown his t-shirt over his shoulder, and his board shorts were a bit wet. He wasn't talking so I gave him a minute.

"Are you okay?" I asked him after a couple of minutes.

Edward just shook his head. "I don't know. It pisses me off that I get mad when other guys talk to you." He explained. I stopped walking and looked up at him.

"So, you're not mad at me?" I clarified. I knew he wasn't, but it didn't hurt to check.

"No, baby. Of course not." He said, leaning down to kiss me quickly. "I'm sorry if it came off that way. I just get so jealous. You are my whole world, Bella, so I guess I'm just really protective of you. But, I don't want to be this way. The day we fought about Alec and Jake nearly killed me, so I don't want to get upset like that anymore.

"I want you to make friends and talk to whomever you want. I just can't help but feel this way." He continued. "And the crazy thing is, that I'm not jealous of Jake or Quil, or even Alec, even though he flirts with you all the time." He chuckled.

"It's okay, Edward." I told him. I reached up and gently traced my fingers up and down his sides. "Firstly, don't get so upset. I think how you feel is natural. And, don't get mad, but your instincts were right on this one. EJ did try to ask me out."

"What?" Edward said, turning around to look over at the board shop. I grabbed his arm and turned him to face me.

"Calm down. I'm telling you, because when he asked, he didn't know I was with you." I told him. "And, I trust you, and I want you to trust me."

"I do trust you, Bella." He said.

"Then, there's no problem, right?" I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. Edward sighed, and then wrapped me in his arms. "Right?" I repeated, kissing his chest.

He chuckled. "You're right." He said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Again."

"Okay, so if I'm always right, then believe me when I tell you that it's normal for you to get jealous sometimes. But, just remember that you have nothing to worry about, because I'm yours and you're mine." I stood on my toes and kissed his chin. "Forever."

Edward smiled down at me. "I love you, Bella." He whispered before kissing me. I moaned into the kiss and he deepened it. I would normally care that we were kissing on a crowded beach. But, right now, Edward needed reassurance, and I was the only one that could give it to him.

He pulled back slowly and that confident smile that I loved was back on his face. And, it was beautiful. "I love you, too, Edward." I told him.

"I'm sorry for the drama." He said, shaking his head.

"No, Edward. This is exactly what I want." I told him. "I want you to tell me how you feel. It's better that we talk about it, then leave it bottled up inside. That was the problem last time. You didn't say anything when something was bothering you. I love that you can talk to me."

"Thank you, Bella. I'm so happy that you understand me. Better than I do, myself, actually." Edward said, laughing.

"I love your laugh, Edward." I told him. "It's beautiful."

He smiled at me. "You're beautiful." He whispered, squeezing my hand.


	254. Don't Blush

**A/N - Happy Friday! Here's the next chapter! I know we're all anxious to get our lovebirds to Seattle, and I promise, we'll get there tomorrow! I think...haha! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 254 - Don't Blush

Edward and I went over to join Edward's family on the beach blanket. We spent the next couple of hours on the beach. All eight of us, even Esme, decided to make a huge sandcastle.

From what I had seen so far, Washington had really rocky shores, but we were lucky to have this beach that was quite sandy. Alice and Maria walked along the water to find seashells. Edward and Emmett deemed themselves the master architects of the structure, making Rose and I laugh.

The castle ended up being quite huge, especially when Edward decided it needed a large courtyard. I went and found some small stones to place along the wall Edward built around it, and Rose got some twigs to make a drawbridge.

Emmett lifted Alice so she could set a shell on the top of the castle. Esme made us all stand behind it, and she took a picture of us with our masterpiece. I had so much fun just relaxing and being a kid. The Cullens were always so much fun to be around.

At around five o'clock, Carlisle showed up with pizza. We all sat together and ate. Maria was asking us what we were going to do in Colorado, making Edward and I laugh. We were so unprepared, compared to our last trip. When we went to Florida, we had all sorts of sites planned out that we wanted to see, but this time, I realized that I didn't know a thing about Denver.

"We'd better look that up when we get home." Edward said. "We haven't even packed."

"I think you can tour the US Mint." Carlisle said. "I think Denver is actually a very nice city to visit. You guys will have a great time, I'm sure."

"Have you been?" I asked him.

"Oh, once. A long time ago." Carlisle chuckled. "I went there for a medical conference right after college. I didn't get a chance to see a lot of it, but I have always wanted to go back some day."

"Well, we're only there for two nights, so we probably won't get to see a lot." I said. "But, I'm really excited to go."

"Well, your mom can show you her favourite sites, too, right?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, we'll see if she had any, yet. She is a renowned workaholic, so I'm sure she's spent her time between work and home, mostly." I told him. "But, it would be nice."

At around six-thirty, we all packed up and went back to the cars. Esme offered to drive the girls home, Alice rode home with her daddy, and Edward and I took Emmett and Jasper.

When we got to the Cullen house, the boys flopped down on the couch with their dad to watch baseball. I think everyone was worn out from the day at the beach. Edward told them we would be right down, and we went up to his room to pack. Edward went to his closet to pull out his suitcase.

I took my purse and went into his bathroom. I changed out of my bathing suit and into my bra, panties, t-shirt and shorts. I brushed through and braided my hair, before walking back into Edward's room. It looked like he had changed into a pair of black board shorts and a blue t-shirt. I laughed because he was laying sideways on his bed, with his eyes closed.

I climbed in beside him, and slid my hand under his shirt, lightly rubbing his stomach. "Stop looking so exhausted. You're making me tired." I giggled.

He smiled and opened his eyes. "Sorry." He said, leaning in for a kiss. "But, I am exhausted. I swear I could fall asleep right now, now that I've got you in my bed."

"Well, I'd better get you packed, so you can go to bed." I told him, pulling his shirt up a little higher. I leaned in and started placing tiny kisses on his body, making him groan.

"Okay, I'm awake." He laughed, before rolling us over, so he was mostly back on top of me, but laying on his right side. He brought his lips back to mine. His hand trailed down my body to my bum, before moving back up, dipping under my t-shirt, all while kissing me.

He pulled back for a breath, and smiled against my lips. "This isn't packing." I whispered.

He laughed. "No, it's not." He said. "But I think this is way more fun." I laughed, before pulling him back in for a long passionate kiss.

"Okay, I'm getting up." I said, pushing his chest so he rolled onto his back.

"Fine." He groaned. "So, what do I bring?"

"Let's do the fun stuff first." I giggled, running straight to his underwear drawer. Edward laughed as he sat up. "I've noticed a pattern with your underwear, so tell me if I'm right, 'kay?" I said.

"Okay." Edward said, warily.

"You wear boxer briefs with shorts and boxers with jeans and to sleep in." I said.

He laughed. "You are very observant." He said. "And exactly right."

"Can I ask why?" I said, pulling out a few pairs of each and setting them on his bed.

"Okay, but don't blush." He told me, which instantly made me blush, and Edward chuckle. "When I wear shorts, I want to make sure everything is covered up, and boxers don't do the job." He laughed, gesturing to his crotch.

"Oh, my god, Edward." I laughed, covering up my face. I felt his arms wrap around me, and pull me to his chest.

"Sorry." He laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "But that's the reason."

I slid out of his arms and went back to his drawer. I found him a few pairs of shorts, three t-shirts and a pair of jeans. I walked over to suitcase, and set everything in.

"Bella." He laughed, as I'm sure my cheeks were still bright red. "Come here." He whined. He walked over to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me over to him. He ran his fingers over my warm cheeks. "Dance with me." He said, out of no where, taking my hands and setting them on his shoulders. He brought his hands to my hips and started moving me around the room.

I laughed. "Edward. What are you doing?" I said. "There isn't even any music."

"You needed to be distracted for a minute." He chuckled. "This was the first thing I could think of."

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't mean to get so embarrassed." I said, moving my feet around the floor, trying to keep up with Edward and his fancy dancing.

"Don't apologize, Bella." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "We're getting there. And if I know us, like I think I do, we'll be red faced for a while, yet."

I laughed as I laid my head on his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist. "I know we will."

"So, should I bring some dress clothes, too?" He asked, still swaying us back and forth. "Are we going out to eat in Denver?"

"Yeah. Maybe just a pair of dress pants and a nice thin sweater." I suggested.

"Okay. Let me grab them from my closet." He said, as he let me go to walk to his closet. He pulled out a nice navy blue sweater with beige stripes, and a tan pair of pants. "This good?"

"You are going to look so hot in that." I told him, smiling, as I packed the last of his clothes.

Edward and I went back downstairs to sit with the family. Alice had fallen asleep on her dad's knee, so Emmett suggested we go downstairs for a while. We ended up playing video game for the next three hours. I loved Emmett and Jasper as if the were my own brothers, so even though I wasn't that great at their games, I always had fun. And we laughed almost non-stop.

At ten-thirty, I gave each boy a big hug, and told them I'd see them on Sunday. Edward and I went upstairs, and Carlisle and Esme both gave me a huge hug and kiss on t he cheek.

"Have a great time, sweetheart." Esme said. "You phone us, if you need anything."

Carlisle laughed. "Esme, sweetie, they'll be fine. And Edward will be there for her, too."

I smiled at how cute they were together. "Thank you, both. I think it's going to be okay, this time." I told them, as I squeezed Edward's hand. "So, I'll see you on Sunday." I said, biting my lip. I hated goodbyes, and I didn't want to cry.

Esme came over and gave me another hug. "We'll be here, Bella." She said, as I wiped a stray tear off of my cheek.

"Okay, I'm taking her home." Edward said, as he and Carlisle chuckled. Edward took my hand and led me towards the door. Alice was sleeping on the couch, so I went over and kissed her forehead, before we left.

On the ride home, Edward interlaced his fingers in mine. "It's a quick trip, Bella, so don't get too upset. We'll be back before you know it." I brought his hand up to my lips. My Edward was perfect, and I knew that this trip was going to be just as perfect.


	255. On the Road, Again

**A/N - Okay, this chapter takes place at the end of Wednesday, July 7 and mostly on Thursday, July 8, 2010. Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend, and enjoy!**

Chapter 255 - On the Road, Again

When Edward and I got to my house, he came in with me and waited until my dad got home. "Do you want me to help you pack?" He asked, as we sat together on the couch, my head on his chest, and his hand on my hip.

"I don't want to get up." I told him. "I'm perfectly comfortable."

"What are you going to wear in Denver?" He teased, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Do you need me to buy you a whole new wardrobe?"

I laughed. "No, babe. I'll pack in the morning, I guess." I said.

"So, you're not going to let me help?" He laughed.

I sat up and pressed a long kiss to his lips. "Can't you just hold me? I don't want to move." I was thoroughly enjoying the quiet and just the feeling of Edward's body.

He chuckled. "Yes, I can hold you. I'll hold you as long as you want me to." And, so we sat there for a half hour until my dad came home.

"Hey, Bells. Hi, Edward." He said, when he walked into the living room. "Busy day?" He chuckled. "You two look exhausted."

We proceeded to tell him about the beach, and he seemed happy to hear that Jake was doing so well. Edward gave me a kiss at the door, and said he'd be over at around eleven tomorrow morning. "I love you, baby." He whispered in my ear as he left.

Shortly after, both my dad and I went to bed. I was excited about the trip, but I was, thankfully, really tired and was able to drift off to sleep quickly.

The next morning went just as fast. After I made French toast for my dad, I had a shower and got dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a black tank. I dried my hair straight, and went in my room to pack. I packed some underwear, tank tops, a couple skirts, yoga pants, my Washington t-shirt, and the purple dress Edward bought me in Florida.

I walked in the bathroom and grabbed my shampoo, toothbrush, deodorant and Edward's favourite body lotion from my dresser. I think my boy was in need of a massage once we got to Seattle.

"Dad." I called down the stairs. "Can you get my bag, please?"

I heard my dad come up the stairs. "Of course, kiddo." He said, taking my suitcase for me and setting it by the front door. Heidi showed up at ten thirty, in her work uniform, with a huge plastic bag of chocolate chip cookies.

"I wanted to see you before you left." She said, giving me a huge hug.

"Oh, thank you so much for the munchies. I'm so glad you came." I told her. "Edward should be here soon."

"Okay, great. I wanted to give him a hug before he left, too." She said. "So, are you excited?"

"I am. I love travelling with Edward." I told her. "And I know things are going to go well, but it's nice to have someone there just in case, you know?"

"He's a good boy." She said, smiling.

Edward came at ten minutes to eleven, with a pink tulip. He looked so incredibly gorgeous today, too. He had his driving jeans on, the worn out, light blue ones, and a white t-shirt. He had his sunglasses on his head, partially buried in his messy hair.

He pressed a kiss to my lips. "Good morning, beautiful." He said, smiling. He traced the flower gently over my lips, before he passed it to me. "You look gorgeous. Are you ready?"

"I am, but, Heidi just stopped over, and she wants to see you before we leave." I told him. "Come in for a sec, okay?"

"Of course." He said, kissing me once more.

"Thank you for this, baby." I said bringing the flower to my nose. "It's beautiful."

He smiled at me. "You're welcome, angel."

"There he is." Heidi said, as we walked into the kitchen. She got up and pulled Edward into a tight hug. "Have a safe trip, Edward." She said.

"We will, Heidi." He said. "I'll take good care of Bella."

"I'll be right back." I said. I ran upstairs to use the bathroom and grab my journal and purse. I came back down and noticed my dad and Edward were at the trunk of his car. My dad was loading my suitcase and Edward was standing there with the big bag of cookies.

Heidi walked with me out to the car, giving me another hug. "Call if you need anything." She said. Edward laughed, when I told her that was exactly what Esme said.

My dad patted Edward's shoulder, before coming to give me a tight hug. "Have a good time, Bells. I love you." He said.

"I love you, too, daddy." I said, kissing his cheek. He opened my car door for me and I got in. Edward got in the driver's side and leaned over to kiss my cheek. I looked out the window and my dad had his arms wrapped around Heidi, as they waved. I laughed, because you didn't often see two cops in full uniform hugging. It was cute.

Edward and I made it all the way to Seattle with only two bathroom breaks. I was so proud of myself. "I don't know what you're trying to prove, Bella." Edward laughed. "If you have to go, we'll stop. You know it doesn't bother me, and we have until three o'clock this afternoon before we can check in to the hotel anyway."

"I know that, but I hate stopping in those public bathrooms. They're gross." I explained. "It must be nice to be able to stand and pee." That got Edward really laughing.

"You know that I love you more every time you say something crazy like that, right?" He asked. I just smiled at him. Of course I knew. That's why I did it.

Road trips with Edward were always a blast. I fed him Heidi's chocolate chip cookies and Edward even bought us slushies in Port Angeles. Edward and I sang for a lot of the trip, too. I really liked 'Cross Roads Blues' by Robert Johnson, so Edward taught me the lyrics and we kept replaying it. Edward told me all about the legend of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil for the ability to play his blues guitar, and all the different versions. I loved watching him talk about things he was so interested in.

"My grandpa told me all about this." Edward said, proudly. "It's pretty interesting, right?

"It is." I said, smiling at him. We had reached Seattle by that time, and were driving around town. "Where are we?" I asked him. "This looks familiar." I said, looking out the window.

I saw Wedgewood Estates and smiled. Edward had brought me to our apartment. He parked in front of our new building. "Oh, babe. You are so sweet." I said, smiling. "Can you believe in a months time, this will legally, and officially, be our home?"

"I can't wait." He said, kissing my cheek. "You want to go for a walk around the neighbourhood? I mean, we can't go in, but you know, just to get a feel for it?"

"I would love that, Edward." I said, grabbing his cheeks and pressing a kiss to his lips. He chuckled, his eyes sparkling.

We got out of the car and I threw my purse over my shoulder. Edward took my hand, and we took a walk around the neighbourhood. I loved it. Even though it was summertime, there were a few students milling around the complexes. It was so nice here. I loved this surprise. Edward always thought of everything. He was amazing. He let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I slid my hand into the back pocket of his jeans. He smiled down at me, when I squeezed his bum.

We ended up at a little pizza shop and bought a medium Hawaiian pizza. We sat across from each other by the window, so we could enjoy the view. I kicked my shoes off and wrapped my feet around his leg, making him laugh.

"So, I've got my frisky girl back, huh?" He asked, raising his eyebrow, and smirking at me. "I sadly thought she stayed at the campground."

I laughed. "No, she's around." I said, winking at him.

After we finished our pizza, we walked back to the car, and Edward drove us to our hotel, the Fairfield Inn. We actually drove past the airport to get there. Edward was right when he said the hotel was right by the airport. We checked in at around five o'clock.

The room was beautiful, having a cherry wood king bed, covered in white linens with green borders, a desk and a large TV. Edward and I took turns calling home to let everyone know we were checked into our hotel in Seattle.

Edward pulled off his jeans, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Would you care if I changed into my pyjamas?" I asked. "I mean, I know it's early, but we're just going to hang out here and relax for the rest of the night, right?"

"Yeah, we're just staying in." Edward said, running his fingers through his hair. He looked a little nervous. He got up and walked over to his suitcase. "Okay, Bella, I was hanging up some laundry in my closet last night, and I saw this." He started. "I mean, you don't have to, um, wear it or anything, but I just thought considering we were alone tonight. Uh, you know what? Never mind."

I walked over to him and crouched down beside him. I kissed his lips, and ran my fingers down his arms. "What do you want me to wear?" I asked him. I opened his suitcase and smiled.


	256. Night in Seattle

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I'm not great at cliffies, and I know most of you know what Edward brought, but I wanted to give it a whole chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 256 - Night in Seattle

I smiled when I saw my blue, satin, baby doll nightgown I had bought for Edward's birthday, laying in his suitcase on top of his clothes. I had washed it at Edward's house about two and half weeks ago, and left it in his room. I thought it was so cute that he had brought it with us.

Considering that we were both living at home, we didn't get a lot of alone time, and I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing that nightgown at Edward's house with his family there. I leaned into Edward's face and started kissing his lips.

"Why are you acting nervous?" I asked him, pressing another kiss to his lips. "I'll do anything for you."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around me. "You know, I don't want to pressure you, Bella."

"You're not, baby. I bought the nightgown. So it is definitely deemed appropriate." I giggled. "I'm actually glad you brought it. I like wearing it."

"Okay, good. I'm glad I didn't overstep." He chuckled, leaning his head on my shoulder.

"You didn't." I whispered in his ear. "I'm going to go slip it on. I'll be right back." I gave his ear lobe a little nip. "Take your shirt off for me?"

Edward laughed, standing up and holding out his hands to help me up. I got to my feet and watched as Edward pulled his t-shirt over his head, leaving him in just his black boxers. He winked at me and I almost melted. My confident boy was back. I was excited.

I smiled at him and ran into the bathroom. I stripped of my shorts, tank and bra, leaving my in just purple and blue striped cotton boy shorts. They didn't really match the satin lingerie, but I wasn't about to embarrass Edward further by asking is he brought the black lace panties. I slid the baby doll over my head and smiled at my reflection in the mirror.

I was still a little nervous about this, but I felt so much more comfortable than I did back in Ocean Shores for Edward's birthday. I opened the door and walked out into the room. I noticed that Edward had turned the lights out and had the curtains closed. But, the light from outside was glowing through the beige drapes.

Edward was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing me. He was smiling at me. He opened up his arms to me and walked over to him. "So, how does it look, the second time?" I asked, standing between his legs and setting my arms on his bare shoulders.

"Even better, baby." He said, looking up at my face. He placed his hands on my hips. "Thank you for doing this for me." He said, pulling me over to sit on his knee. He reached his hand up to run his fingers through my hair.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Why aren't you kissing me?" I asked him, smiling.

Edward laughed. "I don't know, but that is a good question." He said. "You want to lay down, or just sit here?"

"Relax, babe." I said. I stood up and pulled him up with me. "Let's try out this bed." I turned my back to him and climbed onto the bed, crawling over to the middle of the bed. I sat down and looked at Edward who was still standing beside the bed. "Are you going to join me?"

He smiled and crawled onto the bed, laying beside me. "I like your panties, baby." He whispered pulling me into his arms.

I giggled. "Sorry, they don't really match the nightie, but what are you going to do?" I asked, biting my lip. "Oh, babe, lay on your stomach, okay?" I asked him, remembering what I had packed this morning.

"Okay." He said smiling, laying down, with his hands under his chin. I climbed off the bed and ran to my suitcase to get my the body lotion that Edward liked so much. "Are you coming back?" He chuckled.

"Yes, baby. I packed a surprise for you, too." I said, bringing the bottle back onto the bed. I pushed his legs apart and sat in between them.

"You're freaking me out a little, Bella." He said, trying to look over his shoulder at me.

I laughed. "What do you think I'm going to do?" I asked, squeezing some lotion in my hand.

"I don't know?" He chuckled.

"I promise, you'll like it." I told him, rubbing my hands together to warm the lotion, before I started massaging his left calf muscle. He groaned, laying his head back down. I rubbed his leg, working up to the back of his thigh.

"Baby, that feels so good." He mumbled out. I warmed up some more lotion and turned to rub his right calf and thigh. He was really quiet, so I thought he had fallen asleep. I reached up and spanked his bum. "Hey. What was that for?" He chuckled.

"Don't fall asleep. I'm not finished with you." I giggled.

"I'm up. Trust me." He said. I crawled over his body, straddling his lower back and sitting down on his bum. I put some more lotion on my hands before rubbing it into his shoulders. He was humming as I rubbed his muscles.

"I figured you might be tense from that long drive." I told him. "How was that?"

"That was incredible, Bella. I love you so much." He said. I climbed off of him and sat beside him. He sat up and pulled me into a hug. "Thank you, baby."

"Of course, Edward. I love you, too." I whispered.

"Mm." He said, bringing me into a kiss that quickly turned long and passionate. Edward slid us down so we were laying on the bed, on our sides, instead of sitting. As I slid down, my nightgown pulled up around my waist. Edward was moving his hands slowly over my back.

Slowly, he moved his right hand over my hip and to my bum. I lifted my leg over his hip, so I could get closer to him. I reached my hands into the back of his boxers. I had to feel his skin. He followed my lead and dipped his fingers under the fabric of my boy shorts. He gently squeezed my bum.

Both of our breathing was picking up, as we moved our bodies together and touched each other. I liked that we were laying on our sides, as it gave us both control of the situation. But, it seemed that we were both enjoying the feeling and working to the same end.

I leaned my head back, and Edward caught my eyes. He was looking into my eyes and I saw so much love shining back at me. His hands pulled me closer, and his head dipped down to my chest. I could feel his hot breath on my skin, in between the delicate kisses he was placing there.

"Edward." I whispered, burying my face into his hair, and gripping my hands around his shoulders. I had never felt so good in my life. He laid his head against my chest and relaxed into my body. We both laid quietly for a few minutes, not moving. I felt so good, but I was a little bit embarrassed.

Edward looked up at me, his cheeks flushed, and a smile on his face. He kissed my lips. "Are you okay, baby?" He asked.

I smiled at him, and leaned into him for another kiss. "Yeah." I said, softly. "I'm really good. Are you?"

"Yeah. Definitely." He told me. "Um, I'm going to run have a quick shower. Do you need to go in there?"

"You can go first, Edward." I told him, laying on my back and resting my head back on the pillow, closing my eyes. Edward chuckled at me, lightly tracing his fingers over my stomach.

"You are so gorgeous, babe." He whispered. I felt like I was going to fall asleep, but I forced a smile. I vaguely heard Edward going into his suitcase, but I was out cold in minutes.

I woke up to the bed moving. I rolled over and pulled a spicy smelling, warm and still slightly damp Edward over to my body. "Go back to sleep, angel." He whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"But, I have to pee." I told him, making him laugh. I slid out of bed and grabbed my makeup bag and headed into the bathroom. After using the bathroom, I brushed my teeth, and washed my face. I smiled at my reflection, again. I was absolutely glowing. Edward always made me feel amazing and so loved.

I walked out into our room and he was laying under the covers, watching TV in the dark. "Hi, gorgeous." He said, as I climbed into bed with him. "I can shut the TV off if you want to go to bed."

"No, it's okay." I said, turning to look at that clock. "It's only eight o'clock?" I laughed. "Why am I so tired?"

Edward chuckled as he pulled me close to his body and I rested my head on his chest. "I think we wore each other out." He said, before kissing the top of my head. "But, I was thinking we should get up early tomorrow morning. We should probably check out at around 7:30."

"Okay." I agreed, turning to press a kiss to his chest. We snuggled close together and even though Edward had the TV on, I was asleep again in minutes.


	257. She Likes Me

**A/N - Thanks again to everyone that is reading! I'm so glad you are all enjoying this trip so far. I am having a blast writing it! In the story, it is Friday, July 9, 2010. Thanks, again, and enjoy! **

Chapter 257 - She Likes Me

I woke up to the feeling of Edward kissing my neck and shoulders. I groaned and rolled onto my back. Edward moved with me, bringing his body over mine. He slid his hand down the side of my body, and I felt his fingers slip under my nightgown, and move up to my stomach.

I smiled remembering the step forward Edward and I had made together last night. His body felt so good against mine. We didn't worry about anything. We were relaxed and just let our bodies and our love guide us.

"Good morning, beautiful." Edward whispered against my skin, moving his fingers up and down my side.

I opened my eyes and looked down at his gorgeous face. He hair was sticking up all over the place, but he looked incredible. His eyes met mine and he was smiling up at me. "Good morning, Edward." I said, smiling. "What time is it?"

"Oh, it's only about five in the morning." He told me, sitting up against the pillows. I sat up and snuggled against his side. He wrapped his arm around me and held me close. "Did you, um, want to talk about yesterday?" He asked softly, bringing his other hand down to pick up my hand and play with my fingers.

"Talk about how incredible you make me feel?" I asked, placing a kiss on his bare chest. "Talk about how much I love you and trust you?" I didn't want Edward to worry so much. I wanted him to feel comfortable with me and us together, physically.

He chuckled. "I feel the same way, angel. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." He said. "Because I love how you make me feel, too. Last night was amazing."

I smiled, sitting up to look at his face. "It was amazing, Edward. I swear I've never felt that good before."

Edward smiled and leaned in to kiss my lips. "I'm glad I could make you feel that way." He whispered. "Because, I know I tell you that you're beautiful all the time, but you are more than that. You are sexy and alluring, too. Not just your body, but your personality, too. Bella, you turn me on. A lot." He said, looking into my eyes, with a smile on his face. "I am so attracted to you, baby."

I was blushing furiously, but I smiled back at him. "Um, thank you?" What was a girl supposed to say to that? Well, not just any girl, but a shy girl. I looked down at my hands for a minute.

"Bella, I'm not trying to embarrass you. I just wanted to say it out loud. I mean, I think it's pretty obvious, a lot of the time, but it doesn't hurt to say it. I want you to know." He said, kissing the top of my head, and reaching under my chin my lift my face up.

I looked back into his eyes and smiled at him, before I started giggling. Edward just shook his head and chuckled with me. "God, Bella. I love you." He said, pushing me over and rolling on top of me. He reached his hands down and started tickling my sides.

"Edward, stop it." I laughed, kicking my legs, and squirming, trying to escape, but not really wanting to, either.

"No way, sugar." He laughed, his legs straddling my hips. "Do you think I'm sexy?" He asked, pulling my nightie up to just under my breasts. He started tickling my bare stomach, making me laugh even harder. I had tears rolling down my face, and I was trying to slap away his hands.

"Okay, Edward. Stop." I laughed.

"Tell me the truth, Bella." He chuckled, moving up to my armpits.

"Yes, Edward. You are the sexiest man I have ever seen." I got out between giggles.

He laid down on top of me, and leaned in to kiss my lips. "Now, was that so hard?" He laughed. I reached my hands up to run my fingers through his hair.

"No, that was pretty easy, actually." I told him. "You want to know what turns me on about you?" I asked, looking into his eyes and he nodded. "It's always been your confidence." I told him. "From the minute I first I laid eyes on you back in January, Edward, I saw that in you. It's the way you carry yourself. And, it's not cocky, or arrogant, but it's like you know who you are. You're confident, but you still have a bit of a shy quality to you. And, babe, it's what's drawn me to you from that very first class."

Edward smiled at me, before leaning down to kiss my lips. "Thank you, baby."

"Well, that, and this beautiful, perfect, movie star smile." I said, reaching my fingers up to trace around his lips. "And maybe, your silky hair, and your sparkling green eyes. Oh, and this perfect body." I continued, moving my hands over his shoulders and down his back. Edward was chuckling at me. I slid my fingers under his boxers and squeezed his bare bum. "And, I'm a little partial to this bum." I laughed.

"Oh, is that all?" Edward asked, sliding the strap of my nightgown down and licking my shoulder.

"You want more details?" I asked, giving his bum another squeeze, and making him groan. "Because, I could go on all day, babe. I love your laugh, and your smell, and your muscles and your strong arms and even your feet." I said, giggling. "But love how much love you have to give. You are an angel to your family and friends and you are accepting and loyal and protective. You are really just an incredible human being, Edward. You are perfect in every way and I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love another person." I told him.

He rolled off of me, propping his head up on his hand, smiling down at me. I smiled back. "So, yeah. Um, all of that turns me on and you are a sexy, sexy man."

He leaned down to kiss me. "I think she likes me." He chuckled, making me laugh.

I reached up and pushed him onto his back. "I love you." I said. Standing up and straightening my nightie. I walked over to my suitcase and pulled out a pair of black shorts and a flowy, purple tank with a handkerchief hemline, and a black bra and panty set. "I'm going to go have a shower, okay?"

Edward pouted out his bottom lip. "Come back to bed with me." He whined.

"Baby, I'll be right out." I laughed, tickling the bottom of his foot. I went in, setting my clothes on the counter and got into the shower. I had just turned the water on, when I heard the door open.

"Angel, can I come in?" Edward asked. "I thought I could get ready."

"Yeah, of course." I told him through the shower curtain. I had a quick shower, washing my hair and body, and shaving my legs. "I'm done, baby." I told him.

"Okay. I'll be on the bed." He chuckled. I wondered why he was laughing, but just shrugged it off. I wrapped my towel around my body, and got out of the shower. I looked at the counter and noticed he took all of my clothes except for my panties. I giggled at his playfulness today. I brushed out my hair and French braided it, brushed my teeth, then pulled my panties on under my towel. I walked out into our room to find Edward, dressed in a pair of tan shorts and a white t-shirt, laying on the bed, watching TV.

"So, you want me to go on the plane without any clothes?" I asked, smiling, as I walked over to him and sat on the bed.

"Oh, no." He laughed. "I actually owe you a back rub, and I was hoping you would let me do that before you got dressed." He patted the middle of the bed and winked.

"How could I turn that down?" I giggled. I crawled over the middle of the bed and laid down on my stomach. Edward straddled my legs, before untucking the towel, and opening it up, so I was basically laying on the towel topless. I heard Edward snap open the lotion bottle. I smiled, as Edward started massaging my shoulders, and rubbing the lotion all over my back, shoulders and arms. When he got to my hands, he interlocked our fingers and gave my hands a squeeze.

"Your skin is so soft." He said, as he delicately moved his hands up my sides, and along the sides of my breasts.

"Well, just think how soft it's going to be if you keep doing this." I suggested. "A girl could really get used to treatment like this."

"I'll do it everyday for the rest of my life if you want me to, honey." He told me, and I could tell he was being serious.

"I love you, Edward." I told him.

"Okay, um, I'll go downstairs and get us something to eat before we go. Do you want anything special?" He asked, getting off the bed.

"No. Whatever you want, Edward." I said, sitting up. I got onto my knees and walked over to the edge of the bed. Edward looked adorably shocked that I was facing him without a bra on. I held back a giggle and wrapped my arms around him, pressing my bare chest to his. "I'm so glad you suggested staying this extra night."

"So am I." Edward said, leaning down to kiss my neck. "You are so gorgeous." He whispered moving his hands, slowly over my back. "But, can you please get dressed, Bella. Or, we will never leave this room." He whispered, sucking on my earlobe.

"Hey. You're the one that took my clothes." I whispered, before groaning as he bit down on my earlobe.

Edward pulled back and smiled at me. "Touche."


	258. Feed Me

**A/N - Thank you to everyone for reading! I am having so much fun writing this trip, so far! They may just leave the hotel today! Enjoy!**

Chapter 258 - Feed Me

Edward finally left the room with a couple more looks back over his shoulder at me. He winked at me as he shut the door. I got off the bed and finished getting dressed. I went in the bathroom, putting on some light makeup, before packing up our things. I had everything packed and by the door, and the sheets pulled up on the bed before Edward got back. He was taking a little while, so I called home.

The phone rang about five times before I heard a very groggy sounding Heidi pick up the phone. I felt bad for waking them up. I looked at the clock and it just after six-thirty in the morning. "Hello." She said.

"Good morning, Heidi. It's Bella." I said. "Just wanted to check in."

"Oh, hi, Bella." She said, sounding a lot more awake. "How was your night?"

"Incredible." I giggled. "Edward is amazing."

She laughed with me. "That great, huh?"

"Yes. But I'm not talking about it with dad right there." I told her.

"Oh, he's asleep, Bella." She laughed.

"Still, I'm not risking it. He could be pretending." I teased, making her laugh. "Anyway, I was just calling to let you know that we're going to the airport in about an hour. I'm just waiting for Edward to get back with breakfast."

"Okay, Bella. Will you call your dad when you land in Denver?" She asked. "Or do you want me to wake him, now?"

"No, it's okay. Let him sleep. Our flight is only about two hours, so I'll call just after eleven, okay?"

"Alright. We'll still be here. Have a safe flight. We love you." She said, making me smile.

"I love you, both, too." I told her. I looked up as the door opened, and Edward came in with a paper bag, a drink tray and pink peony. "Oh, Edward's here. I'll talk to you in a couple of hours."

"Bye, Bella." She said before hanging up.

Edward crawled over onto the bed beside me, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "Was that Charlie?" He asked sitting crossed legged in front of me.

"No, it was Heidi. My dad was still sleeping." I told him. He passed me the flower. "Oh, thank you so much, Edward. It's beautiful." I said, breathing in it's sweet scent.

"I thought it was." He said. "It reminded me of you. Soft, pretty and delicate with a gorgeous blush."

"Aw, babe. You are too sweet." I said, getting up on my knees, setting my hands on his thighs and leaning in to kiss his lips. "I love you so much."

He smiled against my lips. "I love you, too, Bella. And it's the truth." He said, kissing me once more. I sat back and tried to reach for the bag, but Edward snatched it away.

"Hey. I'm hungry. Feed me." I teased.

"Okay, let me get comfy, first." He said. He sat with his back against the head board, knees bent. "Want to snuggle?"

"Are you going to feed me?" I asked.

"Of course." He laughed. I sat back against his body between his legs, leaning my back to his chest. I looked up at his face and he leaned down to kiss my lips. He opened the bag and pulled out a chocolate chip muffin.

"Mm. Edward. That looks so good." I said, as he broke the top off and brought it to my lips. I took a huge bite, making him laugh. He bought it up to his lips and took a bite. I grabbed his arm, bringing it back down so I could have the last bite. I made sure to lick his fingers, as well.

"You like chocolate chip?" He asked, as I reached over to pass him his coffee.

"Edward. I'm a girl. We like chocolate." I laughed, grabbing the glass bottle of orange juice he bought me, and taking a drink.

"Good to know." He chuckled.

We finished our breakfast this way, with Edward feeding us. It seemed to be a pattern with us. Edward loved to feed me, and I loved it even more when he did. He was so sweet. He never wanted to rush anything. We had to check out soon, but Edward only seemed concerned with me.

"So, are you excited to see your mom?" He asked, as he finished off his coffee.

"Very much." I told him, tracing my fingers from his knees to his ankles. "I'm so happy that we are getting this second chance. I mean, I know we resolved things before we left Florida, but now we get time to really talk and catch up." I told him, as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders holding me close to his body.

"I love seeing you so happy, baby." He said, leaning down to kiss my neck. "Okay, let's hit the bathroom and head out to the airport."

"Alright." I said, turning around to kneel in front of him. I leaned into his body and wrapped my arms around him. "Thank you for breakfast." I said, kissing his lips, softly. "I love you. Thank you for coming with me."

He smiled against my lips. "You're welcome. I would go anywhere with you, Bella." He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. "And I love you, too." He whispered before kissing me, again.

I reached up and ran my fingers lightly through his hair. I turned my head and deepened the kiss. Edward groaned into my mouth, before slowly pulling back, placing a couple more light kisses on my lips. "Baby." He said, kissing me, again. "Stop stalling." He laughed. "It's seven-thirty." He kissed me.

"Okay. I'm going." I laughed, crawling off the bed. I blew a kiss at him, and walking to the bathroom. When I came out, Edward was going through the room, double checking that we packed everything. "Your turn." I said, spanking his bum.

While Edward was in the bathroom, I took the peony and after one last sniff, I pressed it in my journal. I tucked it back into my purse and then went to go sit on my suitcase by the door. Edward came out to join me, and leaned down to kiss my forehead. We took the elevator down and checked out at the desk. Edward put our suitcases in the trunk and passed me his iPod when he got in the car. I put it in my purse, and we were off to the airport.

When we got there, we went to the desk and showed our driver's licences to the clerk at the ticket desk. She gave us our tickets, that my mom had left for us and we headed over to the gate to wait for flight to be called. While we waited, Edward called home, and talked to Emmett. "Hey, bro. Yeah, we're just waiting to get on the plane. What did you guys do last night? Oh, yeah? Okay, Em. I love you. Yeah, I'll tell her. Okay, I'll call home when we land. Thanks. Okay, bye, buddy."

He hung up and leaned in to kiss me. "How's everybody at home?" I asked him, putting my hand on the inside of knee.

"Oh, they're good. I guess the girls were over again last night." He told me. "Oh, and Em said to tell you that everybody misses you."

I laughed. "You have the best family." I told him. "They are all so sweet to include me."

"Yeah, I feel really lucky." He said, kissing my cheek.

Our flight was called and we boarded the plane. I was surprised to see my mom had bought us first class tickets. Edward looked pretty impressed. We sat down in very comfortable seats and we decided to watch a movie.

Edward scrolled through the selections and we decided to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street. I have no idea why I agreed to it, because I had my face tucked into Edward's side for most of the movie. He would laugh every time I did it and rub my back. I loved every second of it. We finished the movie about twenty minutes before we landed. The flight went by so fast.

When we landed, we went into the Denver International Airport. We both went to the bathrooms, before getting our luggage and sitting down at the end of a row of blue chairs. "So, now what?" Edward chuckled. "Am I supposed to rent a car, or do we take a cab to your mom's house?"

I laughed. Edward and I were supposed to research this trip, but we ended up spending all our time 'snuggling.' I'm sure we would figure something out. This was going to be a great trip, if we could ever figure out what we were doing.


	259. Doubt in Denver

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 259 - Doubt in Denver

"Baby, we are not at all organized this time." Edward said, resting his head on my shoulder.

"I know." I laughed. "Um, let me call my mom." I said, dialling her cell number. "I'll see what's going on."

"Hi, Bella. Did you guys land, yet?" My mom asked, sounding really excited.

"Yeah, we just did. Do you want us to rent a car?" I asked her.

"Oh, no. I'll be there to pick you guys up, but I got stuck in a meeting. Can you wait about an hour, maybe an hour and a half?" She asked. "Bella, I feel really bad about this."

"No, it's okay, mom. I understand." I told her, honestly. When Edward heard me say that, he grabbed my free hand and squeezed it. He probably though she was cancelling and I appreciated that he was here for me. "We'll just get something to eat. Will you call me when you get here?"

"Yes, Bella. I'll try to hurry, okay? It's just that I'm fairly new to the company, so I don't have as much leeway." She explained. I could tell she felt bad and I knew she was trying.

"Okay. Stop worrying." I told her. "I'll see you soon. Bye." I hung up my phone and turned to Edward, relaying the information to him.

He brought his hand up to caress my cheek. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. I really don't think she meant to just leave us here." I told him.

"Okay. I'm hungry." Edward laughed. "What do you want to eat?"

"Whatever you want is fine, babe." I said.

I was trying to keep my positive attitude for this trip, but the minute Edward asked if I was okay, I started to question the whole trip. I wanted things to work out so much this time. When we left home, I didn't even have a doubt in my mind that things would be perfect, but now I wasn't so sure.

"Okay, baby. Talk to me." He said, taking my hands in both of his.

"It's just that I got my hopes up for this, and now I'm scared that it's not going to work out, and we came all the way here." I confessed, as my face heated up.

"Bella." He started, bringing my hand up to his lips, and placing a light kiss on the back of it. "This is just a little setback. We'll get some lunch, maybe do a little shopping. It looks like a mall in here, actually. And, I can buy you your t-shirt." He said, winking. "Then, your mom will be here to pick us up. This will work, okay?"

I smiled at him, leaning in to kiss his lips. "You're right. I'm sorry." I said, shaking my head at myself. "That sounds great actually. Thank you, baby."

Edward got up and took my hand, and we each grabbed our luggage. "Honey, don't apologize for how you feel. I love you and I'm here for you." He said, as we walked down the main corridor. "We've always been able to make our own fun, anyway."

I laughed. "You're right, babe." I said. "So, what do you want to eat?" There were so many restaurants.

"Well, why don't we splurge? Have you ever had a Philly cheese steak sandwich?" Edward asked with a smile.

We went in, and I held us a table, and watched our luggage, while Edward went up to order for us. He seemed excited about eating at the Steak Escape. I thought he was so sweet. He was trying to make sure I was having fun, but I could tell he was as worried as I was about this working out.

There was a bit of line up at the counter, and I saw Edward on his cell phone, likely calling home, so I called my dad, too. "Hey, Bells." He answered. "How was the flight?"

I smiled, just hearing his voice. "The flight was good. Mom bought us first class seats, so that was cool. Edward and I watched a scary movie, and now we're just getting some lunch at the airport. Edward's buying me a Philly cheese steak sandwich." I told him, trying to fill him in.

"Well, that sounds great kiddo. I'm glad you're having fun" He said. "When are you meeting your mom?"

"Oh, um, she's running a little late, because of an unexpected meeting, but she should be here soon." I explained. I heard him sigh on the other end of the phone. I knew he was worried about me, especially because of the last trip. "Daddy, don't worry. It's going to be fine."

"I just want you to have a good trip." He said.

"I will, dad. I promise. I'll call you tonight and let you know how everything works out." I told him. "I love you, dad."

"I love you, too, kiddo." He said. "And tell Edward I say hi."

"Okay, bye, dad. Give Heidi a hug for me."

"I will. I'll talk to you tonight. Bye, Bells." He said before hanging up. I just put my phone in my purse, when Edward came over with a tray full of food.

"Okay, baby. You have your authentic Philadelphia cheese steak sandwich, with thin sliced rib eye steak, sauteed onions and mushrooms and melted cheese, topped with sweet peppers. Oh, and a pickle on the side." He chuckled, making me laugh.

"And a the biggest order of fries I have ever seen." I laughed. "Thank you, baby. This looks amazing."

"Of course, angel." He said. "I talked to my mom, and she told me to tell you that she loves you and Alice said to give you this." He got up from his chair and kissed my cheek, before he sat down.

"Aw, I miss them." I said, picking up my pickle and taking a bite. Edward chuckled at me. "Oh, my dad says hi."

Edward and I ended up having a great lunch together, and I was definitely feeling better about things. The sandwich was great, but way too filling. Edward had to eat half of mine. He was not complaining.

After we ate, we walked down the long corridor of shops. Edward was right, it did look like a mall. We found a place that would hold our luggage as we shopped. The first store, we found was called Bella. Edward made me stand in front of the store and he took my picture in front of it. I was embarrassed, because people were staring at us, but Edward seemed excited.

We went in Bella, and found out it was a designer cosmetics shop. Everything was extremely expensive. "Edward. Let's go." I said, quietly. A tall gorgeous woman is a short black skirt and suit jacket walked over to us.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked, smiling at us. "You have beautiful skin, darling. Have you seen our convenient beauty kits? They have cleansers, toners and lotions, all in travel sizes for that girl on the go." She said, bringing the little emerald green case on the counter, and opening it to show us.

"Okay, we'll take that." Edward said.

"Edward." I whisper scolded. "You didn't even ask how much it was."

"It doesn't matter, baby." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "I'm trying to spoil you right now. Let me."

I smiled at him. "Thank you. I love you."

We kept walking along the corridor, and we stopped in a travel gadget shop, and Edward found a headphone splice so we could both listen to his iPod at the same time, without sharing head phones. He thought it was pretty cool, and I was glad he was getting himself something.

We finally came across a gift shop and there were all sorts of tacky t-shirts. Edward got a huge mischievous smile on his face, and I started laughing at him. He found a navy blue t-shirt that had a picture of mountains on it. It read 'Colorado. Got Rocks?' Edward started laughing, probably too loudly, and of course, it was contagious.

"So, I think we have a winner?" I asked, holding the shirt up to my chest.

"Definitely." Edward laughed. After we bought the t-shirt and about ten Colorado ballpoint pens, which Edward bought in case we didn't have time to get everyone souvenirs, we went back to get our luggage. I thought it was hilarious.

My cell phone rang and I picked it up. It was my mom. "Hey, Bella. We're here." She said, cheerfully. We?


	260. A New Person

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! I'm trying my hardest to answer your reviews, but real life has been so busy lately. Just know that I read them all and love every one of them! I'm getting a little addicted to cliffies at the ends of chapters, so there may be more in the future. I'll let you get to it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 260 - A New Person

"Um, okay. Where do we go to meet you?" I asked my mom. I was a little confused about where she was and who she was with.

"Okay, go to the short term, west parking lot. I'm in a black BMW." She told me.

"Alright. See you is few." I said hanging up. "She said she's in a black BWM in the west short term lot." I told Edward. "But she said 'we.' What do you think that means?"

"She must be here with someone, I guess. Colleague, friend, boyfriend, maybe?" He suggested. "She didn't say a name?"

"No." I told him. She really hadn't said much about here life in Denver.

We followed the signs to the west lot and Edward ran into a flower shop and bought a small mixed bouquet of flowers for my mom. I thought it was adorable. He pulled the little mini sunflower out of the middle of the bouquet and passed it to me. "For you, my angel." He said with a smile.

"Thank you, baby." I said, bringing it to my nose. "But you already got me the peony, today." I told him.

"I know. That one is just an extra, because I love you." He said, smiling. "Plus, I haven't bought you a flower in Denver, yet." He winked.

We got outside and Edward and I scanned the lot. We heard a car horn honk at us, so we turned and Edward pointed out the car. My mom was standing beside it, and as we walked over, a tall man got out of the driver's side.

He looked about the same height as Edward, maybe a little taller, but definitely over six feet. He had black hair, combed back, and he was wearing a very nice, grey suit with a white shirt and red tie, and the shiniest shoes I had ever seen. He was a very good looking man, in about his mid-fifties. My mom was wearing a red skirt and matching jacket. They both looked very nice and professional.

Edward leaned in and whispered in my ear. "I feel underdressed." I laughed at that, and I appreciated his attempt at lightening the mood.

My mom ran up to me and pulled me in a tight hug. "Hi, mom. I've missed you." I whispered.

"Oh, baby. You look beautiful. I've missed you so much." She said, still not letting me go. "You have a glow about you." She said, pulling back and looking me over. She looked over at Edward. "Doesn't she? She just looks radiant."

"She's gorgeous." Edward said, reaching over and rubbing my back. "Nice to see you again, Renee." Edward said. "These are for you." He said, as he passed her the bouquet.

"Oh, thank you so much. That is so sweet." She said, smiling. I honestly didn't think I had ever seen her that excited. It was nice, and I found myself smiling along with her. "Can I give you a hug, Edward?" She asked, looking a little unsure.

"Of course." Edward said, smiling. "In my family, we just take them if want them. We never ask." He teased, pulling her into a hug. "It's good to see you." I was so proud of Edward. He was handling this situation perfectly and he was treating my mom exactly how he did with Heidi. He wasn't showing any resentment for the incidents on the last trip.

My mom reached over and took my hand. "Okay, Bella, Edward. I want you to meet Aro Moretti." She said, walking us over to the car. "Aro, this is my beautiful daughter, Isabella, and her boyfriend Edward."

"Ah, Benvenuti. Welcome to Denver. It is so nice to meet you both." Aro said, reaching forward to shake my hand, before bringing it up to his lips. "Bella, si. Yes. She is beautiful."

So, Aro was from Italy. And he was smooth. He had me blushing, for sure. I was not used to this much attention, and never did well as the focal point. My mom looked near giddy.

"It's nice to meet you." I said, before he winked at me and turned to shake Edward's hand.

"Buon Giorno, Edward." He said, before wrapping his arm around my mother's shoulders. "They are a beautiful couple." I giggled a little. He was a very happy, and enthusiastic man.

I looked at my mom and raised my eyebrows, hoping she would give me some more information. I was guessing that she was dating this guy, but I wanted to hear it from her.

She laughed. She knew what I wanted to hear. "Aro and I have been seeing each other for about a month. We met at the office. But, we'll talk over dinner. Come on. Let's get you kids set up in the guest room, and then we'll go have dinner and catch up." My mom said. "Oh, I'm so excited."

I laughed at her excitement. "Me, too, mom." I said. Aro and Edward put our bags in the trunk and we were on our way to my mom's house in no time. Edward and I sat hand in hand in the backseat. Aro was driving, and my mom was turned around to face us in the passenger seat.

"Bella. Where did you get that gorgeous ring? You weren't wearing it when I saw you last." My mom asked.

"Edward gave me this promise ring on our two month anniversary." I told her proudly, holding it up so she could see it. "Just over three weeks ago."

"Oh, that is so sweet." She squealed.

I was so caught up in the conversation, I hardly took in our surroundings. But, when we stopped, after about a twenty minute drive, I noticed that we were downtown.

Aro parked at a gorgeous luxury condo and we all got out. It was a tan cement color and had arches on the first couple of floors. It was amazing. "You live here?" I asked in awe.

"Yeah. It was recommended by the company I work for. They are located only a couple of blocks from here." My mom told me, as we walked in, taking an elevator up to the fifth floor. "Can you believe your mother walks to work?" She laughed.

I wrapped my arm around her waist. "No, mom. I actually can't." I laughed.

When we got up to the fifth floor, my mom took my hand and led us down the hall. I looked behind me. Edward and Aro were walking side by side with our luggage. Edward winked at me, smiling. He looked happy that this was going well.

I was ecstatic. I had never in my life seen my mother so relaxed, carefree and happy. She was just plain fun to be around right now. It was almost like she was a new person. But, definitely in a good way. She unlocked the door, and I was blown away by the condo.

There was one main room with red walls and hardwood floors. There were bright green tropical plants along the walls, and beautiful, cream coloured couches. There were a couple of paintings on the walls, as well. It was gorgeous.

My mom pulled me by the hand into the kitchen. It was huge and gorgeous, with all sorts of fancy appliances. "This is beautiful, mom, really." I said, following her across the room down the hallway. She led me into the room on the left.

"This is my room." She said. It was gorgeous, like the rest of the house. It was almost all white, with a modern design. Her bed faced large windows with a view of the mountains in the distance. She continued the tour, and I noticed that Edward and Aro were talking and laughing in the hallway. I was so happy that they were getting along.

She finally led us to the guestroom. It had a bright yellow walls and a white ceiling, huge windows with patterned drapes, and a queen sized mahogany bed with white and tan bedding. There was a matching mahogany dresser and two accent chairs. There was an attached full bathroom. It was gorgeous.

"Well, what do you think, Bella?" My mom asked.

"Mom, it's beautiful." I said. "I love it."

She pulled me into tight hug. "Well, I designed it for you, baby." She said. "I want you to come visit as much as possible."

I squeezed her back. "Thank you, mom. I'm so happy we came." I whispered into her ear.

"Renee, we should leave the kids to get settled, no?" Aro asked.

"Oh, yes, right. I'm sorry. You must be tired." My mom said. "We'll just be out in the main room. Take your time. Have a nap if you need to. I made us reservations at five. I have so many plans."

"That sounds great, mom. I can't wait." I said. She took Aro's hand and left the room.

Edward walked over and wrapped his arms around my hips, pulling me close to his body. "I love seeing you so happy, baby." He said, smiling. He leaned down to kiss my lips. He reached down, putting his hands on my bum and lifting me up, making me laugh. "Let's try out this bed."


	261. Talking in Bed

**A/N - Thank you to everyone for reading! Some mixes responses on Aro and Renee. This chapter will explain a lot about the situation. Give her a chance! Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 261 - Talking in Bed

Edward set me on the bed and crawled in beside me. We tangled our legs together and wrapped our arms around each other, laying our heads on the pillows. He smiled at me, before leaning in to kiss me. "I've missed your lips." He whispered, before kissing me, again.

Our kisses started slow, but built up quickly. We were in full make out mode, when the door opened. "Bella, I…" My mom started. Edward and I pulled apart. I knew my face was bright red. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I just brought you a vase for your sunflower." She said, setting it on the table by the door. "I'll just go." She giggled, before closing the door.

"Edward." I whined. I was so embarrassed that my mom caught me making out with my boyfriend. This was a first for my mom and I, considering that I didn't date when I lived with her.

He laughed. "It's okay, Bella. She doesn't care." He said, rolling back into my side and pulling me close to him. He leaned down and started kissing and sucking on my neck.

"Should we do this here?" I asked him.

"She already thinks we are." He whispered, bringing his lips back to mine. His right hand trailed down my body to my bum, pulling me closer to him. I moaned at the feeling of his body against mine. I pulled at the back of his t-shirt, and he reached down and pulled it off.

I started kissing his chest, but had to stop as he pulled my shirt over my head. "It's been almost eight hours, since we've been in a bed, together." He whispered against my skin. "Not that I'm keeping track." He chuckled.

"I love you, Edward. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you're here." I said, lightly scratching his back.

He leaned in to kiss my lips, lightly. "I'm happy to be here." He said. "So, what do you think about this Aro guy?"

"I don't know. He seems really nice, right?" I asked, biting my lip. "I mean she just went through the divorce with Phil, but I have honestly never seen her this happy, Edward. Like, ever. And Phil was such a cold person. He only cared about business. I don't even know if he truly loved my mom. And no one deserves a relationship that's one sided."

"You're right, honey. She does seem really happy." Edward agreed.

"So maybe it was quick, but does that really matter? I mean, love hits unexpectedly. We can't control who we fall in love with. Or, when we fall in love. And she didn't know anyone here, so I'm glad she has him."

Edward kissed my cheek, then kissed down my neck to my chest, right over my heart. "You are just the sweetest girl. I love how selfless you are. You always want what's best for everyone else. I think you're right, too. We can't control love." He whispered. "But, I want to know how you feel. Are you okay with the fact that he came with her to the airport? That she introduced you right away, and that he's coming to dinner with us?"

I smiled at him. "I'm surprisingly alright with it, actually. I want my parents to be as happy as I am. And if this guy is important to my mom, and he's going to be a part of her life, then I think it's good that we get to know him."

"Okay, good. If you're happy, then I'm happy, babe." He whispered. "I just want you to make sure you and your mom have some time alone to talk, okay. I'll go out for a walk, or go get a coffee, or whatever you want. But, I want this visit to be everything you want, sugar. All I want is for you to be happy and content in life. And your mom is a part of that."

I teared up instantly. I knew Edward loved me, but when he said such sweet things like that, that he would do anything for me just to be happy, it always made me cry. I put my face to his chest and just cried.

I was feeling a little overwhelmed with everything. I was so nervous that things wouldn't work after my mom was delayed, and now I was so happy that things were working. It was a total one-eighty. They were happy tears, but also tired and relieved tears.

Edward hushed me and just held me close to his body, slowly rubbing my back, and placing a kiss on the top of my head. "Honey, why don't you try to get some sleep? We have over an hour before we need to go. So just relax for a bit." He whispered into my hair.

I nodded and rested my head on his bicep. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm reacting this way. I'm not sad at all." I explained.

He reached up to my face and wiped the tears from under my eyes. "I think you're just a little overwhelmed." He kissed my forehead, before sitting us up. He stood us up and pulled down the blanket on the bed.

I climbed back in, and he pulled the blankets up around me, tucking the blankets all around my body. I giggled. "Edward, it is hot out. Why are you tucking me in so tight?"

"Because your mom has the air conditioning on. It's like a freezer in here." He laughed. "And, while I love it, you get cold easily."

"Aren't you going to snuggle with me?" I asked, curling up on my side.

"I'm going to have a shower. And, you need to sleep." He said. "This body," he said, flexing his arms and pecs, "is way too much of a distraction to you."

I started laughing really hard, my tears long forgotten. Edward was the best. "Okay. Good point." I giggled. "Will you wake me up at around four, so I can get ready for dinner?"

He leaned in to me and pressed a kiss to my lips. "Of course, angel." He whispered. "I love you. Now, get some sleep."

"Okay, I love you." I said, closing my eyes. I must have been tired, because I drifted off to sleep right away.

When I woke up, I felt someone in the bed beside me, but I smelled my mom's perfume. I smiled and rolled over. My mom was laying beside me with a smile on her face. "Did you have a good nap, baby?" She asked, lightly stroking my cheek.

"Yeah." I said stretching my arms up, but quickly pulling the blanket up, when I realized I was only wearing my bra. My mom laughed and then passed me my tank, which I pulled on quickly. "Where's Edward?" I asked her.

"Oh, he's out in the living room suffering through one of Aro's long winded explanations of why soccer is superior to American football." She laughed.

"So, you and Edward are pretty hot and heavy?" She asked, sitting up, with her back to the headboard. She opened her arms and I snuggled up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around me, and stroked my hair. We honestly hadn't sat like this about ten years.

"Um, yeah. I guess." I admitted, feeling my face heat up.

"You don't have to tell me, I mean you're an adult now, but are you guys..." She started.

"Mom." I said, cutting her off. "This is so embarrassing." I giggled. "But the answer is no, not yet. We're waiting at least until we go back to Seattle, for now."

She kissed the top of my head. "Okay. Do you need to talk about it? What to expect?"

"Um, I don't know. I'm actually really nervous about it, you know?" I admitted.

"Well, don't be scared, Bella. I have never seen anyone love another, as much as Edward loves you. He would never hurt you, baby, that much I can tell." My mom said. "I think we get scared about things, because we build them up in our minds to be bigger than they are. This next step is important for you both, but it is nothing to fear."

I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a hug. "That really helps, actually." I said. "I've missed you, mom."

"I've missed you, too, Isabella." She said, softly.

"Mom." I said, sitting up and looking at her. "You seem different. You look really happy."

She smiled at me. "I am. You know, it was your last visit to Florida that really opened up my eyes. You are my whole world, Bella, and I almost ruined everything. I want to be the mom that I always should have been." I reached forward and took her hand in mine. "And I really like it here in Denver. Work is great, I've made a few friends, and things with Aro are going well."

"He seems great." I told her.

"Oh, he is. He's really been here for me. Going through a second divorce was rough, and hard on me emotionally. But, Aro, well he's shown me respect and patience. He is amazing, really. We are taking things really slow. I'm not rushing things this time, like I did with Phil. I want to do this the right way." She said. "I want you to me proud of me."

"I am, mom. I'm so happy for you, mom." I said, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Bella. It means so much to me that you are giving me another chance." She said. "Now, you'd better get ready for dinner." She laughed. "We don't want to keep our dates waiting."


	262. The Dinner I Wanted

**A/N - Happy Saturday! I hope you all have a great weekend! Thank you for reading! Enjoy! **

Chapter 262 - The Dinner I Wanted

My mom left the room and I got out of bed. I went to open my suitcase to get my dress, and found it empty. I frowned and walked over to the closet. All of my clothes were hanging up in the closet and I opened the dresser drawer and all my underwear was put away beside Edward's. I bit my lip to hold back a giggle. Edward was so sweet. He unpacked all of our things while I was napping. He had even placed the sunflower in the vase my mom had brought in the room. My boy was perfect.

I stripped off my clothes and pulled on a black strapless bra and matching panties. I had to put so much more effort in choosing my underwear now that Edward and I were getting more physical. I went into the bathroom and washed my face and put on some makeup. I decided to do smoky eye makeup tonight.

I took the French braid out of my hair and ran my fingers through the waves. Edward loved my hair wavy. I pulled a few strands back on the sides and pinned them back. I came back into the bedroom and pulled the dress on. I walked up to the long mirror she had hanging on the bathroom door.

I thought I looked pretty good. I made a couple of adjustments and put my lip gloss on. I took a deep breath. This night was going to be the dinner I wanted to have back in May when we were in Jacksonville. I was so excited. I slipped on my sandals and picked up my purse.

I walked down the hallway and found Edward and Aro sitting together on the sofa, laughing about something. It was so nice to see them getting along. And I knew that Edward only came on this trip for me, so I was happy to see him enjoying himself.

The guys hadn't seen me yet, and I was just about to go over to join them when my mom came up behind me and took my hand. I turned so I look at her. She was wearing a navy blue wrap dress. She looked gorgeous.

"Oh, Bella. You look beautiful." She said smiling. "You're so grown up." She said, blinking back her tears.

"Mom. Don't start crying." I said, pulling her into a hug. "I've already cried this afternoon over how happy I am about being here, so please don't make me start, again." I giggled.

"Aw, baby. I'm happy to have you." She said, pulling back from me, but holding my hands in hers. "And I hope this is the first of many weekends that we can spend together."

"Of course it is, mom." I told her.

"Well, look at you ladies. They are beautiful. We are lucky men, Edward. Yes?" I heard Aro say.

"Thank you, darling." My mom said, walking up to Aro and kissing his cheek.

Edward walked over to me and placed his hands on my hips. He smiled at me and leaned in to kiss my lips. "You are stunning, Bella." He whispered. "Absolutely gorgeous."

I looked up and him and smiled. "Thank you, babe." I said. He was wearing his tan dress pants and the navy and beige striped sweater he picked out when we were packing. I smiled. I remembered telling Edward how hot he was going to look in this outfit. I was right. I brought my hand up behind his neck and brought my lips to his ear. "You do hot in this outfit." I whispered.

He chuckled, before kissing my lips, again. "Thanks, sugar."

"Okay, you two. Let's go get some dinner." My mom said.

We all took the elevator down, and when we got back to the car, Aro helped my mom in the car, and Edward opened my door for me. It was so cute.

We drove literally three blocks and then parked. I started laughing. "Wow, mom. Your condo is close to everything, isn't it?"

"It's really amazing." She said, as our boyfriends helped us out of the car. "We could have walked, but I have plans after dinner, so I thought it was best that we had the car."

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist, setting his hand low on my hip. I set my hand on his. Edward was getting way more bold with where he touched me in public, but I honestly loved it. A couple of months ago, I would have been embarrassed, but now I felt comfortable with it. We had come a long way.

"This is Luca D'Italia." Aro said. "The best Italian restaurant in western America." He said, as we walked in. The hostess greeted us. "Moretti." He told her, and she smiled at him, nodding. He turned to us. "I come here a lot." He laughed.

The restaurant was beautiful. It had pale yellow walls with rich red accents. The ceilings were high, yet the room felt cozy and warm due to the low lights and candles. We were led to nice central table, and Edward pulled out my chair.

The waiter came to the table and greeted us, before running through, what I assumed were a list of the specials. I wasn't sure though, as he was speaking entirely in Italian. It was truly impressive and the language sounded beautiful. But, I had no idea what he was saying.

Aro said something back to him and the waiter left us with menus. "That was incredible." I laughed, and my mom and Aro laughed.

I looked down and the menus were mostly in Italian. I laughed, but I could make out some of it.

"Bella, what do you love to eat?" Aro asked me.

"Um, I like pasta." I said, making him chuckle.

"Then we have come to the right, place, no?" Aro said, smiling. He was such a happy guy. "You like mushrooms?"

"I love them." I told him, making him smile.

"Okay. I'll order for you." He said, and I agreed. "Edward?"

"Um, I'll go with pasta, too, I guess. You got something with meat?" Edward asked.

"Ah." Aro said, scanning the menu. "You like meat sauce? I know what to order."

"Just no seafood." Edward added, making me laugh.

Aro ordered our meals in perfect Italian. While we waited for our food, Edward started a conversation with my mom. "Renee. I have been wanting to ask you. Did Bella have any stuffed animals, or dolls that she loved growing up?"

I giggled. "He only asks because his mom showed me pictures of him with a giant stuffed cat he called Smitty." I told her, making Edward laugh and squeeze my knee.

My mom laughed. "I'm glad you brought that up actually. Bella had a little baby doll that she named Bridgette. She used to carry it everywhere, and pretend to feed it and change it. She was quite the little mother." My mom said, smiling. "When we would go grocery shopping, Bella made me put the doll in the shopping cart, in the part where you sit small children. It was really quite adorable "

I smiled at my mom. I was so happy that she had a memory of me as a child to share with Edward and I. I had completely forgotten about that doll. Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and leaned in to kiss my cheek. He knew how much that story would mean to me.

"So, Bridgette, huh?" Edward teased.

Our food came to the table. "Grazie." Aro said. It smelled delicious and by the presentation of the dishes alone was clear that Aro was right about this being the best Italian restaurant in the west.

Aro had ordered me a fusilli pasta with wild mushrooms and a creamy, white truffle sauce. It was incredibly delicious. Edward seemed to be enjoying his pasta as well. My mom had the ravioli and Aro had some sort of steak dish.

"Oh, Edward. I just remembered another story about Bella." My mom said, giggling.

"It's not embarrassing is it?" I laughed.

"No, of course not. It's adorable." She said. Edward looked over at me and smiled. "Anyway. When Bella was just a toddler, she was fascinated with her belly button. She called it her Bella button. It was the sweetest thing."

"Oh, my god, mom." I said, my cheeks burning bright red.

"Okay, that is my favourite story." Edward said, chuckling. I shook my head. I knew I was never going to hear the end of this one.

As embarrassing as it was, I was happy that my mom had these stories to share. This was what I had wanted. I was terrified that my mom had been too caught up with work while I was growing up to remember any of these stories. I was so thrilled that she had these memories to share with us. And I could tell that Edward was loving every minute of it, too.


	263. An Amazing Evening

**A/N - I hope you are having a fabulous weekend. Thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 263 - An Amazing Evening

The rest of dinner went great. Aro told us that he was a lawyer for the same financial firm as my mom. Apparently is was a international firm and Aro had transferred from the Italian office in Genoa to Denver, just last year.

"What brought you to the States?" Edward asked him.

"I wanted something new. And I had always wanted to come to America. An opening came up here in Denver and I jumped at the opportunity. I had no family; nothing to keep me in Italy." He explained. "But, I still have an apartment there, because it will always be home to me."

I was very impressed that he took chances in his life. I could relate to him, having made a cross country move myself, but around the world was such a drastic change. I was very happy that he came, though. He seemed perfect for my mom.

We finished dinner at about quarter to seven. We passed on dessert, and went back to the car. After a ten minute drive, we pulled up to the Denver Botanic Gardens.

"Aro took me here a few weeks ago and I thought it was gorgeous. I figured you might like it." My mom told me as we walked up to the gates. "They're opened until nine and I think the garden is so beautiful as the sun starts to set."

I gave my mom a quick hug. "I'm so excited. Thank you for planning this." I told her. I was so thrilled that my mom didn't just invite us down to visit her, but that she actually planned out our time. She wanted to show us places that were important to her. She was clearly proud of her new city and wanted to share it with us.

We took the outside trail, which was a nice stone path, that led through gorgeous trees, shrubs and flowers. There were bright yellows, pinks and purples scattered throughout gorgeous shades of green. It was really beautiful.

Edward and I walked hand in hand in front of my mom and Aro. We would stop every now and then to literally smell the flowers. Edward took a ton of pictures of my mom and I together and she took some of Edward and I. I even made my mom and Aro stand together. They made a beautiful couple.

We worked our way through the gardens, and I especially love the water gardens, and the little bridges through the Japanese gardens. The two hours went quickly and I was sad to leave.

I had enjoyed the walk so much after dinner. Conversation was so easy and there was absolutely no tension between any of us.

"Okay, are you all up for dessert? We can't take ladies out for the evening with buying them something sweet, Edward. Yes?" Aro said, patting Edward's shoulder.

"Absolutely." Edward said, laughing.

We all got back in the car and Aro drove us to Café Cero. He told us that they were opened until two in the morning. "They have good dessert here. You don't mind live music?" Aro asked.

I laughed. "We love it. Actually, Edward plays guitar and he played an open mic night back home."

"Really? That's great, Edward. I'd love to hear you play sometime." My mom said to him.

"He's amazing." I whispered in my mom's ear.

We went into the café, which looked like a Victorian house on the outside, and was decorated with vintage posters on the inside. It had a pretty cool vibe to it. We were seated close to the stage. There was a jazz trio playing and Edward looked pretty excited. The waitress gave us dessert menus and left us to decide.

"You know, Edward, this weekend is the Colorado Black Arts Festival. It's down at the park. They have all sorts of music and bands. Jazz and Blues, I think." My mom told him. "Did you want to check it out tomorrow?"

Edward looked over at me. "It sounds great, Renee, but if you have plans tomorrow, you don't need to change anything for me." He told my mom.

I smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his lips.

"You're a good boy, Edward." Renee said. "But, what if we went tomorrow evening? I had a few plans for the day, but I left the evening open."

"I would love to go, too, Edward." I whispered in his ear.

"Okay, sure. That sounds amazing, actually." Edward said, turning to kiss my cheek.

"Are you free tomorrow?" I asked Aro. I wanted to make sure he felt like he was welcome to spend time with us. My mom seemed incredible happy and relaxed with him around, so I had absolutely no problem with him spending the day with us.

"Actually, I have an early morning meeting, but I should be free after lunch." Aro said.

We decided to order two cookies, one for each couple. It was a chocolate chip cookie served in a small cast iron skillet, covered in a huge scoop of ice cream. It was delicious, but so sweet.

I snuggled close to Edward's side and listened to the band. He wrapped his left arm around my bare shoulder, and set his right hand on my bare thigh, lightly rubbing his thumb back and forth. I could have fallen asleep, even though the music was quite loud. I just felt so content.

At eleven, Aro drove us back to the condo. He walked us to the door, kissing me on both cheeks, shaking Edward's hand, and then placing a soft kiss to my mother's lips. He told us he would see us tomorrow, before getting back in his car and driving home.

We took the elevator back up to my mom's condo. "Are you kids tired?" My mom asked. "Because I was thinking we could change into our pyjamas and then I could show you and Edward your baby book. I found it during the move."

"Oh, I'm in." Edward laughed, and I slapped his shoulder. My mom looked so excited.

Edward and I went to the guest room and the second I closed the door, he leaned down to kiss me, again. "Baby, you look so sexy in this dress." He whispered in my ear. He moved his hands down my body to my bum, giving it a little squeeze.

"Thank you. Do you want to take it off of me?" I asked, bravely, but blushing a little. Edward hummed and leaned in, pressing kisses to my neck as he pulled the dress slowly down my body. He traced his fingers up and down my bare back.

"I love you, Bella." He whispered in my ear. "And I'm happy that today went so well for you. You deserve this."

I turned my face and touched my lips to his. He smiled at me before deepening the kiss. I stepped back, and smiled up at him. "Can we continue this after we look at the baby book?" I giggled.

"Absolutely." He said, pulling his sweater off. He went to the drawer and pulled on a white t-shirt. He left his tan dress pants on, but kicked off his shoes.

He brought me my new Colorado t-shirt, and I slipped it on. It hit me mid thigh, and the collar slipped off of my shoulder. "Mm, Bella." He said, coming over to kiss my shoulder. "These shirts are my weakness."

I giggled, as him, before opening the door. We walked out to the living room and found my mom sitting on one side of the couch. She was wearing a pink striped pyjama set. She looked so cute. I sat beside her and Edward sat beside me.

"I like your night shirt, baby." My mom said.

I laughed. "Thanks. Edward bought it for me at the airport this afternoon." I told her. "He's bought me one in every state we've been to together."

"That's so sweet." She said. "How many to you have?"

"Um, let's see. I have Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Oregon and now Colorado. And we went camping last week and he got me one from the State Park there. So, I have eight of them now."

"It started accidentally, when the weather was too bad to drive home one night. We picked up the Washington t-shirt for her at a convenience store, and then it just built up from there." Edward explained, obviously leaving out the part of how sexy he thought the t-shirts were.

"Well, I think you two are just the sweetest couple." My mom said. "Okay, it's getting late. I don't want to keep you up too late, but I wanted to share this with you." She said, setting the baby book on my knee.

I opened it up and smiled. The first picture was of my mom holding me at the hospital and my dad standing beside her, looking down at me. He looked so proud of me. I kept flipping through the book, and Edward chuckled. "Look how much hair she had." He said.

My mom reached up and stroked my hair. "Yeah, she' always had beautiful hair, right from the day she was born." Edward had seen the one picture I had of me as a baby in my album, but I didn't even remembering seeing these ones.

Of course we got to the naked bathtub pictures, making Edward laugh into my shoulder. I tried to flip by quickly, but I knew I had to suffer through the embarrassment, as Esme had done the same thing to Edward earlier this week. But, just like at dinner, I cherished this time with my mom.


	264. Know Me Well

**A/N - Thank you to everyone for reading! I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying the trip so far. Anyone up for some alone time with Edward and Bella? Enjoy!**

Chapter 264 - Know Me Well

My mom gave us each a hug before we went to the guestroom. "Thank you for today, mom. I've had a great time so far." I told her before I let her go.

"I'm so glad." She said, kissing my cheek. "Have a good night, baby."

"Night, mom." I said.

"Goodnight, Renee." Edward said. "Thank you so much for the stories."

She laughed. "You're welcome. Now, don't tease her too much." My mom said.

Edward laughed, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "I wouldn't dream of it." He said. I looked up at him and he winked. I was so going to get teased.

We went into our room and Edward pulled his shirt off, and then unbuttoned his dress pants and took them off, laying them over the back of the chair. I was just standing there watching him. He looked so beautiful.

"Do you want to brush your teeth with me?" Edward asked, walking over to me and taking my hand.

"Yeah." I said, smiling. We walked into the bathroom and started brushing our teeth. We were watching each other in the mirror. My eyes wandered over his bare arms and chest. He was so gorgeous. I could wait to get into bed with him. I just wanted to touch him, constantly.

I looked up and caught his eyes again, blushing when I noticed he was smiling at me. He chuckled and leaned in to kiss my cheek, leaving a spot of toothpaste foam behind. "Sorry." He laughed, making me laugh. He grabbed a facecloth, and wiped my cheek. We finished brushing our teeth and Edward grabbed my shoulders shuffling me out the door.

I laughed as he closed it. I walked over to the dresser. I reached under my shirt and took off my bra. I walked over to the bed and straightened out the sheets, before pulling them back. Edward came out of the bathroom, and actually jumped on the bed. He crooked his finger at me. "Come here, sexy." He said, with a smirk on his face. He looked incredible, laying there in nothing but his forest green boxers.

"No way." I laughed. "You got to pee, so I get to." I said, making him laugh, as I ran into the bathroom. I pulled my hair back and washed my face, after using the bathroom. I shut out the light and walked into the bedroom.

Edward had the lights turned out, and just a lamp on beside the bed. He was on the phone, likely with his mom. When he saw me, he ended his call with an I love you, and hung up. He patted the bed and I crawled in. "Hey, gorgeous." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "Do you want to call Charlie before we go we go to bed? It's almost midnight here, so it's not quite eleven back home. He should have just gotten home from work."

I leaned in and kissed him. "Yeah. He's probably wondering how the day went." I said, pressing a couple more quick kisses to his lips.

Edward smiled against my lips, before kissing me, again. "Hurry." He whispered, running his fingers down my neck and over my bare shoulder.

I rolled over to grab my phone and called my dad. "Hello?" My dad answered, making me smile.

"Hi, daddy." I said. "How was work?"

"Work was great, kiddo. Home for the weekend. But, I want to hear how your afternoon went. Don't keep me in suspense." He said, making me laugh.

"It was amazing, dad. Mom made up a guest room in her condo for me, and we had dinner at a restaurant where they only spoke Italian and then we went to these gorgeous gardens for a walk. Oh, and then we went for dessert." I told him.

I heard Edward chuckle and I turned my head. He was laying on his side watching me, with a gorgeous smile on his face.

"That sounds like a busy night, Bells. But, how was your mom? Are you two getting along alright?" My dad asked.

"Oh, we're getting along great. She's acting completely different. She's so happy and she's laughing and telling us stories about when I was little. It's honestly been better than I could have hoped." I told him. "Oh, and she's got a new boyfriend. His name is Aro and he's from Italy."

"Really?" My dad said. "Have you met him?"

"Yeah. He spent all evening with us. He's really nice." I said. "And mom seems so content here."

"Well, I'm glad that things are going so well." He said. "I miss you, kid."

"Aw. I miss you, too, dad. It feels like we've been gone so long, already." I told him.

"Well, I'll see you in a couple days. You have a good weekend." My dad said. "Will you call tomorrow?"

"Of course, dad." I said. "I love you. Will you tell Heidi I miss her, too?"

"Yeah." He agreed. "I love you, too."

Edward waved to get my attention and then mouthed, 'Say hi for me.' I giggled. "Edward says hi."

My dad laughed. "Tell him I miss him, too."

"Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight." I said.

"Goodnight, Bells." He said, before hanging up.

I set my phone on the nightstand and turned out the lamp. I rolled over to snuggle up to Edward. "My dad said he misses you." I told him.

"Well, I've missed kissing your beautiful lips and touching your gorgeous body." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my lips, as he turned his body so we were facing each other.

I brought my hands up to caress his chest, shoulders and them his back. "I know how you feel." I whispered.

Edward chuckled. "I knew my body was a distraction to you." He teased, placing about five or sixes kisses in a row to my lips.

I laughed. "It is. I'm not going to deny it." I told him, pinching his bum, as I leaned in to bite his earlobe.

"God, Bella." He groaned, moving his hands down my back to my bum. "As much as I love you in this t-shirt, I need to take it off." He said, moving his hands up my bare back, under the shirt. "Is that okay?"

"Um, yeah." I said, feeling my face burn. We had done it a few times now, but I was still getting used to the idea of being half naked with Edward. I supposed that being comfortable in this situation would come with time. But, I thought back to what my mom and I had talked about earlier. Edward loved me and he would never hurt me.

"Baby, your skin feels so hot." He said, placing his cheek against my own. "Are you blushing?"

"Yeah." I giggled, laughing because he figured that out, even in the complete darkness of the room. "But, I'm okay." I told him. "You know me pretty well, huh?"

"Of course I do. I love you and when I'm not with you, which is rare, I spend every waking minute thinking about you, and when I'm asleep, I'm dreaming about you." He whispered, lightly tracing his fingers over my back. "You are everything to me, Bella."

"I love you, Edward." I said. "You are my whole world, too, babe."

I reached down to pull my t-shirt off, and toss it to the end of the bed. He rolled me onto my back and moved to lay beside me, but leaning into me. He brought his head down to start kissing and licking my neck and shoulder. His right hand moved gently over my body.

He got to my stomach and lightly swirled his fingers around my belly button. "You know your body is a distraction to me, too." He whispered, as he kissed his way down to my stomach. I was holding onto his shoulders and arms, as his touch was almost too much to handle. He placed a kiss on my belly button, before he chuckled softly against my skin.

"Don't say it, Edward." I warned, giggling.

He kissed his way back up my body until he reached my lips. I rolled my body into his, pulling him close to me. "What can't I say?" He laughed, kissing my lips again. "Maybe, uh, I don't know, Bella button?"

I slapped his bum. "Edward." I whined. "I was like three years old."

He buried his face into the crook of my neck and laughed. "I know, but it's just so cute." He said. He kissed my neck, then my chin, then my lips. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "Don't pout." He placed another big kiss to my lips.

I smiled. I knew I wouldn't hear the end of that story. But, if I was going to keep getting this many kisses, I guess I couldn't complain.


	265. Bodies and Breakfast

**A/N - I can't thank you all enough for staying with me this long! I just can't let these characters go, and I'm having so much fun with them! Thanks for caring about them, too! Enjoy!**

Chapter 265 - Bodies and Breakfast

Edward and I kissed a little while longer, before I rolled over, and Edward pulled my back to his chest, wrapping his arms around my stomach. He buried his face into my hair and we fell asleep easily, snuggled together.

I woke up to the feeling of Edward lips on my shoulder. I smiled, before rolling over to face him. "Good morning, angel." He said, kissing my lips, and bringing his hands down to my bum.

"Morning, baby." I said, with a smile.

Edward smelled so good, and I noticed his hair was damp. "You had a shower already?" I asked, tracing my fingers over his bare chest. "How could you sneak out of bed?" I teased.

"Believe me. It was incredibly hard to do, but I wanted to leave the bathroom free for you to get ready." He said. "You are so beautiful when you're asleep. You look so peaceful." He leaned in and started kissing my neck, slowly moving down my bare chest. "But, you're so much more fun when you're awake." He chuckled into my skin. "And even more gorgeous, because I can see your sparkling eyes."

I giggled. "You are quite the smooth talker, aren't you, Mr. Cullen?" I teased.

"I try, babe." He laughed.

I slid my hand down his back, to his bum. The fabric didn't feel like his cotton boxers. I lifted the blanket and giggled when I saw him in a pair of white boxer briefs.

"Guys don't usually like when you laugh after looking, um, down there." He chuckled, his cheeks a little pink.

"Oh, my god, Edward. I'm not laughing at, you know, that." I said, biting my bottom lip, and bringing my hand up to cover my eyes. This was so embarrassing. "Um, I was just thinking about what you told me when we were packing." I tried to explain. "You said you wore boxer briefs when you were going to wear shorts. That's all."

I buried my face into his chest, and I could feel him laughing, as his chest shook. "I was just teasing you, baby. Don't be embarrassed." He whispered, kissing the top of my head.

That was easier said than done. That part of Edward's anatomy hadn't really been discussed. He had talked about being turned on, and obviously I noticed it, when we were together in bed, especially, back in the hotel in Seattle on Thursday night. But, this was just as embarrassing as the boxers conversation, if not more.

"I'm sorry, Bella." He said, pulling me close to his body, and lightly rubbing my back. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"I'm not. It's just that I blush so easily, and that's embarrassing to me." I explained.

"You're embarrassed when I see you blush?" He asked, leaning down to look at my face. I nodded. I hated that my emotions were so easy to read. He smiled warmly at me and then leaned in to kiss my lips. "Don't be, baby. I love you. Every part of you. I find it to be an endearing quality, and very, very sexy." He whispered in my ear, before kissing my cheek.

"Really?" I asked.

"Really." He answered, kissing my lips. "Really very sexy." He chuckled, making me laugh.

After a few more minutes of morning snuggles, I got out of bed and went to have a shower. I didn't bring any clothes in with me, so I just wrapped myself in a towel. I brushed my teeth, put on some light make up and dried my hair straight.

I was disappointed that Edward wasn't in the room when I came out to get dressed. I could definitely have done with a few more kisses this morning. I had really enjoyed our time alone together last night and this morning, even though I had been a little embarrassed.

I pulled on a pretty blue bra that I rarely wore, but decided to pack anyway. It was a bright, almost neon, blue with white lace accents. I pulled on a pair of bright green cotton panties. I had always bought crazy underwear, ever since I was around sixteen. I knew no one would ever see it, but it made me feel pretty when I wore it. But, now I had Edward, and he seemed to like to my choices.

I pulled on a cute pair of khaki shorts and a black tank. I wanted to dress casual, and I had noticed how hot it was down here in Denver, yesterday. Thankfully, most of the time we spent outside was during the evening, but looking out the window, I figured that it looked fairly hot out already. The sky was clear blue and it was only about eight o'clock in the morning.

I walked out down the hallway and I heard Edward's laugh, followed by mom's. I smiled to myself. I knew Edward had been really upset at my mom. And he had every right to be, really. In Florida, she had implied our relationship was based on money, and asked him what he was getting out of the relationship. I understood now that she was jealous of the stable relationship that Edward and I had. It was still no excuse for her behaviour, but I was beyond thrilled that Edward was trying. And I knew he was doing it for me.

I walked into the kitchen. My mom and Edward were working at the counter. Edward was wearing his camo shorts and a tight black t-shirt. He looked incredible, even from behind. My mom was wearing a pair of tan Capri pants and a green patterned blouse.

"Good morning." I said, smiling when they both turned around. "What are you guys up to?" I asked, walking over to give my mom a hug. She kissed my cheek, before Edward leaned down to kiss my lips.

"Good morning, baby." My mom said. "Edward and I are trying to make breakfast."

Edward laughed. "We bought breakfast. We're just trying to personalize it." He added, with a smile.

Edward and my mom were slicing fresh fruit and placing it on a platter. They had a basket of fresh chocolate croissants sitting on the counter and a pitcher of orange juice.

"Well, it looks delicious. Thank you both so much." I said. I took the basket of pastries, and we all walked to the table. There was a beautiful vase of purple and white flowers, with one laying loose on the table. They almost looked like a flower within a flower. "The flowers are beautiful. What are they?" I asked, picking it up and bringing it to my nose.

"They are called columbines." Edward said. "They're the state flower of Colorado. I thought they would look nice in the condo, but I left you one to press."

"Oh, babe. It's perfect." I said, smiling up at him. "I love you, so much." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist, and kissing his chin.

He smiled down at me. "I love you, too, Bella." He said, quietly.

I heard my mom giggled behind me. I looked over and she was sitting at the table taking a bite of a slice of cantaloupe. "You two just couldn't get cuter." She said, smiling.

"Thanks, mom. He's just so perfect. What am I going to do?" I said, sitting down beside her, and smiling at Edward. "Thanks for doing this. This breakfast looks amazing."

"Well, I'm sorry I can't cook, Bella." My mom said, as we ate. "But, Aro is teaching me."

Edward laughed. "Bella is teaching me to cook, too. We've made a lot of interesting things together." He told her. "But I know without her there holding my hand, I would be right back to pizza pockets and macaroni and cheese."

"Oh, you remember some things, don't you?" I asked him. "It's not that hard."

"Well, I'm hoping I don't ever have to find out." He said. "I like cooking with you." I smiled at him. He was so sweet. We were going to have to cook some more when we got home.

The rest of breakfast went well, and I we all chatted and caught up with each other. It was so nice just to have this time with my mom. After breakfast, we went down to my mom's car, a blue Matrix. Edward opened the passenger side door for me, and then got in the back seat. I loved that he wanted me to sit with my mom. He leaned forward and kissed my cheek, before we left. I appreciated all of the small gestures. He was truly amazing.

My mom seemed excited about her plans for us this morning, but wouldn't tell us where we were going. All we knew was that it was a road trip that would take us just over an hour.

"Which is a good thing." Edward added. "Because Bella can't hold it much longer than that." My mom laughed, and I glared at him over my shoulder, before laughing.

As we drove out of town, we told her all about our apartment, and all the furniture and accent pieces we had been collecting for it. She seemed genuinely excited for us. She asked about the promise ring and we told her the whole story of the big rock on the beach where he gave it to me. We told her all about camping and even Nanny and Grandpa, and how we learned to crochet. My mom got a kick out Edward's scarf ending up as a pot holder. I looked back and Edward's cheeks were a little pink, and I thought it just made him cuter.

The day was already going so well. I couldn't wait to see what else we were in store for.


	266. Garden of the Gods

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I'm having so much fun writing this trip! Enjoy!**

Chapter 266 - Garden of the Gods

At about ten o'clock, we finally reached our destination: Colorado Springs. "I though you were showing us around Denver. Why did we leave town?" I asked my mom, as we turned off onto a side road. I was so curious as to where she was taking us.

"Oh, well, you can't come to Colorado without seeing the Garden of the Gods." She said. "It's a park where you can walk around and look at a bunch of neat rock formations. One of my friends from work and her husband come out here biking every weekend. She and I came for a walk here last Saturday morning. And, Bella, it is beautiful." She said, looking over at me with a smile on her face. "When I told her you were coming to visit, and I was trying to figure out where to bring you, we figured you guys would love it."

"Well, I think it sounds amazing." Edward said and I agreed.

We parked in a parking lot and got out of the car. And, just as Edward predicted, I needed to find a bathroom, quickly. Edward laughed, and took my hand, leading us to the visitors center. We walked in and found the bathrooms.

"Does Edward tease you a lot about your small bladder?" My mom asked, teasingly, as we washed our hands together at the sinks.

"All the time." I laughed. "But, now he thinks it's cute. When we were camping, it was dark and the power was out, we had to pee in stalls beside each other. It was so embarrassing."

My mom laughed. "I'm sure he didn't care. It's clear that he would do anything for you, Bella."

"Yeah, he's so perfect, mom." I said. "I honestly couldn't imagine a better man."

She smiled at me. "Well, just don't elope. I want to be at that wedding." She said.

"Oh, we would never. His family is so important to him." I told her. "And they all treat me like I'm a part of the family. I would love for you to come up and meet them some time."

"I worry about seeing your dad, again." She admitted, sounding incredibly vulnerable. "He probably hates me."

"I don't think he hates you. Dad wants me to be happy, and he knows how important you are to me." I told her. "He's got someone in his life now, too. She is an incredible woman. She's a police officer, too. They work together, and have been friends for years."

My mom smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, Bella. He deserves to be happy."

"He does." I agreed. "And he is happy, mom. He seems content."

My mom pulled me into a hug. "I'll come and visit you, soon." She said. We walked out of the bathroom and found Edward sitting on a bench. He had three water bottles in his hands and his sunglasses on his head. He was looking out the window at the scenery and didn't see us yet. I grabbed my camera out of my purse and snapped a picture of him. He looked so gorgeous, I couldn't resist.

He turned his head and looked over at us, a smile instantly spreading over his face. He got up and walked over to us. "I bought us cold waters to take on the walk. I was talking to the interpreter and he said, we'll probably need it."

"Thank you, Edward." Renee said. "You two ready to walk?" She asked as we walked back outside.

For the first time, I really took in the view. It was honestly breathtaking. The sky looked huge over the mountains in the distance. But the best part was the bright red rock formations dotted in front, surrounded by dessert brush. It was gorgeous.

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and kissed the top of my head. "Isn't it something?" My mom asked, looking out at the view from the trailhead.

"It is." I agreed. We started down the walking path, and I could tell it was already starting to get warm. I was worried about Edward and his almost zero tolerance for heat, but he seemed to be okay right now.

Edward pulled a map out of his back pocket and was pointing out the different formations as we walked, and reading the descriptions of why they were called what they were. It was cute. He almost like our own little tour guide. My mom looked over at me and smiled, while he was talking. I smiled back, at her.

We saw Pulpit Rock, the Cathedral Spires, the Three Graces, and the Giant Footprints, which I absolutely loved, all in front of Pikes Peak, the mountain the distance. We were total tourists and took a lot of photos. My mom made Edward and I kiss in front of the Kissing Camels rock formation. "Are you implying that we're camels?" I teased.

She laughed. "No, but you're kissing all the time, so I think it fits." She explained.

"I don't see the camels." I said.

"Are those the humps on the backs of the camels?" Edward asked pointing the left side of the formation.

"This is harder than picking pictures out of the clouds." I said.

"You just need to use your imagination, Bella." My mom said.

"Says the accountant." I laughed.

We kept walking along the paved trail, and we heard a couple of people talking about rattlesnakes. "Edward." I whined. "Snakes. Mom, you didn't say anything about snakes."

"Since when were you afraid of snakes?" She asked, as we headed back to the visitor center.

"Oh, our sweet Bella went into shock when we were camping and she saw a garter snake on the path. She scared me half to death." Edward told her.

"I didn't just see it, Edward. I almost stepped on it." I defended, pinching Edward's side, and making him laugh.

"What happened?" My mom asked, as we got back to the visitors center.

"She started laughing hysterically and then crying." Edward said. "It was the scariest thing I have ever been through with her. So, I'm pretty sure I hate snakes as much as she does."

"Aw, my poor baby." My mom said, kissing my cheek.

"It wasn't all bad. Edward carried me back to the car." I told her giggling.

We all sat down in the restaurant. It was close to noon, so my mom sent Aro a text and told him we wouldn't be back to the city until around two. He said that was fine, as his meeting was running late. We were going to meet him back at the condo at two.

When the menus came, Edward was so excited to see a buffalo burger on the menu. "Is it real buffalo?" He asked the waiter.

"Yes, sir. It's tastes a lot like beef, but is a lot healthier. It's a leaner meat." He told us.

"Okay, I'm having that, for sure." Edward said, looking a little too excited about his lunch. It was adorable. I went with the barbeque beef sandwich and my mom had a turkey sandwich.

When the food came, I took a picture of Edward taking a bite of his burger. He said it was so good and made me taste it. I guess it tasted alright, but I couldn't shake the image of a buffalo out of my head, so I was having trouble eating it.

"Bella, with the look on your face, you are not selling that burger at all." My mom teased, and Edward laughed. I just shrugged and smiled. I was enjoying the company too much to let anything bother me.

After lunch, we got back in the car and drove to the other end of the park to see Balanced Rock. It was apparently the most famous formation in the park. After a few pictures, we stopped in the gift shop. To say that Edward was excited about finding me another t-shirt was an understatement. It actually read 'I like it on top. Pike's Peak, Colorado.'

"Edward. I seriously can't wear that. What if my dad sees this?" I said.

"What if Charlie sees what?" My mom asked, walking over to us. Edward held up the t-shirt, laughing. She laughed.

"He won't care, Bella. That's cute." She said. Clearly she hadn't been with my dad in fifteen years, because I thought he would care.

"Well, what if we save it for our apartment?" He said. He batted his eyelashes at me, making me laugh.

"Okay." I said, laughing.

"Will you wear it tonight?" He whispered in my ear. I blushed and nodded my head. My boyfriend was insatiable.


	267. Heart to Heart

**A/N - I can't thank you all enough. I know it seems repetitive that I say it everyday, but I would not still be writing this story, if wasn't for you! I feel so encouraged that you love the world I've created. Enjoy!**

Chapter 267 - Heart to Heart

We looked around the gift shop and I found some great stoneware mugs for the my dad, Heidi, Esme and Carlisle. It was becoming a tradition for me to get my dad a mug when I travelled, but what better gift for a cop. Edward found a cute gold plated Aspen leaf pendant for Alice. I swear that little girl was spoiled rotten, but Edward loved her to pieces.

And, Edward bought what I swear was five pounds of Colorado made fudge. He claimed it was for his brothers, but I knew he had a sweet tooth. I found a nice Colorado picture frame, and Edward bought it for me. "I want our place loaded with pictures of us." He said, kissing my forehead, and making me smile.

We finally headed back to the car and loaded all our purchases in the trunk. The drive back was nice, My mom had the air conditioning up for Edward. It was about one in the afternoon, and it was getting quite warm outside. She asked about Angela and I told her about Ben, and how we toured Angie's school, back in May.

We were about ten minutes from the condo when my mom started asking about our classes and our plans for after school. "Have you guys decided where you're going to live after graduation?" She asked. I could tell by the way she asked the question, that she wanted to know if I would be moving closer to her, again.

"Well, it's a long ways off, mom." I told her. "At least five years until Edward is finished, but we were thinking of staying in Washington."

"Oh, okay." She said, looking a little hurt. I felt bad that she was upset, considering how close we were becoming. But, there was no way I was going to leave my family. My relationship with my dad was far too important to me. We had just started to get to know each other again, and after he had missed my entire childhood, I wasn't going to leave him, again. And not only that, I had the Cullens now. I honestly saw them as my own family and they treated me that way.

"Mom, please don't be upset. Seattle is only a two hour flight away from Denver." I said. I felt Edward reach forward and lightly trace his fingers over my bare shoulder. I appreciated that he always knew when I needed him. "Seriously, you can come up and visit on the weekends."

"I know." She said. She stayed quiet as we parked and went up to the condo. Aro wasn't here yet, and Edward decided to have a quick shower.

"Go talk to your mom, angel." Edward whispered. "I'll give you two some time alone."

I smiled up at him. "Thank you, baby." I said, kissing his chin, before he went down the hall and into the guest room.

I walked into the living room and found my mom sitting on the couch by the window and looking out at the street. She had made a complete one eighty again. She was acting so carefree and fun this entire trip, and now she was so quiet and introverted. Edward and I only had until tomorrow at noon until our flight. I didn't want the rest of my time with my mom to be when she was upset or hurt.

I walked over to her and plopped down beside her. I rested my head on her shoulder and reached down to hold her hand. She squeezed my hand and placed the other one on top of our joined hands. I felt her place a soft kiss on the top of my head.

"I'm sorry, Isabella." She said softly. "I didn't mean to get distant. I have just enjoyed these last two days so much. And I don't want it to end, that's all."

I sat up and looked at her face. Her eyes were watery and I felt like I was going to cry right along with her. "Oh, mom." I said, blinking back my tears. "I am having such a great time, too. This trip has been better than I ever could have imagined. But, I'm looking at this as a new beginning for us. This is just the start. There are going to be lots of trips like this."

My mom pulled me into a tight hug. "I love you so much." She said, rubbing my back.

"I love you, too, mom." I told her, squeezing her back. "And I meant what I said about coming to visit. Edward and I would love to have you."

"I think I'll take you up on that, baby girl." She said. "And, I'm so glad that you love Washington. That's a all a parent can ever ask for, that their child is happy."

"I really am, mom." I told her. "I love Edward, the university, and I'm really looking forward to Edward and I having our own place. Everything just feels right."

"I'm so proud of you, Bella." She told me, giving me another hug.

I looked up and saw Edward walking slowly into the room. He smiled at me, and winked when our eyes met. "Hi, Edward." I said, as my mom finally let me go.

"Oh, hi sweetheart. Are you feeling cooled off?" She asked.

"Yeah." He chuckled, coming over to sit on the love seat. "I swear I'm the only guy that would hate a beach vacation." He laughed.

"We're going to have to have our honeymoon in Alaska?" I asked him, making him smile. I knew he absolutely loved when I talked about our relationship and our future, so I liked to throw it in every now and then. My mom laughed, and Edward was beaming, just like I thought he would be.

"Hey, it's another t-shirt. Right, Edward?" My mom laughed. I smiled, happy that my mom seemed to be feeling alright, again.

"Absolutely." He said.

There was a knock on the door and my mom leapt up and ran to answer it. I smiled. She was really quite taken with Aro, it seemed.

"Mom. I'm just going to go freshen up." I said. I got up and went over to take Edward's hand. We walked to the guest room and Edward sat in one of the chairs. I went over and sat on his lap. He had changed his t-shirt to a clean navy blue one. Edward hated to sweat, which I thought was hilarious considering he was an athlete. Based on how much he showered, he must have been the best smelling baseball player on his team in high school.

I wrapped my arms around him and leaned in to kiss his neck. "Mm. I swear, you are my favourite scent." I whispered, against his skin.

He chuckled. "Baby, don't start saying things like that right now." He whispered. "Save that for tonight."

I laughed. "Okay. Just remind me where we left off." I told him.

"No problem." He chuckled. "I can't wait to see you in that t-shirt."

I smiled, blushing. "I can't believe you are buying me suggestive t-shirts, now."

He reached his hand up to caress my cheek. "I just thought it was cute. If it makes you uncomfortable, though, you don't have to wear it, okay?" He told me. "I'm serious, Bella."

"I know." I said, looking down at my lap. "It's just that we have being doing more things together in bed and we said we were going to wait. But, I was wondering if you had changed your mind. You know, about waiting?" I said, looking up at his face, and biting my lip.

"Oh, baby, no." Edward said, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close to his chest. He reached his hand up and tucked my hair behind my ear, before stroking his hand down my back. "I'm so sorry that I made you feel that way. No, my angel. I haven't changed my mind. I want to wait. I want us to be ready."

"Okay." I said.

"Okay?" He repeated. "I'm not just saying it, Bella. I mean it. I like that we are trying new things and exploring together. I love that. And you are so beautiful. But, I really don't think we're ready."

"I love you, Edward." I said, sitting up. I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I'm sorry for getting all serious there." I laughed.

He unleashed his gorgeous smile at me. "Don't apologize, honey. I love that we can talk about these things." He said, leaning in to kiss me, again.

"I love that, too." I agreed. "And I'm really enjoying the process of getting more comfortable with each other." I admitted with a embarrassed giggle.

Edward chuckled. "Definitely." He reached up and traced my bottom lip with his thumb, his eyes watching his finger intently. He closed his eyes before leaning in to press his lips to mine.

I smiled as he slowly started to deepen the kiss. His hands started to move down my back and side, ending up on my hip and the small of my back. I reached my arms up to wrap around his neck. He broke away to take a breath, smiling and meeting my eyes quickly, before he leaned back in for another kiss that was just as passionate as the first.

I was completely lost in the moment, when I heard the knock on the door. "Bella, Edward. Are you guys ready to go?" I heard my mom say through the door.

"Be right out." I called, leaning my forehead against Edward's. I giggled. "You are one distracting boy."

He smiled, placing a couple quick kisses to my lips. "In a good way?" He asked, as I stood up.

I ran my fingers over his jaw. "In the best way."


	268. Walking Tour

**A/N - Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 268 - Walking Tour

I went into the bathroom to wash my face and reapply my makeup, just to feel a little fresher after being out in the sun. The heat really didn't bother me, but I wanted to look my best. I pulled my hair up in a high ponytail, and walked back out into the room. Edward was waiting for me, and he smiled when he saw me.

He got up and walked over to me. He leaned down and started placing soft kisses on my neck and collar bone, and then over to my shoulder. "I love when your hair is off of your neck. So many more places to kiss." He murmured against my skin.

I giggled. "Okay, you. Let's go." I laughed, stepping back and taking Edward's hand. He winked at me, before we walked out to join my mom and Aro.

Aro was wearing grey dress suit and a white dress shirt. I was beginning to think that his outfit today, without the tie and jacket, were as dressed down as he got. He seemed to be a very sophisticated guy. I remembered what Edward had said yesterday when we first met Aro about being undressed, and bit back a smile.

Aro came over to us and kissed my cheeks, before shaking Edward's hand and patting his shoulder. "Good afternoon, Bella, Edward. I heard you had a great morning, yes?" He said, smiling.

"It was great." I told him. "Colorado is a beautiful state."

"It is, yes." He agreed. "Are you ready for a walk?" He asked.

I looked over at my mom, and she looked so excited. "I thought I could show you my neighbourhood." She said.

"Oh, I would love that, mom." I said, giving her a hug. By the way she squeezed me back, I could tell that she was happy.

We all walked out the door, down the elevator and out of the front door of the condo. Aro took my mom's hand, and Edward already had a hold of mine. They led the way up the street and Edward and I followed behind them.

The neighbourhood looked very classy, and it was clear that this was one of the better places to live in Denver.

"So, this is Lincoln Street." My mom said, as we walked. "The next street over is called Broadway. If we go up about three block and cross over to Broadway, we'll get to our office building, PricewaterhouseCoopers."

"Oh, do we get to see your office?" I asked her excitedly.

My mom smiled. "Sure. If you want to." She said.

"I would love to, mom." I told her. I knew how important her work was to her, so I thought that seeing her office would better allow me to see who she was.

We approached the building, which was an incredibly tall office building, that was all steel and glass. It was very modern and stood out against the mountainous backdrop. We all went in and took the elevator to the tenth floor.

"Aro? If this is an accounting firm, why do you work here?" I asked.

He chuckled and patted my arm. "With a large, multinational company, such as this, many legal issues arise, mainly when we deal with corporate accounts. There is always a call for lawyers." He explained.

I giggled. "That sounds very confusing." I teased. "I'll take your word for it."

Aro threw his head back and laughed. "I like you, Bella. She's a funny girl, yes?" He said, patting Edward shoulder.

"She's amazing." Edward said, squeezing my hand, and winking at me. Of course I blushed at the attention.

We got up to the tenth floor and walked down a long hallway with rose coloured carpeting. We took a left after we passed a large oak reception desk. About halfway down, we stopped at an office door. My mom took out her keys and opened it up. I noticed the plaque on the door read 'Renee Dwyer, CMA.'

I took my camera out of my purse and snapped a picture of the name plaque. We walked in and I smiled. She had a nice, big desk; a gorgeous, black leather chair; and bookshelves on two walls. She had a gorgeous view of the mountains out of the floor to ceiling windows behind her desk. But, what stood out the most to me, were the framed photographs all over her desk and on the shelves. They were all of me, in the various stages of my life.

My eyes teared up as I picked up a beautiful frame from her desk. It was the picture Edward had taken of me and my mom at her house in Jacksonville this May. We both had tears in our eyes, but we were smiling and had our arms wrapped tightly around each other. In my mind, that was the true start of our mother/daughter relationship.

I felt my mom wrap her arm around my waist and I looked over at her. She was smiling at me, and her eyes were a little red, too. "I know I've always put work first, baby, but I've always done it all for you." She said, making me really cry.

I pulled her into a tight hug. "I love you, mom." I told her. "And I am so proud of you."

"Oh, Bella. That means so much to me." She said, squeezing me tighter. "I love you, baby."

We pulled back and my mom wiped the tears from under my eyes, and I did the same for her. It was the closest I had ever felt to her.

"The girls are going to make us cry? No, Edward?" Aro laughed. I turned around and smiled at him and Edward. Edward smiled at me and winked.

"I'm so sorry." I apologized. "This is supposed to be an office tour." I giggled, wiping my eyes, again.

"It's fine, Bella." My mom said. She took my hand and led me over to her chair and sat in it, pulling me onto her lap. We were both laughing, and Edward came and got my camera from me, before snapping a couple of shots of us.

Edward was smiling as he watched us. I knew he had been nervous about this trip, and I could almost see the relief on his face that everything was working out. There was no tension between Edward and my mom; we both felt comfortable in my mom's condo, and we didn't have to go stay in a hotel; and my mom and I were getting along amazingly. Our relationship had never been stronger.

After my mom and I freshened up in the bathroom, we took the elevator back down and continued on our walk. We walked up to the Colorado State Capital building. It was absolutely gorgeous. Stone coloured walls, columns, and a shining golden dome.

My mom took a picture of Edward and I in front of it. We walked up the staircase, leading to the building and my mom showed us the engraving on one of the steps that read 'One Mile Above Sea Level.' I thought it was so cool, considering that Edward and I lived pretty much at sea level back in Forks.

We slowly walked around the paths on the grounds. It was so gorgeous here. We kept walking about five more blocks, until we reached Amore Gelato, an Italian dessert restaurant. Aro told us that gelato was better than ice cream, and he felt the need to prove it to us.

Edward ordered the café mocha, I got the snickers, my mom got raspberry and Aro got pistachio. We all sat on a bench by the window outside and ended up tasting each others' gelato. We were having a great time, laughing and eating. And, I had to hand it to Aro, this gelato was amazing. It was so light and delicious.

After our snack, we headed back to the condo. It was almost five o'clock and we were going to get some dinner before heading over to City Park for the Black Arts Festival. The walk back was fairly quiet. Edward had his arm wrapped around me and I had my hand in the back pocket of his shorts. I was definitely enjoying the atmosphere here. It was a thriving city, with a lot of hustle and bustle. But it felt outdoorsy and fresh at the same time. I loved it here, and I was really looking forward to coming back for future visits.

When we got back to the condo, Edward and I flopped on the couch. I was so tired. I hadn't walked that much in a long time. Especially, considering we had just walked the Garden of the Gods park this morning.

I leaned against Edward's chest and shut my eyes, lulled by his heartbeat. I heard my mom's footsteps walk in to the room. "Kids. Aro brought dinner over this afternoon. I'm just warming it up in the oven. Why don't you two go lay down for a half hour." She suggested. "You look beat." She giggled.

I smiled. "Good call, mom." I laughed. Edward and I got up and walked to our room. Edward shut the door and led me over to the bed. We both crawled in and Edward pulled me close to him.

"That was a nice afternoon." Edward whispered, running his fingers up and down my arm.

"It was amazing, baby." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "But, I'm so tired." I giggled.

Edward wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his body. I tucked my right leg between his, and set my left leg on top. I snuggled my head against his chest and closed my eyes. The last thing I felt before I fell asleep were Edward's lips on my head.


	269. Culture

**A/N - Thanks so much for reading! I apologize for being a little slow with my replies to your reviews. Busy week! But I can't tell you how much I appreciate them! Thank you, again. Enjoy!**

Chapter 269 - Culture

I woke up to Edward placing little kisses all over my face. I smiled at him, puckering my lips, so he would put a kiss where I wanted it. He chuckled, before he kissed my lips. "Open your eyes, gorgeous." He said. "It's time for dinner. It smells delicious and I'm starving."

I giggled. "Are you choosing food over kissing me?" I teased, crossing my arms.

He laughed. "Never, baby." He said, kissing me, again. "But your mom knocked on the door two minutes ago. It wasn't my choice." He defended, kissing my cheek.

"Okay, then." I laughed. I went to go use the bathroom, before Edward and I went to the kitchen.

"Dinner smells great." Edward said, as we sat at the table.

"Aro made everything himself." My mom said, proudly. Aro leaned in and kissed her cheek, before serving us.

"You make me sound too important, no?" He said, laughing. "These were my mama's recipes." He pointed to a plate with thick slices of toasted bread. "This is homemade pesto sauce. You put on bread, toast in the oven, and there you go." He laughed. "Did you know that pesto sauce originated in Genoa, where I'm from?"

"No, I didn't know that." I giggled. "You made it yourself?" I was very impressed by Aro.

"Yes, Isabella." He laughed. "It's only basil, oil, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano and garlic mashed together. It is very easy, yes? I will give you the recipe if you love it."

"Thank you so much." I said. "And what about the pasta?"

"Ah, this is my favourite dish." He said, proudly. "Stuffed pasta shells. They are filled with ricotta, mozzarella and basil, covered with the tomato sauce."

I took a bite. "Oh my gosh, Aro. This is delicious." I said. I looked over at Edward and he was shovelling down the food. I giggled.

"I think it's a safe bet to say that they love it." My mom said, making Aro laugh.

"Good. I'm so happy." He said.

We finished our dinner, all of us having seconds. This was so much better than the food we had at the Italian restaurant the night before. I was very impressed with his cooking, and I was really touched that he would cook for us.

After dinner and my mom refused to let us help with the dishes, we went to our room and I changed out of my shorts and into a cute white skirt. I wanted to look nice for Edward's music festival.

"Well, don't you look gorgeous, angel?" Edward said, walking over to me, placing his hands lightly on my hips.

"Thank you, baby." I said, smiling.

He tied his black hoodie around his waist, and took my hand, leading me back out to meet up with my mom and Aro. We went to Aro's car and he drove us to City Park. We parked about two blocks away and walked into the park.

The festival was bustling with crowds of people. I could smell food cooking outside and there was huge stage with a blues band on stage. The atmosphere was buzzing with energy, and I was excited to be a part of it.

Edward kept a tight hold on my hand on the way to the seating in front of the stage. We had to pass through a crowd, so Edward stood behind me and put both of his hands on my hips, holding me close to his body. I felt nice and safe in his arms. I loved how protective he was of me.

There was a small cement dance area in front of the seats. We were all sitting in the seats, watching a few people dance. Edward was holing my hand and lightly tapping out the beats on my hand with his thumb. Aro and my mom looked like they were enjoying the live music. He had his arm around her shoulder, and she looked so happy to be in his arms.

I looked at Edward and he was watching the people that were dancing with a smile on his face. I knew that look. He wanted to dance, but he knew I wasn't that comfortable with it. But, I figured, we were at a festival, they were playing blues music, and I was with the man I loved and would do anything for.

So, I did something that was completely out of character for me. I leaned in and whispered in Edward's ear. "Do you want to dance?"

He pulled back from me and looked at my face. I giggled at the surprised look on his face. "Really?" He asked.

I smiled and nodded. "Yes, really." I said.

"Well, I'm going to take you up on that before you change your mind." He said, chuckling. He stood up and took my hand, leading me out to the floor. I looked back at my mom and she smiled and winked at me.

Thankfully the music was slow. The singer's voice was rich and deep. Edward pulled me close to his body, so close that we were touching from my head to my toes. Edward put his right hand on the small of my back and the left between my shoulder blades. It felt like he was holding me even closer.

My arms were wrapped around his back, and I rested my head on his chest and breathed in his warm smell. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the sensation of having him so close.

Edward was gently rocking us back and forth to the music and occasionally pressing kisses to the top of my head. It was so nice. I don't even know how long we danced, but we didn't stop until the band took a break. Edward looked down at me and smiled, before pressing a soft kiss to my lips.

"Thank you for the dance, baby. That was amazing." He said, pressing another kiss to my lips. "I love you."

I smiled back at him. "Thank you for holding me." I told him.

My mom and Aro walked over to join us. "Do you kids want to walk around the park? It looks like there are lots of things to see." My mom asked. We happily agreed, and walked together through the park. There were lots of arts and crafts tables filled with African American art, paintings, books and jazz, blues, gospel and hip hop CDs.

There were also pieces that were imported from Africa. I saw a beautiful beaded necklace, and of course Edward, being Edward, bought it for me. He walked behind me and clasped it around my neck. I turned and smiled at him, kissing his chin. "Thank you, Edward, I love it." I said, reaching up to touch the necklace.

As we kept walking, we saw a small framed painting of a blues band. It was simple, but it was absolutely beautiful. Edward seemed to really like it and it was only fifteen dollars. I passed the vender the money. She wrapped it up for me and Edward smiled at me. "You didn't have to buy that for me."

"Edward. Yes I did. We are going to have the coolest apartment in Seattle, and I want to have things in it that you love, too." I told him.

"Well, thank you, babe. I love it." He said, leaning down to kiss me.

It was getting cooler as we kept walking, and Edward slipped his hoodie ovever my shoulders. I smiled up at him and he winked at me. We kept walking and came across an drumming band and a group of African dancers. We all stood with the crowd and watched them perform. They were incredibly talented. I was enjoying myself so much. I had never seen African dancing, or heard drumming live before tonight. I was so glad that my mom had suggested we come. This night was definitely a highlight for me.

At around ten o'clock, we decided to head back to the condo. We didn't have to be to the airport until eleven thirty tomorrow morning, but my mom wanted to spend as much time as we could together.

Aro dropped us off at the condo and promised to be over in the morning to see us off. My mom, Edward and I went back up to the condo. We all sat in the living room together for about a half hour.

"So, you think it would be okay for me to come and visit soon?" My mom asked.

"Of course, mom." I told her. "I'd love it if we could see more of each other. We get the apartment on August first, and I would love for you to come and see it. I mean, we won't have it set up right away, but I definitely think you'll love it."

"I'm sure I will, Bella." She said, smiling. She got up and gave us both a hug. "Okay. I'm off to bed. I'll see you both in the morning for breakfast. I love you."

"I love you, too, mom." I told her. She walked off to bed and Edward pulled me close to his chest, giving me a warm hug. I took a deep calming breath.

"Don't be sad, baby." He whispered. "We still have tomorrow morning."


	270. On Top

**A/N - I hope you are having a great weekend! Thank you so much for the reviews, hits, faves and alerts! You are all amazing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 270 - On Top

Edward and I went back to the guestroom, and Edward closed the door. He pulled his shirt and shorts off, leaving him in just his boxer briefs. I slid my skirt off and took off Edward's hoodie and my tank. He walked up to me and wrapped his arms around my back, sliding his hands to my hips.

He smiled at me and leaned in to kiss my lips. "Thank you for dancing with me tonight." He said. "I really enjoyed the festival."

I smiled up at him. "So did I. And I love when you hold me like that." I confessed.

"I'll always hold you, Bella." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips, again. He took my hand and pulled me over the bed. We laid down facing each other. He brought his hand up and lightly traced the strap of my bra with his finger. "This is a beautiful bra, baby." He whispered, making me blush lightly.

His finger slowly continued its path along the top edge of the bra, just barely touching my skin as he caressed the tops of my breasts. My skin broke out into goosebumps. His touch was so gentle, but I could hear his breathing pick up. He started to get a little bolder with his touching. He brought his face down to my chest, placing light kisses over my skin.

I brought my hands up to his back, lightly scratching my nails over his skin, and making him hum. "That feels good, angel." He whispered against my skin, as he moved closer to my body. He brought his lips back to mine, and we kissed for what felt like hours. It was nice feeling so connected to him.

I felt sad about leaving my mom the next day, but Edward had this way of reminding me that I was always loved and taken care of. Edward laid his head on my chest, pressing light kisses on the top part of my breasts. His hand was resting on my hip, and he was running his thumb over it lightly. His delicate touches still felt like electricity.

"Are you tired?" Edward asked me.

"Yeah." I told him. "I'm looking forward to breakfast with my mom, but I'm not looking forward to the goodbye, you know?"

"I know, but Bella, this is so much different than last time." He said, sitting up, and pulling me between his legs, so I was cuddled up to his chest. I pressed a kiss over his heart and he rubbed my arm with his fingers. "She's a lot closer to us, now. Two hours away isn't that far. And your relationship with her is so strong, Bella."

I smiled. "Thank you, Edward. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you being here."

"You don't have to. I've told you before that I would go anywhere with you." He said. "And I just love seeing you so happy. You are so beautiful when you smile."

"Thank you, baby." I said. "I am happy. I'm just so thrilled at the way this trip has gone. But it went by so fast."

"It did." Edward agreed. "But we still have tomorrow morning, and a whole three hour road trip home." He chuckled.

I laughed. "Will you sing to me on the ride home?" I asked.

"Of course, beautiful." He said.

We got up and I took off my bra and slipped on the Pikes Peak t-shirt. Edward bit back a smile when he saw it. I laughed at him. "It's not that funny, Edward." I teased, pinching his bum, as I walked to the bathroom.

He walked into the bathroom behind me, and started brushing his teeth with me. "It is hilarious." He said, rinsing out his mouth.

I rolled my eyes at him, and laughed. He pulled me close to him, and lightly tapped my bum, making me laugh harder. Edward leaned down and starting kissing me hard. He actually surprised me. I wasn't expecting him to do that. I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

He reached down to put both hands on my bum, lifting me up, all without breaking the kiss. I wrapped my legs around his hips, holding myself close to him. He pulled back from the kiss, and walked us into the bedroom, switching the light out. I kept kissing his cheeks, jaw, ear and neck. I couldn't break away from him.

He sat down on the bed and laid back. I was still straddling him, but laying flat on top of his body, my hands holding onto his strong shoulders. Edward brought his hands up to my cheeks bringing my lips back up to his. His hands trailed along my sides, and down to my bum.

He pulled my body closer to his, pressing us together. Edward made me feel amazing. He slid his right hand up my bare back under the t-shirt. "You okay?" He asked a little breathless.

I laughed, pressing a couple more kisses to his lips. "I like it on top." I teased. I leaned in to bite his earlobe.

He laughed. "Do you?" He asked turning his head to kiss my lips.

"Actually, I like when you are." I admitted. "I feel safe with you over me. I don't like having control. It's too much pressure."

Edward rolled us over so he was on top of me. I giggled, and he leaned down to kiss my lips. "How's this?" He asked. "I'm not too heavy?"

"No, baby. I like your weight on me." I confessed.

"Thank you for telling me that. I love that it's getting easier for you to tell me these things. I love hearing your thoughts." He said, rolling onto his side, and reaching down to pull the covers up over us.

I snuggled close to his chest. "I have a lot of crazy thoughts." I teased, making Edward laugh. "Are you sure you want to hear them?"

"Mm. Yes." He said, leaning in to press a few kisses to my lips. "The crazier the better." He whispered.

"You're crazy, Edward." I giggled. I rolled over so my back was to his chest. He wrapped his arm around me and slid it under my t-shirt, so his hand was on my stomach.

"I love you." He whispered in my ear. "Get some sleep, baby."

"I love you, too, Edward." I said, shutting my eyes. I wanted to sleep, because I knew tomorrow morning was going to be long and emotional, but I just couldn't fall asleep. I was tossing and turning for at least a half hour.

"Baby. Are you okay?" Edward asked.

"I can't sleep." I sighed. "I'm sorry if I'm keeping you up."

"Don't worry about me, Bella. I'm fine." He said. "Do you want me to rub your back, or your feet?"

I smiled into the darkness. Edward couldn't get any sweeter. "You don't have to do that."

"I want to, honey. Lay on your stomach." He said. I rolled onto my stomach, and I felt Edward straddle my hips. He started rubbing my shoulders with his thumbs. It felt so good, and I knew I was humming. "Just relax, baby." He whispered. I kept my eyes closed, and sure enough, I felt myself falling asleep.

I woke up to the light shining through the curtains. Edward was sound asleep beside me. I looked over at the clock and I noticed it was only six-thirty in the morning. I felt wide awake and knew there was no way I was getting back to sleep. I slid out of bed and, after grabbing some clothes, I went into the bathroom for a shower.

After my shower, I got dressed in a pair of black shorts and a burgundy, crisscross front, sleeveless blouse. I had just finished drying my hair, when the door opened.

"Wow, baby. You look beautiful." Edward said. Walking in the room in just his boxer briefs. "Can I go pee?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck.

I giggled. "Yes. I'll just go start packing." I told him. I walked into the bedroom and emptied the dresser drawers onto the bed.

Edward peaked his head out of the bathroom door. "Do you mind if I get in the shower?" He asked.

"No, go ahead." I told him. I finished loading up our suitcases, and considering we didn't pack much, it only took a couple of minutes. I went back in the bathroom to put some makeup on, and brush my teeth. "Hey, babe." I said to Edward, as I walked back in the bathroom, and wiped the steam off the mirror.

"Hi. You were up early. Did you sleep at all?" He asked from the shower.

"Yeah. The last thing I remember was my gorgeous boyfriend rubbing my shoulders." I said, giggling. "Thank you for that, by the way."

"Anytime, angel." He said. I saw his hand reach out and grab a towel. I leaned back against the sink and smiled as Edward pulled opened the shower curtain, and stepped out of the shower with just a towel wrapped around his waist. He smiled at me, before coming over to kiss my lips. I was certain that I could get through this goodbye with Edward at my side.


	271. Goodbyes

**A/N - So, it's Monday...but that's nothing a little Edward can't fix! haha! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 271 - Goodbyes

Edward kissed me against the bathroom counter, in nothing but a towel, and I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Okay, so I pinched Edward's bum, instead, but who could blame me. I was one lucky girl.

Edward pulled back and chuckled. "Alright, pinchy. Are you going to let me get ready?" He asked, before placing kisses all over my face.

"I guess." I told him, rubbing over the spot I pinched. "Sorry about the pinching. I just had to make sure this wasn't a dream."

He laughed. "It still could be. Maybe you need to be pinched?" He suggested, bringing up his fingers, pinching the air. I laughed and ran out of the room. I could hear Edward laughing in the bathroom. I picked up my purse, and pulled out my journal. I pressed the sunflower Edward had got me at the airport on Friday, and then picked up my phone.

"Edward. I said. "I forgot to call my dad yesterday." I felt horrible. There was just so much going on with my mom.

"Baby, don't worry. I called him yesterday after lunch when you and your mom were talking in the living room." Edward said, walking out the bathroom, still in the towel. "I just said that you and your mom were talking. I let him know that you were having a great time."

"Oh, babe." I said, going over to him and wrapping my arms around his waist. "I love you so much. Thank you for doing that for me."

"Of course, angel." He said, leaning down to kiss me. "Now, did you pack all my clothes? You want me to where this home?" He laughed.

I giggled. "I wouldn't complain, Edward." I said, tracing my hands over his chest. "But, I did pack all your clothes. Sorry." I laughed.

"It's okay." He said, going over to suitcase to pull out a pair of blue boxers, what I called his travelling jeans, and a white t-shirt. He winked at me before going back into the bathroom.

I sat on the bed and called my dad. "Hey, Bells. You're up early." He said laughing.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" I asked. "I forgot we are an hour ahead in Denver." It was seven-thirty in the morning here, so it was only six-thirty back in Forks.

"No, kiddo. It's okay. I'm just happy to hear your voice." He said.

"I'm sorry I didn't call yesterday. Mom has just been keeping us so busy this weekend." I told him.

"It's fine, Bells. Stop worrying. Are you having fun?" He asked.

"Yes." I answered, seeing where he was going with this.

"Then, that's what's important. I only want you to be happy, kid. If you're having a great trip, I'm happy."

I smiled. "Thanks, dad."

"So, what time are you getting home today?" He asked.

"Um, probably around five this afternoon." I told him.

"Okay. You want to just go over to the Cullen's for pizza when you get home? Carlisle and I are going fishing today." My dad told me. I smiled. I had missed the routine and familiarity of home.

"That sounds great." I agreed. "I've missed you, dad." I said as Edward walked back into the room, bringing the rest of his things from the bathroom and stuffing them in his bag. He smiled at me. I was crazy about the little things that Edward did. He always knew when to give me one of those little smiles of encouragement.

"Okay, kiddo. Tell Edward I say hi, and I'll see you tonight. You enjoy the rest of the morning with your mom. Will you call me when you land?" He asked.

"Thanks, dad. Yeah. I'll call. I'll see you tonight." I said. "I love you."

"I love you, Bells. Bye." He said before hanging up. I closed my phone and packed it in my purse.

"My dad says hi." I told Edward, sliding off the bed to kiss his lips.

Edward chuckled. "Hi, Charlie." He said before kissing me, again. "You ready to go for breakfast?"

"Yeah." I said, taking a deep breath. I was going to try not to cry this morning.

Edward pulled grabbed our bags and took them out in the hallway. I turned around and took one last look at the room my mom had made for me. I was still so touched that she did this for me. I knew she had tried so hard this time.

"You okay?" Edward asked.

"Yeah." I said, smiling up at him. We walked down the hall and found my mom sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper. She was wearing a black pencil skirt and a white blouse, and her hair was up in a nice knot on her head. She looked gorgeous as always. "Good morning, mom." I said.

She looked up at us and smiled. Her eyes looked a little red, but she smiled at me. "Good morning, baby. Hi, Edward." She said. "All packed?"

"Oh, mom." I said, going over to pull her into a hug. "Don't cry." I told her, feeling myself tear up.

"I'm not." She laughed. There was a knock a the door and my mom went to get it. She opened the door and Aro was standing there in a pair of charcoal grey dress pants and a blue button up shirt. He leaned in to kiss my mom delicately on the lips.

"Buon Giorno, kids." He said, patting Edward's arm and leaning in to kiss my cheeks. "You are all packed, yes?"

"Yeah. We're all ready to go." I said. My mom came over and took my hand as Edward and Aro took our bags to the elevator. After then packed our bags into Aro's trunk, we all got in the car. My mom sat in the backseat with me, and Edward rode in the passenger seat. She had a tight grip on my hand.

"We're going to have breakfast at Novo Coffee in the Denver Art Museum." My mom said. "I thought after we eat, we could spend a couple of hours looking at the exhibits before you go?"

"That sounds amazing, mom." I told her, kissing her cheek.

And it was. We had a great breakfast of fresh pastries, coffee and juice. At around nine, we started exploring the museum. We looked at the contemporary exhibit and my absolute favourite piece was _Fox Games _by Sandy Skoglund. It was a display of about twenty grey foxes, which seemed to be made out of clay, running all around a red kitchen. It was amazing. They all looked to be up to something; very intriguing.

We continued our tour of the museum for until about quarter to eleven, having seen Asian, African and European displays. Edward and I had both loved the Monet painting we saw, _Waterloo Bridge_, and were happy to find a copy of it on a post card in the gift shop.

We left the museum and drove to the airport. Again, my mom sat with me in the backseat. I heard Aro and Edward talking to each other, but I wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. I was resting my head on my mom's shoulder, and her head was on top of mine.

I had honestly never felt so close to my mother. And the worst part about it, was that I was leaving her now. I was going to miss her like crazy, but I knew without a doubt, just like Edward had reassured me, that our relationship would stay this strong.

Before I knew it, and before I was ready for it, we had pulled up to the short term parking lot at the airport. Edward and Aro unloaded the suitcases and started walking to the terminal. My mom and I followed behind them, hand in hand.

When we got inside, my mom and Aro walked us up to security, until we couldn't go any farther together. Aro gave Edward a hug, patting his back, before turning to hug me, as well. "It was a pleasure to meet you both. I hope we can see each other again soon, yes?" He said, making me smile. "Ah, Bella." He said, pulling a folded piece of paper from his shirt pocket. "Your recipes."

"Oh, thank you so much, Aro." I said, giving him another hug. "That is so sweet of you."

"Anything for a beautiful girl." He said, smiling.

My mom pulled Edward into a hug. "You keep taking good care of my baby, okay?" She whispered to him, but loudly enough that I could hear.

"Always." Edward said to her. "Thank you, Renee. For everything. This weekend has been amazing."

"You're very welcome. I hope we can do this again, soon." She said. She turned to me, her eyes glassy. She pulled me to her and held me so tight, I could hardly breathe. "I love you, Bella." She whispered. "More than anything on this earth." She pulled back, reluctantly and kissed my forehead. She took a deep breath and clutched Aro's hand.

"I love you, mom." I said, before she turned to leave, tears streaming from my eyes. I felt Edward's arm around my shoulder, and his lips on the top of my head. I was never good at goodbyes.


	272. Leaving and Lotion

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! Sorry for the tears last chapter! I promise, this is a fun chapter...Enjoy!**

Chapter 272 - Leaving and Lotion

Edward and I picked up our tickets, checked our luggage, and then went to go sit close to the gate and wait for the boarding call. Edward had his arm around me and had me tucked tightly into his side. His other hand was tracing light circles on my bare knee.

He turned and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "How are you feeling?" He asked, quietly.

"I'm okay, now." I told him. "It's just hard to leave. But, I really miss home. I'm excited to get back to Forks."

He chuckled. "I'm sure we're the only people who want to get to Forks. I remember in high school, all the kids wanted to leave." He told me. "They couldn't wait until graduation so they could get out of town." He laughed. "I was the only one that didn't want to go."

"Aw. Well, it makes sense. There are so many people that love you in Forks." I agreed. "I would have loved to have been with you in high school."

"Yeah. We could have biology lab partners, or something. And I would have had someone to take to my prom." Edward chuckled. "But, I still love how we met. It just seemed perfect."

"I agree. So, did you go to the prom with friends, if you didn't have a date?" I asked. "That's what Angie and I did. We went together and just sat by the wall drinking punch."

"A lot of stupid boys in your high school, huh?" Edward said. "I'm glad, anyway. Because you're all mine." He whispered, before lifting my chin with his fingers so he could kiss my lips. "And I didn't go to the prom." He said, before kissing me once more.

"Really?" I asked. Talk about stupid girls at Edward's school. Edward was as close to perfect as a person could get: smart, sweet, and not to mention gorgeous. I was shocked that he didn't have a date to his prom.

"Yeah, really." He laughed. "You sound like my mom. I swear she was devastated that I didn't go." He shook his head, and chuckled. "I was really confused and upset with girls in general. And, I know that's stupid. I mean, it was just Jessica that had hurt me, but I guess I'd just had enough drama. I figured, maybe one day I would find someone, but I wasn't worried about it at the time."

"We were just meant to be." I said. "I guess you were waiting for me." I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

He smiled against my lips. "Yes. And, I'm never letting you go."

"Good." I giggled. "But, you're going to have to, just for a second. I'm going to take a quick bathroom break before we board, okay?"

He laughed. "If I have to." He said.

"Will you stay right here?" I asked. The airport was packed right now, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find him in the crowd.

"I'll be right outside the door, okay?" He told me, pressing another soft kiss to my lips.

"Okay, thank you." I said. "I love you." I told him. We got up and Edward walked me to the bathrooms. I went in and after using the bathroom, I splashed some cold water on my face. My eyes were a little red, but I didn't look too bad. I grabbed my compact out of my purse and pressed a little powder on my face to even out some of the red blotches on my skin. I put a fresh sweep of gloss to my lips before I went out to meet Edward.

Sure enough, he was right outside the door, where he said he would be. He took my hand, and as we started walking back to our seats, our boarding call was announced. We got on the plane and took our seats, Edward by the window and me by the aisle. After take off, Edward turned to me and smiled.

"I'm hungry." He said. "We should have eaten at the airport."

"Maybe we can get something, now." I said. "I mean it is first class. They have to feed us, right?" I giggled.

"You're adorable." He said, leaning in for a kiss. I stopped the stewardess and asked if we could get something to eat. She brought a small bowl of strawberries, some chocolate chip cookies, and a couple of bags of potato chips.

"This is a pretty cool snack, right?" I said, biting into a strawberry.

Edward grabbed my wrist and brought my hand to his mouth, eating the rest of the strawberry, and making sure to lick my fingertips in the process. I blushed and quickly looked around, making sure no one had seen Edward's little display.

"Don't worry, baby. Nobody was watching." He whispered, before kissing my warm cheek. We finished our snack, occasionally feeding each other. The rest of the flight, we used Edward's new headphone splice and listened to his iPod. We both leaned back, and held hands, our eyes closed. I was still tired from not getting a lot of sleep the night before.

We landed at 1:30PM Seattle time. We had gained an extra hour by flying west. After picking up our bags, and a quick stop at the bathrooms, we headed out to Edward's car. I called my dad from the car to let him know we had landed. I noticed Edward was driving to the Northgate Mall by the University. "Why are we going to the mall?" I asked him.

"Because, I'm craving that Chinese food you can only get in the mall." He said, squeezing my knee. "And, I need to pick something up."

I laughed. "You're adorable." I said, repeating the same words he had said to me on the plane. We parked at the mall and walked in, hand in hand. I hadn't been to this mall in a few months. It sparked the girl in me, and all of a sudden, I wanted to shop.

I must have been looking in the stores as we walked, because Edward chuckled. "Do you want to stop?" He asked, halfway to the food court.

I laughed. "No, well, I don't know. Maybe." I said. "I don't really need anything."

Edward laughed. "Baby, after we eat, we can go shopping if you want. I don't mind." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "I love you." He said.

We got to the food court and Edward went to get his 'mall Chinese food,' and I went to get a sub sandwich. He met me by the sub shop and then we went to sit down at a table. "So, what was that you have to pick up?" I asked Edward, as we ate.

"Uh, it was going to be a surprise." He said, looking sneaky.

"Oh, come on." I said pouting out my bottom lip. I reached under the table and slid my hand up his leg, to the top of his thigh. "I'm going to find out anyway."

Edward put his hand under the table to grab my fingers. "Bella." He warned, laughing. I batted my eyelashes at him and he finally caved. "Okay, fine. I thought we could stop and get more of that body lotion you have that smells so good."

I laughed at him. "I knew you wanted some for yourself." I teased. Edward just laughed with me. He was such a fun guy.

After we finished our lunch, we walked down the mall to the Bath and Body Works. "Okay, what was it called? Twilight something?" Edward asked, walking around the little shop.

"Twilight Woods." I said. We found the display and Edward grabbed two large bottles of the body lotion.

"Oh, look, Bella. Bubble bath in the same scent." He said, lifting his eyebrows up and down at me, making me laugh.

"You are having way too much fun in here." I said, as we both laughed. "Oh, Edward. They have a have men's cologne in Twilight Woods." I said, picking up the tester. "Give me your wrist."

He held out his wrist and I spritzed him. He smelled his wrist and then held it up to my nose. "What do you think?" He asked.

"I like it." I said. "It'll match your lotion." I teased, making Edward laugh, again.

"Okay, smarty pants." He said, leaning down to kiss me. We were interrupted by a sales girl, asking us if we needed any help. "Uh, can you talk these things to the front for us, please?" Edward asked, passing her all the lotion and bubble bath. "Thanks." He said, before taking my hand.

"Do you want to smell anything else?" I asked him. "Or are you a one fragrance man."

He laughed. "I'm good." He said, as we walked along the outside aisle. "Oh, wait. They have massage oil." He said, picking up a red tester bottle. He smelled it, read the label and smiled. "It's called Sensuality."

I looked at him and raised my eyebrows, making him laugh. "Oh, we're so getting this, too." He said, grabbing two bottles.

I giggled at him. He was so cute in this store. "Why do we need two?" I asked.

"Well, one for your room, one for mine." He said. "And then when we move to our new place, we'll put one in the bedroom, and one in the living room."

"The living room?" I asked. I was really curious as to how Edward was picturing our life together in the fall. But, clearly, it involved a lot of massage oil.


	273. Heaven

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! I've been slipping on letting you know the dates in the story! This chapter takes place on Sunday, July 11, 2010. Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 273 - Heaven

Edward set the bottles on the counter and pulled me into a hug. He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Bella. It's going to be our house. No one else will be there. No one can walk in. We can do whatever we want in the living room. So, we can keep massage oil in the living room."

I looked up at him. My face felt like it was on fire, just thinking of everything that Edward and I were going to do together. I wanted to kiss him, hard, but we were in public place, so it would have to wait.

Edward looked into my eyes, and smiled. He winked. I knew he was thinking the same thing that I was. "So, you think two bottles is enough?" He laughed.

I giggled. "For now." He picked the bottles back up and we went to pay for all of our lotions and oils. We left the store and walked down the mall.

"Where else did you want to look?" Edward asked as we walked past a Victoria's Secret store. "Here?"

"Oh, um, I don't know." I said, blushing, again. I actually couldn't imagine shopping in an lingerie shop with Edward. I'm sure I would be even redder. But, at the same time, I was curious to see what he would pick out for me.

"I'm sorry. I seem to be making you blush a lot today." He said, tracing his fingers along my cheeks. "Did you want to look at shoes, or clothes?"

"Well, maybe we could go in the lingerie shop?" I said, but it sounded more like a question. "You know, just to look around."

Edward chuckled. "Are you sure?" He asked. "Because, I've never been in a store like that."

I don't know why, because I had already assumed as much, but Edward's confession made me feel a lot more comfortable. "Well, I don't know if you'll like it. They don't specialize in oversized t-shirts." I teased, pulling him in.

Edward was so cute. He cheeks were flushed and he was looking around, but trying not to look at any one thing too long. "You would look beautiful in every single thing in here." He whispered. I loved that he was still his confident self, even though he was a little out of his element.

I smiled. "Thank you, baby. But there is no way that I'd wear half of these things." I giggled, nervously.

"It's okay, honey. You don't need all this to look beautiful and sexy. You just are." He whispered, kissing my cheek.

"You're so sweet, baby." I said, walking over to a table full of cotton panties. "But, what about something like this?"

"Oh, I like these." Edward said, picking up a bright yellow pair with an animal print lace waist band. They were really cute.

"Okay. They're on sale. We have to get five to get the deal." I told him.

"Well, what about the zebra ones?" He asked. I smiled at him.

"Sounds good. Three more." I said, finding my size in the ones he was picking out. We ended up with a solid black pair, one with butterflies on it, and one bright purple pair. I liked that he was picking out underwear for me. It was really sexy.

And the best part was that he bought them for me. My boyfriend bought me underwear. I was so excited. I mean, I guess it wasn't that big of a deal, but it was to me. All of this was new to me, and I was loving it.

Edward and I walked down the mall together, stopping to look in a couple of stores on the way out. It was already three o'clock and we still had three hours of driving ahead of us. We got back in the car to start the long drive home.

I called Edward's house and Esme picked up. "Bella, sweetheart. It's so good to hear your voice. How's the drive home?" She asked.

I bit my lip as Edward just turned into the line up to board the ferry. "Actually, we're just getting on the ferry in Seattle, now." I told her. "We stopped at the mall to get something to eat, and then got a little distracted." I admitted.

She laughed. "It's a mall in Seattle, Bella. I completely understand." She said. "So you'll be home a little after six tonight, then?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right." I told her. "I really miss you guys."

"Aw, sweetie. We miss you both, too." She said. "Drive safely and we'll see you in a couple of hours."

By the time I hung up, Edward had parked the car on the ferry. He turned in his seat to face me, bringing his hands up to my cheeks, and leaning in for a kiss, which turned into two.

"I think that's the worst thing about driving. I can't kiss you." Edward said, before kissing me again. It was dark in the below deck parking area of the boat so I wasn't worried about anyone seeing us.

"I'm going to have to agree." I said, kissing him, again.

When we finally pulled back to breathe, Edward chuckled. "I think I'm really starting to like the ferry." He whispered against my lips, before going in for another kiss. He pulled back, again. "Baby, when do I get a fashion show?"

"A fashion show?" I asked, not quite thinking clearly after the hot kisses we had shared.

"My very own Victoria's Secret fashion show?" He said, kissing my cheek, and then moving down to kiss a trail down my neck and along the v-neck of my blouse. He brought his hand around to my side, rubbing his thumb over my ribs.

"Edward." I breathed out. I loved the feel of his touch on my body. I wanted to be closer to him, but at the same time, I didn't want to do this here.

"Yeah, babe." He whispered, moving his lips back up to my mouth.

"That feels so good, but we have to stop." I said against his lips, before breaking my own rule and kissing him, again. And it wasn't just a peck, either.

Edward chuckled. "I'm sorry. You're just a little too irresistible." He said, leaning back in his seat to catch his breath.

I giggled. "Can we pick up where we left off once we get home?" I whispered.

"Yes." Edward said, bringing his hand up to his forehead, and then running his fingers through his hair. "We definitely can, but we'll probably have to wait until tomorrow. You're dad probably wants you home tonight."

"He's on the day shift this week, if you want to hang out in my room with me tomorrow?" I suggested.

"When does he leave?" Edward laughed.

"Just before seven AM. And, I guess you can have your fashion show tomorrow, too." I told him, smiling.

"Mm. I can't wait." He said. "Do you want to go up on deck and get some fresh air? It's getting a little hot in here." He laughed.

"Okay, but it's because you're in the car. That's why it's so hot." I laughed. Edward leaned over and kissed my lips once more, before we went up to the deck. I spent the next twenty minutes enjoying the ocean breeze through my hair, and Edward's arms around my waist. I would never, ever get enough of this boy.

We stocked up on munchies and a slushies in Kingston before the drive home. We had a two and half hour drive ahead of us, and I was looking forward to spending every last second of it with Edward.

"Do you think I can make it home without having to stop?" I asked Edward, while drinking my slushie.

"No." He laughed.

"Hey." I said, pretending to be offended.

He looked over at me and winked. "We'll stop halfway, okay?" He said.

"Okay. Thank you, baby." I said, talking his right hand, and squeezing it. "Now, what about your promise to sing to me on the way home?" I asked.

He smiled. "You've got a good memory." He chuckled. "What do you want me to sing?"

"Um, I'm open to anything. I just love your voice." I told him. "Something slow?"

I turned in my seat to watch him, still holding his hand, and leaning my head on the seat. He started to sing, and I was in heaven.


	274. Not So Secret

**A/N - Thanks again for reading! Summer Vacation is one review away from reaching 4000! I can't thank you all enough! I absolutely love hearing your thoughts on the characters and story line! Enjoy!**

Chapter 274 - Not So Secret

Besides a quick stop in Sequim, where Edward picked me a beautiful purple wildflower, we drove straight home. I had called my mom from the car to let her know that we had landed safely. She seemed like she had calmed down and sounded like her happy self, again. I was so glad to hear that she wasn't too upset after we had left.

We pulled up to the Cullen house at about quarter after six. I was so tired, and I just wanted to sleep, but I was so excited to see everyone, too. Edward parked the car and leaned in to give me one more kiss. When I pulled back, I looked up to see the front door fly open and Alice come running out.

Edward winked at me, before opening his car door and getting out, just as Alice reached him. He opened his arms and picked her up, placing soft little kisses all over her face. Alice was giggling, and trying to squirm away, but he wasn't letting her go.

I got out of the car and noticed the Carlisle, Esme and the boys, along with my dad coming down the stairs. My dad pulled me into a tight hug, kissing the top of my head. "Welcome home, kiddo." He said.

"Thanks, dad. I missed you." I said. "Where's Heidi?" I asked. I was so used to seeing them together, it seemed weird that she wasn't here.

"Oh, she should be here in a few minutes." My dad said.

"Bella." I heard, Alice say, as she grabbed my hand. I turned and got on my knees, pulling her into a tight hug. "I missed you, Bella." She said. I looked up and noticed Edward hugging his brothers. It was so sweet.

"I missed you, too, Alice." I said, looking at her in a little pastel polka dotted dress, and combing her bangs to the side and out of her eyes. "You look so pretty. I love your dress, Alice."

"Thanks, Bella. Me and mom went shopping yesterday." She told me, proudly. "It was fun."

"I'll bet it was." I told her, standing up. Edward wrapped his arms around her again and picked her up, kissing her cheek and making her laugh. Emmett came over to me and gave me a hug, and kissed my cheek.

"Missed you, Bella." He told me.

"Aw. I missed you boys, too." I said. I held out my arms and Jasper smiled at me, blushing, before he came over for a hug.

Carlisle and Esme took turns hugging Edward and I, and I started to tear up a little. This was the family that I didn't want to leave. When my mom had asked if I would move closer to her after graduation, I knew immediately that I could not leave my family in Forks. The Cullens were all so loving, and I felt at home with them.

Esme wiped the tears from under my eyes, and kissed my cheek. "You alright, sweetheart?" She asked, softly.

"Just tired and happy." I said.

"Well, get in the house. Come on, Let's get you something to eat, so you can get to bed. You've had a long, emotional day." She said, pulling me into the house. I giggled and looked over my shoulder at Edward. He was chuckling at me and his mom, before he and his brothers walked to the trunk.

I let Esme take me into the house, but instead of going to the kitchen, I ran upstairs to quickly use the bathroom. When I came back downstairs, I went onto the dining room, and Heidi got up to pull me into a tight hug. "Welcome home, Bella." She said. "I'm sorry I missed your homecoming. I was just icing the cake."

I turned and looked at the table. Heidi had made a beautiful white cake. "It's coconut cream." She said, with a smile.

"Oh, it's beautiful, Heidi." I said. "Thank you so much."

I walked over to the table to sit down between Edward and my dad. Emmett was laughing and Edward punched his shoulder, but was chuckling a little, too. "What's so funny?" I asked him.

"Nothing." Edward said.

"Victoria's Secret." Emmett said at the same time.

"Oh, my god." It was all I could say. I saw Edward's brothers and our dads going to Edward's trunk, likely to bring in Edward's suitcase and put mine in my dad's truck. I should have put the Victoria's Secret bag in my suitcase, so no one saw it.

This was so embarrassing. The last time I had purchased lingerie, I went with Heidi and my dad didn't know about it. I was hoping they hadn't looked in the Bath and Body Works bag, either. I would never hear the end of it, if someone saw the massage oil.

Every part of me wanted to get up, leave the table and go hide in Edward's room. But, I knew if I did that, I would just make it into a bigger deal than it was. It was just underwear.

"Emmett Cullen." Esme warned. "That's enough."

"Sorry, Bella." He said, quietly.

"It's alright." I said. I didn't want Emmett to feel bad. He was just excited to see his brother, and it seemed like he was teasing Edward, not me. Edward leaned over to kiss my cheek, and I smiled at him. His cheeks were as red as mine felt, likely because my dad was two seats away from him. I was currently avoiding his gaze, right now.

"Okay, let's eat." Carlisle said, trying to change the subject. We all dug into the pizza. I smiled. I was so happy to be back. "So, how was the trip?" Carlisle asked. "What did you think of Denver?"

"Denver was amazing." I told him. "I can see why you liked it. My mom lives right downtown, so we were able to walk around the neighbourhood, or just drive a couple blocks, and see some of the sites. We saw the Denver Art Museum, the Botanic Gardens, the State Capitol and we even went to the Colorado Black Arts Festival last night."

"Wow. All that in one weekend?" He said. "No wonder you're tired."

"But, we also went down to the Garden of the Gods park and walked around there yesterday morning." Edward added. "And I had a real buffalo burger." He seemed pretty proud of that fact.

"No way." Emmett said. "What did it taste like?"

"Just like beef, actually. It was really good." He said. "Bella hated it though." He chuckled.

"I couldn't get over the fact that it was buffalo." I giggled.

"So, the food was gross?" Emmett asked.

"Actually, no. My mom's new boyfriend is from Italy and he made us dinner last night with family recipes from Italy. It was amazing." I told him.

"That was nice." Esme said.

"But, the best part is that he gave Bella the recipes." Edward said, smiling, making everyone laugh.

"Are you going to make it for us, Bella?" Alice asked me. I absolutely loved this little girl and I missed her so much.

"If you want me to, Alice." I told her.

"Of course. What about tomorrow?" She asked, smiling excitedly, and making everyone laugh.

"Sweetheart, Bella's tired from her trip. Let's give her a couple days." Esme told her, making her pout a little. And I could not resist that pout.

"It's okay, Esme. I don't mind." I told her. "As long as you don't mind me using your kitchen?"

"Oh, of course not, Bella. You can even put the boys to work." She said, smiling, and Emmett groaned. "Charlie, Heidi, come over after work."

"That would be great, thanks." Heidi said.

The rest of dinner went great, as Edward and I talked about our trip. And, Heidi's cake was to die for. I don't know why, likely because it was white, but looking at the cake, made me think of what our wedding cake was going to look like. I knew Edward and I had talked about it, and I had mentioned lemon, but I couldn't wait to plan all the details with him.

"You okay?" Edward asked me softly. I hadn't realized that I had gotten lost in my thoughts and was just pushing the cake around on my plate.

I smiled up at his face. "I'm perfect." I whispered, leaning in to kiss his lips. "I love you."

Edward smiled at me. "I love you, too."


	275. Fear and French Toast

**A/N - Thank you all, again! We did it! We hit 4000 reviews! I'm blown away by all of your support! Thank you! Enjoy!**

Chapter 275 - Fear and French Toast

After dinner, my dad, Heidi and I, got up to go home. I honestly felt like I was going to fall asleep any minute. After hugs all around, Edward walked me out to the truck, and my dad walked Heidi out to her car. "You sure you're okay? You were really quiet there during dessert?" He asked me, kissing my temple.

"Yeah." I told him. "Honestly, I was thinking about our wedding cake." I admitted. I tried to share everything with him, because he was my whole world.

"Really?" He said, absolutely glowing. "You know I love that, right?" He said. Oh, I knew it. All Edward wanted was for me to be his, so I knew wedding talk always got him excited.

I smiled up at him. "I know." I told him, leaning up on my toes to kiss his chin. "I love you."

"I'm going to miss holding your beautiful body tonight." He whispered. "I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning, angel. I love you, too."

"Goodnight, babe." I said, smiling as he kissed me once more. He opened up the passenger door on my dad's truck, and helped me in.

"Goodnight, Edward." My dad said, as Edward closed the door.

On the ride home, my dad seemed happy. "I'm so glad you had a good time, kiddo." He said. I like seeing you happy, and I like getting good phone calls from you when you're away."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, dad. I'm happy to be back, too." I told him.

"So, this Aro. Is he a good guy?" My dad asked.

"He seems great. We spent a lot of the weekend with him. He's a lawyer and he works for the same company as mom." I told him.

"I'm happy for her." My dad said, more to himself, than anything. "I mean she hurt me when she took you and left, but I still want what's best her. I was never what she wanted, but I'm glad she's finally found a decent man, you know?"

"Yeah. I get what you're saying." I told him. "You're a good guy to want that for her, dad."

"Well, it took me a long time to feel that way." He admitted. "I held onto my anger for a long time, Bells. I thinking having you back home, as well as having Heidi in my life now, has given me a whole new perspective."

"I'm glad you are so happy, dad." I told him, reaching over and patting his hand. "I've never met someone that deserved it more."

He smiled. "Thanks, kiddo." He said. "But can I be honest about something?"

"Of course, dad." I told him.

"I'm always a little nervous when you go visit her." He confessed.

"Mom? Why?" I asked, curious to hear how he'd been feeling.

"Well, mostly because I'm scared you're going to get hurt. But, a part of me worries you're going to get along with her too well, and that, you know, you might want to stay with her." He said, quietly.

"Oh, daddy. I'm not leaving you." I told him. "Edward and I already talked about coming back to Forks after graduation. We both want to stay here."

My dad smiled. "I remember you saying that at the beginning of the summer, but you never know. I mean things change." He said.

"Nothing's going to change, dad." I told him. "I love you, and I'm happy that we're together again, after all these years." I took a deep breath. "She asked me, you know."

"She asked you what?" My dad asked.

"Mom. She asked me to move to Denver." I told him. "But, I told her no. I told her that Edward and I both loved Washington and our family here. I'm happy here, dad." I said, as we pulled up to the house. I took off my seat belt and slid over to him, pulling him in a tight hug.

He squeezed me back. "I'm so glad to hear to that, Bells." He said. He cleared his throat and opened his door. "Let's get your bags in the house."

I smiled, and slipped out of the truck. My dad took my suitcase out of the back of the truck and I grabbed my bags from the mall in Seattle. Thankfully, my dad didn't say anything about the Victoria's Secret bag. He carried my suitcase up to my room for me, gave me a hug, and left me to sleep.

I set a bottle of the massage oil on my dresser, along with one of the bottles of lotion, and the bubble bath. I left the rest in the bag, for Edward to take home tomorrow. I sat on my bed and cut the tags off my new panties and put them in my dresser drawer.

I unpacked all of clothes, putting away the things I didn't wear and throwing the rest in the laundry basket to deal with the next day. I stripped off my clothes and slipped on my Washington t-shirt. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I walked back into my room, grabbed my phone, and crawled into bed, even though it wasn't even nine o'clock.

I checked my phone and smiled when I saw a text from Edward. 'Goodnight, beautiful. If I don't have you to hold, I'll have to get mom to bring Smitty down from the attic. Just kidding. I love you.'

I giggled. I loved my boy so much. He always said the right things. I sent him a quick message back. 'I love you, Edward. Fashion show tomorrow morning, bright and early at 7AM. See you then.'

I set my phone down on the night stand and rolled over. I was asleep in seconds.

I woke up to the sun shining through my bedroom window and the smell of burnt toast. I smiled. My dad was trying to cook for me. I really appreciated his effort. I quickly slipped on a pair of yoga pants and ran to the bathroom, before heading down to see what my dad was up to in the kitchen.

"Good morning, dad." I said, walking into the kitchen. My dad was standing by the counter, scowling at plate of burnt toast, already dressed in his uniform.

My dad chuckled. "I used to be able to make toast, Bells." He said. "But, now I'm so used to your cooking, I seems I've lost my knack."

"Well, if you want me to stop cooking, I can." I teased, walking over to wrap my arm around his waist.

"No, never." My dad said, kissing the top of my head. "But, will you make me some of your famous French toast?" He asked with a smile.

"Of course, dad." I said, going over to the stove to whip him up his favourite breakfast.

"Thanks, kiddo." He said, sitting at the table. "Did I mention how glad I was to have you home?"

I laughed. "Yes. Did I mention how glad I was to be home?" I said, flipping the toast in the frying pan, and then getting him a cup of coffee.

"You did, Bells." He chuckled. "So, any big plans today?" My dad asked, taking a drink of his coffee.

"Um, no. Just hanging around with Edward, maybe a stop at the grocery store, and then I guess I'm cooking at Esme's." I giggled, thinking of when Alice had asked me to cook for her.

"That little girl has you wrapped around her finger, doesn't she?" My dad laughed.

"She does. I love her." I told my dad, bringing over our plates. I grabbed the syrup and a glass of orange juice, before coming over to sit with my dad. And, as much as I loved everyone else in my life, I would never trade in these breakfasts my dad and I shared.

"So, did you have a good weekend?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Heidi and I spent Saturday at the shooting range, and then I went fishing with Carlisle yesterday." He told me. "You know, the usual." He laughed.

"That sounds great, actually." I said. "Hey, dad. Do you remember back when you showed Edward how to shoot last month?"

"Of course." He said, moving his last piece of toast around his plate to sop up the rest of his syrup.

"Well, when Edward told his brothers about it, Emmett sounded really interested in it. The boys were still in school at the time and Carlisle said that they would talk about it again after the boys' exams." I told him.

"Sounds good with me. I'll talk to Carlisle about it first and see if he's alright with the boys shooting." My dad said. "If we get the okay, we can head down to the range anytime." My dad was so sweet. I knew how much he loved the Cullen kids.

He got up, taking his plate to the sink. "Okay, kiddo. I'm off to work." He said, giving me a hug. "Have a good day."

"You, too, dad." I told him. "I love you."


	276. Good Morning

**A/N - Happy Saturday to you all! Thank you all for reading! I know you've all been been waiting for Bella's fashion show...so here it is! Let me know what you think! Enjoy! As well, I hope all of my readers who either live in, or have family and friends in Japan, are all safe! **

Chapter 276 - Good Morning

After my dad left, I went upstairs to have a shower, and get dressed. I picked a white tank and a pink skirt, not to mention my new bright purple Victoria's Secret panties and a black lace bra. I dried my hair and curled it, before putting on a quick coat of mascara and my lip gloss.

My phone rang and I ran to grab it from my room. "Hello?" I said, having not checked the caller ID.

"Good morning, gorgeous." I smiled. There was nothing better than hearing Edward's voice.

"Hi, baby." I said. "I missed you last night. Where are you?"

He chuckled. "I'm sitting in my car in front of your house. I sent you a text, but you must not have been by your phone." He said.

"I was in the shower. Edward. I feel horrible." I said as I ran down the stairs and opened the front door.

"Don't, baby. I just got here." He said, trying to reassure me. He smiled when he saw me and closed his phone. He got out of the car, and came over with a pink lily in his hand. He was so beautiful, it almost seemed like he was walking in slow motion. He was wearing khaki shorts and a black t-shirt, that clung to his lean muscles.

When he reached me, he wrapped me securely in his arms, pressing my body tightly to his. "Wanna go upstairs?" I asked, looking up at his gorgeous face.

"I thought you'd never ask." He chuckled. He released me from the hug, so I took his hand. I needed to be touching him, after being apart from him for so long.

"Did you eat?" I asked him, as I shut the front door.

"Yeah, I had a bowl of cereal before I came." He said, leading me up the stairs to my room.

"You sure you don't want me to make you some French toast?" I asked, as we got to my room.

"I'm sure." He said, closing my bedroom door and pressing me into in. He leaned down to kiss me. He broke away from me for a second so he could set my flower on my desk. His lips were back on mine in seconds.

I deepened the kiss, bringing my hands up to his shoulders and arms. Edward moaned into the kiss, sliding his hands down my body to my hips. He dipped his fingers under my skirt and lifted me up by my bum. I wrapped my legs around his hips and he pressed his body into me.

I pulled back for a breath, as the feelings he was eliciting in me were almost too much to handle. But Edward kept kissing me, my neck, my chest, everywhere he could reach. He finally looked up at me and smiled, pressing a few quick kisses to my lips, before he turned and carried me over to my bed.

He set me down on the bed, and I pulled him on top on me, making him laugh. "Well, good morning." I giggled.

He laughed. "I'm sorry for attacking you like that, but I just missed you so much last night."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his face closer to mine, kissing his lips once more. "I missed you, too." I told him. "So, did Emmett tease you anymore last night?" I asked giggling.

"Well, he was asking me what it was like inside Victoria's Secret." Edward laughed. "You have to understand, babe, that every guys walks past those types of stores and wants to go in."

I giggled. "I love getting in your brain." I told him, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair.

"It's probably best that you stay out of there." He teased, winking at me, and making me blush a little. Edward smiled at me and leaned in to place a kiss on both cheeks.

"Take off you shirt." I told him.

He chuckled. "Okay." He stood up and I watched as he pulled his black t-shirt over his head, tossing it on my desk chair. "Now what?" He asked.

I took a moment to drink in the site of him. He was hot. That's all there was to it. "Um, why don't you sit down on the bed." I suggested, as I stood up and walked over to my desk. I had a table top fan sitting on my desk so, I turned it on and pointed it at my bedroom door, turning it up to high. I picked up my pink lily and snuck out of my bedroom, not looking back.

I walked into the bathroom and shut the door. I had seen the Victoria's Secret commercials on TV. There was always a breeze blowing the girls' hair around. I knew I was not a supermodel, but I wanted to give Edward a good show. I took my tank top and skirt off and set them on the closed lid of the toilet. I tossed my hair, making it a little sexier, and tucked the lily behind my ear, securing it with a bobby pin.

I took a deep breath. I was so nervous, but this was just me and Edward. He loved me and he told me that I was a turn on for him, so I figured this really couldn't go wrong. I walked out into the hallway and gripped my bedroom doorknob. This was it. And the trick seemed to be confidence.

I opened the door and the fan blew my hair back from my face. There was no hiding behind it. Edward was sitting at the foot of my bed, leaning back on his arms and facing the door. I smiled at Edward's face. His mouth was actually hanging open and his eyes were wide. That look gave me more confidence. I shut the door behind me and walked up to the bed, before doing a twirl, so he could see the back view. I walked back to the door and leaned against it, bending my knee, and placing my foot on the door behind me.

"Holy shit." He whispered, and I don't know if I was supposed to hear it, but it made me feel very powerful. I could affect my boyfriend this much, and I loved it. I smiled at him, before walking back over to him, and straddling his thighs. I wriggled closer to him, so our chests were touching and Edward groaned, bringing his hands up to my bum to hold me closer to him.

"Well, how did I do?" I whispered into his ear, before sucking on his earlobe. "I'm no Heidi Klum, but I thought I'd try."

"My god, Bella. That was the single hottest thing I have ever seen." He choked out. "Wow. I mean, just, wow." He chuckled.

I leaned back and smiled at him. "Thank you." I giggled, before kissing his lips.

"No. Thank you." He said, smiling, as I pushed his chest so he would lay back on the bed. I leaned forward and started pressing little kisses over his bare chest and stomach. "Bella, baby. You are so beautiful." He whispered.

I kept kissing his chest, sucking on his skin from time to time, making him squirm. He tasted so good. He was groaning and reached his hands down to run his fingers through my hair.

"I am never going to forget that." He said, tilting his head back. I saw an opening and went for it. I laid on top of him and buried my face in the crook of his neck, biting and sucking and licking at his skin. Edward was swearing under his breath, which only encouraged me.

I had never felt so confident with Edward, and I could truly say, for the first time in my life, I liked being on top of him. He moved his hands down my back and unhooked my bra. I sat up and pulled it off, before leaning down to resume my kisses.

"Oh, no you don't." He chuckled. He cradled his arms against my back to hold me to him and flipped us over so quickly it took me minute to figure out what had happened. He smiled at me, looking a little predatory, before he started giving my body the exact same treatment as I had given to him, kissing my chest, all while moving his body against mine.

I was so glad that no one was home, as we both weren't being very quiet. I could really see where having one's own apartment would come in handy. I loved the feeling of our bodies moving together, our hands gripped tightly above my head. Magical was the only way that I could describe it.

Edward, breathless and flushed, finally collapsed on top of me, kissing my neck and collarbone. "Are you okay?" Edward asked me, softly, bringing his fingers up to gently caress my cheek.

"Yeah." I breathed out, smiling at him. "Are you?" I asked him.

"Never better, angel." He said, smiling, kissing my lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I told him as he rolled off of me.

"Um, I'm just going to change really quick." He said, looking a little embarrassed, as he got up to go to my drawer where we put his clothes.

"Okay. I'll just go in the bathroom and get my clothes." I said, getting up and picking up my bra. I kissed Edward's back and slipped out of the room, going back into the bathroom. I shut the door, and let out another deep breath. I think it was safe to say that Edward had enjoyed his fashion show.


	277. Snuggles

**A/N - This chapter takes place on Monday, July 12, 2010. I'm trying to remember to keep up with the dates for you. Thank you for yesterday! I got such an overwhelming response to the chapter. As well, this story had over 4000 hits, yesterday! I'm beyond blown away that so many people want to share these characters with me! Thanks so much! Enjoy!**

Chapter 277 - Snuggles

After I got dressed, I walked back into my room and Edward was laying on my bed, with his head on the pillow and his hands behind his head. His eyes were closed, he had a small smile pulling at his lips and he looked completely relaxed. I crawled onto my bed, and snuggled beside him, throwing my leg over his, and wrapping my arm around his stomach.

He opened his eyes and turned his head to face me. I smiled and kissed his lips. "That was fun." I giggled.

Edward chuckled, pressing another kiss to my lips. "That's an understatement." He laughed. "I really, really enjoyed that."

"I'm glad." I said, kissing his shoulder.

Edward reached down and put his hand on my knee that was laying on him. He started lightly caressing the back of my thigh, from behind my knee, right to my bum. "Every time I close my eyes, I can see you walking towards me, with your hair blowing." He said, looking down at me with a smile on his face. "You are so stunning, baby. Thank you so much for doing that for me."

I smiled. "Well, I'm glad you liked it. I just wanted to give you an authentic Victoria's Secret fashion show." I said.

"I'm going to say you succeeded." He chuckled. "I just, wow. I can't stop thinking about that."

I laughed. "Stop it, Edward." I said. "You're going to make me self conscious. Every time I look at you, I'm going to blush or start laughing."

"Well, you're beautiful when you blush and when you laugh." He told me. "So, it's a win/win situation."

"Thank you, but when we're with your parents, my dad and your brothers tonight at dinner, it's going to be really awkward if you start smiling, and I start blushing." I explained. "So, you're going to have to get it together, Edward. I'm not dealing with that much embarrassment."

He laughed, bringing his hand up to squeezed my bum. "Sorry." He said. "But I don't want to forget it, and I don't want to get it together. I want to bask in the memory." He chuckled, closing his eyes and smiling, again.

"Edward." I whined. "You're doing it, again." I brought my hand down to his that was spread out on my bum cheek, and slid it back down to my knee. He chuckled and slid it back up under my skirt to my bum.

"I'm not allowed to touch you, now?" He asked, pinching my bum cheek.

I giggled and flopped onto my back, trying to get my bum away from his pinchy fingers. "No. You can't touch me. It's just going to fuel your fantasies and, apparently, you can't handle the ones you've got going, already."

"You're so beautiful. It's not my fault." He chuckled. He rolled onto his side, throwing his leg over mine and his arm across my stomach, mirroring how I was laying on him. He leaned in to kiss my cheek and then my lips.

I reached up to run my fingers through his hair, and then pull him closer, so I could deepen the kiss. Edward moaned into the kiss. I opened my eyes to look up at him. He looked so gorgeous, his eyes were closed and his long eyelashes were laying on his cheeks.

He slowly pulled back and pressed a couple more kisses to my lips. "I'm sorry." He said, laying his head down on my shoulder.

"What? Why?" I asked, leaning in to snuggle my face into his.

"For teasing you. I don't want you to feel embarrassed." He said, sounding muffled because his face was against my skin.

"Oh, baby. I'm not. _I_ was just teasing you." I said. "I love when you touch me."

He looked up at me, his gorgeous green eyes peaking up at me over my shoulder. "Yeah?" He asked.

"Stop sounding so surprised." I told him. "It took both of us to create that beautiful moment this morning." I giggled. "I just have no idea how we're going to face our families. I feel like they'll be able to read our faces."

Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to his body. I snuggled my head into his chest, revelling in the feeling of his arms around me and his body pressed into mine.

"Baby, I don't think they can tell." He said, kissing the top of my head. "We know what happened, but they don't. Plus, Bella, I'm always smiling and happy when you're around, so nothing's different."

"I know. That makes sense." I said, kissing his chest. "No one in your family can read minds, though, right?" I teased.

"No, baby. You're safe." He said. He reached down and tilted my head up. "I love you." He said, looking into my eyes.

I smiled, before kissing his chin, and then his lips. "I love you, too." I told him.

"I'm really tired." He chuckled, tracing his fingers up and down my back.

"Well, you're in the right place, then. You want to have a nap?" I asked him.

"Are you going to stay with me and snuggle?" He asked. "Because naps aren't fun without you."

"I was going to do some laundry before we went to your house, but how can I say no to snuggles?" I giggled. He leaned down and kissed my lips. "Do you want me to rub your back?" I asked. "We could try out the new massage oil." I reached down and pulled up the hem of his t-shirt, exposing his chest. I leaned in and started to kiss his pecs.

"You know, it's impossible to say no to you." Edward laughed, running his fingers along my scalp.

"Mm. That feels good." I groaned.

"Okay. Sit up." He said. I reluctantly sat up, sitting cross legged on my bed. He stood on his knees in front of me, bringing both hands to the top of my head. He started rubbing my scalp with all ten fingers. I dropped my head forward and closed my eyes. I knew he was messing my hair, but I didn't care at all.

"Mm." I hummed. "You are going to have to do this everyday." I said, as I slowly lifted my head to look at him.

He smiled. "Of course I will." He said, sitting in front of me with his legs crossed. He reached forward and took my hands in his. "I love finding out all these things about you." He mused. "It's funny that we've spent the last few months together, almost constantly, and I'm still learning new ways to make you happy."

I smiled at him, leaning forward. He anticipated what I wanted, and leaned in to kiss my lips. "I didn't even know I would like that." I giggled.

"Well, just think what we'll learn about each other when we move in together." He said, looking excited. "How are we going to work that, by the way."

"What?" I asked, reaching over to him and tugging on his shirt. He chuckled and pulled it off for me.

He laid down on his back, watching me as I got up to get the massage oil off of my dresser. "Well, we get the apartment on August first." He said, putting his hands behind his head. "We're still going to stay in Forks, though, right?"

I climbed on the bed and straddle his thighs. I poured some oil on my hands and rubbed them together, making sure it was warmed. I set my hands on Edward's abs, and I watched as his stomach muscles tightened. I smiled, moving my hands up the middle of his chest and out to his shoulders, before trailing back down his sides. "Yeah, I want to stay home as long as we can." I told him, my hands continuing their path. "But, I was thinking that maybe we could go up to Seattle a few times to get everything set up, and be there for the deliveries."

"I like the sound of that." Edward said. His head was thrown back and his eyes were closed. I got off of his legs an ran into the bathroom to get a towel.

"Here, babe." I said, laying the towel out. "Lay on your stomach and I'll do your back."

He followed my directions, rolling over and getting comfortable. I sat on his legs, put a little more oil in my hands, and gave his back the same treatment as his chest. "Can you picture us sleeping in our sleeping bags in our empty apartment, empty pizza boxes scattered around, waiting for our bed to be delivered?" He chuckled, as I rubbed his shoulders, making him groan.

I laughed, seeing in my mind, exactly what he was describing to me. "That actually sounds like a lot of fun." I told him. I couldn't wait.


	278. Domesticated

**A/N - Thank you all, again, for reading! You are the best readers! Thanks for your dedication for reading this many chapters! Enjoy!**

Chapter 278 - Domesticated

And just like I knew he would, Edward fell asleep as I rubbed his shoulders. He was predictable that way, and I thought it was adorable. I loved the feeling of his skin under my hands. I loved feeling connected to him. It made me happy to be able to do things for him. He made me so happy, that I liked to return the favour.

He was snoring lightly, so I carefully climbed off of his legs, and shut out the bedroom light. I grabbed my laundry basket and headed downstairs to put in a load. I decided on darks first.

I loved being domestic. I smiled thinking of taking care Edward for the rest of our lives. I couldn't wait to cook him meals, and wash his clothes and rub his back every night. I couldn't wait to have our own place, so we didn't have to fit our alone time in when no one else was home.

I walked into the living room and decided that I wanted to make a little dessert to go with our dinner tonight. I sat down on the couch and grabbed my laptop off of the coffee table. I looked up easy Italian dessert recipes and found a great one for berries served drizzled with a almond flavoured white chocolate. I thought it sounded great so I got up to get a pen and paper, and copied down the recipe.

I checked my e-mail while I had my laptop on. Angie had sent a message, asking how the trip to Denver went. She told that on Saturday, Ben had surprised her by showing up at her house at six in the morning, taking her on a road trip. They had made the three and half hour drive up to the Grand Canyon, stopped for breakfast and then spent the day hiking. She was so excited by the gesture. She said work was going well, and that she was getting excited to get back to school.

I smiled as I read it. I missed her so much, but I was thrilled that her and Ben's relationship was working out so well. I typed her back a message telling her all about our trip to Denver, and how amazing mine and my mom's relationship was. I told her about Aro, and how he gave me his family recipes.

"What's making you smile that wide?" I heard Edward say. I looked up and smiled at him. Unfortunately, he had put his shirt back on.

"I got an e-mail from Angie." I told him, as he came over to sit beside me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and I laid my head on his chest.

"How is she?" He asked, kissing the top of my head.

"Great. Ben took her to the Grand Canyon on Saturday." I told him. "She had an amazing time."

"That's good. I like Ben. I'm glad she's still seeing him." He said. "I wish we were closer to them, actually, so we could double date." I nodded into his chest, kissing his shoulder.

He picked up my laptop and set it on the coffee table, before wrapping his arms around me, and pulling us over to lay on the couch. I cuddled up to him and he held me close. "So, where did you escape to?" He chuckled. "You promised you would nap with me." He said, kissing my lips.

"I'm sorry." I giggled against his lips. "You fell asleep and I didn't want to wake you."

He just kept pressing kisses to my lips, nose and cheeks. I was smiling, but closed my eyes. "Are you tired, now?" He asked, lightly rubbing my back.

"Yeah, actually, I am." I said. "I woke up so early, this morning."

"You can sleep, baby." He said, running his fingers through my hair.

"Don't we have to go to the grocery store?" I asked, snuggling closer to his chest and breathing his delicious scent.

"Yeah, but that can wait. I didn't get to cuddle my girl." He said, kissing my forehead. I felt his delicate kisses on my face, until I fell asleep.

I woke up the same way, to kisses on my lips. "Did you have a good nap, baby?" Edward asked, as I stretched my arms up over my head. Edward reached down and ran his fingers over my stomach where my tank rode up, making me laugh.

"Of course. I was in your arms." I told him, making him smile.

I ran upstairs to use the bathroom, fix my hair and grab my purse. I noticed my white tank was really rumpled from sleeping, so I slipped it off, and pulled a purple one on. I ran back downstairs, and passed my purse to Edward.

"I'm just going to through another load of laundry in before we go." I told him.

"Do you need help?" He asked, following me into the laundry room.

"No, but if you want to learn, I can show you." I told him.

"Okay." He chuckled. "What do we do?" He asked, rubbing his hands together. It was so cute. He always wanted to help, or learn new things.

"Well, first, we put all the darks in the drier." I said, passing him all the wet clothes from the washer. He put everything in the drier for me. "Okay, grab a drier sheet and toss it in. Then turn that knob to delicate and that one to normal." Edward followed all of my instructions and smiled, when he pressed the on button.

He walked over to me and stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning in to kiss my neck. "How did I do?" He whispered.

"Very good." I said, turning my head to kiss his temple. "You want to try the washer now?" I giggled.

"Alright. What colour are we washing now?" He said, sounding way too excited to be doing the laundry.

"Whites." I told him. "T-shirts, underwear, that kind of stuff." I giggled.

"Okay. I've never done this, babe." He laughed.

"Well, I wash clothes on this setting, and with cold water, so nothing shrinks." I told him, showing him the right setting. I turned on the water and showed him that we needed a half of a capful of detergent. "And now, we just throw the clothes in."

"That's pretty easy." He said, helping me throw in the clothes.

"Oh, have we found you a new job when we move in together?" I teased.

"Um, yeah, okay." He said sounding a little unsure and hesitant, making me laugh. I leaned in to kiss him while he was bending down in the hamper.

"I'm just kidding." I said. "I like doing the laundry."

"No, Bella. I should help out." He said, seriously. "I mean you already cook for me and clean, and pack when we travel. I could do more for you."

"Edward. Everything you do is for me or for your family. You are a selfless man. Don't sell yourself short." I said, closing the lid on the washer. "Why don't we have laundry day every couple of weeks in Seattle? We can sit together in the laundry room and study."

Edward turned and set his hands on my hips. He was smiling down at me, looking more beautiful than ever. "Okay. It's a deal." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "I don't like the thought of you being alone in a laundry room in Seattle, anyway."

"Baby, I lived alone there since September." I told him.

"I know, Bella. Don't remind me." He said, closing his eyes, like it pained him to think about. "I love you so much, and I always want you safe."

"I was okay, Edward. It was different to be alone, and scary sometimes, but I managed." I reassured him.

"I know, but you were on campus. Now we're not, so it's a little different." He said, pulling me closer to his chest. He let out a deep breath. "Sorry to get all serious and overprotective there." He chuckled, dryly.

"It's okay. I love that about you." I told him. "But, I love the idea of laundry dates." I giggled.

"Good." He said, kissing my forehead. "I do, too."

"Okay, my sweet, caring and sexy bodyguard. Will you escort me to the grocery store?" I teased.

"I would be honoured." He said, winking. "But, I need a kiss first."

I smiled. "Make it a good one."

"Oh, was that a challenge?" He laughed. "Because, I'm up for it." He leaned in and brought his hands over my bum to my thighs. "Hop up." He said.

He lifted me up as I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his hips. He carried me into the kitchen and set me on the counter, so he was standing between my legs. I giggled at his playfulness. "I'm in a skirt, Edward." I laughed. "This is very unladylike."

"That's not always a bad thing." He said, winking at me, and making my tummy flip flop. He leaned in and brought his lips to mine. He was definitely going to make this kiss a good one.


	279. Anticipation

**A/N - Thank you for reading! We're still on Monday, July 12th, and we probably will be a for a couple more chapters! I'm getting caught up in the details, again. Speaking of, let's get to that kiss! Enjoy!**

Chapter 279 - Anticipation

Edward had me perched on the counter, and I was eagerly awaiting my kiss. He gently pressed his lips to mine and I hummed at the feeling. He had such soft lips, and I felt him smile against mine. He moved one hand up to the back of my head, and he wrapped the other around me, setting his palm gently on the small of my back. I brought my hands up and set them on his arms.

He first placed a couple of small, delicate kisses to my lips, before he licked my bottom lip. I tightened my grip on his biceps at the feeling. He smiled again, seemingly liking my reaction. This was the slowest kiss we had ever shared, but the anticipation was making it so much more intense.

He did it again, this time, licking my top lip. I tried to lean in, so he would just kiss me already, but he pulled back slowly. It was clear that he wanted to control this kiss, and he was enjoying himself. A lot.

He brought his lips back to mine with more pressure this time. Then he took my bottom lip into his mouth, sucking on it lightly. I opened my eyes in surprise. I had done that to him a couple of times, but he had never done it to me. My eyes met his, and his eyes were sparkling. He was definitely loving this.

He pulled back slightly before placing more light kisses on my lips and the corners of my mouth. He was savouring this kiss, making me smile, again. "Okay, that doesn't count. That was just my warm up." He chuckled, against my lips.

"Well, I'm enjoying it. Take your time." I whispered, bringing my hands over his chest and down his sides.

Edward placed a couple more kisses to my lips, before turning his head and really kissing me, as hard and deep as he ever had. Our tongues moved together, and I pulled Edward's body closer to me. He brought his hand from my hair, down the side of my body and along the top of my bare thigh.

He pulled back from my lips and started kissing along my jaw and over to my ear. He bit my ear lobe lightly, making me groan. "I love you." He whispered quietly in my ear, before tracing the shell of my ear with his tongue. He slowly moved his hand up my thigh, over to my hip, and around to my bum. He gave it a little squeeze, as he continued his trail of kisses down my throat. He stopped at my collarbone, swirling his tongue in the little dip.

"Edward." I breathed, leaning my head back against the cupboards. His mouth felt so good on my skin. He brought his other hand from my back to the top of my other thigh, and brought it back to my bum, to join his other hand. He trailed his lips over to my shoulder, then across my chest to my other shoulder.

He stood back up and smiled at me, before leaning in for a few more quick pecks. "Okay. I think I'm done." He laughed. "How was that?"

"My god, Edward. That was the best kiss I've ever had." I told him, smiling. I couldn't seem to get the smile off of my face. "But next time you start something like that, make sure to leave us some snuggle time after it." I teased.

Edward laughed. "Good point." He said, kissing my lips once more. "You are just so delicious, I couldn't stop."

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I love you, so much, baby." I told him, as he lifted me off of the counter. "Ready to go shopping?"

"Absolutely." He said, taking my hand. I grabbed my purse off the kitchen table and picked up my recipes, before we walked out to the car. Edward opened my door for me and kissed my lips before he shut the door. When he got in the driver's side, I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him towards me, so I could kiss him.

He chuckled when I let him go. "What did I do to deserve that?" He asked, smiling.

"You're just irresistible." I said, taking his hand, after he had put the car in drive. We drove to the grocery store and Edward parked out front.

"You got your lists?" He asked, opening my door for me.

"Yeah. I found a dessert recipe, too, to go with our dinner." I told him as we walked in the store.

"I can't wait." Edward said. I grabbed a shopping cart and started pushing it up and down the aisles. Edward stood behind me and put an arm on either side of me, holding onto the shopping cart handle. I was basically trapped between Edward and the cart. He leaned down to kiss my neck as we walked along the aisle.

"Edward. As good as that feels, I need to get some pasta sauce." I giggled.

"Fine." He sighed, moving his left arm to let me out, making me laugh. He winked at me, and smiled.

We worked our way through the grocery store, picking up everything on my list, except fresh mint. Apparently Forks doesn't have all the extras that the big cities have. It didn't really matter, as I just needed it for a garnish, but still.

"Baby, is there a good market close to our apartment in Seattle?" I asked him.

"I don't know, babe." He said, as we unloaded the groceries at the till. "I'm sure there would be. I mean it's right by the university. We'll have to snoop around when we're up there in August. If not, I'll drive you anywhere you want to go to find fresh mint." He said, winking. I giggled at that. It may have sounded like he was teasing, but knew he was absolutely serious.

Edward carried the bags to the trunk and we headed off to his house. It was lunchtime and I was getting hungry. "Edward. Do you want to stop somewhere to get lunch?" I asked him. I hated to impose on Esme all the time.

"Oh, um, my mom said she was making us lunch because you're making dinner, and to be home by noon." He said. "But, if you want to get something else, we can?"

"No, Edward. That's fine." I told him, smiling at how he would literally do anything for me. "I just didn't want to show up at your house expecting to be fed."

"Bella." He sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you that you are a part of the Cullen family, now? My whole family sees you that way. And I know this has been an issue for you all summer, but I really wish that you would believe me when I tell you that you aren't imposing. Ever." He squeezed my hand that he holding.

I smiled over at him, holding back the tears and nodded. "I know. I do believe you. Really." I said.

"Baby, don't cry." Edward said, looking upset with himself. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you."

He pulled over on the side of the highway and parked the car. He got out of the car and jogged around to my side, opening the door. He leaned over me and unbuckled my seatbelt, pulling me out of the car. He sat down in my seat and pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around me tightly, pulling me to his chest.

"I know you're not mad." I said into his neck. "I'm just touched that your family is so excepting of me." I told him.

He let out a deep sigh of relief and dropping his head back on the headrest. "God, Bella. Don't scare me like that." He chuckled, running his hand along my leg. "I hate the thought of making you cry."

"I'm not crying." I defended, blinking my eyes. Edward raised his eyebrow at me, and we both laughed.

"Why are you surprised that my family loves you? You're perfect for me." He said.

I giggled, kissing his neck. "Thank you, baby." I said. "I'm not surprised. It's just hard to get used to, even after so many weeks."

"What do I have to do?" Edward said, kissing the top of my head. "Do we need to fly down to Las Vegas right now? You could be a Cullen before the day is over."

I sat up and looked into his eyes. "Are you serious?" I asked him, looking into his eyes, trying to read his expression.

He laughed. "Well, I thought we'd wait a little longer, do it right, have the backyard reception, the lemon cake, our families there. But, if you really want to, Bella, we'll do it. I love you now and I'll love you forever." He said, reaching up to caress my cheek. "Even though I had the proposal planned out a little differently." He said under his breath.

I smiled, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "You have the proposal planned out?" I asked, surprised. Now I really did feel like I was going to cry. We had talked about marriage and I knew we were going to, but the idea that he was actually planning it out, made the whole thing real.

Edward chuckled. "Of course I do, angel." He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I told you that I think about you constantly; our wedding; what our life is going to be like together; everything. I love you with my whole heart and soul and you are the one for me, Bella. But, if we have to elope for you to see that, then we'll do it." He said, seriously.

I leaned in and kissed his lips. "Thank you, baby. I'm touched. Really. But, no, Edward. I want to do it right; exactly how you have this planned." I told him, making him smile.

"Baby, you're shaking." Edward said, pulling me close to his body, again. "Are you okay?"

"I'm excited, Edward." I told him, feeling his heart pounding in his chest, too. "I'm excited for our future."


	280. Traffic Stop

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! I'm glad you liked the kiss last chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 280 - Traffic Stop

Edward and I sat on the side of the road for another five minutes. He was just holding me to his chest and lightly caressing my leg with his fingertips. I loved being this close to him, just enjoying the feeling of his body against mine.

I was so excited that Edward had planned the proposal. I knew he talked about it all the time, but I was still anxious. When we were camping, I thought it was too soon. But, now a part of me wanted him to just ask me. Right. Now.

I loved Edward more than I thought it was possible to love someone else. He had shown me time and time again that he felt the same way about me. He was completely and utterly devoted to me. And while I had been nervous about the proposal before, now I couldn't wait for it. I knew we would be married before we finished university, but all this talk about Edward's plans made me want it now.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked me, softly, kissing the top of my head, again.

"How much I love you." I told him honestly.

"Aw, baby. I love you, too." He said. "I didn't freak you out, or anything, did I? You know, about the proposal?"

I sat up in his lap and turned to face him, placing my hands on his cheeks. I pressed a kiss to his soft lips and smiled. "No." I said. "I'm not freaked out."

Edward chuckled. "Well, that's good to hear." He said, leaning to press his forehead to mine. "I can't wait to make you mine." He whispered.

I pressed another kiss to his lips and smiled. Just then, I saw the flashing blue and red lights of a police car over Edward's shoulder. "Shoot." I whispered.

"What?" Edward said, turning around. "Oh." He chuckled. I stood up off of Edward's lap and he got out on the car. I smiled when I saw Paul get out of the car, and walk over to us in his uniform.

"Hey, guys. Is everything okay? Problems with the car?" He asked, giving me a quick hug, and giving Edward a half hug.

"No the car's fine. Bella and I were just talking and I couldn't concentrate on the road, so I pulled over." Edward told him.

"But, everything's good?" Paul double checked.

"We're fine." I reassured him.

"Okay, good." Paul said. "Next time, just put your flashers on, Edward. I mean there's not a lot of traffic on this road anyway, but just in case."

"Yeah." Edward said, shaking his head at himself. "For sure. Thanks, man."

"Yeah, no problem. Hey, has Jake called you guys, yet?" Paul asked.

"No." I said. "About what?"

"Oh, we're having bonfire down at the beach tomorrow night. I think it's his excuse to get frisky with some California girl, or something."

I laughed. "Vanessa?" Edward asked. "She seems like a great girl. We meet her last week. Jake looked pretty smitten."

"Oh, he's smitten alright. That guy's got it bad." Paul laughed. "Anyway, we're heading down there around seven. "You guys going to be there?"

Edward looked over at me. I smiled up at him. "It's fine with me, if you want to go." I told him. He was so cute. I loved that he always checked if I was okay with something, or comfortable with it, before he made a decision. It was sweet.

"Okay, man. For sure." Edward said, patting his shoulder. "Alright. We'll see you tomorrow night."

"Sounds good." Paul said, turning and walking back to his cruiser. Edward closed my door for me and then got back in the driver's side. Paul waited for us to pull out, before he honked and passed us, continuing up the road. Edward turned onto the road to his house.

"I feel really stupid, Bella." Edward said, as we drove to the house.

"Why?" I asked him, placing my hand on his knee.

"I shouldn't have just pulled over on the road like that. That was dangerous, and stupid." He was shaking his head at himself.

"No, it wasn't, Edward. If you couldn't focus on the road, like you told Paul, then it was a very smart thing to do." I reassured him. "I love you and I trust you. You only ever do what you think is best."

Edward nodded his head and we pulled up to the house. Edward put the car in park and just sat in his seat. "You, know, the way your sitting there looking all vulnerable, makes me want to climb over there, straddle your legs and kiss that look of doubt right off of your face." I told him.

"Mm, baby. Don't tease." Edward said, smiling.

I giggled. My distraction tactic had worked. "Who said I was teasing?" I flirted.

Edward smiled and leaned over to kiss my lips. "You and me have a date in my room, later." He said, before getting out of the car. I giggled as he walked around to open my door, giving me a kiss before getting the groceries out of the trunk.

We walked up to the house and immediately, Alice was there, wrapping her arms around my waist, squeezing me in at tight hug. "Hi, Bella. You're cooking for us this afternoon, right? Mom said, lunch is ready. Oh, hi, Edward." She got out all in one breath.

I laughed at how cute she was. She was dressed in a little jean skirt and a white and pink polka dot t-shirt. I ran my fingers through her soft hair. "Yes, I'm cooking this afternoon. Edward's got everything we need in those bags."

I took her hand and we followed Edward into the kitchen. I smiled as I watched Edward set the bags on the counter and then lean down to kiss his mom's cheek, making her smile.

"Good afternoon, kids." Esme said, coming over to give me a hug. "Are you hungry? I have lunch ready."

"Yeah. That would be great. Thank you so much." I told her.

"Of course, Bella." She said. "You kids go in the dining room and I'll just put your groceries in the fridge."

I looked up and Edward was joking with his brothers. Alice took my hand and we walked into the dining room together. Esme had a plate of vegetables and dip set out as well as a plate of sandwiches. She also had two pitchers of iced tea on the table. She was the perfect mom, and I wanted to be just like her. I couldn't wait to set out snacks for my kids on hot summer days, or after school. I smiled to myself. All this talk of engagements really had my mind focused of the future.

"Edward, why do you smell like flowers and perfume?" Emmett asked, before shoving a piece of broccoli in his mouth.

Edward's cheeks flushed a little, and I knew it was the massage oil that Emmett could smell. "It's just my lotion, Emmett." I told him, trying to rescue Edward from explaining about massage oil, especially in front of little Alice.

Emmett just chuckled, punching Edward in the shoulder. But, I was glad he let it go. "So, my coach phoned this morning." Emmett said. "I guess football practice starts on August ninth."

"Are you excited?" I asked him.

"Yeah. I like getting out there for sure, but now I have Rose, so it sort of sucks that I'll have less time to spend with her, you know?" He said. I admired his honesty.

"She'll be at your practices, Em." Jasper said. "Just like Maria came to mine."

"Yeah." He sighed. "Until ballet starts, again."

"I think it's nice that you both have something you love to do." I told him. "And Edward and I will come to as many practices as we can." We were there for Jasper's baseball practices and games, and I wanted to show the same support to Emmett with his football. We would be able to go to most of his practices in August, before we went back to Seattle.

"Yeah, that's cool." Emmett agreed. "The games are always on Friday nights, though, starting at the end of September." He said, looking at Edward hopefully.

"My class ends at ten in the morning, Em. We'll be able to make it home for game nights." Edward told him with a smile.

Emmett got out of his seat and gave Edward a hug. It was one of the sweetest things I had ever seen. The love in this family was beyond anything I had ever seen before. And, proving to me how much I was a part of this family, Emmett came over to me and pulled me into a hug, too.


	281. Giggles and Gossip

**A/N - Thanks, again, for being such awesome, dedicated readers! Enjoy!**

Chapter 281 - Giggles and Gossip

After we finished lunch, we all went to sit on the couch in the family room for a while. I didn't need to start cooking for a couple hours. Jasper turned on a baseball game and the guys were immediately talking about statistics and their favourite players, and a bunch of other things I didn't understand.

Alice sat beside me quietly for a minute, before she climbed off the couch and ran upstairs. I was about to go follow after her, when I saw her dragging her Barbie suitcase down the stairs. I giggled at little at cute she was. I hoped I had a daughter of my own one day. And when I did, I would be so lucky if she was as adorable as Alice.

She climbed back up onto the couch and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "This is boring. Do you want to play Barbies?"

I smiled at her. "Of course." I said, making her giggle. She unzipped her suitcase and pulled out four dolls, passing me two of them.

"They're dressed in the wrong outfits for dinner." Alice told me seriously. I lifted her suitcase up on the couch between us so she could reach the clothes.

"What do you think they should wear?" I asked her, wanting to hear some of her ideas.

"Um, I was thinking shorts and a nice top, or even a skirt, but not these long dresses that they had on from the fashion show." She told me. "Kind of like our outfits."

I laughed at how sugar sweet she was. I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. I seriously could not get enough of her. She was so smart. She looked up at me, absolutely glowing. "I think you're absolutely right." I told her.

We started rummaging through Alice's suitcase of outfits and talking about our favourites. "I like this black skirt." Alice said, sliding it on her doll with the red hair. "I don't have a skirt like this of my own. Do you have a black skirt, Bella?"

"Yeah. I have two of them, I think." I said, putting a denim skirt on the brunette doll I had. I wanted to dress her like Alice. "We'll have to go shopping sometime, Alice, so you can get a black skirt, too."

"Oh, don't encourage her, Bella." Emmett teased, tickling Alice's stomach, as he got up to go the kitchen.

"What does that mean?" Alice whispered to me.

"I means that Emmett thinks us girls go shopping too much." I whispered back to her.

"No, Emmett." Alice said, when her brother walked back in the room. "We do not go shopping too much. Because if we did, I would have a black skirt right now, and I don't. Even Bella has two. Right, Bella?"

"That's right, Alice." I said defending her.

Edward and Jasper were chuckling at her. Emmett came over and scooped his sister up his arms and kissed her cheek. "What do you need a black skirt for?" He asked her, holding her on his hip. She looked so tiny in Emmett's arms.

"I need it for dinner." She told him, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Edward leaned over and kissed my shoulder. "I love you." He whispered, before sitting back up. I smiled at him, and he winked at me. It was amazing how he just told me that he loved me for no reason at all.

Emmett set Alice back down on the couch and she pulled her skirt down. She looked over and me. "Boys." She said, so seriously, that I could help but start laughing. That got Alice going, and we both couldn't stop laughing.

Esme came into the family room with her camera and snapped a picture of Alice and I. I couldn't stop laughing once I had started. I looked at Alice, who stopped laughing, and giggled harder when she shrugged her shoulders at her mom, as if she didn't know why I was laughing.

Edward wrapped his arm around me, and I buried my face in his chest, trying to stop laughing. Edward body was shaking, so I knew my laugh was contagious. I saw another flash. Esme. I loved this family.

I took a deep breath, and sat up, kissing Edward's cheek. "I'm sorry." I said, letting out a deep breath.

"What was so funny, Bella?" Alice asked me.

"I just love you so much, Alice. You are so cute." I told her.

"I know." She said, before picking up a blue shirt to put on her Barbie.

The next couple hours passed the same way. Alice and I talked Barbie clothes and pretended they went to the grocery store, which was the coffee table, while the boys kept watching their game.

At three o'clock, I got up to go start dinner. "Baby. Do you need any help?" Edward asked. I looked at him and his brothers together on the couch, having fun watching the game together. There was no way I would take Edward from them, even if he could help me.

"No, babe. You watch the game with the boys." I whispered in his ear. "Let me cook for you." I leaned in and sucked his earlobe into my mouth, before nipping it lightly. "You can pay me back later." I said so softly that no one else would be able to hear me.

Edward groaned, but then cleared his throat, to disguise it. It was such a sexy sound, that I had to get away from him, before I pulled him up the stairs. I ran my fingers through his hair, lightly scratching his scalp, before I turned and walked to the kitchen. I looked back over my shoulder and Edward was watching me with a look of what I would call desire on his face. I loved it.

When I got to the kitchen, Esme was sitting at the island, reading a gardening magazine. She smiled when she looked up and saw me. "Hi, sweetheart. Are you starting dinner?" She asked, closing her magazine.

"Yeah. I thought I would get started." I told her.

"Would you like some help?" She asked. "I've missed you, Bella. You know, just spending time together."

"Aw." I said, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry." I felt really bad about not spending time with Esme. I had been in Denver with my mom, and now that my dad was dating Heidi, I was spending a lot of time with her, as well.

At the start of the summer, I didn't have any female role models and Esme filled that role for me happily. But, now, things were working out with my mom and I felt the need to share things with Heidi as well. Because, based on the way things were going with her and my dad, I would have a step mom, soon.

I did not, however, want to lose the relationship I had built with Esme. She was, after all, going to be my mother in law, someday soon.

"Oh, sweetie. Don't apologize. You are a busy a girl and you're loved by so many people. I understand." She told me, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Now, let's get to work." She laughed. "And you know what I like to hear when I'm cooking?"

I giggled. "What's that?"

"Juicy gossip." She said, winking at me, and looking a little mischievous, as we stood at the sink and washed our hands. "What do you got?"

I laughed. "I love you, Esme." I said.

"I love you, too, sweetheart." She said. "Now stop getting mushy. I want some dirt." She winked, bumping my hip with hers.

"Um, let's see. Like how juicy?" I asked, blushing a little.

"Pretend I'm you're best friend." She laughed.

"You are one of my best friends." I said. She raised her eyebrow up at me, making me laugh.

"Okay, but promise me you won't tell anyone." I said, and she nodded. "You know that bag from Victoria's Secret that Emmett was teasing us about? Well, Edward bought me panties." I admitted, my face on fire.

"That's so cute." She said, smiling. "You know. I have a confession to make. I've seen the gorgeous blue baby doll you had in Edward's closet."

I giggled in embarrassment. "That was for his birthday." I told her, still beet red.

"Oh, that's sweet." She said. "Okay. I'll tell you a story." She started as we put the water on the stove and started grating cheese for the pasta. "When Carlisle and I were dating, and things started to get serious, he bought me a gift. I was in his room and he handed me a box. It was gorgeous black lace bra and panty set. But, I could never wear it."

"What? Why not?" I asked, feeling less embarrassed, now that she was sharing something with me.

"Well, one of Carlisle's friends told him that you should buy a girl a small size, so she thinks that her boyfriend sees her as thin." She said, rolling her eyes at the absurdity of the idea. "So, the underwear was way too tight, and apparently, he bought the bra too big to prove that he believed I was well endowed." She started laughing. "I mean, look my chest, Bella. There is no way that these are a C cup." She giggled.

I laughed with her. I was really starting to enjoy this tradition of gossiping while cooking.


	282. Family and Favourites

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 282 - Family and Favourites

Esme and I followed all the recipes and cooked for about two hours, just talking and laughing. I confessed to her about Edward having the proposal planned out, and she nearly cried. "I had the same reaction." I told her. "But, I have no idea what he has planned, or when he's going to do it."

"Oh, Bella." Was all she could say, pulling me into a hug. "You're going to be my daughter."

Edward came into the kitchen to get a drink, and he looked back and forth between me and his mom. He chuckled and shook his head. "Bella. Did you tell her about what I said in the car?"

I bit my lip and looked up at him, nodding. At first I thought that maybe he didn't want me to say anything to anyone, but the smile on his told me that I should have known he wouldn't have cared.

He smiled and walked over to us, wrapping an arm around each me and Esme, pulling us both into a hug. He kissed his mom's cheek, and then leaned in and kissed my lips. "Oh, you two." Esme said. "Edward, sweetie, I'm so excited."

"I can see that, mom." Edward laughed. "But, don't go making out the invitations. I haven't even asked her, yet." Edward smiled and winked at me, as he let us go and went to the fridge to get a root beer. I giggled. I could only imagine how she was going to react when Edward actually did propose.

Esme and I took the dishes and cutlery into the dinning room and started setting the table. "I really enjoyed that, Bella." She said, with a smile. "We're going to have to cook together again, soon."

"Oh, definitely." I said. "I would love that. Oh, and of course, more gossip."

Esme laughed. "Exactly." She said, as we went back in the kitchen to clean up. "Remind me next time to tell you all about how Carlisle proposed to me."

"Oh, that's not fair." I giggled. "I want to hear that story so much."

She smiled. "Well, I have the big family reunion coming up in about two weeks, if you want to help me cook for dozens of hungry people."

I went over to her and gave her a big hug. "I would love to help you, Esme. Just think of the gossip you can share with me if we have that much cooking." I teased.

She laughed. "For sure, sweetie. You have a lot to learn about the families before they get here. I'll bet Edward can't wait to show you off."

"Should I be nervous?" I asked her. "I mean, I remember Edward telling me how many aunts, uncles and cousins he has."

"Oh, no, Bella. They're all great. It should be a lot of fun."

After we cleaned up, we still had about a half hour before my dad and Heidi would be getting here for dinner. Carlisle came in the kitchen, smiling. "Hello, ladies. Dinner smells great." He said, giving me a quick hug, before taking Esme in his arms and pulling her to his chest. He pressed a long kiss to her lips, and I smiled. They were such an amazing couple, and so in love. I snuck out of the kitchen to leave them alone.

I went into the family room, and I bit back a giggle. Alice was asleep on the couch, and Emmett and Jasper were reading comic books. Edward was reading his cat book, again. I couldn't get over how cute he was. When he wanted something, he truly dedicated himself to it. He'd spent the last month thoroughly studying up on cat care. Little Robert was going to be a lucky kitten with a daddy like Edward.

"Hey, baby." Edward said, setting his book down. "You got a few minutes before dinner?" He asked, winking at me.

"Yeah. We have about a half hour until my dad and Heidi get here." I said. "How was the game?" I asked the boys.

"The White Sox won." Jasper told me, smiling. "It was a great game, and the last one before the all-star game."

"That's great, Jasper." I told him.

Edward got up and took my hand, leading me upstairs. "We have a half hour alone, baby." Edward whispered in my ear. "I've been waiting all afternoon for this."

I giggled. "You had me all morning." I told him, as he shut and locked his bedroom door. "Have you forgotten your fashion show so quickly?" I teased.

"Oh, god, no, sexy." He said, dragging me to his bed. "You know I will never forget that moment."

"I certainly hope not." I giggled, as we climbed onto his bed.

Edward pulled me close to him, burying his nose in my hair. He took a deep breath, and chuckled. "Your hair smells like Italian food."

I giggled. "You won't be complaining when you're eating that dinner." I said, leaning in to kiss his neck. I nibbled at his skin, tasting him.

"Oh, babe." He groaned, lightly moving his hand down my side to rest low on my hip.

I rolled over half on top of him, dipping my hand under his t-shirt, and moving my hand across my abs. I kept sucking on his neck, moving up to behind his ear. Edward was making all kinds of glorious sounds.

He moved his fingers down over my bum and then under my skirt. He squeezed my bum, pulling me closer to him. He moved his fingers down the back of my thighs, making me shiver. I pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"Was that not okay?" He asked, moving his hand back to my hip.

"No, Edward. That was okay." I told him. "Just new." I leaned in and pressed my lips to his, trying to kiss him. He pushed me back lightly, and rolled over on top of me.

"I'm sorry. I think I'm pushing things a lot today." He whispered, pressing little innocent kisses over my cheeks.

I smiled up at him, sliding the palms of my hands up and down his strong arms. "It's alright, Edward." I told him. "I love that we can get carried away with each other."

"I know, honey, but I don't want to let myself get too carried away with you." Edward said. "There is still so much more we have to learn. We're still figuring out what we like and what we like to do to each other."

"Well, we're not going to learn if we don't try, Edward." I told him. I couldn't really understand what he was trying to say.

"Oh, I know, beautiful." He said, finally placing a kiss on my lips. I brought my hands up to his face and held his lips to mine, so I could deepen the kiss. I knew that I liked Edward's kisses.

"Mm, Bella, mm." He was trying to talk to me, but I kept kissing him. I couldn't get enough of his taste, his touch and the feel of his skin.

He chuckled a little and pulled back. "I'm not saying we have to stop, baby." He told me, reaching up and caressing my cheek. He kissed my lips once more. "What I'm trying to say is that we have forever, Bella. We don't need to rush things. I'm not going anywhere. We can experiment and try new thing with each other, but we don't need to do it all in one day, okay?"

"Okay." I agreed. I understood what he was saying, now. We had taken a major step this morning, and I figured that Edward was worried if we did too much all at once, that we might not be able to handle it. And that made sense. We both lacked a lot in experience.

"Can I ask you what your favourite thing is that I do to you and what your favourite thing is to do to me?" Edward asked, sitting up, cross legged on his bed. I sat up and mirrored his position. He reached out and took my hands in his, setting them on his thighs, and lightly tracing his fingers over them.

I blushed and looked down at our hands. It was so much easier to just do things, than it was to talk about. "Um." I giggled. I looked up into Edward's eyes and he was smiling at me, supportively. I was embarrassed, but I knew he would never judge me or laugh at me. I let out a deep breath. "Okay, I love when you hold my hands." I told him. "That is my favourite thing that you do. Where we're just sitting on the couch, or walking, or, you know, trying things in bed, when you hold my hands, I feel like I'm connected with you completely. I feel like no matter what happens, you're there with me."

Edward smiled and leaned in to kiss my lips. "Is that what you mean?" I asked.

"Bella, that was beautiful. I'm so glad you shared that with me." Edward said, taking hold of my hands. "Have I done that, enough?" He asked, looking like he was deep in thought.

I smiled up at him. "Yes, Edward. I don't even know if you notice you're doing it or not, but you take my hands and I feel so loved. Well, that is when your hands aren't, you know, touching me." I blushed, again. "And, my favourite thing to do to you is to kiss you. I could kiss you forever, Edward, and it would never be enough"

Edward smiled at my admission, before leaning in close, so I could press a kiss to his beautiful, soft lips. I couldn't wait to hear what Edward's favourites were.


	283. A Moment and A Mystery

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

**~Sorry this is up late! Technical problems with the site all weekend! Thank you all so much for worrying about me and for your dedication to this story! You are all amazing! Here is Saturday's chapter!~**

Chapter 283 - A Moment and A Mystery

Edward and I kissed for a couple minutes, before I leaned back. "I love your lips, Edward." I whispered. "And if I don't stop now, I'm never going to stop."

"I'm not complaining." He chuckled, leaning back in to try to kiss me, again.

"Oh, no you don't." I teased. "I want to hear what your favourites are."

He smiled. "Okay, but can I have one more kiss?"

I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. "There." I giggled, making Edward laugh.

"That's not the kind of kiss I had in mind." He said, reaching up to trace his thumb over my bottom lip.

"Well, get talking and we can get back to kissing." I told him, rubbing my hands on his thighs.

"Alright. Well, I love it every time you touch me, but my absolute favourite thing that you do to me, is when you bite my earlobe." He confessed. "I can feel it everywhere, and it's amazing. The first time you did it, we were on the beach and I was carrying you on my back. It honestly shocked me, but I seriously can't get enough of it."

As Edward told me this, I cold feel myself blushing. But I loved that I could do something to him that he enjoyed so much. "Oh, can I have two favourites?" He asked, lightly caressing my warm cheek.

"Okay." I agreed.

"Your fingernails." He said, smiling. "I love when you scratch my back, or my head, or my arms. It feels incredible."

"So, biting and scratching, huh?" I asked, leaning over to kiss him once more.

"Yes." He agreed, winking at me. "And, my favourite thing to do to you, hmm. That's tough to pick just one, because you have such a gorgeous body and I love to touch you."

"You made me pick." I said, reaching up to run my nails lightly over his forearms.

"Uh, Bella. That's distracting." He chuckled. "Okay, I think my favourite thing to do to you, is to taste you. I love to lick and suck on your skin. You always taste so sweet."

"God, Edward." I said laying back and pulling his hand. He smiled and let me pull him on top of me. I grabbed his head and brought his lips to mine, so I could kiss him as hard as possible. It was clear from Edward's admissions that he liked when I was a little rougher with him. It was amazing, because he was always so gentle with me.

He groaned into the kiss and brought his hands down to my legs, moving so he could bring my legs up on either side of his hips. He pulled back and I bit at his bottom lip, making him close his eyes. "Bella." He whispered before leaning down to lick at my neck.

I reached under his t-shirt and started lightly scratching his back, making him groan, again. He was getting louder all the time, and I loved it. Every sound he made me feel so good. He started pressing his body into mine, making me gasp. He brought his lips back to mine and pressed them with a couple of light kisses. He slid his hands down my legs from my knees to my bum, along the back of my thighs.

I felt good all over when Edward touched me. He moved his hands back to my hips to hold me closer to his body. I felt like I couldn't concentrate. He was igniting so many feelings in me, in so many places at once. I think I was just holding onto his shoulders now, with my head thrown back.

Edward was breathing on my neck and holding my hips, tightly to his. "Bella. God. Uh. I love you." He was whispering in my ear between breaths. He turned his head to kiss me, again.

I couldn't believe we were doing this, again. Edward's parents were home, and my dad and Heidi were going to be in here in ten minutes, but I was too far gone to really care. Edward collapsed on top of me, and started kissing my neck.

I started giggling a little. "Edward. I think we're a little out of control, today." I said, running my fingers through his hair.

He laughed. "We are. But, I can't help it, sexy girl." He said, kissing my lips once more. "You are so amazing."

"You are the amazing one, Edward." I said, smiling.

"Okay, babe. I'm going to go get cleaned up, before dinner." Edward said, rolling off me. "Being the guy isn't always that great." He chuckled. I blushed a little, but smiled, as Edward walked to his drawer before going into his bathroom.

I laid back on the bed and stretched my arms up over my head. I absolutely loved that Edward and I were so close, and could make each other feel so good, even with all of our clothes on. But I was even more worried about facing our families now than I was this morning.

Edward walked out of the bathroom, and came over to me, smiling. His hair was a little wild, and his cheeks were a little flushed. "You think after doing that twice today, I would be tired, but you look so sexy lying there on my bed, Bella." He said tracing his fingers up the side of my leg.

I giggled. "Edward, no. My dad is going to be here any minute now." I said.

Edward chuckled, and leaned in to kiss my lips. "I love you, Bella."

I smiled up at him. "I love you." I said, getting up on my knees and wrapping my arms around his neck. He rested his cheek on my chest and I ran my fingers through his hair.

"You're okay, though, right?" Edward asked. "I mean, that wasn't too much, too fast?"

I leaned down and kissed his temple. "Yeah, I feel amazing. I'm okay. I promise." I told him.

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off the bed and onto his lap. "Good." He said, smiling, and kissing my lips. "Just promise that you will please tell me if you ever don't want to do any like that, okay? I'll always stop, Bella."

I kissed his lips, again. "I will, Edward. And the same goes for you." I told him.

He chuckled. "I can guarantee that that will never come up." He told me with a wink.

I laughed. "Okay, I'm going to go see if I can fix myself up before dinner." I said getting up off his lap.

"You look beautiful, Bella." He said, smiling. I smiled back, before going into his bathroom. I looked in the mirror. I had the same flushed cheeks as Edward, but my hair was a mess. I grabbed my hairbrush and pulled through the tangles. I splashed some cold water on my face, and put on a fresh coat of lips gloss. I straightened my clothes, and smiled at my reflection.

I decided that I had to stop worrying about what everyone thought. I was an adult and I was happy and in love. Did it matter that anyone knew we were fooling around up here? I was starting to realize that it didn't. I had taken care of everyone else, my entire life, and now, I was finally happy. My dad loved and trusted Edward. Esme and Carlisle treated me like a daughter. They would not judge me.

I walked back into Edward's room and found him sitting at his desk at his laptop. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, trying to peak over his shoulder. But, he quickly closed the screen before I could see anything. "Sorry." I said, to him, kissing his cheek.

"No, no. It's okay." He said, turning his head to kiss mt lips. "It's just something I'm working on." He said, standing up and taking my hand.

"Well, that sounds mysterious." I giggled.

He laughed. "It's not. I just, well, you'll find out soon, okay?" He said, trying to reassure me.

"Okay." I laughed. "Don't get so nervous. I trust you, Edward." I told him as we walked down the stairs for dinner.

"I know." He said, smiling. "Thank you for that."

"Of course, babe." I said, as we walked into the family room. All of the Cullens were sitting together, and it looked like my dad and Heidi weren't here yet. So, I left Edward with his family and went into the kitchen to check on dinner. Esme was just slipping on a pair of oven mitts as I walked in.

"Hi, Bella." She said, with a smile. "Perfect timing. I think the stuffed pasta is ready."

"Oh, that's great." I said, walking over to the oven. I opened the door for her and she pulled the pans out. I slid the pesto covered bread slices into the oven, to get them crispy. The Italian dinner seemed to have been successful.

Esme walked over to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "It looks like we pulled it off, sweetheart."


	284. Interesting Evening

**A/N - Okay...So here is Sunday's chapter! I am still having trouble with the site, but someone figured out a way to bypass the error. I'm unsure if you are getting notifications or alerts, though! I need my fan fiction! Thank you again for all the great messages! Oh...and it's still Monday, July, 12th, 2010 in the story! Enjoy! **

Chapter 284 - Interesting Evening

Esme and I had just finished putting the baked bread on plates and taking it into the dining room, when I heard the doorbell ring. My dad and Heidi were here. Today had been a great day, but a very long one. It felt like so long since I had seen my dad, so I was excited for this dinner and the time we were about to spend together.

I walked out into the family room and smiled. My dad and Heidi were still in uniform. It looked like they came straight from work. "Hey, kiddo." My dad, said, walking over to give me a hug. "Dinner smells great."

I hugged him back tightly. "Thanks, daddy. I missed you today." I told him.

"I missed you, too." He said, kissing my forehead.

Heidi pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. "You're glowing." She whispered into my ear. I felt myself blush, as she looked at me. I just smiled at her. We would have to talk about this later, for sure. I knew that people could read my face. But, it was a good thing that I decided that I didn't care anymore. I was glowing because I was in love.

We all walked into the dining room and sat down for dinner. Mine and Esme's version of Aro's Italian recipes turned out amazingly. Everyone complimented us on a job well done. I loved when our families were together. Everyone got along with each other so well. There was talking and laughing and no one seemed uncomfortable. I think because Heidi had gone camping with us, she seemed to fit right in with the Cullens. I honestly felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

I got up to get dessert, and I noticed Esme and Heidi look at each other, before offering to help and getting up to follow me into the kitchen. I braced myself, because I knew what was coming. They wanted to have girl talk.

I turned the stove on to reheat the chocolate, when I felt an arm around my waist.

"Okay, Bella." I heard Heidi's voice say softly in my ear. "Are you going to give us the details? You and Edward both look a little flushed."

I giggled and turned around, looking at both Heidi and Esme. "Nope." I said, laughing. I thought I would tease them a little.

"Bella." Esme whined, playfully. "We know something happened." I laughed a little more.

"I'm not going to deny it." I told them, stirring the melted chocolate.

"Are you being careful, Bella?" Heidi asked. "Do you need to ask us any questions? With that comment, I blushed, again.

"Um, no questions, yet." I told her.

"I'm not trying to embarrass you, Bella." She said, setting out the bowls of fruit Esme had in the fridge.

"Oh, I know you're not. And appreciate that you care so much about me. But, while Edward and I are trying things, we're not going that far, yet." I told her. And I really did love both Esme and Heidi for caring so much about me.

"Okay, but remember that I'm here for you and Heidi is here, too, if you ever need to talk." Esme said, as we drizzled the fruit with the almond flavoured chocolate.

"Thank you both." I said. "But, I'm still not giving you any details." I giggled, taking a couple a bowls and heading back into the dining room. I heard Esme and Heidi laughing in the kitchen behind me.

While I loved having them to confide in and ask advice from, there were things that I wanted to keep private. As Edward and I moved forward, I felt like what we did together was our business. I loved that we could make each other feel good and I felt like those emotions that we shared were ours alone. I wanted to talk to him about that, too.

I set a bowl in front of Alice and one in front Edward. I leaned in and kissed Edward's temple. "I love you." I whispered in his ear, making him smile.

The fruit was so delicious, and based on everyone's reactions, the dessert was a success.

Over dessert, my dad asked if we had any plans for the week and we told him that Paul had invited us to a bonfire down at the beach with some of the boys tomorrow night. He frowned a little, and I knew it was the dad in him being overly protective.

"Which beach?" He asked, and Heidi reached over and patted his arm, as if to prevent him from getting upset.

"I don't know what it's called." I said. "The one where the surf shop is." I told him. "It's at seven, dad. And I know of at least two policemen that are going to be there, Paul and Jake." I said, trying to reassure him.

"We won't stay too late, sir." Edward added, taking my hand on the table. "You know I won't let go of her."

My dad chuckled. "I know you won't, Edward." My dad said. "I'm sorry, Bells. I just hear my little girl say bonfire and I panic." I opened my mouth to say something, and he lifted his hand to stop me. "I know, you're not a little girl."

"That sounds wicked." Emmett said. "I've never been to a bonfire."

"No, Emmett." Esme said. "Wait until next year, when you're eighteen, okay?"

"Mom." Emmett whined. Esme gave him that mom look that meant he might as well not ask anymore. "Okay." He mumbled.

I let out a deep breath. I didn't mean to cause so many problems by bringing up the bonfire. Edward wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big hug, kissing my cheek. I started giggling, and I turned to kiss his lips.

I heard Alice laughing at us, and I turned to smile at her. I leaned over to give her a hug and big kiss on the cheek, making her giggle even more. Esme was looking over at us smiling.

"So, boys, I was talking to your dad on the phone this afternoon, and if you're still interested in going to the shooting range, he said it would be alright with him." My dad said to Emmett and Jasper.

The boys were so cute. They looked at each other, smiling, and then back at my dad. It was clear that Emmett was over not being able to go to the bonfire already. "That would be so cool, Charlie." Emmett said. "When can we go?"

"Well, is Wednesday evening good for you?" My dad asked. "We could pick up some burgers and go try it out for a couple hours."

"Awesome." Emmett said.

"Thank you, Charlie." Jasper said.

"What do say, Bells? You want to show these Cullen boys how to shoot?" My dad asked me with a smile.

"Of course, dad." I said, smiling. I loved spending time with him, so I was glad that he suggested it.

"Well, Bella, Esme, that was great dinner." Carlisle said, smiling. "You'll have to thank your mother's friend for sharing the recipes."

"Oh, I'm sure Aro would love to hear that you enjoyed it." I said.

Esme, Heidi and I cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher together. Edward came in the kitchen and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "We haven't given them their souvenirs from Denver, yet. Should I go get them?" I looked up at him and nodded. I had totally forgotten about them. We had been so tired yesterday from the flight, that my dad and I went straight home after dinner. And, today, well, today, had been an adventure for Edward and I.

Edward smiled at me and ran upstairs to his room to get the souvenirs. When he came back down, we got everyone in the family room and passed out the mugs for our parents and the fudge for Edward's brothers. Edward clasped the gold leaf necklace on Alice. She loved it, and looked so pretty. Everyone also got a kick out of the Colorado pens that Edward bought them at the airport. I giggled, thinking about when he bought them as a souvenir back ups.

My dad looked tired, so we decided to head home. It had been an interesting evening to say the least. Edward pulled me close to his body at the door and leaned down to kiss me goodnight. "I love you so much, baby. Thank you for today. I'll never forget it." He whispered in my ear.

I smiled up at him, and then kissed his chin. "Me, neither." I said. "I love you. Will you come over, tomorrow morning?"

"Of course." He said, giving me one more kiss.

I heard the truck horn honk, and I turned to see my dad and Heidi in the car. Edward chuckled. "Okay, baby. I'll see you soon. I miss you already." I told him.

"I do, too." He said, spanking me lightly. "Love you."


	285. No Plans

**A/N - So, here is today's chapter! We did it...we're back on track! Tomorrow...everything will be back to normal! Thank goodness! What a rough weekend! Thank you for all sticking with me! Enjoy!**

Chapter 285 - No Plans

I got in the truck and my dad, Heidi and I all drove home. I figured Heidi was staying over tonight. "So, dad. What's the big deal about the bonfire?" I asked him on the drive home. "Why are you so worried about it?"

"Oh, I'm sorry about that, by the way." My dad said, looking over at me, looking a little sheepish.

"It's okay, dad. You're worried, and that's alright, but I just wanted to know if you know something that I don't. Should I not go?" I asked. If my dad was that worried, than I didn't want to keep pressing the issue.

"No, Bells. Go and have fun." He said. "It's just that a few yews back, there was a bonfire and there was a lot of drinking and some kids got hurt. So, I naturally just panicked, that's all."

"That's horrible. But, dad, you know Edward and I wouldn't drink and I would leave if things were getting out hand." I told him.

"I know, kiddo." He said. "But, you're right. Paul and Jake will be there, and if we can't trust cops, who can we trust?"

Heidi laughed and patted his leg. When we got home, I decided to just go straight up to bed. I was so tired. After hugs to my dad and Heidi, I went up to my room, stripped out of my clothes and pulled on my Arizona t-shirt. I quickly used the bathroom, washed my face and brushed my teeth, before flopping into my bed. I was going to text Edward, but I passed out before I could reach for my phone.

I woke up to the smell of bacon. I smiled as I stretched in my bed. It was kind of nice to have Heidi over sometimes. While I loved taking care of my dad, I didn't mind the break from time to time. I got up and had a quick shower, before getting dressed in a pair of jean Capris and a black t-shirt, and French braiding my hair.

I headed downstairs to find my dad and Heidi sitting together at the kitchen table, and laughing after Heidi kissed my dad's cheek. "Good morning, lovebirds." I teased, coming over to sit at the table.

"Good morning, kiddo." My dad said. "Have a good sleep?"

"Yeah. I think was still pretty tired from the trip to Denver, you know. We've done so much travelling this summer." I said, resting my cheek on my hand. "I think I'd be happy to just stay here for the next six or seven weeks."

My dad smiled. "I'm glad to hear that." He said. "So, any plans for the day?"

I looked up at Heidi and she was holding back a smile. I knew what she thought Edward and I would be doing today. Okay. So I couldn't really blame her. Edward and I were quite frisky yesterday.

"I don't know. Just hanging around, I guess." I told them. "I'll make dinner here before Edward and I go out tonight, though. You are coming home, tonight, right?" I asked, unsure if he had planned on going to Heidi's or not.

"Yeah, we'll be here." He said, making me smile.

"Okay, great. I'll see if Edward wants to eat here." I said. "Maybe we can double date." I said giggling, making my dad laugh.

"Sounds great." He said. We finished our breakfast, and my dad and Heidi headed off to work. I stood by the door to wave at them and smiled when Edward pulled up.

He waved at Heidi and my dad as he walked up to the door. He was holding a yellow gerbera daisy, and had a breathtaking smile on his face. He was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of khaki cargo shorts. And, he looked delicious.

"Good morning, gorgeous." He said, pressing a soft kiss to my lips, before passing me the flower.

"Good morning, babe." I said, wrapping my arm around his waist, and giving him a hug. "Thank you. This is beautiful." I said.

"You're welcome, sugar." He said, leaning down to kiss me, again.

I took his hand and pulled him in the house. I went in the kitchen and put the flower in a vase. Edward came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, holding me to his chest. "So, beautiful. What do you want to do today?" Edward asked leaning down to kiss my cheek.

"Mm. I just want you to hold me." I told him.

"Sounds good to me." He said. "In your room?"

"Yeah." I agreed. We took each others' hands and walked up to my room. I slipped off my Capris and climbed onto my bed. I wasn't going to lounge around in jeans.

"Wow. Zebra stripes." Edward chuckled, looking at my underwear. "Sexy." He said, climbing in beside me.

I giggled. "You picked them out." I said, curling into his side and rubbing his hard stomach with my hand.

"I have good taste." He said, wrapping his arm around me and placing it on my bum. "I can't wait until we can sleep together." He mused.

"What?" I asked sitting up a little to look at his face.

Edward's face flushed. "I just meant at night, you know, so I can hold you when we go to bed. God, Bella. I didn't mean sex. I mean, I'm not saying that I don't want to, because, I'm very attracted to you, and it's going to be great when it happens, but that's not what I meant. I promise." Edward rambled. It was so adorable. He had brought his other hand up and was gripping his hair.

I inched up so I was closer to his face and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. "It's okay, Edward. I know what you meant." I said, kissing him once more.

He shook his head and chuckled a little. "That just came out wrong." He said softly.

"It happens." I said, snuggling back into his chest. "I can't wait for both." I admitted.

"Really?" He asked, kissing the top of my head.

"Yeah. These last few days have been incredible." I told him. "I love how you make me feel."

"I'm right there with you, baby." He said, bringing his hand back to my bum.

"Last night, your mom and Heidi kept trying to get me to tell them why we looked so happy." I told him.

"Oh, god, baby. I'm sorry for leaving you alone with them." Edward said. "What did you tell them?"

"I told them that I wasn't giving them any details. I want what we do to be ours and no one else's." I told him, tossing my leg over his thighs and looking up at his face.

He smiled down at me. "I like that." He agreed. "Because I don't know if I'm doing it wrong." He chuckled.

"I don't think we can do it wrong, can we?" I asked.

"I wouldn't know." He chuckled. "I just know that I love you and I want to make you feel amazing every time I touch you."

"Edward, I feel amazing every time you look at me." I told him honestly, making him smile. "Did you, um, want to do anything, now? I mean, you know, physical?"

Edward leaned in to kiss me. "Why don't I just rub your back?" He suggested, reaching down to pull my shirt up and over my head and arms. I smiled at him, reaching behind myself to unclasp my bra. "I don't want you to think that just because we did what we did yesterday, that we have to do that all the time. We should just let things happen when it feels right. No planning."

I straddled Edward's legs and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I love you." I whispered into his ear before sucking on his ear lobe. He groaned, bringing his hands back to my bum cheeks. I started nipping at his ear and neck.

"Bella." He breathed. "Should I have told you my weakness was your teeth?"

I laughed. "I'm glad you did." I said, giving his lobe another bite.

"I'm supposed to be giving you a back rub." His voice was strained and he brought one hand up my back slowly and then back down.

"No planning." I giggled, before bringing our lips back to touch. I gave him a few kisses, each one getting harder and harder until we were lost in each other, again. We pulled back breathless and Edward was smiling.

He started to traced the palms of his hands up and down my bare sides from my hips to bottom swells of my breasts. "You are so sexy." He whispered, leaning in to lick my shoulder. I smiled. Who needed plans?


	286. Massage

**A/N - Happy Tuesday! I'm so happy to be back! Thank you for hanging in there with me. That's four chapters up in the last 24 hours...make sure you haven't miss one! Enjoy!**

Chapter 286 - Massage

I was sitting on Edward's lap in nothing but a pair of zebra print panties. And he was fully dressed. He smiled at me and shook his head. "How did I get so lucky?" Edward asked. "I mean, look at you. My god, Bella. You are just perfect."

I felt my cheeks flush, and I brought my arm across my chest. The moment just felt really intense. "I'm not perfect." I said quietly.

"Yes, you are." He said, lightly tracing his fingers up and down from my shoulders to my elbows, making me shiver. He didn't try to move my arm from my chest, and I appreciated that so much. He never tried to rush me, or make me feel uncomfortable. "I have never seen such a beautiful woman." He whispered, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Thank you." I told him, moving my arm from in front of me. I wasn't uncomfortable around Edward, but I had my moments of insecurity. I reached down and pulled his shirt up, so I could lean in and kiss his bare chest.

He pulled his shirt off the rest of the way, and wrapped his arms around me, pushing our chests together. I closed my eyes at the sensation, and when I opened them, I noticed Edward's were closed, too. I brought my lips to his for a gentle kiss and he smiled. I kissed along his lips and his chin.

"You okay?" He asked, rubbing my back.

"Yeah. I'm good." I told him. "I love how your skin feels against mine." I brought my hands up to his hair and ran my fingers through it.

"Oh, Bella." He whispered. "I know what you mean. Just holding you feels good, but when our skin touches, it is so much more intense."

He laid back on the bed, and then rolled us over, so my back was on the bed. He got up and left the room, coming back it with a big bath towel. He went to grab the massage oil from my dresser and I laid the towel on the bed before laying back down on my stomach.

"You're really loving that stuff, aren't you." I teased.

"Absolutely. It just gives me more of an excuse to touch you." He said climbing back onto the bed and straddling my thighs.

"You don't need an excuse, babe." I told him. "Do you want me to lay on my stomach?" I asked, unsure of what he had planned.

"Not yet." He said, smiling, and making me blush. He reached up and caressed my cheek. "Remember to tell me if you want me to stop." I nodded. I had no idea what he was going to do.

He poured a tiny bit of oil into his hand and then picked up my right hand. He kissed my promise ring, before he started massaging my hand. It felt really good, and I was enjoying the view. Edward was shirtless and I could lay here all day and watch his muscles flex with each small movement. He moved his way up my arm, and then back down. He repeated that on the other arm, before he got some more oil and started lightly rubbing my stomach and sides. I tensed up, because I knew what was coming, and Edward immediately took his hands off of me, talking my hands, again.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked, squeezing my hands.

I bit my lip. I really didn't want him to stop. "No." I told him. "Don't stop."

He smiled at me, always looking so supportive. He poured more oil on his hands and started rubbing my shoulders, before moving slowly down my chest. He was being so gentle, touching me so lightly, yet my body felt like it was on fire. I closed my eyes so I could enjoy his touch.

"Does that feel okay?" Edward asked, and all I could do was moan in response. I heard him chuckle. "I'm going to take that as a yes." He said to himself.

He leaned down and started kissing my neck, my oiled body pressing into his. "Roll over." He whispered into my ear, before standing over me on his knees so I could turn. I did as I was told and moved to my stomach. "Good girl." He said, making me shiver.

He was acting incredibly self confident and a little bit dominant with me, right now. I honestly liked it. When he was in control, I felt safe. It was the same feeling that I got when he laid on top of me.

He started rubbing my shoulders and back and I couldn't hold back the groan. His hands felt incredible. He got to my lower back and I felt his hands slow down. He stopped moving and I was just about to ask him if he was okay, when I felt him start to slowly pull my underwear down.

I wished I could see his face right now. I was guessing that his face was flushed, and he looked really nervous. I lifted my hips so he could take them off of me.

This was an absolute first for Edward and I. We hadn't been naked in front of each other, yet. I heard Edward let out a deep breath and I could tell he was so nervous. He continued pulled them down my legs and then gently off of my feet.

He straddled my legs, again, but he wasn't moving. I heard him take another breath before I felt his hands on my bum cheeks. He moved his hands lightly, continuing on with the massage.

"Baby, is this okay?" Edward asked, his voice strained, as he lightly traced his fingers on the backs of my thighs, just under my bum.

I leaned up and looked over my shoulder at him. When I moved, his eyes flicked up to meet mine. I smiled at him. "Yes." I told him. "It's a little embarrassing, though."

"What? Why?" He asked, moving his hands up to my lower back, again. "You have a beautiful body and a really cute bum."

I giggled, as he spanked me, lightly. "You're just saying that." I teased.

"No, I'm really not." He said. "You have a tiny little beauty mark, right here." He said, touching the middle of my right bum cheek with his finger.

"Really?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He said. "I love you, Bella. Thank you for letting me see more of you." He said, laying down on top of me, but putting all of his weight on his arms on either side of me.

"I love you, too, Edward." I said. "Now, I wish that I would have thought of that yesterday when I was rubbing your back." I giggled, making him laugh. He leaned in to kiss my cheek.

"Well, you can see it whenever you want." He said, making me blush and bury my face into the towel. He laughed. "Why are you hiding your pretty face?"

I laughed, but kept my face buried. "Bella." Edward laughed. He slid his hand down my side, before he started tickling me.

"Edward, stop." I laughed, as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Why are you embarrassed?" He asked, softly, rolling us on our sides, with my back pressed to his chest.

"I don't know. Maybe because I'm naked." I said. "Oh, and you just offered to let me see you."

"Why is that embarrassing?" He asked, lightly rubbing my stomach. "I just saw your beautiful bum. That would be hypocritical of me, not to show you mine."

"True." I told him, smiling as he started kissing my shoulder. "But, I've sort of already seen it."

"What?" He laughed. "When?"

"Well, remember when we were in Florida, and you went into the bathroom, to have a shower? I saw the birds of paradise flowers you bought me, and I ran in the bathroom because I was so excited." I told him and he laughed into my shoulder.

"What did you see?" He asked me.

"Oh, um, just your really hot bum." I giggled.

Edward started running his fingertips up and down my side, going over my bare hip. "My bum's hot?" He laughed, kissing my neck.

"Yes, Edward. You have an insanely beautiful and fit body." I told him. "Your bum is tight and muscular and just plain delicious." My cheeks flushed at my admission.

"Are you sure you've only see it the one time? That sounds pretty descriptive for a quick view two months ago." He teased, making me laugh.

"Yeah, just the once." I said. "But it's not like I would forget it. Your bum is a work of art."

Edward chuckled. "You are so good for my ego, baby."


	287. Prints

**A/N - This is Tuesday, July 13, 2010 in the story. Thank you all for reading! I am amazed by the support I'm getting for this story! I have the best readers! Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 287 - Prints

Edward and I just laid on my bed for a while. Neither one of us wanted to move. Finally, like always, I had to pee. But I didn't really know what to do. I couldn't just get up and walk there. I didn't have anything on, and none of my clothes were in sight. And while Edward had seen my bum, he hadn't really seen _everything_, yet.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked. I had no idea how he always knew what I was thinking, but he did.

"I have to pee." I said, quietly, feeling quite embarrassed.

He chuckled. "And I love you." He said, kissing my neck. "Okay, so you want me to close my eyes?" He asked.

"Um, yeah." I said. "Is that okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course it is, babe." He said. "Never ever feel like you can't tell me something."

"I know. Thank you." I said. I looked over my shoulder and saw Edward laying on his back with his arms over his face. I giggled and grabbed the towel from the bed, wrapping it around my body. "Okay." I said, and Edward uncovered his eyes and sat up.

"You look so good in a towel." He said. I looked over his gorgeous body, but then frowned when I looked at his shorts.

"Baby. What's on your shorts?" I asked him, looking at the huge stain on the front of his khaki shorts.

He looked down at his shorts and frowned. He chuckled. "I think it's massage oil." He said, looking up me.

"Okay, take them off, and I'll try to get that out in a second. I'll be right back." I said, slipping out of my room, and going to the bathroom. I came back in my room, still in the towel. I blushed looking at Edward sitting on my bed in his black boxer briefs.

He chuckled. "I don't think massage oil is meant to be used when we're dressed." He said, standing up to wrap his arms around me. He leaned in to kiss me. "Are you okay?" He asked. "I mean with what we did?"

"Yeah, I love you." I told him, bringing his head down so I could kiss him, again.

"I know you do, but for sure? Because I probably should have asked you about it before I just started undressing you." He said, kissing my forehead.

"No, we decided not to plan, right. Just go with what feels right?" I said.

"I know, but Bella, there still have to be limits, right?" He said. "Just because it feels right, it doesn't mean I can do anything I want. _You_ are important to me, honey. I love you and I want you to be happy." He put his hands gently on my cheeks, lightly caressing my skin with his thumbs.

"I am so happy, Edward." I told him. "You are perfect for me. Now, close your eyes, so I can get dressed." I giggled.

"Yes, ma'am." He said, flopping down on my bed on his stomach, making me laugh.

I dropped the towel and pulled my underwear and bra back on. I climbed on the bed and sat on my knees between Edward's legs.

"Hey, you." He said, his voice muffled into the pillow. "Are you dressed already?"

I put my hands on his bum cheeks and spanked him lightly. "Sort of." I said.

"What are you doing?" He chuckled, leaning up on his arms and looking over his shoulder at me.

"Well, You were just laying there, showing off your bum, so, I wanted to know if I could see it, again." I said, bringing my fingers up to the elastic waistband.

"I told you can see it whenever you want, babe." He said. "I'm yours." I smiled at him and pulled his briefs down. My face was flushed, because, well, I was looking right at Edward's bum. He really was perfect. I reached up and traced my fingers over his bare skin. I gave his bum a squeeze, giggling, before I pulled his underwear back up.

I laid down on the bed beside him and he pulled me close to his body, wrapping me in his arms. I set my hands on his chest and leaned in to kiss his lips. "I really like lazy days like this." He said, his eyes closed.

I leaned in and kissed his lips, making him smile. "I do, too." I agreed, snuggling my face into his chest. "Oh, Edward?" I asked.

"Yeah, babe?" He said, kissing the top of my head.

"I was going to make dinner here tonight for my dad, Heidi and us before we go to the bonfire." I said. "Are you in?"

"Of course, baby." He said, rolling us over so I was on my back. He leaned in to kiss me. "You spoil me, so much."

"I do not." I said, kissing him once more.

"Yeah, you really do." He said. "Can I have Friday?" He asked, making me frown. Edward chuckled and reached up to smooth out my eyebrows. "It's our three month anniversary." He added.

"I know it is." I told him. "The three best months of my life."

"Mine, too, beautiful." He said. "And I want to steal you away and spoil you for the whole day."

I looked up at him and smiled. "Okay." I agreed. "Even though that massage you just gave me was incredible and all the spoiling I need."

He smiled and kissed my lips, again. "Well, we can definitely do that, again." He said, winking at me. "But, I have other plans for the day, if you don't mind?"

"No, of course I don't mind." I said. "Thank you, by the way. You're so sweet to plan something for us."

"Well, like I said, I always feel like you do so much for me." He said, sitting up.

"It's because I love you." I said, running my fingers through his hair. I got up to pick up his shorts. "Now, let's see if we can get this oil out of your shorts." I laughed.

"Why are you laughing." He chuckled.

"Because you laid on my back after you rubbed oil on me." I said. I looked at the shorts. "Edward. It's my bum print." I laughed, my cheeks on fire.

"Let me see?" He laughed, getting up and walking over to me. He took the shorts from me and chuckled. "That's sexy, baby." He said, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

I walked over to my desk, turned on my laptop and typed in massage oil stains. I spun around in my desk chair and held back a giggle at Edward. He was laying on my bed, reading my gossip magazines in his boxer briefs. I smiled. I couldn't wait to see this for the rest of my life. I reached over on my desk and grabbed my camera, snapping a quick picture of him.

Edward peaked over the top of the magazine and winked at me. "The internet said dish soap and then a hot water wash to get the oil out." I told him.

"Okay. Do you want me to do it?" He asked, still laying on the bed. He did not look like he was going to get up.

I laughed. I didn't mind at all. I was just happy that he offered. "No, Edward. I'll do it for you." I said, getting up to pull on my jeans and t-shirt. "I don't want to risk you having a permanent bum print on your shorts." I teased.

He laughed really hard at that. He set the magazine down and got up, pulling on his t-shirt. He walked over to my drawer and pulled on a pair of jeans that he had brought over here. He walked over to me, and wrapped his arms around me, kissing my forehead. "See. You spoil me." He whispered, before tipping up my chin, so he could kiss me.

We went downstairs and Edward sat at the table while I scrubbed his shorts over the kitchen sink. "Is it coming out?" He asked.

"It's hard to tell because it's wet." I said. "But, I think I got it." I took his shorts into the laundry room, and ended up folding clothes for the drier, moving the stuff I had in the washer to the drier, and then, putting Edward's shorts in the washer.

I let out a deep breath and turned around. Edward was leaning against the door. "You work too hard, Bella." He said.

"Edward. It's just laundry. Everyone in the whole world does laundry. I'm not special." I told him, walking over for a hug.

"Oh, but you are, my sweet, sweet girl." He said. "Come on. Let's go to my house. You're not lifting a finger for the rest of the day." He leaned in to run his nose along my cheek. "I'm going to make sure of it."


	288. Princess in Pigtails

**A/N - I really can't say enough, how excited I am that this site is working again! It's my addiction! Thanks so much for being addicted, too! Enjoy!**

Chapter 288 - Princess in Pigtails

Edward and I drove to his house and he literally carried me up to his front door. Edward told me that I wasn't going to lift a finger for the rest of the day, and he seemed to be taking it seriously. He wouldn't even let me walk.

I laughed, as he walked up to the house, with me hugging him like a koala. We were chest to chest and my legs were around his hips. My arms were around his neck, and my fingers were in his soft hair. He had his hands on my bum.

A few weeks ago I would have cared, but now, things were bothering me less and less. I was so confident in our relationship, that the little things didn't upset me anymore. Edward and I were so in love and I had no reason at all to try to hide that.

We walked into the house and Edward walked us into the kitchen. It was about nine thirty in the morning, and Esme was potting house plants on the island. Alice was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal. She was still in her pjs and her hair was messy. She was priceless.

"Hi, you two." Esme said with a smile. "How's your morning been so far?"

"Amazing." Edward said. "But, every second with Bella is, so no surprise there." Esme and I giggled. Edward sat at the table, setting me on his lap, so I was straddling him. "Good morning, princess." He said to Alice.

"Hi, guys." She said, smiling at us. "Why are you carrying Bella?" She asked.

"Oh, Bella works too hard, so I'm not letting her do anything all day." He told her.

"That's sweet." Esme said.

"But, he really doesn't have to carry me everywhere." I laughed.

"Oh, let him spoil you, Bella." Esme said, smiling.

"Will you take me to the park today?" Alice asked Edward. "Mom's working on plants today so she can't."

"Of course, princess." Edward said. "I can push my two girls on the swings." Alice and I both giggled at that.

Emmett walked into the kitchen in a pair of green boxers and nothing else. He looked like he had just got up this morning. "Hey, mom, do we have any Lucky Charms left?" He asked, shuffling over to the pantry.

"Yes, sweetie, I just bought you more, yesterday." Esme told him.

"Mom, why is Emmett in his underwear?" Alice giggled.

"Because, I'm on summer vacation and it's too hot to wear anything else." Emmett started, before he turned and saw Edward and I. "Oh, shoot. Sorry, Bella. I didn't know you were here."

"Hey, it's your house." I told him, hoping that he wasn't too embarrassed.

"Yeah, okay. Cool." He said, coming over to sit at the table and eat his cereal. I bit back a smile. He got over that embarrassment quickly.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" Edward asked his brother. "We're taking Alice to the park, if you want to go with us."

"Sure." He said. "Jazz and I are going over to the Hale's house for dinner tonight."

"With Rose and Maria's mom and dad?" I asked him.

He nodded, swallowing his bite of cereal. "I'm so freaking nervous." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Why?" Alice asked him. "You're big and strong."

Emmett laughed and reached over to mess Alice's hair. "Because, you know how protective dad's are of their daughters? Well, it's all fine and good for the daughter, but it is pretty scary to be the boyfriend."

I giggled thinking of how nervous Edward was around my dad for a long time. Edward spanked me, making me laugh harder. He knew what I was laughing at. I could still remember Edward's face when I woke up with a Charlie horse in my leg and my dad burst into the room.

"I still don't get it." Alice said, shrugging her shoulders. "You're a very nice boy." She said to Emmett.

"I should bring you with me." Emmett told Alice, chuckling.

Jasper walked in the kitchen, dressed in navy blue cargo shorts and a green t-shirt. His hair was damp, so it was obvious that he was ready for the day. "Hi." He said, quietly.

"Hey, Jazz. We're going to the park later. You in?" Edward asked him, as he went to get himself a bowl of Cheerios.

"Yeah, okay." He said, smiling shyly.

"Jazz. Are you nervous like Em is about eating dinner with Maria's mom and dad?" Alice asked him. His face flushed, and he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Uh, yeah." He said to his sister.

Alice just giggled, and got up, before running up the stairs. Jasper let out a deep breath, before eating his cereal.

"You guys need to relax." Edward told them. "You've met their parents before. And, Alice is right. You're both good guys."

"You're one to talk, Edward." Emmett laughed. "You started calling Charlie, sir, and I remember you looking pretty nervous yourself a few times this summer."

We all laughed, even Edward. "Okay, okay." He chuckled. "But, he's a cop." Edward pulled me close, so I was resting my head on his shoulder and he was rubbing my back.

"Well, it's the same for girls, you know." I said. "I was terrified to meet you guys."

"What? Why?" Emmett asked. "We're awesome."

I laughed. "I know you are. But, you are all so important to Edward, and I was worried that you wouldn't like me."

"Oh, sweetheart." Esme said from the island. She came over, holding her dirty hands away from me, and kissed my cheek. "We love you."

"I love you all, too." I said. "But I think comfort comes with time. The more you hang around the Hales the better you'll feel. They'll see how great you guys are and how much you like their daughters." I told Jasper and Emmett. "Just try to be yourselves and have a good time."

The boys nodded their heads, but still looked terrified. I knew they would be fine. Emmett got up to go get dressed, and Alice came back into the kitchen, dressed in jean shorts and a red and white gingham t-shirt. She looked so cute. She also had her hairbrush in her hand.

"Bella. Will you put my hair in pigtails for me?" She asked me.

"Of course, Alice," I said, standing up off of Edward's lap.

"I can do it." Edward said. Esme, Jasper and I burst out laughing. He was taking his idea of not letting me do anything today, quite seriously. "What?" He asked. "She's my sister. I can help her. Right, princess?"

Alice giggled, and looked at me with doubt on her face. "You can try, I guess." She told him, pulling over a chair so she could sit in front of him. She passed Edward the brush and he stroked it through her hair. I smiled watching him. Again, I could just imagine him as a father, combing our own little girl's hair.

"Okay, what do I do?" Edward asked me. "Talk me through this."

I giggled. "Okay, so divide her hair in half. Pull half into a pony tail, and wrap an elastic around it, and then so the same thing on the other side." I told him.

I watched as Edward bunched half of her hair and wrapped an elastic around it. His face was one of pure concentration. He was absolutely adorable. He finger combed the other half of her hair and pulled it into a pigtail.

I held back a giggle. One of the pigtails was up higher on her head than the other, but for the most part, he did quite well. "How's that princess?" Edward asked, sounding quite proud of himself.

Alice reached behind her trying feel to her hair. "I feels alright." She laughed. "Thanks, Edward." She said, hopping up on his legs and giving him a tight hug. He kissed her forehead, and held her on his lap.

"Ready to go to the park?" He asked her.

"Yeah." She said, snuggling into his chest. It was so sweet. I could watch Edward with her all day. He was such a good brother.


	289. Park and Pizza

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 289 - Park and Pizza

Emmett came down the stairs dressed in black board shorts and a white t-shirt. "Okay, I'm ready. Are we going?" He said, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"We were waiting for you." Jasper said, getting up and walking over to him, punching his shoulder. Emmett laughed and tried to put his brother in a headlock, but Jasper turned out of it. They were laughing, but fighting at the same time.

"Boys." Esme called out. "Wait until your outside, please." I giggled, as they walked out the front door. "Bella, I hope when you have kids, you have little girls." She teased.

"Hey." Edward said, sounding offended. "I'm good."

"Aw. Yes, you are, pumpkin." Esme said, smiling, before she turned to wink at me.

"Well, at least Bella loves me." He said, pouting out his bottom lip. Esme, Alice and I laughed at him, making him laugh. "And our cat is going to be a boy." He said.

I laughed at that. He was right. Our first child was going to be a boy. I stood on my toes to kiss his chin. "I love you." I said, making him smile.

"Come on, guys." Alice said bouncing around the kitchen.

"See you later, Esme." I said.

"Bye, mom." Edward said, leaning over the counter to kiss her cheek.

"Have fun." She said, smiling.

We walked out to the car and Alice yelled. "Shotgun." And then stood there looking so proud of herself that she had thought of it first.

Edward laughed and unlocked the car, and Alice climbed in the front seat. I got in the backseat between Emmett and Jasper. I tried not to giggled at the amount of cologne they were wearing. I was pretty sure it was Emmett, though.

When we got to the park, Alice ran straight to the swings, and Emmett and Jasper went out to the open field. They had a Frisbee, today, and they started tossing it back and forth. They were really athletic and I wondered where they got their energy from.

Edward took my hand and we walked over to the swings. I sat beside Alice, and true to his word, Edward took tuns pushing us on the swings. Alice was giggling and having fun because Edward had pushed her really high and then ran underneath the swing.

After a while on the swings, Edward went over to play Frisbee with his brothers and Alice and I went over to the slide. We went down a few times together, before we went to sit in the grass. It was so warm and sunny and I loved the feeling of the sun on my skin.

"Bella. Will you fix my pigtails?" Alice whispered to me. "They feel crooked, but I didn't want ot hurt Edward's feelings."

I smiled at how sweet she was. "Of course. We'll just lower this one, and then they'll be even." I whispered. I slipped out the elastic and adjusted her hair for her. "Does that feel better?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Bella." She said, smiling. I held her hand and flopped down on my back. Alice laid down beside me, with her head touching mine and we looked up at the sky.

"So are you excited for grade three, Alice?" I asked her as we watched the fluffy clouds float by.

"Yeah." She said. "I love school, because I have lots of friends there. But, I'm a little nervous, you know? And you're going to be in Seattle."

I reached down and took her hand in mine, giving it a little squeeze. "I know. New thinks are always scary, but grade three is fun." I reassured her. "And, you know what else? We still have eight more weeks of summer vacation."

"That long?" She asked, sounding excited. "That's cool."

"Yeah, it's pretty great. And another special thing about this year, is that Edward and I are going to come visit every month, and you are going to come up to the apartment in Seattle and visit, too." I told her. "You and me can sleepovers and get Chinese food. It will be a great year. You just wait and see."

Alice rolled over and hugged me. "I believe you." She said, smiling up at me. "You're my best friend."

I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a tight hug. "I love you, Alice." I said.

All of a sudden, I felt someone fall onto the grass beside me. I looked over and smiled when I saw Edward laying on his side next to me, his head resting on his hand. Emmett and Jasper plopped down beside Alice.

"What are we doing?" Emmett asked, laughing. "Looking for UFOs?"

"Maybe." I laughed.

"Just enjoying the sunshine?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah." I said.

We all just laid there in the grass for the next half hour, talking and telling jokes. It was so relaxed and fun. All five of us must have looked strange to anyone walking by, just laying in the middle of the park, but I couldn't have cared less. I was so happy to be a part of this family.

"Should we go get some pizza?" Edward asked, before leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"Sounds good, babe." I agreed.

"You buying, babe?" Emmett teased, getting up and running to the car, laughing and looking back over his shoulder. Edward got up and took off after him.

Jasper and I got up and started walking back to the car. "Jazz. Can I have a piggy back?" Alice asked him.

"Yeah." He said, quietly, getting down on his knees, so Alice could wrap her arms around his shoulders. He got back up and we started walking again. "Um, Bella. Should I, um, do you think I should bring something tonight? You know to the Hales'?" Jasper asked, his face bright red.

I smiled up at him. "I don't think you have to, but you can if you want. I think you're really sweet, Jasper. When we get home, I can help you make a dessert. It can be something fun and easy, like brownies."

"Yeah, okay. I like that. Thank you, Bella." He said, smiling at me.

"Anytime, Jasper." I told him. "I mean it. I'm just happy that you asked me."

We got back to the car and Edward held the passenger side door open for me. He leaned in to kiss my lips.

We all went for pizza and Alice sat between Edward and I on our side of the booth. Edward bought an extra large half and half pizza for us to share. It was huge and I had no idea how we were going to eat it. But, as usual, the Cullen boys managed to polish it all off, eating three slices each. I ate one and half slices and Alice ate three quarters of one. Emmett finished off her slice, and Edward ate the rest of mine. Alice and I laughed at how crazy the boys were.

We stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up a box of brownie mix. I thought it would nice for Jasper to be able to tell Maria that he made them by himself, and I figured the just add water and an egg mix, might be the easiest way for him.

When we got home, we all piled into the kitchen. We filled Esme in on our plan and she got Jasper a bowl and spoon, and set the heat on the oven for him. He emptied the batter powder and poured in the water.

"Um, can you crack the egg for me, Bella?" Jasper asked me quietly. "I can't crack them."

He was so adorable. "Of course." I told him, cracking the egg into his bowl. "Okay, stir the batter for forty strokes, Jasper." I told him.

Alice was excited about that, and counted as Jasper stirred. I oiled his pan for him and he spread the batter himself.

"When do we get one?" Alice asked.

"Sweetheart, they're for Jasper's date tonight." Esme told Alice, making her pout.

"Mom, she can have one." Jasper said, quietly. Esme kissed his cheek, making him blush and Alice cheer.

Edward came up behind me to wrap his arms around my shoulders and cuddle his face into my neck. I reached my hand up and ran my fingers through his hair. "You ready to go home and make dinner?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'll do it for you." He whispered in my ear. I laughed. This was going to be an interesting afternoon.


	290. The Past and Pasta

**A/N - Happy Saturday! It snowed here last night, so I'm happily living through my characters, again! Thank you so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 290 - The Past and Pasta

Jasper gave me a hug, thanking me for helping him with the brownies.

"Have fun tonight, boys." I told them. "Just remember to be yourselves. You're both amazing."

"Thanks, Bella." Emmett said, giving me a hug.

Alice gave us both a hug and I told her that I would see her tomorrow. Edward and I got in his car and drove back to my house.

"Bella. Every time I think I can't love you more, I do. Just watching you with Alice and the boys amazes me every time." He said, reaching over to take my hand.

"Aw, Edward. I love you, too." I said, smiling. "But, don't you think you're taking this spoiling me thing too far? You don't need to make dinner. It's not too much work for me."

"I can never spoil enough, babe." He said, squeezing my hand. "At least let me help with dinner? I want to learn."

"Okay. That would be fun, actually. I love teaching you how to cook." I told him.

"Remember the first time we cooked together and I splashed meatball sub sauce on my shirt?" Edward asked, chuckling.

I laughed. "Yeah, how could I forget? I told you to take your shirt off and then I freaked out. That wasn't one of my finer moments in this relationship?" I agreed.

"Oh, baby, no. It's okay. I loved that. It was an honest reaction, and I think it made us closer." He said, as we pulled up to my house. He got out of the car and came to open my door for me. We walked into the house together and flopped onto the couch, laying on our sides, facing one another.

"Are you excited for the bonfire, tonight?" Edward asked, leaning down to press a kiss to my lips.

"I am. I've never been to one, actually." I told him. "You know, my dad was worried about me going, because I guess there was bonfire a few years back and some kids got hurt or something."

"Yeah. I was in my junior year. It was a bunch of kids from my high school." Edward told me.

"Were you there that night?" I asked him, reaching my hand up to brush the hair off of his forehead.

"Yeah, I was there." He said, closing his eyes. "For part of it, anyway."

I wasn't sure I wanted to hear this story. I loved learning new things about Edward, and hearing about his past, but I was terrified that something bad had happened to him.

"Some of the guys from my baseball team started the bonfire at the beach. It was basically just an excuse to have another party. I never went to any of these things, even though the guys had parties almost every weekend." Edward said. "Anyway, we had just beaten our biggest rivals, the Toledo Indians. It was the end of the year and we had just won the year end tournament as the highest ranked team in the league. I had hit a grand slam."

I must have frowned, because Edward chuckled, and leaned in to kiss my nose. "A home run, when the bases are loaded. It gave our team four runs and we ended up winning the game."

"Okay, thank you. Sorry." I apologized for interrupting his story.

"No, it's okay." He said, running his fingers up and down my back. "So, because I was the MVP for the night, the most valuable player, the guys insisted I go to the party. They said that I was the reason for the party, anyway. I got talked into going and I really didn't want to.

"Anyway, my mom and dad let me go because I was sixteen, and about two weeks from turning seventeen. I had my licence and was pretty responsible. So, I drove down there and they had a really cool bonfire going. It was incredible and I had never seen anything like it. It was so warm and pretty, flickering in front of the ocean. I was really excited. I hadn't wanted to go, but once I was there, I felt really grown up. It was something I was doing on my own, without my family. I mean I was taking guitar lessons with Paul, but this was with my peers.

"So, the whole team was there, and there were lots of girls in short skirts." He chuckled.

"Edward Cullen." I scolded, reaching behind him and spanking his bum.

"What? I was sixteen." He defended, his cheeks a little pink. "And, apparently, baseball players were pretty popular amongst the girls. So, the party gets going and one of the guys' brother brought down all kinds of beer and hard alcohol. I didn't drink anything, because I had driven myself down to the beach and, well, I knew my mom would kill me.

"But some of the guys got pretty drunk, and half of the team was making out with girls, and things were getting pretty rowdy. I wanted to go home, so I got up to leave, when this big fight broke out. I guess some of the guys from Toledo had hung around Forks and came down to the bonfire. They were mad that they lost the tournament, and came down to start a fight."

"Oh, Edward. Were you hurt?" I asked, caressing his cheek.

"Not badly." He said, making my heart drop. "I called your dad when I recognized a couple of the guys. I knew something was going to go down. He was there is about five minutes. I got punched in the cheek, and ended up getting a black eye, but I was fine. After that, I didn't really go out much."

"I'm so sorry, babe." I told him, leaning in for a kiss. "That must have been horrible."

"Yeah. Stuff happens. You know." Edward said, shrugging it off. "I'm actually surprised that your dad didn't tell you that I was there."

"He didn't. Maybe he figured that you would tell me on your own." I suggested. I knew my dad trusted Edward, and he probably didn't want to overstep his bounds.

"Maybe. It wouldn't have mattered to me, Bella. I don't want to have any secrets from you." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "But, this bonfire will be different. We're with our friends, and we're all adults. Plus, I really want to go. You are going to love it. It is really pretty. I want nothing more than to sit by the fire, snuggled up to you under a blanket."

I smiled, sliding my hand under the back of his shirt and lightly scratching his back. "That sounds amazing, Edward. I think I'm going to love it." I told him. "Oh, do you want me to wear a short skirt?" I teased.

He laughed. "You look sexy in everything you wear." He said, reaching his hands down to squeeze my bum cheeks. "But, I like your bum in these jeans." I blushed, and Edward chuckled. "You are beautiful." He whispered, before leaning in for a kiss.

We kissed for a few more minutes, just enjoying being alone together. Finally, Edward pulled back, placing a couple of gentle kisses on my cheeks. "So, what are we cooking, tonight?" He asked.

"Oh, um, I don't know. I was thinking maybe some glazed pork chops and pasta." I said. "It's just like your famous mac and cheese, except we'll put tomato sauce on it. You can make it yourself."

"Awesome." He said, sounding excited. "Let's do this." He sat us up and carried me to the kitchen, setting me down in front of the stove. It was five o'clock and my dad and Heidi would be home in about a half hour. We would be able to pull it off.

I got Edward to boil his pot of water and I gave him the box of rotini. He was sitting at the table reading the back of the box, while I started the pork chops on the stove. I put the lid on and made the glaze while they fried.

"Okay, Bella. It's seems like I cook this the same way, but for twelve minutes instead of eight." Edward said, standing up and walking over to me.

I giggled at how darn cute he was. "Alright, so you have that covered. You can open that jar of tomato sauce." I told him, going to flip the pork chops.

"Done." He said, chuckling. "I love cooking with you."

"Aww. I love cooking with you, too." I said. "You want to make a salad with me?"

"Of course I do." He said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. He leaned down and started kissing my neck, making me laugh.

I heard the front door close and I looked over my shoulder to see my dad and Heidi standing in the kitchen doorway. "Hey, kids. Getting a lot of cooking done?" My dad asked, chuckling.

I blushed, as Edward kissed my neck once more, before standing up. "Yeah. Give us about fifteen more minutes." I said.

"Okay, we'll just go get changed out of our uniforms." Heidi told us as they went up the stairs.

I turned in Edward's arms and kissed his chin, making him smile. "No more kissing, Edward. You've got chopping to do."


	291. Dinner with Dad

**A/N - Thanks for reading! Hope you are all having a great weekend! Enjoy!**

Chapter 291 - Dinner with Dad

Edward started chopping the lettuce, while I set the table. "Baby, am I doing this right?" He asked. I walked over and giggled a little. He had chopped the lettuce into really small pieces.

"You can stop chopping it, Edward." I laughed. "And you did great." I said, smiling. He leaned down to kiss my lips.

"Did I wreck it?" He asked, slipping his hands into my back pockets, and pulling my body close to his.

"No, it's perfect." I told him. "Do you want me to finish it while you do your pasta?"

"Okay." He smiled. He looked at his watch. "You're right, I have one minute left before the twelve minutes is up."

I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. I was so completely in love with Edward and I just loved his personality. I had found myself an amazing man. I finshed making the salad while Edward drained his pasta and poured the tomato sauce in the pot, stirring it like when he makes mac and cheese.

"Should I have heated this sauce first?" He asked, frowning at his pasta.

"No, it's okay, baby. Just set it on the stove and turn the heat to low. You can heat it that way." I told him.

"Do you have cheese? I love cheese on my pasta." He said, stirring his pasta on the stove. I set the salad on the table and went to get the parmesan cheese out of the fridge for Edward.

"Okay, I'll let you serve the pasta, while I get the pork chops." I told him. I set one on each plate, drizzling it with glaze. Edward came up after me, putting a huge spoonful of pasta on each plate beside the pork chop. He looked so proud of himself, and I was just as proud of him for trying to learn to cook.

"Dinner's ready." I called. Edward set the pot on the stove and came over to wrap his arms around me.

"We did it." He said, proudly, before leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Yes, we did." I told him. "Now, you're handsome _and_ good in the kitchen. What am I going to with you?"

He chuckled and kissed me. "Kiss me." He whispered, kissing me, again.

"Okay, so is dinner ready, or do you kids need a minute?" My dad asked behind me.

Edward stood up laughing. "No, it's ready, Charlie." He said, winking at me.

Heidi and my dad sat across from Edward and I, and I served Edward and I salad. "Well, this looks great, kids." My dad said.

"Thanks, dad." I said. "Edward made the pasta and most of the salad." I told them. I could brag about my boy.

"Well, look at you, Edward." Heidi said, reaching across the table and patting his hand. "It looks great."

"Bells putting you to work?" My dad asked.

"No, actually, I offered to help." Edward said. "Bella spoils me, so I wanted to try and help her a bit." I reached over and squeezed his knee.

"That's sweet." Heidi said. "He's a keeper, huh, Bella?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm not letting him go." I said. "Actually, pasta is one of Edward's specialities."

Edward laughed at that. "I've been making mac and cheese for years." He chuckled.

"Is that what you lived on this last year at college?" Heidi asked him.

"Well, I didn't have a kitchen, so I used the microwave in the dorms. I lived on pizza, take out and hot pockets." Edward said. "I'm pretty excited about the kitchen in our new place."

"So, am I." I said, smiling at Edward.

"You get the place in two and half weeks." My dad said. "Are you guys going to head up there right away, or are you going to stick around here for a while longer?"

My dad was trying to act like he would be okay with whatever we decided, but I knew he wanted me to stay home as long as possible. I didn't want to leave my dad, either. We had come so far in developing our relationship and I definitely wanted to stay in Forks as long as I could.

"We're going to stay home as long as we can, dad." I told him. "I'm not ready to leave, yet." My dad smiled at me, and I knew he was happy to hear that.

"Plus, we don't get our bed until August fifteenth." Edward added, making me blush. Heidi laughed, and my dad shook his head a little, holding back his laughter. "What? I'm just saying." Edward defended. He was so adorable.

"We'll have to be up in Seattle for the delivery." I said. "I think I'd like to go up a couple times to make sure the apartment is ready for us. That way, we can stay home longer, and just go back to school right before it starts."

"I'd like to go up and see the place, sometime." Heidi said. "If you wouldn't mind?"

"Oh, of course." I said. Heidi and my dad hadn't been dating when we picked out the apartment, so she hadn't been with us when we toured it. "I'd love for you to see it, actually."

"Well, we have the futon here in the garage, so we can bring that up whenever you want it." My dad said to me. "We could go up on the first of August to drop it off. I don't know, make a day of it?"

I so happy that my dad wanted to go up and help us with the place. I knew it was going to be hard for him because I was not only leaving his house to go to school, but I was moving in with my boyfriend. This was definitely new territory for all of us.

"Yeah, that sounds good, dad." I said, and smiled when my dad reached across to me and squeezed my hand.

We finished our dinner, and my dad got up and went to the freezer, pulling out a paper bag. "I bought some ice cream and dropped it off here at lunch." He told us. "Do you want to go eat it on the back porch?"

"Yeah, that would be nice." I said. We all went outside and sat on the deck, eating our fugde-sicles. I put my feet up on Edward's lap and he gently ran his fingers up and down my shins. This was what summer nights were all about.

Today had been amazing. Edward and I had our time alone this morning, we spent the day with his brothers and sister, and now shared dinner with my dad and Heidi. I was honestly feeling really tired. But, we still had a bonfire to get to.

"Well, I should go wash the dishes before we go." I said, sliding my feet off of Edward's knees.

"No, Bella. Leave them." Heidi said. "You two made an amazing dinner. Let your dad and I wash them. It will give us something to do tonight." She said, winking at me, making me laugh.

Edward and I went up to my room so I could get a hoodie for tonight. Edward laid back on my bed, crossing his ankles and putting his hands behind his head. "I'm tired." He said, closing his eyes.

"I was thinking the exact same thing downstairs." I said, sitting beside him on the bed, and reaching over to rub his chest. "But I still really want to go."

"So, do I. You just want to snuggle by the fire, then?" He asked, reaching up to take my hand and bring it to it lips.

"Sounds good to me." I said. I got up and grabbed my black hoodie, and an old fleece blanket from my closet. Edward got up and took my things for me, and then grabbed my hand. "Do you need to stop at home and get a sweater? It's on the way to the beach." I asked him as we went downstairs.

"No. I'll be okay." He said. I looked up at him and raised my eyebrows. He laughed. "Okay, we'll stop." He leaned down to kiss me.

We walked into the kitchen and I laughed as I saw my dad washing the dishes, while Heidi dried them. "We're heading out." I said, going to hug my dad around the waist, his hands still in the sink.

"Okay. Have a great time. I don't know when you'll be home, but I'll see you either later tonight, or tomorrow morning." He said, before leaning down to kiss the top of my head.

"Bye, kids." Heidi said.

"Goodnight." Edward said. He looked at my dad and nodded and my dad nodded back at him. It was like they had a silent conversation. I knew my dad was nervous about the bonfire, but he trusted me with Edward. It was sweet, and I felt so lucky and loved.


	292. Baby, Talk to Me

**A/N - Thanks for reading! It is the night of Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 in Edward and Bella's world. This may just the longest day I've written so far! Oh, well! Enjoy!**

Chapter 292 - Baby, Talk to Me

Edward put my blanket in the back seat and then we drove to his house. We went in the house so Edward could get his hoodie. "I'll be right back." He said, kissing my lips, before he ran upstairs. I walked into the family room and found Esme, Carlisle and Alice on the couch watching Sleeping Beauty.

"Bella." Alice said, excitedly, jumping off the couch, and running over to me to hug me around the waist. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Alice. Edward, just went upstairs to get his hoodie. We're just heading down to the beach." I told her.

"Did you have a nice dinner?" Carlisle asked.

"Yeah. It was nice. Edward made the pasta and a salad." I told them. It was pretty obvious how proud I was of Edward.

Carlisle chuckled. "You're good for him, Bella." He said, making me smile. I heard Edward's footsteps running back down the stairs. I turned and smiled. He had his sleeping bag, a backpack and his guitar. I took the sleeping bag out of his hands.

"Okay. You kids have a good time." Esme said, getting up to come kiss us both on the cheek. "Are you coming home, tonight?"

"I don't know. Probably." He said. Hmm, I thought. That would be great if I could keep him tonight. "I'll call you." He said, smiling at her. "Don't worry so much, mom. This isn't like last time. I love you." He said, making me smile. Even though Edward was nineteen, I loved how his mom doted over him. I thought it was sweet.

Edward leaned down to kiss Alice on the head. "Goodnight, princess. I'll see you tomorrow. Night, dad."

"Goodnight." I said, following Edward out the door. I walked to the car with him and he put his guitar and bag in the trunk.

"I'm probably not going to play, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to have it." He said about his guitar.

"It's okay. Whatever you want, babe." I told him, as he opened my door for me. He kissed me after I got in and he closed my door before going to his side. He backed out and we drove down road back to the highway. "So, what's the sleeping bag for?" I asked him, rubbing his leg.

He chuckled. "Oh, I thought that would be better to sit on, than the rocks or sand on the beach." He said. "But I sure miss sharing a sleeping bag with you, like we did when we were camping."

He pulled up to the gas station and parked. "I'm going to grab us a couple of six packs of coke, okay?" He asked as we walked in. "I don't know what they're drinking, but I want us to have something." He grabbed the coke from the fridge, before we made a detour through the snack aisle and he picked me up some gummy bears. I swear he thought of everything.

After he paid, we went back to the car. "So, your mom asked if you were coming home tonight?" I asked, as drove to the beach.

"Oh, she asks me that every time I go out." He laughed.

"Are you trying to tell me that I could have kept you all these nights, instead of kissing you goodnight?" I asked, teasing him. I would never have asked Edward to stay over this whole summer. It wouldn't have been right. But I definitely wouldn't mind him staying tonight.

He laughed and looked over at me. "Um, I don't know if your dad would have liked that."

"Yeah. You're right, but, um." I started. I didn't know if I should ask him to stay with me tonight or not.

"What, baby?" He asked, reaching over and taking my hand.

"Well, it's just that when your mom asked if you were coming home tonight, I just sort of thought, that maybe you could call her and tell her no." I said, rambling.

Edward parked the car and turned in his seat to face me. "You want me to stay with you, tonight?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"If you want to." I said. "I mean, I just thought that after a night of snuggling by the fire, I might not want to let you go."

Edward looked into my eyes and smiled. "Yes," He said, kissing my lips, again. "I'm sure I won't be able to let you go, either." He took my face in his hands and kissed me, making me moan.

There was a knock on Edward's window and he slowly pulled back from my lips. We looked out the window, and saw that it was EJ, Vanessa's brother. He was smiling and waved at us. I closed my eyes and let out a breath. I really hoped that Edward wasn't too upset. He didn't like EJ the day we had met him, especially after he found out the EJ had tried to ask me out. Edward had a bit of a jealous side. And, while I was flattered, I didn't want this to ruin out night.

Edward got out of the car, and I followed suit, going around the front of the car, and taking Edward's hand. "Hey, man." Edward said. So far so good, I thought.

"Hey, Edward. Hi, Bella." He said. "I just wanted to apologize about last week. I didn't know she was your girl, man."

"It's okay. I acted like an ass." Edward said.

"Nah, it's cool. So, we're good?" EJ asked, reaching his hand out to Edward.

"Yeah. We're good." Edward said, shaking his hand.

"Awesome. Okay. I'll see you guys down at the beach." EJ said, turning and heading down to the ocean.

Guys were interesting creatures for sure. As long as they kept away from each others' girlfriends, they didn't have a problem and got along easily. That, or they fought it out, and then were friends the next day. I was glad in this case that EJ and Edward were able to talk things out.

Edward turned and wrapped his arms around my hips, before leaning down to kiss me. "I'm glad that's dealt with. It was bugging me." He said, looking into my eyes.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked him. He had told me that he was upset with himself for getting jealous last week at the beach, but I didn't realize that he was still thinking about it.

"I don't know. It's not a big deal." He said, shrugging his shoulders, and turning to walk away.

"Yes, it is, Edward." I said, following him as he walked to the trunk of the car to get his things. He pulled out his backpack, and set it on the ground. I reached my hand out to grab his arm. "Edward." I said. "You know you can tell me things, right?"

"I know, Bella. It's just that this was your weekend with your mom and we've been spending so much time together, you know, trying new things and stuff. I didn't really want to bring up that I was mad at myself for the way I acted last week at the beach." He said, sitting on the edge of his trunk.

I sat beside him, and reached over to take his hand, giving it a squeeze. He lifted his eyes up to meet mine. "Baby. I love how you do everything in your power to make me happy. You do so much for me and I will never be able to tell you how much that means to me. But, Edward. You have to talk to me. If something is bothering you, talk to me about it, okay? I want to be able to help you, or I can just be there to listen." I said, standing up in front of him and running my fingers through his hair. He smiled up at me. "You know that I'm only happy if you are, right?" I said.

He set his hands on my hips, and moved his thumbs under my shirt to rub my skin above my waist band. "I know." He said. "Thank you." He got up and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to him. He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "I'm okay, babe. Please, don't worry about me. I love you."

I looked up at him and rested my chin on his chest. "I love you, too." I told him. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

"Wanna go snuggle by the fire?" He asked, winking at me.

"I would love that." I told him. He slipped the backpack on his shoulder and I took his sleeping bag. He closed the trunk and grabbed the snacks from the backseat and tucked my blanket under his arm. He took my hand and we walked down to the beach.

About fifty or sixty feet from Jake's brother's surf shop, there was a huge bonfire set up. There were large rocks set up in a circle and there were logs set up like a teepee in the middle, the fire following the logs and then going straight up. The flames must have reached about ten feet high. It was gorgeous. There was large logs laying around the fire, and I saw a few people starting to gather around the fire.

I saw a nice spot, on the left side of the fire, facing the ocean, where would be able to see the sunset in a couple hours. This was going to be a fun night. And I couldn't wait to get into Edward's arms.


	293. Bonfire

**A/N - Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, favouriting and alerting this story! You all make me smile! Enjoy the bonfire!**

Chapter 293 - Bonfire

I pulled Edward over to the spot I picked out on the beach. He chuckled at my enthusiasm. "Edward. You were right. The bonfire is so beautiful." I said.

"Yeah. This one is bigger than the one at the last bonfire I was at." He said.

I unrolled the sleeping bag and we laid it in front of a huge log, that looked like it had been washed ashore. It was smooth, likely from the water, and was totally free of bark. We both sat down on top of the sleeping bag, beside each other and Edward passed me my gummy bears and a can of coke and took one for himself.

He leaned back against the log and put his left arm along it. I sat beside him and snuggled into his chest. He brought his hand down to rest on my shoulder. We just sat there quietly, enjoying the crashing waves, the ocean breeze and the heat coming off the fire. I loved the cool and warm sensations on my skin. They seemed to balance each other out.

Edward leaned down and kissed the top of my head, before he started tracing his fingers up and down my arm. I hummed, just enjoying how his touch added another sensation to my skin. I felt a vibration on my thigh, where it was pressed into Edward's leg.

Edward laughed, and reached in between us to pull his phone out of his pocket. "It's a text from Em." He said, flipping it open so he could read it. He chuckled. "He says they survived dinner with Rose and Maria's parents. He said they were both nervous and awkward at first, but by the end of dinner, they felt comfortable."

"Aw. I'm glad. It's so obvious how much your brothers like the girls." I said, setting my hand on the inside of his knee. I squeezed it, and then started rubbing his leg, as he sent a text back to his brother.

"Yeah. I'm happy for them." He said, leaning down to kiss my temple. "I just wish I could have been there with them." He admitted, setting his hand on top of mine.

"Oh, Edward." I said, sitting up, and turning so I could look at him. "You are there for them. Emmett texted you the minute he got home. Your brothers love you. You have the most incredible relationship with them. And that's never going to change, even as they get older."

He smiled, looking thoughtful. "I know. You're right." He said.

Edward slid his phone back in his pocket and reached over to pull me onto his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he had his arms wound around my waist. I kissed his top lip, and he sucked lightly on my bottom lip. I brought my fingers up his neck and buried them in his hair. I felt his hands slide down over my bum, and I giggled against his lips.

"Already making out, huh?" I heard from behind me. It was Paul's voice and I giggled against Edward's smiling lips, before I pulled back to turn my head.

He was in jeans and a t-shirt, holding a six pack of beer, and was standing with his arm around Rachel. She was wearing a short jean skirt and a red tube top. I secretly admired her for having the confidence in her body to wear the clothes she did. She was beautiful and she knew it.

"What can I say?" Edward said. "When you have a beautiful girl on your lap, you have to kiss her." He leaned in and kissed my cheek, making me smile. "Are you going to sit with us?"

"Of course, thanks." Paul said, sitting down next to us. He pulled Rachel down onto his lap, and she slapped his chest.

"I'm in a skirt, Paul." She scolded. "I hope I didn't flash you guys." She said to us.

"No, you're fine." I told her, giggling as Paul rubbed his chest.

"Oh, did I hurt you." Rachel asked his in a baby voice, before she turned and started kissing Paul, making him groan.

Edward laughed and pulled me close to his chest. I turned my head and started licking and sucking on his neck. I didn't know what it was, but there was something about a bonfire that made me lose my inhibitions. I knew we were in public and there were a lot of people out here, most of which I didn't know, but I couldn't seem to make myself worry about it.

Edward was moving his hands up and down my back, and I had mine resting on his chest. I started placing little kisses on his neck and chin, before moving up to his lips. He smiled, before capturing my lips in a deep kiss. I pulled back from Edward's lips and blushed when I saw Rachel and Paul watching us. They just laughed at us, and I know I was blushing. I rested my head against his chest, and he kept rubbing my back.

"So, I take it, you two have been having a great summer so far?" Paul asked.

"It's been great. We've done so much." Edward told him. "We were just in Denver over the weekend to visit Bella's mom."

"Oh, that's so cool." Rachel said.

"Yeah, it was beautiful. It's a huge city, that has an urban feel to it, but right outside is the mountains. It's actually an amazing city. I really liked it." I told her.

"Wait. I thought your mom lived in Florida?" Paul said.

"She did. She just moved about a month ago." I told him. "And she's got this great new boyfriend, Aro. He's Italian."

"Sounds like a hottie." Rachel said, making Paul slap her bum. "What?" She giggled, kissing his lips. "You know I only have eyes for you."

"So, I hear the chief is taking you down to the shooting range tomorrow night?" Paul said to Edward.

"Yeah." He chuckled. "I've been one other time, and Bella showed me up."

"Good job, girl." Rachel said, giving me a high five.

"Yeah, girls are proven to have better accuracy when shooting than guys." Paul said.

"Hey, I'm not complaining." Edward said, kissing the top of my head. "She looks hot as hell when she's shooting."

"We're going to have to get you down to that range, Rach." Paul said, kissing her cheek.

"Not a chance, Pauly. I'm not going to risk breaking these nails." She said. "I just spent thirty dollars on this manicure last week."

Edward and I laughed. "Oh, where did you get the manicure done?" I heard someone ask. I lifted my head and looked over my shoulder. It was Vanessa. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a navy tank. She came and sat in front us with the fire behind her.

"Hey, Vanessa." I said. "This is Rachel and Paul. Paul's on the force with Jake."

"Oh, hi. Nice to meet you." Vanessa said. "Have you guys seen Jake, yet?"

"No, not yet?" Edward said.

"So, do you want to go get manicure with me some time at the end of this week?" Rachel asked her.

"Yeah, that would be great actually." She said. "Hanging out on the beach these last couple of weeks has done a number on my nails."

"You want to come with us, Bella. Have you been since you went with me last month? Rachel asked me.

"No." I said, looking down at my shortly clipped nails. "But, I can't go Friday." I said. It was mine and Edward's three month anniversary. Edward rubbed his hand on my hip. I wondered what he had planned for us. He asked me for the whole day.

"What about Thursday morning?" Rachel asked. "I have to work Thursday night at the bar, so it would be great if you could give me a ride up there. Paul's got to work."

"Yeah, I think that would work." I said, looking over at Edward. He smiled at me, and kissed my cheek.

"You don't have to check with me." He whispered, before kissing my temple. I turned my head and kissed his lips.

"Awesome." Rachel said. "Hey, we should see if Siobhan wants to go?"

"Definitely." I said. "I'll call her tomorrow."

"We can take my brother's car." Vanessa said. "How far is Port Angeles from here?"

"Only about forty five minutes." I told her.

"Okay, cool." She said. "Thanks so much. I don't really know many people here, yet." I was excited to spend the morning with the girls.

"Hi, Vanessa. Hey, guys." I looked up and saw Jake standing by the fire. He was wearing khaki dress pants and a black button up shirt, left open halfway. And he clearly took a page out of Emmett's book. I could smell his cologne from where I was sitting. I thought it was adorable. I could wait to watch Jake make his move tonight.


	294. Fireside

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! We're quickly approaching the 300th chapter and I'm so excited! I had no idea when I started this that it would turn into a part of my daily life. These characters are so important to me and I'm always thinking about them, and what they're going to do next. I love that you all are sharing this with me. It makes it more fun! Enjoy! **

Chapter 294 - Fireside

Jake sat down on the beach beside Vanessa, with his knees up. "Hi, Jake, you look great." She said, tucking her curly hair behind her ear, and smiling at him.

"Yeah, looking hot, man." Paul teased, earning a nervous laugh from Jake.

"So, are you having a good time, so far?" Jake asked Vanessa, lightly touching her arm.

"I am." She said, reaching her hand up to take his hand, and bringing it to her lap. She started rubbing his knuckles with his fingers. "You want to go with me to find something to drink?" The smile on Jake's face was priceless. They got up and walked down the beach together. Vanessa looked over her shoulder at us and winked, making us all laugh.

The breeze picked up off the ocean and I shivered, cuddling into Edward's chest. "Are you cold?" He asked me, pressing his lips to mine, before reaching for my blanket.

"Yeah. But, I have to go to the bathroom, before we get snuggled in." I whispered in his ear. Edward laughed, and stood us up, before taking my hand.

"Hey, Paul. Do you know if we can we use the bathroom at the surf shop?" Edward asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"Yeah. I was talking to Embry earlier, and he said he left it open." Paul told us.

"Thanks, man." Edward said, before taking my hand and leading me to the surf shop. "So, are you having fun?" He asked me, when we were away from the crowd.

"Yeah. I'm having a great time." I said, squeezing his hand. "It looks like things are going to work for Jake. I'm happy for him. He deserves some happiness in his life."

Edward smiled at me and leaned down to kiss my lips. "You are such a sweet girl." He said. "But, yeah. I think things look good for them."

We got to the bathroom and Edward waited outside the door for me. True to his word, he wasn't leaving my side tonight. In the bathroom, I took the French braid out of my hair and finger combed it, leaving it long and wavy. I came back out and Edward smiled at me. "You look gorgeous, baby." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips, before running his fingers through my hair.

"Thank you, Edward." I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. "What do you say to that snuggling, now?" I asked him.

"I say that I like the sound of that. I've been waiting all day for it." He chuckled, leading me back to the group. Edward sat back down on the sleeping bag with his knees bent and opened. I sat between his legs and leaned my back against his chest. Edward pulled the blanket over us and tucked us in tight. The sun was low in the sky and the bonfire was roaring and snapping, keeping us warm from the cool air. And we were surrounded by our friends. Paul and Rachel were making out. Jake and Vanessa were sitting on our other side, talking quietly and laughing. EJ, Embry and Quil were talking about the waves and body boarding.

And Edward was breathing steadily behind me. I could feel his heart beating on my back, and his arms were wrapped around my chest under the blanket. I felt so content, safe and warm. I rested my head back on his chest and closed my eyes. I felt Edward's lips on my head, and I heard him whispering to me, but I couldn't hear what he was saying, because, I think I was falling asleep.

The next thing that I remember, was hearing Edward laughing. I opened my eyes, and took a minute to figure out my surroundings. It was dark, and the bonfire was flickering. Everyone was huddled around, sitting close together. I stirred in Edward's arms and he looked down at me and smiled.

"I'm sorry, sugar." He said, quietly. "Did I wake you?"

"Oh, it's okay." I said, as I turned to kiss his chin.

"Do you want to sit up on my lap? I need to stretch out my legs." Edward said, chuckling.

"Oh, yeah. Oh course." I said. I stood up and then sat back down on Edward's outstretched legs. "Are you sure you don't just want me to sit beside you?"

"No, baby. I want to hold you." He said, wrapping his arms around my stomach, and leaning down to bury his face in my hair.

"Sleeping Beauty's up. Edward wearing you out?" Paul asked, chuckling. Edward's hand shot out to smack him in the arm.

"Actually, he is." I giggled, making Edward laugh behind me.

Edward reached forward and moved my hair off my neck, so he could lean down and place little kisses on my skin.

"So when are we going out, again?" Paul asked. "I like that bar that we went to for our triple date with Alec."

"Oh, where was that?" Jake asked.

"Mill Creek." Paul said. "We been a few times after work, but they have a dance floor, and it gives me an excuse to hold my girl."

Edward laughed. "As if you need an excuse."

"And look who's talking?" Paul laughed. "You haven't let Bella go in about three hours."

"Well, she's my whole world. I have no intension of ever letting her go." Edward said, earning aws from the girls and laughter from the guys. "You can laugh all you want. It's true."

"I'm a lucky girl." I said, earning another kiss on the shoulder from Edward. I loved that he not only told me how much he loved me, but he made sure everyone else knew. It was cute.

"Well, we're free anytime. Just not Friday." Edward said.

Jake laughed. "Can I ask why Friday is off limits?"

"It's our three month anniversary." I told him. "Edward asked me to be his girlfriend on April 16th."

"That's adorable." Vanessa said. "Do you guys do something special every month?"

"Well, the first one, Edward was sick in bed, and he sent me roses and I made him chicken soup. Last month, he bought me a beautiful bouquet of calla lilies and gave me my promise ring out on the beach." I said, holding up my right hand. "And this Friday, he's keeping a secret."

"Aw, Edward, you're a sweet guy." Rachel said.

"He knows he is." I said, turning my head to kiss his lips. I feel the heat on his skin, and I knew he was blushing, but no one would have been able to see his flushed cheeks in the dark.

"So, you guys are free next week, some time. I know Alec is on nights this week, so he'll be on days next week. I'm working over the weekend, so Tuesday is probably best." Paul said. "Is everyone in?"

"A week tonight." Edward said. "Sounds good to me." He brought his lips to my ear. "Is that okay for you?" He whispered. I nodded. "Okay, we're in." He said.

"Jake, Vanessa?" Paul asked.

Jake looked at Vanessa and she smiled at him, reaching over to take his hand, again. "I would love to." She said.

Jake smiled back at her. "Yeah, for sure." He said, never taking his eyes off of her. It was so cute.

We all hung out, talking and laughing for a while more, until the fire died down. It had to be close to midnight. I felt like I was going to fall asleep, again. The other people that were at the fire had started to leave. Edward and I got up and I folded my blanket and Edward rolled up his sleeping bag. He opened his backpack and took out his hoodie, draping it over my shoulders. I had left mine in the car. He took out his flashlight and after hugs to all of our friends, he led us back to the car. He threw our things in the trunk and we got in the car.

I leaned my head back in my seat and closed my eyes. I heard Edward dialling his phone and he was saying something about staying with me, and sleeping. It must be his mom, I thought, before I fell asleep, again.

I was awoken for the second time tonight, when the car stopped moving and Edward unbuckled my seatbelt. "We're at your dad's, baby." He said, lifting me up and out of the car. I nodded and snuggled my head into his neck. I heard him chuckle.

I heard my dad laugh and I felt Edward laugh. I opened my eyes and I was in my bed. Edward was standing at the foot of the bed in nothing but his black boxer briefs. He was folding his jeans and laying them on my desk chair. "Baby?" I asked. I didn't remember him carrying me upstairs.

He walked over and smiled, sitting beside me on the bed. "You fell asleep, beautiful." He said, brushing my hair off of my face.

"I'm sorry. I'm not very much fun." I said, reaching down and unbuttoning my jeans. I lifted my hips and pulled them down to my knees. Edward chuckled, and finished pulling them off of my legs.

"You're lots of fun. What are you talking about?" He said, grabbing the bottom of my t-shirt and pulling it off of me. He slowly ran his finger down the center of my chest, from my throat to my belly button. I shivered and he smiled. Suddenly, I felt wide awake.


	295. Quiet

**A/N - If you can believe it, this is the last part of Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 in Summer Vacation! Thank you all again for everything! Enjoy!**

Chapter 295 - Quiet

Edward climbed over top of me, straddling my legs. He smelled like a mix of smoke from the bonfire and toothpaste. He reached behind me, slowly, to the clasps on my bra. He looked up at my eyes, checking to see if I was okay.

"Is my door locked?" I asked him, sliding my hands up his arms to his shoulders.

"Yes." He said, smiling at me.

"Okay." I said, as he unclasped my bra and tossed it over to my chair. He laid down on top of me, pressing his chest to mine. He leaned in and started kissing my neck and shoulder, he slid his nose along my collarbone, before bringing his lips to my chest. He reached his hands down to hold onto mine, before slowly bringing them out to our sides and then up and over my head.

He looked up at me and smiled. I brought my head up to kiss his lips. He smiled and pressed a hard kiss to my lips, making me groan. He pulled back and smiled. "Shh, baby." He chuckled, kissing me a couple more times.

Edward smiled, sliding one hand down my arm, and down the side of my body. I moaned at his touch. "Bella, you need to stay quiet." He chuckled.

"I'm sorry." I giggled. "But, your making me do it."

He leaned in to kiss my lips, again. "I love you." He whispered, rolling onto his side.

"Come back." I whined, reaching for his shoulders. "I'll be quiet, I promise." I said, rolling on my side to face to face him.

"I don't know, Bella." Edward said, in mock seriousness. "I don't know if I can believe you."

I started laughing. "Edward, come on. Touch me." I begged, making him laugh. He brought his left hand up and set it on my bare waist. He slowly rubbed his thumb back and forth on my skin.

"Edward, don't tease me." I whispered, pushing his shoulders so he rolled onto his back. I straddled his hips, and looked down at his beautiful face, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight coming in through my bedroom window.

"My god, Bella. You are so gorgeous." He said to me softly. He brought his hands up to caress my body, making me hum loudly. "Sexy girl. Babe." He said, pulling me down so my chest was touching his. "As, much as it's killing me to say this, we're going to have to pick this up tomorrow."

"Edward, no." I said, leaning down and biting his shoulder, scratching my fingernails up and down his sides.

"Baby." He hissed, closing his eyes. "Ah, Bella." He sat up with me on his lap. "Babe, your dad is right down the hall. And I love hearing you moan my name, but we can't and I want to be able to hear you."

I got up off of his lap, and walked over to my dresser. I pulled out my Oregon t-shirt, and slipped it on over my head. "Bella." He said, getting up, and walking over to me. "Don't be upset with me."

"I'm not." I said, walking to the door. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to get ready for bed." I unlocked the door and slipped out of the room and into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, combed out my hair, and used the bathroom.

I hated that I felt a little rejected when Edward stopped us from doing things together. I couldn't blame him, though. My dad and Heidi were right across the hall, really, it would be inappropriate for us to be so loud. But, Edward and I were just getting comfortable with this step in out relationship, and I loved how he made me feel. I never wanted him to stop touching me.

I walked back into the bedroom and Edward was sitting on the edge of the bed. He had his arms resting on his thighs and his head dropped down. He looked defeated. When he heard the door, he lifted his head to look at me, before quickly getting off the bed and coming over to me.

"Bella, please don't be upset with me." He said, taking my hand in his. "I just can't, um, get into it, or whatever, when I know your dad is ten feet away." He brought my hand to his lips and pressed a bunch of light kisses on it.

"I'm not, Edward." I said. "I just love how you make me feel and I always want you to touch me."

"I know, sugar. I love doing things with you, too. Please don't ever think that I don't. If I had it my way, we'd stay in bed forever." Edward said, leaning down to kiss my forehead.

"I know that, Edward. I'm not upset. I promise. And I understand completely what you're saying." I told him, wrapping my arms around my waist.

"Okay." He said, letting out a deep breath. "Do you still want to snuggle?"

I smiled and stood on my toes to kiss his chin. "Of course I do. I love you." I said, pulling him over to the bed. "I'm sorry, Edward."

"No, baby. Don't apologize." He said, laying back on the bed and opening his arms. I crawled onto the bed and into his arms. I threw my leg over his hip and pressed my body close to his. I kissed his lips, and ran my hands over his bare back. I scratched his back for him, and he smiled. "That feels good, baby."

He slipped his hands under the back of my shirt and squeezed my bum, before moving his hands up to my back, to rub my shoulders. "What are you doing tomorrow morning?" I asked him.

"I'll be touching you." He said, sucking on my top lip. "Listening to you make all those gorgeous sounds."

"Mm. Good. I can't wait." I said, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Are you going to give me any hints about Friday?" I asked, making him chuckle.

"Nope." He said, licking my neck. I reached up to thread my fingers through his hair.

"Edward. What do I wear?" I asked.

"Can I pick out your clothes for you?" He asked nipping at my earlobe. I giggled.

"Yeah." I said. "But if we're going away somewhere, please pack the right bra." I giggled.

"How do I know what the right bra is, Bella?" He laughed, kissing my jaw.

"Okay, if you pack a shirt with no straps or spaghetti straps, bring a strapless bra. Other wise, go nuts." I giggled. "Pick whatever you want."

"Why are girls so complicated?" He laughed, before sliding his hands around from my back to my stomach, slowly inching up.

"Because we have boobs, Edward." I told him, making his eyes flick up to mine. I giggled at the look on his face. He looked shocked and a little embarrassed. I thought it was hilarious, considering where his hands were.

"Okay." He said. "I'll bring the right bra."

"I'm really excited, baby." I said. "Can you believe it's been three months?"

"It's weird, actually. It feels like I've just gotten you in my life. Like, we still have so much to learn about each other, and we misunderstand each other sometimes. But, at the same time, it feels like you've always been with me. We're so comfortable with each other, we're so in love and we're planning a future together." Edward said, making me smile. "I'm just happy that your mine and I'm yours and we have forever together."

I leaned in to kiss Edward's lips. "I love you so much." I whispered, leaning my head on his chest. "My eyes are getting heavy."

Edward tucked my head under his chin and moved his hands behind my back. He pulled my body close to his. "Go to sleep then, angel. It's after one in the morning." He whispered. "I love you."

"How are we going to get up for breakfast at six?" I whispered, kissing his chest.

"We're probably not." Edward laughed. "Your dad said not to worry about getting up."

"He did?" I asked, already half asleep, again.

"Just sleep." He said, pressing his lips to my head. "I love you." I sighed and drifted off to sleep, feeling safe and secure in Edward's arms.

I woke up to the sun shining through the window. It was really bright, so I knew it was late. I rolled over and noticed that Edward was gone. I looked at the clock. Nine AM. So, I slept through breakfast. I stretched and climbed out of bed, running to the bathroom. I combed through my hair and brushed my teeth, before I ventured downstairs to find Edward.

I smiled when I saw him. He was standing in the kitchen, in just his jeans, watching the toaster. He had a bunch of wild flowers in a vase on the table. There were two bowls of cereal and glasses of orange juice. He was making me breakfast. Edward turned and looked at me, smiling. I was the luckiest girl in the world.


	296. Breakfast Confessions

**A/N - Thanks so much for reading! I'll let you all get to this one...Enjoy!**

Chapter 296 - Breakfast Confessions

"Good morning, angel." Edward said with a smile, as I walked up to him, and wrapped my arms around his waist. He leaned down to press a soft peppermint kiss on my lips. "Did you sleep well?" He asked, reaching up to smooth my hair, which I will admit was sticking out like a haystack, even though I combed it. But the amazing thing about Edward, was that I didn't need to worry about things like that. He loved me the way I was.

"I always sleep like a baby when you're holding me." I told him. "Which reminds me, I'm sorry for falling asleep at the bonfire. I was just so warm and cozy in your arms."

"Aw, don't apologize. We only went to snuggle by the fire, and I got to snuggle with you and hold you all evening." He said, smiling. "It worked out great for me." He laughed.

The toast pooped out of the toaster making me jump. Edward turned and frowned. "It's a little burnt." He said, setting the slices of toast on a plate and putting it on the table.

"Aw, it's perfect, Edward. I like my toast like this, anyway." I told him. "It gives it flavour." He just laughed and shook his head. "Thank you for this, Edward. I can't believe you made me breakfast. You are the sweetest boyfriend a girl could ever ask for."

"It's just cereal and toast, Bella." He laughed, pulling out my chair for me at the table.

"It doesn't matter what it is, babe. It the gesture that matters to me." I said, leaning in to kiss him when he sat beside me. "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you, too."

We ate breakfast together, and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Most of the time, we saw each other later in the day, or right after breakfast. It wasn't often that we shared our first meal of the day together. It was just the way our schedules seemed to work out.

After we ate, Edward insisted on washing the dishes for me. "Baby, you don't have to keep spoiling me." I told him as I grabbed a towel to dry the dishes.

"I know." He said. "Honestly, I still feel bad about last night." He let out a deep breath. "I don't ever want you to think I don't want you. And whenever I stop touching you, for whatever reason, you get upset with me."

I bit my bottom lip and closed my eyes. I felt horrible. "I wasn't upset with you, Edward. It's just that I'm trying to deal with all these new feelings and I don't always know how to handle them. Please don't think that I'm mad at you."

Edward set his fingers under my chin and lifted my face. His eyes met mine, before he leaned in to kiss me. "It's okay, Bella. I know how you feel. We're in the same boat here, remember." He said softly. "We're definitely in uncharted territory, here. Everything is new, but we're doing it together. So, please, Bella. All I'll ever ask from you, is that you tell me how you feel. You can be mad, or upset, or scared. We can deal with that. But, I'd like to be able to handle things together if we can."

I nodded and blinked my eyes, causing a couple of stray tears to fall, before I wrapped my arms around his waist, and leaned my warm, wet cheek against his bare chest. I felt bad that I always ran away from my feelings. I wanted to share everything with him, but it was definitely hard for me. But, I was going to work on it.

"Bella." He whispered, before kissing the top of my head. "Don't cry, angel. Everything is okay."

I looked up at his face, still holding onto his waist. "So, you're not mad at me?" I asked.

"No, baby. I love you." He said, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on my lips. I smiled against his lips. I was so glad that we had talked about last night. It was eating away at me, and I'm glad that Edward brought it up this morning. We were definitely getting stronger and the more we talked, the closer we got.

I felt him smile back against my lips, before he deepened the kiss making me moan. He pulled back, smiling. "That's what I want to hear." He said, before leaning back in, cradling the back of my head with one of his large hands, so he could kiss me harder. His other hand, was slowly moving down my back.

"Let's go upstairs." I said, when Edward pulled back to breathe. He smiled and took my hand, and I led him up the stairs. When we got to the top, I thought abut going to my bedroom, but after glancing at the bathroom, I got a crazy idea and just went with it.

"What are we doing?" Edward asked, as I pulled him into the bathroom, and closed the door.

"Um, well, I thought that maybe we could have a bath?" I said, my face turning fire red. Edward's face flushed, lightly, and he nodded.

"Oh, um, okay." He said. "Do you want me to wear my underwear?"

I giggled nervously. "No." I said, chewing my lip, now.

His eyebrows shot up and his eyes were moving down to my body and then back to my eyes. "Are you sure?" He asked, touching my warm cheek with the back of his fingers.

"Yeah." I said. "I'm just going to get the new bubble bath you bought me in Seattle." I said, turning and going in my room to get it. I took a deep breath in my room, before turning to go back in the bathroom with Edward. He had taken off his jeans and was wearing a pair of blue boxers. He was leaned over the tub, and the water was running. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, laying my head on his back.

He slid the bubble bath from my hand, and I could smell it, so I knew he was pouring it in the water. He set it on the side of the tub, before he took my hands in his and turned around. He smiled at me, before he lowered his hands and pulled my t-shirt off of my body.

My hands immediately came up to cover my chest. "Are you okay?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Yeah, it's just different in the bathroom." I said, slowly uncovering myself.

Edward reached for his boxers and slowly pulled them off. I just stared at him, chewing my lips. I had never seen a naked man before, so I was intrigued. Edward just stood there, giving me a minute. He was a really beautiful man. My eyes shot up to his and he smiled at me, reassuring me. I took a deep breath and pulled my underwear off.

"You are so beautiful." Edward whispered before he took the steps that were separating us and put his hands on my shoulders. "Still doing okay?" He asked, before leaning in for a deep kiss.

"Um, yeah." I said, but if sounded more like a question.

"If you're uncomfortable, I can go back to your room, Bella." He said, reaching up to run his hand over my hair.

"No." I said, quickly. "I want to do this."

"Okay." He said, smiling. "Let's get in, shall we?" I giggled and he laughed, and immediately the tension was gone from the room, And it felt like we were Edward and Bella, again, not two awkward teenagers seeing each other naked for the first time.

"Where do want me, gorgeous?" Edward asked, stepping into the bathtub.

I laughed, stepping in with him. "In the water." I teased, making him laugh.

"Alright." He said, sitting down, leaning against the back of the tub and stretching his legs out. I sat down on my knees between his legs. I put my hands on his legs, lightly tracing my fingers over them.

"You're sort of taking the whole tub." I giggled.

"Baby, I'm six feet tall." Edward laughed. "Come sit on my legs."

"Are you sure?" I asked, biting my lip. "I mean, we're naked."

Edward smiled at me. "I noticed." He said, reaching under the water to take my hands. "Just relax. Nothing is going to happen, okay?"

He pulled me forward and I wriggled around so I was sitting sideways on his left thigh. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and leaned in to kiss him. He brought his hands to my back, slowly moving them up and down. I was starting to relax as we kissed. It was familiar and comfortable.

I started to move my hands over his shoulders and down his chest, lightly scratching his skin. He groaned, and I smiled.

Edward reached under the water to hold onto my waist, turning me, so my back was to his chest. I leaned my head back to his shoulder, and turned to watch his face. He started to move his hands, delicately exploring my body. This was definitely a first for us. There was nothing separating us.

Edward made me feel incredible as he always did. I was comfortable, too, with him. He never tried to rush me, and took everything so slow. I trusted him, and loved him, and I think this was my new favourite way to spend the morning.


	297. Firsts

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I love hearing your thoughts on the story, and your reactions to the bath were great! Have a great weekend! Enjoy!**

Chapter 297 - Firsts

We laid together in the sudsy, fragrant water until it started getting cold. "You ready to get out?" Edward asked, kissing my neck.

"Well, I need to wash my hair, and stuff, so I was thinking of having a quick shower." I said, turning my face to kiss his jaw.

"Mm. A shower." He said, chuckling.

"No, Edward. I'm kicking you out." I laughed.

"What? Why?" He asked, tracing his fingers over my stomach.

"Because I have to shave my legs." I told him.

"So, you don't want me to see you shave your legs?" He asked, kissing my cheek.

I laughed. "Um, no." I said, turning to kiss his lips.

"Okay." He said. We both stood up and he wrapped his arms around me, leaning in for a kiss. He stepped out of the tub and walked over to get a towel. I watched him as he walked naked around the bathroom. He was so gorgeous. He threw the towel over his shoulders, before he walked back over to me. "Aren't you going to have your shower?" He asked, kissing the end of my nose.

I blushed and giggled. "Sorry. You're a little distracting." I admitted.

"No, it's okay." He said, kissing my lips. "I was doing it on purpose." I slapped his shoulder and he laughed. "I'm sorry." He said, tracing his hand down my back to my bum, giving it a squeeze. "I love you."

I smiled. "I love you, too." I said, pushing his shoulder and closing the shower curtain. He chuckled on the other side of the curtain. I turned on the shower and started washing my hair. Edward started singing to me, while I showered, making me smile. I absolutely loved his voice and how comfortable he was with me to just sing like no one was in the room.

When I was finished, I peaked my face out of the shower. Edward was sitting on the closed toilet lid in his jeans, still shirtless. "Can you pass me a towel?" I asked him.

"Of course." He said, getting up to pass me a towel. I slipped it in the shower and dried off, before I wrapped it around my body. I opened the curtain and Edward helped me out of the shower and pulled me into his arms. "I love you, Bella." He said. "Thank you for this morning. I love that you trusted me enough to do that."

"I do trust you, Edward." I said, bringing my hands up to his face. "I love you so much."

He smiled at me. "Okay, I'll leave you to get ready." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips, before he left the bathroom. I smiled to myself, as I combed out my hair. I couldn't believe that Edward and I had just seen each other naked.

Edward and I had come so far in three months. I still remember his flushed face, and the way he was running his hands on his thighs when he asked me to be his girlfriend. We were sitting in a coffee shop just off campus.

_~April 16th~_

_Edward had asked me out that Friday afternoon for an iced coffee. We had finished our group project the week before and had gotten it back on Thursday. We got an A on the project and Edward asked me to meet him to celebrate. I thought it was adorable. And of course, considering I had the biggest crush on him from the moment I saw him, I agreed._

_He bought our drinks and we sat down at a small table by the window. He looked completely nervous and kept looking out the window and at the door, as if he was going to get up and run. Finally, I asked him what was wrong. He looked down, and then lifted his face, his gorgeous eyes meeting mine. "Bella. I've really enjoyed working with you these last few weeks, and the time we've spent together." He started._

_He reached across the table and took my hand in his. "Oh, Edward. I've loved it, too." I said, hoping that he would relax, because I was incredibly nervous, and the way he was acting didn't help matters._

_He smiled. "I'm glad." He said, taking a deep breath. "Um, well, what I wanted to ask you, is if you'll be my girlfriend?"_

_I believe I let out a girlie squeal and got out of my chair, wrapping my arms around his neck, and pulling him into a tight hug. He laughed, and I revelled in the feeling of his arms wrapping around my body and his hands lightly rubbing my back._

_"Is that a yes?" He asked, as I pulled back, red faced, to look into his eyes._

_I nodded, smiling. "Yes, Edward. I'd love to be your girlfriend." I said._

_"Can I kiss you?" He asked. I'm sure I had stopped breathing at that point. I had never been kissed by a boy in my entire life. And I was terrified that I would do it wrong and make him regret that he asked me to be his girlfriend. _

_"Bella. Are you alright?" He asked, standing up in front of me. _

_"Um, I think so, yeah." I said._

_"Come on. Let's go outside and get you some fresh air. You look really pale." He said, reaching down to take my hand. I smiled at the feeling of his hand on mine, as he led me outside to a bench. "I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to upset you." He said, squeezing my hand._

_"Oh, no, Edward. I'm just nervous, that's all." I told him. "You can kiss me. I mean, if you still want to."_

_He smiled and laughed, before he slowly leaned close to my face. He reached up and put his hand on the side of my neck, his thumb lightly caressing my cheek. I closed my eyes and took in a deep steadying breath. I felt Edward's lips lightly brush against mine, making me smile._

_"You're beautiful." He whispered, before pressing his lips to mine a little harder. It was such an amazing feeling. I could feel my body tingling at his touch. He opened his mouth a little to take my bottom lip between his. My eyes flew open, and Edward's eyes were still closed. His long, gorgeous eyelashes were fanned out on his cheeks. _

_I closed my eyes, again, and tried to follow Edward's lead. I took his top lip between mine and sucked on it, lightly. Edward smiled, pulling back, before pressing a couple more quick kisses to my lips. _

_He sat back on the bench, reaching out to hold both of my hands in his. He was smiling so wide, I had to laugh. "That was amazing, Bella." He said. "I think I'm going to love being your boyfriend."_

I was smiling at my reflection in the mirror as I put on my lip gloss. Edward and I had an amazing relationship, and it had honestly been that way from the very first day.

I hadn't brought clothes in the bathroom with me, so I went back to my room in the towel. Edward was laying on my bed, still without a shirt, reading my gossip magazines, again. I giggled a little. He was too priceless.

When he heard me, he got up off of the bed and came over to me. "Baby, you're so beautiful." He whispered, before kissing my lips.

"Thank you, sexy." I said to him. "I'm honestly loving the whole shirtless thing you've been working this morning." I told him, brining my hand up to rub his chest.

He laughed. "Well, just wait until we have our place. You'll forget what I look like in a shirt."

I giggled. "I like the sound of that." I told him, before turning and walking to my dresser. I pulled out a pair of khaki shorts and black tee, along with a white satin bra and my new yellow panties, with the animal print lace.

"You are so sexy, and you don't even have to try, honey." Edward said, sitting on the edge of my bed, leaning back on his elbows.

I laughed. "What did I do?" I said, dropping the towel, before pulling on my underwear.

Edward's eyes were bulging out of his head, and I bit my lip, as I pulled my shorts on. "Um, well, that, for one thing." He choked out, making me laugh. "I was going to say, that what you're wearing under your clothes today is going to make it hard for me to concentrate at the shooting range."

I slid my bra on, and held back a smile, as he watched my every move. I walked over to him and straddled his thighs, setting my hands on his shoulders. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to distract you." I said, leaning in for a light kiss. "I can always change?" I suggested.

"No, baby. You're perfect." He said.

"I was just thinking about our first kiss." I told him reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "And how perfect it was."

Edward smiled and brought his face down to my cleavage. He slowly traced his nose along the skin peaking out over the edge of my bra. "Mm, baby. That was an amazing day." He whispered, before placing tiny kisses on my chest and making me shiver.

"I had been waiting to kiss you since the first moment we made eye contact." He said, chuckling and looking up to my eyes. "And honestly, I'm surprised I got any work done for our project. Every time I looked at you, or watched you speak, I wanted to kiss you. That kiss was a long time coming, babe."

I smiled. "Well, it was perfect, Edward. And definitely worth the wait."


	298. Family Time

**A/N - I hope you are all having a great weekend! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 298 - Family Time

After I finished getting dressed, Edward and I decided to head over to his house and just hang out with his brothers. When we got there, Esme and Alice were making cupcakes in the kitchen. Alice hopped off her chair and ran over for hugs.

"Did you sleep by the fire last night? Is that why you didn't come home?" Alice asked Edward, as he lifted her up, to kiss her cheek.

He laughed. "No, princess. Bella fell asleep and I took her home. Then, I just stayed with her." Edward explained.

"You guys had a slumber party without me?" She asked, putting her hand on her hip. It was so adorable, and we all laughed at her. "What did you guys do?"

I giggled, trying so hard not to blush, thinking about Edward and my bath this morning. "We slept." I laughed. "And then Edward made me breakfast."

"Aw, that's sweet." Esme said smiling. "What did you make?" She asked.

"Yeah, Edward. You don't know how to cook." Alice said.

"Hey. Bella is teaching me how." He laughed, tickling her stomach. "But, I made burnt toast and cereal."

Alice laughed, and Esme smiled. "He's making it sound worse than it was." I said, defending him. "He had a little vase of wildflowers on the table, and the toast was just dark, not burnt. It was really sweet, actually."

"Mom made bacon and eggs this morning." Alice said proudly.

Edward set her back down. "Way to show me up, mom." Edward laughed, walking over to kiss his mom on the cheek.

"I'm sorry." She chuckled, holding up her hands. "Your brothers and the girls are downstairs watching TV. I just took down some lunch, so you'd better get down there before Em eats it all."

"Okay, thanks, mom." Edward said. He took my hand and led me to the basement door.

"Wait, Bella." Alice called out. "What colour icing do you want on your cupcake? Edward always gets blue."

I smiled at her. "Um, what about green?" I asked her.

"Okay. I'll come and get you guys when they're ready." She said, looking so serious.

"Thanks, princess." Edward said, before we headed downstairs. Emmett was sitting on one of the chairs, with Rose on his lap. Jasper and Maria were sitting beside each other on the couch.

"Hey, guys." Emmett said, excitedly, when he saw us. "How was the bonfire?"

"It was pretty good. Just a bunch of us sitting by the fire." Edward told him, leading me to sit on the couch by Maria. She leaned over and pulled me into the hug.

Edward sat on the floor in front of the couch, leaning back against my legs. "What did you guys do last night?" He asked his brothers, as I started running my fingers through his hair on the back of his head, lightly scratching his scalp.

"Oh, the four us took Alice for ice cream." Emmett said. I smiled. I loved that the Cullen boys all tried to include Alice. It was adorable.

"Do you guys want to play football tomorrow morning?" Edward asked them. "Bella's ditching me."

"Oh, yeah. That would be great. I guess I'd better start practicing, huh?" Emmett laughed.

"What are you doing tomorrow, Bella?" Jasper asked. "Oh, I mean if you don't mind me asking?" His cheeks were flushed, but I was so happy that he was talking to me freely. All I wanted when we had come home this summer was for Edward's family to accept me. And I think I had gotten what I wanted, and more.

"I don't mind, Jasper." I told him. "I'm going up to Port Angeles with a bunch of girls to get manicures. They're all dating cops that work with my dad."

"Oh, that sounds fun." Maria said. I knew she was very much a girly type girl and I knew she would love manicures.

"Well, before this summer is over, you, me and Rose should all go together." I suggested. "It would be fun." The girls seemed excited by my suggestion. I was glad that the three of us got along so well, because I knew how strong the bond was between the Cullen brothers.

We all ate sandwiches and veggies, and spent the nest few hours hanging out watching movies. It was fun and I had missed being around the boys. And what made me the happiest was watching the boys together. They laughed at the same jokes and teased each other constantly. It was so nice that they had this bond with each other.

Alice had brought down dessert for us and passed out our personalized cupcakes. It was so sweet. She sat on my lap, and ate her cupcake, before running back upstairs when Esme called her. Apparently her friend Bree had called her on the phone.

At five o'clock, Rose and Maria's mom came to pick them up. Jasper kissed Maria on the cheek, while Emmett and Rose were a little more amorous. We all went to wait upstairs for my dad. He was coming to pick us all up to go out for dinner, and then to the shooting range.

The boys seemed really excited and I was surprised when Carlisle came home a little early, so he could come with us. It was nice that he wanted to spend time with his three sons. I couldn't say enough, how much I loved and admired the Cullen family. I couldn't wait to be just like them one day. I loved seeing a house full of love, and this one was overflowing.

Esme and Alive gave us all hugs before they left. They were meeting Bree and her mother, Victoria for a girls' dinner. I thought it was adorable. After Carlisle walked his girls to the car, and saw them off, he came back in the family room to sit with us.

"Okay, boys." He said. "Now, I know you're excited to go shooting with Charlie, but I want to make sure that you listen to him and follow all of his instructions. We want to have fun, but be safe at the same time. Alright?"

"Yes, dad. We will." Jasper and Emmett agreed. I admired how much Carlisle loved his boys. They had a very close relationship with one another.

The doorbell rang and Carlisle got up to let my dad in. "Hi, daddy." I said, getting up to give him a big hug. "How was your day?"

"It was quiet, which was good." He said, kissing my forehead. "I see the bonfire wore you out, last night." He chuckled.

"Yeah, I actually slept through most of it." I laughed.

We all got up to drive to the restaurant for dinner. Edward rode with his dad and brothers and I rode in the truck with my dad.

"Heidi's not coming with us this afternoon?" I asked my dad as he followed behind Carlisle's car.

"No, actually her parents drove into town from Spokane this afternoon to surprise her." My dad said, looking a little nervous. "They're staying until Sunday."

I giggled a little. "Have you met them, yet? Do they know about you?" I asked him. I loved how my dad had to go through the whole 'meet the parents' situation.

"No, I haven't met them, but yes, they know about me." He said, smiling at me. "Heidi is spending the evening with them tonight, and she took the next two days off of work. Actually, Bells, Heidi wanted me to ask you if you'd like to meet them tomorrow night."

"She wants her parents to meet me?" I asked. I was honestly really touched that she wanted me there. "Like for dinner?"

"Yeah. It will actually be the first time I'm meeting them, and I would love for you to be there with me." My dad admitted. "You can bring Edward with you, too, if you want."

"Um, okay. I'll ask him." I said. "Dad, don't be nervous. You are an amazing man and I'm proud to be your daughter. Heidi wouldn't be introducing you to her parents if she didn't love you." It was interesting how I was giving my dad a pep talk about his girlfriend. I loved it.

He chuckled. "Thank you, kiddo. I love you." He told me, reaching over to pat my hand.

"I love you, too, daddy." I told him. "And don't worry about this dinner, tomorrow night. You're going to be great." He smiled as we pulled up to the diner, and parked.

Edward came over to open the truck door for me, and help me out. "That was a long ten minutes." He whispered in my ear, before sucking on my ear lobe. I felt the same way. Any time apart from Edward was too long in my eyes.


	299. With the Boys

**A/N - So, it's Monday...but we have the Cullen boys to make it better! By the way, it's Wednesday, July 14, 2010 in Summer Vacation. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 299 - With the Boys

Edward took my hand and led me into the diner to meet up with our families. As we walked in, I leaned into him closely. "I need to talk to you tonight. Can we go for a walk or something before you go home?" I asked quietly.

Edward looked down at me and turned to face me. "Of course. Is something wrong?" He asked, honestly looking panicked.

I smiled at him, before leaning up to kiss his chin. "No, babe. Nothing's wrong, okay? I just worry that we won't get any alone time until Friday."

He checked my eyes and face to make sure I was okay, making me smile. He finally smiled back at me, caressing my cheek with his fingers. "Okay." He said smiling at me, seeming to be satisfied that I was alright.

We walked over to the booth and sat down beside Emmett, as Jasper, Carlisle and my dad were on the other side of the booth.

"What are you getting, bro?" Emmett asked Edward. "They have a double cheeseburger now. I'm so getting that."

"Oh, no way. I'll get that, too." Edward said. I giggled at how excited they were, and Jasper laughed with me, rolling his eyes.

"I'll get the chicken strips." I said. "What are you getting, Jasper?" I always wanted to include him, and I figured the more I talked to him, the more open he would be with me.

"I think I'll get the chicken, too." He said, tucking his hair behind his ear, smiling at me. After we ordered, both dads also getting this fantastic new double cheeseburger, my dad went over what we were going to do tonight.

"We're going to shoot the .22 rifle today." He said. "It's a great gun to start out with, as it doesn't kick at all. I have some gun rests, and you boys can sit down to shoot, until you learn the ropes."

"What did Edward shoot?" Emmett asked, laughing. "That time he closed his eyes?"

My dad held back a smile. "It was a 9mm." He said. "But, I wouldn't poke fun at him until you've tried it."

Edward laughed. "Yeah, Em, we'll see if you've got a steady hand." Edward put his hand under the table and started running his fingers up and down along the inside of my thigh. I bit my lip, trying not to draw attention to myself.

"Rose isn't complaining." Emmett said, quietly.

"Emmett." Carlisle scolded. "There is a lady present."

"Sorry, Bella." He said, leaning forward to wink at me, making me laugh.

"It's fine." I said, giggling. Especially considering how Edward had his hand high up on my thigh right now. "Emmett knows he can treat me like one of the guys."

Emmett reached in front of Edward to give me a high five. Our meals came and we all ate dinner. I absolute loved hanging out with the guys. Being the only girl with five guys didn't bother me in the least. Emmett and Edward kept raving over their double cheeseburgers, making me laugh.

After we ate, and a kiss on the lips from Edward, I rode with my dad to the shooting range, and Edward, again, rode with his family. "So, what are you doing for the rest of this week?" My dad asked as we drove.

"Well, tomorrow morning, I'm going to Port Angeles for manicures with Rachel and Vanessa, that's Jake's new girlfriend." I said. "Oh my god. I was supposed to call Siobhan." I had totally forgot to give her a call and ask her to join us for manicures. Darn Edward, was so distracting.

I pulled out my phone and sent her a quick text. 'Manicures tomorrow with me, Rachel and new friend, Vanessa?' I slipped my phone back in my purse.

My dad chuckled. "It's nice to see you making so many new friends." He said. "I know you love Edward, but it's good you're spending time with some girlfriends."

"Yeah, they're really great girls." I agreed. "It's too bad that I'll be going back to Seattle, though. Now, I just have more people to miss." I teased.

My dad shook his head, chuckling. "Well, you're just going to have more people missing you, and wanting you to come home to visit." He said.

I laughed with him. "You know I'll be coming home a lot, dad." I said, leaning over to hug him after he parked the truck.

"I know, Bells." he said, getting out of the truck. I hopped out and went to the back of the truck with him, to help him get out his shooting things.

He passed me a shooting bag and gun rest, loading up my arms, and making me laugh. Carlisle pulled up and Edward quickly came over to take the heavy bag from my shoulder, before kissing my cheek. Jasper took the gun rest from me, and Emmett and Carlisle helped my dad unpack the folding chair and two gun cases. It was almost comical how many supplies we needed.

We got into the shooting shelter and my dad set everything up for us. Edward sat down on one of the benches, and pulled me to sit on his lap. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder, and kissed his cheek.

"So you were getting a little handsy at the diner, huh?" I whispered in his ear, before kissing his temple.

He blushed and turned his head to kiss my lips. He brought his lips to my ear and whispered back to me. "I warned you that I would be distracted, today. But, having seen you the way I did this morning, can you really blame me?"

I looked into his eyes and smiled. I couldn't blame him at all. This morning was a huge step for us. I leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose. "Well, you'd better try to focus for now. You know Emmett is going to try and compete with you."

"Honestly, baby. It doesn't matter to me." He said, smiling. "Only you do." I giggled, and kissed his lips. I was so lucky.

"Come on, Bells." My dad called. "You've got to show these boys how it's done." He had the rifle set up on the rest and had four targets set up about fifty yards out. Edward stood up and set me down, walking behind me over to the chair.

"Well, no pressure, there, dad." I teased. "I've never shot the rifle before and now I have an audience." I giggled.

"Oh, come on, kiddo. You're the best shot I know." My dad said, passing out little foam ear plugs to everyone.

"Besides you." I said, smiling at him, and making him laugh.

"Okay. I'll the load five shots in the clip for you, Bells." My dad said, loading the clip in the gun for me. The rifle was balanced on a plastic gun rest that had a rubber coating over top. It was neat because it held the gun for you, so you could focus on aiming and looking through the scope, without having to worry about holding the gun up and being steady.

My dad had all the boys gather around as he explained the safety on the gun, and how to load a shell by bringing the bolt action up and back, and then forward and down. Emmett and Jasper looked so excited standing there, as they listened to my dad explain the mechanics of the gun. He explained that we looked through the scope and we placed the crosshairs where we wanted to shoot, making sure we gently squeezed the trigger, not pulling it. If you pulled it, even slightly, the shot would end up to the left and low.

"Get out." Emmett laughed. "Always to the left?"

"Yes, son. Because, by pulling, your moving the gun itself." My dad laughed. "Trust me on that one. Okay, everyone put their hearing protection in." My dad came over and patted my shoulder. "Alright, kiddo. Whenever your ready."

I put my left hand under the barrel and my hand on the side of the stock. I looked through the scope, and I was excited by how clear and close the target looked, compared to when Edward and I used the iron sites on the handgun. I flicked the safety off, and then took a couple of deep breaths to relax. I gently squeezed the trigger and tried to see through the scope where I hit.

"No way." Emmett called out. I sat up and looked over at him. He had a my dad's spotting scope and was looking at the targets. "She hit the bull's eye." He said, sounding completely shocked. Edward and Jasper laughed, and Carlisle smiled at me.

"That's my girl." My dad said, patting my shoulder, sounding so proud. I smiled up at him, so glad that my dad and I could share this. I fired my other four shots, each a bit high, but still fairly close to center. My dad gave me a hug, and Edward came over to kiss my lips.

"You are so sexy when you shoot." Edward whispered in my ear. "I love you." I smiled up at him, and kissed his chin.

"Well, there's no way I'm following that." Emmett said, laughing.

"I'll go. Um, if that's okay?" Jasper asked my dad.

"Of course, son." My dad said, patting his shoulder. It was nice watching my dad with Jasper. I smiled, thinking, again, how lucky I was to have such amazing relationships with so many great people.


	300. Ready, Aim, Fire

**A/N - Well, this is the big one! Summer Vacation is now at 300 chapters! This story was honestly only meant to be a short story about Bella and Edward's camping trip. But, I got caught up on the details, relationships and back stories. And I'm afraid I can't let these characters go! This story still has a ways to go, but never fear, there is a sequel or two in the works! I can't say enough how much I appreciate you reading along and following this story for this many chapters! Thank you! Enjoy!**

Chapter 300 - Ready, Aim, Fire

My dad went over everything again with Jasper and he was nodding, looking like he was concentrating so hard. He reached up and tucked his hair behind his ears before he leaned in and looked through the scope. We all waited quietly for him to fire his first shot. I was standing off to his left, and Edward was behind me, with his arms around my shoulders, his chin resting on top of my head.

Jasper fired his first shot and it went low and to the left. He sat up and looked at my dad, almost embarrassed. My dad patted his shoulder. "That's a good first shot, Jasper." He told him, positively. "Just remember to squeeze the trigger slowly, once you've got it lined it up. But I can tell you're doing it all right."

Jasper smiled and nodded his head, before lining up his next shot. This time, it hit just to the left of the bull's eye, but dead center. "Great job, Jazz." Edward said.

He fired his last three shots, all hitting within an inch of each other. Jasper turned and smiled. He seemed to really have had fun. "Oh, wait, Jasper. Let me take a picture of you. Maria would never forgive me if I didn't." I said, going over to the bench to grab my camera from my purse.

He was blushing, but he looked so cute, so I snapped a picture. "Okay, now hold onto the gun. Just pretend you're going to shoot it." I said, smiling when Jasper followed my instructions. I snapped a couple more shots of him. Maria would love me for this.

Jasper got up, and Carlisle wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "You've got a real talent for this." His dad told him. Jasper's face was red and it was obvious he wasn't fond of all the attention.

"Yes, Jasper. Have you ever considered joining the police force?" My dad asked him, smiling.

"Um, no. I never really thought about it." He said, quietly.

My dad chuckled. "You've got lots of time, kid." He said, before turning to Edward. "You ready to give the rifle a try, Edward?"

"Sure." He said, kissing my forehead, before walking over to sit at the chair, as my dad loaded the clip for him.

"Keep your eyes open, Eddie boy." Emmett teased, making Edward laugh.

My dad wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Don't listen to him Edward." My dad laughed.

I watched my gorgeous boy, holding onto the gun. It was hard to be away from him, even though I was only about three steps away. After I had seen Edward this morning, all of him, I felt like I was literally craving his touch. We had reached such a deeper level of trust and love and it was so powerful.

Edward's first shot was dead center, but high. "Great shot, baby." I said, excitedly. He looked over his shoulder at me and winked. I would never, ever get tired of seeing that. My tummy still fluttered and I couldn't help the smile the appeared on my face.

"Okay, quit flirting and shoot." Emmett said, making me blush. I could even see Edward's ears turn a bit red. It was adorable.

"Take your time, Edward." Carlisle said, which I thought was really sweet.

Edward's next four shots were placed all around the bull's eye. Close, but never hitting it. I had snapped a couple of picture while he was shooting. Maria loved pictures of her man, but I felt exactly the same way about Edward. He was absolutely gorgeous, and it felt like a crime not to capture that on camera.

Edward got up, and high fived his brothers and his dad. He came over and shook my dad's hand. "What did you think about the rifle?" My dad asked him.

"Well, I love the scope. It felt like I could see the target better." Edward said. "Now one day, I'll have to try the shotgun." My dad looked so thrilled that Edward was into this sport. It was nice that they could share this. I knew my dad liked Edward, but it made me happy that they actually enjoyed spending time with each other. And I know my dad liked teaching him about shooting.

"Sounds good, Edward." My dad said, before walking over to load the clip for Emmett.

I wrapped my arms around Edward's waist and kissed his chest. "Now, that was hot." I whispered, making Edward laugh. He leaned down to kiss the top of my head.

"Jasper, do you want to look through the spotting scope for Emmett?" My dad asked him, going over to show him how to use it.

Emmett sat down at the shooting table, and smiled. He looked so excited. I snapped a picture of him, making him laugh.

"Okay, let's see the master at work." Edward said to him, teasing.

Emmett sat really still for a while, aiming at the last new target. He finally shot the gun.

"I don't see anything, Charlie." Jasper said. "I can't see where he hit." My dad walked over and took the scope, looking out at the targets.

He chuckled. "That would be because Emmett hit the bottom of Edward's target." He said. Edward and Jasper laughed, and Emmett's cheeks turned a little pink. "Don't worry about it, Emmett. It's not a competition." My dad said. He walked back over to him, and crouched down, explaining the proper technique to him, again. My dad was so great. He wanted everyone to do well.

Edward took my hand and we went over to sit beside Carlisle. "Are you going to shoot, dad?" Edward asked him.

"No. I just wanted to watch you boys, and Bella of course." He said smiling at us.

"She's an amazing shooter, isn't she?" Edward said, proudly. "This is only her third time trying it, too."

"Yes, she's definitely a Swan." Carlisle agreed. "You'll take good care of my boy in Seattle." He teased, making Edward laugh, loudly.

"Of course I will." I giggled, as Edward shook his head at us.

"Okay. I'm ready to do this thing, again." Emmett called out, so we were watching him.

"Come on, Em. Show us how it's done." Edward said, encouraging his brother. The boys teased each other, but it was clear how much they really loved one another.

Emmett sat there concentrating for a while, before he fired. He hit a shot right beside the bull's eye. We all cheered for him and he looked totally shocked.

"Great job, son." Carlisle said, smiling. Emmett turned around to shoot again, this time hitting about two inches high.

"Just relax, Emmett." My dad said to him. He fired the next two shots, both hitting a little low, but still fairly close to the center. I thought is was cool how we each shot so differently.

We all walked out to the end of the range to get our targets. Carlisle took my camera from me and made us stand together holding our targets up in front of us. It was going to be a great photo.

My dad unpacked a second .22 rifle and loaded both. He let Emmett and Jasper trying shooting them from standing. They both shot at a small metal silhouette of a ram. I heard a couple of pings when a shot hit the metal, and the boys laughing. They looked like they were having so much fun.

I just sat on Edward's lap watching and laughing at the boys. My dad and Carlisle were sitting together, talking, while keeping an eye on the boys at the same time. "So, where are we walking tonight?" Edward asked me, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"Oh, I don't know." I said. "I doesn't matter to me. I just want to be alone with you, so we can talk."

Edward smiled, and I leaned down to kiss his lips. "You sure we can't talk in my bedroom?" He asked, winking at me.

"Well, in theory we could, but you know darn well that the minute we are on a bed together, there won't be much talking getting done." I told him, quietly, making him chuckle.

"You're the brains of this relationship." He said, leaning in to kiss my neck.

"Well, you're definitely the body of this relationship." I teased him, patting his solid chest, making us both blush.

"I happen to be a little partial to your body." He said, squeezing my hip.

After another half hour of the boys shooting, we all helped my dad pack up and load the truck. It was dusk, and we couldn't stay any longer at the shooting range. Jasper and Emmett both gave my dad a hug and thanked him for showing them how to shoot. It was absolutely adorable.

Edward told Carlisle he would be home soon, before he rode back to my house with my dad and I. Edward helped my dad unload the truck when we got home, neither one of them letting me lift a finger. It was kind of nice being the girl. I gave my dad a kiss on the cheek before I took Edward's hand, and we left for our moonlit walk.


	301. Blush and Giggle

**A/N - Thanks for all the congratulations on 300! Enjoy!**

Chapter 301 - Blush and Giggle

Edward and I walked down my street, hand in hand. "So, baby. What did you want to talk about?" Edward asked, swinging our hands between us. I knew that when I told him that I wanted to talk, he would panic. And he did. When I told him not to worry, he said he wouldn't, but I knew he was probably thinking about it all evening.

I let go of his hand and wrapped my arm around his waist so I was closer to his body. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I slipped my hand into his back pocket, gently squeezing his bum. "Are you always going to worry about things this much?" I asked him casually.

"Probably." He chuckled. "Why? Is that a deal breaker?"

I giggled. "No, baby. I love that you care about me so much. It's sweet." I told him.

"Okay, good." He said. I looked up at him and he wiped his forehead, exaggeratedly, making me laugh.

"Actually, I just wanted to talk to you tomorrow night." I told him. "Heidi's parents drove in from Spokane to surprise her."

"That's nice." He said. "Has your dad met them, yet?"

I giggled. "No. Heidi is having him over for dinner tomorrow night to introduce him. And she wants me to go, too."

"That's really sweet, Bella." He said, as we ended up at the park. "You are very important to her. And I think it's because you are so easy to love."

"Aw, Edward." I said, as he led me over to a bench. He sat down and brought me down, sideways on his lap. "But, my dad wants you to come, too." I told him, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"Are you sure? It seems like a family thing." He asked, reaching up, to tuck my hair behind my ear.

I reached up and grabbed his hand, bringing his hand to my lips and kissed his knuckles. "Edward. You are family. Plus, my dad was the one that brought it up." I told him. "I think he's nervous, and having as many people as possible there that he's comfortable with, will make this easier for him."

"Okay, I'll be there." He said. "But, I'm going to be honest, and say that it's mostly because I'm going to miss you like crazy tomorrow morning."

I leaned in and kissed his lips. "I'm going to miss you, too." I told him. I leaned in and rested my head on his shoulder, and Edward wrapped his arms around me, slowly running his fingertips up and down my arm.

"Can we talk about this morning?" Edward asked after a couple minutes of comfortable quiet.

I kissed his neck, holding my lips on his skin. I could feel his fast pulse on my lips, so I wondered if he was nervous. "Yes." I answered.

"Alright. I just wanted to make sure you were okay?" He said, quietly.

"It was my idea." I said, rubbing his chest with the palm of my hand. I was the one that suggested Edward and I have a bath together.

"I know, baby, but it was kind of a big deal for us. We've been going pretty slow, but things have been picking up lately, and I just wanted to make sure it wasn't too fast for you." He explained. "When you told me you wanted to talk tonight, that's the first thing that came to mind. And, as much as I loved seeing your perfect body, if it was too much for you, then I just want to make sure you tell me. You can always tell me no and you can always change your mind, Bella."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "I know I have told you countless times, but we really do have forever. And I love you so much, Bella. Love doesn't even feel like a strong enough word for how I feel. What I feel for you is so intense. It's mind blowing, really." He chuckled.

I smiled against his skin, trying to blink back my tears. "I wish that I was as eloquent as you are." I said. "You always say such beautiful words to me."

"They're all true." He said, turning his head so he could kiss my cheek.

I sat up so I could look into Edward's eyes. He smiled as he reached up to wipe my tears. "About what you said, I want you to know that I liked what we did this morning. I liked seeing you." I said, feeling my face blush bright red. Edward smiled and put his cool palms on my warm cheeks. "That was definitely a first for me, but I wouldn't go back and change anything. I'm glad we took that step."

"So am I." Edward said. "What do you mean a definite first? You've seen pictures of men before, right?"

I burst out laughing, bringing my forehead down to Edward's chest, still laughing. I heard him chuckle. "What?" He said, laughing. "Bella." He whined. "Tell me. What's so funny?"

I know my face was still bright red, but I looked up at his face. "Edward. Where would I have seen pictures of naked men?" I asked, still giggling in embarrassment.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "What about in health class in high school?"

"Just illustrations." I said.

"The internet?" He asked.

"Edward." I scolded. "No."

"Wow." He said. "I guess we all didn't grow up in a house full of medical journals with dads that give graphic birds and bees talks."

"I still can't picture your dad talking to you about, you know, that stuff." I said, biting my lip.

"Neither can I." He laughed, putting his thumb under my lip to tug it out from between my teeth. "But, it happened, and even though I thought I might, I didn't die from embarrassment. But, I want to apologize. I thought you knew a lot more than you do."

"No, Edward. It's my fault. I should have talked to you about it." I said.

"It's okay, sugar." He said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "I know it's really embarrassing to talk about, but you can ask me anything and I'll do my best to answer."

"Can't we just learn as we go?" I asked him, laying my head on his shoulder, again. "I don't want to know what the books say is supposed to happen, I want to know what happens when I'm with you. I want us to discover things together."

"I actually really like the sound of that." He said, kissing the top of my head. "But, I still want you to talk to me. I like that you told me you like it when I hold your hands. I want to know everything you like, and if I don't get it on my own, I want you to tell me."

"Okay." I agreed. "So, you really like it when I bite and scratch you?"

Edward laughed. "I really do."

"It doesn't hurt?" I asked him. "I don't want to do it too hard."

"No, you never have, baby. You can be rough with me. It feels good." He said, rubbing my back. "Now, if I have to go home alone tonight, no more sex talk." He laughed, standing us up.

"Edward." I scolded, before laughing.

"You blush and giggle every time I say sex." Edward laughed, taking my hand, as we started walking back to my house. As predicted, I giggled and he squeezed my hand. "It's adorable." He said, winking.

By the time we walked back to my house, it was almost eleven. "Dad?" I called out. He walked out of the living room, looking like he was about to fall asleep. "Can I borrow your truck? I have to take Edward home."

"Of course, kids." My dad said. "So, did Bells ask you about dinner at Heidi's tomorrow night?" He asked Edward.

"Yes." Edward said. "I would love to go. Are you nervous?"

My dad chuckled. "I haven't been this nervous since I was a teenager." He admitted, making me smile and Edward laugh.

"I think you'll be fine, Charlie." Edward said. "Plus me and Bella will be there to brag you up." My dad chuckled, and patted Edward's shoulder. I was such a lucky girl.

Edward and I drove back to his house, and after a little make out session in the truck, I reluctantly drove back home. I was exhausted from yet another long, but amazing summer day.

I went to bed that night, smiling. I couldn't get the beautiful image of Edward from my mind. But, I honestly didn't want to.


	302. Pink Polish

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading, and for the great reviews! Ready for girls' day? Enjoy!**

Chapter 302 - Pink Polish

I woke up at six o'clock, and headed downstairs to make my dad some breakfast. I had missed sharing breakfast with him yesterday, as I had slept in after the bonfire. I made us chocolate chip pancakes, and my dad was thrilled.

"So, why am I being spoiled, today?" My dad asked, after taking a big bite of his stack of pancakes.

I sat down across from him and laughed. "Because, you're my dad and I love you." I said.

"Well, I love you, too, Bells." He said, smiling.

"I'm excited about tonight, dad." I said. "Just think about how amazing Heidi is. Her parents have to be great people, too." I said, trying to reassure him.

"I know." He said, chuckling and shaking his head. "I'm feeling a lot better about it today."

"Did she call?" I asked.

He laughed. "You're a smart cookie, aren't you?" He said. "Yes, she called me this morning, before they woke up."

"How is she liking the visit with her parents?" I asked him, as we ate.

"Oh, she sounds so excited." He said. "Like she's truly happy that they're here. Hearing her talk like that about them made me actually excited to meet them." I smiled at my dad. It was nice to see him so in love. He seemed so happy.

I gave him a hug before he left and he said, he'd see me at 5:30 tonight so he, Edward and I could go over together. I went upstairs to have a shower and get dressed. I pulled on a pair of grey capris and a dressy black tank. I dried my hair straight and curled the ends to give it a soft look. I put on some light makeup and then went in my room to get my purse and phone.

I had a text from Edward. 'Good morning, my gorgeous angel. Have a great day and call me when you get home. I love and miss you already.' I giggled. I loved him so much.

I sent him a message right back. 'I love you, too, handsome. Any color preference for my fingernails? Have fun with your brothers.'

He texted right back. 'I don't know? Pink?' I laughed. He was so adorable.

Right after I read Edward's text, my phone rang. It was Vanessa. "Hi, Bella. I'm in the car and I've picked up Rachel. We're on our way to get Siobhan and then you. Are you ready?"

"Absolutely." I told her. "I'll see you about ten minutes."

"Great. I can't wait." She said.

I made a quick stop in the bathroom, before heading outside to sit on the step. When I opened the door, I smiled. There was a pink, long stem rose laying on the step. I brought it up to my nose to breathe in the sweet scent. I noticed a little note tied onto the stem with a ribbon. 'I love you, sexy girl.'

I blushed and laughed. Edward must have stopped at my house and left me my flower this morning. I couldn't believe he got up so early to come over here to do this for me. I quickly ran in the house and put my rose in a vase. I went back outside and sat on the step. I took out my phone and sent a text to Edward.

'Baby. I love you so much. Thank you for the rose. It is beautiful.' I was smiling as I sent the message and I only wished he was here so I could kiss him.

I heard a car pull up and I looked up to see an old navy blue, boxy looking car. It looked old, like in a classic car kind of way. Rachel waved at me out the passenger side window. "Come on, Bella. It's girl time. Stop texting Edward." She laughed, making me giggle as I ran down the steps and over to the car. I got in beside Siobhan in the back seat and she leaned over to give me a hug.

"Hi, girls." I said, as Vanessa pulled away from the curb and started driving on the road out of town. "And, yes I was texting Edward." I laughed. "He left a pink rose on the doorstep for me this morning."

There was a chorus of awws in the car and I laughed. "This girl is so in love." Rachel said. "And the only one of us not dating a cop." She laughed. "Not into the uniformed men?"

"My dad is a uniformed man." I laughed. "Plus my Edward is going to be sexy in his lab coat." I giggled.

The rest of the drive to Port Angeles went the same way, each of us telling sweet stories about our guys. I was excited to hear Siobhan and Alec were still doing well. It was fun hanging out with a big group of girls around my age. Vanessa was my age, and Rachel was in her early twenties. Siobhan was in her late twenties, but she was so shy, she fit right in. Rachel had us all tell an embarrassing story, so I told them about how Edward's brothers and my dad saw the Victoria's Secret bag in Edward's trunk. They all laughed, and I blushed again, just thinking about it.

Siobhan told us that Alec had caught her singing show tunes in the shower, Vanessa said her wetsuit split open once, and Rachel, well, she didn't embarrass very easily, but once she spilled a whole tray of drinks on a cute guy's pants at work. We literally laughed all the way to the nail salon.

When we got there, we all sat in a line at the nail studio and had our nails buffed and clipped. "What colour are you getting, Bella?" Siobhan asked me.

"Um, something pink." I told her. "I asked Edward if he had a preference, and he said pink." I laughed. I ended up picking out a rosy pink that matched the rose Edward left for me this morning.

"He's really cute, you know." She giggled with me. "I think I'm going to get something burgundy or maroon. I have a nice dress that colour and Alec is taking me out to brunch tomorrow." She said, blushing.

"Now, that's cute." I giggled. Vanessa ended up getting a pretty turquoise blue color and Rachel got a blood red shade. After we had our nails done, we all walked over to a little coffee shop for iced coffee and pastry. Girly days definitely had their perks.

After lunch, Rachel wanted us to come and see her apartment. Vanessa drove us over to the complex and we took the elevator up to the fifth floor. "It's a small place." She said. "But, it's mine and I love it." When she opened the door, I smiled. Her furniture was all black and red, she had sheer black fabric draped over her lamp shades, and mirrors everywhere. It was the sexiest apartment I'd ever seen. It fit Rachel's personality to a T.

"This is really gorgeous." I told her. "What does Paul think of it?" I asked, even though I was pretty sure I knew the answer.

"Oh, he loves it." She giggled. "I would love to live with him in Forks, but because I work at the bar in Port Angeles, I have to keep my place here. So, we just take turns staying at each other's places."

"Have you ever considered finding a waitressing job in Forks?" Siobhan asked her.

"Actually, I'm thinking about it." She said, smiling. We all sat on the couch and Rachel turned on her stereo, cranking out some music. She walked in the kitchen and started blending up some margaritas. I waked into the kitchen to help her, getting out the glasses. "They're non-alcoholic, by the way." She said to me. "I can't go to work if I'm drinking, Vanessa is driving you all home and you, my dear, are underage." She laughed.

"So, how are you and Edward? You seemed so snuggly with each other at the bonfire." She asked me. I kind of liked having a girl my age to talk to.

"Yeah, things are heating up." I told her. "He slept over that night."

"Wow, Bella." She laughed, pouring the drinks. "Anything happen?"

"No." I laughed. "Apparently, I'm too loud." Rachel started giggling.

"That is so cute." She laughed. "I wouldn't have thought that you would be."

I blushed a little. "Well, it is Edward we're talking about." I told her. "He's amazing."

She giggled and we carried the drinks to the living room. "Okay, girls. Bella has me itching for some girl talk." Rachel said. "I wanna hear your favourite body part on your guys." We all blushed. "Oh, come on." She laughed.

"I love Jake's abs." Vanessa blurted out. "One day, he had his shirt opened. And oh my gosh, ladies." She giggled. "He's got like an eight pack."

"That's hot." Rachel said. "I like Paul's fingers." She giggled.

"Oh, my god." Siobhan laughed. "Well, I like Alec's chest. He's so strong and solid."

"Hmm. Well, Edward is so perfect to me, and I love his arms when he holds me, but I'm going to go with his lips. He's a great kisser." I said.

After another hour of carefree gossiping, Vanessa, Siobhan and I all got up to leave. Rachel gave us all hugs and told us she'd see us on Tuesday night at the club for some dancing. I was not looking forward to the dancing part. Maybe I would just have to suck it up and ask Edward for my dance lesson.


	303. Lunch and Lessons

**A/N - It's Thursday, July, 15, 2010 in Summer Vacation. I think I forgot to mention it. Thanks again for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 303 - Lunch and Lessons

We all got in the car and Vanessa drove us back to Forks. Siobhan sat in the front seat and I sat in the back. I sent Edward a quick text. 'We're headed home, babe. I'll be back at 2.' I was glad that I would get to spend a little time with Edward before my dad got home. He texted back right away. 'Just got home from football with the boys. I'll be at your place at two. Did you have a good time?' I smiled and wrote back. 'Had a great time, but I miss your lips.' I giggled at his reply. 'Hurry home, sexy.'

As we drove home, I found out a little more about Vanessa and her brother, EJ. They grew up in Sacramento, California, and EJ was a pro body boarder, and had earned a lot of prize money in the last few years. He was taking a break from the circuit and working on developing new boards, hoping to sell his ideas.

"So, what made you decide to come up to Washington?" Siobhan asked.

"Well, it's just me and EJ." Vanessa said, not going into any details. "And we wanted a change." She giggled. "I'm going to have to find a job, soon."

"Vanessa. How would you feel about receptionist work?" Siobhan asked. "I know the woman in the office at Forks Elementary retired last month and I know they haven't hired anyone for it. Plus, you get half of June, and all of July and August off."

"That actually sounds great." She said. "I guess I'll give them a call this afternoon." I was so excited for Vanessa. I was glad that they were going to stay in Forks. I really liked Vanessa.

Vanessa and I dropped off Siobhan and I hopped in the front seat before she drove me home. She pulled up in front of my house and Edward was sitting on the front step. He looked gorgeous, wearing dark wash jeans and a white polo shirt. He got up and walked over to the car, smiling. He opened my door and helped me out, giving me a quick kiss on the lips.

"Nice Chevy Nova." He said to Vanessa. "Is it a '63?" He asked her.

She just laughed. "It is. But, it's EJ's, and he could talk to you all day about it." We said our goodbyes and Edward took my hand and led me back to the house. I unlocked the door and Edward scooped me up and carried me up to my room.

"I missed you, today." He said as he set me on my bed. I laid back and Edward climbed over me, leaning in to start kissing my neck.

"I missed you, too, baby. You smell so good." I whispered, making him laugh.

"Well, after a morning of football, I figured I'd better have a shower before I came over here." He said.

"Edward." I whispered. "Take your clothes off." His stopped kissing me and looked up at my face. "You look so nice, and I don't want you to get wrinkled for dinner." I giggled.

He brought his hand down to my side and tickled me. "Is that the only reason?" He laughed and winked at me.

"Well, you're pretty hot." I said, getting up after Edward and stripping off my clothes. Edward and I crawled back into my bed, laying beside each other in just our underwear.

Edward reached down and picked up my hand, looking at my nails. "They look nice." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. He laid on his side with his head propped up on his elbow looking down at my face. "So, you had a good time?" He asked, lightly swirling his fingertips over my chest and stomach.

I told him all about our morning, and he was smiling as he listened. My stomach growled, making Edward lean down to kiss right above my belly button. "You didn't eat?" He asked.

"Well, just a pastry, but that was a few hours ago." I said.

"Okay, baby. Wait here. I'll be back." He said, smiling. He got off the bed and left the room. I heard his footsteps running down the stairs. I closed my eyes and smiled. My Edward was so perfect.

Five minutes later, I heard Edward's footsteps, and opened my eyes. He was standing in my doorway with a plate and glass of juice. "What did you make?" I asked him sitting up and leaning against my pillows.

"Peanut butter sandwiches." He said, setting on the glass on the night stand and crawling into bed with me. He had four sandwiches on the plate. It looks like he put the peanut butter on the bread and folded them in half.

"Well, look at you expanding your cooking repertoire." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "Thank you, Edward. These look delicious." I picked one up and took a bite. "Mm." I said as I chewed, making Edward smile. We sat on the bed eating together and sharing the glass of juice. This was what I was looking forward to when we moved back to Seattle. The little moments.

After we ate, Edward pulled me into his arms. "So what do you want to do this afternoon, gorgeous?" He asked, kissing my lips. I blushed, making him chuckle. "You can tell me anything, Bella." He whispered, before kissing my warm cheek.

"I know." I said. "Um, well, Rachel mentioned Tuesday night, and how we're all going out to that bar."

"Yeah. Did you not want to go?" He asked me, kissing my lips, again.

"No, I do, it's just that she said we were going to be dancing." I told him. He smiled really wide, and looked instantly excited.

"You want me to teach you how to dance?" He asked, making me blush, again.

"Well, yes and no." I said, burying my face into his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" He asked, lightly rubbing my back. "Well, I want to know how, but I'm embarrassed at the same time." I said, my voice a little mumbled.

"Bella. You know I would never do anything to embarrass you. It's just me, and no one can see us right now. If you don't like it, we'll stop and I'll just hold you out on the dance floor next week, okay?" He asked leaning back so he could see my face.

"Okay, but don't laugh at me." I said, looking up at his face.

"Bella. I think you're perfect and I love you. I'm not going to laugh at you." He said getting up off the bed, before helping me off.

"Um, should I get dressed?" I asked him, making him smile.

"Or we could just pretend we're in a sexy club, and wear our underwear." Edward suggested.

"Okay, but I'm only agreeing to this because you look hot." I giggled, trying to make myself relax.

"Well, thank you, baby." He said, leaning down to kiss me. "Do you have any dance music?" He asked me. I walked over to my laptop and found some upbeat music that I had saved when Angie and I tried an at home aerobics class in senior year.

"How's that?" I asked, turning it on.

"That's perfect." He said, talking my hand and leading me to the small space in between my bed and dresser. He faced me and took both my hands in his. "Okay, baby. The first move is really simple. Step to the side." He said, pulling me to my left. "Now bring your other foot in to stand with your legs closed. Now step to the other side, and touch." We kept repeating that same move. "There you go, babe. You've got it." Edward said.

"Baby. This doesn't feel like dancing." I said, biting my lip, and making Edward laugh.

"Okay, smarty pants." He said. "Try bending your knees a bit and leaning out a little with the top of your body." He let go of my hands and start moving faster, moving his arms a little and dancing around the room. I started giggling, covering my mouth with my hands.

"Edward, you look so sexy." I laughed. "Come back." Edward danced his way back over to me, and kept dancing around me.

"Okay, baby, are you gong to dance with me?" He asked, taking my hands, as he started to step, tap, step, tap with me, again. "Yeah, babe. Just like that. Relax a little bit. There you go." He said, smiling. "You look beautiful."

"So, that's it?" I asked him, making him smile.

"No, baby. You want to learn something a little hotter?" He asked, walking up to me and turning me so my back was to his chest.

"Um, I don't know." I said. He set his hands low on my hips, holding me close to him. I felt Edward start to move behind me, pressing first his chest and then his hips into my body. It felt really good, but I blushed instantly.

"Is that okay?" He asked, moving my hair over my shoulder and leaning down to kiss my shoulder.

"Um, you're not going to do that in public, are you?" I asked him, turning my head to look at his face.

He chuckled. "I was planning on it, but if you don't want me to, I won't." I closed my eyes. Next Tuesday's trip to the bar was going to be very interesting. I was blushing just thinking about it.


	304. Contradiction

**A/N - It's the weekend! I hope yours is going well. Fanfiction appears to be working again...I'm going to try and reload this...hopefully it works! Thanks for spending the time to read my take on Edward and Bella! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 304 - Contradiction

Edward turned me around to face him. He smiled before leaning down to kiss my lips. He started deepening the kiss and moved his hands to my bum, pulling me flush against his body. "You look so pretty when you blush." He whispered against my lips.

"Well, you caught me off guard." I told him. "What were you doing?" I asked about his dance move, before kissing his lips, again.

"It's called grinding." He chuckled. "It's a little obscene." He said. "You didn't like it?"

"No, I did. It felt good. I just, um, I don't know." I giggled. Edward smiled at me, bringing his hands to my hips, again.

"It's okay." He said. "Try moving your hips in circle. Stick your bum out." I giggled but tried it, Edward's hands moving my hips. He stepped closer to me, and I stopped when we touched. He leaned down to kiss me, before turning me around. He started moving behind me, again. "Baby, can you rock your hips into mine?"

I moved my hips back and Edward groaned. I quickly turned around. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Did I do it wrong?"

Edward smiled at me. "No, baby. You did it right. It felt good." He said, putting his hand on the side of my neck. "You want to take a break?"

"Yes." I giggled, climbing onto my bed. Edward laughed and followed me onto the bed. He laid on his back and I wrapped my leg over his thigh and brought my hand up to rub his chest.

"So, what do you think of club dancing?" He asked me, looking into my eyes.

"I don't know." I laughed. "It's way too embarrassing." I said, leaning down to kiss his chest.

"Well, we will be dressed, for one thing." He laughed, rolling us over so he was on top of me. He brought his lips to my chest and started lavishing me with kisses. "I want to be the only one that gets to see this pretty body." He whispered against my skin. He reached down and grabbed my hands, squeezing them, and bringing them up over my head.

I moved against his body and he brought his lips to mine. "See how you just moved." He whispered. "You're dancing, laying down."

I laughed, letting go of his hands and bringing them up to his hair, bringing his lips down harder to mine. He kissed me, and I closed my eyes, just enjoying the feeling of Edward being back in my arms, again. It had been a long morning without him.

Edward pulled back, breathing heavily. "I love kissing you." He said, leaning in to kiss me once more. "And you taste like peanut butter." He laughed.

"So, do you." I said, rubbing my hands up and down his back. He sat up, and brought me to his lap. He snuggled his face into my chest, making me laugh. I ran my fingers through his hair. "So, what are we doing this weekend, if you won't tell me about tomorrow?"

Edward licked from my chest, up to my neck. "Emmett was just talking about the Lakefair, again, this morning." He said. He looked at my clueless face and then laughed. "Remember that carnival in Olympia I was telling you about, like two weeks ago?" I giggled, because I thought I remembered, but I needed a bit of a refresh. Edward sighed and then laughed. "We were sitting in my parents' kitchen and I distinctly remember you licking my lips when we were talking about it. It was before the Fourth of July."

I laughed. "I know. I remember. When is it?" I asked him.

"It's on now and it goes until Sunday and we were wondering if you want to go on Saturday. A triple date." He said. "With Maria and Rose."

"What about Alice?" I asked him. "She seems like the kind of little girl that would love carnivals."

"We can bring her if you want, but then I can't get frisky with you on the Ferris wheel." He said, lightly biting my neck.

"Mm, Edward." I moaned, bringing his head up to meet my lips. I kissed him a couple of times. "Maybe Jasper or Emmett can ride with her." I suggested. "Plus you have me all day tomorrow for our anniversary. You can get frisky with me, then."

"Oh, I fully intend to." He chuckled, before kissing me, again. "I love you, baby." He said, pressing sweet kiss after kiss on my lips, until I laughed. I heard the door close downstairs, and I quickly sat back.

I looked at the clock and it was only five. My dad must be home early. "Baby, get dressed." I said, flying off the bed, pulling on my pants and my tank. I quickly finger combed my hair, before walking over to the door. Edward got up and pulled on his jeans.

"Bella, calm down." He chuckled, pulling up his fly before walking over to pull on his shirt. "Stop acting guilty. We were just dancing."

I smiled at him and kissed his chest. He took my hand and led me downstairs. My dad was in the kitchen having a cup of coffee. "Hey, daddy. You're home early." I said, going over to give him a hug.

"Yeah. I wanted to have a shower and get to Heidi's a little early in case she needed any help." My dad said, smiling. "You kids almost ready?"

"I just wanted to fix my hair. Oh, and maybe I should put on a skirt." I said. "Dress up a little." I said.

My dad and Edward chuckled. "Girls." My dad said, patting my arm. "I'll be ready in fifteen minutes." He said, before going upstairs.

Edward pulled me into his arms. "Bella, Bella." He said, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "You are so beautiful."

"Thank you, baby." I said. "You want to come up with me?" I asked, even though I was already pulling his hand as I walked up the stairs to my room. He just chuckled and followed along behind me. I shut my bedroom door and locked it, before pulling off my Capri pants and walking to my closet.

I felt Edward's hands on my bum, as he gave it a light squeeze. I laughed, and he leaned around to kiss my cheek. "Sorry. You were teasing me." He laughed.

"Edward, Edward." I giggled, repeating what he had just said to me downstairs. I reached in the closet and pulled out a cute white skirt that hit just above my knees. I bumped Edward back with my bum, so I had room to pull on my skirt.

"How is that you are so cute and sexy at the same time?" He asked, smiling at me, when I turned around. "It's like a contradiction. You are so innocent and sweet, but then you tease me like a little vixen." He said, making me blush.

"Um, which one would you prefer that I be?" I asked, a little confused by what he was saying.

Edward's face immediately dropped, when he saw that I wasn't laughing with him. "No, no, no, baby. Bella. I think I said that wrong." He said, bringing his hands up to my face, cradling it with his palms. "What I'm trying to say is that I love every part of you. I love that you are a good, sweet girl. But at the same time, I like that you take risks with me, and you flirt with me. I love that you are comfortable with me and trust me. You are yourself with me. You don't try to hide anything. You are perfect, Bella Swan."

I looked up at the ceiling trying to hold back the tears that were forming in my eyes. I was unsuccessful and when I blinked, a couple of tears slid down my cheeks. Edward always spoke so beautifully to me, and it never failed to make me cry.

"So, it's okay that I contradict myself?" I asked, smiling at him, teasing him a little.

"Bella." He sighed, chuckling and shaking his head. He reached up and wiped my tears away. "You know that I didn't mean it like that. I'm just in awe of you, every single day." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips.

"I love you, Edward." I said, against his lips. Before taking his bottom lip in my mouth and biting it lightly. I turned and walked to my dresser, grabbing my hairbrush and combing though my hair. I gave it a fresh shot of hair spray and scrunched up the roots, to give it a little height. I looked in my mirror at my eyes, which weren't too red, luckily. "Now, I have to fix my makeup, too." I said, giving my face a touch up.

"I'm sorry." Edward said, leaning against the bedroom room.

"Don't apologize, Edward." I told him, before I swept on a quick coat of strawberry lip gloss. "I like hearing what you're thinking." I told him, grabbing my purse. "Even if I don't always get it." I teased, making him laugh.

He kissed my lips, before bringing his hand up to my cheek, holding me close. He sucked on my bottom lip, and then switched to the top, before pressing his lips to mine.

I giggled. "Why do I even bother wearing lip gloss, if you're just going to kiss, lick or suck it off?" I asked him, smiling.

"Because you like when I kiss, lick and suck it off of you." He said, confidently. I giggled. I couldn't deny it. It was the truth.


	305. The Clarkes

**A/N - It looks like I'm back in business! Another technical glitch with the site yesterday, but here is today's chapter. I posted yesterday's chapter this morning, so don't miss that one! I'm happy to be back! Thank you all so much for letting me know that the site was down and checking with me that I was alright! You gals/guys rock! Enjoy!**

Chapter 305 - The Clarkes

Edward and I went downstairs to find my dad pacing in the kitchen. I bit back a giggle. He looked so cute when he was nervous. He was all dressed up in grey dress pants and a navy blue dress shirt. "Dad." I exclaimed. "I thought you felt better about this dinner?" I walked over and gave him a hug.

He chuckled, nervously. "I do, I do. I just really want to make a good impression." He said.

"Come on. Let's go, then." I said, taking my dad's hand, and pulling him to the front door. "The faster we get there, the faster you can make a good impression. Because, I have no doubt that you will."

My dad laughed, as we walked over to the truck. Edward helped me in the passenger side door, rubbing his hand on my thigh, before hopping in and shutting the door. I turned and smiled at him. I noticed his little touches.

Edward and I were getting so much more comfortable with the physical side of our relationship. I loved that we could touch each other without worrying about making the other uncomfortable. It was a nice feeling that we trusted each other so much. And it was an even nicer feeling that my boyfriend was so attracted to me, and he could barely keep his hands off of me.

I put my hand on Edward's thigh as we drove over to Heidi's place, and he had his hand on mine, lightly rubbing the backs of my fingers. I just couldn't get enough physical contact with him. My dad was quiet as we drove, so Edward and I stayed pretty quiet, too.

When we pulled up to Heidi's place, my dad took a deep breath before looking over at me and giving me a nervous smile. "You're excited, remember? Heidi is happy they're here and you're going to have a great time." I told him. It was nice being able to be here for my dad. I loved that I could support him.

"Thanks, Bells." He said, before getting out of the truck.

Edward opened the passenger door before reaching up to grab my hips and help lift me down. I brought my hand behind me to hold my skirt down. Edward leaned in to kiss my neck. "I love you, beautiful." He whispered, making me smile.

He took my hand, and we walked up to the door to stand behind my dad. He knocked on the door, and Heidi opened it, smiling. She was wearing a brown, wrap front dress with geometric patterns on it, and she had her hair worn long. She looked beautiful.

"Hi, Charlie. I've missed you." She said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "Hi, Bella, Edward. You guys all look great. Come on in."

"Thanks, Dee." My dad said, reaching down to take her hand. It was really sweet, and my dad looked instantly relaxed and comfortable. We followed my dad in and, after slipping off our shoes, we all walked into Heidi's sitting room. I smiled when I saw an elderly looking couple, about in their mid to late sixties, on the love seat. They smiled and stood up when they saw us.

Heidi's mom, looked vibrant and had perfectly styled white hair, worn in loose curls. She was wearing a white blouse, with a huge broach, and gray pants that were hemmed just a little bit too short. Her dad, was quite tall, and had thinning grey hair. He was wearing khaki pants and a matching khaki shirt. He wore huge wire framed glassses, and had a friendly looking demeaner.

They looked like the stereotypical grandparents and I loved them immediately. "Mom, dad. This is Charlie Swan; his beautiful daughter, Bella; and her boyfriend Edward Cullen. Guys, these are my parents, Mary and Randall Clarke." Heidi said, introducing us.

"Nice to meet you both." My dad said, stepping forward to shake both of their hands.

"Oh, it's our pleasure." Randall said, patting my dad's arm. "Heidi has told us all about you. She's quite taken with you, son."

"Dad." Heidi giggled.

"And, look at you, Bella." Mary said, coming over and patting my cheek. "You are gorgeous, and your beau is so handsome." I giggled and I looked up Edward, whose cheeks were a little pink.

"Oh, thank you so much." I said, giving her a hug. I didn't have my own grandparents and I missed Edward's nanny and grandpa so much. She patted my back, before pulling back, smiling at me. I think I had won her over already. She was glowing.

Randall came over and shook Edward's hand before giving me a hug. "Come on, kids. Heidi made her famous pot roast tonight." He said, wrapping his arms around our shoulders and walking us quickly towards the kitchen.

I heard Heidi and her mom laughing behind us. We came into the kitchen and I smiled when I saw that Heidi had added two mismatched chairs to the table so there was enough room for all six of us.

Heidi, Mary and my dad joined us at the table and we all passed around bowls and plates of food. Heidi had really outdone herself. There was beef, roasted potatoes and carrots, creamed corn, gravy and dinner buns. I was glad that I hadn't eaten much today.

"This looks amazing, Dee." My dad said to her, and I saw her reach her hand over to take my dad's hand and give it a squeeze.

"Yeah, my little sweet potato is a great cook. She took after her mother." Randall said proudly, making Heidi laugh. I smiled at that. It seemed like Heidi was a daddy's girl, like I was.

As we ate, my dad and Heidi talked about their jobs, and Heidi started telling them all about the camping trip we went on at the end of June. Then Mary started asking Edward and I about ourselves. She was so sweet, and seemed to honestly care about what we were saying.

Over dinner, I found out that Heidi was an only child, like I was. I understood immediately why we got along so well. They told us some great stories about Heidi growing up and her life as a young adult.

"Did Heidi ever tell you that she was the only girl in the police academy, the year she signed up?" Randall said proudly. "She was right out of high school. Her mother panicked and was worried sick the entire time. But, I said, Mary, you know our Heidi is a smart girl. This is what she wants, so she'll be fine." I looked at Heidi and she was smiling, as her dad talked about her. It was sweet and I loved it.

"And, you know, we were starting to worry about her. She hadn't settled down with a nice young man, such as yourself, Charlie." Mary added. "I can't tell you how happy I am that the two of you found each other."

"Mom." Heidi said, making me laugh. She souned like a teenager. It was funny that no matter how old we were, or how much we thought we were grown up, our parents always worried about us.

Heidi got up to get dessert and brought over a nice angel food cake. As we shared dessert, Randell cleared his throat. "So, there's a reason that we came out here for this visit, sweet potato." He said.

"Besides checking up on my love life?" Heidi laughed, reaching across the small table to pat her dad's hand.

"Heidi, we were thinking about moving out this way to be closer to you." Mary said, smiling.

"Oh, mom. That would be great." She said, getting up to give both of her parents a hug. "What made you decide to leave Spokane?"

"Well, now that your dad's been retired for a couple years, we've realized that we don't have anything keeping us there." Mary said. "We want to be able to spend time with you more often."

I smiled and Edward reached down to take my hand in his. I knew that they weren't my grandparents, but I couldn't help but be excited by this news. I really liked the Clarkes. I knew that Edward understood how I felt. He knew how much I had enjoyed his nanny and grandpa's visit and how much I had missed having someone to fill the role of grandparent for me.

After hugs all around, my dad, Edward and I, headed home. I think my dad wanted to give Heidi time alone with her parents. I was sure that they were going to go over the details of the move.

In the truck on the way home, I had my head rested on Edward's shoulder. "Well, that went really well." My dad said, more to himself than to us.

"It did." I agreed, making my dad look over at me, and smile. "That's really cool about her parents."

"It's nice to see her so happy." My dad said. "I mean, she always is, but you know this is really exciting for her." He stared to ramble, making me laugh, and his cheeks flush a little. "So, what are you kids up to tomorrow?" My dad asked, sounding desperate to change the subject..

"I have no idea, dad. But, Edward knows." I laughed. "It's our three month anniversary tomorrow." My dad nodded. "It's a surprise."

"Don't worry, Charlie." Edward said, smiling. "I'll have her home at a decent hour."


	306. Happy Anniversary

**A/N - So, wow! What a rough last couple of days we've been having! Yesterday I posted two chapters. And after posting the second one, the site went down, again, so you couldn't post reviews. And even after the site came back up, it would not allow me to send replies for reviews! Just know that I read every single one and I truly appreciate the time you take to write them. So, I'll send out a mass thank you right here! "THANK YOU!" This chapter covers the end of Thursday, July 15, 2010, and the start of Friday, July 16th, 2010. Thanks, again, for sticking with me. Enjoy!**

Chapter 306 - Happy Anniversary

When we got home, my dad thanked Edward for coming to dinner with us, before he went in the house. I walked Edward to his car, and he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to his body. "That was fun." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "Heidi's parents seem really nice."

"I like them." I agreed. "So, handsome. What time are you coming to kidnap me tomorrow?"

Edward laughed, his eyes sparkling. "Well, I was thinking about nine in the morning. Is that okay?" He asked, tucking my hair behind my ear. "I have a couple of things to do in the morning, otherwise I'd be here sooner."

"No, that's fine, baby." I reassured him. "I'm really excited to celebrate three months with you."

"So, am I. No less than twelve hours alone together. It's really a dream come true." He chuckled, making me smile. "Okay, my gorgeous, beautiful and sexy angel. You go in and get some sleep. I have a couple of things to do tonight, still." He said, making me smile.

"Okay, but, Edward, don't work too hard. I just need you, tomorrow." I told him. It sounded like he was going all out for our anniversary, and he didn't need to. I would be happy just spending the day in bed. But, I was honestly excited to finally see what he had planned.

He laughed. "You'll have me, don't worry." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I just want to spoil you."

"And you always do, Edward." I told him. "I have never in my life heard of a guy that gave his girlfriend a flower every singe day. You are beyond sweet to me and you are truly perfect."

He chuckled. "Well, you deserve it, Bella. You have made me so happy, and I just want to show you how special you are."

"Thank you. And you do make me feel special." I said, leaning up to kiss his chin. "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you, too." He said, kissing me. He turned and opened his car door. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow morning." He got in his car, and honked, as he started to drive up the street. I waved, but started laughing when he stopped in the middle of the street and then started driving backwards down the street back to my house. He rolled the passenger side window down and called out to me. "Oh, and wear something comfortable, tomorrow." He said, winking at me.

"Okay." I laughed. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said, before waving and driving away. I smiled as I walked back into the house. Something comfortable. Hmm. I honestly had no idea what he was planning for us.

I walked in the house and my dad was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV. I walked over and sat beside him, leaning into his side. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. "So, what do you think about Heidi's parents moving here?" I asked him. "Are they going to live with her, or are they going to get their own place?"

"I don't know, yet, Bells." He said. "But, I'm glad she has some family close to her. I think one of the reasons that Heidi and I have always gotten along so well, as friends for all these years at work, was that we were both alone. Heidi's parents were on the other side of the state and you were in Phoenix. But, now that I have you back, it's nice for her to have some family here, too."

I smiled and gave my dad a hug. "I love when things work out." I said, as he patted my back.

"So, do I, Bells." He said. My dad and I ended up watching TV until about ten o'clock, before going up to our rooms. I slipped out of my clothes and pulled on my Arizona t-shirt, before shutting out my light and climbing into bed.

When I woke up, I could hardly contain my excitement. I had been waiting for today to come all week, and now it was finally Friday. I ran downstairs and made my dad and I my go-to breakfast of French toast. After we ate, my dad wished me a great day, and left for work. I ran upstaris for a shower and then braided my damp hair. I put on some makeup and got dressed in my butterfly patterned panties from Victoria's Secret, a pair of yoga capris and a white tank top, layered over a purple one. I hoped that's what Edward meant by comfortable.

I walked in my room and sat on my bed. I wanted to give something to Edward for our anniversary. It hit me suddenly what it should be. I went in my closet and pulled out the photo frame I bought in Tucson, Arizona when Angie took us to the Artisan's Market, back in May. It looked like terra cotta, and had a small cactus on it. I flipped through the photos I had from that trip and found the one of Edward and I kissing in front on the fountain in Tucson. I absolutely loved that photo.

I put the picture in the frame and then wrapped it a couple of sheets of white tissue paper. I went to my make up bag and found a tube of red lipstick that I had always had, but couldn't quite remember why. I put it on, nice and thick, before puckering up and kissing the white paper. I took a black felt tip marker and wrote 'For Edward' on the front.

I went into the bathroom and washed the lipstick off, before putting on a coat of strawberry lip gloss. It was almost nine o'clock, so I went downstairs to wait out in the sunshine for Edward. I was halfway down the stairs when the doorbell rang. I may have squealed in excitement on my way to the door.

I opened the door and smiled when I saw Edward standing at the door with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. He was dressed in a pair of beige cargo shorts and a black t-shirt and had the most beautiful smile on his face.

"Happy anniversary, Bella." He said, taking my hand in his, and then leaning in for a soft kiss.

"Aw, Edward. Happy anniversary. These are so beautiful." I said, pulling him into the kitchen. He set the bouquet on the table, and then wrapped his arms around my hips pulling me close to him. He leaned down and placed a kiss on my lips, smiling, before leaning in to suck on my bottom lip. I pulled back and smiled. "Thank you, baby." I said turning to smell the flowers.

The bouquet was a gorgeous mix of red and pink roses, surrounded by green foliage. But the best part was the five huge orange lilies in the bouquet. It was so bright, and fragrant, and just beautiful. I leaned in to smell them, again. "These are just amazing." I said.

I felt Edward's hands slide around my stomach and I felt him press his body close to mine. "I'm so glad you like them, baby." He whispered into my ear, before he started kissing my neck. "They just look so happy, which is how I feel when I'm with you." He said, before turning me around.

He slid his hands to my bum, before picking me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on and he walked us upstairs to my room. He set me on the bed, before pulling off his shirt and crawling over to join me. I giggled, as he climbed over me, and laid down on top of me. He looked right into my eyes, smiling, before he leaned in to start kissing me.

I loved kissing him so much. He started out slowly, lightly biting my lips, and then sucking on them. I knew I was moaning, but I couldn't stop. The feeling of Edward's body on mine, his sweet breath on my face and his lips on mine were almost too much to handle. Edward smiled against my lips, before he deepened the kiss.

I don't know how long we laid there, kissing and tasting each other, but when Edward pulled back, we were both panting, flushed and smiling.

"Well, that was an amazing way to start the day." I said, breathlessly. "Flowers and the best kiss of my life."

Edward laughed before kissing me, again, and then rolling onto his back beside me. "I'm going to have to agree with you about that kiss." He said, rolling onto his side to face me. He slid his hand along my stomach, before slipping it under my tank tops. He slowly moved his fingers over my bare skin, before sliding up to my chest. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back. "You look so beautiful and sexy right now." He whispered.

I opened my eyes and smiled when I saw Edward watching my face. "I hate to ask this, but we do have time for this, right?" I asked. "I mean, you made plans."

Edward laughed. "When I make plans, I always make time to kiss you, and touch you, and love you."

I smiled, before reaching down and pulling my shirts off. I reached behind my back and unclasped my bra. I leaned back and lifted my hips, pulling down my yoga pants, and then kicking them off the rest of the way. Edward's face looked shocked, and his hand was still resting on my stomach.

"These panties look really pretty on you." He said, before tracing the waistband with his fingertips. I shivered at his touch. He brought his face down and started kissing where his fingers had been. His lips moved from my right hip bone, across my lower stomach, to my other hip. He lightly bit my hip, before licking it.

Edward started moving his fingers over my thighs, before I reached down to stop his hands. He held onto my hands, bringing each one to his lips, before moving his kisses up my body, and back to my lips. "I love you." He breathed, before kissing me, again.


	307. Explore

**A/N - And the craziness continues! Yesterday, the site was up, then went back down in the middle of the day. It's back up and running now, so hopefully it stays that way. I'm glad you're all enjoying the anniversary so far! Enjoy!**

Chapter 307 - Explore

Edward rolled onto his back, and pulled my hands. "Come sit on top of me." He suggested.

"Um, okay." I said, holding tightly onto Edward's hands for balance, as I straddled his waist. He smiled, before slowly he moved our hands above his head, bringing my body down to lay on top of his, until we were chest to chest.

"You okay?" He asked, sliding his hands up my arms and then over my shoulders and back until they rested on my hips.

"Yeah. I just don't know what you wanted to do?" I said, revealing my insecurities.

"I honestly didn't have any plans. I just wanted us to have a little time to enjoy each other." Edward said, smiling at me, reassuringly.

I smiled back. "Okay. Do you mine if I explore your body a little bit?" I asked him, my face bright red. And, my hair was back in at braid, so I couldn't hide behind it.

"Bella. You know that I'm yours. You can ask me anything and do anything to me." Edward said, bringing one hand up to caress my warm cheek. "You don't have to be embarrassed. I love you."

"I love you, too." I said, sitting up. I slowly traced my fingers over Edward's neck, shoulders, chest, sides and abs. I wanted to see if he reacted when I touched him, and where the most sensitive parts were on his body. I smiled when the muscles in his stomach tightened when touched them, and giggled when he shivered as my nails passed over his pecs.

Edward reached his hands up, tracing his fingers on my bare stomach. I slid down his body so I was straddling his legs on my knees. I leaned forward to undo his shorts. I looked up at his eyes and smiled when he nodded. He lifted his hips and I pulled down his shorts, leaving them around his knees.

My blush darkened when I saw his tight, grey boxer briefs. I didn't really know what to do: if I should look or touch, and I could feel my hands shaking. "Bella, honey, talk to me." Edward said, making my eyes jump up to meet his. "Come here." He said.

I crawled up the bed, and sat down beside him, as he kicked his shorts the rest of the way off. "I'm sorry." I whispered. "I just don't know what to do."

"You don't have to do anything, Bella." He said, softly, taking my hands in his.

"But, I want to." I said, looking up at his eyes. "Can you hold my hand, and show me?"

Edward looked a little sweaty, as he brought my hand over to his stomach. He leaned in and kissed my lips, as he moved our hands, together, down his body. He moaned into the kiss, and I brought my other hand around his back, lightly scratching it. I was glad he was kissing me. It was familiar and I felt more comfortable.

I slowly pulled back from the kiss and Edward let go of my hand. "Was that okay?" He asked, a little breathless. "You're alright?"

I smiled at him, and brought my hand back to my lap. "I'm better than alright. Are you okay?"

"I'm amazing." He chuckled, leaning in for a kiss. I giggled along with him, as he straddled me and started tickling my sides. I swatted at his hands and he took mine, interlacing our fingers. He leaned down to kiss my lips. "I love you, Bella." He said, before kissing me, again. "And, as much fun as we just had for the last hour, I really do want to take you somewhere today."

"Okay." I said smiling. "But, I'm really happy that you scheduled in some snuggle time."

He laughed. "I'm glad you enjoyed that." He whispered against my lips. "But, might I suggest that we didn't do much snuggling."

I blushed and started laughing. "Okay." I laughed, rolling over to my side, before trying to sneak out of the bed. Edward laughed and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back to the bed. We were on our sides and he had my back pulled to his chest. We were laughing, and I felt Edward's lips on my shoulder.

"Trying to escape, are you?" He asked, chuckling.

"Edward. You just said we had to go somewhere." I giggled, as his fingers tickled my skin.

"Well, yeah, but I need to pack you a couple of things first." He explained. He leaned in and kissed my cheek, before getting up off the bed and getting dressed. His eyes didn't leave my body, as I laid on my bed, watching him. "Close your eyes." He said, walking over to my closet.

I closed my eyes, but brought my hands up to cover my body. I was a little cold, and I felt a little vulnerable. "Edward." I said, my eyes still closed.

I heard him rustling in, first my closet, and then my dresser. I had already told him he could pick out my clothes for today. "Yeah, baby?" He said from across the room.

"Can I open my eyes, yet?" I asked. I heard him zip up what sounded like a duffle bag, before I heard his footsteps coming over to me.

"Yeah, all done." He said. I opened my eyes and smiled when Edward was standing by the bed. He took my hand and helped me off the bed, so I could get redressed.

"So, you're sure I'm dressed okay for what you have planned?" I asked him, wrapping my arms around his waist, and kissing his chest.

He slid his hands down my back and to my bum, where he gave it a squeeze. "You look delicious." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "And, yes, what you're wearing is perfect, as long as you're comfortable.

"Okay, good. Can we go? I'm so excited." I said, giggling. Edward just laughed and smiled at me. After we both took a quick bathroom break, and I had slipped Edward's gift in my purse, Edward put the bag he brought from my room into the trunk and we were on our way.

We drove for about a half hour, towards Port Angeles, but instead of continuing the drive, he turned off the main highway towards Lake Crescent. We drove passed it all the time, but I didn't always take the time to really enjoy the view. And, I had never actually been to the lake, itself.

Edward parked the car and after helping me out, he grabbed his backpack and a cooler from the trunk. He look my hand and we walked down to the lake. It was a rocky beach looking out at the gorgeous deep waters of the lake. The lake was surrounded by thousands of pine trees. There were a few other people here, but it felt quite private, with all of the trees. There were picnic tables a short ways back from the water. Edward set the cooler and his bag down on the table. I looked out at the water and smiled.

I felt Edward wrap his arms around my shoulders from behind, and I felt his lips on the back of my head. "What do you think?" He asked me.

"It's beautiful, Edward." I whispered. "Thank you so much for bringing me here. This is amazing." I told him, turning my head so he could kiss my lips.

"I'm so glad you like it, Bella." He said. "Um, are you hungry?" I turned in his arms and took his hand.

"I'm starving." I told him. "Some gorgeous boy really worked up my appetite this morning." I teased.

"A boy?" He laughed. He leaned down and picked me up, spinning me around in circles. We both were laughing and happy and carefree. It was a great moment.

"Okay, okay." I laughed. "You are a handsome and a sexy man. And you're all mine."

Edward set me down and held my face in his hands. "I love you." He whispered, before kissing my lips. "Do you want to give my cooking a try?"

I looked into his eyes and smiled. "You made lunch for me?" I asked. I was so touched.

He took my hand and led me to the picnic table. I sat down and he opened the cooler. "Well, my mom helped." He chuckled, his cheeks flushed a little. "It's, um, cold pasta salad, and chicken salad sandwiches." He said, pulling out little plastic containers and forks.

I took off the lid, and smiled, imagining Edward in the kitchen with his mom, trying to make everything perfect. "This smells amazing, baby. Thank you so much for cooking for me."

"Well, I tried." He chuckled, sitting beside me, resting his leg on the seat. "I just wanted to make today as special as I could."

I leaned in and kissed his lips. "It's special because we're together." I rubbed his leg, with my hands. Edward brought a forkful of pasta to my lips. "Mm." I said, chewing it. It was amazing. It was tangy and delicious. "Baby. That's really good." I said, feeding him a forkful.

He chewed and smiled. "Hey, that's not bad." He laughed, leaning in to kiss me. The food was great, but the kisses were better.


	308. My Heart

**A/N - So, I don't want to jinx anything, but I think that the site is actually fixed. I was able to answer your reviews yesterday, and loading the chapters seems to be working smoothly. Thanks, again for your support for this story! Enjoy! **

Chapter 308 - My Heart

Edward and I finished our lunch, joking and laughing and just enjoying each others' company. We never ran out of things to say each other. "So, did you tell Alice about going to the Lakefair, tomorrow?" I asked him.

He chuckled. "Yes, and she's so excited. She told me to give you a kiss for her." He said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "You are so amazing, Bella." He said. "You always think of everyone else, and I love that you include my family. I swear, you are going to be such an amazing teacher, and one day, an even better mom."

"Edward Anthony Cullen, don't you dare make me cry." I said firmly, before I laughed.

"I'm sorry." He laughed, leaning in to kiss my lips. "But, it's true. I just love you more and more everyday."

"I know, baby. I feel the same way." I said. "And I'm so touched that you made this picnic for me. It was delicious, and I'm stuffed." I patted my stomach.

"You're welcome. Do you want to go sit by the water?" He asked, packing up the picnic and throwing everything back into the cooler. He barely got the top closed. I was sure that Esme had packed it for him. I giggled at him, and he turned and winked at me. Priceless.

He walked back to the car to put the cooler in the trunk. I walked out to the beach and looked out at the lake. It was so pretty. I was always amazed at how green and lush Washington was. I absolutely loved it here. I heard Edward's footsteps in the rocks on the beach, and turned to see him walking towards me. He had a blanket under one arm and his guitar case in the other. I couldn't help the huge smile that broke out on my face. He smiled back at me, and when he reached me, he leaned in to kiss my lips.

"I'm sure this lake has never looked so beautiful as it does right now with you standing in front of it." He said, kissing me, again. I loved when Edward was extra romantic and all gooey and sweet.

"Thank you, baby." I said, taking the blanket from him and laying it out the beach. We both sat down and he opened his case, pulling out his gorgeous guitar. "Can I just say how excited I am that you brought your guitar?"

He chuckled. "I'm glad." He said. "I try to tell you how I feel, but with music, it is so much easier to show you."

"Baby, you're absolutely getting through to me, okay? I can feel how much you love me. I can see it in your face." I told him, getting on my hands and knees and leaning in to his lips for a nice, gentle kiss.

He smiled. "I'm so close to putting this guitar down and taking you to the back seat of my car." He said, making me laugh and blush at the same time. He kissed me once more, before I sat back down. He kicked off his sandals and crossed his legs.

"What are you going to play for me?" I asked, sitting cross-legged in front of him.

He just winked at me, smiling, before he started strumming the guitar. I got instant goosebumps, like I did every time his played. He started singing and I smiled. It was my song; the one he wrote for me. I wrapped my arms around my chest to keep myself from shivering. I wondered if Edward could see how much his voice affected me.

When he finished the song, a couple walking passed us on the beach, applauded for Edward, and he blushed and thanked them. It was adorable. "I kind of forgot we weren't alone." He said, softly to me, chuckling.

"Me, too." I said, smiling. "That was gorgeous, baby." I told him, running my fingers through the hair on his legs. "Thank you. I love when you sing to me."

He laughed, and smiled at me. He ended up playing four more songs, all love songs. But, this time, they were all contemporary, and not his usual old fashion, bluesy style. I still hadn't heard of the songs, but he told me the artists were Muse, Damien Rice, Ron Pope and Shawn Desman. I actually cried as he sang, because he voice was so pure and deep.

He set his guitar back in the case and opened his arms. "Come here." He said. I crawled over and sat on his lap, resting my head on his strong shoulder. "You okay?" He whispered, running his fingers up and down my arm.

"Yeah. I just love you so much." I said, kissing his neck.

"I love you, too." He said. "Um, I wanted to give you your gift."

I sat up and looked in his eyes. "Edward. Everything you've done for me, today, this right here, the flowers. It's all been perfect, You don't need to give me anything else." I told him, hoping he could see how much the day meant to me.

He kissed my lips before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a little black velvet bag. He held it in his fist, before looking up at me and smiling. "Let me spoil you. And I promise I didn't spend that much on it, okay?"

I nodded, but I was really starting to get curious about what was in the bag. I watched Edward's long and fingers pull at the little drawstring on the bag. "Okay." He said, smiling. "Do you remember when we were camping, and you and Alice were collecting rocks on the beach?"

"Yeah." I said, remembering the small green rock I had found that was shaped like a heart.

"Well, you gave me a heart shaped rock, and you said that it reminded you of me. So, I thought if I gave it back to you, it would be a symbol of you having my heart." He reached his fingers in the bag and pulled out a beautiful silver chain. The pendant hanging from it, was the green rock I gave him, but, it was wrapped in silver wire. "I made it, myself." He said, almost shyly. "I mean, I bought the chain, but, you know, if you don't like it, you can take the stone off."

"Oh, Edward." I cried, throwing my arms around his neck. "It's absolutely beautiful." I told him, before I leaned my head back to place little kisses all over his face. "I love it, Edward." I said, before I placed a hard kiss on his lips. "I didn't even know you still had that rock."

He chuckled. "Of course I did. You gave it to me." He passed me the necklace and I looked at the pendant up close.

"This is so pretty. How did you learn how to do this?" I asked him. "The color is so vibrant, too."

"Well, I learned how to wire wrap online." He laughed. "I need things to do when we're not together, so I don't go crazy." He admitted, his cheeks a little pink. "I varnished it, so it would look wet, like when you find stones in the lake. They always look better that way."

"It's absolutely perfect, Edward." I told him. "It looks professional."

"Well, let's just say that Alice brought me her rock collection to practice on, and she has a good ten of these, now." He chuckled. "Here, turn around." He said. I got up off of his lap and stood on my knees facing away from him. He lightly traced his fingertips from the top of my chest and over my collar bones, before he clasped the chain. I felt his breath on the nape of my neck and then his lips. "I love you." He whispered in my ear, before sucking my earlobe.

"Mm." I sighed, before turning around. "Thank you. I love it, baby. How does it look?" I asked looking down at it. The bottom of the pendant hit the top of my cleavage.

Edward smirked, running his fingertip over the tops of my breasts. "I'd say it has a good home." He said, winking at me, and making me roll my eyes at him and laugh. "What?" He said, feigning innocence. "It really looks beautiful."

"Thank you, baby." I said, kissing his lips. "I really love it."

"Good." He said, smiling. "Let's go get our feet wet." Edward said, standing up, reaching out his hands and helping me up. I slipped off my shoes and we walked slowly to the water. The rocks and stones by the shore were worn fairly smooth, so we could walk with our bare feet. We walked in to our ankles, holding hands.

"It's so cold." I said, my feet feeling a little numb.

"Yeah, but it's refreshing. You can't go to a lake without putting your feet in it." Edward said, before leaning down to kiss me. "Come on." He laughed, picking me up bridal style. "I planned ahead."

"You planned ahead for what?" I asked him, as he walked us back to the blanket.

He quickly dried his feet off on the blanket before putting his shoes back on. "You'll see." He said, running over to the picnic table to grab his backpack. He came over and sat down in front of me.

He picked up one of my feet and rubbed it, giving it a little massage. He unzipped his backpack and pulled out a pair of his wool socks. I started laughing and he joined me. He remembered how much I loved his socks when we were camping. Edward was absolutely amazing. He planned out every little detail.

He slid a sock on my foot before kissing the bottom of it. He repeated that with my other foot, rubbing my feet to warm them up. I climbed on his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. I loved this man.


	309. Same Page

**A/N - Thank you to everyone for reading! So, the anniversary continues! Enjoy!**

Chapter 309 - Same Page

"Do I get to keep these socks?" I teased, wiggling my toes around in Edward's wool socks. They were just so soft and cozy.

He kissed my lips, smiling at me. "You know you can have anything and everything that I have, Bella. I love you." He said, kissing me, again. "But, the next thing you know, you'll be wearing my boxers as shorts and my using my t-shirts for pyjamas. If you keep taking my clothes, I'm going to end up with absolutely nothing to wear." He teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" I asked, leaning in to bite his earlobe. He groaned and pulled me closer to his body.

"Baby, don't tease when we're out on a public beach." He whispered, making me laugh.

"Well, then maybe you need to take me somewhere more private." I suggested, moving my fingertips up and down his side.

"Good call." He laughed, trying to reach around me to his backpack.

"What are you doing?" I giggled. "What else could possibly be in that bag?"

He chuckled. "You'll see." I laughed when he pulled out my hiking boots.

"Ah, so you're taking me into the woods." I giggled. "That's nice and private. I like the way you think, Edward Cullen." I told him, kissing his lips. He smiled against my lips.

"You're so amazing." He said, kissing me, again. We sat side by side on the blanket and put on our hiking boots. We grabbed all of our things and carried them back to the trunk.

He pulled out two plaid, flannel shirts from the duffle bag. I smiled when I saw them, recognizing them as the ones I took from Edward in May when he took me to Arizona and Florida. He slid one over his arms, leaving it opened, and then rolled up the sleeves. I reached forward and lightly rubbed my fingers over his hard abs. I could see their definition through his t-shirt. I had the sexiest boyfriend. Edward was smiling, almost as if he knew what I was thinking, as he leaned down to tie the other flannel shirt around my waist.

"Was this your sneaky plan to get in my closet and steal your shirts back?" I asked him, giggling.

Edward just laughed. "No, but when we live to together this fall, we're going to share a closet." He said, before kissing me. "I'll have my shirts back in no time." He said, winking at me and making me laugh.

"Baby. Is there a bathroom out here?" I asked him, blushing a little. If we were going for a hike in the woods, then I wanted to make sure I took the chance to use the bathroom when I had it.

He leaned down to kiss me. "Of course." He said, grabbing a bottle of water, before closing the trunk and locking the car. "I would never take you somewhere without a bathroom. I promise you that." He took my hand and led me to a small wooden building. He kissed my lips, before going to the other side of the building to the men's side of the bathroom.

I walked in and was happy to find flush toilets, even though the tap water was ice cold. I took a minute to look in the mirror at my reflection. My cheeks were flushed and I was smiling. I was so happy to have Edward in my life. I looked at the pendant that Edward for me. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I was so touched that he had saved the rock I gave him almost a month ago.

I opened the bathroom door and Edward was waiting for me on the other side. "Ready to go, gorgeous?" He asked, making me smile.

"Absolutely." I said. "I can't wait for you to get me into the woods."

He laughed and reached down to touch the pendant laying on my chest, his fingers brushing over the tops of my breasts. "Are you sure this was a gift for me?" I giggled, shivering at his touch.

Edward laughed at being caught. "Um, yes it is for you." He said, winking at me. "I just happen to be enjoying how good it looks on your skin. I'm completely innocent." He said, smiling at me.

"Yeah, okay." I giggled. I teased him, but I didn't care. Edward could look at me and touch me as much as he wanted. I was his and he was mine.

Edward laughed and took my hand. "Come on, you." he said. "Let's get in the woods. I want to kiss you." I laughed, as we walked over to a trail head. "This path is fairly short, only about a mile there, and then a mile back." Edward said. "It's through old growth forest. It's really beautiful, actually."

"A whole mile?" I teased. Edward laughed and brought his hand down to spank my bum, making me laugh. It was more like a tap than a spank.

"Well, it's going to be two miles, by the time we get back to the car." He said. "You want to get on my back?" He asked.

"No, baby. I can walk." I teased. Edward and I spent the next half hour walking the mile through the forest. It was so beautiful and lush and green. "I really love Washington, Edward. I'm so glad that we're going to move back west after graduation."

"I love when you talk about our future, Bella." He said. He pulled me to the side of the path, where there was a fallen tree. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap. "Did you notice that there isn't anyone else on this path?"

I giggled. "I did notice." I said, leaning in suck on Edward's bottom lip, making him groan. "Is this what you were hinting for?"

"God, yes, babe." He said, before deepening the kiss. His hands travelled down my body, from my back to bum. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my chest to his. Making out in the woods with my boyfriend was an amazing way to spend the afternoon of our anniversary.

And I noticed something else about Edward and I that made me blush and smile at the same time. We had always been attracted to each other, but lately, our physical connection was so powerful. It was like we always had to be touching or kissing. And lately, the touches were getting more and more bold and forward. But, Edward and I had slowly progressed to this stage in our relationship.

It felt natural and I craved his body, now, more than ever. I didn't know what it was about now, but it may have had something to do with the fact that lately, we had been trying new things with each other, touching new places, bathing together, seeing each other It seemed like the more we did, the more I wanted. And it was clear to me that Edward felt the same way.

Edward finally pulled back and our eyes met. His were swimming with desire. I felt nervous and excited at the same time. I knew for sure that Edward and I were definitely ready to take the next step in our relationship. Not sex, but I was definitely ready for more.

"Baby, I'm really starting to wish that I hadn't told your dad we would be home at a descent hour." Edward said, sounding out of breath.

"It's okay. We have forever, right?" I said, repeating back to him, what he always said to me.

He chuckled, and gave my lips a few quick pecks. "Yeah. Speaking of that, and um, what we did this morning and you know, this." He said, moving his hand back and forth in between us. "It's not all too fast for you, is it? Because, I'm just going on what I feel and lately I just want more of you." He cleared his throat.

"I was just thinking about that, actually." I told him. "I feel the same way about you. I like this new step we're taking. Um, you know with the bath, and stuff?"

Edward smiled before leaning to kiss me. "So, we're on the same page, then?" He asked. "We both want to keep trying new things?"

"Yeah." I agreed, blushing. "But, not sex." I added, before dropping my head on his shoulder. "Yet."

He chuckled, rubbing my back. "Not sex." He repeated, kissing my temple. "We're going to wait until at least the end of the summer, remember? I'm still okay with that."

"Okay." I said. "I just want you to know that I feel the same way you do. You know, about wanting you." Edward and I were all about communication, and I figured that it was the best way to go. If we understood each other, neither one of us would ever feel confused or hurt.

"I love you." He said, lifting my chin, so he could look into my eyes, before he kissed me. He stood us up and took my hand. "Come on, we're almost there." He said, pulling my hand, as he walked along the path.

I giggled as we jogged to the end of the path. I smiled when I saw a beautiful waterfall. "Oh, baby. It's beautiful." I said, wrapping my arm around Edward's waist.

"It is." He agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. We stood at the waterfall for about ten minutes, just taking it in. It was a long drop, and the waterfall was quite thin, but it was gorgeous.

"Okay, hop up." He said, turning around and crouching down in front of me.

"You're going to carry me for a mile?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, before he stood up, and reached for my legs.

"Bella, I'm nineteen. Take advantage of this, now. Because in thirty years, I can't guarantee I'll be able to carry you that far." Edward said.

I giggled, leaning in to kiss his neck. "Oh, knowing you, you'll still try."


	310. Love and Lace

**A/N - So, who wants to hear an off topic story? Last night while rooting through the freezer for my favorite frozen food, TGIFridays Potato Skins, a bucket of ice cream flew out of the freezer and landed on my foot. I spent the night limping around and being babied with ice packs and foot soaks. The good news is, that it does not appear to be broken. So, if I didn't get to your review last night, that's why. But, I'm off to answer them now! ****Anyway, enough about me...let's get back to the anniversary! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 310 - Love and Lace

Edward actually carried me on his back all the way to the car. I was so spoiled, but Edward was clearly enjoying the kisses and licks I was giving his neck and earlobe. After another quick bathroom break, we decided to head back to the beach, with our blanket, just to hang out.

Edward checked his watch and said we had a couple of hours. "What's in a couple of hours?" I asked, even though I knew he wouldn't tell me. It was around three thirty, so I was guessing that in a couple of hours, we were going to have dinner, but I didn't say anything. I wasn't going to ruin his surprise.

"You'll see." He said, kissing my lips. "Oh, are you hungry?" He asked. "I brought munchies for after the hike."

I giggled. "You have literally thought of everything, haven't you?" I asked, running my fingers through his hair, just above his ear.

"I tried." He laughed. "Okay, I'll be right back." He said, getting up to go to the car.

"Oh, will you bring my purse?" I asked him, as I stretched out on the blanket, laying on my back.

"Of course." He said, before jogging off to the car. He was back in less than five minutes. He flopped down on the blanket and laid his head on my stomach, looking up at my face. I loved this. I was glad he didn't plan a busy day. It was nice to just relax with him.

"Why did you want your purse?" He asked after about five minutes of silence.

"Oh." I said, sitting up, making Edward's head drop to my lap. He kissed my thigh, before sitting up in front of me, crossing his legs. "I have a present for you, too." I told him, pulling the gift out of my purse and passing it to him.

He smiled. "Baby, you could have just given me this kiss, and I would have been happy." He said, pointing to the paper where I had kissed it with red lipstick this morning.

"After everything you did for me today, you're not allowed to refuse gifts." I told him, rubbing his knee.

"I'm not." He chuckled, ripping open the paper. He smiled when he saw the frame. "Bella." He said. "This is great. I love it. Thank you." He leaned in and kissed my lips, before sitting back and looking at the photo. "I remember these shorts." He chuckled. "You have such sexy, gorgeous legs."

I giggled. "Edward, you're crazy." We both laughed, and he leaned in for another kiss.

He set the frame down, gently, on my purse, before grabbing me and pulling us both down on the blanket. I rested my head on his arm and closed my eyes. He was rubbing my back lightly and I could have fallen asleep, with the hot afternoon sun shining down on us.

"So, are you going to win me a prize at the carnival tomorrow?" I asked, Edward. His eyes were closed to keep out the sun, but I knew he was awake based on his breathing.

"Now, what kind of boyfriend would a be, if I didn't?" He asked, opening his eyes, and leaning in to kiss my lips. "I'm really excited about it." He said. "It's a three hour drive, so I thought if we left around eight, we'd get there at eleven, get some lunch and then have a good six or seven hours of carnival fun, before we have to head back."

"Well, I definitely like the sound of that." I said.

Edward and I spend the next two hours snacking on the sour cream and onion chips and gummy bears he brought with him. We fed and teased each other, and just had a blast. Finally at five thirty, Edward and I packed up. I was excited to see the next part of his surprise.

We walked back to the car and he passed me the duffle bag from my room. "Okay, I packed you something to change in to." He said, looking a little nervous. "So, I hope I got it right."

"Aw. You're adorable." I told him, kissing his chin. "I'm sure it's perfect." I said. He grabbed his own bag, before taking my hand and walking me to the bathroom. I went in and opened the bag, smiling when I saw what he had packed.

He had picked out the really short black and white dress I had bought for our trip to Ocean Shores for his birthday. I couldn't hold back my laughter, though, when I saw that he had packed me four different bras. Black, white, strapless and lace. I had been teasing him about packing me the right one when I agreed to let him pick out my clothes for today.

I changed into the black lace bra before pulling on the dress. I really loved this dress. I felt sexy in it, and I'm sure that Edward could see that. The deep v-neck really highlighted my new necklace. I looked in the bag, and saw that Edward had packed some black heels from my closet as well. He was quite the stylist.

I packed my comfy clothes in the bag, before standing in front of the mirror and taking my hair out of the braid. Edward liked my hair wavy, so I tried to style it that way as often as I could. I pulled the sides back with my hair elastic and put on a little lip gloss.

I opened the bathroom door and smiled when I saw my beautiful boyfriend. Edward was standing there waiting for me, wearing black dress pants, a white button up dress shirt, with the cuffs rolled to his elbows and the top couple of buttons open, and a grey vest. He looked absolutely delicious.

"Wow." We both said at the same time, before laughing.

"Edward, you look amazing." I said, running my fingers over the edge of the vest.

He smiled widely at me, before leaning down to kiss my lips. "Thank you." He said. "This dress, Bella." He whispered, setting his hands on my hips. "You look incredible."

"Thanks, babe." I said. "Thank you for packing everything for me. You did a great job." I loved praising him, because I knew how hard he tried all the time.

He chuckled, blushing a little. "I didn't really know about the bra." He said.

I giggled. "Do you want to see which one I picked?" I asked, biting my lip, and batting my eyelashes.

"Mm." Edward said, kissing my lips once more. "Let's get in the car, first. I want to be the only one that sees." I giggled, as he took my hand and led me to the car. We put our bags in the trunk and then, after Edward helped me in, he went around to get in the car.

He leaned in to kiss my lips, and then moved down my neck to my cleavage. He had his hand high on my waist, holding my body still. He pushed the neckline of the dress over with his nose. "Beautiful." He whispered when he saw the lace bra. He kissed his way back up to my lips. "I was hoping you were going to pick that one." He whispered on my lips.

I giggled as he sat back up in his seat. "You are so gorgeous." He said. "Are you hungry?"

I smiled, reaching down to adjust the front of my dress. "Thank you, baby. And, yes. I'm starving. Where are we going?" I asked, as he pulled out of the parking lot and turned back onto the highway.

"Well, I thought we'd go to Port Angeles for a fancy dinner." He said, smiling. "We're only fifteen minutes away."

"Aw, baby. This is the best day ever." I said, reaching over to take his hand, as he drove us to Port Angeles. We pulled up to C'est Si Bon and Edward parked, and then helped me out of the car. He wrapped his arm around my waist, his hand on my hip as we walked in the restaurant. It was a cute little French restaurant, and Edward and I were seated by the window.

I couldn't get over how handsome he looked, and I often caught myself just staring at him. But, he hardly noticed. He was doing the same thing to me. Edward and I both ordered beef, potatoes and salads. The meal was absolutely delicious and Edward was smiling the entire time. And as gorgeous as the atmosphere was, I rarely took my eyes off of him.

He ordered a chocolate mousse for dessert and moved his chair beside mine. The waiter brought two spoons, but Edward ended up feeding me. He was being so sweet and romantic, even more than usual. Anniversaries definitely agreed with him.

After we ate, and I made a quick stop in the bathroom, before we left. Edward drove us to the waterfront and we decided to take a nice walk. "Babe, this was an amazing day. Everything was perfect. I had so much fun." I told him.

"I'm so glad." He said. "I promised you that you would be spoiled today."

"Edward, I honestly feel spoiled every second that I'm with you." I told him, smiling up at his face. "I love you with my whole heart and soul."

He leaned down and placed his hand on my cheek, looking right into my eyes, before planting a searing kiss on my lips. He pulled back slowly, giving me one more gentle kiss. "I will love you, forever."


	311. Goodnights and Good Mornings

**A/N - Happy Saturday! It is snowing, again, out in western Canada! Sigh! Good thing it's summer in this story! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 311 - Goodnights and Good Mornings

Edward and I drove back to Forks, and got back to my house at nine thirty. He carried in all of my things for me, and sent them by the door. "Hey, kids." My dad said, coming over to the door. "You two both look nice. Did you have a nice day?"

"It was great. We hung out at Lake Crescent for the day, had a picnic and a hike, and then Edward took me to a French restaurant." I told him. "It was a great anniversary."

"Sounds great." My dad said. "I'll be in the living room, Bells." He said. "Night, Edward."

"Goodnight, Charlie." Edward said. I was glad that he left us to say our goodbyes. My boy needed a great big kiss.

"Let me walk you to your car." I said, taking his hand and leading him back outside. Edward smiled, leaning against the car and pulling me to his body.

"So, I'll see you at eight o'clock tomorrow morning." Edward said, smiling.

"I can't wait." I said, smiling. "Do you want to come early for breakfast?"

"Why don't I just bring breakfast and we'll eat in the car?" Edward said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "Then you can sleep in a little longer."

"Okay." I said, smiling.

Edward rubbed his hands up and down my bare arms. "You'd better get in the house, baby. You're skin feels cold." He said, leaning in to kiss my shoulder.

"Thank you for today, Edward." I said. "I love you."

"I know you do, and that makes the happiest man in the world." He said, leaning down to kiss me. "I love you, too, Bella." He brought his hand down and patted my bum. "I'll see you in the morning."

"One more kiss?" I asked, blinking at him. He laughed and then leaned in to suck my bottom lip. I brought my hands up, threading my fingers through his hair, so I could deepen the kiss. I could feel him smiling against my lips before he really started kissing me back. His hand, still on my bum, pushed me closer to his body. I was really starting to wish we were in my bedroom right now.

He finally pulled back. "I'd better go, angel." He said, quietly, his eyes looking at me like he did in the forest during our hike. The desire was back.

I nodded, transfixed by his gaze. "Okay." I agreed.

"Happy anniversary." He whispered, kissing my lips, before going around to get back in the car. He smiled and waved at me, before driving home.

I went and sat on the front steps for a minute. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was going to be a long night without Edward, but I had all day tomorrow with him, and he promised me he would get frisky on the Ferris wheel. I smiled, as I stood up to go inside.

My dad was having a cup of coffee at the kitchen table. I came in and sat beside him. "Hey, dad." I said. "How was your night?"

He smiled at me. "Good. I spent it at Heidi's." He said. "Heidi and I are going to take her parents around town tomorrow to look for apartments for them."

"Oh, that's sweet of you, dad." I said. "I was actually wondering if Heidi's parents were going to move in with her."

He chuckled. "As much as she loves her parents, I think Heidi enjoys her privacy. She's been living alone for some time, now." He explained.

"Yeah, that makes sense." I agreed. "Well, Edward and I, Alice, his brothers, and their girlfriends are going to Lakefair tomorrow in Olympia." I told him.

"Well, that sounds fun." He said. My dad and I spent the next half hour talking about our day and just catching up. He decided to head up to bed, and kissed the top of my head. "Oh, kiddo?" He said, stopping at the kitchen door. "Heidi wants to go for brunch with her parents before they go back to Spokane, and she wanted you and me to be there. You in?"

"Of course, dad." I said. "I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you, too, Bells. Have a good night." He said, before going up the stairs. I walked over to my anniversary flowers from Edward and breathed in their sweet scent. I smiled, thinking of our amazing day.

I got myself a glass of water, before shutting out the lights and heading up to my room. I slipped out of my dress, and into my Florida night shirt. I went in the bathroom and brushed my teeth, before crawling into bed. I was tired, but too anxious to sleep.

I was looking forward to the day with Edward and his family, tomorrow. But at the same time, I longed for some time with us alone in his room, or mine. And I knew we had had a lot that lately, but today had been a turning point for us. We talked about it and made a conscious decision to move forward in our relationship. I was curious, but afraid at the same time. I trusted Edward, but the unknown was always frightening. I was sure that once we were alone together, those feelings would subside. I curled up in my bed and fell asleep.

I woke up at six in the morning on Saturday. I ran across the hall to have a quick shower. I dried my hair straight today, before going in my room and rubbing Edward's favourite body lotion, all over my body. I wanted to smell good for my man. I pulled on the black shorts that I was wearing in the photo I gave Edward for our anniversary. I put on a scoop neck, striped purple and pink t-shirt and pushed my sunglasses up in my hair. I had also left my necklace on, and it looked pretty sexy, with the pendant disappearing under my neckline.

I found a small purse in my closet that had a long strap I could wear across my body. It was just big enough for my camera, my wallet a hair brush and some hand sanitizer. I slipped it on and headed downstairs. My dad was in the kitchen, having a bowl of cereal.

"Don't tell Heidi." He chuckled. "She's making breakfast, but I needed something to last me the drive to her place."

"It's a five minute drive, dad." I laughed, sitting beside him, and grabbing a handful of the dried cereal to snack on. He just shrugged, and kept eating. It was cute. I loved sharing these little moments with my dad. It's what made our relationship special.

After rinsing out his bowl, he gave me a hug, told me to have fun and be safe, and left out the door. I loved that he was spending so much time with Heidi and her parents. It was so nice to see my dad so happy and so involved in someone. Anything besides work all the time.

At ten minutes to eight, the doorbell rang, and I smiled. I ran over to the door and let Edward in. He was wearing his camo shorts and a grey t-shirt. He quickly stepped in and shut the door behind him. "Good morning, gorgeous." He said, passing me a white carnation. "I've got Jazz, Maria and Alice in the car, but I needed to kiss you before we go." He said, taking my hand and pulling me to the living room couch. "Is your dad home?" He asked, sitting down, and pulling me forward to straddle his thighs.

"No, he just left." I said, gasping as his hands came up to my bum and pulled me forward, so our bodies were pressed tightly together. I put my hands on his shoulders to hold myself back so I could look at his face. "Edward." I giggled, surprised by his boldness.

He chuckled, before leaning down to start kissing and sucking on my neck. I couldn't hold back my groan. It was so good to be back in his arms, again, and feel his touch. His hands started to travel up my body. He brought his lips up to meet mine and gave me a nice, long kiss.

He finally leaned his head back on the couch and let out a deep breath. "I've been waiting all night to do that." He chuckled.

I smiled, leaning in to kiss his lips, lightly. "I've been waiting all night for you to do that, too." I giggled.

"I probably shouldn't have started that, because now I want more." Edward said, moving his hands up and down my back.

"So, do I." I said, before leaning in to bite his earlobe. I sat up and looked into his eyes. Under his eyes were a little dark, so I lightly ran my fingertips over them. "You look tired." I said, kissing his lips. "Did you not sleep well?"

"I didn't. I need you in my arms." He admitted, taking a pieces of my hair and twirling I around his fingers. "And, I had a bunch of stupid dreams."

"Are you okay?" I asked, massaging his neck. "Do you want to tell me about them?"

He chuckled. "I'm fine. It's crazy, so don't laugh." He said, and I nodded. "I was flying around naked in a room full of spiders." I smiled at him, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"Hmm. That is weird." I said. "Why don't we look it up what it means when we get home?" I suggested.

"Okay." He laughed. He held onto my bum and stood us up. I wrapped my legs around him, and he carried me to the front door. "Let's go have some have some fun."


	312. Big Brother

**A/N - I hope you are having a great weekend! Thank you so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 312 - Big Brother

Edward carried me to the car, and set me down beside the passenger door. He leaned in and whispered in my ear. "You smell delicious." He kissed my cheek, and opened the door for me. I smiled, happy that I had taken the time to put on Edward's favourite lotion. I got in, before he shut the door and went around to the driver's side.

"Hi, Bella." Alice said from the backseat. I turned around and smiled at her. She was sitting in between Jasper and Maria, holding a huge Tupperware container of muffins.

"Good morning, guys." I said. "Alice, that container is bigger than you are." I teased, making her laugh.

"I know." She said. "Mommy made us muffins this morning."

"Who made muffins this morning, princess?" Edward asked, laughing, as he pulled onto the highway.

"Mom did." She giggled. "You stood with her in the kitchen, though."

I giggled. I knew that Edward was trying so hard to learn how to cook for me. It was the sweetest thing, and the fact that he was making an effort for me, just made me love him more. I put my hand on his thigh, and gave it a little squeeze.

"Thank you, baby." I whispered to him, making him smile.

"What kind do you want, Bella?" Alice asked me.

"The banana nut is really good." Maria said.

"So is the blueberry." Jasper added.

"My favourite was the chocolate chip." Alice said.

"Is there anything left for Bella?" Edward asked, laughing.

"Edward, you and mom made like fifty muffins." Jasper laughed, making Edward blush a little.

"I'll try a blueberry, Alice." I said, reaching back to take it from her. Maria passed me a paper towel, and I turned back around in my seat. "Thanks, girls." I said. I broke off a piece and moaned when I tasted it. It was so good, and still a little warm.

I noticed Edward's eyes flash over to me, and I smiled. He always reacted to every sound that I made. I broke off another piece and brought it up to Edward's lips. He ate it from my fingers, sucking my thumb into his mouth. I blushed a bit, because I didn't know if any of the kids saw him do that.

"So where are Emmett and Rose?" I asked, as we ate, still driving south.

"Oh, they should only be about ten minutes ahead of us." Edward said. "We'll meet up with them at the first stop."

"Where's the first stop?" I asked, taking a drink of the orange juice that Edward had for me in the cup holder beside his travel mug.

"We'll stop at Neilton and Aberdeen." Edward said. "That way, we'll stop every hour." He turned his head and winked at me. The fact that Edward scheduled in bathroom breaks for me, was beyond adorable. I didn't think that there was a better man on earth for me than Edward.

Edward and I ended up sharing two more muffins before we reached our first stop. I wanted to try all the flavours he made for me. Plus, let's face it, I enjoyed feeding him.

When we reached the first stop, I giggled. This town was one-tenth the size of Forks. And it wasn't even a gas station we had stopped at, because it didn't look like the town had one; it was just a convenience store. I smiled when I saw Em and Rose sitting on the open tailgate of his truck, waiting for us. I worried about him as if he were my own brother. Em was in jeans and a white t-shirt and Rose was wearing a denim skirt and red tank.

We all got out of the car and Edward took Alice's hand. I could already see his protective big brother side kicking in with her. He took such good care of her. I couldn't wait to meet daddy Edward one day. He was going to be amazing, I was sure of it.

It was funny. At the start of our summer break, the thought of having my own children frightened me, and wasn't something that I had ever really considered. But seeing Edward, and his absolute natural ability with kids, had awakened that desire in me.

"How did the truck drive, Em?" Edward asked Emmett, as we walked over to them.

"Great, bro. You know this truck rules." Emmett chuckled.

Edward laughed. "I know it does."

"Bella. I have to go to the bathroom." Alice told me, quietly.

"Edward, I'll take her." I said, taking her other hand, before Edward let her go. "Okay, come on, Alice." I said, swinging our hands, as Alice skipped along beside me.

"I might as well go, too." Maria said, following behind us. Alice was wearing a cute little floral sundress with bows tied at the shoulders. And Maria had on some cute black Capri pants and a white graphic t shirt.

When we got to the bathroom, I surprised that is was quite clean. "Okay, Alice. You remember the toilet paper trick?" I asked, her as we all went into the stalls. "Put it down on the seat, before you sit on it."

I heard Alice giggling in the stall next to me. "Okay." She agreed. I came out and washed my hands, but had to lift Alice up to reach the sink. She was giggling and thought it was fun. She seemed to be having such a great time on this road trip, so far and we'd only been gone an hour.

We walked back out in to the store and Alice pulled my hand. "Can I have some liquorice, Bella?" She asked, quietly.

"Alright, but I don't want you to get sick. How about you just have one piece now, okay? We're going to be eating a lot of fair food when we get there, and you don't want an upset tummy." I told her, as I bought the package for her.

"Okay." She agreed. I passed her the bag so she could carry it back to the car, and took her hand, again. We walked outside and Edward hopped off the back of the truck and walked over to us.

"What did you talk Bella into getting, princess?" Edward asked, crouching down so he was at her level, before kissing her forehead.

"Liquorice." She said, proudly. "But, she said that I can only have one piece right now."

"Okay." He said, lifting her up on his hip. He opened the package and took one out for her, before passing me the bag. "Thank you, baby." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips, as Alice was happily munching away on her candy.

Emmett hopped down off the back of his truck, before reaching up to hold Rose's waist and lift her down. He kissed her lips, before wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Okay, are we hitting the road?" Emmett asked, coming over to kiss Alice's cheek.

"Yeah, let's go." Edward said. "See you guys in an hour."

We all got back in the car and Alice suggested we play the alphabet game. I had no idea what it was so, she explained that we would pick a category and then work our way through the alphabet. She picked animals, so Edward said, antelope, then Maria said bear, Alice said crocodile, Jasper said deer, and I said elephant. We worked or way through the alphabet quite a few times. It was a cute game and kept Alice entertained. She would laugh so hard when someone would get stuck, and her giggles were contagious to me. I absolutely loved her.

After our bathroom break in Aberdeen, we spent the last hour of the drive to Olympia singing along to the radio. It was nice to see Maria singing with us, and I was glad she felt comfortable enough with us. Jasper would laugh along with Maria. They were really cute together, and it was nice to see Jasper opening up around her.

Edward was smiling as he drove and I sat turned in my seat to watch him. He was so gorgeous and I loved when he smiled. He would look over at me, every once in a while and smile back, making my heart flutter.

We finally got to Olympia and Edward drove to the fairgrounds. It looked like they had a couple of streets blocked off and it was held right by the lake. Edward paid for us at the gate and parked in a huge lot. As we got out of the car, I looked up and saw Emmett and Rose walking over to the car.

Jasper and Maria went over to them and started talking and laughing with each other. They looked so excited. Alice started hopping around, but Edward caught her around the waist and picked her up. "Okay, princess. I know you're excited, there's lots to see and we're going to have an amazing day." He started explaining to her.

"I know, Edward. Let's go." She said, squirming in his arms trying to get down.

"But." Edward continued, lightly tapping her nose with his finger. "There are a lot of people here, and it's so easy to get lost. So, I need to you to hold my hand and stay really close to me, okay. And when you have to go to the bathroom, you wait for Bella. Okay?" He asked, and she agreed. He kissed her forehead. "I love you, Alice."

"I love you, too, Edward." She said. "But can we have lunch, now?" She asked, making me laugh. Edward set her down, and held out his hand. She smiled at him and took a hold of it. I looped my arm through his, kissing his bicep. He looked down at me and smiled, before we made our way to get some lunch.


	313. Fries and Friskiness

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! I forgot to mention yesterday, but fair day is Saturday, July 17th, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 313 - Fries and Friskiness

Olympia was beautiful so far. I had never been to the capital city of Washington before, and I was impressed by the huge lake and the green grass surrounding it. There were fountains and volleyball tournaments going on, and I held back a giggle, as Emmett made sure to look anywhere but at the bikini clad girls running around. It was cute.

Edward leaned in and whispered in my ear. "Those girls were Em's favourite part of the fair last year." He chuckled, quietly.

We walked along all the food stands, which lined both sides of the street, and Alice was having trouble deciding what she wanted. Pizza, hamburgers, hotdogs, corndogs, French fries; they really had it all. There were picnic tables set up down the middle of the street, and we luckily came across one that was empty. I sat down to save it for us, and Alice sat beside me on the bench.

Maria, Jasper, Emmett and Rose, all went to the pizza stand. Edward crouched down in front of Alice. "Okay, did you decide?" He asked her.

"No, what are you getting?" She asked, smiling at him.

"I'm just going to get a hamburger and fries." Edward said. "You can have anything you want, Alice. I'll go get it for you."

She looked up at me. "What are you getting, Bella?" She asked.

"I'll just have a hotdog." I said.

"Could I have one of those hotdogs on a stick?" Alice asked Edward.

"Of course you can." Edward said, standing up. He kissed the top of Alice's head, and then leaned in to kiss my lips. "I'll be right back." He said, before walking over to the booth right in front of us.

I wrapped my arm around Alice's shoulder. "Are you having fun so far?" I asked her.

"Yeah." She said, smiling. "Are we going to go on the merry go round?" She asked. "I always go on that."

"Yeah, I'll go on it with you." I told her. "What about bumper cars?" I asked her.

"I love bumper cars." She said, smiling at me. She was still bouncing in her seat, and I laughed at how excited she was.

Emmett, Rose, Jasper and Maria all came back with their pizza and sat down at the picnic table with us. They were all talking about what rides they wanted to go on. Edward came to sit down beside, setting his fries and burger down. He leaned in to kiss my cheek, and give me my hot dog, and then passed Alice her corn dog. He unwrapped it for, and squirted some mustard packets on the foil for her. Edward was so sweet with her.

I unwrapped my hotdog and smiled when I saw that he had put ketchup on it for me. "Oh, just wait, baby." He said, lifting the bun off his hamburger and taking the pickles off of it with a plastic fork. He set them on my hotdog, making me laugh. "The hamburger came with pickles, but they wouldn't put it on the hotdog." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Thank you, Edward." I said, kissing his cheek and making his smile.

Emmett laughed at us, and Rose slapped his shoulder. "It's sweet, Emmett." She told him, smiling at us.

The playful banter continued between us as we ate. I had so much fun with them. Edward set his basket of fries in front of me, and we both snacked on them. Alice reached over and snuck one, giggling when Edward winked at her. Emmett grabbed a couple of fries, making Edward laugh. He got up and ran to the booth, coming back with another basket of fries, setting it in the middle of the table. All seven of us ended up eating from it.

After lunch, and a quick stop at the bathrooms, we all headed over to the midway. It was so hot and sunny already and it was only noon. We went to the ticket booth and Edward bought way too many tickets. We all stood in line for the bumper cars. Alice was so excited.

"Do you want to ride with me?" Edward asked her, after looking up and down the line at the other people that would be on the ride with us. It was mostly boys about twelve years old, and I knew that Edward wouldn't want her to be alone.

"But, then I won't get to drive." She said, pouting.

"You can drive. I'll just sit beside you." He said. He pinched her sides, making her laugh. "I drove all the way here. I shouldn't have to drive anymore. You can be my chauffer."

"Okay." She giggled, slapping his hands away from her stomach. She reached up and held onto the side pocket of his shorts, as she watched the other kids on the bumper cars.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed his chest. "Are you having a good time?" He asked me, quietly.

I smiled up his gorgeous face. "I am." I told him. "Thank you for lunch." I said. "I really appreciated your pickle donation." I teased.

He laughed his beautiful laugh and leaned down to kiss my lips. "Anytime, sugar." He said, kissing me, again.

"It's our turn." Alice said, jumping up and down. I let Edward go, so he could pick up Alice. We passed our tickets to the guy at the gate, and then went to get in our cars. Alice picked out a pink car, and Edward laughed, as he set Alice behind the wheel, before climbing in. I laughed at them, because, with how tall he was, he barely fit in the car.

I sat in the green car beside them, and quickly got out my camera and snapped a picture of him and Alice. They looked so cute together.

The ride started and I got bumped into from behind. I turned around and laughed when I saw Emmett. He smiled innocently, and waved at me. I started driving, but he kept bumping into me. I looked over at Edward and he was guiding Alice over to Emmett. He was defending my honour. Such a sweetheart. Alice was laughing and trying to drive over to me, but she ended up driving in a circle.

Edward looked over at me and shrugged his shoulders. Finally, Rose bumped into Emmett and I was free. I drove over and smashed into Maria, making her laugh, before I turned and headed straight for Edward. I was having so much fun, and Edward was laughing and trying to get Alice to drive away. But, I considered myself a good driver, and bumped into the back of them.

"Bella." Alice called out, laughing. "I can't believe you hit us." Edward tried to get her to turn around, but the power was shut down and the ride was over. We got out of our cars and I saw Edward lean in to whisper to Jasper. Alice came over to me, taking my hand.

"Did you have fun?" I asked her, as we walked to the exit.

"Yeah, that was fun." She said, looking up at the Ferris wheel. "Are we going to do that one next?" She asked.

Jasper crouched down beside Alice. "Do you want to ride the Ferris wheel, with Maria and I?" She agreed, and Jasper picked her up, walking over to the line up for the Ferris wheel. I looked over at Edward and smiled at the sexy smirk on his face. He totally planned that.

He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me, leaning down to kiss my lips. "I've been waiting for this moment all morning." He whispered, before kissing me, again.

"Me, too." I said, as we moved up in line. I got my camera out and snapped a picture of Jasper and Maria with Alice in between them. Alice waved at me, and Jasper put his arm around both girls. Next, Emmett and Rose got on the ride, and he had her pulled close to him, and I took a picture of them. I was almost certain they would be having as much fun on this ride as Edward and I were.

Edward and I got on, and after we were seated, Edward took my camera and held it out in front of us to take a picture of us. "Take another one." I said, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"Okay." He said, passing me the camera after he took the picture. "Now, enough pictures. I want to kiss you." He whispered in my ear, before lightly sucking on my earlobe.

I hummed. "I guess I owe you, for bumping into you on the bumper cars." I whispered.

He chuckled. "You don't owe me, anything. I want to kiss you because I love you." He said, leaning in to press his lips to mine, and putting his hand on my knee. "And, because you wore these shorts."

"I wondered if you'd noticed." I laughed, before leaning in to kiss him.

"Of course I noticed." He said, between kisses, his fingertips moving from my knee, along my outer thigh, up to my hip as he deepened the kiss. "You look beautiful."

The breeze, the spinning of the Ferris wheel and Edward's kisses all combined to make me feel like I was flying. I think this was my new favourite carnival ride.


	314. Dizzy

**A/N - Thank you all so much for the reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 314 - Dizzy

Edward kissed me for the entire five minute ride on the Ferris wheel. I was definitely disappointed when it was over. As much fun as I was having at the fair, I really couldn't wait to get him alone, again. He had the softest lips, and his kisses were both sweet and hot a the same time. He was amazing and I literally could kiss him for hours.

As we got off the ride, the ride operator winked at us, and I started laughing, my face fire red. As usual, I forgot my surroundings when I was with Edward. Edward put his hands on my cheeks and leaned down to kiss my lips. "Don't blush." He whispered against my lips. "That was amazing." He said, before kissing me, again.

"Can we go on the merry go round, now?" I heard Alice ask.

Edward looked down and put out his hand for her to take. "Of course, princess." He said. "Em." He called out to his brother. "We're taking Al to the merry go round."

"Okay, I'll call you." He said, taking half of Edward's tickets, before he, Rose, Jasper and Maria headed off to the more scary and dizzy looking midway rides.

"Ready, girls?" Edward asked.

"Yeah." Alice said, hopping up and down. I smiled at her boundless energy, taking her other hand. As we walked over to the merry go round together, I, again, thought about Edward and I with our own child, one day. I looked over at Edward and he was smiling at me. I couldn't help but think he was imagining the same thing that I was.

We stood in line for the ride and Edward had both of his hands on Alice's shoulders, and she leaning back into his legs. "Which horse do you want, Alice?" I asked her.

"I want a white one." She said. "And Bella, you should ride on a white one, too, and Edward should be on a brown one."

"Why should I be on a brown one?" Edward asked her, smiling at me, as I giggled at Alice.

"Because they're the boy ones." She said, looking up at Edward, as if it was the most logical thing in the whole world.

"Oh." Edward said, chuckling. "Okay. I'll go on the brown one."

I leaned my head on Edward's arm, and watched the kids laughing on the ride. It was a beautiful carrousel, with a blue and yellow peaked circus canopy on top. It had mirrors in the center and all the carved horses had red and white poles.

The ride finally came to an end and we walked onto the ride. Edward lifted Alice up onto a white horse. "Hold on, tight." He said, kissing her cheek. He came over and helped me onto the horse beside Alice, by holding my hand and my hip. I could tell he wanted to just stand in between us and make sure Alice didn't fall, but he turned and hopped on the brown horse behind us.

There were still lots of other kids milling around, as their parents put them on horses, so I got out my camera and snapped a picture of Alice. She was such a beautiful little girl, and was always smiling. I turned around and took one of Edward. He playfully frowned at me, before laughing.

"What? You look cute." I defended.

"Pass me the camera." He said, leaning forward, with his arm outstretched.

"No. You're going to erase it." I said, holding the camera to my chest, protectively.

He laughed. "No, I won't." He said. "I just want to take one of you."

"Okay, but I swear, Edward Anthony Cullen, if you touch that delete button." I started, as I leaned back and passed him the camera.

Edward just laughed. "I'm not going to touch it. Now, smile for me, gorgeous." He said. I looked over my shoulder at him, smiling, and he snapped a picture of me from behind. "Thank you. Now was that so hard?"

"No, it wasn't." I laughed. Just then, the ride started and it was playing old fashioned, circus type music.

"We're moving." Alice said, excitedly, as the horses moved up and down, and we turned in a circle. I watched Alice, smiling and laughing, and just enjoyed the experience through her. I looked over my shoulder at Edward, and he was watching me. The look of love on his face was breathtaking.

Edward winked at me, before calling out to Alice. "My horse is gaining on you, Alice." He said. "You'd better ride faster."

She laughed, and looked over her shoulder at him. "This girl horse is pretty slow." She said, making us laugh. We rode the ride, for way too long, it seemed, and I was starting to get a little dizzy. It finally stopped, and Edward was right there to help me down. He leaned in and kissed my lips.

"Hey, stop kissing." Alice said. "I'm stuck up here on this horse." Edward smiled against my lips, kissing me once more, before turned around and lifting Alice off the horse, and holding her on his hip.

"Edward. Her dress." I said, coming behind her, and pulling her skirt down.

"Oh, sorry." He said, his cheeks a little pink.

"It's okay." I told him. "It was an accident." I took his free hand and started pulling them away from the ride. "Alright, Alice. What's next?" I asked her.

"What about that big slide?" She asked, pointing to a really high, bendy slide you had ride down on a blanket.

Edward let out a deep breath as he looked at the slide, and I held back a laugh at how much he worried about her. "What if we all ride down it together?" I suggested, hoping to ease Edward's mind.

He smiled at me, and leaned down to kiss my forehead. "Sounds good." He said, walking us over to the slide. There was no line up, so Edward Alice and I took the stairs up to the top. Edward set the blanket down and held onto it, as I sat down.

"Okay, Alice, sit down on my legs." I told her, and she climbed onto my legs and I wrapped my arms around her stomach.

Edward climbed behind us, with his legs on either side of me. Wrapped his arms over mine, holding me close to his chest. "Ready, girls?" He asked, snuggling his face into my neck.

"Ready." Alice and I said at the same time. Edward lifted his feet off the slide and set them on the blanket. We started sliding down really fast and Alice and I screamed all the way down. Edward was laughing behind me, and kissed my neck when we stopped at the bottom.

Edward tossed the blanket over the gate on our way out. His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. "Hey, Em. Oh, no. Okay. The bathroom? Yeah, we'll be right there." He said, flipping his phone closed. "Maria's sick in the bathroom." Edward said, taking Alice's hand and mine and started walking to the bathroom. "I guess Jasper wants to go in and check on her."

"Aw. That's sweet." I said. We got over to Emmett and Jasper and I smiled when I saw Jasper pacing.

"I knew we shouldn't have went on that ride." He said, pulling at his hair.

"I'll go check on her." I told him, squeezing his shoulder. "She'll be okay."

"Okay, thanks." Jasper said, letting out a deep breath.

I walked into the bathroom, and Maria was standing at the sink, and Rose was standing beside her with her arm around her sister's waist. "Is she okay?" I asked, wetting a paper towel with cold water and placing it on the back of Maria's neck.

"Yeah. She's fine. She almost threw up, but she didn't." Rose said. "We went on this really crazy ride." She reached up and tucked some of Maria's hair behind her ear. It was such a big sister gesture and I thought it was so touching.

"Jasper almost came in here to check on you." I told Maria.

"He's really sweet." She whispered.

"Do you feel okay? You want to go sit down and we'll get something to drink?" I asked her. She nodded and Rose wrapped her arm around Maria's waist, as we walked back out to join the guys and Alice.

Jasper was right there in front of us, bending down to look at Maria's face. He put his palm on her cheek. "Are you okay?" He asked her. He looked so worried. It was clear how much he cared about her. Maria nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her face on his chest. He looked a little panicked, but reached up and stroked her hair.

"Why don't we get some snow cones?" Emmett suggested. "That solves everything." Rose laughed, and walked over to give him a kiss. I seriously loved these Cullens.


	315. Monkeys

**A/N - So glad you all seem to be enjoying the fair. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 315 - Monkeys

Jasper sat down on a bench, and pulled Maria onto his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he kept rubbing her back.

"I'm embarrassed." I heard her say.

"Oh, no. Don't be. It's okay." Jasper said, softly to her. He kissed the top of her head, and I smiled at how absolutely adorable they were.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Alice said.

"Okay." I said, holding out my hand. "We'll be right back."

"Wait, baby. What kind of snow cones do you want?" Edward asked me and Alice. Alice picked blue and I told him cherry, before taking her to the bathroom. She was so well behaved. I was really proud of her. She stood beside me at the sink, and after we dried our hands, she took my hand, again.

We walked back out and Alice and I sat beside Jasper and Maria. She was still on his lap. "Does your tummy feel better?" Alice asked Maria.

"It's getting better." She said, quietly, but I could tell by looking at her, that she still looked a little dizzy.

Edward, Emmett and Rose came back, holding a bunch of snow cones. Edward passed Alice her blue snow cone, and I stood up so he could sit down beside Alice. I sat on his lap and he passed me my cherry snow cone. He had grape, so of course I turned around to take a bite of it, making him laugh. He took his hand off my hip and brought it up to my hand, bringing my snow cone up to his mouth and taking a bite. I loved when Edward was playful. He was so much fun to be around.

After giving Jasper and Maria their snow cones, Rose and Emmett went and sat on a small cement wall across from us, kissing and eating their snow cones.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Edward asked Maria, the big brother quality shining through, again. "We're done with the rides, huh?"

She laughed a little. "Yeah, I think so." She said, quietly. "But I'm feeling better, thanks."

"What are we going to do after our snow cones?" Alice asked Edward, her lips already turning blue.

"Well, we can go play some games and see if we can win some prizes to take home." Edward suggested.

"I saw a girl with a monkey." Alice said, smiling.

"A monkey?" Jasper asked.

"It looked like a balloon." She said. "I want one of those."

"Okay, so Alice wants a monkey." Edward said. "What about you, sexy?" He whispered in my ear, before nipping at my earlobe. "What do you want?" I honestly had to hold back a groan. Edward was the most incredibly sexy man. He knew that I wanted him, and that was all.

I brought my hand up to his chest, and rubbed it lightly. "I want you." I whispered, before kissing his cold lips. I pulled back and smiled at him, patting his chest. "Come on. You've got prizes to win." I said.

I got up off of his lap. "I'm just going to take Alice to wash her face." I said, reaching out to take Alice's hand. Her lips and chin were all blue from her snow cone.

"Thank you, baby." Edward said, kissing my cheek. "You're the best."

"I know." I said giggling. Edward reached down and swatted my bum, making me laugh. He winked me, and smiled. He was definitely feeling frisky this afternoon.

Alice and I walked into the bathroom, and she stood by the sink. I wet a paper towel and tried to get most of the color off of her face. She was laughing and telling me it tickled. "Well, my little smurf, you're still a little blue, but it's a lot better." I told her, taking her hand and walking back out to join the group.

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we all walked down the street and over to where all the games were. The first one we came to was knocking bottles down with baseballs. Jasper let go of Maria's hand and took out his wallet. He gave the woman behind the booth ten dollars and threw all seven baseballs with perfect aim, hitting each bottle. We all cheered for him, and he blushed, ducking his head a little.

He was so confident in his abilities, but when any attention was brought to him, he went back to being shy. The woman passed him a stuffed teddy bear, and he gave it to Maria. She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a huge hug. "Thanks, Jasper." She said. "I love it, and I know exactly where I'm going to put it in my room." I smiled. It seemed that the happy, confident Maria was back. I was glad that she was feeling better.

Next we walked over to a booth that had about thirty of the balloon monkeys that Alice liked, hanging from the top. "How much money is it going to cost me to get a monkey?" Edward asked the guy, making him laugh. It looked like a basketball game, and I was sure the hoops were squished to make it harder to get a basket.

"Fifteen." The guy said, tossing Edward a ball. Edward gave him the money before shooting the ball at the basket. He had like nine balls for how much money he gave the guy and ended up getting three in the basket. "Okay, which color?" The guy asked Edward.

"Okay, princess. What color monkey do you want?" He asked her.

She put her finger on her chin, like she was thinking. It was so adorable. "Pink." She finally said, smiling. Edward took the monkey from the guy, and crouched down to pass it to Alice. It was a thick clear plastic, was at least two feet tall, and looked huge in Alice's arms.

"Give him a kiss." I whispered in her ear.

Alice turned and passed me the monkey to hold. She put both of her hands on Edward's cheeks and kissed his lips. "Thank you, Edward." She said, smiling at him.

"You're very welcome, princess." He said, taking her hand.

I heard Rose laughing behind me and Emmett was whispering in her ear. He pulled out his wallet and paid the shifty basketball guy some more money. He started tossing the balls, and they kept rebounding.

"Not as easy as it looks, is it?" Edward laughed.

Emmett kept shooting the ball and finally got one in the basket. "Are you getting a monkey, too?" Alice asked Emmett.

"Yeah. Rose wants one, too. She said it looks like me." He told Alice, making her laugh. The monkey had really big arms and a muscular chest, and seeing as how Emmett was quite big, I could see why Rose was teasing him. He sunk one more basket and the guy pulled a yellow monkey down and passed it to Emmett. He gave it to Rose, who gave him a very passionate kiss in return.

Edward laughed, and picked up Alice, turning her away from Emmett and Rose. "Okay, Alice. What should we win for Bella?" He asked.

"I don't know." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "What do you want, Bella?"

"I doesn't matter to me, Alice." I told her. "I'm just having fun."

"Well, that's not fun." Alice giggled.

"Hmm. Balloon darts." Edward said. "You want to play, angel?" Edward asked me, smiling.

"I would love to." I said. Edward set Alice down, and Emmett grabbed her hand. Edward brought out his wallet and gave the man a twenty.

"We're both going to play." He said, and the guy gave us each eight darts. "Go ahead, gorgeous." Edward said, to me.

I through my first one and it slid off the balloon, falling down. I frowned and threw the next one harder, popping the balloon. "Go, Bella." I heard Emmett say behind me. I smiled and kept throwing them, hitting six of my eight balloons.

Edward leaned down to kiss my lips. "Good job, baby." He said, before turning and facing the board. And of course, being perfect, he popped every single balloon.

Edward picked out an adorable purple elephant for me. It was round like a ball with little legs on the bottom, and eyes that touched each other. I couldn't help but laugh every time I looked at it. I picked out a bright green snake that had crazy hair sticking out in every direction. It was adorable, and I gave it to Edward. He laughed, before leaning down to kiss me.

"Thank you, Bella." He said, tucking the snake's tail in his back pocket, so the rest of it hung out. Alice thought it was hilarious, and kept laughing at it.

Hanging out with the Cullens was absolutely amazing, and so much fun. I was so glad that Edward had suggested the fair.


	316. Holding On

**A/N - Thanks again for reading! It's the end of the fair! Enjoy!**

Chapter 316 - Holding On

It was around four thirty and Edward told us there was a parade today the next street over. Alice seemed really excited about it, so we walked over and found the street fairly crowded with people on lawn chairs. We founded an open spot on the curb and sat down. Alice sat in between Jasper and Edward, and seemed content to play with her monkey until the parade started.

I leaned my head on Edward's chest, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, holding me close to him. He was lightly tracing his fingers up and down my arm, and I honestly felt like I could fall asleep. I felt Edward press a kiss to the top of my head and I smiled in contentment.

"Okay, Rose and I are going to get some snacks." Emmett said from the end of the line.

"Alice. Will you baby sit my monkey?" Rose asked her, making her smile.

"Okay." She said, smiling, now trying to hold two giant monkeys.

"Em. You have enough cash?" Edward asked.

"Yeah." He said. "We'll be right back." Em and Rose left, hand in hand. Maria was playing with Alice, making her bear walk over to the monkeys. Jasper and Maria were laughing with Alice, so it gave Edward and I a minute alone.

"When do I get to be alone with you?" He whispered in my ear.

"I'm going to breakfast with my dad tomorrow morning." I told him, quietly. "With Heidi and her parents."

"Okay." He said.

"And we'll probably get home too late, tonight, to have any time to spend together." I added.

"Yeah, I know." He sighed. "Isn't it ironic that when we decide to, you know, do more things together, that we seem to be kept apart?"

I tipped my face up to kiss his lips, lightly. I felt him smile against my lips. "I love you." I whispered.

"I love you, too." He said. "I'm sorry for whining. I just, you know, want to be with you."

"I know." I agreed. I knew exactly how he felt. "And you're not whining. It's nice to hear that I'm wanted so much."

Edward chuckled. "Oh, you are wanted." He said. "A lot." I felt my cheeks heat up, and Edward leaned down to kiss me.

"Well, my dad is on the day shift next week, again." I said. "What about Monday?"

"Yes." Edward said, laughing. "Monday sounds perfect."

I giggled at how eager he sounded, and kissed his cheek. All of a sudden Alice stood up and started walking out into the street.

"Hey." Edward called. Standing up and grabbing her shoulders. "Where are you going?"

"I was just checking to see if the parade was coming." She said, pouting a little. "I'm sorry." I think she realized that she shouldn't have walked out into the street, but she was just excited.

He sat down and pulled her on his lap. He grabbed her bottom lip between his fingers. "Don't pout." He said, smiling at her. He kissed her forehead. "I'm not mad at you. I just don't want you to get hurt. You're my pretty little princess, and mom would throw me out of the house if I didn't bring you back safely."

Alice giggled at that, and wrapped her arms around Edward's neck, giving him a big hug. He looked relieved to have her in his arms. She sat with her back to Edward's chest and he had his arms wrapped around her stomach. She wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm sure the parade will start any minute now." I told her. Emmett and Rose came back and passed out popcorn and cotton candy. Alice was excited about the sugar. I smiled at her. It was such a Cullen thing. I knew that Edward loved his sugar, too.

The parade started with the Olympia police on motorcycles. It was followed by floats for local city businesses, marching bands and dance groups. Alice loved the horses, and she was waving at everybody. So of course, Edward and I had to wave at everyone, too.

Alice seemed to be having a really good time. Edward didn't let her go for the entire parade. She was excited when she got a coupon for a free sub from a woman walking by. "Why don't we stop and you can get your sub for dinner, before we go home?" Edward asked her. "You haven't eaten any real food all day."

"Okay." She said, sounding excited. "But I ate food today, silly."

"Well, you didn't eat anything that wasn't deep fried." He said, kissing her cheek.

We all got up and headed back to the parking lot. Emmett ended up carrying Alice on his back, I'm sure to give Edward a break. We passed a t-shirt vendor on the way out, selling Lakefair t-shirts. Edward winked at me, before walking us over to the stand. I helped him pick one out for Alice, and then he, of course, bought a huge one for my PJs.

"Do you think I was too hard on her?" Edward asked me as we walked back to the car.

"What? At the parade?" I asked, and he nodded. "No, Edward. You were perfect with her. She knows she wasn't supposed to walk in the street. She's alright."

"I know, but then I didn't let her go." He said.

"You love her. Edward, the relationship you have with her is so beautiful." I told him, squeezing his hand.

He let out a deep breath and shook his head. "Okay." He said, chuckling. "It's just that I'm only home for four months of the year and I want her to have good memories of me growing up."

I wrapped my arm around Edward's waist, and squeezed him close to me. "She does, Edward. You spoil her." I told him. "But, don't worry about that. She knows you love her."

He nodded at me, as we got to the car. I wanted to talk him some more about this, though. I knew it was hard on him to be away from his family, but I was going to be there for him this time around and I wanted him to be reassured by that.

Edward put all our prizes in the trunk before we got in the car and drove to the Subway restaurant to get dinner. We all went in and Alice was so excited to pick out her sandwich and give the woman behind the counter her coupon. It was really sweet. We all shared a great dinner together, and it was honestly nice to get something healthy in my body after all the fair food.

After a quick stop in the bathrooms, and hugs for Rose and Em, before they got in the truck, we all got back in the car and started the three hour drive home. It was six thirty, so we probably wouldn't get home until around ten, with the bathroom stops.

Alice sat behind Edward, and Maria sat in the middle next to Jasper in the back seat. I though it was adorable that she wanted to be close to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Alice had passed out right away, and even Jasper looked tired.

Edward turned the radio on really quietly, and I sat sideways in my seat so I could look at Edward. He seemed like he was deep in thought. I reached my hand over and rubbed his bicep. He turned his head and smiled at me.

"Sorry." He said, quietly.

"Don't apologize." I told him. "You okay?" I asked, taking his hand. I held it in both of my hands and rubbed his fingers.

"Yeah. I'm just tired." He said, smiling at me, again. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yes." I said. "I always have a good time when I'm with you." I told him, playing with his fingers.

"I'm glad." He said. He let out a deep breath. "I don't think that I can wait until Monday to be alone with you."

I smiled and brought his hand to my lips, kissing the back of his hand. "Maybe we can work something out." I suggested. "Because I can't wait that long, either."

"What if after we drop Maria off, Em takes Jazz and Alice home. Then maybe I can come in with you for a while?" Edward suggested, looking hopeful.

"I would really like that, actually." I told him, smiling. He smiled back at me, and squeezed my hand.

The rest of the drive went fairly quickly. All the kids slept in the backseat and Edward sang quietly to me. I had sent a text to my dad and let him know we were on the road, and that Edward was going to come in for a while. He sent me a message back, saying he was really tired and would heading to bed early. He told me that brunch was at ten tomorrow morning.

So, as planned, we dropped Maria off, and Jasper carried a sleeping Alice to Em's truck. When everyone was out of the car, Edward leaned over and kissed my lips. "Okay. Let's get you home." Edward said, smiling at me.


	317. Trust

**A/N - Happy Easter weekend to everyone that celebrates. This chapter is the end of Saturday, July 17, and the start of Sunday, July 18, 2010. Thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 317 - Trust

"So, are you sure you okay?" I asked Edward, as we drove back to my house. "I'm worried about you."

"Don't be." Edward sighed. "I'm sorry about before with Alice. It just got me thinking about when we go back to Seattle in September. I can't stand it when those kids cry."

"It's going to be hard, for sure." I agreed. "But, I want you to know that I'll be there for you, okay?"

He smiled. "I know you will." He said. "And I love you for that."

We pulled up in front of my house and Edward grabbed my elephant from the trunk. I laughed when I saw it, again. It just too cute. I took his hand and we went upstairs together. My dad had left a couple of lamps on, but most of the lights were out in the house.

When we got to my room, I walked over to set my elephant on my dresser beside my stuffed sting ray from Florida and my Mariners Moose from Seattle. I heard the door close behind me, before I felt Edward's hands on my hips.

"Do you remember when we were eating our snow cones and you said you wanted me?" Edward said softly in my ear. "Well, I haven't been able to get that thought out of my head all afternoon."

I giggled, as Edward leaned is over my shoulder and started placing kisses on my neck. I turned in his arms and placed my hands on his chest. "Well, I'm sorry if I teased you." I said, kissing his chin.

"Don't be, beautiful." He said, reaching down to the bottom of my t-shirt. "Can I take this off?" He asked, before moving his hands up to my chest, over my t-shirt.

I groaned. "Yes, baby. Take it off." I said, as Edward pulled off my shirt. He brought his face down to my cleavage and started placing gentle kisses on my skin. His hands moved to my shorts and he did the button and zipper, letting them fall to the floor.

"Are you sure you want to do this, now?" I asked. "I mean, my dad is home." Last time my dad was here, Edward said I was too loud, and wouldn't do more than kiss me.

"I know, but I need you right now." He said, pulling off his t-shirt. I reached down and undid his shorts, letting them drop to the floor. He was wearing black boxer briefs, and I brought my hands to his bum, giving it a squeeze. It was his turn to groan.

He kissed my lips, before going over to my desk and turning on some soft music on my computer. Then he went to turn out the light, before walking over to the bed. I climbed in and he followed me. He pulled me into his arms, so our bodies were flush together. "I love you." He whispered, before capturing my lips, and kissing me hard.

I got a little brave, and started moving my hands over Edward's body. He pulled his lips back from mine, taking a deep breath. "Baby, your hands feel good." He breathed out.

His hands moved behind my back and he had my bra off in seconds. He was really getting to be a pro at it. His hands came to my underwear and he tugged them down. I gripped onto his biceps. I was nervous now, because even though we had a bath together, he hadn't touched me there.

"Not, okay?" He asked, bring his hands up to my back, to rub my skin softly.

"I'm okay." I breathed out. "Just a little nervous."

"Do you want to guide my hand?" He asked. I felt my face heat up, and pressed my cheek to Edward's chest.

"No." I said. I would be way to embarrassed to ever do something like that.

"Okay. Roll onto your back." He said, laying on his side, his body pressed into mine. He slowly moved his fingers over my body, from my cheeks, over my lips, down my throat. He took his time over my chest and stomach, because he knew I was comfortable with that, before he moved lower.

I sucked in a deep breath when he touched me, and Edward stopped moving. "Is that okay?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my cheek, but not moving his hand.

"Yeah." I breathed. "Keep going." Edward brought his face to my shoulder, kissing my skin, as he kept moving his fingers. I felt incredible, but embarrassed at the same time. And even though it was dark in my room, except from the light of my laptop screen, I brought my arm up to cover my face.

"Oh, Bella. You're gorgeous." He whispered. "Let me see your face." I uncovered my face and held onto Edward's arm. "Does it feel good?" He asked me. "Talk to me, Bella."

"Yes." I whispered. It was all I could say. I couldn't think. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed his touch. I finally dropped my head back on my pillow, letting out a deep breath. "Edward." I sighed.

He rolled on top of me, pressing more kisses to my lips. "Thank you for trusting me." He whispered, moving his hand up and down my side. "You are so beautiful."

"I love you." I said. "And I trust you completely." I closed my eyes and snuggled my face into Edward's chest.

I started to move my hand down his chest, but he reached up and stopped me, by grabbing my wrist. "No, baby. Not tonight. It's late." He whispered. "And you're tired."

"But, Edward." I said, reaching up to run my fingers though his hair. "That's not fair." I said, yawning.

He chuckled. "It is fair." He whispered in my ear, before kissing my cheek. "I really enjoyed that, too." I smiled into his chest, and he held me quietly for a while.

Finally he stretched and ran his fingers through my hair. "I'm going to go, now, baby." He said, kissing my lips. "It's getting late."

"No, Edward." I whined. "Can't you stay with me?"

He chuckled. "No, angel. I'll see you tomorrow some time. I love you." He said. I heard my dresser drawer open and then I felt him sit me up. He dressed me in a t-shirt, before he laid me back down and pulled my blanket up over my body. "Good night, Bella." He said, pressing a slow kiss to my forehead.

"Night." I slurred. "Love you." I heard my bedroom door close, and I was asleep instantly.

I woke up late on Sunday morning, with the sun shining through my window. I looked down and smiled when I saw my Texas t-shirt. Edward had dressed me before he left. I sat back against my headboard. I blushed just thinking about how Edward had touched me last night.

I really wished that we could have spent some more time together, and that Edward could have stayed we me last night. I had been both really nervous and excited when Edward was touching me, but I trusted him with my whole heart. It was an amazing experience.

I got up to go have a shower, and noticed my stomach cramping up. I sighed and let out a deep breath. I went to the bathroom, and to my utter annoyance, I got my period, a whole day early. I really wanted to just go back to bed, but I had to go to brunch with Heidi, this morning.

I had a nice hot shower and took a pill for the cramps. I put on some light makeup and dried and curled my hair. I went to my room and put on a pair of black capris and a blue short sleeve button-up shirt.

I checked my phone and I had a text from Edward. 'Good morning, angel. I love you.' I smiled and dialled his number. I needed to hear his voice.

"Hey, babe." Edward said, after the first ring. "Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." I sighed.

"What's wrong? You sound sad." He said. "Do you feel okay? You know from last night?"

"Oh, yeah. That was amazing." I said, blushing. "I just got my period this morning." I told him. Two months ago, I had been so embarrassed to tell him about this kind of thing, but we were so close now, that I had no problem being honest with him.

"Aw, babe." He said. "Are you in a lot of pain today?"

"A little." I said.

"Well, when you get home from brunch and you want to snuggle, or need a back rub, call me, okay?" He said. "I want to help in anyway I can."

"I know you do. You are the sweetest guy in the world." I told him. "Anyway, I should get downstairs, so my dad and I can go to brunch with Heidi's family. I just wanted to call and thank you for an amazing day yesterday. I'm sorry I fell asleep."

"I had a great time, too, babe. And don't worry about it. You were tired." He said. "Okay, I love you. Take care of yourself."

"Thanks, babe." I said. "I love you, too, and I'll call you later." I hung up the phone and put my phone in my purse. My stomach hurt, but I smiled through my pain. Edward always made me feel better.


	318. Grandpas and Doctors

**A/N - You guys did it! Summer Vacation hit 5000 reviews last night! I am so blown away by that! Thank you all so much! I truly appreciate it! Thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 318 - Grandpas and Doctors

I went downstairs and my dad was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper and having a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Bells." He said, looking up at me. "You look pale. Are you feeling okay?" He asked. I appreciated that he noticed these things about me.

"Actually, I'm not feeling that great. It's a girl thing." I told him, sitting beside him at the table.

He nodded his head in understanding. "Do you want to just stay home? Heidi would understand." He suggested.

"No, it's okay. I want to go." I told him. "How did the house hunt for Heidi's parents go, yesterday?" I asked.

"Oh, really well. We found then a nice place. It's a condo for seniors. They have their own place, but it's a nice community. It has a gym and a pool. It's great. It's in Sequim, though, so it's only about an hour from here." My dad told me. "There was nothing that nice out here in Forks, but they'll be a lot closer to Heidi than they were in Spokane. That's a seven and a half hour drive."

"Well, I'm happy for them. I really like Mary and Randell." I said. I smiled just thinking of them.

"So, do I." My dad said, standing up. "You ready to go, kiddo?"

"Yeah." I said, grimacing a little as I stood up. My dad frowned at me, obviously not liking that I wasn't feeling well. "I'm fine." I reassured him, before he asked me if I wanted to stay home, again.

"Okay." He chuckled, holding up his hands. "Just let me know if you need to come home."

"Alright." I agreed. "Thanks, dad." I said, as we walked out to the truck.

On the way to the Lodge, I told my dad about the fair; the rides, the food, the games and the parade. He was glad that we all had a great time.

When we got to the Lodge, my dad and I walked in together, and saw Heidi, and her parents, Mary and Randell sitting at a large round table. Heidi was in a grey dress and looked gorgeous, as always. The restaurant was set up for brunch with a buffet table on one side of the restaurant. It looked like Heidi and her parents had just arrived, too, as they didn't even have coffee, yet. They all stood up and gave us hugs.

"Do you drink coffee, Bella?" Randell asked me, as he flagged down a waiter.

"No." I told him, smiling. "I've never developed a taste for it."

"What would you liked then, sweetheart?" Mary asked me.

"Orange juice is fine, thank you." I said. I loved that Mary and Randell doted over me. They felt like another set of grandparents that I never had. I was so excited that they were moving closer to us, so we could see them more often.

After our drinks were ordered, we walked over to the buffet line to get our meal. Randell and my dad were joking with each other in front of me. Heidi leaned in, to whisper in my ear. "Are you feeling alright, Bella?" She asked.

"Cramps." I whispered back to her, and she nodded in understanding, patting my arm. It was nice having a mother figure in my life, too. I knew my dad didn't understand, or know what to do for me.

I didn't feel that hungry, so I picked up a couple of strawberries, a slice of cantaloupe, a croissant and two slices of bacon, before going to sit back down at the table.

"Not hungry, sweetie?" Mary asked me, as I snacked on my bacon.

"No, not really." I said. "I was at the fair in Olympia all day yesterday with Edward, his two brothers, their girlfriends, and his little sister. It was fun, but a long day."

"I like big families." Randell said. "The more people the better, is what I always say." I giggled at him. He was always in a good mood.

"Yeah, Edward has a huge family, but the best part is that they all get along." I told him. "And you should see how he dotes over his little sister, Alice. It's really priceless."

Mary and Heidi were smiling at me. "He'll make a good dad, one day." Mary said.

I looked at my dad and patted his shoulder. "Not for a while, anyway." I said, reassuring him, as his face always looked a little panicked whenever talk of kids came up.

My dad chuckled and shook his head. "Not ready to be grandpa, Charlie?" Randell laughed.

"Not yet." He agreed. "I'm too young, right, Bells." He said, winking at me.

I laughed. "Yeah, we'll give you another five years, or so." I teased. "You should have some grey hair by then."

Randell laughed at that, patting my dad on the back. "She's got you there, son." He said.

The rest of brunch went the same way; joking and laughing and enjoying each others' company. After we ate, I was feeling pretty sick, and I needed to lay down. I leaned in and whispered to my dad. "Dad, can I take the truck home?" I asked.

"Of course, kiddo. I'll get a ride with Heidi." He said, reaching in his pocket for his keys. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm just going to lay down." I told him. I stood up and told everyone that I was tired, so I was heading home.

"Oh, of course, Bella. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, and we'll see you again next month, when we make the move." Mary said, getting up to give me a hug.

Randell gave me a hug, and kissed my cheek, slipping me twenty dollars. I opened my mouth to protest, but he put up his hand. "It's what grandpas do." He whispered, making me smile. "We'll see you soon."

"Thank you." I said, giving him another hug. "I'll see you guys really soon." I said, before walking out to the truck. I sat in the cab, and wiped a couple of stray tears from my eyes. I hated goodbyes. I called Edward.

"Hey, baby. How are you feeling?" He asked.

I took a stuttered breath. "I'm just leaving the restaurant. I'm going to go lay down." I told him.

"Are you crying?" He asked. "Are you in that much pain? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" And, Edward was in full panic mode.

"I'm just upset over the Clarkes leaving." I told him, starting up the truck.

"Okay, sugar. Do you mind if I come by and check on you, anyway?" He asked. I knew he would be worried until he saw me, plus I missed him, so I agreed. "Alright, honey. I'll be right over."

I smiled at the fact that he loved me so much to get this worried. I pulled out of the parking lot and drove home. I went in and used the bathroom, and then changed into sweat pants and a tank, before going to lay on the couch.

Ten minutes later the front door opened and I turned my head to see Edward coming in the door. He was holding a yellow calla lily, and his backpack. I giggled at how he always brought over supplies when I had my period. He was so sweet.

"Hi, baby." He said, setting his bag down, and passing me the flower. I rubbed the petals over my lips, smiling at how soft the flower was.

He pulled a heating pad out of his bag and plugged it in the wall by the couch. I sat up and Edward slid in behind me. I laid back down on his chest and he set the warm blanket on my stomach. "Does that feel okay?" He asked, kissing my cheek.

"Yeah. It's great. Thank you, Edward." I said, turning my head to kiss his neck. "Were you doing research this morning?" I asked him, smiling.

"Well, don't be mad, but when you called, my dad overheard me ask if you needed to go to the hospital." He said, his cheeks a little pink. "When I hung up, he went into full doctor mode and asked what was wrong."

I laughed a little. Yes, I was embarrassed that Edward's dad knew I had my period. But Carlisle was a doctor, and I knew that Edward would have been more embarrassed than I was, talking about it with his dad. "I'm not mad." I told him, honestly.

"Good. Um, he said that the heat should help." Edward said. "And, uh, he mentioned that birth control pills would help to get rid of the cramps."

"Really?" I said, surprised by that piece of information.

"Uh, yeah." Edward said. I brought my hand up and ran my fingers through his soft hair.

"Well, I'm definitely intrigued." I said, turning to lay on my side, and resting my head on Edward chest. "Thank you for talking to him about it. I know that must have been embarrassing." I said, rubbing my hand on his chest.

He chuckled, and that told me everything. He would have been tomato red. "You know I would do anything for you." He said. "Now, get some sleep, angel." He brought his hand up and started stroking my hair. The combination of the heating pad and Edward's heart beat had me asleep in minutes.


	319. Together

**A/N - Happy Easter to all that celebrate! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 319 - Together

I woke up and stretched. I turned my head and smiled. Edward was asleep under me on the couch. His head was leaning against the back of the couch, and he was snoring lightly. His arm was hanging off the couch and his guitar magazine was laying on the ground. He obviously fell asleep while reading it. He was so adorable.

My cramps felt a lot better from the heating pad, but I really needed to use the bathroom. I got up, and tiptoed over to the stairs. I was glad I didn't wake Edward up. He looked totally out of it.

I went upstairs, used the bathroom, took another pill, and then went into my bedroom. I grabbed my laptop and then headed back downstairs. I thought maybe I could send some e-mails. I hadn't talked to my mom or Ang in way too long. It had been a week since we left Denver. A very busy week.

I set my laptop on the coffee table and sat on the floor in front of it. I set the heating pad on my lower stomach, while I waited for my computer to start up. The heat really helped. I was really glad that Edward had talked to his dad about the pain I was in.

I knew that I would be embarrassed, but I was starting to wonder if I should talk to Carlisle about birth control. I was going to go to a clinic with Heidi, but that would be just as embarrassing, if not more. That doctor would be a complete stranger.

As long as I didn't need a physical exam, then maybe talking to Carlisle about it might be a good idea. He was a professional, and I considered a him a friend at the very least. He was another father figure to me as well, and I knew he would have my best interests at heart. I decided to talk to Edward about it later to see if he would be okay with it.

But, for now, I uploaded my photos from my camera. I smiled looking at the one of Edward and I on the Ferris wheel. I think we made a great couple. We both looked truly happy to be together. I really wanted this picture framed.

I opened my e-mail and wrote a long letter to Angie, telling her all about the bonfire with our friends, our anniversary, and the carnival. I asked about her and Ben, and work, and if she's picked out her classes for the fall, yet. I told her how much I missed and loved her, before I sent it off.

Next, I wrote my mom, and told her all about how Edward and I made dinner for our families using Aro's recipes. I also told her about mine and Edward's anniversary. I told her that dad, Heidi, Edward and I were going to see the apartment, in two weeks, on August first, to take up some of our things.

I was so glad that we had a good relationship, now. Having my mom in my life was so important to me. It was funny that even though I was farther away from her now, than I was last year, before I moved to Washington, I had never felt closer to her.

I sent the message, and then turned to look at Edward. He was still sleeping and he looked so gorgeous, like always. I knew I shouldn't have, but I reached out and lightly caressed his cheek. He grumbled a little, before his eyes opened up.

"Baby?" He whispered. I smiled as Edward stretched his arms, before sitting up. "What are you doing on the floor? How is your stomach?"

"I'm feeling better, Edward." I said. "The nap and the heating pad really helped."

"I'm glad." He said, sliding onto the floor to sit beside me. He leaned in to kiss my cheek. "How long was I asleep?" He asked, chuckling.

"Oh, I don't know, at least an hour I guess. I've just been playing on my laptop." I told him, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"I'm sorry that I fell asleep. I was supposed to be here to keep you company." He said, reaching up to run his fingers through my hair.

"It's fine, babe." I said. "I slept really well. I just sent emails to my mom and Ang, and then I uploaded our pictures from the last week."

"Oh, can I see them?" He asked, wrapping his arm around me and leaning his head on my shoulder.

"Of course, baby." I said, opening the file. We flipped through the photos of our trip to Denver last weekend, the shooting range, and the fair. I loved looking back at all the fun we had. Edward would laugh and kiss my neck from time to time, clearly enjoying the pictures.

When we reached the end, Edward got up. "I'm just going to run upstairs and use the bathroom. Then, do you want me to go get us some lunch? I'm starving." He said.

"I can just make us something." I told him.

"No, baby. Just rest. I'll order a pizza." He said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. "Be right back."

"Alright. Thanks, Edward." I said, getting up to sit on the couch. I laid back and closed my eyes. In five minutes, Edward was back. He lifted up my feet, sitting down on the couch. He started rubbing my feet, making me groan.

"Baby? Do you want to talk about last night?" Edward asked, still massaging my feet.

I blushed, and nodded. "Okay." I agreed.

"Was that okay? I just worry that was moving too fast." Edward said.

"It was amazing." I told him honestly. "I love that you can make me feel so good."

He smiled widely at me. "I'm glad." He said, moving his hands up to start rubbing my calves over my sweatpants.

"I feel bad that I didn't get to return the favour." I told him.

"Bella, no." He said. "Don't feel bad. We were tired and it was late."

"Don't make excuses, Edward. Are you nervous that I'm going to, um, do it wrong?" I said, blushing bright red.

"Oh, no, honey. That's not it at all." Edward said, running his hand along the outside edge of his thigh. "It's just that when we had that bath together, it was the first time you've seen a naked man. I just don't want to you to pressure you to do anything."

"Edward, you have never pressured me to do anything. And, I'll admit I'm really nervous, but I want to see and touch you, too. I want to make you feel as good as you made me feel last night." I told him, sitting up, and moving close to sit beside him. I started running my hands over his chest and shoulders, before I reached down to his shorts to unbutton them. Edward leaned his head back on the couch, and closed his eyes.

Just then the doorbell rang and Edward sat up straight, his hands moving to his button. "It's the pizza." He said, his cheek flushed. He got up and ran to the door.

I felt really embarrassed all of a sudden. I couldn't believe that I had started to undress Edward in the living room. It was so out of character for me. Edward came back in the living room, with the pizza box and a couple of plates.

"I, um." Edward started, but then stopped. "Do you want to eat in the kitchen, or in here?" He asked.

"In here is okay." I told him. "I'm just going to run to the bathroom." I said, getting up.

"Bella." Edward sighed. I knew he thought I was running away, again, because I often did that to hide my embarrassment.

"I really have to go." I told him, smiling.

He chuckled. "Okay, shoot. Sorry." He said, shaking his head.

"It's okay." I laughed, before running up the stairs. I quickly used the bathroom, before coming back downstairs. "I'm a little embarrassed for being so forward." I said, grabbing a slice of pizza and sitting beside Edward. "But, I meant what I said. I want us to do things. I want to make you feel good."

Edward smiled at me, before leaning in to kiss my lips. "Thank you for talking to me about it." He said. "Don't be embarrassed. I'm going to be honest. I think it's sexy when you're forward." I smiled, happy for the reassurance. "But you're sure you feel okay?"

I laughed. "Edward I feel fine. I don't stop feeling attracted to you, just because I have my period." I told him.

He smiled. "I know, I just, I don't know. I want to protect you all the time, and show you things, but this is something that's totally new to me, too."

"Well, you can show me what you like, and tell me what feels good." I told him, taking a bite of my pizza, and setting it on my plate. "We'll figure this out."

He smiled. taking my hand in his, and bringing it to my lips. He sucked the pizza sauce off of my fingers, making me smile at his friskiness. "I like that we're figuring this out, together."


	320. Take Control

**A/N - I hope you all had a great weekend. This chapter is a little more mature in theme, but it is not graphic. I'm trying really hard to keep this story T rated. Thank you so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 320 - Take Control

As Edward and I finished our lunch, there was a bit of anticipation in the air. Like an electric charge, almost. I think we both knew what was going to happen after we finished our lunch. I was both excited and nervous to try new things with Edward. And I think he felt the same way.

After we ate, I stood up and took Edward's hand, leading him up the stairs to my bedroom. I had learned my lesson when the pizza guy showed up and I was undoing Edward's shorts. It could have been my dad.

We were both quiet as we walked into my room. I knew why I was quiet, but I didn't want us to be nervous. So, I thought I'd tease Edward a little bit to lighten things up.

"Okay, sexy boy. Take off your shorts and get on the bed." I said, standing with my hands on my hips. He told me downstairs that he thought it was sexy when I took control.

Edward's eyes widened a little in shock, before he chuckled. "Bella." He laughed, standing beside my bed. He looked like he wasn't sure if I was teasing or serious.

I smiled and winked at him. "I mean it. Strip for me." I said. I could feel my face on fire, but I tried to stay in character. Edward smiled at me, before taking his shirt off and then his shorts. He put his hands on the waistband of his white boxer briefs, but looked up at me, like he wasn't sure if he should take them off.

"Baby, are you sure?" He asked once more. He honestly looked concerned for me, and I loved him more than I could express for being that amazing. But right now, I wanted to see him, and his nerves only made me more unsure of myself.

I walked over to him, reaching up to gently run my fingers over his chest, down his abs, and then over his groin. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, letting out a deep breath. I reached behind him, and spanked his left bum cheek.

He looked back at me, almost in shock. "That's for making me nervous." I told him, smiling.

"I'm sorry." He chuckled, leaning down to kiss my lips. I brought my arms up to his shoulders, holding him close. He moved his hands around my back, pulling me closer. He deepened the kiss, making me groan. He was totally changed the balance of power. He was in charge of the situation.

And I as much of I loved when he was in control, I really need to feel secure in myself right now, and I thought the best way to do that was to be in charge. It killed me to do it, but I stepped back from him.

"I'm in charge right now, babe." I said, reaching forward to put my hands on his waist. He nodded at me and smiled. He was so encouraging. I slowly pulled his briefs down, but kept looking at Edward's face. He stepped out of them and then went to sit on the bed.

"Bella, can you take off your shirt or something. I feel weird being naked when you're fully dressed?" Edward asked, his cheeks a little flushed.

I pulled off my tank, but left my bra on. "Is that okay?" I asked. Having my period, I didn't really feel sexy.

"Yeah, that's great." He said. "Do you want to come sit with me?"

I hadn't realized it, but I was just standing there, staring at him. "Oh, um, yeah." I giggled, as I walked over to sit beside him.

He leaned in and started sucking on my earlobe. "Where did my dominant girl go?" He whispered in my ear. "Take control, Bella."

I nodded. I had let my nerves take over me, again. "Okay, um. Lay back on the bed." I thought this might be the best way. Edward did as I asked and laid back in the middle of my bed, his arms at his sides. I turned and sat beside him with my legs crossed. I took a minute and looked over his body. He was truly gorgeous, and I couldn't see a single flaw on his body, except a few light scars, likely from sports and growing up with two brothers.

I reached forward, hesitating a little, before I set one hand on his stomach, and one on his thigh. I looked back to his face and he nodded at me, again. I slowly brought my hands together, gently exploring his body with just my fingertips. His body was clearly reacting to my touch, and Edward was humming. I thought it would make me nervous, but it made me feel more confident.

"You don't have to be so careful." He whispered, his voice a little strained.

"I don't want to hurt you." I told him.

"Trust me, baby. That's the last thing you're doing." He said. "Um, do you maybe want to get some lotion?"

"Oh, um, okay." I said, getting up and walking over to my dresser. I picked up the massage oil and held it up. "Would this work?" I asked him.

"Yeah. That's perfect." He said, as I walked over to sit beside him, again. I poured some oil on my hands, and then started to touch him, again. "Bella." He groaned. He reached down and wrapped his hand around mine. He started moving our hands together, and I looked up at his face. He was watching mine.

It was an amazing experience for us. I felt love and trust, but mostly lust, and I was mad that I had my period right now. Edward was laying with his head to the side, and he looked exhausted, but totally peaceful. His cheeks were flushed and he had a smiled on his face. He looked beautiful.

I got up to go to the bathroom and get a couple of towels for Edward. I pulled on my tank, sat down on my bed and watched him as he got redressed. He climbed back onto the bed and pulled me close, holding me tightly in his arms.

"You okay?" He asked. "I can imagine that was a little weird, or gross, or whatever."

I giggled, leaning in to kiss his lips. "It wasn't gross." I said. "You have a beautiful body." He kissed my lips, before smiling at me. "And, I'm okay. I'm more than okay, actually. I really wish that I didn't have my period."

Edward chuckled. "Well, I wish that, too. But, only because I don't want you to be in pain." He brought his hand down between us, and set his hand low on my stomach. "Does it still hurt?"

"No, I'm feeling a lot better." I told him, rolling over on my back and closing my eyes. Edward rubbed his hand over my stomach, really lightly. We just laid there quietly.

"Edward." I said.

"Yeah, baby?" He said, kissing my lips.

"Um, how would you feel if I talked to your dad about birth control pills?" I asked. "Would that be too weird for you?"

He snuggled his head into my neck, before kissing it lightly. "Um, I don't know." He said, looking back at my face. "If you would be more comfortable talking to him than a different doctor, than by all means, do it, Bella. But, like, do you want him to be your doctor?"

"No." I said, immediately, making us both laugh. "I was just thinking that things might be easier to discuss with him, than a complete stranger. But I'm drawing the line at an exam." I giggled.

Edward kissed my lips. "Okay. Then, yeah. Do you want me to sit with you when he explains it, or did you want to do it privately?" I smiled at how sweet Edward was.

"Actually, you might as well be there, so he can explain it to both of us." I said. "I mean if you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind." He said. "I'm the one that asked you, remember?" He chuckled, still rubbing my lower stomach. "Look, Bella. I plan on being with you forever. We're learning things about each other, and about physical relationships, and, like I said downstairs, I like that we're doing it together. So if you want to talk to my dad about things that affect both of us, then I would love to be there."

"Thank you, baby." I said, reaching my hands up to his cheeks. I brought his face down so our lips could meet. "I love you." I whispered, before we starting kissing.

"I love you, Bella." He said, pulling back. "And, when we're talking to him, and you want me to leave, so you can ask him something privately, then just tell me and I'll go, okay?" I nodded.

"I'm a little nervous about it." I told him.

"About talking to him, or taking the pills?" He asked.

"Both." I admitted. "Like it's not going to change anything between us, right?"

"No, baby." He said, reaching up, and smoothing my hair down. "If these pills are going to help you with your, um, you know, your period, then, I'm glad that you want to take them." He added, blushing a little. "But, just because you're on the pill, I'm not going to pressure you to have sex. Nothing is going to change. We're going to keep taking our time. I want us to be ready."

I wrapped my arms tightly around him, pulling him on top of me. "I love you, Edward." I said, kissing his cheek. "You are so perfect." I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have a boyfriend as supportive and loving as Edward.


	321. Symbols

**A/N - Thank you to everyone for your great reviews and for taking the time to read my story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 321 - Symbols

Edward and I laid on my bed for the next while, just holding each other. "So, when should we talk to your dad?" I asked.

"I don't know? When do you want to do it?" Edward asked, rubbing my back.

"I think soon." I told him. "Before I freak out and change my mind." I laughed.

"Do you want me to call him?" Edward asked.

"Um, maybe I should talk to him." I said. I wanted to take responsibility.

Edward pulled his phone out of his pocket, and called his dad. I was twisting my fingers around in the fabric of Edward's t-shirt. I was embarrassed, but I knew that it was time to start dealing with grown up issues.

"Hey, dad." Edward said. "Uh, Bella wanted to talk to you for a second. Yeah, she's okay. Here she is." He passed me the phone, and I took a deep breath.

"Hi, Carlisle." I said, trying to sound normal.

"Hi sweetheart." He said. "How are you feeling?"

"Um, I'm doing a lot better, thanks." I answered, blushing already. "I was actually wondering if I could talk to you about birth control, you know, as a doctor?"

"Of course, Bella. Did you want to come by my office tomorrow morning at the hospital?"

"Oh, um, okay." I said. "Are you sure you're not too busy? I mean, I don't want to bother you, or take up too much of your time."

"No, sweetheart. It's not a bother to me at all. I would love to help you, Bella. I'm just doing paperwork in the morning, anyway." He told me. "And, I will always make time for you if you have any questions, so don't ever think you are bothering me."

"Okay, thank you so much Carlisle." I said. "Oh, Edward is going to come with me. Is that alright?"

"If you feel more comfortable with him there, than it's fine with me." Carlisle said.

"Alright, thanks again, Carlisle. I'll see you tomorrow morning." I said, before hanging up. I passed Edward back his phone, and then wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him close to me.

Edward reached up and ran his fingers through my hair. "What did he say, honey?" He asked, kissing my forehead.

"He said we can come by his office tomorrow morning." I told him, leaning in to kiss his neck.

"Okay, cool." He said. "It's better we do it at the hospital anyway. That way Alice and Emmett won't be asking what's going on." He laughed.

"Yeah, that makes sense." I agreed. "I'm just going to run to the bathroom, okay?" I said, getting up. Edward laid back on my bed and tucked his arms under his head. I looked back at him and he winked at me. He looked so hot. I giggled at him, before leaving the room.

When I came back, Edward has his eyes closed. As I watched him, I remembered the dream that he told me about yesterday morning before the fair. Edward had said he was flying in a room with spiders. And he was naked.

Angela used to have a book on dream symbols and how to interpret them. I figured that maybe there would be something online to help me figure out his dream.

"Baby." I said, and Edward opened his eyes and smiled at me.

"Yes, gorgeous." He said.

"I want to look up your dream. I'm just going to run get my laptop from downstairs." I told him. "We were supposed to do it last night, but we got a little distracted." I giggled.

Edward got up and wrapped his arms around me. "I'll go get it." He said, kissing my lips. "Lay down, baby."

I smiled, loving how much he spoiled me. "Thank you." I said, going to lay down on the bed. Edward was back upstairs in two minutes with my laptop.

"So, do you believe that dreams can tell us something about ourselves?" Edward asked, as he came to sit on the bed beside me.

"Well, Ang believed in it and we used to look up our dreams. She said that is revealed what we were really thinking about in our subconscious." I told him.

Edward laughed. "Now I'm really nervous." He said, leaning in to kiss me.

I giggled along with him. "I'm excited. I get to know what's going on in that sexy mind of yours." I said, running my fingers through his hair.

"Come here." He said. "You're not close enough to me." I giggled, and crawled over his leg. I sat on the bed between his legs with my back to his chest. I picked up the laptop and set it on my legs before Edward wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Better?" I asked him.

"Of course." He said. "I need to be touching you." He leaned in to kiss my neck.

I giggled. "Stop stalling. I want to get into your brain, Edward." He laughed, but kept kissing me.

I tried my hardest to focus. I typed 'symbols in dreams' and found a great website that gave a little description about what each symbol meant in a dream.

I scrolled down to spiders and smiled at the meaning. It said it meant good fortune. "Look baby. Spiders symbolize money and good fortune." I told him.

"Well, I'm going to have to agree with that. I'm a lucky guy." He said, as he started sucking on my skin.

I looked up flying, even though it was a battle to keep my eyes open. Edward's kisses were almost too much. "Edward. Flying is good, too. It means you know what your goals in love and life are, and how to seek them out." I told him. "So far this is a pretty good dream."

"That's great, babe." He said, moving to kiss the other side of my neck. I laughed, and reached up to his hair, giving it a light tug.

"You're distracting me from looking up the best part of the dream." I said, wrapping my arms around my waist over top of his. "The part where you were naked." I giggled.

"Sorry." He laughed, kissing the back of my head. I scrolled through the website and found nudity. "Okay, so how bad is it?" He asked, burying his face in my hair.

I giggled. "It says that to dream you are naked reveals that you are open about the things in your life. You can express things." I turned to looked at his face. "So you were flying naked, and if we combine the two things, it means you share your goals and are open and honest about what you want."

"Huh." Edward said. "So I guess it was a pretty good dream, then."

I laughed. "Or you're just thinking about sex." I said, moving the laptop to the end of the bed and moving to sit sideways on Edward's lap.

Edward blushed, but laughed. "Is that what it said?" He asked, trying to look over at the computer.

"It says that being naked in a dream is a symbol of your desire for sex." I told him, kissing his lips.

"Bella." He said. "I, uh, that's not what I want right now. I want us to take our time." He said, rushing out an explanation.

I smiled at him, and ran the back of my fingers over his cheek. "I know you do, babe." I told him. "But, I don't blame you at all for the dream. It makes perfect sense to me."

"It does?" He asked, looking into my eyes.

"Of course. You had that dream on the night of out three month anniversary." I explained. "We talked about going further in our physical relationship, and then you dropped me off and had to leave." I blushed as I explained it. "So it makes perfect sense that you would have sex on the brain."

Edward smiled, and kissed me three or four time on the lips. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense." He said.

"Well, that, or you're just a typical teenaged boy." I teased, giggling, before stealing a quick kiss.

Edward laughed, rolling us over on the bed so he was on top of me. "Oh, you love me anyway." He said, pressing his kisses all over my face. "Even my sex crazed brain."

I giggled. "You know I do."


	322. A Proud Dad and A Pretty Picture

**A/N - Okay, so I saw Water for Elephants last night! Wow! Rob Pattinson was so beautiful! He played an amazing part and I found myself falling in love with him all over again! I highly recommend it! **

**Thank you all so much for the great reviews and for sticking with me! You are all amazing, and I feel so lucky to have you as readers! Enjoy!**

Chapter 322 - A Proud Dad and A Pretty Picture

At around four o'clock, I heard the front door close, so Edward and I went downstairs. We found my dad in the kitchen.

"Hey, dad. How's Heidi? Did the Clarkes leave?" I asked, sitting beside him at the table. Edward came and sat beside me.

"Hey, kids. Yeah. They left. It's actually the first time I've seen Heidi cry." My dad said, leaning back in his seat. I smiled a little. My dad did not know how to handle a crying a girl. Just like Edward, he panicked a little. I thought it was cute.

"Well, it's hard to say goodbye." I agreed.

"When are they coming back?" Edward asked. "Do they get their new place soon?"

"Oh, they'll be back in a couple weeks. They get the place on the first of August, but they decided to come back the following weekend. That'll give us a whole weekend to help them move in." My dad said.

"I'm so excited for them to be back." I said. "I really like them."

My dad chuckled. "They like you, too, Bells." He said. "I think they see you as a granddaughter."

"Randell gave me twenty dollars when I left this restaurant this morning." I told him, smiling.

My dad chuckled. "Yeah, I think they're going to spoil you. They don't have any grandkids, considering Heidi is an only child."

"Do they need any help moving?" Edward asked. "I wouldn't mind, if you need an extra set of hands."

"Thank you, Edward. That would be great, actually." My dad said, smiling. I loved how much my dad and Edward got along. It meant everything to me.

"Well, baby." Edward said, standing up. "I promised to take Jazz driving again tonight, so I should probably head home."

I got up and followed him to the living room. He grabbed his magazine and put it in his bag. "Baby. Do you want to keep the heating pad tonight?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine now, thanks." I said, kissing his chin. He packed it in his backpack and then wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, baby." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I had a great time this afternoon. Thank you for being so brave."

I looked up at his face and smiled. "I love you." I said.

He smiled back at me. "I love you, too. I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Okay." I said, letting out a deep breath.

"And, don't be nervous. It's just my dad. He's really easy to talk to about things like this." Edward said, kissing my cheek. He took my hand and we walked to the front door. "Goodnight, Charlie."

"Night, Edward." My dad called from the kitchen.

Edward gave me one more kiss at the door, before walking out to his car and driving home. I came back in the house and joined my dad in the kitchen.

"How are you feeling, Bells?" My dad asked, me getting out some plates and the leftover pizza from lunch.

"I'm fine. I just needed to sleep and Edward brought over a heating pad." I told him. "Actually, dad. Can I talk to you about something?" I asked, sitting down at the table.

"Of course you can, kiddo." My dad said, sitting across from me at the table.

"Um, Carlisle overheard Edward talking to me on the phone, and he found out that I was getting really bad cramps." I knew my face was red, but I continued. "Anyway, he suggested that birth control might help with the pain. I'm going to go talk to him about it tomorrow."

My dad nodded his head, and I think his cheeks were a little pink, too. "Okay. I hope that works for you." He reached in his wallet and pulled out a card. "This is my insurance card. You're covered under my plan while you're in college. Get whatever you need."

"Thanks, dad." I said, taking the card. "I don't think he's going to give to them tomorrow, though." We sat there quietly eating for the next couple of minutes, until my dad finally spoke up.

"Um, you're not, you know, getting the pills for any other reason, right?" He asked. I knew he was having trouble with the idea that I was growing up, considering that he just got me back.

"No, not right, now, dad." I told him honestly.

"Okay. I'm sorry. It's not really any of my business, but I just worry about you." My dad said, sitting back in his chair.

"No, I understand. But, you don't have to worry about me. Edward is very responsible." I told him. "We are really taking things slow." I said.

"I'm proud of you, Bells." He said, patting my hand. It was nice that I could talk to my dad about these things. He seemed to like being a part of my life and I loved that about him. He didn't just leave me to make decisions alone. I appreciated the support. I loved that he cared enough to talk about it, even though we were both embarrassed.

My dad and I spent the rest of the night watching movies and eating microwave popcorn on the couch. It was nice to just spend the time with him. My cramps were all but gone, but I was still a little tired, so I was glad we could just relax.

My dad and I both went up to bed at around ten and I smiled at the text Edward send me. 'Goodnight, angel. Have sweet dreams. You know what I'll be dreaming about.' I giggled. He was so cute. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

I woke up at six to make my dad breakfast. We had pancakes and bacon today. He was on the day shift with Heidi, and it was her first day back since taking some time off with her parents. He looked pretty excited to have her back.

"Good luck today at the hospital." My dad said, giving me a hug before he left.

"We're just talking to him." I laughed. "I shouldn't need luck."

"Well, good luck anyway." He said, kissing the top of my head. "Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks, dad." I said, waving at him from the door. I ran upstairs to have a shower, and get ready. I put on a black, knee length cotton skirt and a white short sleeved blouse. I dried my hair straight, but pulled the sides back. I put on some mascara and lip gloss, and then grabbed my purse, before heading downstairs.

I was halfway down when the doorbell rang. Edward and I were so in tuned with each other. I opened the door and smiled when I saw him. He was wearing beige dress pants and black polo shirt. He looked amazing. He passed me a white carnation, before leaning down to kiss my lips.

"You look so pretty." He said, reaching down to caress my cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel great. Thank you." I said, taking his hand and pulling him into the house.

"I'm so glad, baby." He said, leaning in and pressing a kiss to my lips. "I hate seeing you in pain."

I smiled at him. "And I love you so much for caring about me as much as you do. But, Edward. Just think when we have kids. The labour is going to be painful for me. How are you going to handle that?" I teased, pinching his side.

"I have no idea, babe." He said, pulling me close to kiss my lips. "But, we have a few years for me to figure it out." He sighed. "I wish my degree wasn't going to take so long. I want to start our life together as soon as possible."

"Oh, Edward. We've already started our life together. Our time in university is going to be great, and we'll still come home in the summer. Yeah, the kids are going to have to wait, because I don't want to raise babies out in Seattle away from our families, but we'll have each other." I said, resting my hands low on his hips.

Edward smiled at me, lifting me up and spinning me around, before setting me down. "I love you, Bella. You paint such a beautiful picture of our lives. I'm so lucky to be living it with you." He said, before he leaning for another kiss, leaving both of us smiling and breathless.


	323. Wasn't So Bad, Right?

**A/N - Thank you for reading! Let's get to Carlisle's office! Oh, and remember, even though I went to university for way too long, I am not a doctor! Enjoy!**

Chapter 323 - Wasn't So Bad, Right?

Edward and I walked out to his car and he opened my door for me. He grabbed my hand and stopped me from getting in the car. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. "Remember, we're just talking to him." He whispered. He must have noticed my hands shaking a little.

I nodded and smiled, before kissing his chin. "I know." I said. "I'll just feel better once it's over. It's sort of an embarrassing thing to talk about."

"I know, baby." He said, kissing me once more. "We can be embarrassed together." I laughed. I really appreciated that he was doing this for me.

"Deal." I said, giggling, and getting in the car. Edward closed my door and walked around to get in. He started the car and turned on some soft music. He reached over and took my hand, holding it as he drove us to the hospital.

"Oh, um, can you stop at the florist. I wanted to get your dad a little cactus or something for his office." I said.

"Of course. That's sweet, baby." He said.

We went into the florist and I found a cute little green cactus. I thought looked nice. I really appreciated that Carlisle was making himself available for us to talk to him. And, I thought a plant might be a nice gesture.

I was quiet as we drove to the hospital, just looking out the window, and trying to relax. I was glad that Edward just left me to think. He was perfect and I was always in awe of the fact that he seemed to know what I needed.

He parked and then came around to take my hand, slightly pulling me forward. He chuckled. "You would think you're having surgery." He teased.

I laughed, appreciating the light hearted moment right now. "Hey, I'm sure you weren't running to get to your dad's office for your sex talk." I defended.

"No, you're right." He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I put my arm around his waist and held on tightly as we walked into the hospital. A few of the nurses said hi to Edward, as we walked down a long white hallway to where I presumed Carlisle's office was. Edward knocked on the dark wood door and I heard Carlisle call out for us to come in.

Edward leaned down and kissed my lips. "I love you." He whispered, before opening the door. Carlisle was sitting behind a dark cherry wood desk absolutely piled with papers, folders and charts. "Hi, kids. You made it. Come on in." He said, standing up to greet us.

"Thank you." I said, stepping in the door, before Edward closed it behind us. I looked around the office and smiled. Carlisle had bookshelves everywhere, filled with what I assumed were medical journals. There was nice window on the right wall, giving him a view of what looked like a courtyard.

But, them best part of his office was right behind his desk. Besides his degrees, the wall was covered in framed photos of Esme, Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Alice. I smiled when I saw it. It beautiful to see how much he loved his family. He wanted them with him, even when he was at work.

Seeing the pictures on the wall actually made me feel more relaxed. This was just Carlisle. I could do this.

"Would you like to have a seat?" Carlisle asked, smiling.

"Oh, yeah." I laughed. "Sorry." I said, coming over to sit in one of the two chairs in front of Carlisle's desk, the one closest to the window. Edward sat beside and reached over to take my hand.

"Bella, sweetheart. Don't be nervous." Carlisle said, resting his arms on his desk. "You are a doing a very responsible thing here, and I think that's something to be proud of."

"Thanks." I said, biting my lip. "Oh, here." I said, passing him the little cactus. "For your desk."

"Thank you, Bella." He said, smiling. He seemed to like it, and set it on the corner of his desk. "Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?" Carlisle asked, looking down at a file on his desk.

"Um, no. That's fine." I said, looking over at Edward. He smiled at me and squeezed my hand.

"Okay. How long do you typically suffer from cramps? Is it before your period, during, or both?"

"Oh, um, just the first day. And they're usually gone by the end of the day." I said, as Carlisle scribbled something down. "It's been like that since I was fifteen."

"Alright. Do you have any other symptoms besides cramping?" He asked.

"Well, I feel really tired that day. And I usually sleep most of the day." I said. "But, other than that, no."

"You might be a bit anaemic, just low in iron. Which is common." He added, when Edward stiffened a little. I smiled at Edward. He was so cute when he was worried.

"Do you have a heavy period?" He asked.

"It's not too bad. Just on the first couple of days." And the questions continued but they were fairly easy to answer. I could tell that Edward was a little uncomfortable, as he would uncross and recross his legs. I was just happy that he was here.

"Okay, Bella. Birth control is just basically hormones. You will take it as a daily pill, every morning. You'll find it will help with the cramps, it will help to regulate your period, and often times, it lessens the length of it. I think in your case, it will be quite beneficial. The hospital usually likes for you to have an exam before we prescribe them. I have a female colleague, here at the hospital, that could do your physical exam for you, if that would make you more comfortable." Carlisle said.

"Okay. Um, can I bring Heidi with me?" I asked, fidgeting a little.

"Sure." Carlisle said, smiling at me, reassuringly. "So, do you have any questions about the pills?"

"Not right now." I said.

"Um, I have one." Edward said, speaking up for the first time. "If she's on the pills and we have sex, then she's not going to get pregnant?"

I felt my face heat up and I dropped my head. Leave it to Edward to ask the most embarrassing questions.

"No." Carlisle said. "They're about 97 to 99 percent effective. Edward, you know that nothing is one hundred percent." I actually wanted to leave the room. I could handle talking about my period, but once Edward started talking about sex, and more specifically, sex with me, I started to feel really embarrassed.

"So if we combined it with another method, that would be the best bet?" Edward continued.

I put my hand over my face, literally trying to hide. "Yes, son. At least for the first month. If the pill is taken at the same time and she doesn't miss any, then it's safe to rely on as the only method." Carlisle said. "Now, if you'd like, we can talk about that more at home." I loved Carlisle in that moment for stopping this line of questioning.

Edward squeezed my hand and I looked up at him. He mouthed the word 'sorry' at me, and I smiled at him. He smiled back. Even though it was embarrassing, I appreciated him for asking the things that I was too nervous to ask.

"I know this is embarrassing, Bella, but I'm glad you two are asking questions. It's responsible. Are you sexually active, now?" He asked.

"No." We both said at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed. It definitely lightened the moment.

"Okay." Carlisle laughed, sitting back in his chair. "When you decide to change that, feel free to talk to me about it. I know there are all sorts of questions and concerns that everyone can have, so it's always best to talk about them with someone."

"Thank you, Carlisle." I said.

"You are very welcome, Bella." He said. He passed me a business card. "This is the number to my colleague. Feel free to make an appointment whenever you feel ready to start taking the pills. Once you have the exam, we like to start the pills within six months of that, at the latest. And, if you start having sex prior to taking the pills, we'll need to do a pregnancy test."

"Oh, um. Okay." I agreed. That wasn't going to happen, so we didn't need to worry about that. I tucked the card in my purse. "Oh, um my dad gave me his health insurance card." I said. "Do you need that now, or do I wait?"

"I can take the information off of it now, and then you don't have to worry about it when you come back in." He said. I gave him the card and he recorded what he needed. After he gave it back, I stood up. I was eager to get out of there. Edward followed my lead and then Carlisle got up and came around his desk. He gave Edward a hug, and then gave me one, too. "I'm proud of you two." He said.

I smiled. "Thank you, Carlisle. And I'm sorry that I'm acting weird. I just feel a little out of my element." I explained.

"You did fine. And what we talk about in here stays in this office. Okay?" He said. He patted Edward's shoulder. "I'll see you kids later." He went back behind his desk and sat down. "Thanks again for the cactus." He said, smiling at us.

As we stepped out of the office, I let out a deep breath. Edward pulled me into a tight hug, and kissed the top of my head. "That wasn't so bad, right?" He asked. I looked up at him and started laughing.


	324. Diner and Dessert

**A/N - Thank you all, again, for reading and for the great reviews! I think I forgot to mention that the date in Summer Vacation is Monday, July 19, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 324 - Diner and Dessert

Edward took my hand and led me back out to the car. I was still giggling, and he had a smile on his face. "I can't believe you're laughing at me." Edward said, as we walked into the parking lot.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so relieved to be out of there." I explained.

"No, I'm sorry for asking for asking the sex question." Edward said, as we got back in the car. "That was stupid."

I reached over and took his hand, running my fingers up and down his forearm. "No, it wasn't stupid." I said, bringing his hand to my lips and placing a light kiss on the back of it. "It was a good question. There is something about birth control not being one hundred percent, that totally freaks me out." I admitted.

"Can I ask you a hypothetical question?" Edward asked and I nodded. "Let's say, sometime before we move back to Forks, and even if we're using all kinds of protection, something happens and we do wind up pregnant?"

"Well, then, we would have a baby." I said, smiling. "We'd finish school, and then the three of us would come home as a family and make our life in Forks. I would be scared to death, but you would be there for me and tell me everything would be okay. You'd hold me when I cried, and you'd reassure me when I had doubts. We'd make it work, Edward. Because we love each other and we're made for each other."

Edward parked in front of the diner, and then turned to me, taking both of my hands. "You are so amazing, Isabella Swan." He said, leaning in to kiss me. "I love everything about you."

"Aw, baby. Don't make me cry." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "I love you, too. Thank you for coming with me today. I don't think I could have done it without you."

"You probably could have." He laughed. "Plus, I was pretty embarrassed, too."

"Yeah. All the period talk was probably rough, huh?" I asked, making him laugh.

"It was. But, we're together forever, so I might as well get used to it, right?" He asked, smiling at me. "You're the one that has to deal with it. The least I can do is listen."

"Well, I think you're amazing." I told him.

"The feeling is mutual." Edward said. "Now, let's get some lunch." He kissed my lips before getting out of the car and coming around to take my hand, again.

Edward led me into the diner and we sat in a booth at the back. I thought Edward would sit across from me, but he sat beside me. The waitress came and we ordered our lunch. Edward got a chilli cheese hotdog and I just got a plate of fries.

"Are you sure that's all you want, baby?" Edward asked, kissing my cheek.

"Yeah. I still have leftover butterflies from the meeting with your dad." I told him, laying my head on his shoulder.

"Are you nervous about the physical exam?" He asked, quietly.

"A little, but I've had one before back in Arizona." I told him. "I think what makes me nervous is that there is so much to think about."

"I know. I feel overwhelmed, too. But, then I just look at you and realize it's all worth it. Because I get to be with the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." He whispered in my ear.

I smiled at him. "Thank you, Edward." I said, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Sorry for the interruption." I heard a man say. I turned and saw the man that Edward had pointed out to me as his boss when he worked here as a teenager to save up for his guitar. He set our plates on the table, holding back a smile.

"Oh, that's alright." I said, even though I knew my cheek were pink at being caught.

"Hey, Billy." Edward said, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Hey, Edward. Didn't recognize the back of your head." He teased.

"Well, can you blame me?" Edward laughed.

"No, I can't." He said, winking at me. "You kids have a nice lunch." He said, before heading back to the counter.

"I like him. He's a nice guy." I said, as I grabbed the ketchup and squeezed a huge glob on my plate.

Edward chuckled at me. "He is. And you're adorable." He said, kissing my cheek.

"So, do you still feel like going dancing tomorrow night?" Edward asked, as we ate. "We have that huge group date."

I giggled. "If you're asking if I feel well enough to go, then yes. If you're asking if I'm ready to make a fool of myself out on the dance floor in front of our friends, then the answer is no." I told him, smiling.

He laughed. "You are so gorgeous, you would never make a fool of yourself." He said, stealing one of my fries, and then winking at me.

"Always flirting, aren't you." I laughed.

"Yeah, but you like it." He chuckled, bumping my shoulder with his.

"I love it." I said, moving my hand over to the top of his thigh. I slowly slid my hand up, stopping just short of his crotch. Edward brought his hand down to cover my hand, slowly sliding it back down his leg.

"Bella." He warned, quietly, even though there was a smile playing at his lips.

I giggled. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking about yesterday afternoon." I said, smiling at his face. He smiled back at me, before leaning in to press a kiss to my lips.

"I'm going to be honest and admit that I haven't stopped thinking about yesterday afternoon." Edward whispered, making me smile.

"You want to get out of here?" I asked.

"Oh, okay. You don't want any dessert?" He asked. "I sort of wanted to spoil you this afternoon. You know, after this morning."

"That's sweet, babe." I said. "Can we get it to go?" He looked so excited about the dessert, so I didn't want to disappoint him. I still wasn't hungry, though.

"Uh, yeah." He said, smiling. "I'll go order it. I'll be right back."

"Thank you, Edward. I'm just going to run to the bathroom." I said, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"Okay." He said, sliding out of the booth, then helping me out. I ran to the bathroom and then came out to meet Edward at the counter. He was holding a drink tray with what looked like two huge milkshakes and a Styrofoam container with what I guessed was our dessert. This boy spoiled me so much.

"Ready?" He asked, as I took the drink tray from him, and then held his free hand. We headed out of the restaurant and instead of going to the car, we walked down to the park.

"Baby, you didn't have to buy all this." I said, as we walked.

"I know, but you didn't eat very much for lunch." He said. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm just not hungry." I told him. "I feel okay, though." I said, sitting down on the park bench. I knew it was just residual nerves from this morning.

Edward sat beside me, and opened the container. It was a berry cobbler. He picked up the plastic fork in the container and took a huge bite. "Mm." He said, smiling at me.

I giggled. "You're making that look good." I said, sipping at my strawberry milkshake.

"Well, I guess it's too bad that you're not hungry." Edward said, winking at me as he took another bite.

"Oh, come on." I giggled. "Give me a bite." Edward chuckled, and took another bite. "You're eating it all." I laughed, trying to reach for the fork. He held it away from me, laughing. I leaned in and kissed his lips.

"Darn it." He laughed. "You win." I smiled, because I knew I would get him to cave. He cut off a piece with his fork and slowly brought it to my lips. It was really good and tasted like jam in pastry.

"Mm. That's so good, baby." I said, licking my lips. Edward didn't say anything. He just kept staring at my lips. I leaned in to kiss him, my lips sticking to his a little. That seemed to snap him out of it. He smiled and I laughed. I loved dessert with Edward.


	325. Always Sexy

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 325 - Always Sexy

Edward fed us the rest of the cobbler, taking turns between forkfuls. It was fun, and Edward just looked glad that I was eating. "What kind of shake did you get." I asked him, as I sat back on the bench and drank my strawberry milkshake. It was so good, and thick. I liked that Edward knew my favourite flavour.

"Chocolate." He said. "Why, do you want to taste it?" He asked, passing it to me.

"Well, I just wanted to see if it was the good kind of chocolate." I said, taking his shake and passing him mine.

He laughed. "It's the good kind." I tasted it, and it was really good. "Do you want the rest of it?"

"You don't want it?" I asked.

"No, it's fine. I'm enjoying yours." He said. "And you have way more left." I laughed.

"Deal." I said. "What are we doing for the rest of the day?" I asked him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I don't know. I didn't plan past lunch." He laughed. "Do you want to go back to my place?"

"I would love that, actually." I said. "I haven't seen you mom since the middle of last week."

"Oh, well that wasn't what I had in mind." He laughed.

"Edward Cullen." I said, sitting up to look at his face. "Now, what exactly did you have planned?"

He winked at me. "Did you know, we haven't even opened my bottle of massage oil?" I blushed, but laughed.

"I see." I said, winking at him and thinking of what we did yesterday in my room with the massage oil.

"No, baby." He said, squeezing my hand. "I want to give you a massage. I want to rub your back and help you relax. And I want to feel your skin under my hands." He whispered.

He stood up, and after throwing our garbage out, came to take my hand. We started walking back to the car. "That sounds good." I told him. "But, I can tell you that I don't feel very sexy right now." I admitted.

"Aw, sugar." He said, squeezing my hand. "You are always sexy. And I'm going to make you feel that way." I smiled up at him. He was amazing.

We got back to the car and drove over to his place. Esme's car was gone and the house seemed quiet. Edward seemed happy by that, as he got to carry out his little plan without interruptions.

We went up to his room and he closed and locked the door. He turned on his stereo, and soft blues music filled the room. He walked over to me slowly and pulled me into his arms. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips. He stepped back, and started to undo the buttons on my blouse.

I just watched his face, as his eyes watched his fingers. He was so beautiful and sweet and I felt so lucky to have him. His eyes flicked up to mine, and he smiled. His hands slid under my shirt over my shoulders, as his pushed my blouse off of my arms. He reached behind my back and unclipped my bra.

"You are so beautiful, Bella." He whispered, leaning in to kiss my neck. He slid his hands down my bare back. "Can I take your skirt off?" He whispered.

"Um, yeah, but can I put on a pair of your boxers?" I asked. "I think that would make me more comfortable."

"Of course, baby." He said, pressing a couple of kisses to my lips before going over to his dresser to pull out a pair of blue plaid boxers. He came back over and passed them to me, before turning his back to me.

"Thanks, Edward." I said, pulling my skirt off and then pulling his boxers on. "I'm done." I said.

Edward turned around and smiled at me. "Gorgeous." He whispered, reaching out to move his fingers up and down my sides.

"Well, it's not very sexy." I giggled. "You know, having to wear your underwear."

"Bella, Bella." He chuckled. "When will you learn? I think, no wait, I know that you are the most beautiful, sexy, drop dead gorgeous woman on earth." I laughed, wrapping my arms around his hips. "And, the even better part, is that you only get hotter when you wear my clothes."

"Thank you, baby." I said, kissing his chest. "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you, too." He said. "Now, do you want to get on my bed, so I can give you a massage?"

I laughed. "Eager boy."

"You know I am." He chuckled, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I'm crazy about you."

I giggled. "Okay, then take off your clothes." I told him, pulling at the hem of his shirt.

"It looks like I'm not the only eager one." He said, reaching down to pull off his shirt, and then undoing his pants, letting them fall to the floor, so we were both standing in nothing but in a pair of Edward boxers, me in plaid and Edward in black.

I crawled onto the bed and laid on my back. Edward crawled in beside me and pulled me into his arms. He leaned in and started kissing me. He deepened the kiss and I closed my eyes, just enjoying the sensation of feeling as loved as Edward always made me feel.

I started moving my hands over his chest, and then to his back. Edward groaned and then started moving kiss trail of kisses down my neck and to my collarbone. He started sucking on my skin, as his hands moved down to my bum.

"Is that okay?" Edward breathed, before moving his kisses down to my chest.

"Uh, huh." I whispered, reaching my hands down his body, and making him groan, again.

We spent the next, I don't even know how long, just kissing and touching each other. It felt nice to reconnect this way. We loved each other so much, that words weren't even enough anymore. It was amazing how much we could show each other with our hands and our lips and our bodies. I felt so much love radiating from Edward, and I hoped he felt all of that back from me.

"Baby, you feel so good." He whispered against my skin. He brought his head back so he could look in my eyes. "I love you." He said, reaching up to run his fingers along my cheek.

"Mm. Me, too." I said, leaning my head back on the pillow.

"Do you want that massage, now?" He asked.

"Wow." I giggled. "There's more?"

Edward laughed. "There is always more, Bella." He whispered. He got off the bed and opened his drawer in his bedside table, pulling out the massage oil.

"Get a towel, baby." I told him. "I don't want you to get oil on your bedspread."

"Yes, ma'am." He laughed, running to the bathroom. He came back with a blue towel and laid it on the bed. I moved over to lay on my stomach on the towel and Edward climbed on the bed with me. He straddled my thighs, and I smiled when I felt him place a kiss on the small of my back.

I smelled the oil, before Edward put his hands on my back. I hummed at the light pressure he put on my shoulders. He rubbed his thumbs into my muscles and I moaned. "Baby, never stop." I whispered, and Edward laughed. He kept up his amazing massage until he had rubbed my whole back. I felt nice and relaxed.

He got off of my legs and I looked over my shoulder, smiling when I saw him sitting at my feet. He poured more oil in his hands and started rubbing it into my foot. "Babe, I love you. That feels amazing." I said, as he worked up to my calf muscle.

"I'm glad." He said, softly. "You deserve to be spoiled." He kept working his way up to my thighs.

"What about you." I asked, propping myself up on my forearms and looking over my shoulder at him, again. "Is it your turn, now?"

Someone knocked on Edward's door. "Ed. You home?" I heard Emmett's voice.

"Yeah, man." Edward called back. "I'll be out in a sec." Edward turned to me and smiled. "It looks like I'm going to have to take a rain check on that."


	326. Burn

**A/N - It's May! I'm so excited...looking forward to some nice weather, finally! I was out of town yesterday, hence the early post. I apologize for not replying to your reviews individually, as well, as I had to write this chapter last night when I got home! But, I read them all, and I love that you all took the time to write them! Feedback keeps me going! Hope to get back on track today! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 326 - Burn

Edward and I got redressed, but this time, we changed into something more casual. I left Edward's boxers on, as shorts, and slipped on a tank top that I had over here. Edward had a zip up hoodie in his drawer, and I snatched it, sliding it on, and zipping it up. I heard Edward laugh, and I turned around to see him in black board shorts and a white t-shirt.

"Are you stealing more of my clothes?" He laughed, walking over to wrap his arms around my shoulders.

"Maybe?" I giggled. "Is that okay?"

"You know it is." He said, kissing my forehead. "Should we go hang out downstairs?"

"Yeah." I agreed, taking his hand. We walked downstairs and found Esme and Alice in kitchen. Alice was wearing a little pink apron, and she looked adorable.

"Bella." Alice said, flying over to me and wrapping her arms around my waist. "I haven't seen you since Saturday."

I ran my fingers through her hair and looked down at her face. "I know, Alice." I said, smiling. "I didn't feel very well yesterday, so I stayed home in bed."

"Yeah, Edward said that your tummy hurt and that he took care of you, yesterday." Alice said. I looked over at Edward and smiled. He winked at me, and smiled back.

"Yeah, he was great." I agreed. "Where were you this morning?"

"Oh, me, mom, Em and Jazz went to Port Angeles because Emmett needed to get some stuff for football. That starts in two weeks." She told me matter of factly. She was so adorable. "And then we had McDonalds."

Edward picked up Alice and set her on his hip. He kissed her cheek. "Did you get a toy in your happy meal?" He asked her.

"Yeah. It's a little bat." She said, as he carried her into the family room. I knew what he was doing. He was giving me a few minutes with his mom.

I walked over and gave Esme a hug. "Hi, sweetheart." She said, squeezing me back. "Are you feeling better, today?"

"I feel great, actually." I told her. "Edward took me for a nice lunch at the diner, and he just gave me a massage." I giggled.

She laughed with me. "You're a lucky girl, huh?" She said. "I haven't had a good massage since my spa day that the kids got me for Mother's Day."

"Aw." I said. "Yeah, Edward is on this kick where he thinks he needs to spoil me."

"Hey, I'd take it while you can." She laughed. "Carlisle is an amazing husband, and he provides us with everything we could ever want, but with his long hours, I wish I could see him more." I really appreciated that she trusted me enough to confide in me.

"I can't imagine how hard that is for you." I told her. "Just being apart from Edward overnight is excruciating for me."

"Yeah, I understand that." She said. "But, when you have kids, they become an extension of your husband. So I have them to keep me busy for sure." She laughed.

"Aw, that's really sweet." I told her, not really having thought of kids like that. "But honestly, if you want me to watch Alice some time, so you and Carlisle can have some time together, even if it's just dinner, then feel free to ask me." Esme had done so much for me, and had been their for me since May, so I had no problem returning the favour. "Use me while I'm here." I laughed.

She came over and pulled me into another hug. "You are an angel on earth, Bella." She told me, kissing my cheek.

"It's honestly no trouble for me. I love Alice." I said. "And if you want me to take her overnight, I'm sure she'd love the sleepover at my house. Or, I'm sure she'd love to have me sleepover in her room, too, if you want me to stay and take care of the boys, too. Really, Esme." I said, when she laughed.

"Oh, I know." She said. "It's funny how the boys are all grown up, but still really rely on someone to watch over them."

"I think it's sweet." I told her.

Alice came running back in the kitchen with Edward on her heals. "Mom, you're not making the pie without me, are you?" She asked, climbing up to the chair.

"No, sweetheart." Esme said, smiling. "It wouldn't taste the same." She said, tucking Alice's hair behind her ears.

Edward came over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind. "Are Jazz and Em in the basement?" He asked his mom.

"Yeah, they said to send you two down there." Esme said.

"You want to go downstairs?" Edward asked softly in my ear.

"Yeah." I agreed. "Sounds good." I loved the idea of just hanging out with the boys and relaxing. "Have fun with your pie, ladies."

I heard Alice laugh, as we walked over to the basement door. We headed down and I saw that the boys were playing some kind of video game with lots of gore and violence. Both boys were sitting on the edge of the couch, leaning forward with their elbows on their knees, deeply enthralled in the game.

Edward sat in one of the leather chairs and pulled me onto his lap. I laid my head on his shoulder and snuggled in close to his chest. He reached over and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and covered us up. Yes, it was the middle of July and it was quite hot out, but it was cool in the basement with the air conditioning on.

I leaned in and kissed his neck. Edward hummed, moving his hands to hold under my bum and my thigh, which only encouraged me to suck harder on his pulse point.

"Just because we're not looking at you, doesn't mean we can hear you, bro." Emmett teased, making Edward laugh and apologize, while I blushed and hid my face into the crook of Edward's neck.

"What did you need in Port Angeles?" Edward asked him, trying to change the subject.

"I needed new thigh pads and, cover your ears Bella, a new cup and jock strap." Emmett laughed. I started laughing with him, partly because Emmett was hilarious, and partly because I was a little embarrassed. "Football is a dangerous sport, Bella."

"Em." Jasper scolded, shaking his head at his brother. It was cute, because Jasper looked so embarrassed that Emmett brought up his football equipment.

"It's alright." I said, not wanting them to fight because I was here. "So, are you excited for practice to start?"

"Yeah, it starts in three weeks. I've been working out and stuff, but not seriously enough." He said.

"You're going to have to start running every morning, Em." Jasper said, setting down his video game controller.

"No, we are going to have start running everyday." Emmett laughed. "Everyone in? Bella?"

I laughed. "Yeah right. I'll sit on the front step and pass you water."

Edward leaned in and whispered in my ear. "Mm. A sexy water girl. That's all the motivation I need."

"You want us to run to your house?" Jasper asked me. "How far is that?"

"It's about 8 miles." Edward said. "It would take us about an hour to get there."

"I'm tired just thinking about it." Emmett groaned. "I suck at running long distances."

"We're not going to start out that long." Edward said. "But, maybe we'll have to get Rose to wait for you at the finishing point, so you can have a goal in mind."

Jasper laughed. "That would probably work on him." He said.

Edward squeezed me closer to his chest. "Girls are an incredible motivator."

"But, as much as I love you, Edward, I would never run eight miles for you to pass me a bottle of water." I told him, kissing his chin, and patting his chest.

"Burn." Emmett laughed, making Japer and Edward laugh as well.

I slid my hand down Edward's chest and slipped my fingers just under the elastic of his board shorts, running my fingers lightly over his skin,. Edward's eyes popped out a little, and he immediately met my eyes with his. He was hardly subtle.

I slid my hand out of his shorts and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling myself closer to him. With his brothers here, I figured I would have to wait to make it up to him for teasing him. And, I couldn't wait.


	327. Lose Control

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! You are the best readers! Have a great day and enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 327 - Lose Control

Emmett decided that we should watch a movie instead of playing video games. I was glad because now Edward didn't have to let me go. I was quite content in his arms. Luckily neither Emmett or Jasper noticed Edward's face when I rubbed his skin under his waistband. Or, at least, they didn't say anything if they did.

Emmett put in Transformers 2, and I giggled because the boys seemed to love Megan Fox. They could claim they were watching it for the action, stunts and special effects all they wanted, but I would never believe them.

"Bella." I heard Esme call down the stairs. "Stay for dinner tonight."

"Alright. Thank you." I called back.

Edward pulled me closer. "Mm. I get to keep you longer." He whispered in my ear, making me laugh.

Jasper got up and shut out the lights. I smirked a little. I was going to have some fun with Edward during this movie. I honestly didn't care about the movie, so all my focus was going to be on my beautiful man.

I wrapped my left arm around Edward's shoulder, and started playing with his hair. At first I just twirled it around my fingers for a few minutes. Edward kept watching the movie, laughing with his brothers. Hm. I was going to have to work a little harder on him.

I knew he liked my fingernails scratching his skin, so I figured I'd give that I try. I started to lightly run my fingernails over his scalp on the back of his head and his neck. Edward looked over at me and smiled, before he turned to look back at the movie.

Well, at least I got him for a few seconds. I thought he could be broken. I wasn't jealous of beautiful actresses, because I knew how much Edward loved me, but I liked the challenge that this gave me. It was keeping me very entertained.

I decided that I had to step things up. And luckily, Edward and I were curled up under a blanket. I brought my right hand over to his chest, and started to gently rub my hand along his chest and abs, over his t-shirt. I didn't seem to be getting much response from the soft touches.

In all fairness, this was Edward's fault. I just wanted a kiss from him, and I wasn't getting it. He had just spent the last half hour massaging my whole body, but I got ripped off on my time to just bask in how amazing I felt. And I really wanted to touch him, and massage him, too. So, I would have to take what I could get right now. And I wanted a reaction.

I slowly slipped my fingers under the hem of his shirt and just caressed his bare skin with my palm. He felt so nice and warm, and I could touch him forever. He let out a little sigh of contentment. Well, at least I knew he was enjoying my touch. I started to lightly scratch my nails on his side and abs, where I could reach.

Edward leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. Now, we were getting somewhere. But, that wasn't quite the kiss I was going for. So, I figured I'd go for what got a reaction out of him about fifteen minutes ago. I was going below the belt, literally.

I moved my hand around to Edward's hip, and the side of his bum, over his shorts, giving it a little squeeze. Edward's grip on my bum and thigh tightened a little. It was working, already. I smiled against his chest, hoping he didn't see my face, or he would know what I was up to.

I snuggled my face into his neck, and started placing light kisses on his skin. Nothing. I lightly bit his neck, before licking over where I bit him. Edward moved his hand down my thigh, before moving it back up. I started sucking on his skin a little harder, as I moved my hand back to his stomach. I slipped it below his waistband again, and moved a little lower this time, lightly moving my fingertips over his skin.

Edward's hand immediately moved from my bum up to my back and he turned his face to meet mine. He started kissing me, almost frantically. I had won my little game of teasing Edward. It was too bad it ended it so soon, too. I was having fun with it.

I pulled back and smiled up at him innocently. Edward chuckled and shook his head. He stood up, and took my hand, leading me to the stairs.

"Bathroom break." He called out halfway up the stairs. I heard Emmett laughing. He was seventeen; he knew what we were up to.

Edward pulled me quickly through the kitchen, and I heard Esme giggling as we passed her. When we got to the stairs, Edward lifted me up and carried me to his room. He wasn't saying anything, and his eyes were focused.

He opened his bedroom door, and then turned and locked it. He left the light out, as he carried me to his bed. He set me down and was on top of me before I could even say anything. He started kissing me, hard; his hands moving all over my body, until they reached my bum, where he hung on.

If this was my reward for teasing Edward, I figured that I was going to have to start doing that more often. It was fun watching Edward lose control of his body. He was always so gentle and loving. His touch was always soft, and he always made sure that I was alright. But now, he was being a little more forceful. Stealing kisses instead of asking for them. I liked it.

He finally pulled back, and looking into my eyes. "You are so sexy." He growled, before reaching down and moving my legs so they were on either side of his hips. He moved his hands to the zipper of his hoodie and pulled it down. He didn't even take it off of my arms, before he pulled my tank top up and my bra down. He moved his face to my chest and started laving my skin with kisses. He started moving his body against mine, and my head fell back on his pillows.

"Is this okay?" He whispered against my skin, loud enough for me to hear him.

I smiled at that question. Edward may have lost control a little bit, but he was still Edward. My Edward; my sweet, caring, loving boyfriend. "Yeah, baby. It's more than okay." I whispered. "Don't stop."

Edward chuckled against my skin. "I won't, baby." He breathed, before bringing his lips up to meet mine, in a long, slow, passionate kiss. He pulled back and whispered that he loved me. Edward finally rolled off of me, and pulled me into his side.

"Wow." I giggled, turning to kiss his lips.

Edward laughed. "Yeah." He reached up and ran his fingers through my hair. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Way more than alright." I giggled. "I'm sorry for teasing you." I said.

"Oh, don't apologize for that." Edward laughed. "I loved it."

"Really?" I asked, hoping that he was okay by what I did in the basement.

"Really." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "So, you get turned on by transformers?" He teased, tracing my flushed cheeks with his fingertips.

I giggled. "No. I get turned on by you, Edward." I admitted. "But, I need to use the bathroom." I said, sliding out of bed.

"Oh, shoot, Bella. Your period." Edward said sitting up and looking almost frantic. "Are you okay?"

I laughed. "I'm fine. I promise. Don't worry so much. If I wasn't okay, I would have said something." I leaned back in to kiss his forehead. "Baby, really." I said, running my fingers through his hair. "I'll be right out."

Edward nodded his head, but he didn't look like he believed me. I blew him a kiss, before walking into his bathroom. I freshened myself up, combing my hair, and readjusting my bra and tank top.

I came back out and Edward had changed into a different pair of shorts. He walked over to me and pulled me into his arms. "That was really insensitive of me." He whispered, placing kiss after kiss on my forehead.

"Edward. That was what I wanted." I told him. "I was teasing you to get a reaction from you." I wrapped my arms around him and rubbed his back. "I loved that, baby."

He chuckled. "God, Bella. The things you do to me." He said, kissing my lips. "I'm just going to run to the bathroom." He said, letting go of me to go into his bathroom.

I pulled off Edward's boxers that I had on and put my skirt back on. I knew Carlisle would be home soon, and didn't want to wear Edward's boxers to the dinner table. Edward came out of the bathroom and smiled at me. "I love you, babe." He said, walking over to me. "You look so beautiful."

"Thank you, babe." I said, taking his hand. "You look pretty hot, yourself."

We headed back down the stairs and then through the kitchen. "Where did you guys go?" Alice asked.

Edward laughed. "Bathroom." He said, blushing a little.

"Do you need help with dinner?" I asked Esme, hoping to change the subject.

"Oh, no thank you sweetheart. Alice and I have it handled." She said with a knowing smile. "You two go back downstairs. Finish your game or movie."

"Thanks, mom." Edward said, kissing her cheek. As much as I enjoyed the teasing and Edward's reaction, I was a little nervous for the fallout once we got back downstairs.


	328. Edward was Better

**A/N - You are all amazing! I loved your response to the last chapter! Thanks so much! Enjoy!**

Chapter 328 - Edward was Better

"Bathroom break?" Emmett laughed, as we walked back into the basement and sat in the leather chair together. The movie was on pause and Jasper and Emmett were tossing a small Nerf football back and forth to each other.

"Not good?" Edward chuckled. "I thought it was believable."

"It would have been a little more believable if you two left at different times." Emmett told us, making Edward laugh.

"Good idea." Edward said. "I'll use that in the future."

"I'm sorry." I said, blushing a little, but thankful that the lights were still off. "You didn't have to pause the movie."

"Um, we didn't mind." Jasper said, quietly. He actually looked more embarrassed than we did.

"Yeah. Don't apologize, Bella." Emmett chuckled. "I totally get it."

"Okay." Edward laughed. "Play the movie." Emmett laughed with him, and then pressed play.

Edward was slowly running his fingers up and down the outside of my bare leg, and I had my head resting on his shoulder. This time, I just relaxed and watched the rest of the movie.

I honestly wasn't paying attention for the first half of the movie, and I think I fell asleep two weeks ago when they were watching the first Transformers movie. So, I really didn't understand what was going on in the movie, but I enjoyed the banter between the guys. They're jokes and comments made the movie so much better.

Carlisle came down ay around five o'clock and sat on the couch between Emmett and Jasper, putting his arm on the couch behind Jasper's shoulders. He set his feet up on the coffee table, and started watching the movie with us. It was like he was one of the guys. I loved that he did this with his sons.

When the movie was over, and Emmett shut it off, Carlisle asked the boys what they were up to today. "Mom took us to Port Angeles." Jasper told him.

"I needed a new, cover your ears again, Bella, cup, jock strap and thigh pads." Emmett told his dad. Carlisle looked over at me and laughed.

"Has he been talking about that all afternoon?" Carlisle asked me, chuckling.

"Oh, she can handle it." Emmett said. He looked at Edward and started laughing. "Bathroom break."

Edward laughed, standing us up. "That's it. We're going upstairs." Edward said, taking my hand and leading me up the stairs. I was giggling, but followed him up. I didn't really want to be there for Emmett's explaination of that joke to his dad.

Edward and I walked into the kitchen where Esme was busy making dinner, and Alice was dancing around the room. I loved her spirit.

"Hey, mom. Emmett's being crazy." Edward said, leaning against the counter. "Can I help you with anything?"

Esme laughed, coming over to give Edward a hug. "Aw, my sweet little boy." She said, patting his back. I would always love how cute that was, considering that Edward was so tall next to his mom. He would crouch down a litte and wrap his arms around her shoulders. Even though he was so big, you tell how much he loved his mom, and the attention she gave him.

He kissed her forehead, before he stood back up. "Well, you could set the table." She suggested. "Oh, and Bella. I called and invited your dad and Heidi, but they're having a date night. And he said to let you know that he's staying at her house tonight."

I giggled. "That's cute." I said. "I'm so happy that he has her."

"So am I." Esme said. "We've know Charlie for a lot of years, and having both you and Heidi in his life, has made him the happiest I've ever seen him." I smiled at that thought.

Edward and I set the table together, and he kissed my lips every time he walked past me. I just loved him so much. His cheeks still had light flush to them from our romp upstairs, and he looked so happy.

"You want to stay here tonight?" He whispered in my ear. I smiled and kissed his chin.

"Okay." I agreed. I loved sleeping in Edward's arms, and I was going to take any chance I could to do it.

"It's ready." Alice called out, making Edward laugh. "I'm going to go get daddy." She said, skipping over to the basement door.

Edward and I helped Esme carry the plates of food to the dinning room table. "So when do all your family reunion guests start to arrive?" I asked her, as I set the iced tea on the table.

"Well, most of them will be here on Sunday, but Carlisle's parents are coming on Firday." She said.

"I'm excited to meet them." I said.

"Meet who?" Emmett said. I turned and Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle walk into the dining room. Alice was holding onto Carlisle's back, until he crouched down and she hopped off of his back.

"Grams and Pop." Edward said, as he pulled out a chair for me at the table. I looked at him and smiled. These Cullen kids had the best names for their grandparents. I loved it. Edward chuckled; he knew what I was thinking.

I sat down and Edward leaned in to kiss my cheek before sitting down beside me. We had a great dinner, where the Cullens filled me in on some great stories about their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. They had such a big family, I had no idea how they kept track of them all.

"So where is everyone staying?" I asked. It sounded like a lot of people were coming in to Forks.

"Oh, we're going to try to stuff a lot of them in this house, and then the rest are staying at the hotel." Esme laughed.

"Well, the boys could stay at my place." I offered. "I'm sure my dad wouldn't care, and then you'd have extra room here."

"I've never been to a sleepover." Emmett laughed. "But, I'm in, if Bella's making breakfast."

I laughed. "Of course. I couldn't let my guests starve." I said. "But, the only downfall is that there is one bathroom."

"Ah, we'll make it work." Edward said. But the way he smiled at me, led me to believe he had some kind of crazy idea about the shower. He had mentioned before that he wanted to shower with me, but I was still a little nervous about the idea.

After dinner, Alice and Esme went to the kitchen to get the pie they made. It was a cherry pie, with a gorgeous lattice top.

"That looks incredible." I told them. "I wish I had a helper when I baked." I said. Alice was beaming with pride, and Carlisle kissed her cheek.

"You've got me." Edward chuckled, taking my hand in his, before bringing it up to his lips and placing a soft kiss on the back of it.

"You can't cook, Edward." Alice said, matter of factly, making everyone laugh.

"Yes, I can." He said, getting up and going over to Alice, tossing her over his shoulder.

She was giggling and screaming and kicking her feet. He carried her out of the room and I heard the back door open and close. Esme laughed. "Well, should we have dessert out in the yard?"

Everyone agreed and we all filed out into the yard. "Daddy, help. I've been kidnapped." Alice called, still hanging over Edward's shoulder. Carlisle went over to Edward and lifted her off of Edward's back, and carrying her to the picnic table.

I walked up to Edward and he wrapped his arms around my waist, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "I know you can cook." I said, placing a kiss over his heart, making him laugh.

"Thank you, baby." He said. "I just like teasing, Alice."

"Well, you're an amazing brother. She clearly likes the attention." I told him.

"Hey, guys. Come get some dessert." Emmett called.

Edward laughed, leaning in and pressing his forehead to mine. "I've already had my dessert." He whispered. I blushed a little and laughed at him. He winked at me, before taking my hand and leading me over to the picnic table for a slice of pie. The pie was great, but Edward was better.


	329. Guilt and A Great Night

**A/N - Hello to my new readers! Thanks so much for giving the story a chance! As well, a huge thank you and virtual hug to my readers that have been supporting me from the beginning! You all keep me wrting! Enjoy!**

Chapter 329 - Guilt and A Great Night

After dessert, Esme and Carlisle went into the house, and Emmett brought out his football. The boys threw the ball around for a while, all laughing and having fun. Alice and I walked along the back of the yard and collected wildflowers; little purple, yellow and white ones.

We went and sat in the grass and braided the stems together, into crowns. I set mine on Alice's head. She looked beautiful. I helped her with the one she was working on, and then she stood up, so she could set it on my head.

"Will you take a picture of us, together?" Alice asked me.

"Yeah, just let me run in and grab my camera." I told her.

I got up and went in the backdoor into the kitchen. I bit my lip when I saw that Carlisle had Esme pressed up against the kitchen counter. Esme had yellow rubber gloves on her hands that were holding tightly onto Carlisle's shoulders. They were kissing each other, passionately, and must have been quite into it, as they didn't hear me open the door.

When I closed the door, they jumped back from each other, looking guilty. It was so cute. Carlisle cleared his throat and started rubbing the back of his neck, looking embarrassed for the very first time this summer.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I just came to get my camera." I said. "And, seriously, take me up on my offer before your guests get here." I giggled at Esme, before turning and running up the stairs to get my camera from my purse in Edward's room.

When I came back down, Esme was washing the dishes and Carlisle was drying them.

"Bella, I'm really sorry you walked in on that." Esme apologized.

"Oh, don't apologize for kissing." I giggled. "I have plans tomorrow night, but I'm free the rest of week."

Esme looked at Carlisle, and he shrugged. "Wednesday night?" He asked her.

"Is that okay, Bella?" She asked me. "I mean, I hate to put so much responsibility on you."

"Oh, Esme. I told you I don't mind." I told her. "Just promise me you'll go out and have a great time. Don't worry about a thing."

"Thank you, Bella." She said, pulling me into a tight hug. "You are amazing."

"You are very welcome." I said. "Now, I'd better get back out there. Alice wants a picture of the flowers in her hair."

"Oh, alright. Thank you so much, sweetheart." Esme said.

"Yes, thank you, Bella." Carlisle added, making me smile. Everyone needed a date night from time to time, and I was just happy that I could help. I mean it wasn't like it was hard work hanging out with the Cullens.

I went back outside and snapped a picture of the boys. Jasper and Edward were tackling Emmett, and Alice was hopping around them. They were an adorable family. Emmett knocked his brothers off of him and they all laid on the grass laughing. Alice flopped down beside Jasper, and laughed.

I snapped another picture of them, before I came over and sat beside Edward. I reached up and ran my hand over his abs.

"You look beautiful with flowers in your hair." He said, reaching up to twirl my hair around his fingers.

"Thank you, babe." I said. "You look handsome when you're playing football."

Edward took a picture of Alice and I with our flowers. He took a great one of me kissing Alice's cheek. I decided that I would print that picture out for her and put it in a frame for her room when Edward and I went back to Seattle.

We all hung out in the yard for a little while longer, throwing the ball around. Around dusk, we decided to head in the house. I was secretly happy we had stayed outside so long, so Carlisle and Esme had some time alone. I imagined that it was pretty hard to come by with four kids.

We all went in flopped on the couches in the family room. Esme and Carlisle took Alice up to bed and then headed off to bed themselves. I absolutely loved being a part of the Cullen family. Even though it wasn't official, I really felt like I fit in and that I was wanted and welcome.

At ten-thirty, Emmett and Jasper headed up to their rooms, and just Edward and I were left on the couch.

"Did you have a good day?" Edward asked, rubbing his hand up and down my bare arm.

"Well, after the embarrassing morning, I had a great day." I giggled.

"You did great this morning, baby. I'm so proud of you." Edward said, kissing the top of my head. "You want to head to bed?"

"Mm. I like the sound of that." I said, looking up at his eyes. "I can't wait for you to say that to me every night."

"Neither can I, Bella, really." He said.

"Oh, I'm staying over on Wednesday night, too." I told him. "I'm watching Alice. You're mom and dad are having a date night."

"You're just watching Alice?" Edward laughed, leaning in to kiss my neck.

"Oh, I'll be watching you plenty." I giggled. Edward got up and took my hand. We went up to his room, and he went to his dresser and pulled out my t-shirt from Colorado. The one that read 'I like it on top. Pike's Peak, Colorado.' I made him keep it here, because I wasn't wearing at home around my dad.

"Will you wear this t-shirt tonight?" He asked, walking over to me and kissing my lips.

I laughed. "It's more than I was going to wear, but if that's what you want?" I teased Edward, making him laugh.

He reached down and pulled off my tank top, before moving his fingertips up and down my arms. "You love to tease me, don't you?" He asked me with a sexy smirk on his face.

"I do." I giggled. "I had a lot of fun this afternoon."

Edward leaned in and started kissing my neck and shoulder. "Mm. So did I." He said, between kisses. "And I love when you tease me." He whispered, reaching behind me, to unclip my bra. He pulled it off of me slowly, dropping it on the floor.

"Do you mind if I get ready for bed?" I asked. "Then we can pick up where we left off."

"If I have to let you go." Edward said, kissing my lips.

"I'll be right out." I told him, kissing his chin. I took the nightshirt and went into his bathroom. I used the bathroom, washed my face and brushed my teeth, before slipping on the nightshirt and taking off my skirt. This night shirt wasn't very long and just hit about two inches under my bum.

I walked out into Edward's room and smiled. He had the blankets pulled back and had the lights off, except for the lamp beside the bed. Edward was wearing just his black boxers, again, and was sitting on the side of the bed. I couldn't get over how lucky I was. Edward was gorgeous.

"Wow, baby." He said, opening his arms. I walked over to him, standing between his legs. He wrapped his arms around my hips and pressed his face to my stomach. "Mm." He hummed. "You look so gorgeous. My god, Bella, these t-shirts." He said, slowly moving his hands over my bum, and down to the back of my bare thighs.

I giggled. "You are so cute." I told him, running both hands through his hair.

He laughed. "I wasn't really going for cute." He said, bringing his hands up to squeeze my bum.

I giggled, setting my hands on top of his, and bringing them back in between us. "Well, that's just one of your many fabulous qualities." I told him, leaning down to kiss his lips.

"Thanks, sugar." He said, standing up. "I'll be right back." He kissed my lips before going into his bathroom.

I crawled into his bed and cuddled up under the blankets. I was so excited to be sleeping here tonight. I loved Edward's warm body pressed against mine. I loved his arms around me. Edward was back out in three minutes. I giggled. I knew he couldn't wait to get in bed with me, either.

"You look so good in my bed." He said, as he climbed in with me. He pulled me into his arms and I sighed in contentment, wrapping my arms around his back, so our chests were pressed together. He moved one hand up so he could run his fingers though my hair. "You tired?" He asked, kissing my forehead.

I smiled at the feeling of his lips on my skin. "Not really. I just like when you hold me." I told him. "I feel so secure and content."

"I'm glad." He said, tracing his nose down mine, before kissing my lips. This was going to be a great night.


	330. Dirty Talk

**A/N - We are still on Monday, July 19, 2010, if you can believe it. I can't help that Edward is so distracting. I don't want you to miss a second with him. But, I promise that we'll get to Tuesday in tomorrow's chapter. Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 330 - Dirty Talk

Laying in bed with Edward was fast becoming my favourite place to be with him. He started with gentle kisses on my lips, before we started sucking on each other's lips. I liked Edward's top lip, because I could feel the stubble on his upper lip. I loved it. If I had it my way, Edward would never shave.

"Mm, Bella." Edward breathed, moving his kisses down to my neck. "Baby, you taste so good." He slipped his hands under my t-shirt and traced his fingers over my back. I reached my hands up and held onto his biceps. "And you feel so good." He said, sliding his hands around the front of my body.

"Do you want me to take the t-shirt off?" I asked him, giggling.

"Yeah." He agreed, kissing my lips, again. "Whose crazy idea was it to put this shirt on anyway?"

I laughed. "I'm pretty sure it was yours." I said, kissing his lips.

"Well, why are you listening to me?" Edward laughed. "You're the smart one here."

I reached down and pulled my t-shirt off, tossing it to the end of Edward's bed. "I'm the smart one?" I asked, laughing. "No, Edward. You're the scientific genius here."

Edward smiled and brought his face to my chest, pressing hundreds of kisses all over my body. "Well, if I'm so smart, I wouldn't have suggested that you cover up this gorgeous body." Edward whispered.

"I thought you liked how the shirts draped over my body?" I asked, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp.

"Oh, I do, baby. I do." He whispered, caressing my skin. "But, once we're in this bed and the lights are out, then can't see the t-shirt anymore." He explained. "I love that you trust me with your body; that you let me touch and kiss you. You are so beautiful."

"Aw, babe. Of course I trust you. As far as I'm concerned, this body is yours, anyway. I'm yours. And I will be forever." I told him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Before you, I didn't know that I could feel so good. You make me feel amazing, Edward. Always."

He smiled at me, and looked truly happy, his eyes shining in the dim light of the lamp. "Bella, angel, I feel the same way." He whispered, pressing his lips to mine, again. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I said, running my hands over his chest. "Let me make you feel good." I whispered, pushing his shoulder, so he rolled onto his back.

I straddled his hips, and looked down at his face. "You are so gorgeous, Bella." Edward said, his gaze flicking from my face to my chest and then back, again. I smiled, but still blushed a little.

I leaned down and kissed his chest, I started rubbing his chest, before scratching his skin lightly. Edward groaned and tipped his head back. "You like that?" I asked him.

"Yeah, baby." He whispered, moving his hips under me. "Talk to me."

"Like what do you want me to say?" I asked, blushing bright red. Surely, Edward didn't expect dirty talk from me.

He chuckled. "I don't know. Your voice is just so sexy." He said. He was so sweet that he wouldn't actually say it, but I knew he wanted me to try dirty talking. I would do anything for Edward, so even though I was pretty embarrassed, I would give it a shot.

I took a deep breath. "Okay, sexy boy." I said, pretending I was confident. "Do you want me to taste your skin?" I asked, leaning in to lick his chest. "Mm, you taste you so good, baby." I said, making him moan. "You like that, Edward? Do you like when I lick you?"

"Oh, god, Bella. That's so hot." Edward whispered, reaching up to hold onto my hips. "Yes, baby. I like it. I love it."

I moved my hips over his, and he groaned, and I'm pretty sure he swore under his breath. I leaned forward on top of body, and kissed his neck. "Um, can you be on top, now?" I whispered. I tried really hard to be brave, but it felt really out of character for me. I was sure I could do it in the future, but right now, with my period, I wasn't feeling a hundred percent confident.

"Yeah, honey." I said, holding onto my back and rolling us over. He leaned into my ear and lightly bit my earlobe. "Are you alright?" He whispered.

I nodded my head, and looked into his eyes. "I think that's about as sexy as I can get." I giggled, nervously.

"Well, you're plenty sexy." He said, kissing my lips. "My god, baby. That was hot." He rolled his hips, making me close my eyes.

"Uh, Edward. I love you." I whispered.

There was a lot more moaning and groaning from the two of us as we had a repeat performance of this afternoon. I really hoped that we weren't being too loud, and that Alice was asleep.

"I love you, Bella." Edward whispered, rolling off of me.

"Mm." I hummed, rolling into him. I kissed his shoulder, before biting it lightly. "I love you, too."

Edward slid out of bed and walked to his drawer. "I'll be right back, angel." He whispered, running into the bathroom. I smiled and closed my eyes. Edward and I couldn't seem to get enough of each other, lately. And I absolutely loved it.

Edward came back to the bed in a pair of black boxer briefs. "Edward. You're gorgeous." I said, sitting up. "I'm going to be honest and admit that I'm a big fan of the boxer briefs."

"Yeah?" He asked, chuckling. "Well, then maybe I'm going to wear them all the time."

I giggled, getting out of his bed, and pulling the nightshirt back on. "I'll be right back." I said, slipping into the bathroom. I smiled at my reflection, again. I'm sure I would never get this glow off of my cheeks.

After using the bathroom, I went back out into Edward's room. He was laying on his side in his bed, looking like he was right out of the pages of GQ, or something. I turned off his lamp and crawled into bed with him.

"How about now?" Edward asked, wrapping his arm around me. "Tired yet?"

I giggled. "I'm definitely getting there." I told him, placing my hand on his bare chest.

He leaned in and kissed my lips. "I'm exhausted." He chuckled, closing his eyes.

"So, you really liked the dirty talking?" I asked him, quietly, slowly tracing my fingers over his chest.

"Yeah." He admitted, opening his eyes, and shuffling closer to me. "But, I only like it because it shows off your confident side. It's in there." He said, placing his palm over my heart. "I know you get embarrassed easily, but it's just me, Bella. I'm never going to laugh at you, or talk down to you. I love you. You know you're safe with me."

"I know." I told him. "And, I can't tell you how much I love you for that." I explained. "But, I've never done anything like that, before. And even though you make me feel safe, I think I'm my own worst critic."

"I'm the same way. I second guess myself all the time." He confessed. "I just want to be perfect for you."

"Aw, baby." I said, wrapping my arms around his neck, and tucking my leg between his. "You are perfect. In every way."

"Well, I'm glad you think so." He chuckled. "But, Bella, seriously. If you aren't comfortable with anything, then don't do it, okay? I never want you to do something that upsets you or makes you nervous. Even if you think I want you to."

I pressed my lips to his. "Thank you. But, I do like to try new things with you." I said. "I guess if I didn't, I wouldn't know what I liked."

"I love you, babe." He said, kissing me, again. He brought his head down to rest it against my chest. I stroked his hair with my hand, and not two minutes later, I heard him lightly snoring.

I smiled and kissed the top of his head, enjoying the feeling of his soft hair on my lips. I was in so deep with Edward. The feelings he encouraged in me, felt so overwhelming. I had never felt so much love in my whole life, even within my relationship with Edward, thus far.

He was so supportive and loving, and I felt tears slipping down my cheeks. It must have been the hormones, but I felt really emotional, right now. It was funny, that we sometimes cried when we were happy. And I was definitely happy.


	331. Emotions

**A/N - This is a transitional chapter...we'll make it to Tuesday, July 20, 2010 by the end! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 331 - Emotions

It was so late. It had to past midnight, but I just couldn't sleep. And I couldn't stop the stream of happy tears from trailing down my cheeks. I felt so loved and content in my life right now. Everything felt perfect.

I took a deep stuttering breath, and reached up to brush the tears from my eyes. I heard Edward groan and I tried to hold my breath so I didn't wake him up. I small cry slipped from my lips and immediately Edward was awake.

"Bella?" He asked, sounding a little disoriented.

I sniffled, and took another breath. "Uh huh." I said, trying to sound normal, but I knew that my voice sounded a little raw, and just off.

"Are you crying? Shit, baby. What's wrong?" He asked, pleadingly, as he sat up. I knew that Edward had always panicked when I cried. He had no idea how to handle tears. I think he always worried that he did something wrong; that he was the cause of my tears.

"Nothing." I said, softly, wiping at my eyes. "I just love you so much." As I said that, a couple loose tears fell from my eyes. Edward took my hands and pulled me onto his lap. He kissed the top of my head and ran his hand up and down my arm.

"I love you, too, Bella." He said. He started kissing my hair over and over. "Are you sure nothing's wrong? Because, you're scaring the hell out of me."

"Yeah. I'm sure." I said, wiping my eyes, again. "I was just thinking about how much I love you, and I felt a little emotional, that's all. I promise." I turned in his lap and pressed a kiss to his lips.

He licked his lips, and forced a smile at me. "Your lips taste like salt." He said, making me smile back at him.

"I'm sorry for waking you up." I said, picking up his right hand and holding it in both of my hands, gently weaving our fingers together. "I feel bad."

"Aw, honey. Never feel bad for that." He said, kissing my temple. "I just want to make sure you're alright."

"I am." I said. "But, I'm a little embarrassed, now, actually." I admitted, looking back down at our entwined hands. "I mean, who cries when they're happy?"

Edward chuckled. "You do, Bella." I laughed with him. "But, I love that about you. You have a beautiful heart. You are so honest and loving." He turned my face to his and kissed my lips. "You get so happy, that you cry because you don't know how else to express it."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. "Thank you for understanding that." I said.

"You're welcome." He whispered in my ear. "And if you feel like crying, you don't have to wait until I'm asleep, okay. Let me hold you."

"Thank you, baby." I said. "Can I take you up on that right now?"

He chuckled. "Of course." We laid down and Edward pulled me close to his body, so my back was to his chest. "How's that?"

"That's amazing." I said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, angel." He said, kissing the back of my head. "Try to get some sleep. We're going dancing tomorrow night, and you're going to need your energy."

I giggled. "Uh, oh. Now, I'm nervous."

"There's that beautiful laugh." He said, rubbing my stomach. "We're going to have a great time."

"I know." I said. My eyes were starting to feel really heavy and I just let my body go with it.

I was almost asleep when I heard Edward whispering. "I can't wait to make you mine." I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

I woke up to the sun shining through the window. Edward was laying with his head on my stomach, and his hand on my thigh. He was still asleep, and I held back a giggle. This was what I was looking forward to in the fall. Just the two of us, sleeping, and waking up, together.

I wished I could have laid there all day, but as usual, nature called. I reached up and ran my fingers through Edward's hair. He groaned and gripped me tighter, burying his face in to my t-shirt.

I giggled. "Edward." I said, scratching his scalp. He hummed, sounding so content. "I know you're awake."

"Uh huh." He said, sounding muffled, as his had slid up my thigh to my hip.

"Baby." I said. "I need to get up. And you pressing on my stomach isn't helping things." I giggled.

Edward lifted his head to look at my face. His hair was a mess, but it only made him look cuter. "Good morning, beautiful." He said, smiling at me.

"Good morning, handsome." I answered, sitting up. I looked at the clock and noticed it was ten o'clock. "Why is it so late?" I asked, standing up. I don't know why I felt a little panicked. I had absolutely nothing to do today.

"We stayed up late and it's the middle of summer vacation." Edward said, rolling on his back and stretching. His body looked phenomenal. And if I didn't have to pee, I would have been right back in bed with him.

I laughed. "Good point." I turned and went into the bathroom. While I was in there, I figured, I'd just get in the shower. I stripped off my t-shirt and underwear and got in the shower. I let the hot water wash over me. I smiled thinking of how great Edward was last night. I had gotten a little teary eyed, and Edward was right there to hold me. He was amazing.

"Baby?" I heard Edward's voice. "Do you mind if I use the bathroom?"

"No." I answered.

"Bella, um, I know you didn't like the idea before, but would you mind if I got in the shower with you?" He asked. "I mean I'll get out if you don't want me to see you shave your legs, or whatever." I smiled. Edward was so sweet. And even though I was a little nervous about it, I wanted to do it. "Babe?"

"Yeah." I said. "Come in." I heard Edward shuffle for a minute, before he pulled back the curtain and stepped in. It was only the third time I had seen Edward with nothing on, and his body was as glorious as I remembered.

He smiled at me, and pulled me into his arms. "This okay?" He asked, leaning in to press a kiss to my wet forehead.

I nodded. "Yeah." I answered, kissing his chest.

"You're not very talkative today." He said, picking up my shampoo. He squeezed some in his hands and started washing my hair. He was so gentle and it felt really good. "Is this okay?"

"Yes." I said, before giggling at my one word answer. Edward laughed with me, making me relax a little more. "Baby, that feels amazing?"

"I'm glad." He said. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the water on my back and Edward's hands in my hair. "You are so gorgeous, baby." He whispered, as he guided me back into the water to rinse my hair.

He ran his fingers through my hair, but they continued down my body, over my skin. He picked up his body wash and squeezed it into his hands. He set his hands on my shoulders, and they moved easily down my arms, slick from the soap. He continued his path over my body and I had to struggle to stay standing up.

"Uh, Edward." I moaned, as he got down on his knees to wash my legs. When he was finished, I set my hands on his shoulders, holding him down. "Can I wash your hair?" I asked.

"I would love that." He said, wrapping his arms around my hips, and placing a series of kisses on my stomach. "I love being so tall."

I giggled, as I started washing his hair. "I love that you're tall, too. There's just so much more of you to love. Why do you like being tall?"

He chuckled, kisses moving up to my chest. "Because it gives me an excuse to kneel in front of you and worship your body."

I smiled. "You are so perfect, Edward." I said. "But, you've got to stand up and rinse your hair. "It's my turn to worship you."


	332. Cheeks

**A/N - Happy Saturday! I just wanted to let you know that the fanfiction website was doing some more maintainance, and now has another quirk to it: it won't let me reply to your reviews! Just know that I'm reading them and loving them. You all make me smile and laugh. It's such a nice feeling to know you are enjoying this story as much as I am. So, thank you for reading. If you don't get a reply, that's why! But, I'm just happy I can post my chapters this time! Thanks, again. Enjoy!**

Chapter 332 - Cheeks

I had no idea why I had been nervous about showering with Edward. It so far had proved to be an amazing experience, and I was enjoying myself immensely. I blatantly stared at Edward's body as he rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. I put a little conditioner in my hair while I waited.

"My turn?" I asked, running my fingers down his chest.

Edward smiled at me. It was clear that he was enjoying himself as much I was. I poured a large amount of his body wash in my hands and brought them up to his shoulders. I started moving my hands in circles, over his chest, abs and arms. "Turn around." I told him, and he did.

I got some more body wash and rubbed his back, moving down to his bum. He had such a beautiful body, even his bum was pretty. It had muscle definition. I giggled a little, as I rubbed my hands over his bum, and he squeezed his bum cheeks. He looked over his shoulder at me and laughed. I got some more body wash and reached my hands around Edward so I could finish washing him. By the sounds he was making, I'm pretty sure I was doing it right.

He turned around to face me, smiling. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips. "I love you so much." He said, before deepening the kiss. He fingertips explored my body as he kissed me, and I felt like I was in sensation overload.

He finally pulled back, but placed a couple more closed mouth kisses to my lips. "That was a pretty good shower, huh?" I asked him, squeezing his bum.

"I don't think I'll ever want to shower without you, now." He said, chuckling.

"We're going to use all the hot water in our apartment building, aren't we?" I laughed.

"We are." He said, leaning to kiss my neck. "Mm." He hummed into my skin.

"Okay, you. Get out." I said, pinching his bum. "These legs need to be shaved."

Edward laughed. "No they don't." He said. "But if I must." He said, leaning in for one more kiss. "You know, one day, not only are you going to let me watch you, you're going to let me shave your legs for you."

I laughed. "Okay, Edward. We'll see." That was never going to happen.

"What?" He said, stepping out of the shower. "I think it would be sexy." I laughed and pulled the shower curtain closed. "I don't care if I have to wait until we've been married for five years. You'll let me try it eventually."

"You're pretty confident, huh?" I giggled, as I started shaving my left leg.

"I am, baby." He said. "And I'm darn good with a razor." I giggled at how silly he was being. I loved it. Everything was fun with Edward.

"So am I." I told him. "One leg down, one to go." Edward laughed with me. I finished my shower, and I heard Edward brushing his teeth. "Babe. Can I have a couple minutes alone?" I asked him. Yes, we had a shower together, but there were things about my period that Edward didn't need to see.

"Oh, yeah." He said, rinsing his mouth. "Of course." I heard the bathroom door close before I got out, and used the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, brushed out my hair, and scrunched a little gel in it, before I slipped my night shirt back on. I walked out in Edward's room and found him sitting on the bed in just a pair of boxer briefs.

I smiled. "I love the view." I giggled. Walking over to his drawer and pulling on a pair of panties, before I took my shirt off. I crawled onto his bed with him and wrapped my arms around his chest.

I didn't think he could smile bigger than he was right now. It was gorgeous. I leaned in to kiss his lips. "Mm, baby. You are so gorgeous." He said, rolling us over, so he was straddling me. He moved his hands gently over my chest, making me blush a little. "I love that you're blushing right now." He chuckled. "You have no idea how sexy you are, do you?"

I threw my arms over my face. "No." I said, my voice muffled in my arms.

Edward laughed, rolling off of me. "I'm just going to have to keep working on you, until you believe it." He sat beside me, running his fingers over my legs. "You are good with the razor." He chuckled. He got up off the bed and went into the bathroom.

"Come back." I called out. I giggled when he came back in the room with his bottle of the lotion we bought in Seattle. "Oh, are you going to lotion me up?" I giggled.

"I was thinking about it." He said, smiling. "You want me to?"

"Absolutely. I like your hands on my body." I admitted.

"I like my hands on your body, too." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. He squeezed out some body lotion and picked up my right leg. He started on my right foot and worked his way up my leg to my thigh.

"Baby, that feels good." I told him.

"I'm glad, gorgeous." He said, he climbed over my legs and sat on the other side on me so he could rub my other leg with lotion. I looked over at the clock and giggled when I saw it was eleven. This was the best lazy morning, ever.

My stomach growled, and Edward laughed. He leaned in and started kissing my stomach. "Aren't you hungry?" I asked him.

"I'm starving." He laughed. "But, I wanted to hang out with you as long as possible."

"Aw. You're a sweetheart." I said, sitting up. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said, hugging me. "Should we get dressed?"

"Unfortunately." I giggled, reaching behind him to squeeze his bum. "Ah, I just love your bum."

Edward chuckled. "I've noticed." He said, kissing my lips.

"It's beautiful." I added. "It might just be a work of art." Edward laughed, again, and pressed a kiss to my lips. He got up off the bed and walked over to his closet. I watched his bum as he walked, and he was walking slowly on purpose.

I giggled, and he reached up to his waistband and pulled down his briefs, mooning me. "Edward." I laughed. He pulled them back up and started laughing. He pulled on a pair of khaki green cargo shorts and a white t-shirt.

I crawled off of Edward's bed and pulled on my bra, a black t-shirt and a pair of light wash jeans that I had in his drawer. "I don't have any shorts here." I told him.

"Well, if we're talking about bums, yours looks sexy in jeans." Edward said, taking my hand, and unlocking his bedroom door. We went down to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

"Well, breakfasts aren't my thing, babe." He said, as we walked into the kitchen.

"That's okay, babe." I told him. "Do you want me to show you how to cook scrambled eggs, or French toast?" I asked him.

"Or we could have cereal." He laughed.

"Sounds good." I giggled, sitting at the island. Edward got us bowls and spoons and then walked to the pantry.

"Fruit Loops?" He asked, making me giggle.

"Sounds delicious." I told him. He brought the box over and then went to the fridge to get us milk and OJ. I poured our cereal, and then Edward came and poured the milk, like right to the brim of the bowl.

I giggled. "Too much?" Edward asked. "I hate my cereal dry. Like, how do people on those commercials eat a bowl a cereal with just a drop of milk at the bottom of the bowl? It's insanity."

I grabbed Edward's cheeks and kissed his lips. "This is the kind of stuff I love learning about you." I told him. "All the little quirks."

Edward laughed, sitting down beside me and taking a huge bite of cereal. After he crunched and swallowed, he smiled at me. "Well, thanks." He laughed. "But the milk thing is common sense to me."

I laughed. "Okay. Good to know." I said. "We'll have to make sure we keep a lot of milk in the fridge."

He laughed. "Definitely." Edward poured himself a second bowl of cereal and I sat and watched him. He was just too priceless. As he ate, I saw a note on the counter.

"Hey, babe. You're mom left us a note." I told him, before reading it out. 'Kids, We all went down to the beach for the day with Rose and Maria. Come join us if you have no other plans. I've got lunch. Love you both, Mom.'

"Sounds good to me." Edward said, smiling. "You want to go?"

"I'd love to." I told him. It looked like we had plans for the afternoon.


	333. Bunnies and The Beach

**A/N - Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing moms out there! I'm looking forward to a picnic at the lake with my mom and gran today! Thanks again for all the reviews, and I'm sorry that I wasn't able to send out review replies, again! It is Tuesday, July 20, 2010 in Summer Vacation. Enjoy!**

Chapter 333 - Bunnies and The Beach

Edward ran upstairs to grab a blanket, and then we headed out to his car. "Can we stop at the station? I just wanted to check in with my dad." I said, as we pulled out from Edward's place.

"Yeah, of course, angel." Edward said, reaching over to hold my hand.

We pulled up to the station, and after a hug from the receptionist, Sue, we headed back to my dad's desk. "Hey, kids." He said, as we walked up to his desk. "Do you have plans tonight? Heidi's making tacos."

I giggled at how cute he was when he was excited about food. "Tacos? I'm in." Edward said, smiling.

"We're going out with Paul, Alec and Jake tonight." I told him. "But we can definitely have dinner, first."

My dad looked excited. "Sounds good. Heidi's place, okay." He told us.

"Alright. We'll see you tonight." I said, walking around his desk to give him a hug. "I love you, dad."

"I love you, too, Bells." He said. He reached across his dress and shook Edward's hand. We went back out into the parking lot and saw Alec as he was pulling into the lot.

"Hey, guys." He said, getting out the car, and walking over to us. "You saving me a dance tonight, Bella?" He asked, winking at me.

"You'll have to talk that out with my boy." I said, lifting up Edward's arm and wrapping it around my shoulder. Edward laughed and kissed the side of my head.

"We'll see if I can let her go." Edward said.

"Alright." Alec laughed. "I'll see you two tonight." He said, waving as he headed back into the station.

Edward and I got back in the car and drove to my house. Edward held onto my hips as he walked behind me up the stairs to my room. "Mm, you're so gorgeous, baby." He said.

I laughed. "Thank you, babe." I said, as we got to my room. Edward lifted me up and carried me to my bed. We both laid down and I wrapped my arms around his waist. "So, are you going to let me go tonight at the club?" I asked him.

"Absolutely not." He said. "You're mine." I laughed as he snuggled his face into the crook of my neck. He nipped at my skin, and made me moan. I reached up and ran my nails down Edward's back, making him hum. Edward reached down to my jeans and had them undone and pulled down past my hips in seconds.

I reached up and brought his face to mine, kissing his lips over and over and over again. Edward smiled against my lips, before he licked at them, and then deepened the kiss. I felt Edward's fingers dip into my underwear and he started moving his fingers over my bum.

I reached my hand back to cover his hand. "No, baby. Give me a couple more days." I breathed, before kissing his lips, again.

"Sorry." He whispered, as he moved his hands up my back. "I just can't get enough of you."

I laughed. "I know the feeling." I told him, rolling on my back. Edward climbed over me, and laid down on top of me. He was moving slowly against me, and leaned down to kiss my lips again.

"I love you, baby." He said, smiling at me, and looking into my eyes.

"Uh, huh." I said, closing my eyes, and just enjoying Edward's weight on me.

"Shouldn't we be going to the beach?" He asked, starting to get up.

I reached up and grabbed his bum, pulling his hips back down on top of me, making us both groan. "You'd better be teasing me." I said, kissing his lips. "Don't start that and then stop."

He laughed, pressing into me harder. I hummed and closed my eyes, again. "Better?"

"So much better." I whispered. After making me see stars, Edward rolled off of me, and I rolled into him. "I love you." I told him, kissing his chest.

"Is this okay, Bella?" Edward asked, looking up at the ceiling. "I mean, we've been going at it like bunnies almost non-stop. It's not too much, right?" He turned his head to look at my eyes. "It's just that, I love you so much, and I don't want you to think that this is all I want. I mean, I love it. Our bodies feel amazing together, but what I feel for you is so much more."

I leaned up to kiss his lips. "You're rambling." I giggled, before kissing his smiling lips. "Please don't worry so much. I know you love me, so, so much. I can see it in your eyes, and I can tell by the way you look at me and the gentle way you touch me." I sat up and started running my fingers through his hair. "We're just growing, that's all. Our physical relationship is just another way of showing our love."

Edward smiled and propped himself up to kiss my lips again. "I knew you were the smart one." He laughed.

"Well, I must be. I'm dating you." I said, rubbing his chest. "So, you want to go to the beach?"

"Oh, now you want to talk about the beach?" Edward laughed.

We both cleaned up and I pulled on a pair of denim shorts, instead of jeans. It was the beach after all. Edward took my hand and we went back in the car.

We got to the beach at one o'clock, and found Esme set up where we had when we went body boarding. Emmett, Jasper, Rose and Maria were out on the beach, throwing a Frisbee and Alice was dancing around in the sand.

"Hi, kids." Esme said smiling, as we walked up and Edward spread out our blanket. "I'm glad you found my note." She giggled. She passed Edward a cooler, and he smiled, opening it up.

"Yeah, Bella found it." Edward told her, passing me a homemade sub sandwich.

Alice came skipping over to us, falling into Edward's lap. "Oof." He said, before lifting her up bit and moving her to his leg. I tried to hold back a giggle and Edward turned and frowned at me, before winking.

"What took you guys so long?" Alice asked us. "We've been here for two hours already."

"Oh, we slept in." I told her.

"All morning? Edward never sleeps in." She said. She was getting pretty clever. We were going to have to start coming up with better excuses for her.

"Well, I made Bella breakfast, and then we went to visit her dad at the police station." Edward added.

Alice giggled. "What did you cook?" She asked, taking a bite out of Edward's sandwich.

"Fruit Loops." He chuckled, kissing the side of her head.

"He did a really good job." I told Alice, grinning at Edward. He smiled at me, and leaned in for a kiss.

"Mom, can you believe them? Even I can cook cereal." Alice said, making us all start laughing really hard. This girl was absolutely priceless. She just smiled and seemed to love all the attention.

After we ate, we went out to play Frisbee with Emmett Jasper and the girls. Even Esme and Alice came out to try it.

Edward came up behind me to help me throw the Frisbee. I giggled, as he slid his hand down my arm, and pressed his body into my back. "You know, handsome. I do actually know how to throw this thing." I told him, tipping my head up to look at him.

He kissed my lips, smiling down at me, and he wrapped his arms around my waist. I tossed the Frisbee and Jasper caught it easily. I didn't have very good aim and I honestly didn't know who I was throwing it to, but I could throw it.

"Well, what do you know." He chuckled. "I'm still not letting you go."

"Fine with me." I laughed. I absolutely loved when Edward was playful like this.

Esme couldn't throw it, and Emmett walked over to her, and started explaining it to her. She was laughing and Emmett was teasing her. It was a cute mother/son moment. Edward, being Edward, used the pause in the game to turn me around for a hug.

"God, I love you." He said, leaning down to kiss me. "I really, really can't wait to dance with you tonight."

I laughed. "Well, I don't remember what you taught me, so I might just have to sit it out." I teased. Edward's mouth flew open in surprise and I started laughing really hard.

"Bella Swan." He scolded, lifting me up under the bum and spinning me around. "Don't tease me like that. I've been waiting a whole week to see you move this body out on that dance floor." I was excited for Edward to hold me tonight. Now, all I needed was a little confidence, and then maybe we could dance.


	334. Teasing and Talking

**A/N - What a nightmare day in the world of fanfiction! More errors! Yikes! Thank you to Addie W. and her adorable and incredibly helpful fanfiction 'Edward's Uploading Solution.' Not only was it cute, but it holds the key to posting chapters when the site has gone crazy! So here is your Monday chapter! It's only 15 hours late! haha! Enjoy and thank you all so much for your patience and for reading! If I ever miss a day, know that it's not me, it's the site. I would always let you know ahead of time if I couldn't post! Thanks, again! Love you all!**

Chapter 334 - Teasing and Talking

We stayed at the beach until four thirty. We played Frisbee for a while, and Edward finally let me go and played with us, but only after Emmett called him out. Edward pouted his bottom lip at me, and I gave him a kiss. Em called him a sissy. I called Edward sexy.

We all went for a walk along the beach and Edward held my hand as we walked into the surf, the water splashing up to our knees. It was so beautiful out here at the beach today. I really loved Forks. I was going to miss this beach when we went back to Seattle.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked me, bringing my hand to his lips.

"Just how much I love this beach." I told him. "It's so beautiful here."

"It is, baby." He said. "I love how quickly you've grown to love Washington."

"Well, you living here has a lot to do with it."I confessed, smiling at his gorgeous face. He looked so sexy in his sunglasses. He honestly looked like a movie star.

At four thirty we left the Cullens and Hales at the beach after hugs for Alice, and then headed back to Edward's place. He forgot to bring clothes for our date to the bar.

We went upstairs and Edward stood looking into his closet, while I laid back on his bed. He looked over his shoulder at me, and smiled.

"How am I supposed to decide what to wear when you're laying on my bed?" He asked, winking at me. "It's very distracting."

"Well, get that bum over here." I giggled.

"Is that all you want me for? My bum?" Edward laughed, stripping off all his clothes except his briefs. He walked over to me and crawled in bed, laying on his side to face me. I reached behind him and slid my hand in his briefs, giving his bum a good squeeze.

"No, I love all of you. Your bum is just a perk." I giggled.

"So, what do you want me to wear tonight?" He asked, gently moving his fingers up and down my side.

"Some dark wash jeans and the tightest black shirt you own." I told him. He laughed.

"Seriously?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"I am so serious." I told him. "I want to see the definition of your gorgeous body through your shirt."

"Okay." He said, getting up. He pulled on a thin, almost tight black t-shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged his muscular thighs. He pulled on a black belt, and then his nice shiny black shoes. He sprayed on some cologne, and I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off of him.

"You look gorgeous, Edward." I told him. "You ready for tacos?" I asked, getting off the bed.

"Absolutely." He chuckled.

As, we drove over to Heidi's house for dinner, Edward asked me if I wanted to change before dinner. "No, baby." I told him. "I have something in mind that I want to wear for you tonight, but I don't want my dad to see it."

Edward looked over at me and smirked. "Really?" He asked. "You've got my mind going a million miles an hour here."

I laughed. "I'm not trying to tease you." I told him.

"What do you have that I haven't seen?" He asked, still looking really excited.

"I have a few things." I giggled. "It's something I bought with Angie back in Phoenix."

"So, Angela made you buy a bunch of sexy clothes?" He asked. "I'm going to have to have another fashion show, huh?"

I laughed. "It's not that sexy."

"On you, I'm sure it is." He said, leaning over to kiss me once we parked at Heidi's place.

"I love you." I told him, as we walked up to Heidi's door.

He smiled. "The feeling is mutual, angel."

I knocked on the door and my dad let us in. "Hey, Bells, Edward." He said, pulling me into a hug. "Heidi's just finishing up. Come on in."We followed my dad into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

Heidi did a great job with dinner, and we both laughed at my dad and Edward. They didn't really participate in any conversation. They just ate. I couldn't tell you how many tacos they ate, but it was at least four each. You would think they were being starved with the way they were eating.

After we ate, Heidi and I went into the kitchen to wash the dishes and she sent my dad and Edward into the living room. I was glad; I wanted to talk to her.

"So, how are things going with you and Edward?" She asked me, as she passed me a plate to dry. "It's been a while since we've had a chance to catch up."

I blushed before I even started talking. Heidi smiled at me, knowingly. "Things are going really well. We had a shower together this morning."I whispered.

She smiled. "Really? Wow, Bella." She said, probably a little too loudly.

"Shh." I whispered, giggling. "My dad can't know that."

"Well, how did it go?" She asked, smiling.

"Um, amazing." I said, looking down at the plate that I dried about ten times, now. "Edward is just perfect."

Heidi smiled. "Do you want me to keep your dad here overnight, so you and Edward can have the house to yourselves tonight when you get home?"

"Um, yeah. That would be great actually." I told her, blushing a little. "Hey, um, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Bella." She said. "Anything."

"Okay, uh, yesterday morning, Edward and I went to talk to Carlisle at the hospital about me taking birth control." I told her.

"Yes, your dad mentioned it. He seemed a little worried yesterday, and I finally coaxed it out of him." She said.

"Yeah, well, he said it would help with my cramps." I told her, and she nodded. "Anyway, I need a physical exam and I was hoping you would go with me. I mean it's not a big deal, and I've had one before, I just don't want to go by myself."

"Of course." She said, drying her hands and pulling me into a hug. "I'm so happy you trust me enough to ask."

"I do, Heidi." I told her. "You're amazing."

"Okay, just let me know when you want to go, and I'll be there." She said, squeezing my hand. "I'm on the night shift for two weeks starting next Monday, so if you want to make the appointment in the morning, that would work. Or, if you want to wait, I can always take some time off work."

"No, that's fine. I'll make the appointment on your night shift." I said. We finished the dishes, and went back into the living room. When Edward saw me, he stood up. I think he was more than a little excited to see my outfit.

"Okay, goodnight, dad." I said, pulling him into a hug. "I'm babysitting Alice tomorrow night, so I'll stop by the station tomorrow for lunch, okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds good, kiddo." He said. "Have a great night. Be careful out there."

"We will." I told him.

"I'll take care of her, chief." Edward said, shaking my dad's hand. Heidi gave us both hugs, before we went out to the car.

Edward had us back to my place in no time. He took my hand and practically pulled me up the stairs. He flopped on my bed and put his hands behind his head. "Okay, let's see this sexy outfit."He said, winking at me, making me laugh.

I stripped off my t-shirt, bra and jean shorts. I pulled on some dark skinny jeans, and then went to my closet to pull on my teal, cowl neck top. It was sleeveless, and fairly tight, and the neckline dipped quite low; too low for a bra. Not only that, but it had a crisscross back. It was the most revealing thing I owed and I had never worn it. Ang said, that a college girl may need a sexy top, and until now, I hadn't.

I had my back to Edward, so when I turned around, he got his first look at the top. "Wow, baby." He said, getting off the bed. He stood in front of me and ran his fingertips up my sides. He brought his face to my neck, and kissed down the front of my cleavage. "Okay, we're not going." He chuckled, teasing me.

"What? Why?" I asked, running my fingers over his back.

"Because, firstly, I love you and I want to say here and show you how much; and secondly, you're not wearing a bra, and I'm not sure I want anyone else seeing you when you look this gorgeous."He said, bringing his lips to mine, and giving me a very passionate kiss.

Knowing that my boyfriend thought I looked so good, I figured that I had the confidence I needed to try dancing with him. It was going to be a great night.


	335. Sexy Girl

**A/N - What a perfect birthday present...the site actually let me load my chapter! I can't tell you how excited I am! It's my 30th birthday! Yikes! So, I have a birthday present for you! Dancing with Bella and Edward! ****Make sure you didn't miss the chapter I posted last night! Oh, and the review reply feature is still acting up! But, just know I am loving your reviews! They keep me motivated! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 335 - Sexy Girl

When he finally pulled back from kissing me, I told Edward that I needed that fifteen minutes to fix my hair and makeup.

"Okay, sexy." He said, kissing me again. "I'm just going to run out for a second. I'll be back before you're ready."

"Where are you going?" I asked, caressing his cheeks with my fingertips. He turned his head and kissed my fingers.

"You'll see my gorgeous girl." He said, before leaning down to kiss my lips again. "I love you. I'll be right back." He turned and left me in my room.

I had no idea what he was up to. I went in the bathroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face and then applied some fresh makeup. I put on dark purple eye shadow and black eyeliner to make my eyes stand out. I put on a light pink lip gloss, too. It was pretty, even though I knew it wouldn't last. Edward would have it kissed off in no time.

I brushed through my wavy hair and then took the curling iron to it, making loose waves. I pulled the front back and clipped it, before spraying my hair. I used the bathroom, before stuffing my licence, a tampon and lip gloss in my pocket. I didn't want to carry a purse tonight. I went to my room and slipped on my low black heels and then went downstairs to wait for Edward.

It had been twenty minutes and he still wasn't back. I got up to get my phone, and was halfway up the stairs when the doorbell rang. I ran back down and opened the door. Edward was standing at the door with a small bouquet of purple orchids.

"Oh, baby." I said, taking the flowers he passed me. "They are so gorgeous. Thank you."

He placed his hand on my waist and leaned in to press a kiss to my lips. "You're welcome. And, you are breathtaking, babe."

"Aw. Thank you. You didn't need to go out of your way, Edward." I told him. He was enough for me, and always would be. Plus I knew how expensive orchids were.

"Bella, I can't take the most beautiful, amazing and sexy girl out for a date without flowers." He said, smiling at me. "Plus I wanted orchids because they are the perfect flower for you. The meaning behind them describes how I see you, exactly. They symbolize love, luxury, beauty and strength."

I held my hand to my heart and tried not to cry, so I didn't ruin my makeup. "Edward, you say the most beautiful things to me." I choked out, a couple of tears slipping from my eyes.

"Oh, Bella." He said, wrapping his arm his waist, and pulling my body to his. "I didn't mean to make you cry." He said, reaching up to gently wipe the tears from my cheeks. He chuckled, before he leaned in to kiss my lips. "You're so beautiful." He whispered against my lips, before kissing me, again.

"Let me put these in water." I said, walking to the kitchen. I heard Edward following me. "Edward, these are just gorgeous." I said, grabbing a vase and setting them on the table.

"No, Bella. You are gorgeous." He said, leaning in to kiss me, again. He stood back to look at me, and slowly moved his hands down my sides. He smiled. "I'm so proud of you for wearing this, and for learning how to dance, and for just agreeing to try." He shook his head. "I am the luckiest man on earth, Bella."

I knew my cheeks were flushed, and probably would be all night. But, I felt so loved and supported. I brought my hands up to his cheeks and pulled his mouth down to meet mine. He smiled, as we kissed.

"Mm, babe. Don't start with the kissing. Because kissing leads to making out, and that leads to me carrying you up those stairs. And then, I'll peel this gorgeous shirt off of your body and then we won't be going anywhere tonight." Edward whispered in my ear.

"Um, okay." I giggled, looking down a little. I was blushing, again.

He caressed my cheek, and pressed one more kiss to my lips. "You ready to do this thing?" He chuckled.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I giggled, taking his hand. We went out to the car and drove to the Mill Creek Bar. Edward took my hand and led me in.

It was quite busy tonight and there was a live band on stage. The dance floor was quite full. It didn't have the laid back atmosphere it did the last time we were here. It was very much a club atmosphere. Edward let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, holding me close to his body. I slipped my arm around his waist, and slid my hand into his back pocket.

As we walked past the dance floor, we saw Rachel and Paul making out on the dance floor. She was in a short black sequined dress and the highest heels I had ever seen. Edward chuckled at them, and pointed over to the same booth we had the last time. Jake, Vanessa, Alec and Siobhan were all sitting together, with drinks on the table.

We walked over to the table and Jake and Vanessa slid over for us. I sat beside Vanessa and Edward sat on the end. "You look great, Bella." Vanessa said into my ear so I could hear her.

"Thank you. So do you." I whispered. Vanessa was wearing a grey t-shirt dress with black tights. Siobhan waved at me from across the table, and I waved back. The music was so loud. She looked cute. She had a flowy yellow blouse on, and her hair was pulled up into a ponytail.

The waitress came up and I ordered a Shirley Temple, and Edward got a coke. "A sweet drink for a sweet girl." Edward whispered in my ear before sucking on my earlobe. I smiled and slid my hand over his thigh, to the inside of his knee.

His eyes met mine and he smiled at me, before kissing my lips. I knew he wanted to get out on the dance floor, but I had to get a little more comfortable with my surroundings, first. The waitress brought our drinks and I ate the maraschino cherry right away. Of course, Edward leaned in to kiss the sweet flavour from my lips.

The band took a break and the club turned on the stereo, again. It was still loud, but not as bad. It allowed us to have a little conversation. Vanessa told us that she called the elementary school last week, like Siobhan suggested and she got the receptionist job. She had her interview yesterday and they had called her this morning and told her she had the job.

I gave her a hug and Siobhan reached across the table to squeeze her hands. "I'm so excited we're going to be working together." Siobhan told her.

"Bella, now we just need you." Vanessa said.

"Well, that will be about five years from now." I laughed. I was excited to be a teacher, but I could wait. I was looking forward to the rest of my and Edward's college years and living together in our apartment, before we came home to Forks.

When we had finished our drinks, Edward leaned in to whisper in my ear. "You ready to burn up the floor?"

I giggled. "Okay, next slow dance. You need to warm me up." I told him, and he laughed. Of course, not a minute after I said that, a slow song came on the stereo. Edward smirked at me, and stood up, helping me off of my seat.

Edward led me out to the dance floor, before turning to face me. He smiled down at me, and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to his body. I wrapped my arms around his back and laid my the side of my face on his chest. He was so warm and he smelled delicious. I loved that he wasn't trying to make me actually dance, but was just content to hold me in his arms and sway us back and forth.

I knew what he was doing. He was trying to make sure I was comfortable out here on the dance floor, before we started with the fast songs. I loved my Edward more every second of the day. It was unbelievable, really.

As the song came to an end, I tightened my grip on Edward, and I heard him chuckle, as a dance song blared through the club. He reached behind his body to take my hands. He brought them around and up to his chest, so he could lean down and whisper in my ear.

"You can do this, sexy girl." He said softly before lightly biting my earlobe. His hands slid over to my bum and he gave it a squeeze. He was trying to get me worked up. Edward knew what he was doing. He knew me and he knew my body.

"Let's try the step touch move you learned." He said into my ear. He took my hands in his, between us and started stepping back and forth, moving his body to the music. He was smiling at me, so I tried it.

I knew I looked awkward and had no rhythm, but Edward looked so excited that I was actually attempting to dance with him, that I didn't think it actually mattered. I was trying to pretend that we were the only ones here.

It wasn't too hard to do. Edward looked so incredible. His hair looked phenomenal under the red flashing lights and he moved so smoothly. It was easy to see that he was musical, because he moved so easily to the beat.

I felt hands on my waist, and I turned to look over my shoulder. I smiled when I saw Rachel. "Looking hot, girl." She said, hugging me from behind. "I was wondering when someone was going to join Paul and I out here."

I laughed. "I'm trying." And, I was. I would do anything for Edward.


	336. Weak in the Knees

**A/N - I had an amazing birthday, yesterday! I can't thank you all enough for the sweet birthday wishes! You are all amazing! I feel so special! So, in return, I have more hot dance floor fun with Edward and Bella for you! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 336 - Weak in the Knees

Paul wrapped his arms around Rachel, his hands on her bum and pulled her close. They started dancing beside us. Edward lifted my hands and set them on his shoulders. He put his hands on my hips and started moving his body against mine. I was trying to dance along with him, but what he was doing felt really good, and I was definitely distracted.

Edward's eyes were on mine, but every once in a while, they would sweep down my body. I could almost feel his gaze over my curves. He looked incredibly content, yet intense at the same time. He was loving every second of this, and I was so glad that Heidi was keeping my dad at her house tonight.

Edward turned me around and set his hands low on my hips. I felt his lips on my shoulder, as he placed warm kisses on my already hot skin. I felt him lick me, before he blew on my shoulder. It was a very welcomed cold sensation and I felt myself shiver at the feeling.

He moved my hair to the side and started kissing the side of my neck from behind. He bought one hand up to wrap around my waist, just under my bust line. His fingertips were caressing the bare skin on my back. He was moving his hips against my bum, and I could hardly stand up.

The things Edward was making me feel were incredible and I was truly beginning to see the appeal of dancing. He was really making me feel attractive and sexy. It was like he literally couldn't stop touching me. His body, his hand and his lips were all over me. I was so hot, but I didn't want him to let me go.

I reached my hand up behind his neck to hold his face to my neck. His lips felt so good on my skin. I started moving my hips against his a little harder, and I heard his groan in my ear. I could tell that he liked my bold actions, the way he started sucking at my throat. He scraped his teeth on my skin and I closed my eyes.

I turned around in Edward's arms, and reached my arms up to his shoulders. He set one hand on my bare back, and the other on my hip. He leaned down to kiss me. It was a hot kiss, and it literally made me feel weak in the knees. I slid my hand over to the back of his neck, and brought my lips to his ear.

"I need to sit down." I whisper yelled into his ear so he could hear me. He turned his head to look into my eyes, checking if I was alright. I kissed his lips and smiled at him. "I'm just hot." I told him.

He smiled back at me, and nodded his head. He turned me around, and set his hands on my hips, so he could walk behind me to our table. It looked like Siobhan and Alec were on the dance floor and just Jake and Vanessa were at the table. I slid in the booth beside Jake, and then Edward sat beside me.

"You need something to drink, babe?" Edward asked me, before kissing my lips.

"Um, maybe just some water." I told him.

"Okay. I'll be right back." He said. "Jake." He called, and then looked over at me. Jake nodded and then wrapped his arm around my shoulder. It was cute. They were communicating with out saying anything. I looked at Vanessa, who was holding Jake's other hand on the table, and we both started laughing. Guys.

I loved that the boys were all so protective of us. I felt very safe with our group of friends. Jake, Paul and Alec were all cops, and not only that, they worked with my dad. They would never let anything happen to me. That was, if anyone ever got through Edward. He was definitely like the lion I compared him to at the zoo. He was so fiercely protective of me. And I loved him to death for it.

"You guys looked so hot out there." Vanessa said, leaning in front of Jake.

"Really?" I giggled. "I have no idea what I'm doing out there. Edward taught me how to dance in my bedroom."

"To much information, Bella." Jake laughed. I slapped his stomach, making sure to avoid his chest. I didn't want to hurt his healing gunshot wound.

"Why aren't you out there dancing?" I teased.

"I was shot." He said. "I have a perfectly good excuse."

"Well, you could do a slow dance." I suggested, and Vanessa smiled up at Jake's face. Jake looked at me and playfully frowned, making me laugh.

"Do you want to, Jake?" Vanessa asked him, pouting out her bottom lip.

"Uh, sure." He said, smiling at her. He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Bella, I'm going to get even with you, one day." He chuckled.

"Oh, don't be a baby. You've got a beautiful girl. I just gave you a perfect excuse to hold her." I whispered back.

He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "You're right. I owe you, Bella." He laughed.

"Hey, lips off my girl." I turned and saw Edward walking back up to the table. He was smiling at me, and had a coke in one hand, and my water with a wedge of lemon in the other hand. He slid in the booth beside me, and Jake finally unwrapped his heavy arm off of my shoulder. Edward reached out and shook Jake's hand.

"Okay. Vanessa, it's a slow song. You still want to dance?" Jake asked her. She agreed smiling at Jake, and then winked at me. I loved her. She was so feisty.

After they left the table, Edward and I were alone. I took a huge drink of my water, and then turned to kiss Edward's cheek. "Thank you for the drink, babe." I said.

He put his elbow on the table and rested his head on it, looking at over me, smiling. "Of course, angel." He said. "Have I told you how stunning you look tonight?"

"Yes, babe." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "Thank you."

"Are you having a good time?" He asked, sitting up and wrapping his arm around me.

"I am." I told him, honestly, and laid my head on his chest. I was so happy being here in his arms. I crossed my leg over Edward's and he brought his hand up to caress my thigh. His hand moved up until he had his hand on my bum.

I looked up at Edward's face and smiled, and he used that opportunity to press a kiss to my lips. "I love you." He whispered, before kissing me, again.

We sat together for the next twenty minutes, just cooling off and enjoying being so close together. "You want to dance, again?" I asked him.

He smiled. "I would love to, gorgeous." He said. "I'm happy you asked."

"Can I just make a quick stop to the bathroom?" I asked, as we got up from the booth.

"Of course, babe." Edward said, walking me to the bathroom. "I'll be right outside the door." My boy. Always so overprotective.

After using the bathroom and putting on some more lip gloss, I joined Edward. He pulled me into his arms and planted another hot kiss on my lips. When he pulled back, I giggled. His lips looked pink. "What?" He chuckled.

"You have pink lips." I said, reaching up to rub the lip gloss off of his lips with my thumb.

"Oh well." He chuckled, leaning in to kiss me, again. "Come on. Let's dance." He took my hand and led me to the dance floor. We walked up to where all our friends were dancing. The song was fast, and Rachel and Vanessa were dancing together. Alec was holding Siobhan around the hips. They weren't really dancing, but they looked so sweet together.

Rachel grabbed my hand and pulled me into their group. "Come on, Bella." She said. "Dance with us." I looked back at Edward and he nodded at me, smiling. I didn't really know how to dance without Edward, but I just followed along with the girls moving my hips. Rachel took my hands and lifted them up. "Move your hips. Edward can't take his eyes off of you."

I moved my body a little more and then turned to look at Edward. Rachel was right. I had never seen Edward look like he wanted me, more than he did right then. He walked over to me and then took my hand.

"Ladies, do you mind if I borrow Bella?" Edward asked, smiling, his eyes never leaving me.

"Go right ahead." Rachel laughed, before turning and going over to Paul. Vanessa took Jake's hand and led him back to the booth.

Edward pulled me close to his body, holding my hips to his body. He leaned down and kissed me deeply. "You are so, so sexy." He whispered, before kissing me, again. I started moving my hips against him, while I slid my hands up his gorgeous chest.

I had an amazing boyfriend and great group of friends. They made me feel so confident out here at the club. I was having an amazing time. Edward and I had danced to two more songs, just moving our bodies together, before Edward leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"You ready to head home?" He asked, making me smile. I was definitely ready to go back to an empty house with my gorgeous boyfriend.


	337. Anticipation and Concentration

**A/N - You are all amazing! I love that you all love these characters! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 337 - Anticipation and Concentration

Edward and I said a quick goodnights to all our friends, making promises to see each other again soon. Our friends were all smiling at us knowingly, and while any other time it would have made me blush, I had other things on my mind. And I was already flushed from my time on the dance floor with Edward.

We hurried out to the car, and Edward opened my door for me. Before he closed the door, he leaned in and kissed me. He has his hand on my cheek, making the hot kiss, a romantic one.

He pulled back and smiled at me. His fingers caressed my cheek as he pulled his hand back. He closed my door and then ran around to get in the driver's side. He leaned over and placed another kiss on my lips.

There was almost a hum in the car as Edward drove back to my house. We were both quiet, but the charged atmosphere wasn't one for small talk. I just sat in my seat and looked at Edward.

He was facing forward, his jaw was tensing and flexing in this incredibly sexy way. He looked anxious to get back to my place. His left hand was gripping the wheel, and his right hand was on my thigh. He was moving his thumb softly, which was a sharp contradiction to the other hand. I looked at his chest, which was rising and falling quickly. He was the picture of anticipation.

We finally pulled up to my house and Edward shut off the car, but left the keys in the ignition. He leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes. It looked like he was taking a minute to get himself together. It was cute, and almost like he didn't want to lose control with me. With the way I was feeling, I honestly wouldn't mind.

It looked like frisky Bella was going to have to make an appearance. I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned over, placing my hand on the back of Edward's seat. I stood up the best I could and tried to climb over onto Edward's lap.

Edward started laughing, reaching up his hands to hold onto my waist so I didn't fall. "What are you doing?" He chuckled.

I laughed. "I'm trying to be sexy, but probably failing miserably." I said, blushing as I finally got both feet over.

I straddled Edward's lap, my knees resting on either side of his hips. We both groaned when our bodies made contact. Edward set his hands on my bum. "I'm going to have to say that you're pulling off sexy very well." He chuckled.

I leaned in, pressing my body to his chest, grabbing his hair in my hands, and kissed him with everything I had in me. He made the sexiest sound, and flexed his hips up towards me. My eyes instantly fell closed.

Edward's left hand moved off of my bum, and all of a sudden, his seat reclined backwards, both of us falling back with it. He chuckled, and winked at me. I reached my hands under his shirt and scratched his chest lightly. He threw his head back, and the smug look was off of his face instantly. He loved to be scratched.

I leaned in and started kissing his lips again. His hands were back on my jean covered bum, and one of which was starting to move under me. I gasped and looked up at his face. "Not okay?" Edward breathed, his chest close to heaving.

"You just surprised me, that's all." I said, likely biting at his neck.

I heard a banging sound and we both looked over. My elderly neighbour was out taking their garbage to the curb, at almost midnight, and was looking over in our direction. Edward looked back at me and chuckled. The anticipation was still there, but things felt more relaxed. A happiness always surged through me when Edward laughed.

"What do you think about moving this inside, and away from prying eyes?" Edward asked.

"I think that I love that idea." I said, giving him one more kiss on the lips. He opened his car door, and held my hands, helping me get out of the car. He pulled his keys out of the ignition, and all but jumped out of the car.

He locked the car, before, lifting me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his hips. He walked quickly to the house, while I leaned in and licked at the salty skin of his neck. He moaned, as he tried the door.

"Baby, the door is locked." He said, squeezing my bum, before he set me down. In all the excitement, I had forgotten to bring a house key.

"Under the mat." I whispered, as I crouched down to get it. I stepped up to the door, and while I was unlocking it, Edward pressed up to my back, wrapping his arms around my waist.

I didn't think I would ever get used to the feeling of being loved this much, and being wanted this much. It was an incredible feeling, and I actually hoped I didn't get used to it. I never wanted to take this relationship for granted.

It was funny how long it took to unlock a door with a hot man wrapped around my body. I giggled as I finally got it unlocked.

Edward leaned down to kiss my shoulder. "What's funny?" He asked, as we walked in the door.

"I was just thinking about how when you're holding me, or touching me, I can barely concentrate on anything else. Even something as easy as unlocking the door is hard." I told him, turning in his arms.

"Mm." He whispered, lowering his head to my neck. "I'd say I'm sorry that I distract you, but I'm not."

I laughed. "I'm not either." I told him. I took his hand and pulled him to the stairs. "Come on."

He lifted me up and tossed me over his shoulder. I was laughing, and he spanked me, as he carried me up the stairs. He set me down on the bed and crawled over top of me. His hands caressed my body, and I closed my eyes.

"I love your body in this shirt, gorgeous." He said. "You look amazing. I almost don't want to take it off of you."

I laughed. "Well, I guess we can stay dressed." I told him, running my hands up and down his arms.

He reached down and pulled up the hem of my shirt. "I said almost." He chuckled. He slowly pulled the shirt up I pushed my chest up a little so he could lift it off of me. He pulled it off of my arms, and immediately brought his face down to my chest. He was licking my skin and I could hardly breathe.

I reached down and grabbed Edward's shoulders. "You okay?" He asked, sitting up, his legs still straddling my thighs.

"I feel perfect. But, I always do when you touch me." I whispered.

"Okay, good." He said, smiling at me. "Just try to breathe, angel." He chuckled.

"It's your fault you know." I told Edward, as he pulled his shirt over his head, and then reached down to undo my jeans.

"What did I do?" He asked lifting up my hips and pulling down my jeans.

"Remember how I said, I can't do even the simplest things? Well, breathing is one of them." I told him, reaching up to undo his jeans.

"Well, that just won't do." He said, pulling down his jeans, and kicking them off. "What can I do to make sure you're breathing?" He asked, settling his hips against mine.

I gasped at the feeling. My eyes met Edward's and we both started laughing. "I think that did the trick?" I giggled.

"Well, now that we know what works." He teased, moving his hips against me.

"Ah, Edward." I cried, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, pulling his hot chest to my sticky skin.

"God, you look so beautiful right now." He whispered into my ear, bringing his lips to suck on my neck. He kept moving against me, breathing on my skin. "And, you looked so amazingly sexy out on that dance floor. Bella, you are a vision."

How Edward could be so eloquent in that moment, was beyond me. All that I could do was feel. And the things he made me feel were indescribable. Edward rolled off of me, flopping back on my bed beside me with his arm above his head.

"I love you, Bella." He said, turning his head to look at me.

"Mm." I hummed, before giggling. "I love you, too."

"I feel sticky. Do you want to have a shower with me?" Edward asked.

"Um, okay." I said, rolling over on my side. "I'm so tired, but I don't to waste this opportunity of having you in an empty house."

"I think we made pretty good use of it, so far." Edward chuckled, leaning in to kiss my stomach. "Well, why don't we have a nice shower, and then we'll come to bed, and fall asleep in each other's arms? And in the morning, you could maybe teach me how to make breakfast?"

I smiled, running my fingers through Edward's sweaty, almost wet hair. "That sounds like a great plan."


	338. Innocence

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all, again! I can't wait until they fix the review reply feature! I miss chatting with you all so much! Thanks for readiing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 338 - Innocence

Edward got up and sat on the side of the bed and I stood up in front of him. He set his hands on my hips and ran his thumbs back and forth just above the waistband of my panties.

"Can you give me a little head start?" I asked him.

"Of course, angel." He said, kissing just above my belly button.

Except for the cramps, I never really cared about my period. But, now that Edward and I were developing a physically intimate relationship, I was counting down the days. One more. By the end of tomorrow, it would be done. I honestly couldn't wait.

I walked to my dresser drawer and grabbed a pair of underwear and my Arizona t-shirt, before walking to my bedroom door. I looked back at Edward, and he was smiling at me.

"Just give me two minutes, okay?" I told him.

"Two minutes." He repeated, smiling, as I walked out of my room and into the bathroom. After using the bathroom, I hopped in the shower and quickly rinsed off, before Edward joined me.

I heard the bathroom door open. "Babe?" He asked. "Everything okay?"

I giggled. "Everything is perfect now that you're here." I told him.

"Okay just give me a sec and I'll be right in." He said. "Don't start without me." He chuckled. I laughed with him. I loved that Edward always made me laugh, even when things were getting heated. It made me feel so comfortable.

"I wouldn't dream of it." I said.

"Babe?" He asked. "If I flush the toilet, will the water get cold?"

"No, just the pressure goes down." I told him. "Go ahead." He did and the pressure went down a little, but I hardly noticed, because Edward pulled back the shower curtain, and stepped in to join me. His body was an amazing distraction.

He smiled at me, and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "I love you, babe. You are so incredibly beautiful." He said, before leaning down to kiss the top of my head.

"Thank you." I told him, wrapping my arms around his waist, before sliding my hands to his bum. I gave it a little squeeze because I loved it so much. "Get wet." I told him, turning us around so his head was under the stream of water. He let go of my shoulders to bring his hands up to wet his hair, and I took a step back to admire his gorgeous body, with water running down it. I know I blushed, which gave away the fact that I still wasn't one hundred percent sure I was confident being naked.

"What are you thinking, baby?" Edward asked, stepping forward to hold my face in his hands. "Do you need me to leave? Because I will in a heartbeat, Bella. You just tell me in you're uncomfortable."

"I'm just still a little nervous." I confessed. "But I don't want you to leave." I told him, stepping closer to him.

"What can I do to make you feel comfortable?" He asked, leaning down to kiss my lips. "Can I wash your hair?"

I giggled. "Okay." I agreed, turning around so my back was facing him.

I heard the click of the shampoo bottle opening, and then I smelled the fruity scent. I felt Edward's hands in my hair, as he lathered me up. "So much beautiful hair." He whispered, and I'm not sure if I was supposed to hear it or not.

He started using his fingernails on my scalp and I groaned. "Edward, that feels so good." I said. I was starting to understand why Edward liked to be scratched. The sensation was incredible.

"I'm glad, gorgeous." He said, guiding me back under the water to rinse my hair. "So, um, what part is making you nervous, exactly? Is it my body? Is it me seeing yours?"

I turned in his arms and set my hands on his chest. "I think it's just that I'm not really sure what to do?" I admitted to him, looking up into his eyes.

"Like, with my body?" He asked, and I nodded. He gave me another kiss on the lips, and then one on the forehead. "Okay, um, you can do anything you want to my body. I'm serious, Bella. It might take a while for us to get used to seeing each other this way, but you don't have to be nervous around me. I'm the same guy, just without pants." He chuckled, making me blush and laugh at the same time.

"Just do what feels right to you." He continued. "You know how you just grabbed my butt? You did it because you wanted to, right?" He asked.

"Um, yeah." I agreed. "Plus I wanted to make you feel good."

"See, that's just it, angel. Everything you do makes me feel good. Don't ever worry about touching me." He said. He picked up the body wash and poured some in his hands. He set them on my shoulders and moved them over my chest. "And stop me if you don't like what I'm doing."

I hummed at the feeling of Edward's hands on me. I instantly forgot why I had been nervous in the first place. Edward always made me feel so good. I understood completely what he was saying. We were just Edward and Bella. We had dealt with so much together, and we could handle this, too.

I leaned and grabbed my body wash, squeezing some in my in my hands and bringing them up to his chest, mimicking his motions on my body. I moved my hands down his body, to his bum.

He laughed. "You just can't keep your hands off of my ass, can you?" I giggled, because he swore, and he hardly ever did.

"Well, I happen to like your, um, bum." I said. Edward started laughing really hard.

"My ass?" He chuckled, leaning down to press a hot to my lips. "You have no idea how sexy your innocence is to me." He said, before kissing me, again.

It was a harder, more needy kiss. When Edward lost control like that, it gave me more confidence. I bought my hands around his body, just exploring with my fingertips. He gasped, and then groaned. I got a little bolder.

"Yeah, sexy girl." He said. "Just like that." He whispered into my hair. His hands moved down my body, and it was my turn to gasp. "You okay?" He whispered, resting his head on my shoulder. What he was doing was new, but felt amazing.

"Uh huh." I managed to get out. "Kiss me." I demanded.

"There you go, sexy. Take charge." He said, looking into my eyes, before bringing his lips mine. Edward seemed to like when I was assertive with him. I was no where near confident to be like that, though.

After we both let go, Edward pulled me into his arms and ran his hand down my hair, over my back. "How do feel?" He whispered, placing delicate kisses on my cheek.

"Amazing, like always." I told him.

We finished washing each other, and Edward got on his knees so I could wash his hair. As I was scratching his scalp, I figured I would just talk to him about the taking control thing. "Edward. Can I ask you something?" I said.

"Of course." He said, leaning in to kiss my stomach. "Anything, baby."

"Um, okay." I said, letting out a deep breath. "Uh, you seem to want me to be in control, you know when we do things. Can I ask why?"

Edward got up and rinsed out his hair, quickly, before leaning down to look in my eyes. "Does that make you uncomfortable?" He asked, his eyes looking a little panicked.

"No." I told him, stroking his cheek. "I just, I'm not sure that I can be that, um, dominant." I admitted, hiding my face, by resting my forehead on his chest.

"Oh, Bella." He said, running his fingers along my arm. "I don't want you to be dominant. I know that's not you. It's not who you are. I just want you to feel confident, that's all. I want you to feel free to do what feels good." He reached under my chin, and tipped my head up, so he could look at my face. "I think it's just going to take time, right? I mean we're learning as we go, here." He kissed my lips. "And I love learning this stuff with you."

I smiled at him. He always knew what to say to reassure me and make me feel comfortable, and loved. "I love you, Edward." I told him, kissing his chest. I wrapped my arms around him, and squeezed his bum.

"There you go." He chuckled.

I pinched his bum. "That's for laughing." I said, giggling. He smiled and brought his lips back to mine.

"Hmm. What do I get to do to you for giggling?" He asked, looking mischievous.

"Why don't you wait 'til we get back to bed? The water's getting cold." I told him.

"Deal." He chuckled. "I'll give you a couple minutes." He kissed my lips. "I love you, angel." He whispered, as he stepped out of the shower. I smiled, because I knew just how much he loved me.


	339. Meant To Be

**A/N - It's the weekend! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 339 - Meant To Be

I heard the bathroom door close, so I shut off the water, and got out of the shower. After drying off, and using the bathroom, I slid on my underwear and t-shirt. I French braided my wet hair, so I could quickly get back to my room with Edward. I knew it was hoping for too much for him to still be in his towel, but a girl could dream.

I walked back to my room, and Edward was laying on my bed, with his hands behind his head, and his ankles crossed, wearing nothing but his towel. He was so gorgeous. I bit my lip to hold back my giggles.

His closed eyes popped open, and he smiled at me. "I'm a little under dressed, huh?" He chuckled.

I crawled onto my bed and straddled his hips, sitting back on his thighs. "No, you're dressed exactly as I was hoping you would be." I admitted.

Edward brought his hands over mine, and started to caress up and down my arms. "Are you okay?" He asked, and I knew he was referring to how I got a little nervous in the shower.

"Yeah, I'm good." I said, leaning forward on his chest with my hands.

"Okay." He said, looking up at my face, smiling at me. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too, Edward." I said, as I laid down on his chest. He wrapped his arms around my back, and lightly moved his fingers up and down my spine.

"Are you tired?" He asked.

"I'm getting there." I giggled.

"Mm, that cute little giggle reminds me that I get to punish you for laughing at me, just like you punished me." He whispered. I turned my face and rested my chin on his chest, so I could see his face.

"Why does that sound so terrifying?" I asked.

"Says the girl with pinchy fingers?" Edward chuckled.

"But your bum is fun to pinch." I defended.

"Well, I like when you pinch it." He whispered, as he slowly rolled us over. He grabbed the bottom of my shirt and lifted it up, revealing my stomach. "But it's my turn, now." He said, placing a few kisses over my skin.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, threading my fingers through his hair.

"Well, I'm a little fixated on your gorgeous skin, tonight, and I think I want to taste it." He whispered, as he licked from my belly button up to just under my breasts.

"Mm, Edward." I whispered. "It's probably a stupid thing to say, but I'm really enjoying this."

"I'm glad, gorgeous." He said, pulling my shirt off the rest of the way. "I think we're both going to enjoy this."

"How is that a punishment?" I asked, biting my lip.

He chuckled. "Baby, I could never hurt you. I was just teasing you." He said, bringing his lips up to mine to give me a quick kiss. "But, I am going to give you a love bite."

"Mm. That does sound amazing." I said. "I guess a bite for a pinch is only fair, right?"

Edward laughed, before lowering his head down to my stomach. He started placing little kisses over my skin, making me hum. "You like that, sexy?" He asked, before he started licking my skin, just above and to the right of my belly button.

"Yeah, baby. It feels so good." I said, going along with him.

"Uh, Bella." He whispered, against my skin, before he lightly nipped at his chosen spot, making me yelp. "Too much?" He asked, looking up at me.

"No, baby, you just surprised me." I told him. "Keep going."

Edward licked over where he had nipped my skin. It felt so amazing. He started sucking at it, and then gently scraping his teeth over it. I started moaning and Edward started running his hand up and down my thigh.

"Edward, uh, baby." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. He kissed his way up my body to my lips, before rolling back over to the bed.

I sat up and looked down at my stomach. Edward had left a small mark, about an inch round on my skin. It was already turning purplish. I guess I had my love bite. "Thank you, baby. I love it." I said, leaning over to kiss his lips.

I hoped out of bed and turned out the light, before climbing back into bed with Edward. "Baby, I'm still in a towel." Edward whined.

"Well, take it off." I told him.

"Is that okay?" He asked. "I mean, you're alright if I don't wear anything to bed?"

I giggled. "It's fine with me, hottie." I said, making Edward laugh.

"Well, this is a first for me." He said, wriggling out of his towel.

"Sleeping naked?" I asked rolling over to drape my arm over his waist.

"Yeah." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Well, I've never done it, either." I told him, lifting my leg and throwing it over his hip. He put his hand on my bum, and lightly patted it. "So, what do you think it's going to be like when we have sex?" I asked. I just blurted it out without really thinking.

"What? Um. Shoot." Edward started rambling. I guess I had completely caught him off guard with my question. He took a deep breath, before letting it out slowly. "Sorry, beautiful, I just wasn't expecting you to say that." He chuckled, making me laugh.

"I'm sorry, Edward." I said, kissing his lips.

"No, no. Don't apologize." He said, lightly drumming his fingers on my bum cheek. "I want you to talk to me. I'm actually really happy that you feel comfortable enough to talk about it."

"So, talk." I giggled. "What do you think it's going to feel like?"

"Um, I think it's going to feel really good. I don't think it would be such a popular extracurricular activity if it didn't." He said, laughing nervously.

I leaned in to kiss his lips. "It will be pretty much like now, though, right?" I asked. "Like the way we hold each other, and stuff?"

"Yeah, baby. Yeah." He said, reaching up to rub circles on my bare back. "It will be just like this. We'll take our time and I'll make sure you feel so loved. Because, I love you so much, Bella. You are my whole world, angel. It's not just going to be sex, okay?"

"It sounds really beautiful." I said, pressing another kiss to his lips.

"I know it's going to be amazing." He said, before sucking my bottom lip into his mouth. "You know how I know that? Because we're Edward and Bella, and we are meant to be."

I smiled against his lips. "I love you so much." I whispered. I tucked my head under his chin and snuggled in close.

"Goodnight, beautiful." Edward whispered. "Sweet dreams, baby."

"Night." I said, kissing his throat. We laid quietly for a while, but I couldn't sleep, even though I was so exhausted. "Edward?" I asked.

"Uh, huh?" He asked.

"I'm going with Heidi either next week, or the week after for my physical exam." I told him. "I asked her tonight after dinner and she said that she would go with me."

"I'm glad, baby." He said, kissing the top of my head. "You know I'd go with you if I could."

I giggled. "I'm pretty sure that would be frowned upon."

"I know." He said. "But even after you start these pills, and with all this sex talk, we're still waiting."

I smiled against his neck. Edward was the sweetest man ever. "I know." I agreed.

"Until we're completely comfortable with the naked thing, there is no way we're going further." He said, lightly tracing patterns on my back.

"I know." I said, again.

He chuckled. "Stop sounding so sad. I'm not scolding you." He said, bringing his lips to mine for a kiss. "I just want us to be ready, so it's perfect."

"I know." I giggled, making Edward laugh, and tap my bum, again. "But, being serious, here. I totally agree with you. You are a wonderful boyfriend, and I love and trust you completely. I think we'll know when we're ready."

He kissed my forehead, and I closed my eyes. "We will, baby."


	340. Waking Up and Wooden Spoons

**A/N - I hope you're all having a great weekend! The date in Summer Vacation is Wednesday, July 21, 2010. Thank you all so much for the great reviews, and for reading! I absolutely love sharing these characters with you! Enjoy!**

Chapter 340 - Waking Up and Wooden Spoons

It was official, waking up with Edward was my favourite thing in the whole world. I knew I thought that about everything I did with Edward, though. I was just so in love. I couldn't wait until we officially lived together. We would be waking up together every morning for eight months.

Edward was absolutely adorable when he slept, but this morning, I blushed when I looked down. We were both on our sides, facing each other, and Edward had his face cuddled against my bare breasts. His arm was thrown over my waist and mine was over his.

I knew he was naked, but I didn't look. I was never very confident first thing in the morning. Plus, Edward was right. I wasn't completely comfortable with the whole naked thing, yet.

I reached my hand up and ran my fingers through his soft hair. He didn't have any hair products in, yet, since we showered before bed. Edward smiled and kissed my chest. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at my face.

"Good morning, beautiful." He said, his voice sounding a little raspy. He inched up so he could kiss my forehead.

"Good morning." I said, cuddling my face into his neck.

"You want to get up?" Edward asked, rubbing my back.

"No." I giggled. "I want to stay with you in bed forever."

"Well, I like the sound of that." Edward chuckled. "But, I'm going to take a page out of your book. I have to pee."

I laughed. "Me, too. I was hoping if I ignored it, it would go away."

Edward laughed. "You're adorable." He kissed my nose. "Do you want to go first?"

"No, go ahead." I told him.

"Remember, I'm not wearing anything." He warned as he sat up.

I laughed. "How could I forget?" I said, blushing.

Edward winked at me, before getting up and walking to my dresser. I pulled up the blankets, and watched him. His bum was always more gorgeous than I remembered it. I always felt a little weird staring at his naked body. I mean, nudity had always seemed so forbidden to me.

But, Edward and I were in love, and I had to get over those insecure feelings. He loved me and he wanted to share his body with me. I felt the same way. My body was as much his as it was mine

Edward pulled out a pair of boxers and slid them on. "I'll be right back." He said, smiling at me.

I smiled back at him. "Okay." Edward left and I got up. I slid on a black bra, a yellow tank, and then layered a white tank over top. I slipped on some black underwear and then my jean cut offs. We were just going to be taking lunch to my dad and Heidi, and then hanging out at Edward's place today. I wanted to be comfortable.

Edward came back in my room, and walked over to me, pulling me into his arms. "You got dressed?" He asked, pouting his bottom lip at me. He smelled like deodorant, cologne and toothpaste. It was a delicious combination.

I giggled. "Sorry." I told him, kissing his bare chest. "But, your girlfriend is hungry."

He laughed. "We could have eaten naked in bed."

"We'll put that on the to do list." I said. "Now, I have to pee."

Edward laughed. "Sorry. Go." He said, spanking me as I ran to the door. I laughed and then ran to the bathroom. After using the bathroom, I washed my face, unbraided my hair, brushed my teeth, and put on some mascara and lip gloss.

I came back in my room and smiled. Edward, wearing only his jeans from last night at the bar, was trying to make my bed. The blankets looked a little rumpled, but he tried.

"Mm. Sexy maid service." I teased, making Edward laugh. "Let me give your tip." I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I kissed his chest before I pulled us both over onto the bed. We laughed as we fell into the blankets.

I brought my hands up to his face and pressed a kiss to his gorgeous lips. "You look so beautiful today." Edward said, moving his hand from the outside of my thigh to my knee and then back up, again.

"Thank you, baby." I said, kissing him, again.

Edward reached down and pulled up my shirts. "How's your tummy?" He asked, lightly running his thumb over the purple hickey on my stomach.

"It's fine." I told him, as my skin broke out in goose bumps.

"Just fine?" He teased, leaning in to kiss it. He rolled over and straddled me, letting his hands move over my body, caressing me everywhere over my clothes. I moaned, and leaned back on the bed. "You are the sexiest woman alive." He whispered, tracing his fingers over my breasts.

I brought my hands up over his, holding them to my body. "You make me feel that way." I told him.

"God, baby." He whispered under his breath. He leaned forward, and started attacking my lips with his. I reached up and scratched at his back, and he leaned in to suck and kiss my neck.

"Mm, Edward. Stop." I breathed. "You're grandparents are going to be here in a couple of days." I said, kissing lips. "I haven't met them yet, so no visible love bites."

"Okay." He said, sounding muffled, because his lips were back on mine. "It's going to be hard, especially when I'm going to be staying with you while my mom has guests."

I giggled. "Well, you're going to have to control yourself. "You're brothers are staying over here, too."

"Yeah, good point." He laughed. "We should make them stay downstairs in sleeping bags, so we have some privacy."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." I said, kissing his lips. "Now, lets make the most of our time alone together."

"Mm, I'm intrigued." Edward said, sucking on my top lip. "What do you have in mind?"

I pushed his shoulders so he rolled onto his back. I hopped off of the bed and walked to my dresser, pulling a white t-shirt out of my drawer for Edward. "Breakfast." I giggled, tossing him his shirt.

Edward dropped his head back on the bed and laughed. "Uh." He groaned. "Lost out to pancakes." He laughed.

"Oh, come on, handsome." I said, walking over to him and holding out my hand to help him up. "Once you taste these pancakes, you'll understand." I loved that we could tease each other. It was one of my facourite parts of mine and Edward's relationship. Things were always lighthearted and fun with us.

"You're the boss." He said, taking my hand, and walking with me downstairs to the kitchen.

When we got to the kitchen, I got out a large bowl and wooden spoon, passing them to Edward. "Chocolate chip pancakes?" I asked him.

"Sounds so good baby." He said, leaning in to kiss me. I pulled the wooden spoon from his hand and spanked him with it. He laughed, but kissed me, again.

"Stop distracting me." I said, before giggling. "I'm starving."

Edward took the spoon back, and tapped it lightly on my bum. "Well, start teaching me." He said, winking at me.

I started listing out all the ingredients as I walked back and forth between the cupboard and fridge to get everything we needed. I never should have started the spanking thing. Everytime I walked past Edward, he would hit me with the spoon. It was cute, though, because Edward was always so gentle, I hardly felt it. The whole thing was made even more adorable by the fact that Edward laughed every time he did it.

"You're amused way too easily." I teased.

"You're right. I just need you, and I'm happy." He said. He was still the sweetest boy on the planet.

I measured out the ingredients and Edward stirred our pancake batter. He seemed to like cooking with me. When I had pictured our life together in the Seattle apartment, I had imagined that it was going to be me doing all the cooking for Edward. And if it turned out that way, I wouldn't mind in the least. I loved taking care of him. But, the more things we did together, the more fun I knew we were going to have.


	341. Cakes and Cream

**A/N - Yesterday, Summer Vacation reached 6000 reviews! I am so tickled! Thank you so much to everyone who has ever sent in a review! I love hearing what you think! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 341 - Cakes and Cream

After we finished our batter, all the while feeding each other chocolate chips, I heated up the skillet, and we took turns pouring the batter into the pan. Edward made a huge pancake and it took two spatulas to flip it over.

"Why are you making such big pancakes?" I asked, giggling at him.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that the batter would spread that far?" He asked, pinching my sides. I flinched away from him, because it tickled. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching me?"

"Well, you're learning from your mistakes." I teased. Edward shut off the stove and moved the pan off of the heat. He looked at me with a predatory look, and I started running. Edward started chasing me, and I screamed. I heard him laughing behind me.

I only made it as far as the living room, before Edward grabbed me around the waist. "Gotcha." He laughed. He pulled us over to the couch and sat down, with me sitting sideways on his lap. "Why did you scream?" He chuckled, still squeezing me close to his body.

"Because you got that sexy look on your face." I explained, making him laugh, which made laugh.

"What look?" He asked, kissing my lips.

"I don't know how to explain it." I said, turning so I was straddling him. Edward set his hands on my bum, and then leaned his face down and kissed the top of my cleavage.

"Come on. Tell me." He whispered against my skin.

I laughed. "I don't know. You look mischievous, like you're up to something. Oh, and your right eyebrow lifts up a bit, and your lips pull up a little on the sides." I explained. I put my hands on his jaw and tilted his face away from boobs, so I could kiss his lips.

Edward smiled, before wrapping his arms around my body and pulling me closer to him. "Maybe I am up to something." He teased, squeezing my bum.

I kissed him, again, biting at his lips. "But I'm hungry." I whined, making him laugh.

"You want to try the giant pancake?" He asked, kissing my neck and chest.

"Yes. I'll bet it's delicious." I told him. He stood up, and I wrapped my legs around his hips, so he would carry me to the kitchen.

"And probably cold." He added, setting me down.

"Here." I said, adding Edward's giant pancake to the plate and setting it in the microwave. I heated them a bit, and then set the plate on the table. I looked over and Edward's face was in the fridge, his bum sticking out.

I giggled, when he turned around with a bottle of orange juice, a can of whipped cream, and a huge smile on his face. "We could have so much fun with this." He said, holding up the whipped cream.

I blushed a little, and shook my head. He came over to the table and sat beside me. He lifted the big pancake and set it on a plate. He sprayed a whipped cream heart on it, and then he tried to write E + B, but it came out a bit like three blobs, because the heat from the pancakes melted the letters.

We both laughed, and Edward leaned in to kiss my lips. "I love you, gorgeous." He said.

"I love you, too." I told him. I cut off a piece of the pancake and brought the fork to Edward's mouth. He smiled before he ate it. "Well? How'd we do?" I asked as he chewed.

"Mm." He said, before swallowing. "It's really good." He said. "You're just perfect at everything, aren't you?" He asked, reaching forward, to kiss my lips, again.

"Oh, hardly." I laughed. "You're the perfect one. You're an all American boy. You're athletic, intelligent and gorgeous."

"Thank you, angel. I still don't see myself the way you do, but I'm glad you're happy with me." He said, his eyes flicking down for a second, before he looked back up at me and smiled.

I would never understand how Edward could doubt himself. He was literally the most kind hearted man I had ever met. He was absolutely selfless; everything he did was for someone else. And I loved him with my whole heart and soul.

"Oh, Edward, Edward, Edward." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "What am I going to do with you?" I asked.

"Well, you could let me feed you." He said, looking smug and sexy, again. I guess I was just going to have to keep working on his confidence, like he did for me.

"I'm not going to say no to that." I giggled. Edward smiled and cut off a huge piece for me.

"Open up." He said, bringing the fork to my mouth. His eyes were glued to my lips and he smiled as he pulled the fork back. "You have such a pretty mouth." He whispered. The entire moment was incredibly sexy. He brought more to my lips, and licked his own lips as he watched me eat.

He tried to bring another forkful up to my lips, but I put my hand over my mouth. "No more." I giggled, making Edward laugh. He put the pancake in his mouth and ate it.

We finished our breakfast, feeding each other, and just laughing and having fun. Edward leaned in and kissed my lips before lifting up the whipped cream can. He squirted a little bit on my lips before he leaned in to lick it off.

I laughed and then pressed a sticky kiss to his cheek. "Ew, Bella." He whined, wiping at his cheek with the back of his hand.

I started laughing at his pouty face, and then took the whipping cream from him. I squirted a little dollop on his nose, before leaning in to suck it off. "Mm. You taste so good."

"Oh, so we're playing like that, are we?" He asked, taking the whipped cream from my hand. He had the mischievous look on his face, again.

"Edward Anthony Cullen. What do you have planned?" I asked, scooting my chair back a little bit from him.

He laughed, and it was so beautiful, and I was temporarily distracted. He used that to his advantage and sprayed a line of whipped cream across my chest, about two inches above the top of my tank top. The look on his face was hungry.

"Don't get it in my hair." I said, as Edward grabbed my hand, and pulled me forward.

"Come here." He said. "I have a mess to clean up." I sat on his lap and he brought his face down to my cleavage, licking my skin to get all the whipped cream.

I was humming and moaning at his ministrations. "God, Bella." He mumbled against my skin, his hands squeezing my bum. "You are delicious, baby." He said, licking up my neck. He pressed a kiss to my lips. "I love the sounds you make." He whispered, against my lips before lightly biting my bottom lip.

"Mm." I said, as he let go of my lip and pressed another kiss to my lips. "I think I'm liking the whipped cream." I admitted.

Edward chuckled. "So am I." He said.

"So, we'll add that to our Seattle grocery list for the fall." I suggested.

"Definitely." Edward said, running his hands up and down my back. "So, Fruit Loops, milk and whipped cream. That sounds about right."

I laughed. "I love you, babe." I said, kissing his lips. "You want to go upstairs and clean up."

"Mm. Clean up, huh?" He asked, winking at me. I slapped his shoulder, and he laughed. "You are so fun to play with."

"So are you, baby." I said. "Are you going to carry me up the stairs?"

"Can I leave my hands on your beautiful bum?" He asked, still smirking.

"Of course." I giggled, as he stood us up, and walked to the stairs. I hung onto his body, with my arms and legs wrapped around him, tightly. I kissed and licked his neck as he carried me up the stairs, his hands firmly on my bum.

We got upstairs and Edward set me on my bed. He went into the bathroom and came back with a wet face cloth. He wiped my lips, before moving the towel down my neck and then over my chest. He started to bring his lips back to my skin, but I stopped him by grabbing his shoulders.

"Ah, ah, ah, Edward." I scolded. "Let me wash your sweet, sticky lips." I said, making him laugh. I took the towel from him and wiped his nose, cheeks and lips with the towel, before I pushed him back on the bed, and leaned in for a kiss. Best breakfast ever.


	342. Letting Go

**A/N - Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. And a special thanks to my amazing friend Sally. Enjoy!**

Chapter 342 - Letting Go

After a few more kisses, we finally got off of my bed. "Should we go wash the dishes?" Edward asked me, as I picked up my clothes from my bedroom floor.

"Nah, let's do it after we make lunch." I said. "I was thinking we could go for a walk to the grocery store this morning and pick up some buns, cold cuts, lettuce and cheese. Make some sandwiches to take to the station."

I hadn't had a chance to see my dad a lot this week, and I was sleeping over at Edward's tonight to watch Alice. I was really looking forward to having lunch with my dad and Heidi at the police station today.

"That sounds so good." Edward said, wrapping me in his arms. "I like that I'm not going to starve. It's such a good feeling."

I laughed, as I slipped on my flip flops and sunglasses. "I'm always going to feed you, baby."

Edward only had his shiny shoes from dancing in the house. "Can you walk in these?" I asked him. "They're not going to hurt your cute feet are they?"

Edward chuckled. "They would hurt my so called cute feet. But, I have some sandals in the trunk." He said.

"I'll go get them." I said, reaching in his front pocket and pulling out his keys. I looked up at Edward's smiling face and giggled.

"Thanks, babe. Would you grab my sunglasses, too?" He asked.

"Of course, because you look so sexy in them." I said, kissing his chin, and making him laugh, before running out to the car. I grabbed Edward's shoes and sunglasses. I slipped off my shades and slipped on Edward's. He was sitting on the front step, laughing at me.

"Now, you look sexy in those." He laughed, standing up and leaning down to kiss my lips. "But they cover up too much of your beautiful face." He pulled them off and slid them on his face. I put mine back on and held his hand as he slid on his shoes.

We started walking to town together, and Edward slid his fingers between mine. I looked up at him and he looked deep in thought. "What are you thinking?" I asked him, squeezing his hand.

He looked down at me and smiled. "Oh, I was just thinking about my guitar." He said, before frowning a little.

"What about it?" I asked, curious about where he was going with this.

"Um, do you remember when I told you that I left my guitar here in Forks when I went to school last year. It was sort of my way of showing Jazz that I was coming home." He said, and I smiled, because Edward really was the sweetest man alive.

"I remember." I told him.

"Well, now that we've got our own place, where we're going to be living together for the next few years, I'm not sure what to do." He said. "I mean this is our home, yours and mine. My future is with you." He let out a deep breath. "So, I think I want to bring my guitar with us."

"Okay." I told him, smiling at his beautiful face. I was excited that he saw our future that way. That his home was with me now. But, at the same, I knew how much he loved his family. I mean, for him to actually leave his guitar behind to make his brother feel better, was unbelievably sweet. "Do you think Jasper is going to be upset?" I asked.

Edward chuckled a little. "No. Jazz told me I was crazy when I didn't pack it in September." He said, smiling at me.

"I don't understand." I said.

"Well, I think I did that more for me." Edward admitted. "I mean, I was scared to leave. My whole family was in Forks and I was going to be alone in Seattle."

"Aw, baby." I said, letting go of his hand and wrapping my arm around his back. I didn't blame him. I wouldn't have wanted to leave the Cullens either. Edward put his hand around my shoulder. "So, you see our new apartment as your home?" I asked, looking up at his face.

"I see my home as anywhere you are." He said.

I stopped walking, because I felt the tears build up in my eyes. Edward had said so many beautiful and sweet things to me over the last few months, but I think this was the most romantic.

Edward stepped in front of me and lifted my sunglasses up, pushing them into my hair. He wiped my tears with his thumb, smiling at me. "Don't cry, honey." He said, leaning in to press a light kiss on my lips, before he took off his sunglasses and hung them on the neck of his t-shirt.

"Well, then don't say things like that." I said, laughing a little at how easily I teared up. "Edward, I love you, so much."

He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. We must have been quite the sight, standing in the middle of the sidewalk in downtown Forks with our arms wrapped around each other. But, it didn't really matter to me. The only that mattered was the love shining in Edward's beautiful green eyes.

He kissed my forehead. "You are everything to me, Bella." He said, before stepping back, and taking my hand, again. "Come on." He chuckled, pulling me down to the end of the block where the store was.

We were laughing, because I could hardly keep up with Mr. Athletic, so I didn't see who was standing outside of the store until we were right in front of her. Edward's ex-girlfriend, Jessica. We hadn't seen Jessica in about a month, since we were picking up Chinese food, the last time I babysat Alice.

Edward always seemed to feel self conscious around her. I hated that. He was amazing, and didn't deserve to ever feel that way. Just this morning, he had said that he didn't see himself as perfectly as I did. It hurt me when he talked like that.

"Hey, Edward." Jessica said, smiling at him, and acting sickeningly sweet. I will admit that I was a little jealous when I saw her. She had been Edward's first girlfriend and had his first real kiss. But I knew that was foolish because he loved me.

"Hi, Jessica." Edward said back. He smiled politely at her. I was so proud of him. Last time, he pretty much froze, and I did all the talking. "You remember Bella?" He said, smiling at me.

"Oh, um, yeah. Hi." She said, smiling at me, almost shyly, her mood changing instantly. "So, are you guys living here, now? I heard you went to Seattle for school."

"We are going to UW Seattle, actually." Edward told her. "Just home for the summer." Edward looked over at me and smiled again. "Uh, what about you?" He asked.

"Oh, I went to New York for a year, but it didn't really work out." She said, looking a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Edward said.

"Yeah, well, stuff happens, right." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "Anyway, I've got to run. Maybe I'll see you guys around sometime before you go back to Seattle?"

"Maybe." Edward said. "Nice talking to you." Jessica waved, before walking down the sidewalk. Edward let out a deep breath, and shook his head. He looked down at me and smiled, before bringing my hand up to his lips to kiss the back of it.

"You doing okay?" I asked him, and I pulled him to the bench outside of the store.

He sat sown beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Yeah." He said. "Is it weird that I feel bad for her?

"No." I told him. "You just have a warm heart."

"I mean, I know leaving Forks was her dream, and now she's back here." Edward mused out loud.

"Well, it might not be forever, Edward." I said. I turned my head and kissed his shoulder. "She seemed a lot nicer this time." I added, and he nodded his head.

By the way Jessica acted this morning, I could understand how Edward had dated her. She was really attractive and if she was acting sweet, she seemed to be the whole package.

As well, I could see why Edward felt bad for her. Even though she had hurt him, she seemed genuinely saddened by the way things had turned out in her life. And, Edward, being the angel he was, saw that and sympathised.

"I'm glad you talked to her, Edward." I said, setting my hand on his thigh.

"Yeah. I want to put the past behind me. Let go of those hurt feelings. We have a beautiful future ahead of us, so I don't want anything holding us back." He said, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. I smiled. It made me so happy to hear Edward say that, because I wanted the same thing for us.


	343. Lunch and Love

**A/N - I miss talking with you guys so much! I hope they fix the review reply feature soon! Thank you so much for writing the reviews, though. It helps me stay connected with you! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 343 - Lunch and Love

Edward and I went in the grocery store and picked up our lunch ingredients. Edward seemed a little lighter, happier and more content than he was this morning. I was just thrilled that he had faced his fears and talked with Jessica.

Edward picked up a single white and pink carnation from a flower bin by the cash register. He winked at me as he pulled his wallet from his pocket and bought our groceries.

"For you, gorgeous." He said, passing me the flower, before picking up both bags of groceries.

"Thank you, baby." I said, kissing his bicep, as we walked back home.

"You're welcome." He said, smiling. He looked so beautiful in that moment.

When we got home, I ran upstairs to use the bathroom, and when I came back town, I smiled, when I saw that Edward had unpacked all the groceries onto the table and put my flower in a tall glass of water.

I walked up to him and wrapped him in tight hug. I rested my cheek on his chest, and just breathed him in. He held me close to his body and lightly rubbed my back. We were definitely meant to me. I felt recharged just by touching him.

"Mm, I love you." Edward said, giving me an extra tight squeeze, before letting me go. "Okay, my stunning and talented chef. What are we doing?"

"Well, I'll cut the buns and you put the mayo on them. Sound good?" I asked, standing up on my toes to kiss his chin. He tilted his head down and pressed his lips to mine.

"I think I can do that." He said, before kissing me, again.

We worked together, standing side by side, making our sub sandwiches. Edward put on the meat slices and I put on the lettuce and cheese. We ended up making eight sandwiches, and even though we were just planning to have lunch with my dad and Heidi, you never knew who was going to at the station, so I was glad we had extras.

I wrapped them all in plastic wrap and then put them in shopping bag.

"Ready to go for lunch?' Edward asked, pulling me into a hug, and sliding his hands into the back pockets of my jean shorts.

"Yeah. I just want to pack some clothes for tomorrow." I told him, tucking my hands under his t-shirt and rubbing his back.

"Hmm." He said, looking a little mischievous. "Can I suggest a skirt for tomorrow?"

I laughed. "And why might that be, Mr. Cullen?" I asked, kissing his chest. I looked up at his face, and his cheeks were a little flushed.

"Because you have the most beautiful legs." He said, winking at me. He was trying to distract me with the winking, but I was onto him.

"You can see my legs in shorts." I said, giggling.

Edward laughed. "That's it." He said, crouching down and picking me up by the waist. He actually tossed me over his shoulder, and starting walking up the stairs.

"Edward." I whined.

"Bella." He said back, laughing.

We walked into my room and he set me down on my bed and kneeled over my legs. He reached up to my the button on my shorts and popped it open. He slowly pulled the zipper down and then traced his fingers under my belly button.

"A skirt gives me way easier access to your beautiful body." He told me, smiling.

I smiled up at his face. "I see." I said, before giggling. "Well, what about me?" I asked. "I still have to undo a button and zipper to get to your, um, body." I said, blushing.

Edward chuckled, and laid down beside me on the bed. "You just say the word and I'll undo them for you." He said, leaning in to kiss me.

"You're hilarious." I said, patting his stomach.

"And dead serious." He whispered, leaning in to suck on my earlobe, making me groan.

"Baby, don't start anything right now." I breathed, as his fingers took on a life of their own and started exploring my body.

"I've already started something." He chuckled, leaning in to kiss my lips.

I bit at his top lip. "Well, we don't have time to finish it."

"Can I have a rain check?" Edward asked, before kissing me.

"Well, I am going to be sleeping in your bed tonight, so you can do whatever you want to me." I told him.

"God, I love you." He whispered, rolling on top of me. I loved the feeling of his body on me and I would never get tired of it.

"I do, too, babe." I said, kissing his neck. "Now, you're rumpling my clothes." I giggled. "We're having lunch with my dad."

Edward rolled off of me and laid beside me. "Sorry. I can't help it. I feel like a magnet when I'm around you." He said. "It's actually hard work to stay away from you."

I sat up cross legged beside of him, and set my hands on his stomach. "I'm not asking you to stay away from me." I said. "Just wait until after we leave the police station."

Edward laughed. "Will do, gorgeous." I leaned over his face and kissed his lips, making him smile. I got up and went to my closet. I pulled out my floral print cotton skirt and then went to my dresser and pulled out a black tank, black boy shorts and my blue bra. I packed them in my small overnight bag. If Edward wanted me to wear a skirt, who was I to refuse.

Edward and I went downstairs and grabbed the sandwiches, before heading out to the car. When we got to the station, we saw Alec in the parking lot, just leaving.

"Hey, guys." He said, coming over to give me a hug, and shake Edward's hand. "Pretty fun night at the club last night, huh?"

"It was amazing." I said. "We'll have to do it again, soon."

"For sure. I'm just heading out to meet my girl for lunch. I'll see you guys later." Alec said, getting in the cruiser.

Edward I walked in and I was happy to see Sue's daughter, Emily and her boyfriend Sam, who was holding little baby Seth by the front desk.

"Hi, Bella." Emily said, coming over to give me a hug.

"Hi, Emily. How have you been?" I asked. It was so nice to see her. I hadn't seen her since Heidi's barbeque weeks ago.

"We're doing really good." She said. "Seth is getting so big."

"Let's see the little guy?" Edward said. Sam passed the baby to Edward, and Edward held the little bundle against his chest. Every time I watched Edward with babies, I almost melted. "Look at you." Edward cooed at Seth, rubbing his pudgy cheek with his finger.

"He's smiling at you." Sue said, proudly. "He likes you, Edward."

"He is such a natural with babies." I said, smiling at Edward. "Do you guys want to join us for lunch?" I asked them. "Edward and I made way too much food."

"Um, sure, if you don't mind?" Emily said, quietly.

We all walked back to find my dad and Heidi talking about a case file. We passed Paul at his desk, and Edward invited him to join us. We ended up just pulling a bunch together and sitting in the middle of the station. My dad was happy to see us and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Thanks for bringing lunch," he said, taking a bite of his sandwich after I passed them out. We had exactly enough, and I was so glad we had made eight sandwiches.

Edward was still holding the baby, and Emily offered to take him, so Edward could eat. "Don't worry about me. You eat." He said. "I'm sure you could use the break."

Seth was really curious, and was looking around at everyone. He seemed to like Edward's voice, and the baby smiled when I laughed.

"He thinks you have a pretty laugh, too." Edward mused, making me smile.

Edward had so many facets to his personality. He was an amazing man that could go from unsure to confident, and sexy to adorable, all in one day. I loved all of him. This wasn't the way I had pictured lunch at the station, but I loved that it had turned out this way.


	344. Baby and Babysitter

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! We're about three weeks from the one year anniversary of when I started this story! Thanks to all my readers! Enjoy!**

Chapter 344 - Baby and Babysitter

I absolutely loved watching Edward with the baby. It was clear how much he wanted kids. I really felt inadequate with babies, but as I watched Edward absolutely glowing as he held little Seth, I knew that I wanted to share that with him, one day.

When Sam was finished his sandwich, he stood up to take Seth from Edward.

"Can I hold him?" I asked Sam.

"Oh, yeah. Of course." He said, sitting back down and wrapping his arm around, Emily's shoulders.

Edward stood up and gently set Seth into my arms, kissing my forehead, before he sat down and picked up his sandwich to start eating. Edward kept his eyes on me, though; an encouraging look on his face. He looked so in love with me and it make me smile.

I looked down at Seth and he smiled at me. I set my hand on his chest and he reached up and grabbed my finger, holding on tightly. He was really a sweet baby.

He brought his other hand up to his mouth and started sucking on in. "He's hungry." Emily said, just as Seth turned his face to my chest. She got up and came over to take him. I passed her the baby and she started cooing at him. It was so beautiful to see a mother and child together.

Emily and Sam left to go out to the truck so she could feed him, and Sue went back up to the front desk.

"So, did you guys have a good time out dancing last night?" Heidi asked us.

"It was great." Edward said, smiling, likely thinking of the fun we had after we left the club.

"I thought you hated dancing?" My dad asked me. "You're mom put you in dance class in Arizona, and you complained the entire the time."

"Dad, that was ballet, and I was four years old." I told him, giggling. "And Edward taught me how."

"Yeah, chief, this is a _way_ different kind of dancing." Paul added, lifting his eyebrows up and down, making me blush and Heidi laugh. "And your daughter is very good at it."

My dad looked from Paul to me, then to Edward. Edward laughed nervously. I swear, Edward and I couldn't have been acting guiltier. Yes, we were adults, but there was something about a dad's look that could make you feel like a guilty child.

Heidi grabbed my dad's hand and squeezed it. "Charlie, they're kids. Let them have fun."

"I didn't say anything." My dad defended, making Heidi and Paul laugh.

"On that note, I'd better head out for afternoon patrol." Paul said, getting up. He leaned in and kissed my cheek, and slapped Edward's shoulder. "See you guys."

"Later, buddy." Edward said, smiling.

"So, what are you kids up to tonight." My dad asked. "No more dancing, I hope." He said, winking at Edward.

"Dad." I said, giggling. "I'm babysitting the Cullen kids tonight." I told him, making Edward laugh. He reached over and took my hand and set it on his lap. "All four of them."

"My mom and dad are having a date night." Edward said. "Bella's making sure we don't starve."

"How did you live by yourself for a year?" Heidi asked him, laughing.

"I have no idea." Edward laughed, bringing my hand up to his lips, and pressing a soft kiss on the back. I loved that he was comfortable enough to do that in front of my dad. "I'm a lucky guy."

"Are you going to be home for dinner tomorrow night?" My dad asked me.

"Yeah." I said. "You want me to cook?"

"Oh, you don't have to. We could get a pizza. Maybe play horseshoes?" He suggested.

"Okay." I agreed. "That sounds fun." I was looking forward to some time with my dad. We hadn't had a lot of time together lately. I got up and picked up after everyone, before wrapping my dad in a hug. "I love you." I told him.

"Love you, too, Bells." He said. "Thanks for lunch."

"Anytime." I told him. I gave Heidi a hug, before Edward and I headed back out to the car. Emily and Sam were still in his truck, and she had a blanket over her chest. They waved at us, as we pulled out.

"That was fun." Edward said, smiling at me, before he turned onto the road to his house.

"It was." I said, smiling at him. "You are so gorgeous with a baby in your arms." I told him, reaching over to put my hand on his thigh.

Edward reached down and covered my hand with his. "You think so?" He asked, looking at me. I nodded, exaggeratedly, making him laugh. "Well, so do you." He said, smiling.

"Wasn't that amazing that Emily knew when he was hungry before he even cried?" I asked.

"Yeah, it was." Edward said. "But I think everybody gets to know their own baby. That all comes with time and practice."

"You think we're going to be good parents one day?" I asked, as we pulled up to Edward's place.

"I think we are going to be great parents, Bella." Edward said, parking the car before turning to face me. "You know why? Because we are going to love that baby more than anything in the world because we will have made him or her together."

"When you talk like that, I want to quit college and just start a family right now." I said, kissing his lips.

He chuckled. "No, we need to wait for me get a job so I can give you and all our little angels a good home."

"I love when you talk about the future." I whispered against his lips, before kissing him again.

"Our future." He whispered. "But, I want to have some fun with college Bella for a few years before I get mommy Bella."

I laughed. "You don't think mommy Bella's going to be any fun?" I asked him, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair.

"Oh, she's going to be amazing." Edward said. "But I think college Edward and Bella are going to make lots of fun memories first."

I giggled. "You are the best boyfriend in the world. You know that, right? Seriously, Edward. I don't think I could be any happier with my life than I am this very second." I told him.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." He said, kissing me. "But I'm going to work my hardest to make you even happier." I smiled, against his lips. "I love you." He whispered, before kissing me again, this time, it was a passionate kiss. He brought his hands to my back and pulled me closer. It was one of those kisses that, had we been in his room, our clothes would have started coming off.

"Hey, are you guys coming in?" I pulled back from Edward and peaked over his shoulder. Alice had opened Edward's driver's door and was standing with her hands on her hips. "Edward. Stop kissing my babysitter." She scolded, making Edward chuckle.

He got out of the car and scooped her up in his arms. "I can kiss your babysitter if she also happens to be my girlfriend." Edward said. I got out of the car and walked over to Edward and Alice.

Edward set her down and she came over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Hi, Bella." She said. "I'll protect you from Edward's lips."

I started laughing really hard. That was the last thing I needed protecting from. I looked over at Edward. He pursed his lips at me, making a kissy face, and then winked, before he laughed.

"Where's your mom?" I asked her, taking her hand. Edward took her other hand and we walked up to the house.

"She's inside, and Em and Jazz are at their girlfriends' house." Alice said. "So, it's just going to be us this afternoon. I'm so excited. What are we going to do?"

I smiled at her enthusiasm. I was really looking forward to watching her tonight. We were going to have a great night.


	345. Milk and Cookies

**A/N - Okay...yesterday, Summer Vacation reached ONE MILLION hits! I can't thank you all enough for your interest in my story! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Enjoy!**

Chapter 345 - Milk and Cookies

"Mom. Bella and Edward are home." Alice called out as we walked into the house.

Esme came out of the kitchen with her hair clipped up and an apron on. She looked a little frazzled. "Hi, kids." She said, pulling me into a hug, and then reaching up to pat Edward's cheek. "Did you have a good time last night?"

"Yeah, it was great. Edward made me dance." I told her, looking up Edward and smiling.

"Oh, she loved every minute of it." Edward said, laughing, and making his mom laugh.

"You guys are cute." Esme said, smiling. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves."

"Do you need some help in the kitchen, Esme? I asked.

"Actually, yes, if you wouldn't mind." Esme said, letting out a deep breath.

"Okay, Alice and I will be in the family room." Edward said, leaning down to kiss his mom's cheek and then mine. He pulled back and smiled at me, before leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Mom. Edward keeps kissing Bella." Alice huffed, putting her hands on her hips. Esme giggled at her daughter.

Edward laughed and picked up Alice, kissing her cheek. "Well, one day, when you're older, like, I don't know, thirty, thirty five, you might want a boy to kiss you, too."

"Eww." Alice said, scrunching up her face. "All boys are gross, except you and Em and Jazz and daddy."

"That's my girl." Edward said. "Promise me you won't forget that you said that." He said, carrying her into the family room.

I followed Esme into the kitchen, still giggling at Edward's overprotective side.

"Yeah, I'm worried about Alice's boyfriends once she starts dating." Esme laughed. "She has four men in this house that love her to death."

"Ah, you've got a while yet, before you worry about that." I told her. "So, what are we doing?"

"Oh, I just wanted to make you kids some cookies for tonight, and I have two cookie sheets in the oven now, and they're almost ready to come out. I need to put one more batch in, but I still need to dye my hair, shave my legs and shower. And I still haven't packed our overnight bags." Esme said. "I'm never this disorganized."

I put my hands on her shoulders. "Esme. This is your night with your husband. You should be relaxed. Go get ready. I'll finish your cookies." I told her.

"Oh, Bella." She said, pulling me into a hug. "I love you, sweetie. I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you for doing everything that you do for all of us."

"Well, for one, you could all stop trying to make me cry." I giggled. "And, just have a great time tonight. You deserve it, Esme."

"Okay. I'll be upstairs for the next few hours if you need me for anything." She said, letting her hair down.

"We'll be fine." I reassured her, as she took off up the stairs.

I laughed to myself. I was trying to imagine my future with Edward. What would our life be life if we ever had kids? Would we struggle to find time to spend together? I completely understood what Edward was saying about enjoying the next few years together, just the two of us. Yes, a baby would be a blessing. But, we needed the time for us right now, for our love to grow even stronger.

The timer went off, so I grabbed an oven mitt and took Esme's first batch of cookies out of the oven. I took them off of the pans and put in the last batch. I set the timer for ten minutes. Esme had made what seemed to be an amazing ginger cookie recipe, that I was going to have to get from her. They smelled amazing.

I walked to the door to peek in at Edward and Alice. They were both sitting on the couch with their legs crossed, facing each other, and playing a game of 'Guess Who.' Alice was laughing, and Edward was smiling at her. It was adorable.

Almost as if he felt me watching him, Edward's eyes flicked up to meet mine, and he smiled.

"Do you want to come play?" He asked me.

"Yeah. Just give me five minutes." I told him. "Are you winning, Alice?"

"Of course I am." She said. Edward reached over and started tickling her foot, making her laugh.

I smiled as I walked back into the kitchen. Those two were just too adorable. I set the cookies on plates and then just as the timer went off, I took the last batch out of the oven. I set them on the cooling racks, just as Alice ran into the kitchen.

"Cookies." She said, climbing up on a chair at the island.

Edward walked into the kitchen. "Notice how she runs out here for cookies when she's losing." He chuckled.

"I wasn't losing." Alice defended. "It was just a setback."

Edward and I started laughing. "A setback, huh?" He said, smiling. "Where did you learn that word?"

"Daddy." She said smiling as she snatched a cookie off of the plate and then took a huge bite. Of course would be using big words; her father was a doctor.

"Do you want some milk?" I asked her, going to the cupboard and getting her a Cinderella cup.

"Yes, please." She said, smiling. I poured her some milk and set it in front of her. Edward was sitting beside her at the island, eating cookies, too.

"Can I have some milk, too, please?" Edward asked, batting his eyelashes at me, and making me laugh.

"Of course you can." I said, walking to the cupboard.

"Get him a princess cup." Alice said, giggling. I laughed and got him a Beauty and Beast cup, filling it with milk. I passed it to him, but leaned over the island.

"Where's my payment?" I asked tapping my lips. Edward chuckled and pressed a kiss to my lips. "Thank you, handsome."

"Eww." Alice said, giggling. "Are you guys going to do that all night?"

I laughed. "We might, Alice." I told her.

Edward wrapped his arm around his sister and kissed her cheek. "I love you, princess." He said. Taking a bite of her cookie, and making her laugh.

I picked up a cookie and dunked it into Edward's milk, before taking a bite. "Eww, Bella. You're getting crumbs in my milk." Edward chuckled.

"You're not a dunker?" I asked, dipping my cookie, again.

He kept laughing. "No. None of us Cullen kids dunk. We eat the cookies and then wash it down with the milk."

"Well, my darling, you are going to have to get used to crumbs in your milk. 'Cause I'm a cookie dunker." I giggled.

"Or, you could just get your own of milk?" Edward suggested, winking at me.

"Um, no. That's not going to happen." I said.

"That's it." Edward laughed, setting down his cookie. He jogged around the island and picked me up, literally tossing me over his shoulder. "Come on, Alice. She has to be tickled." He said, carrying me into the family room.

"Edward, put me down." I said, even though I was loving every minute of the attention he was giving me. I reached down and was patting his bum, as he walked.

Alice was giggling and running behind us. Edward set me on the couch, and sat behind me, reaching around my body and holding me to his chest. Alice climbed up on the couch beside me and started tickling my stomach.

"Alice, stop." I laughed. "Best friends have to look out for each other."

Alice looked up at Edward, likely to check if that was true. Edward let me go, leaning down to kiss my shoulder. "Do you think she's been tickled enough?" He asked Alice.

"Yeah." Alice laughed. "Now she won't put crumbs in your milk."

I giggled, and looked over my shoulder at Edward. Our eyes met and we smiled at each other. I was not going to stop dunking, and Edward knew it.


	346. Always

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 346 - Always

Alice, Edward and I spent the next hour playing 'Guess who?' Edward made me play on his team, because Alice was so good at the game. I told Edward it was because he always picked the same three characters.

But we had a lot of fun, and I enjoyed leaning against chest, while we played. He had his legs bent on either side of me, and I was running my fingers up and down on his shins. I was so comfortable and relaxed and exactly where I wanted to be.

Alice decided that she wanted to watch a movie with us, so she put in one of her Disney musicals. She stood up in front of the couch and danced along to the movie. Edward and I were snuggled on the couch watching Alice. She was the cutest kid, ever.

We heard the front door open and Carlisle came in. "Good afternoon, kids." He said, smiling.

Alice grabbed the remote and paused the movie, before running over to Carlisle. "Hi, daddy." She said, as he picked her up and gave her a tight hug. "Mom made cookies and Bella dunked hers in Edward's milk and then we tickled her, and then we played 'Guess Who?' and Bella and Edward had to be on the same team. But, I still won, though. And now, we're watching a movie."

"Wow." Carlisle chuckled. "You've been busy." He said, kissing her forehead.

"Someone's home early. Got a big date, tonight?" Edward teased his dad, chuckling.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Carlisle said, as he came over and messed up Edward's hair, making him laugh. Edward swatted at his dad's hands. It was such a sweet father/son moment. "I'll be upstairs getting ready." Carlisle said, setting Alice down.

After he headed up the stairs, Alice turned the move back on. I laid my head down on Edward's chest and shut my eyes. He had his hand on my hip and was slowly moving his thumb over the sliver of skin between the waistband of my shorts and where my tank top had lifted a little.

I decided that I would wait for Emmett and Jasper to get home from the girls' house before I started dinner, so I was just enjoying my chance to relax in Edward's arms. About ten minutes later, I noticed Edward's finger stop moving. I peeked up at his face and smiled. He was fast asleep.

When Alice's movie ended, I put my fingers to my lips, and she covered her mouth so she wouldn't laugh too loudly. I got off of the couch and grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch. I covered Edward, and leaned in to lightly kiss his temple.

I took Alice's hand and led her upstairs to her room. "Let's play up in your room for a while, okay?" I suggested.

"Okay." She said, smiling. As we walked down the hallway, passed Esme and Carlisle's room, I could hear Esme giggling. I smiled. I was so happy that they had this night together. "Should we go say hi to mom and dad?" She asked, looking up at me.

I had no idea what her parents were up to in their room, so I thought it was best for Alice and I to just leave them be. "Why don't we just go play, and they'll come and get us before they leave, okay?"

"Okay." She said, as we opened her bedroom door, and went in. "Do you want to do my hair, instead?"

"I would love to." I told her. She walked to her closet and got her little hair accessories kit and set it on her bed, before she climbed up to sit on it. I brushed out her hair and then braided it across the front of her head, fastening it with a clip. I added a few sparkly clips, before I helped her off the bed, so she could go look at her hair in the mirror.

"It's really pretty, Bella." She said, smiling. "Would you do my hair like this for when my grams and pop come to visit? I think they'll like it."

"I would be happy to." I told her.

I heard the front door close and then I heard Emmett laughing from all the way upstairs. I smiled. I guess the boys were home.

"Come on, Alice. "Your brothers are home. You want to help me make dinner?" I asked her, taking her hand.

"Yeah." She said, excitedly, hopping off her bed. I followed her down the stairs, and we walked into the family room. Emmett was sitting on top of Edward, hitting his head with the couch cushion. Edward was on his stomach, with his hands over his head. Jasper was sitting on the couch laughing at his brothers.

"Boys, boys." I said, walking up to them. "Emmett. Your mom made fresh cookies. They're in the kitchen."

"Awesome." He said, dropping the pillow on Edward and getting up to run to the kitchen.

"Hi, Bella." Jasper said coming up to give me a hug. I loved how sweet he was.

"Hi, Jasper." I said, letting him go. "Did you have a good day?" I asked him.

His cheeks flushed lightly, and he smiled as he nodded his head. Hmm. I wondered what happened today to make him blush like that. He lifted Alice up and took her in the kitchen for cookies.

I crouched down beside Edward's head. "Are you okay?" I asked him, giggling a little.

He uncovered his head and turned to face me. "You left me alone with them." He chuckled. I climbed on the couch and laid beside him, wrapping my arm around his waist.

"I'm sorry." I giggled. "You fell asleep, and I didn't want to wake you up. You danced your cute little buns off last night, so I figured you could use the nap."

I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair, trying to straighten it out a little. He had one too many smacks on the head with the pillow. He snuggled his face in to the crook of my neck and placed a kiss there.

"Mm. This is the only way I want to nap." He mumbled into my skin, making me giggle. His breath tickled.

"Okay, kids. We're heading out." I heard Carlisle say from above us. I wriggled out of Edward's arms to sit up.

Esme was smiling warmly at us. "Wow. You guys look great." I said, getting up to give Esme a hug.

She was wearing a beautiful black and white cocktail dress that had a square neckline and cap sleeves. Her hair was up in a twist and she just looked so excited. Carlisle was wearing a grey suit with a white shirt and black tie. He had an overnight bag over his shoulder.

"Do you need some money for pizza?" Carlisle asked us, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and passing me forty dollars.

"Well, I was going to cook." I said, passing him the money back.

He put his hand up to stop me. "Keep it." He said. "Get dessert or something." He said, winking at me. "I really appreciate you suggesting this, Bella." He chuckled.

"Bye, kids." Esme called out.

Emmett, Jasper and Alice all came running to join us. "Wow, mom. You look so pretty." Alice said.

"Thank you, sweetie." She said, smiling.

Carlisle picked Alice up and kissed her forehead. "Be good, okay?" He told her. "Listen to Bella, and your brothers."

Alice giggled. "I'm always good, daddy." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He patted her back. "I know you are, baby girl. But, dad's just have to say that." He chuckled, as he set her down. "And that goes for you guys, too. As much as I like Rose and Maria, I don't want the girls over here tonight."

Jasper blushed and nodded his head, and Emmett laughed. "Which is exactly why we spent the day at their place." Emmett said. Carlisle just shook his head, and chuckled.

"Okay, Bella, call if you need anything. We'll be staying overnight in Port Angeles, and we'll be home at around ten tomorrow morning." Esme said, as all her boys gave her a hug. I still couldn't get over how sweet these boys were.

"Everything will be fine." I told her. "Have fun."

We all walked out onto the porch and Edward picked Alice up. She waved at her parents until they drove off and were out of sight.

"Now, what?" Alice asked.

"Now, we have a party." Emmett joked, making us laugh.

"You guys want something to eat?" I asked, as we walked back in the house.

Edward laughed. "Always."


	347. Cooking and Countertops

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 347 - Cooking and Countertops

We went into the kitchen and we all sat down at the table. "So, what are we having for dinner?" Emmett asked me.

"Well, I was thinking of making pineapple chicken and rice." I told them. "I've made it for Edward before, and he loved it."

"Oh, my god, guys. It is so good." Edward said, excitedly.

Emmett and Jasper laughed. "Okay, awesome." Emmett said. "Let's go with that."

"Um, can we help at all?" Jasper asked. I thought it was so sweet of him to ask, even though none of the Cullen kids knew how to cook.

"Okay, sure. Emmett, you want to boil four cups of water?" I asked, getting up and walking over to the stove, getting out two pots and a frying pan.

"How do I know when it's four cups?" He asked, as he filled up the pot with water.

I giggled. "You have to measure it." I told him, passing him a glass measuring cup. "Fill this up twice and put it on the stovetop on high. "Okay, Edward. I'm putting you in charge of the chicken." I said, smiling as he leaned down to kiss my lips.

"Oh, so I get the scary thing?" He asked, winking at me.

"Well, you are the oldest." Emmett laughed. "So old, in fact, that you need afternoon naps." I giggled at the boys. I loved listening to their banter.

I put olive oil in the pan and put four chicken breasts in the pan, setting the lid on it. "Baby, just turn it every five minutes." I told him, rubbing his lower back. "Okay, Alice and Jasper, we get the fun job. The glaze."

I had Jasper and Alice put all the ingredients for the pineapple and red pepper glaze in a sauce pan. I set it on the stove on low heat, and I had Jasper stir it with a wooden spoon.

"Can I go watch TV?" Alice asked Edward.

"Of course, princess." Edward told her. "I'll come get you when it's time to eat, okay?"

"Okay." She said, skipping off to the living room.

"Bella. The water is boiling." Emmett called out, sounding way to panicked for boiling water. I held back a giggle, and walked over to him. I shut of the burner and we moved the pot to the counter. I measured out four cups of rice for Emmett, and he poured it in the water, putting the lid on it.

I patted his shoulder. "You did it, Emmett. You made instant rice." I giggled.

"Woo." Emmett said, lifting his arms in the air. "I rock."

"You did good, Emmett." I said, patting his back. "Now you get to set the table." I laughed. Jasper and Edward laughed at him. As Emmett grabbed the dishes, and headed into the dining room, I smiled. I still couldn't get over that fact that the boys listened to me. It was sweet, and it was like they saw me as their sister.

I walked over to Jasper, and looked at his glaze. It was thickening nicely. "Great job, Jasper." I told him, making him smile. I turned and wrapped my arms around my Edward's waist. "And how are you doing?" I asked him, kissing his chest.

"Okay." He said, leaning down to kiss the top of head. "Is it done?" He asked.

I lifted the lid and looked at the chicken. It was nicely golden, so I took a knife and cut it in half, just to double check. Perfect.

"It's done, baby." I said. "I'm going to make a cook out of you, yet." I told him, running my hand down his arm. Edward smiled at me.

I got a plate and set all the chicken on it, before I started slicing it all. The boys helped me bring all the food into the dining room and I loaded up our plates with rice, chicken and then covered it with pineapple glaze.

I knew Edward had loved this meal when I made it for him, but I was excited to hear what the boys and Alice thought. Edward went to get Alice, and she came skipping into the dining room.

We all sat down and the boys dug in right away, making me laugh. "So?" I asked. "What do you think?"

Emmett put his thumb up, not even stopping eating. Edward leaned in to kiss my cheek. "Just as delicious as I remembered." Edward whispered.

"It's really good, Bella." Jasper said, smiling.

Alice had a piece of chicken on her fork and was nibbling on it. "What do you think, princess?" Edward asked her.

"It's really good." She said, smiling. I was so glad that everyone was happy with dinner.

I didn't even realize how hungry I was until I started eating. We all shared a nice meal, even though no one really talked. We all just ate.

After dinner, Emmett, Jasper and Alice headed downstairs to play video games, and Edward helped me clean up the kitchen. We had it spotless in no time.

"That was fun." He said, walking up to me, and lifting me up.

"Baby." I laughed. "What are you doing?"

Edward carried me over to the counter and set me up on it. He put his hands on my knees and spread my legs apart, stepping in between them. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and my legs around his hips, pulling him close to me.

He pressed a kiss into the crook of my neck. "Thank you for doing this for us." He whispered into my skin. "I love you so much." He started kissing down my neck, along my collarbone and towards my cleavage. It felt so good, and I didn't want him to stop, but we were in his parents' kitchen, and anyone could have come upstairs.

"You know I love your family, and would do anything for them." I told him, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "But, baby, you have to stop doing that." I said, giggling as his licked me.

He stood up straighter and pressed a kiss to my lips. "Why?" He said, kissing me, again. "We're alone right now?"

"Because, Alice could come upstairs anytime." I told him.

"Why don't we just send them all to bed early?" Edward asked, winking.

"Or, we could all hang out and have fun." I said, kissing his lips. "And then, tonight, when we go to bed, we'll lock you're door, and have some fun of our own."

"Mm." He hummed, against my lips. "I love that idea." He chuckled, grabbing my hips tightly and lifting me back off the countertop. "Let's get this show on the road."

I laughed. Edward was so adorable. "What do you want to do, tonight?" I asked him "It's still early."

"Um, why don't we walk down to the diner and get some ice cream?" Edward suggested. "Maybe we could walk by the park so Alice can play?"

"Sounds good." I agreed, kissing his chin, and making him smile. I loved that he always thought of his little sister.

I ran upstairs to the bathroom, while Edward went downstairs to get Emmett, Jasper and Alice. When I came out of the bathroom, Edward was in his room in just his boxer briefs. He was standing in front of his dresser, pulling out a pair of tan shorts.

"Hey, hottie." I said, giggling when he jumped.

"Hi, babe." He chuckled, pulling on his shorts. "I was getting way too hot in those jeans."

I walked over to him and gave his bum a quick squeeze. "Well, with a view like that, I'm not complaining." I said, running my hands up his chest to his shoulders.

He laughed. "You're so adorable." He said, leaning down to kiss me. "I love that you go crazy over my underwear."

I smiled and blushed. "Um, it's not really the underwear. It's what's underneath it." I admitted.

Edward ran the back of his finger over my cheek, while he looked deeply into my eyes. "Promise me that you will never stop blushing." He whispered sweetly, before pressing a soft and delicate kiss to my lips.

I smiled. "I wish I could, but I have no control over it. So, it looked like that's a promise that I could keep."

He chuckled, pulling me close to his body for a hug. "Good."


	348. Becoming a Cullen

**A/N - Happy Victoria Day to all the Canadians reading! A different error message pops up when I try to reply to you, so I'm assuming that they are working on the problem! Hopefully that will be fixed up soon! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 348 - Becoming a Cullen

Edward and I went downstairs and found Emmett, Jasper and Alice sitting on the front porch waiting for us. "You guys ready to go?" Edward said, locking the front door.

"Yeah, but you seriously want to walk?" Emmett asked. "It's going to take us like an hour to get there."

"Oh, uh, we can drive if you want." Edward said, looking over at me.

"It's fine." I told him. I could tell he wanted to go for a walk with me, but we'd figure something out.

He unlocked the car and I yelled shotgun, just as Emmett was opening his mouth. Everyone started laughing, and Edward leaned down to kiss my lips. "There's my girl." He chuckled, kissing me, again. "You're becoming a Cullen, already."

I smiled up at him. I had noticed him subtly throwing in comments about being a part of the family, and making me happier. I was starting to wonder if was checking for my reactions.

I had a feeling that he was going to propose to me soon. I knew that even weeks ago, the idea had scared me. I wasn't quite sure why. I knew it wasn't because I thought I was too young for marriage, because I didn't. And I was incredibly confident in the fact that Edward and I were soul mates and belonged together.

The best I could figure, was that I had been nervous because I had never been in love before. It was an incredible emotion. It grew and changed and honestly had different levels to it. I was so amazed everyday by the love that I felt for Edward. Everyday I was sure that I couldn't love him more, but the next day, I actually loved him deeper. We were so connected now, I was sure that we could never be apart.

Not only that, but we had been moving forward physically. And Edward was incredibly patient and understanding with me. I loved our time alone together. It was incredibly important to me. And it was really hard to sleep apart from him now.

So, now when I thought about being engaged to Edward, the idea excited me. I honestly couldn't wait for him to ask me. I wanted to wear his ring on my left hand. I wanted everyone to know that I was his.

I knew we were young, but I knew this was more than puppy love. He was absolutely everything to me, and I knew that our future was going to amazing. We talked a lot about the wedding, and babies. I knew he was thinking along the same lines as I was.

He was definitely going to propose soon. And, I couldn't wait. It would be another amazing moment in our lives together. I hoped he wasn't nervous that I would say no. I was trying my hardest to show him that I felt the same way about sharing my future with him. And I hoped that he saw that.

Emmett, Jasper and Alice were in the backseat, and I took Edward's hand. "Why don't we park the car at the diner, and then we'll go for walk to the park?" I suggested, pulling him down so I could kiss his cheek.

He smiled, turning and kissing my lips. "That sounds good, angel." He whispered, before opening my car door for me.

He got in the car and we drove to the diner. Alice was singing in the backseat the entire way there, and Edward and I were laughing at her. She was such an entertainer, that our laughter seemed to encourage her to keep singing. She was absolutely priceless, and I always enjoyed her company.

When we got to the diner, I ordered a strawberry milkshake, Edward got a chocolate shake, Emmett and Alice got bowls of chocolate ice cream with sprinkles, and Jasper had vanilla ice cream with caramel on top.

We sat in a booth together, with Jasper and Emmett on one side, and me, Edward and Alice on the other side.

"So what did you guys do at Rose and Maria's house, this afternoon?" Edward asked his brothers.

Emmett smiled and Jasper blushed, again. "Oh, uh, the girls made cookies and we all watched a movie." Jasper said, ducking his head down a little.

"What kind of cookies?" Alice asked, before giggling when Edward grabbed her spoon and took a bite of her ice cream. He winked at her, before wrapping his arm around her shoulders and giving her a quick squeeze.

"I don't know, there was a bunch of stuff in them." Emmett said. "They were good."

"Maria said they were chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin." Jasper added, with a smile, making Emmett laugh at him.

"I'm surprised you can remember anything that happened before that kiss." Emmett teased, making Jasper blush bright red.

"Shut up, Em." Jasper said, quietly.

"Wait, what kiss?" Edward asked Jasper.

"Well, Em and Rose went to hang out in her room for a while, and Maria and I just stayed in the living room. She was showing me some of the photos from her family's trip to Seattle, and then she just leaned over and kissed me." Jasper said.

"You're making that sound a lot more innocent than it looked." Emmett laughed, earning a punch in the shoulder from Jasper.

"Okay, Emmett." Edward said.

"What? I'm proud of you, baby brother." Emmett said, wrapping his arm around Jasper's shoulders.

"Later, Em." Edward said, pointing over at Alice. Emmett held up his hands like he was innocent.

"Ali knows her brothers are crazy, right, Al?" Emmett laughed.

"Yeah." Alice laughed. Edward leaned in and kissed his sister on the top of the head. She was a lucky little girl to have three amazing brothers.

After Emmett and Jasper finished their ice cream, and Edward ate the last half of Alice's ice cream, we decided to walk to the park.

Alice wanted Edward's milkshake, so he gave it to her. She held Jasper's hand as we walked out of the diner.

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked to the park. Emmett walked beside us, and started talking about football. I had no idea what he was saying half the time, as he and Edward talked about plays and opponents from last year.

It looked like I would be learning the rules to yet another sport this year. The Cullens had me well schooled in baseball. I figured it was time for football. I was excited for Emmett's practice to start. I had enjoyed watching Jasper with Edward. He was so proud of his brother, and I could wait to watch Edward, watching Emmett play.

When we got to the park, Edward and I sat on one of the benches, and Emmett scooped Alice up and carried her to the monkey bars. Edward took my milkshake from me, and took a big drink, making me laugh.

Jasper came and sat beside Edward, kicking his feet out and crossing his ankles. "So, do you want to talk about what happened with Maria?" Edward asked him.

"Um, not really." Jasper said, chuckling, and running his fingers through his hair.

"I can give you guys a minute if you'd like." I told Jasper. Edward leaned in and kissed my cheek.

"No, it's okay." Jasper said. "It's not like anything happened, really." He cleared his throat. "Um, like I was saying before, she just leaned in and kissed me, you know, quickly on the lips."

"So what was Em talking about?" Edward asked him. I could tell he worried about his brothers, and always checked that they were okay, or if they needed to talk.

"Oh, well, after she kissed me, she sat back. She was smiling and blushing and she just looked so pretty, so, um, I just leaned in and kissed her." Jasper blurted out. "And that's when Emmett and Rose walked in the room."

"Wow." Edward said, wrapping his arm around his brother's shoulder, giving him a half hug. "And I'm sure Emmett opened his mouth, huh?"

"Yeah. Which is pretty hilarious, considering what I'm sure he and Rose were doing. But, I'm used to it. I just didn't want him to embarrass Maria." Jasper said, and I had to hold back the 'aww' that was threatening to slip from my lips.

"I'm pretty sure she's used to Em by now, too." Edward said, trying to reassure him. "But, you had a good day with her?"

"Yeah. I really like her. She's happy all the time and she always has so much to say." Jasper said, smiling.

Edward smiled at his brother. "I'm happy for you, Jazz."


	349. Sisters and Snacks

**A/N - Happy Tuesday! Because the review replies are still down, I'll answer some questions I've been getting...The date in the story is Wednesday, July 21, 2010. Yes, there will be a sequel...it will be when the summer is over and they go back to college. I will write about the wedding and kids and all that fun stuff! I hope that helps! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 349 - Sisters and Snacks

Alice came running back over to us, with Emmett right behind her. "Bella do you want to go on the swings with me?" She asked, jumping up on Edward's legs. Edward pulled her close to his chest and kissed the top of her head.

"Sounds like a plan." I told her, getting up. Edward let her go and she took my hand. Edward slapped my bum, making me giggle, as I walked by him. I looked over my shoulder at him and he winked at me.

Alice and I walked over to the swings and sat beside each other. I looked over and the boys were all sitting together on the bench. They were laughing, and I loved how great they all got along with each other.

"Are you having fun babysitting us?" Alice asked me, as we swung slowly. I smiled at her, and she look so cute with her hair still braided from this afternoon.

"I love babysitting you." I told her. "Even though it doesn't feel like I am. It's like we're all just friends hanging out and playing together."

"Yeah." She said, smiling back at me. "I think so, too. But, I think we're like sisters. I've never had a sister, only brothers, so I don't really know what it feels like to have a sister, but I think you seem like my big sister."

I tried to blink back my tears, but I couldn't. I would never be able to get over how lucky I felt to be included and loved by this amazing family. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. Alice hopped off of her swing and came over to stand in front of me.

"Are you okay, Bella? What's wrong?" Alice asked.

I pulled over to me and gave her a tight hug, making her giggle. "I love you, Alice." I told her. "Just ignore me, when I cry. I cry when I'm happy."

"Do I make you happy?" She asked.

"You make me very happy, Alice." I told her, putting my hands on her shoulders. "Now get back on that swing, before Edward freaks out and comes to check on us."

Alice giggled and ran back over to the swing, hopping up. She started pumping her legs. "Bella, let's see how high we can get." She said, giggling.

I followed her lead and tried to get up really high. We were both laughing really hard. We were swinging opposite of each other. When we past each other, we would laugh. We were both having so much fun, and I was so glad that we got to spend this time together.

"Bella, I'm getting dizzy." Alice said, still giggling.

"Me, too." I told her. "Okay, just hold your legs straight and we'll eventually slow down."

"Okay." She said. "I hope it stops soon." I looked over at her, and she looked a little green.

"Hang on, Alice." I said. "Edward." I called out. He ran over to me immediately, with Emmett and Jasper on his heals.

"What's wrong?" He asked, before he even got to us.

"Can you stop Alice." I told him. "I think she's going to get sick."

Emmett stood behind her and grabbed the chains on her swing, stopping her. Edward grabbed my legs, stopping me from moving. I kissed his cheek, before going over to check Alice.

"Are you okay, princess." Edward asked, crouching down in front of her.

"Yeah, I just feel a little queasy." She said. "Did you see how high we got?"

"Yeah. You girls got pretty high." He said, lifting her up.

"Why don't we go sit in the grass for a while until she feels better?" Emmett suggested.

"That's a good idea." Edward said, carrying her over to the grass. We sat down together in the shade of a large elm tree and Alice laid down, looking up at the sky. I laid beside her. The cool grass made me feel a lot better.

Edward sat beside me and ran his fingers through my hair, and I closed my eyes, just enjoying the sensation. "Are you dizzy, too?" He asked, quietly.

"A little." I said, looking up at his face.

I felt his fingers trace under my eyes. "Are you okay?" He whispered. I'm sure my eyes looked a little red, and I wasn't surprised he noticed.

"Yeah. Alice told me that I was like a big sister to her." I explained, laughing a little. "So, naturally, I cried."

"I didn't mean to make her cry." Alice giggled, sitting up. "I feel better now."

"Bella always cries. Right, Bella?" Emmett teased, squeezing my ankle.

"You know me so well." I giggled, sitting up. "You guys ready to go home?"

Everyone agreed and we all walked back to the car. Emmett carried Alice, and she was resting her head on his shoulder. We got back to the car and headed home. It was after eight o'clock and Alice looked like she was falling asleep. She'd had a busy day.

Edward and Jasper kissed her forehead before Emmett carried her upstairs. I went with her to get her ready for bed. "Alice. Do you just want to get your pyjamas on and go to bed? You can have your bath in the morning." I suggested to her.

"Okay." She said. She was fighting to keep her eyes opened.

"Alright, go brush your teeth quickly." I told her.

I went to her drawer and pulled out a pair of Tinkerbell pyjamas. She came back into her room, and sat on her bed. I pulled her shirt off, and slipped her nightgown over her head. She slipped her arms in the sleeves and then fell back on the bed. I slid her shorts off, and then took her clothes to the hamper. I got a wash cloth and then came back in her room, to wash her face. She was already asleep.

I kissed her head and then turned out her light. I went into Edward's room and changed out of my jean shorts into my yoga pants. I walked down the stairs and found the boys laying on the sectional couch in the family room.

It looked like they were all in their pyjamas, too. Edward was wearing flannel pj pants and a white t-shirt, Jasper had his sweatpants and a black t-shirt on, and Em was wearing plaid boxers, and nothing else. I supposed I couldn't fault him; he was in his own house.

They were watching another action movie, so after walking by just so I could run my fingers through Edward's hair, I went to the kitchen to make the boys a snack. It wasn't that I didn't like their taste in movies, I just liked taking care of people.

I looked in the pantry and found peanut butter, Chex mix, pretzels, chocolate chips and icing sugar. I went to the fridge and got a stick of butter, and went to work making the boys some chocolate Chex mix.

I was melting the butter, peanut butter and chocolate on the stove, when I heard footsteps in the kitchen. I looked over my shoulder and smiled when I saw my gorgeous boyfriend walking up to me.

"Hey, gorgeous." He said, setting his hands on my hips, and kissing my shoulder. "Why don't you come watch the movie with us?"

I smiled. "I just wanted to make you guys some munchies. I'll be right there. Give me ten minutes, at the most." I told him, still stirring my gooey concoction.

"Baby, you don't have to keep working all the time." He whispered, sliding his hand down to my bum, giving it a little squeeze.

"I doesn't feel like work, Edward." I told him, honestly. "I like doing things for you guys. And, baby, I hate to do this to you, but I have to kick you out of the kitchen. You're distracting me."

Edward laughed, letting me go and walking to the door. "Okay. I love you." He said, still peaking around the door.

I laughed at how cute he was. "I love you, too." I said, taking the chocolate off of the stove. "Now, shoo." I giggled. "Or, I'll get the wooden spoon." I looked up and he was gone. I seriously loved him.

I stirred in the cereal and pretzels. I got out a paper lunch bag and shook small batches in the icing sugar, so it wouldn't stick together. And my snack was finished. I found a huge bowl and poured the mix into it. I set the pot in the sink, and then carried the bowl into the family room.

Emmett paused the movie. "Okay, what smells so good?" He asked, as I set the bowl on the table, before sitting beside Edward.

"It's chocolate and peanut butter Chex mix." I told them. All three of them had their hands in the bowl immediately. I was met with a chorus of hums and compliments.

I smiled, as Edward pulled me close to him and kissed my lips. "Thank you, baby." He whispered, before kissing me, again. He tasted like chocolate. Edward and chocolate were my new favourite combination.


	350. Nerves and Excitement

**A/N - Thank you so much for reading! I'm glad everyone seems to be excited about the sequel! I can't give these characters up! I love them too much! I have so many great plans for the story, and I can't wait to share them! Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 350 - Nerves and Excitement

The boys and I finished watching the movie, and they had most of the Chex mix eaten. Emmett and Jasper decided to head to bed at eleven, and I went in the kitchen to wash the dishes.

"And where do you think you're going?" Edward asked, wrapping his arms around my waist, and stopping me just inside the kitchen door.

I laughed, as he kissed the top of my head. "To clean up the kitchen." I said.

"No, you're not." He said. Edward let go of me and flicked off the kichen light, before taking my hand, and leading me to the stairs, turning off lights as he went. "I'll wash the dishes in the morning." He was so sweet.

We walked up the stairs, and checked on Alice, who was still sound asleep, before going into Edward's room. He shut the door, and pulled me into his arms.

"Mm, Bella." He groaned, hugging me tightly. "I love so much." He whispered, kissing the top of my head. "You are so amazing."

I looked up at his face and he smiled at me, before pressing his lips aginst mine. "I love you, too." I told him. "Wanna brush your teeth with me?" I asked, moving my hands down to his bum and squeezing it.

He chuckled. "I wanna do lots of things with you." He said, winking. I laughed, and took his hand, pulling him with me into the bathroom.

We brushed our teeth, before I kicked Edward out of the bathroom. I was so thrilled that my period was finished. It had been a long four days. I pinned my hair up, took off my tank tops, and my yoga pants, and had a quick shower. I dried off and put my black bra and panties on. I looked in the mirror and smiled as I traced my fingers over the love bite Edward had giving me on my stomach.

I walked out of the bathroom and found Edward on the bed in his flannel pants. I was excited that he had taken off his shirt.

"God, baby. You're gorgeous." Edward said, getting up on his knees, and reching out for me. I walked up to him and was immediately wrapped in his arms. He pressed his lips to mine and brought his hands up to the back of my bra. He was fiddling with it for a minute, before he got it. He smiled against my lips.

"Pretty proud of yourself?" I asked, giggling.

"Absolutely." He said, reaching up to pull the straps down my arms. His lips moved over my body, making me tingle. He slid his hands down to my bum, giving it a squeeze. He slipped his fingers under the waistband of my panties, lightly tracing my bum cheeks.

"Take them off." I whispered in his ear before biting his ear lobe.

He looked up at my face. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yeah." I told him, sticking my tongue in his ear, making him groan. He slid my underwear down my legs, and I stepped out of it, before getting in his bed with him.

"Are you done your period?" He asked, laying down on his side beside me, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I thought we'd have to wait another night."

"Yes, finally." I told him, rolling against his body, so I was pressed against him.

"Can I touch you?" He asked, his hand already holding onto my bum.

"Please, baby." I whispered in his ear, sliding my hands into the back of his pyjama pants, and squeezing his bum.

"Okay, um, lay on your back." Edward said, sounding really nervous all of a sudden.

I did what he asked, but pulled his shoulders so he was on top of me and his chest was pressed into mine. I started kissing him, moving my hands up to his hair, and holding him to my face. I pulled him back a little, just enough to breath.

"Relax, baby." I whispered, sucking his bottom lip into my mouth.

He chuckled. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you?" He asked, kissing me, again. "It's not everyday a guy gets a sexy, naked woman in his bed. And not just any woman, but one that he's madly in love with.

"I'm just as nervous as you are, but my excitement is winning out right now." I told him, running my palms over his shoulders. And that was true. I was nervous because I was completely naked, but I trusted Edward, and I wanted to share myself with him.

Edward kissed my lips before kissing a trail down my chin, throat and between my breasts until he reached my belly button. I giggled, as he spent extra time, nipping and kissing my stomach. Edward chuckled against my skin, and I could tell he was enjoying this as much as I was.

He started to kiss lower, but I reached down and stopped him. I wasn't quite sure I was a hundred percent comfortable with that step, just yet.

"Not yet?" He asked, moving his lips back up my body.

"Is that okay?" I asked, running my fingers through his hair.

"Of course, baby." He whispered, kissing my lips a few times. "Never ever be worried to tell me no, Bella." He reached up and grabbed my hands, giving them a squeeze. "I mean it. I love you, and I want you to be happy and feel safe with me."

"I know." I whispered. And I did trust him completely.

Edward started to move his hands over my body and I closed my eyes, just enjoying the sensation. His touch was absolutely magical. "Edward." I started to scream, so I turned my head and buried it his pillow.

Edward chuckled, and kissed my temple. "I love that you are so vocal." He whispered in my ear. "I love that I can make you feel so good."

I giggled, turning my face back to meet his. "You do make me feel good." I said. He kissed me and smiled. "I want to do the same for you." I said, letting my hands slip into the front of his pyjama pants.

"Uh, Bella." He groaned, rolling onto his back. I climbed over his hips, straddling him. "Baby, do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?" He asked, sliding his hands up and down my sides.

"Well, I know the way you look at me, and that makes me feel beautiful." I told him, moving my hips. Edward held onto my hips and smiled as he moved with me.

"I'm glad, sexy." He said, trying to hold my gaze, but fighting to close his eyes. It was clear that Edward and I were meant for each other, because every time we touched each other, it felt so good.

I collapsed onto Edward's chest, sticky and panting. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tightly. "I love you so much, Bella." He whispered. He rolled us over to our sides and then kissed my lips. "I'll be right back." He said, kissing me, again. "I love you."

I smiled lazily up at his face. "Love you, too." I whispered.

Edward got up, grabbed some boxers and went into his bathroom. I crawled out of bed and pulled my t-shirt on, before getting back in. Edward walked out of his bathroom in his black boxers and crawled back into bed with me.

"That was fun." I giggled, as Edward pulled me close to his body.

"It really was." He said, smiling at me. "I love you so much, Bella." He whispered, running his fingers through my hair.

"I love you, too, Edward." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips.

We just laid there for a while, enjoying each others touch. He was watching me, looking at my face. His eyes were really intense. He looked really serious all of a sudden. I could see his mind working. What I wouldn't have given to get inside his head at that moment.

I brought my hand up, and cupped his cheek. "What are you thinking?" I asked him, slowly moving my thumb on his skin.

He turned his face and kissed the palm of my hand. "Just about how amazing you are." He said, smiling. "And that I love you, and how lucky I am that you have decided to be mine."

"Aw, baby." I said, snuggling close to his chest, and Edward wrapped me tighter in his arms. I pressed a kiss over his heart, and threw my leg over his hips.

Edward brought his hand down to my bum, and dipped his hand my nightshirt. He groaned when he realized that I wasn't wearing underwear. "Bella, Bella." He chuckled, tapping my bum, and making me laugh.

"Goodnight, Edward." I said, softly.

"Goodnight, my beautiful angel." He whispered, making me smile. I fell asleep with that smile on my face.


	351. Waffles

**A/N - Today's chapter in Summer Vacation takes place on Thursday, July 22, 2010. Thank you all so much for reading and for the great reviews! I'm on a role with my writing and already have the next few days' chapters written. I'm really excited about the plot and can't wait to share the chapters with you. Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 351 - Waffles

I woke up before Edward the next morning. I was excited, because I rarely got the privilege to just watch him. He was so absolutely beautiful. His hair was messy and his lips were parted slightly. No matter how many times I looked at him, I would never believe he was mine.

I got out of bed and grabbed my clothes. I went into bathroom and had a quick shower, washing my hair, and shaving my legs. I got out and dried off with one of Edward's plaid towels. I pulled on my blue bra and my black boy shorts. I grabbed some of Edward's hair gel and ran it through my hair, scrunching it a little. I put on some light makeup and brushed my teeth.

I had just pulled on my tank top when Edward knocked on the door. "Baby?" He asked.

"Come in." I called. Edward walked in and smiled.

"Good morning, gorgeous." He said, pulling me into a tight hug, his hands travelling down to my bum. "When we get our apartment, will you wear this exact outfit?" He pulled back, looking down at my clothes.

I laughed. "Okay." I told him. "I will wear a tank top and panties around the apartment."

He laughed. "Thank you. Although, I'm not really sure how I'm going to get any homework done."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll manage." I laughed, spanking him bum. I grabbed my skirt and pulled it on. "I'll leave you to get ready. I'm going to go get Alice up so she can have her bath."

"Okay." Edward said, kissing my lips. "Thank you. I love you, baby."

I smiled up at him, running my fingers over his abs. "I love you, too." I told him.

I walked out of the bathroom and shut the door, leaving Edward's room and going into Alice's room. She was sitting on her bed playing with her dolls, and smiled when she saw me.

"Hi, Bella." She said, excitedly. "You look really pretty, today. Can I wear a skirt, too?" She asked.

"Thanks, Alice. Yes, you can a wear a skirt today." I told her. "Let's go get your bath, and then I'll do your hair."

She hopped up and followed me into the bathroom. I ran her bath for her and then turned around so she could get undressed and get into the tub.

"I'm in." She said. I turned around and sat on the closed toilet lid to keep her company. "What are we going to sing, today?" She asked me.

I could hear her splashing around in the tub, and smiled. "Um, what about "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas?" I asked her. "It's the only other Disney song I know."

"Okay." She said excitedly. We both sang together, and again, I'm sure I got some of the words wrong, but we had fun. "I'm just going to rinse off and then I'm done." Alice told me.

"Okay, your towel in on the toilet." I told her. "I'll go get your clothes."

I went into her room and found a cute little brown skirt with pink polka dots, pink leggings and a pink t-shirt. Alice came out with the towel wrapped around her shoulders.

"You get dressed and brush your teeth." I told her. "I'm going to go start breakfast. Bring your hair clips down and I'll do your hair in the kitchen."

"Okay. Thanks, Bella." She said.

I smiled at her, before going into the hallway. The boys had all left their bedroom doors open, so it seemed like everyone was up. I went downstairs and smiled. Edward was washing the dishes from last night, Jasper was drying them, and Emmett was putting them away.

"Aw, guys." I said, walking into the room. "Thank you so much."

Edward dried his hands and walked over to me smiling. He looked gorgeous. He was wearing a snug fitting navy blue t-shirt and tan cargo shorts. "You're very welcome." He said, pulling me close to his body, and leaning down to kiss my lips. And he smelled incredible.

"What's for breakfast, Bella?" Emmett asked, chuckling.

"Well, to be honest, I'm dying to try your mom's waffle iron." I told him, giggling.

Edward laughed, giving me another kiss on the top of my head. "You've got free reign of the kitchen, baby."

I walked over and found Esme's recipe book and looked up basic waffles. I had the batter whipped up in no time. The boys were all sitting at the island watching me cook. I figured they must have just been hungry.

Alice walked into the room with her hair brush and her hair sticking up every where. "Hi, guys." She said.

"Morning princess." Edward said, getting up to lift her into a chair.

"I'll get to your hair as soon as the waffles are done." I told her, reaching over to smooth down her hair.

"Okay." She said smiling. "I'm hungry."

"You guys ready to be my guinea pigs?" I asked them, as I started making a pile of waffles on a plate.

"Bella. We're guys. It's what we do." Emmett said laughing.

"Well, they're probably not as good as good as your mom's, though." I said, setting them in front of the guys.

"Baby, I'm sure they're amazing." Edward said, tapping his lips with his finger. I shook my head at him, before leaning over the island to kiss his lips.

The boys and Alice all dug in, covering their waffles with syrup. I smiled to myself as I listened to them eat. I loved making them happy. I kept cooking, and I was barely keeping up, they were eating so fast. I really admired Esme. It took a lot of work to be a mom, especially to four kids. She was amazing.

Once everyone was full, I put a waffle in the iron for myself. I had two minutes while it cooked to do Alice's hair. I brushed her hair and pulled it into two pigtails. I kissed her cheek, before going to get my waffle.

I got my waffle and sat down at the table. Emmett and Jasper gave me a quick hug, and a 'thanks, Bella,' before heading out to the back yard with their football. Alice followed behind them, giggling.

Edward came and sat beside me at the table. "Thank you for breakfast." He said, leaning over to kiss my cheek. "Thank you for getting Alice up and ready."

I smiled, leaning in to kiss his lips. "I loved every minute of it." I told him.

"Mm." He said, leaning in and sucking my bottom lips. "You taste like syrup."

I giggled. "I love you, so much, Edward." I told him. "I've enjoyed playing house with you."

Edward smiled at me, before kissing me, again. I finished eating, all while Edward ran his hand up and down my thigh. He seemed a little quiet today, like he was thinking about something. He was like that last night, too. While we were in bed together. But, he seemed happy and nothing seemed to be really bothering him, so I decided to just let it go for now.

After I ate, Edward helped me with the dishes. "So, what are we doing, today?" I asked Edward. "I was thinking of heading home at around three thirty. Maybe making some dessert for my dad and I."

"That sounds great. I'm glad you're spending the evening together." He said, setting down his dish towel and walking over to me. He wrapped his body around mine from behind me, his arms crossed over my chest. "I don't know, baby. We can do whatever you want."

"You know what I want to do?" I asked, drying my hands, and turning around to wrap my arms around his waist.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "What?"

"Nothing." I said, giggling. "I just want to hang out with you and do nothing. Just have you hold me in your arms, so I can feel your warm body against mine."

"I love the sound of that." He whispered, rubbing my back. "I love you."


	352. Worry

**A/N - So, now fanfiction is letting me reply to reviews as private messages. I can only do this, however, if your private message feature is turned on. I'm still hoping they fix the regular review reply. I loved it! But, thanks for reading and reviewing! You are all amazing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 352 - Worry

I heard the front door close and Edward and I pulled apart. He took my hand and we walked towards the door. Carlisle and Esme were slipping off their shoes and dropping their bags by the door. They were both glowing and looked so happy and relaxed. I was so happy that they had decided to have this date night.

"Hey, kids." Esme said, running over to us, and pulling us into a hug. "How did everything go?" I smiled. Such a mom.

"Everything was perfect." Edward said, smiling. "Bella took great care of us."

Carlisle came over and wrapped his arm around Edward's shoulder, and kissed the side of his head. "Thank you, Bella." He said, chuckling. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

"Oh, I loved every second of it." I told him, giving him a hug.

"Where are the kids?" Esme asked.

"Backyard." Edward said. We followed Esme and Carlisle out to the yard.

"Mommy." Alice called out, running over to give her mom a hug. "Hi, daddy." She said, as Carlisle picked her up. "Did you miss me?"

Carlisle kissed her forehead. "Of course I missed my baby girl." He said.

Esme was hugging her boys and I smiled watching them with their kids. Carlisle and Esme were amazing parents.

Carlisle decided to work from home today, and Esme started cleaning, again. Her in-laws were coming the next day, so I couldn't really blame her. The boys played football and Alice brought her dolls outside.

And, Edward and I did what we said we were going to do. Nothing. We sat in a big reclining lawn chair and just enjoyed the sun, the fresh air, the company and each others touch. It was an amazing way to spend the day.

Edward and I always did so much. We were always busy, so I really appreciated the time to just relax. Esme had brought out sandwiches and lemonade for lunch, and we had a quick bathroom break, but other than that, we didn't move.

At around three o'clock, Edward started fidgeting a little. I looked back at him, and he smiled at me. I turned in his arms to face him, and reached up to run my fingers through his hair.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Um, yeah." He said, smiling, again. He leaned in to softly kiss my lips.

"You sure?" I asked. "You seem to have been in your head a lot the last couple days. Do you need to talk to me about anything? I'm always here to listen."

He chuckled. "I'm fine, angel." He said, kissing my lips, again. I didn't believe him at all. And he was trying to distract me with his kisses. And it was almost working.

"Okay." I said, running my hand over his shoulder and down his arm. "But just promise me that is something is bothering you, you'll tell me."

"I promise." He said. "I love you, babe."

"I love you, too." I told him. "You want to take me home?"

"No." He said, chuckling. "But, I will."

We reluctantly got up and I went to give hugs to Emmett, Jasper and Alice. I told them I would see them tomorrow, and they all thanked me for staying over with them.

Edward came over with a small purple wildflower that he must have picked for me. "Thank you, babe." I said, kissing his chin.

"You're welcome." He said, taking my hand and leading me through the house. After goodbyes to Carlisle and Esme, we got in Edward's car, and he started driving me home.

Edward was quiet in the car, not really saying much, so I turned in my seat to watch him. "When are your grandparents going to get here tomorrow?" I asked him. "I'm excited to meet them."

"Oh, um, not 'til late." He said, glancing over at me. "They're driving in from Spokane and it's like an eight hour drive."

"Okay." I said. "Do you want to do anything tomorrow before they get here?"

"Uh, yeah. Of course." He said, smiling at me, before he pulled up to my house.

He put the car in park and we just sat in the car. I felt a little bit like crying. We had had such a great couple of days and nights together. And now Edward was acting so different. He was never this withdrawn and never this quiet.

I looked up at his face with watery eyes, and his face dropped. "Bella." He sighed. "Don't cry." He said, getting out of his car. He came around to my side and opened the door. "Come here." He said taking my hand. He lead me to the front door, took the house key from my hand, and opened the door.

We walked into the house and he sat down on the couch. He pulled my hand and I sat down on his lap. He pulled me close to his body and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

"I'm sorry I'm acting like this." He whispered. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

I looked up at his face and he looked a little pale. I reached up and wiped a tear from my cheek. "Is something wrong? Why don't you just talk to me?" I almost begged. I didn't want him to keep things to himself, especially if it was bothering him this much.

"Because, I don't want you to worry about anything." He said, reaching up to play with the ends of my hair.

"Well, it's too late for that." I told him. "You're not breaking up with me, are you?" I asked, literally feeling sick as the words left my lips.

"No, Bella." He said, pulling me closer to his chest. "Never. You are my whole world." He placed a kiss to the top of my head.

"I love you, Edward." I said, feeling more tears run down my cheeks.

"I love you, too, beautiful." He said, lifting my chin, so he could kiss my lips. He wiped my cheeks with his thumbs, before kissing me, again. "Why don't we go to the beach, tomorrow? Just the two of us. We can hang out and relax and talk." He suggested.

I forced a smile at him. "Okay." I agreed. He got up and I walked him to the door.

"Please enjoy the night with your dad." He said, kissing my forehead. I nodded my head in agreement. "I love you and I'll see you tomorrow."

I stood at the door and watched as he got into the car. He waved at me as he left. I closed the door and went up to my room. I flopped on my bed and started bawling. I had no idea what was bothering me so much. Something just didn't feel right. Edward was acting differently.

I grabbed my phone and called Angela. It was times like this that I really needed my best friend. I really hoped she was home. I smiled when I heard her voice.

"Angie." It was all I could get out before I started crying, again.

"Oh, my gosh, Bella." She said, sounding panicked. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

I took a couple of deep breaths. "I don't know." I got out, between sobs.

"You're not hurt, are you? Do you need me to call your dad?" She asked.

"No, Ang. It's Edward. Something isn't right." I said. I proceeded to tell her about how he had started acting distant and quiet. He wouldn't talk to me.

"Bella, I wish I was there to hug you." She said, making me smile. "Try not to worry about it so much. He's obviously working through something, and he'll talk to you when he's ready." She reassured me. "He loves you, Bella. And that's all that really matters."

She was right, and I told her so. After a few more encouraging words, and my promise to keep her up to date on what was going on, I got up and washed my face. I still had puffy eyes, but I felt a little better. It was amazing what a best friend could do.

I went downstairs and made Rice Krispie squares, because I didn't have much time before my dad got home. I called in the order for the pizza, just before five thirty. My dad got home right after I had called.

"What's wrong?" Was the first thing he said when he saw me, before pulling me into a tight hug.

"Nothing, I guess." I said. "It's just that Edward was acting really distant today, and he wouldn't talk to me about it."

"Oh, Bells." He said, patting my arm. "You know what guys are like. We don't always talk about our feelings. We try to figure things out our own. I wouldn't worry about him. Just give him some time. If I know anything about you two, it's that you'll figure it all out."

I smiled up at my dad. My dad, my best friend and my boyfriend all told me not to worry, so I guess, I would just have to wait and see what tomorrow would bring.


	353. Roses

**A/N - Happy Saturday! I was overwhelmed by the response to the last chapter! You all like a little drama! Thank you all so much for the great reviews! And, thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 353 - Roses

My dad and I ended up having a great night together. We ate our pizza and then had Rice Krispie squares and iced tea on the back deck. We played a couple of rounds of horseshoes and then, when it got dark, came in and watched TV. It was nice to spend some time together, just me and dad.

I went up to bed at eleven and after brushing my teeth, I came into my room and pulled on my tie dyed t-shirt that Edward bought me in Portland on the way home from our camping trip.

I heard my dad talking, so I figured he was on the phone with Heidi. I shut out my light and crawled into bed. I picked up my phone and saw a text from Edward. I smiled, as I opened it. 'I love you more than anything in this world, Bella. Please never doubt that. I can't wait to have you back in my arms again, tomorrow.'

I wiped a few stray tears from my eyes, before I typed him a message back. 'I love you, Edward.' I set my phone down and rolled over in my bed. It was so hard to sleep without Edward. I needed his strong arms holding me to his chest. I needed his warm smell, and the beating of his heart against my ear. I tossed and turned and eventually fell asleep.

I was awake early, having woken up several time in the night. I went to have a shower, and get ready for the day. I dried my hair and styled it in soft curls. I put on some makeup, trying to hide how horrible I looked from the lack of sleep. I brushed my teeth and then went in my room to put on a flowy knee length blue skirt and a pink sleeveless blouse.

I went downstairs and found my dad and Heidi at the kitchen table. She must have stopped by this morning. She had made scrambled eggs and toast. "Morning, Bella." She said, getting up to pull me into a hug.

"How are you feeling, Bells?" My dad asked, as I sat down across from him.

"Better." I told him, as I got myself a plate of food and a glass of orange juice. "I just really need to see him, you know?"

"I know." My dad said. "Just don't be too hard on the kid. Us guys aren't known for our communication skills." Heidi and I giggled, and she leaned over to kiss his cheek.

We all shared a good breakfast together, and at twenty to seven, my dad kissed my forehead and they both headed to work in Heidi's car.

Edward didn't call, text or show up, so I just went upstairs to gather all the laundry. I put in a load and then went upstairs to change my sheets. I cleaned the house and did the laundry until around nine in the morning. I was trying not to worry, but I wondered if he forgot about our plans to go to the beach.

I heard my phone beep and checked it right away. It was a text from Edward. 'Good morning, baby. Can you meet at the beach by the surf shop? I love you.' I smiled. He sounded like Edward. My Edward.

I was pretty certain that I had overreacted last night. Edward was just having an off day. I shouldn't have started crying. I should never have asked him if he was going to break up with me. I hoped that I hadn't hurt him. I was just scared, because I loved him so much.

I called my dad. "Hey, daddy." I said when he picked up. "Can I borrow your truck?"

"Of course, kiddo." He said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm great. Edward texted. I'm meeting him at the beach." I told him. "I'm pretty sure that I just overreacted yesterday."

"Ah, everyone's allowed to do that every now and then." He said. "You have a good day. I love you, Bells."

"I love you, too, dad." I hung up and ran to use the bathroom, before I grabbed my sunglasses and purse, and opened the door. I gasped when I looked at the front step. There was a huge bouquet of red roses in a glass vase that was tied with a giant white ribbon. There must have been two dozen long stem roses.

I picked them up and brought them in, setting the vase on the table. It was so beautiful. I pulled out the card, wiping the tears from my eyes. It read: "He felt now that he was not simply close to her, but that he did not know where he ended and she began." ~ Leo Tolstoy. I love you, my beautiful Bella, forever.

I laid my head down on the table and tried not cry too hard. My Edward was the most amazing man on earth. I took a deep steadying breath. I needed to be in his arms. I got up and ran out to the truck. I drove to the beach, as fast as I could. The quotation from Tolstoy was perfect for us. Even last night, I couldn't sleep with out his arms around me. He was a part of me.

I pulled up to the beach and parked my dad's truck beside Edward's car. I wondered why he didn't just drive me here with him. I mean, it was obvious he had just been at the house to drop off the flowers. I hopped out of the truck and walked down to the beach. I didn't see Edward at all.

Jake and Vanessa ran up to me. "Hey, Bella." Jake said, passing me a single long stem rose. "Edward asked us to give you a message."

Vanessa passed me another rose. "Follow the rose petals down the beach." She said, pointing north.

"Did he say what he's up to?" I asked. This felt a bit extreme for an apology over a little misunderstanding yesterday.

"Nope." Jake laughed. "We only know what he said."

I laughed. "Okay." I said giving them both hugs. "Thank you." I turned and headed up the beach. It looked like Edward had drawn two lines in he sand, making a path, and sprinkled rose petals in between the lines. I couldn't believe that he had gone through all this trouble for me.

I walked for a couple of minutes, just enjoying the sea air. I didn't even see Rose and Maria until they called my name. "Oh, hi girls." I said smiling. "I didn't even see you there."

"It's okay." Maria said. "This is for you." She passed me another red rose. Rose smiled at me and gave me a rose, too.

I frowned at them. "What's going on?" I asked them. They just shrugged and giggled. "Okay, thanks." I said, smiling. I kept following Edward's path. This time, I looked up the path and I saw Emmett and Jasper a little ways ahead. I jogged up to them, and smiled when I saw that they were each holding a red rose.

"Hey, guys." I said, pulling them both into a hug. "What is going on with your brother?"

They laughed, passing me the roses. "Just keep walking, Bella." Emmett said, winking at me.

"Okay, thank you, guys." I said, giggling. I looked down at the half dozen roses in my hands and smiled. My Edward was amazing. I walked ahead and saw Carlisle, Esme and Alice all standing together, each with a rose. The second my eyes met Esme's, I knew something big was going on. She was smiling, but her eyes were watery.

Alice ran up and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Hi, Bella." She said, passing me the flower. "Edward told me to give you this."

"Thank you, Alice." I said, running my fingers through her hair. Carlisle and Esme walked over to me and pulled me into a tight hug. They gave me the flowers they were holding, leaving me with nine roses. I didn't ask them anything, I just smiled at them.

My hands were shaking, as I kept walking. But, once I saw my dad and Heidi standing together on the beach, I lost it. The tears sprang from my eyes and I ran into my dad's arms.

"Shh, Bella." He said, kissing the top of head. "You're okay." I looked up at his face and he had tears in his eyes. "Go to Edward." He said, as he and Heidi passed me the roses. Heidi kissed my cheek and I looked up past my dad.

Edward was standing in front of me. He looked amazing. He was wearing tan cotton pants, a white, untucked dress shirt, and bare feet. He was standing in the middle of a large heart drawn in the sand. There were pink, white and red rose petals everywhere.

I looked up at Edward and he was smiling at me, but he had tears running down his cheeks. He was holding a single red rose in his hand. He reached his right hand out to me, and I could see that he was visibly shaking.

I laughed and cried at the same time, as I stepped towards him and into the sand drawn heart, taking his hand. He pulled me close to him and I wrapped my arm around him, holding him close and breathing him in. He held me for a minute, before he stepped back and passed me the rose.

"Thank you, baby." I whispered, holding the bouquet of a dozen red roses in my right arm. Edward took my shaking left hand and brought it to his lips pressing a light kiss on my knuckles.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box, before getting down on one knee in front of me.

"Isabella Marie Swan." He started, before reaching up to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand. He chuckled a little, and I could tell he was embarrassed about crying. "I love you more than life. My world revolves around you, and you make me feel whole. You give me a purpose, and that purpose is to make you happier than you were the day before. I don't want to live another day without you, or sleep another night without you in my arms." He brought my hand to his lips, again, and pressed a kiss over my ring finger. "My beautiful Bella, will you marry me?"


	354. Congratulations

**A/N - You guys! I could cry! Ninety-one reviews for last chapter! I have NEVER had that much of a response! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the proposal! I had a basic idea of what I was going to do, but it just developed as I wrote it! I'm just going to send out a huge collective THANK YOU to you all for your reviews! You are all amazing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 354 - Congratulations

This was the moment every girl dreamed of. I was standing on the beach, with the sea air blowing through my hair, and the man that I loved with my entire heart and soul down on one knee in front of me.

My Edward had just asked me to marry him. He had said some beautiful words to me, but I honestly couldn't remember a single one of them. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. I felt his hand on mine and saw his beautiful eyes.

I was trying to breath, but I was crying and laughing. I dropped down to my knees in front of him. "Yes, Edward." I whispered. "Yes." I said.

Edward laughed and smiled, wrapping his arms around me, and pulling me close to him. "Yes?" He asked looking into my eyes.

"Yes." I gigged, before leaning in pressing a kiss to his lips.

Edward kissed me a few more times, before pulling back. "I love you, Bella." He said, as he opened the ring box.

I had completely forgotten about the ring. As he opened the box, I gasped. Nestled in the red velvet of the box, was a white gold ring, with a gorgeous, and huge, circular diamond set in the center. There were little diamonds along the band and it was sparkling, and almost blindingly, in the sun.

He pulled the ring out of the box and took my hand, carefully sliding it on my ring finger. We both laughed as he had a little trouble getting it on my hand, because we were both shaking so much. He held my hand out and looked at the ring, before kissing my hand. I threw my arm around his neck and squeezed him tightly.

He was laughing as he wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close to his body. I had never been so surprised, excited and happy in my entire life.

I heard applause behind me, and I turned to see our families and friends. Esme was crying, Emmett was video taping us, every one looked so happy, but Alice looked a little scared. They all came over to hug and congratulate us. I got down on my knees in front of Alice, and her chin was quivering a little. I think seeing her mom and brother cry, probably made her sad.

I held my ring up for her to see. "See this ring, Alice?" I asked her and she nodded her head. "This means we are going to be sisters."

"We are? For real?" She asked, smiling.

"Yes. I'm going to be a Cullen, just like you." I told her, pulling her into a hug. The sound of her giggling made me smile. I pulled back and passed her the roses. "Do you want to hold these for me?" I asked her, making her smile.

I stood back up and was hugged by absolutely everyone. Emmett pulled me into a tight hug. "Hey, big sis." He said, kissing my forehead.

"It seems wrong to call you little brother." I laughed, looking up at his face, which was about a foot and half above mine.

"Welcome to the family, Bella." Jasper said, leaning down to give me a gentle hug.

"Thank you, Jasper." I said, patting his back. "I'm so happy that you guys are here." I told him, kissing his cheek.

Next Esme and Carlisle came over to hug me. "That was so beautiful." Esme cried, kissing my cheek.

"Okay, Esme, don't make her cry more than she already is." Carlisle chuckled. "Congratulations, sweetheart." He said, kissing my cheek.

"Thank you guys all so much for being a part of this." I said, wiping my eyes. I turned and saw my dad and Edward talking and laughing together and it made me smile.

I walked over to them and my dad pulled me into a tight hug. "I can't believe my baby girl is getting married." He said, rubbing my back. "I'm proud of you, Bells."

"Thank you, dad." I said, giving him another tight squeeze.

"My turn." Heidi giggled, hugging me tightly. "Looks like we'll be needing to go lingerie shopping, again." She whispered in my ear, making me blush, as I nodded in agreement.

"Okay, everybody. I know how amazing Bella is, trust me, I'm marrying her, but I want her to myself for a while." Edward laughed, before wrapping his arm around me. I kissed his chest, before giving his bum a squeeze, making him laugh harder. I loved seeing Edward this happy. My heart felt so full.

"Thank you all so much for helping Edward with this surprise. It was so special having you all here to share it with us." I said. Edward leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

Maria walked up to us, and had us stand in the middle of the sand drawn heart, so she could take our picture. "I thought you might want it for your scrapbook." She said, smiling at us.

"Thank you, Maria." I said, giving her a big hug.

After everyone said their goodbyes, I wrapped my arms around Edward's waist and I squeezed him tightly. "I love you so much, Edward." I said, looking up at his beautiful face. "I can't believe you did this for me."

He took my hand and pulled me down, so we both sat in the sand, facing each other. "I love you, too, baby." He said, reaching up with both hands to wipe my tear stained face. "And I'm so sorry about yesterday. I feel horrible about making you cry."

"It's okay. It's my fault. I overreacted." I said, taking his hands in mine.

"Angela called me yesterday." Edward said, making my eyes snap up from our hands to his face.

"What?" I asked. "Oh, Edward. I hope she didn't freak out."

He chuckled. "She did a little bit." He said, winking at me. "She loves you and she was worried about you. I had to tell her the plan. I just really wish I was there to hold you, when you were that upset. I even called your dad last night to check on you."

I got up and crawled onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I love you so much, Edward." I told him. "I honestly had no idea you were planning this."

"Yeah. I'm so sorry about yesterday. I was trying really hard to act normal, but I just kept going over the plan in my head, and what I was going to say. And, I had to run to Port Angeles to pick up the ring, after I dropped you off yesterday afternoon. I had it delivered from Seattle. And then Angela called me on the drive home."

"I feel so bad about making you worry." I told him, kissing his cheek.

"No, no, no, Bella. We are engaged, now." Edward said, turning my face so he could kiss my lips. "No more apologies, or tears, or sad faces."

I put my hands on his cheeks and kissed him softly at first, before deepening the kiss. He wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me close to him, as he groaned. I smiled against his lips, and he pulled back, chuckling.

"I love you so much." I whispered against his lips.

"I love you, too, Bella." He said, laughing. "I can't believe we're engaged. I'm just so happy." He fell backwards in the sand and I laid down beside him, throwing my arm over his waist.

My ring caught the sun, and brought it up to my face to look at it. It was the most beautiful piece of jewellery I had ever seen. I smiled just looking at. I was trying to picture Edward picking it out.

"Do you like it?" He asked, reaching for my hand, and bringing it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss on my fingers. "I tried to find something as beautiful as you are, but it proved to be near impossible. But when I saw this one, I just knew it was perfect. It's bright and beautiful and sparkly, just like you." He said, laughing.

"I'm sparkly?" I asked, giggling.

"You are. You're gorgeous." He said, kissing my lips. "And you're all mine."

"I am. But you know what's better?" I asked, running my fingers over his chest. "You're mine."

"Forever, Bella." He said, sitting up, so he could lean in and kiss me, again. "Now, let's go have a picnic. Our big rock is waiting for us."

"Aw, Edward. There's more?" I asked, kissing his lips.

"There is always more." Edward said, winking at me. "After our picnic, we're stopping by your place, you're packing a bag, and I'm stealing you away for the night."

"Really?" I asked. My face hurt from smiling so much.

He kissed me, before reaching up to run his fingertips over my lips. "Absolutely. I have no plans of ever letting you go."


	355. Inseparable

**A/N - Thank you all so much! I've had a permanent smile on my face for three days! Your reviews are incredible! I'm so happy that you all are enjoying this next step in Bella and Edward's lives together! Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 355 - Inseparable

Edward had a picnic basket, a blanket and his backpack sitting together on the beach, He put his bag on, and picked up the basket. I took the blanket from him, and tucked it under my arm. Edward reached out his free hand and took my hand in his.

I looked over my shoulder at the roses and the heart in the sand, one last time. I just couldn't get over the work Edward had put into this proposal. I looked up at Edward, and he was smiling at me.

"You really had no idea?" He asked, squeezing my hand.

"Well, to be honest, over the last couple days, I had a feeling that you had been thinking about it. You were talking more about our future, and how much I fit in with the Cullens." I explained.

"But, after yesterday, I was confused. I was worried that something was wrong, or that something was bothering you, and you didn't want to talk to me about it. So, no, today, that wasn't on my mind at all. After being upset last night, I just needed to be in your arms. I wanted to spend the day with you, and talk to you." I told him.

"And then the roses on the front step, Edward. They are gorgeous." I said, as we got to our big rock on the beach. "I cried when I read the card."

Edward set the picnic basket down on the beach and pulled me into a hug. "I wasn't trying to make you cry, baby. I just wanted to make you smile. I wanted you to know how much I love you." He said, before leaning down to kiss my lips.

"I know you love me." I said, rubbing his back. "And I that quote was beautiful. I feel like we are a part of each other, too. We're inseparable."

He smiled. "We are." He said, letting me go, and lifting me up by the hips onto the rock.

I spread out the blanket and Edward passed me the picnic basket, before lifting himself up on the rock. He sat behind me, putting his legs on either side of me, and wrapped his arms around my waist. I loved that when we were on the rock, he sat behind me like this. I felt so secure and cozy.

He moved my hair off of my neck and pressed a kiss to my skin. "I can't believe I get to marry you." He whispered, before he started sucking on my neck.

"Mm." I hummed. "Believe it. You're stuck with me now."

"Good." He chuckled. "When do you want to get married?"

I laughed. "I don't know. We've only been engaged for about twenty minutes." I said, running my fingers up and down his shins.

"That's a valid point." He said, still kissing my neck. "But, I've thought about it, already."

"Really?" I giggled. "I'd love to hear what's been going on in that sexy head of yours. I like the way you think."

"I was thinking next summer." He said, kissing my cheek. "That gives us time to enjoy living together and being engaged. And we can take our time making the wedding plans."

"Okay." I agreed. "I like the idea of a summer wedding."

"Then that's what you'll have." He said. I turned my face, to kiss his lips.

"I love you, baby." I said. "So, what did my dad say when you told him about the proposal."

Edward chuckled. "He told me to take care of you, and to love you, and respect you." Edward told me. "And he said that he already saw me as a son, and that he knew this day was coming."

"Aw, baby." I said, kissing his lips again.

"Yeah, we both cried." Edward laughed. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. "We both love you a lot."

"I'm so lucky." I said, kissing him, again. "What about your parents?" I asked.

"They were really excited." He said. "They love you, angel. They already see you as a part of the family."

"I love them, too." I told him. "I'm so touched that you had your family, and my dad here. That was a really cool idea."

"I'm glad you liked it." He said. "Our families are important to us, so I wanted them there, but I'm really looking forward to tonight."

His sexy smirk was back on his face, and it made me really excited. I couldn't wait to run away with him tonight. And as fiancés.

"I love that smirk." I whispered, before leaning in and trying to kiss off.

Edward hummed against my lips. "I love these lips." He whispered. "God, Bella. I can't wait to get you to that hotel." He said, running his hand up and down my back.

"I'm so excited. Where are we going?" I asked him, pressing another kiss to his lips.

"Just Port Angeles." He said. "Because it's just for the night, and I didn't want to waste our time driving, but I wanted to take you somewhere where we could be alone."

"That sounds great, baby." I said, kissing his lips. "I don't know how to thank you for doing all of the this."

"You don't need to do anything, gorgeous. Just by saying yes, you've made me the happiest man on earth. I know it sounds cliché, or whatever, but it's true." He said.

We sat for a while, snuggled close together, just watching the waves. I was just enjoying his touch, and the fact that I was being held by my fiancé. The idea made me giggle, and as a result, made Edward squeeze me tighter.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, running his fingers over my stomach. "I promised you food, and I'm not feeding you."

"I'm not complaining." I said. "I have butterflies in my stomach."

He chuckled. "Me, too." He said. "I can't believe I was shaking that much."

"We both were." I laughed. "You weren't nervous that I would say no, were you?" I asked, setting my hands over his on my stomach.

"No. I was almost positive that you would say yes, but I think I was just really excited and I wanted it to be perfect for you." He said, kissing the top of my head.

"Why just almost positive?" I asked, wanting to know what was going on his beautiful head.

"Because, I knew how upset you were yesterday that I wasn't talking to you about why I was being so quiet." He admitted. "And you asked me if I was going to break up with you."

I felt tears in my eyes, again. I turned in Edward's arms and buried my face into his chest. "I'm so sorry." I cried.

"Oh, baby, no." Edward soothed, rubbing my back. "Don't cry, Bella, please." He begged. "It's okay. I know you were just upset and confused."

I looked up at his face. "But I don't want you to think that I doubt you. I know how much you love me."

He wiped the tears from my cheeks, before kissing my lips. "I wanted so much to tell you what I was planning yesterday." He said, tears in his own eyes, again. "I killed me to leave you, but I had to get your ring."

"I know." I whispered.

I reached up and wiped the lone tear that had fallen from his eye. His pretty eyelashes were wet with tears, and his gorgeous green eyes were glowing behind a veil of unshed tears.

"Bella, I can't even put into words how much I love you. You are absolutely everything to me." He said, pulling me closer to his chest. "I couldn't live without you. I will never leave you, okay?"

"You don't have to say it, Edward. I know." I told him.

"And we may fight, or disagree, or get upset sometimes over the next, I don't know, sixty or seventy years, but I will never leave. Ever." He said. "I absolutely adore you. I love you, and I need you."

"I need you, too." I said, before kissing his lips.

He reached up and ran his hand over my hair, down my back. He pulled back and chuckled, wiping his eyes on the back of his hands. "I'm sorry, baby." He said, looking a little embarrassed. "I think I'm just a little over emotional today."

"Please don't apologize, Edward." I told him. "I'm glad we talked about that, because I felt really bad."

"Don't" He said, before he kissed the top of my head. "Okay." He chuckled. "Only happy talk for the rest of the day."

I pressed a kiss to his chest. "Agreed."


	356. Can't Wait

**A/N - Thank you all so much! Engaged Bella and Edward are pretty fun to write about! It's still Friday, July 23, 2010 in the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 356 - Can't Wait

Edward had brought us chicken salad sandwiches, watermelon slices and little cubes of cheddar cheese for lunch. It was a great lunch, and even though I hadn't realized it before, I must have been hungry. Edward and I ate so much food.

But we had a great time. The tears were in the past and all the heavy stuff was behind us. Even though it was hard, I was glad that we had talked through everything. I didn't want to have unresolved issues hanging over our heads. We had had an emotional couple of days.

As we packed the picnic basket back up, I remembered about Edward's grandparents coming down tonight. "Baby, what about your grams and pop? I asked. "We're going to miss them when they get here."

"They know about the proposal. I talked to them on the phone this morning. We'll see them tomorrow, babe. They'll be here for a while." He reassured me.

"What did they say?" I asked. I loved that Edward had such close relationships with his grandparents.

"Oh, they just said that they couldn't wait to meet you. And they told me to tell you congratulations." He said, smiling.

"They sound great, babe." I said, kissing his lips.

"You ready to go home and pack?" Edward asked me.

"Yeah. I really have to pee." I giggled.

"We can stop at the surf shop, okay?" He said, smiling at me.

"Okay." I said. "That's not really romantic, is it?" I laughed.

"It's you, Bella." He said. "So, it's cute."

I folded up the blanket and Edward tossed his backpack off the rock. "What was in the backpack?" I asked him, as he hopped down off of the rock.

"Rose petals." He laughed. "Thousands of rose petals."

"You do know, you are the sweetest man on the planet, right?" I asked, passing him the picnic basket.

"I try." He chuckled, turning so I could wrap my arms around his neck. He lifted me off the rock and then set me down. We gathered up our things, and Edward took my hand, as we started walking back down the beach.

The beach was filling up with people, now, and there were some little girls playing with the rose petals Edward had left on the beach. It was sweet watching them run around and collect them. I looked up at Edward's face and he was smiling at me. I squeezed his hand, and he brought our joined hands up to his lips, to kiss the back of my hand.

After hugs and congratulations from Vanessa, Jake, Embry, Quil and EJ, and a quick stop at the the bathroom in the surf shop, Edward and I were in the car on the way to my place so I could pack.

"Did my dad take the truck?" I asked him, when I noticed it wasn't parked there anymore.

"Yeah. Heidi drove your dad out here so you would have the truck this morning." Edward said.

"I still can't believe how much planning you did for this." I told him, reaching over to rub his thigh, as he drove us home.

"Well, it was for you, so I didn't mind." He laughed.

When we got to my house, Edward took my hand and led me up to my room. He pulled off my shirt and my skirt, before quickly unbuttoning his shirt and sliding it off of his shoulders.

I giggled, at how frantically he was trying to take off his pants. "Can't wait for the hotel?" I teased.

"No, we won't get there for an hour, and I really need you, baby." He said, finally pulling his foot through the leg of his pants.

I crawled onto my bed and Edward laid back beside me. I reached down and ran my fingers over the waistband of his white boxer briefs. "Mm." I hummed. "And you weren't even wearing shorts." I said, referring to his usual practice of boxers with pants and briefs with shorts.

Edward laughed, and then gasped as my fingers trailed lower. "Uh, Bella." He groaned as he closed his eyes and tipped his head back. I kept moving my hand over him, teasing him, and he was making all sorts of beautiful sounds.

Edward reached his arms out for me. "Come here. I need to touch you." He breathed, sitting up. He reached behind me and unclasped my bra, lowering his face to my chest. "God, baby. You're delicious." He whispered, before licking his way up my neck.

He looked into my eyes and smiled at me. I smiled back, before pushing his shoulders, so he was laying back on the bed. I straddled his hips and we both sighed. Nothing could beat this feeling. I felt so connected to him right now.

I reached up to his shoulders and pressed my chest to his. He reached down, holding onto my bum, before he started moving his hips. "Baby." He groaned. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." I breathed, before biting onto his shoulder.

"Shit, baby." He swore, before rolling us over, so he was on top of me. "I love you." He whispered, before dropping his head beside mine.

I reached my arms around his back, and ran my fingers from his shoulders to his hips, and then back, again. Edward lifted his head, and smiled at me, before kissing my lips.

"That was amazing." I whispered, as Edward reached up to caress my cheek.

"It's only going to get better." He said, leaning in to suck on my earlobe. He rolled onto his back, and I rolled into his side, resting my face on his chest.

He chuckled. "Sorry about that." He said, looking down at me. "I just needed to feel close to you, especially after yesterday, you know?"

"I understand." I said, running my fingers through the hair, just under his belly button. "And, I'm really not complaining." I giggled, kissing his chest.

"Do I have any clean clothes over here?" He asked me sitting up.

"Yes, you do. You're amazing bride-to-be washed clothes this morning." I teased.

"Mm." He said, pulling me onto his lap. "She is incredible." I laughed, as he started sucking on my neck, again.

"If we keep going at it like this, I'm going to need to get you some more underwear." I told him, running my fingers through his hair.

"Actually, I was going to talk to you about that." He said, looking up at my face. "If I start wearing condoms, then we won't need to worry about the mess. But, only if you're comfortable with it, baby."

"Um, yeah." I said. "I guess we could try it, right?" I know my face was on fire, which was probably really immature, but I obviously hadn't had any experience with condoms.

He leaned in and kissed my lips. "I've never worn one before, but I've been practicing." He admitted. "It's not that bad."

"Okay." I said, laying my head on his shoulder. He brought his hand up to rub my back.

"Baby, I know this is embarrassing stuff, but we're learning, right?" He said, kissing the top of my head.

I looked up at his face and smiled. "We are." I said, running my fingers through his hair. "Now, you'd better get changed. I've got packing to do."

Edward laughed, standing us up. "I'll be right back." He said, kissing my lips. "Oh, and pack your bathing suit." He said, winking at me. He grabbed his clean underwear from the drawer, before going to the bathroom. I smiled. Edward was such an amazing man, and I felt so happy that he was mine.

After I got redressed, I set a black tank, a short denim skirt, a blue satin bra and purple panties on the bed. I grabbed a makeup bag, and threw in our massage oil, some lotion, my deodorant, and my make up. I grabbed my overnight bag and put everything in.

I didn't know what to bring for pyjamas. I wished I had something more sexy. I was definitely going to have to take Heidi up on her offer to go lingerie shopping.

"So, are you all packed?" Edward asked, walking in the room, in only a pair of grey boxer briefs.

"Almost." I said, sitting on the bed to watch him get dressed. "I don't know what to bring to sleep in."

"Nothing." He said, smiling at me and he buttoned up his shirt. "I have another surprise for you."

"So full of surprises." I giggled. "I can't wait."


	357. Talking and Touching

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, as well as adding this story to your favorites and alerts! Just a reminder to change your account settings to allow private messages. With the new review reply system, I can't reply to you otherwise. Thanks again for the all of the support for the story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 357 - Talking and Touching

After a quick bathroom break, I grabbed my toothbrush and my shampoo, and Edward and I were off to Port Angeles.

"This is sort of like a mini honeymoon." I told him, giggling, as we pulled onto the highway.

"A practice run." He added, laughing.

"Should I call Angie?" I asked, pulling my phone from my purse. "Even though she knew about the proposal before I did." I laughed.

Edward chuckled. "She did. But I didn't have a choice, beautiful. She threatened to fly up here and shave my head if I didn't fix things with her favourite girl." Edward said, making quotation marks with his fingers.

"Aw, baby." I giggled. "She's like my sister. She's very loyal." I explained.

"I know." He said, smiling. "I'm very grateful that you have her."

"Me, too. But best friend or not, I would not have forgiven her if she touched your hair." I told him, reaching over to lightly scratch his scalp. "It's very sexy."

"Mm." He hummed. "So, the hair stays, huh?" He laughed.

"Absolutely." I told him. "It's so silky soft and it's one of the first things I noticed about you." He reached up and took my hand, kissing it, before setting it on his thigh.

I dialled Angie's number and waited for her to pick up. "Hello, Angela's phone." I smiled when I heard Ben's voice.

"Hey, Ben. It's Bella. Where's my girl?" I asked him.

"Oh, um. She's in the bathroom." He said, sounding a little shy.

"Okay. Did she tell you the news?" I asked. "Edward proposed to me this morning."

He chuckled. "She did. Congratulations." He said. "Oh, wait. Here she is."

"Bella." Angie squealed into the phone.

"I'm engaged." I screamed, making Edward laugh beside me, and Angie scream in my ear.

"Angie. He had rose petals sprinkled on the beach and he had his family, my dad and Heidi there. He was wearing tan pants and a white button up and he looked so drop dead gorgeous." I told her.

Edward chuckled beside me, before he reached over to trace his fingertips on my knee. I had to bite my lip for a minute. Edward's touch was just magic.

"Um, and then he got on his knee and you should see the ring. It's gorgeous. It has a round diamond in the center and diamonds all along the band. It's the prettiest thing I've ever seen. And then he took me for a picnic and now we're on our way out of town to stay at a hotel for the night."

I took a deep breath. I knew I was rambling, but she had to know the details, and the more I talked about it, the more excited I got.

"Oh, Bella, that sounds so beautiful." She said. "I wish I could have been there."

"Me, too, Ang. But Edward's brother taped it. I haven't seen it yet, but I'll send you a copy for sure." I told her.

"Aw, I'm so happy for you guys. Tell Edward I'm sorry about yesterday." She said.

"He understands." I reassured her. "Thank you for looking out for me, though."

"Of course, girl. Forever." She said. "Now, you two have a great night, together. I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too, Ang. I'll talk to you soon." I said, before hanging up.

Edward moved his hand up my thigh a little, making me moan. "So, you really liked the outfit, huh?" He asked, moving his thumb in circles on my skin.

"Um, uh, huh." I barely got out.

"I loved hearing you describe the proposal." He said, smiling. "It's amazing hearing it from your perspective."

I reached down and pulled Edward's hand off of my my thigh. "Was that too much?" He asked.

I giggled. "No. But, I couldn't even form a sentence." I told him. "And I want to phone my mom before we get to Port Angeles."

"Oh, okay. Sorry." Edward chuckled. "You're just so touchable." He brought my hand to his lips. "And kissable."

"And marriable?" I giggled, making Edward laugh.

"Very marriable." He said, kissing my ring.

"How long until we're at the hotel?" I asked him, bringing his hand over to my lips to kiss it.

"About twenty minutes." He said, looking over at me, smiling. "Why? Need a bathrrom break?"

I giggled, as I slapped his arm. "No, I just went twenty minutes ago." I said, interlacing our fingers. "I just really want to know what the surprise is."

"Oh, what I brought for you to sleep in?" He asked, smirking. "You'll have to wait until way later tonight."

"Edward." I whined, as I sat back in my seat.

"Yes, Bella?" He said, smirking, again. He was lucky that was so darn sexy.

"Fine. I'm calling my mom." I said, pouting out my bottom lip, before smiling over at him.

"Oh, don't pout, my sexy girl." He said, chuckling at me. His hand was back over on my leg, sliding my skirt up.

"Edward." I breathed, leaning my head back and closing my eyes, just enjoying the feeling of his fingers on my body.

"God, Bella." He said, his voice sounding strained. "I'm trying to drive, here."

I smiled, turning my face to look at him. "You're the one touching me." I giggled.

"I know, but it's your reactions, baby. They're incredible." Edward said, his face looking a little flushed.

"Okay. Both hands on the steering wheel." I ordered. "I'm going to tell my mom that we're engaged, and then is about fifteen minutes, when we get to the hotel, you can put your hands all over me. How's that sound?"

"That sounds amazing." He said, looking over at me, and winking, making my tummy flutter. "And can I just say that I like when you tell me what to do?"

I blushed and smiled. "Um, okay." I giggled. Edward smiled, and squeezed my hand, before putting both hands on the wheel.

I dialled my mom's number, letting it ring, but it went to voicemail. She was probably in a meeting. I understood completely considering it the afternoon on a workday. I decided to leave a message.

"Mom, I'm engaged. Can you believe it? Edward proposed this morning. I'll talk to you later. I love you." I said, before hanging up.

"At work?" Edward asked, reaching over to grab my hand.

"Yeah, probably." I said, smiling at him. "But, it's okay. She'll call back."

"Hopefully not too late." He chuckled.

"Are you going to turn my phone off?" I asked, giggling.

"Well, I wasn't, but I like the sound of that." He said, grinning at me.

We got to Port Angeles about ten minutes later, and I smiled when I saw the hotel. It was a gorgeous stone and wood building, with beautiful fountains and gardens in the front. I didn't even know that Port Angeles had a hotel like this. It was amazing, and I couldn't wait to get inside with my fiance.

Edward and I got out of the car and grabbed our bags. We checked in, and the second the elevator doors closed, Edward's lips were on mine. This was definitely going to be an interesting evening.


	358. Room with a View

**A/N - Thank you all so much! I am having so much fun writing these chapters, and I'm glad you are liking them, too! So, on that note, enjoy!**

Chapter 358 - Room with a View

The elevator bell chimed, signalling we had reached the third floor. Edward's lips had yet to release mine.

"Honeymoon?" We heard from behind us. Edward pulled back, chuckling. We turned and saw an older couple with golf clubs getting onto the elevator.

"We just got engaged this morning." Edward said, picking up all of our bags, and following me out of the elevator.

"Well, congratulations." The man said, as the door closed.

"Thank you." I called before I started giggling. "Edward."

"What?" He laughed, as we walked over to our door. "You're irresistible." Edward swiped the card in the door and opened it up for us.

I was about to step in, when Edward stopped me. "Wait, baby." Edward said, setting down the bags. "I want to carry you over the threshhold."

"What? Why?" I laughed.

"Because this is our practice honeymoon. We've got to do it right." He said, like it was totally logical.

"Oh, well in that case." I laughed. Edward crouched down, tucking his arms under my legs and lifted me up bridal style.

"I love you." He whispered, before kissing my lips. He stepped into the room, and I gasped. It was huge. There was a king sized bed, with a gorgeous cream bedspread, a beautiful bench a the foot of the bed and a sitting area, with a couch and table.

"Oh, baby. This is beautiful." I said, leaning in to kiss his neck.

"I'm glad you like it, angel." He said, setting me down on the bed. "I'll be right back." He said, before jogging over to the hall to get our bags. He brought everything in, and set it by the bed, before he climbed onto the bed with me. I snuggled into his chest, wrapping my arm around his waist.

"This is the life." I said, kissing his chest.

He chuckled. "I agree completely." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. He hummed against my lips, as his hand moved down my body.

Edward started kissing my neck. "Baby. Why did I have to bring my bathing suit?" I asked. "We've graduated to naked baths already."

Edward chuckled, before biting my earlobe. "We have, and I've got one of those scheduled for later." He chuckled. "But they have a huge outdoor pool and I thought we could go for a swim this afternoon."

"That sound fun." I said, sitting up. "Let's go." I hopped up off the bed and ran to Edward's suitcase. I figured I could get a peak at his surprise.

"Hey, you sneak. Get out of that bag." He laughed, getting off of the bed and wrapping his arms around my waist.

He carried me back to the bed, all while I tried to squirm out of his arms. We were both laughing so hard, and ended up laying on the bed, trying to breathe. I had tears running down my cheeks, and I could not have been happier than I was in that moment.

"I'll give you your surprise tonight, baby." He said, wiping the tears from my face, before kissing my lips.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just wanted to see what you would do." I laughed, running my fingers through his hair. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Bella." He said, kissing me, again. "So, do you really want to go swimming, or was that just a trick to get in my suitcase?" He chuckled, reaching behind me, and spanking my bum.

"Mm. Is that my punishment?" I asked, and he rubbed his hand over my bum.

Edward laughed. "You want to be punished?" He asked, looking surprised, which in turn made me blush.

"Um, probably not." I giggled. "But, I don't mind if you spank me."

"Noted." He said, kissing each of my warm cheeks. "Up for that swim?"

"Yes." I told him. "Can I watch you get changed?"

"Um, yeah." He said, getting up off the bed.

He unbuttoned his shirt and set it over the bench, before taking off his pants. He winked at me, before going over to his suitcase. I laughed as Edward exaggeratedly bent over to get his swim trunks from his suitcase. He stood back up and looked over his shoulder at me, as he pulled his boxer briefs off, revealing his gorgeous bum.

"Woo." I called out, clapping at the show he was giving me, Edward laughed, shaking his hips, before turning around. I covered my face, trying to hide my blush, but I couldn't stop looking at him. He was honestly beautiful, and I admired his confidence so much.

He pulled on his swim trunks, before crawling onto the bed with me. "You okay?" He asked, taking my hands away from my face, and looking into my eyes.

"I'm perfect." I said. "I'm just a little embarrassed about staring at your body."

"Aw, don't be. You can look at, and touch, my body anytime you want." He said, kissing my lips. "I'm yours, Bella."

I really liked the way that Edward put that. I appreciated that he was so supportive of me and my insecurities. Yes, I was an adult, and now I was engaged. But Edward and I had just recently stepped up the physical aspect of our relationship. And Edward was so absolutely sensitive to my emotions and reactions. He was amazing, and I felt so lucky that he was mine.

"Thank you." I told him. "For being so amazing. I'm so happy that I'm marrying you, and I get to have you forever."

"You do, baby." He said. "Forever."

"So, I guess I should get changed, huh?" I asked, smiling at his beautiful face.

"Yeah." He said, kissing the end of my nose. "Can I help with the undressing part?" He asked, lifting his eyesbrows up and down at me. I started laughing at him, and he smiled. He knew exactly how to make me relax.

"Of course you can." I said, trying to sound sexy. "You're very good at it."

"Mm." He said, leaning in to capture my lips in a very heated kiss. He hands moved down my body and he pulled at my skirt and underwear. I lifted my hips for him, and he undressed my bottom half. He reached over and squeezed my bum cheek, making me groan.

"What are you doing?" I breathed, as he pulled my shirt over my head.

"Undressing you." He said, frowning at me in confusion. "That was the plan, right?"

"Yeah, but baby, you're making it too good." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "I'm not going to want to leave the room."

He reached behind me and unclasped my bra, pulling it off of my arms. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying this, gorgeous, but I'm going to have to get you in that cold pool, because we still have to go out later for dinner."

I sighed, moving to press my bare chest against his. "I was under the impression we wouldn't have to leave this bed."

Edward laughed. "Well, we could just order a pizza, but I sort of wanted to take you out to celebrate, tonight." Edward explained. "Get a nice dinner, maybe go for a walk?"

"That sounds great, baby." I said, kissing his lips. "Do you want to get my bathing suit for me?" I asked, not really wanting to walk around the room, naked.

"Of course." He said, kissing me. He got off the bed and opened my suitcase. He pulled out my blue bra, and held it up. "I love this." He said, smiling, before he set it back, and grabbed my bathing suit.

He walked over to me, and I sat up on the side of the bed. He put a leg on either side of my thighs, and leaned in to kiss my lips. "You look so beautiful, sitting here." He whispered, moving his kisses down my neck and over to my shoulder. "I love you so much."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, kissing him deeply. "I love you, too." I breathed. Edward stood back up before sitting on the bed, while I pulled on my bathing suit.

We grabbed two fluffy towels from the bathroom, wrapping them around our shoulders, before leaving the room to head downstairs. I was excited for a fun afternoon in the pool.


	359. Underwater

**A/N - Happy Friday! And just in case you're wondering...it's still Friday, July 23, 2010 in the story. It's going to be one of those really long days! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 359 - Underwater

We took the stairs down to the pool, hoping to avoid most of the other guests. It was fun, because after every flight of stairs, Edward would stop and kiss and me. He made absolutely everything fun.

We went out the back door, and I smiled at the view. There was a huge rectangular pool, with lounge chairs on one side. There was a high white wrought iron fence surrounding it, and the view looked out onto the beautiful hills and trees of a golf course.

It was around two-thrity in the afternoon, and was sunny and warm, the perfect weather for swimming. There were a couple of kids, around eight years old, a boy and a girl, hanging onto the edge, and a couple in their late thirties, laying by the pool. There was also an older man swimming laps, across the length of the pool.

Edward and I set our towels and room key on a lounge chair, and kicked off our flip flops. He took my hand and we walked to the edge of the pool.

"You want to just jump right in, or walk in slowly?" Edward asked. He looked so excited, so I knew he wanted us to jump in together.

"Let's jump." I said, squeezing his hand, and smiling at his gorgeous face.

He smiled back at me. "One, two, three." He said, before we jumping into the pool. The water was so cold. I don't know what I was expecting, but I thought it would be a little heated. I gasped as I came to the surface, and Edward started laughing. "That's cold, huh?" He chuckled, pulling me into his arms, and against his warm chest.

"Warm me up, buttercup." I said, kissing his lips.

"With pleasure." He laughed, before winking. I wrapped my legs around Edward's hips, and he held onto my bum. The water reached to the top of Edward's shoulders. I would have been right underneath if I was to stand on the bottom, so I was glad he was holding me up.

"So, this is a golf course?" I asked him, looking out past the fence.

"Yeah. It's a resort, but it had the nicest rooms, and a pool, so I thought it would work for us." He said.

"Have you ever been golfing?" I asked him, laying my head on his shoulder, and kissing his neck.

"Actually, yeah." He said. "My pop loves golfing. Whenever we go visit him in Spokane, or he comes here, he drags us all out to the golf course."

"Drags you?" I laughed. "You don't like golf?"

"It's okay. It's just that I'm really bad at it." Edward admitted, chuckling. "And let's just say that my pop is a bit of a perfectionist. I'm pretty sure it drives him crazy when I miss the ball."

I reached up and ran my fingers through Edward's hair. "Aw, baby." I said. "I'm sure he's just happy that you go with him and he can spend time with you and your brothers."

"Yeah, I don't think so." Edward laughed. "My dad's parents are a lot more stuffy than nanny and grandpa are. I mean, don't get me wrong, they're nice people, but pop was a doctor like dad, the head surgeon at the Sacred Heart Medical Center, and grams, well, let's just say that they definitely act the part of the upper class. They're country club people."

"Are they going to like me?" I asked, woried that they might look down on me.

"Oh, they're going to love you." He said, kissing my cheek. "Like I said, they're nice people. They're really excited to meet you."

"Was there a lot of pressure on you to be a doctor like your dad and pop?" I asked him. It was funny how we had spent the last four months together, almost non stop, and there was things I had to learn about Edward.

"Well, pop always thought I would go medical school, but my dad, well, you know what he's like, he's all about supporting us no matter we decide. I like the idea of helping people, like my dad, but I always wanted a family, and I knew what my mom had gone through when my dad was first starting out. Dealing with irregular hours and emergency calls just isn't what I want, and it's not what I wanted for my family." Edward said. "So, I thought, being a pharmacist, I could still help people, but I could have a nine to five job, you know?"

I looked up at his face and smiled, before kissing his lips. "You are amazing and selfless and caring." I told him. "You're an incredible man. I am so proud of you, Edward." I told him, because I was. I was proud that he did what he wanted to do with his life. He didn't get pressured into a career that he didn't want. He did what was right for him. He showed so much maturity for someone so young.

He smiled at me. "Thank you." He said, blushing a little. "It means a lot to me, that you support what I'm doing."

"Edward, you could drop out school, and become a busker, and I would still support you." I told him. "I love you, for you. Nothing else matters to me. If we can't find jobs and wind up living in your parents' basement, I will still love you."

He laughed. "Now you're just being crazy." He said, squeezing my bum. "I will not make my new bride live in my parents' basement."

"I know." I giggled. "I'm just trying to make a point."

"I love you so much." He said, smiling at me. He got a mischievous look on his face.

"Are you going to dunk us?" I asked, trying to squirm out of his grasp.

"I wanted to kiss you underwater." He admitted. "Want to try it?"

I laughed. "Definitely." I said.

Edward smiled, before slowly lowering us underwater. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips. I laughed underwater, making me run out of air, so I quickly surfaced. Edward followed right behind me.

"What was so funny?" He laughed, holding me up by the waist.

"You're just so adorable, and your lips are softer underwater." I told him, smiling.

"Can we try more than a peck?" He asked, walking us closer to the edge of the pool, until my back was pressed against the wall.

"Okay." I said, biting my bottom lip.

"Mm. That lip is mine." He said, leaning in and sucking my lip into his mouth, making me groan, and Edward smile.

I peaked over his shoulder. "Do you think anyone heard that?" I asked, a little embarrassed.

"No." He reassured me. "The kids are playing on the deck and the older guy left a few minutes ago."

"So how in the world do we kiss underwater?" I asked, leaning in to kiss him lightly.

"Well, my best guess is to either keep our lips pressed tightly together, or to just not breathe, and let the water in our mouths." Edward explained, making me giggle.

"You've really thought about this, huh?" I asked, rubbing his shoulders.

"I looked it up online." He admittied, laughing.

"Is that why you wanted to get to the pool so much?" I asked, kissing his lips, and making him smile.

"Maybe." He chuckled, making me laugh. "Okay, hold my hands, and if you need to come for air, give them a squeeze."

"Okay." I said, taking his hands. "Let's just go under and see how it goes." I had to admit, I was getting really excited about this little experiment.

Edward pressed a light kiss to my lips, before we slowly sunk underwater. I left my eyes open to see Edward, and he was looking back at me. He pressed a kiss to my lips, before sucking my bottom lip into his mouth. I felt Edward's tongue, so I opened my mouth more. I moved my tongue against his, and it felt amazing, but unfortunately, I needed to breathe. I gave his hands a squeeze and we came up to the surface.

"Wow." He said, chuckling, as he pulled me closer to his chest.

I laughed with him. "You are an incredible underwater kisser, Edward." I said, biting at his earlobe. "Want to try it, again." I asked.

"Absolutely." He said, pulling back to look at my face. He winked at me, before we went back under.

I didn't waste anytime, and immediately started kissing him. Edward met my kiss with enthusiasm. He was an amazing kisser, like always. When we came up, he smiled at me, before leaning in to kiss me, again. Apparently, he hadn't gotten enough. And, that was perfectly fine with me; I would never get enough of Edward's lips.


	360. The Best Fiance

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! I hope you're having a great weekend! I know Bella and Edward are! Enjoy!**

Chapter 360 - The Best Fiancé

After kissing for a while more, we played around in the pool. Edward gave me a head start, and then tried to catch me, which he always did about a minute later. Then when I tried to catch him, he would dive underwater and swim under me, coming up behind me. His laugh was contagious, and soon enough, I was laughing so hard, it took all my energy to stay afloat.

Edward came over to me, and I wrapped myself around his body. He kissed my lips a few times, before smiling at me. "You are so incredible, Bella." He said.

I squeezed him tightly. "I love you, baby." I said, running my fingers through his hair.

"Are you getting hungry?" He asked.

"Actually, yeah." I answered. "Now that you mention it." Edward laughed, and we swam over to the edge. He held my hips and lifted me out of the pool, before pulling himself out. We got up and walked to the lounge chair, and Edward wrapped me in my towel. After we dried off, we headed back inside, the water still squishing out of our flip flops.

When we got back to our room, I grabbed my clothes and make up bag and headed into the bathroom to see if I could fix myself up to go out. I decided to scrunch my damp hair, pulling the sides back and just put on some eyeliner and lipgloss.

I walked out of the room and found Edward flopped on the bed. He was redressed and had his hands behind his head, and his eyes closed. I smiled as I thought about how I was going to marry this man. I walked over to him, and set my hand on his thigh.

He opened his eyes and smiled at me. "You look amazing." He said, sitting up, and wrapping his arms around me, pressing his face into my chest.

I laughed, gently pulling him back by his hair. "You, sir, are such a guy sometimes." I giggled.

"You like it." He chuckled, squeezing my bum. "I'll be right out." He said, getting up and jogging to the bathroom. I sat on the bed and smiled. He was right. I did like it when he got frisky like that.

I giggled at his wet bathing suit on the floor, and thought back to the first time we had spent the night in Port Angeles, the night it rained so hard, we had to get a hotel room. Edward had left his wet jeans on the floor, then too. So much had changed, we had come so far, but, yet, we were the same people in all the important ways.

Edward came out of the bathroom, and I laid his wet bathing suit over the side of the tub. I felt him wrap his arms around me from behind. His cologne smelled incredible. "Hey, gorgeous. Are you ready to go get some dinner?" He said softly in my ear, before sucking on my earlobe.

I hummed. "Mm. I'm hungry, but you smell so good." I said, turning in his arms. I reached up and brought his face down to mine, so I could kiss him. "I am having such a fantastic day, Edward." I told him, rubbing my thumb along his jaw. "Thank you so much."

Edward smiled at me. "Just think how much fun we'll have when we leave the bathroom." He teased, making me laugh.

I grabbed my purse and we headed out to the car. We drove down the street and passed a Thai restaurant, Thai Peppers. "Have you ever had Thai food?" I asked Edward.

"Um, maybe once or twice." He said. "It's good. You want to eat there?"

"Okay. If you do?" I said, as Edward pulled into the lot.

He came around and took my hand, leading us into the restaurant. He opened the door for me, and I smiled when I looked around. It was absolutely beautiful. They had dark wood furniture and the tables were covered with beautiful red table clothes. There was also amazing Buddhist statues and decorations.

We were seated at table for two, and Edward held my hand across the table, as we went through the menu. We decided to just get a bunch of different things and share them. We got fried rice, thai pepper noodles, red curry chicken and sweet and sour pork.

While we waited for our food, Edward and I were playing footsie under the table. I just had to be touching him at all times. "So who are you most excited to see at the family reunion?" I asked him.

"My Uncle Liam, for sure." He said, smiling.

"The travel reporter, right?" I asked. "Your mom's younger brother."

"That's right." Edward said, smiling. "I've always seen him as an older brother, rather than an uncle. That's how he acts; like one of the kids."

"Does he know about me?" I asked.

"Absolutely." Edward said, smiling. "He's really excited to meet you."

"What did he say about the proposal?" I asked him.

"Oh, well, I called him earlier in the week, and I knew I wanted to do it, but I was nervous, you know?" Edward said, smiling as he looked down at our joined hands. "And he said, 'Edward, when you have the girl of your dreams, you don't let her go. You make sure you show her how amazing she is, and why you're worth keeping.'"

I felt the tears in my eyes already, and quickly reached up to wipe them from off of my cheeks. "That's really beautiful, Edward." I said. "I think I like him already."

"Yeah. He's great." Edward said, bringing my hand up to his lips, so he could place kiss after gentle kiss on the back of hand. "Baby, don't cry." He said, leaning over the table to kiss my lips.

I smiled at him. "Sorry. It just kind of hits me every once in a while that we're engaged." I explained.

He rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb. "I know."

Our food came and Edward and I literally pigged out. There was so much food on the table, and it was all really good. We would definitely be coming back here.

Edward told me funny stories while we ate. Once, when Edward was thirteen, his Uncle Liam had gone to Australia for a month to do hotel reports throughout the country, and he stopped in to visit the boys before flying back to New York. I guess, having been there that long, he started to pick up the accent. But Edward and his brothers thought he was faking it, so they all started wrestling with him, even tying his socks together, trying to get him to stop talking that way.

Edward was laughing as he told the story, and I giggled along with him. I could just see the Cullen boys playing around in my mind. I was really looking forward to meeting everyone come Sunday.

After we ate to the point that we could hardly move, Edward and I decided to go for a walk along the pier before we went back to the hotel. We walked for about a half hour, just enjoying the sea air, and each others company.

We got back to the hotel at around seven o'clock. "So, what's the plan, fiancé?" I asked Edward as I kicked off my shoes.

"Well, I was kind of hoping you'd be up for a nice warm bath." Edward suggested, taking off his shirt.

I reached up and ran my fingers over his chest, smiling up at his face. "I would love to." I said, leaning in to kiss where my fingers had been. I unzipped his pants, and let them fall to the floor. I slipped my hands into the back of his boxer briefs, squeezing his bum, before pulling them down.

Edward lifted my shirt off and then unfastened my bra. "How many times to I need to take this thing off in a day?" He teased, as he pulled it off my arms, making me laugh. He took my skirt and panties off, and then took my hand, leading me into the bathroom.

He started the water, and then poured some scented oil into the tub. It smelled floral, almost like perfume. I was so amazed by how much work he had put into planning this day for us. I moved our bathing suits to the counter, and when I turned around, Edward was already in the tub. I laughed.

"A little eager, there?" I joked.

"You know I am." He said. I walked over to join him, and he held my hands so I wouldn't slip. I sat in between his legs and leaned back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, and started caressing my body. As I hummed and moaned and told him how good his hands felt on my skin, he whispered how beautiful I was in my ear.

I could feel what I was doing to him, and I really wanted to get him back on that bed. "Okay, baby. I'm going to go get your surprise." He said, standing up. I watched him dry off, and then wrap the towel around his waist. I leaned back in the water, and waited for him to walk back in the bathroom.

He brought in a little white box, tied with a black ribbon. "Will you open it for me?" I asked, smiling up at his face.

"Okay, but if you don't like you don't have to wear it." He said, as he sat on the toilet lid, and pulled the ribbon. He opened the box and pulled out a beautiful, but completely see though, black lace nightie. It looked short, had wide black satin straps, black satin around the hem and a thick black ribbon under the bust line.

"Oh, Edward. It's beautiful." I said. "I love it. Thank you."

"And then these." He said, lifting out small black satin thong. I looked up at his face, and his cheeks were a little flushed. "I didn't think you wore this kind, but the salesgirl said that they went with it."

Edward had faced a lingerie store alone for me. He was the most amazing fiancé a girl could ever ask for.


	361. Insatiable

**A/N - Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! You are all amazing! I hope you're having a great weekend! Enjoy!**

Chapter 361 - Insatiable

"Baby." I said, standing up in the tub. "I can't believe you did this for me. I love it, so much."

Edward got up, setting the lingerie box on the toilet, and helped me out of the bathtub. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my back, pulling my naked body towards him. He smiled down at me, and winked. "I can't wait to see you in that."

I giggled. "Okay, I'll meet you on the bed in five minutes." I told him.

"The longest five minutes of my life." He said, kissing my lips, before he turned and walked out the door.

I turned and picked up the tiny nightgown. It was gorgeous, and honestly, the sexiest thing I had ever seen. I slipped it over my head and looked in the mirror. It clung to my body, and honestly made me look a lot older. I slipped on the the thong, and wriggled around a little. It was definitely different than what I was used to, but Edward went through so much trouble to buy this for me, that I was going to wear it.

I pulled my hair up into a twist, leaving a few lose strands framing my face. I brushed my teeth quickly, and then put on some more lip gloss. I smiled at my reflection. I was an engaged woman, and I honestly felt like it.

I heard a knock on the door. "Are you okay, beautiful?" Edward asked. "Did I get the right size?"

I smiled. He was adorable. It was exactly the right size. "Everything is perfect, baby. I'm coming out."

I took a deep breath, and flicked out the light, before opening the door. I gasped. Edward had the lights out, except for the two lamps on either side of the bed. He had sprinkled more rose petals on the bed, and was laying on the bed in a pair of black boxer briefs.

I looked at Edward's face and his mouth was open. "My god, Bella. You look amazing." He stammered, before sitting up, and sliding to the edge of the bed, letting his legs hang over the side. I smiled at him, as I slowly walked over to join him by the bed.

"You like it?" I asked, turning in a circle for him.

"I love it." He said. "You look so damn sexy." He reached forward and set his big hands on my sides. Even though he was warm, my skin was instantly covered in goosebumps. His touch always caused me to react.

Edward leaned in and started kissing my lips. I hummed and stepped closer to him, standing in between his legs. He brought his hands down my sides, and then dipped them under the nightgown, until his hands were on my bum. He pulled me closer, as he started kissing my throat.

He worked his way down and started kissing and licking my chest and shoulders. His lips felt so good on my skin. I set my hands on his thighs, and slowly moved them up. "Mm, Bella." He breathed. "Baby, come on the bed."

He moved back on the bed, leaning on the pillows and I climbed up on the bed, crawling on my hands and knees between his legs. I put my hands on either side on his hips and I leaned down over him, and started kissing and licking at his abs. I moved up to his chest, and I could feel his heartbeat pounding against my lips.

He brought his hands down and started caressing my back. "Baby, come here." He said. I looked up at his eyes and he looked so intense. He sat up and captured my lips with his, pulling my body closer to him.

He rolled me over, so I was on my back, and he was on his side beside me. He brought his hand up, and slowly traced my lips with his fingertips. He brought his hand down and slowly moved it over my body, moving from my neck, right down to the hem on the nightie.

He brought his mouth down and started kissing me all over my body, over the lace. It felt amazing, and I felt so loved. Edward reached under the nightie and pulled the satin thong down my legs, and gently off of my feet. His fingers traced up the inside of my thigh, and I closed my eyes. His fingers worked magic on my body, as his lips met mine, again.

Edward rolled over me, and took my hands in his. He pressed his body to mine and we started moving together. "I love you, my sexy girl." He whispered, before sucking at my earlobe, as I scratched his back.

"Mm, I love you, too." I breathed, as he kept moving against me. He was creating such delicious feelings in me, more so than ever before, as my emotions felt so much stronger today. I felt like I wanted to scream, but instead I leaned in and bit Edward's shoulder. He groaned, and finally stilled over top of me.

"You okay, baby?" He asked, making me smile. His first thought was always concern for me. Edward was so amazing.

"I feel wonderful." I said, smiling up at his face. "Are you good?" I asked, even though I could tell by his smile that he felt as good as I did.

"Oh, yeah." He chuckled, rolling beside me, and laying his head back on the pillow. "Okay, I'll be right back." He said, kissing me, before getting off the bed. He walked to the bathroom and shut the door.

I laid back on the pillow and smiled. I stretched my arms above my head, and rolled onto my side waiting for Edward. Just then, I heard my phone ring. I smiled. Whoever it was had perfect timing.

I hopped up off the bed, and grabbed my phone out of my purse. "Hello?" I answered, a little breathless.

"Bella, it's mom. Oh, baby, I'm so excited for you." My mom said. I laughed at how fast and loud she was talking.

"Thanks, mom." I said, smiling, as I crawled back onto the bed. "It was amazing. He proposed on the beach." I told her her everything, every detail of the proposal, leaving out our time in the bathroom and bedroom. I started crying while I relived it, again. I could hear my mom crying right along with me.

Edward came out of the bathroom, and crawled back in bed with me. He pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. I curled my legs up, and Edward started running his fingers along the back of my thigh.

"Okay, baby. I'm going to let you go. Tell Edward I said congratulations." My mom said.

"I will, thank you, mom." I said.

"I'm going to come up and see you before school starts, okay? I'm just working out vacation time with work." She told me, making me smile.

"Oh, mom. That would amazing. I want you to meet Edward's family." I told her. "Call me when you know more. I love you."

"I love you, too, Isabella." She said. "Enjoy your night, together. Bye." I closed my phone and Edward took it from my hand, setting it on the bedside table.

"Are you alright?" He asked, wiping my wet cheeks.

"I'm amazing, baby." I told him, leaning up to kiss his lips. "You know how moms can get to you?" I giggled.

"Yeah." He chuckled, kissing me, again. "Do you want to get under the covers and snuggle?"

I smiled up at his face. "Absolutely." I said. We shimmied under the blankets and Edward pulled me into his arms.

"Have I told you how incredibly sexy you look in this lingerie?" Edward asked, putting his hand on my bum.

"You have." I said, kissing his bare chest. "So when did you get it? Where did you get it? I want to know the whole story."

Edward chuckled. "Well, I bought it yesterday after I picked up the ring." He said. "I knew your size, because I checked the tag in the pretty blue nightgown you left at my house. I went to one place, Bella. It was all lacy and girly, and I swear, I have never been so uncomfortable."

"Aw, baby." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "I think I went in that store with Heidi." I giggled. "But a month ago, there was no way I would have bought anything like this."

"Yeah, most of stuff didn't seem like you, but I thought this one was really pretty." He said. "And I wanted to just get it, and get out of there." He chuckled.

"Well, you did really well." I said, pressing myself closer to him. "I love it. The lace is really soft."

"Yeah?" He asked. "Let me check how soft it is." Edward leaned back, and I rolled to my back. He moved his hand over my breasts and then down my stomach. "You're right. It's pretty soft." He said, smirking at me. "But I do know something that's softer."

"Oh, yeah?" I asked. "What's that?"

He smiled, reaching down, and pulled the nightgown off of my body, tossing it to the end of the bed. "Your skin." He said. "It's like silk." He leaned down and started kissing and caressing my body. My boy was insatiable.


	362. Shower and Shave

**A/N - I want to thank everyone for their reviews and for reading! It is Saturday, July 24, 2010 in the world of Summer Vacation. Enjoy!**

Chapter 362 - Shower and Shave

I woke up for the first time in my life as an engaged woman. I was smiling before I even opened my eyes. I felt Edward press his lips to mine, and I slowly opened my eyes. We were both on our sides facing each other. We had an amazing night together, touching and exploring and just celebrating being together.

"Good morning my beautiful fiancé." Edward whispered, pulling me closer to his body, and placing another kiss on my lips.

I stretched my arms above my head, before rubbing my eyes. "Good morning, baby." I said, smiling at his adorably messy hair. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. "How long have you been awake?" I asked him.

"A while." He said, smiling at me. "You are so beautiful when you sleep, and I liked watching you."

"I can't wait to wake up with you everyday." I told him. "For the rest of our lives."

"I know." He chuckled. "It's going to be so cool when we're back at school, and we can tell people that we're engaged."

I laughed. "You are so adorable." I leaned in and kissed his chest, before letting my fingers explore his body. "What do you think our neighbours are going to be like?" I asked him.

"I don't know, ah, Bella." He groaned, as I got a little bolder with my touches. "Mm, baby, I love when you touch me." I kept doing what I was doing, because he seemed to really love it. "Mm, babe, faster."

I followed his instrutions, because I wanted him to feel as good as he always made me feel. "Is that good?" I asked, as he moved with me. He hummed, and then finally stilled, and instantly leaned forward to kiss me.

"Mm, sexy girl. You're amazing." He breathed, before kissing me harder. His hands travelled down my back to my bum, and he gave it a squeeze. "Your turn." He whispered.

"Edward, wait. I need to use the bathroom." I said, kissing his lips, again.

"Okay. Do you want to have a shower with me?" Edward asked, pulling the blankets down and softly kissing my chest.

"Uh." I moaned. I couldn't really think when he was touching me like this.

"Baby?" He asked, again. "What do you say to that shower?"

I reached down and grabbed his head. "Babe, stop." I breathed, giggling. "I can't think."

Edward chuckled with me, before kissing my lips. "Sorry." He laughed.

"Okay. Give me two minutes, and then meet me in the shower." I told him, kissing him.

"Sounds good." He said, winking at me. He leaned back in the bed, and put his arms behind his head. He looked amazing.

"You're making it really hard for me to leave this bed." I told him, as I stood up and walked to the bathroom door, completely naked.

"And you're making it really hard for me to stay in this bed." He chuckled.

I held up two fingers at him. "Two minutes." I giggled, before closing the door. I quickly used the bathroom, before turning on the shower, and getting in. I stood under the warm spray and let the water flow over me.

"Angel?" Edward called.

"Yeah, come in." I said.

"'Kay, I'm just going to use the bathroom, then I'll be right in." He said. I started washing my hair, cleaning out all the chlorine from yesterday in the pool. The shower curtain pulled open, just as I was rinsing the soap from my hair.

"Hey, handsome." I said, as he stepped over to me, putting his hands on my waist.

"You started without me?" He asked, pouting a little, making me laugh.

"Well, you can put the conditioner in my hair." I offered. Edward took me up on that. His hands felt so good in my hair. He grabbed my body wash and lathered up his hands. He washed my entire body, spending extra time on the sensitive spots. I was holding onto his shoulders, as I was sure my knees were going to give out.

"Bella, you are so sexy." Edward said, holding me close to his body, my back to his chest. "How did I get so lucky?"

"We're both lucky." I said, turning my face to kiss his bicep. "I miss everyone at home, but I've really enjoyed this night away, Edward." I said, as I turned around to start washing his body.

He smiled, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I'm so glad, Bella." He said. "It's all I ever want. For you to be happy."

"Aw, baby. I'm always happy when I'm with you." I told him, as I rinsed him off.

"Good." He said, winking at me. "I'm just going to wash my hair. Do you have anything left to do in here?" He asked, smirking a little.

I shook my head at him. He knew I shaved my legs in the shower. I never wanted him to watch me shave my legs. I didn't know why, but I had felt insecure about that. But he seemed to really want to see me doing it. I knew he loved my legs. A lot. I had always teased him about being a leg man, and even though he defended that he was just a Bella man, I knew his first weakness was my legs.

"Okay, Edward." I sighed, biting my lip to hold back a smile. "I will shave my legs right now with you in the shower for three reasons. The first is that I know you'll keep bugging me until I do. The second is that I love you and trust you. And the third, is that we are now engaged."

Edward chucked in triumph. "So you're saying that all I had to do was propose?" He teased, setting his hands on my hips.

"Guess so." I giggled. I grabbed some shaving cream and lathered up my leg to my knee. Edward pressed his body up to mine from behind me, setting his chin on my shoulder.

I started shaving and Edward hummed. "That is really sexy." He whispered in my ear, before kissing my cheek.

I laughed and shook my head. "I don't see it, but if you think so." I said. I turned so I could get the back of my leg and Edward moved with me. "Okay, so there's one." I giggled. I put my other leg up on the edge of the tub and lathered it up. I was almost done shaving it, except for one strip, when Edward reached forward to stop my hand.

"Baby, can I do it?" He asked before biting my earlobe. I passed him the razor and he came to stand beside me. He put his hand on my calf to hold me steady, and I started laughing. "Bella. Stop it. You're moving and I don't want to cut you."

I kept laughing, because Edward sounded so serious. "I can't help it." I said, wrapping my arm around his shoulder for balance. "Your tickling the back of my leg, and you are just too adorable."

"Can you try?" He asked, looking up at my face, and smiling.

"I am." I said, batting my eyelashes at him. "I'm sorry. I'll be good." Edward laughed at me, before leaning in and setting the razor just above my ankle.

He let out a deep breath, before gently gliding the razor up my leg, and over my knee. "Was that okay?" He asked standing up, and setting my razor down.

"You did great." I giggled, wrapping my arms around his waist. "But, not that exciting, right?"

"Oh, I loved it. We'll have to do it again." He said, kissing my forehead. "But next time, you're sitting down on a towel or something so you can be still."

I laughed. "Oh, come on." I giggled. "Now get on your knees and I'll wash your hair."

"Yes, ma'am." He chuckled, kneeling in front of me. I looked down at him, and gasped.

"Oh, my god, Edward. Your shoulder." I exclaimed.

He laughed. "Oh, my Bella bite?" He said, looking up at me, winking. "Yeah, you bit me last night."

"Edward." I whined. "Now you have to wear a shirt until that heals. You're grandparents, Edward. I feel so bad. What if your cousins want to go to the beach, or something?"

"Baby, calm down." He said, wrapping his arms around my waist, and kissing my stomach. "We're engaged. There are bound to be bites, scratches, hickeys, you name it. Honey, I don't care about the mark. Just watching you last night, and seeing you react like that to my touch was worth it."

I smiled down at him and ran my fingers lightly over the bite on his shoulder. "Does it hurt?" I asked, my cheeks feeling warm.

"No, baby." He said, bringing his hands down to my bum cheeks, giving them a squeeze. "Remember. This body is all yours."


	363. Your Girl

**A/N - Thank you all again for reading, reviewing and adding this story to your alerts and favourites! Very cool! Enjoy!**

Chapter 363 - Your Girl

After I washed Edward's hair, we finally got out of the shower. "Edward, my fingers are all pruney." I said, as he dried me off.

"Well, it's a darn good thing that you look cute when you're pruney." He chuckled, kissing my lips, before he dried himself off with the same towel. I will admit that I just stood there and watched him. I was always in awe at how gorgeous he was, every single time I looked at him.

I finally snapped out of it, and brushed out my hair, while he ran some gel through his hair. We were both standing in the bathroom stark naked, but neither one of us seemed to care. It was an amazing feeling to be this comfortable around another human being.

He looked in the mirror and ran his hand over his chin. "Should I shave?" He asked looking over at me?

"No." I told him, laughing. "You know I love my sexy guy with a scruffy face."

He chucked. "Well, what the lady wants, the lady gets." He said, winking at me in the mirror. "You wanna brush your teeth with me?" He asked.

"Naked?" I asked, lifting my eyebrows at him.

Edward smiled at me. "Why not?" He chuckled. "I'd like to be naked as long as possible, because apparently I have to wear a shirt for the next two weeks."

"I'm sorry." I said, turning to look at him. "Firstly, I shouldn't have bit you, and secondly, I don't want to tell you what to do. You don't have to cover your body."

"That's it." Edward said, crouching down to lift me straight up by the thighs, and flopping me over his shoulder. I squeeled, and he carried me to the bed. He set me down on my back, before flopping onto his side beside me. He picked up my hand and set our joined hands on my stomach.

"I thought we were brushing our teeth?" I asked, biting my lip nervously.

"Bella. No. We're going to talk this out right now." He said, propping his head up on his hand. "I was just teasing you, baby. If the bite mark makes you uncomfortable, I'll keep it covered up. It's not a big deal. And the biting, Bella. Don't ever stop."

"But." I started, before Edward leaned over to kiss me. It was one of those classic 'shut up kisses.' I loved that.

He pulled back slowly, and smiled at me. I smiled back at him, lifting my neck to press another quick kiss to his lips. "Do you remember when we were talking about what our favourite things were to do to each other, and what we liked done to us?" He asked me, squeezing my hand.

I looked down at how he was holding my hand, smiling. I told him that my favourite thing he did to me, was hold my hand. I looked up at his face when I remembered what he loved being done to him. Biting. He said, at the time, that he liked when I bit his earlobe and scratched his skin.

He didn't want me to apologize to him for biting his shoulder. He liked it. "I feel like I should apologize for apologizing." I told him, honestly. "I didn't mean to ruin our morning by getting all serious."

Edward leaned in and kissed me; like really kissed me. He let go of my hand and he started caressing my body. I brought my hand up to hold onto his shoulder.

"Bella." He said, as he pulled back, slowly, his hands still gently moving over my chest. "You could never ruin anything, even if you tried. I like this, actually. I like that we can talk to each other and learn about each other, learn from each other." He leaned in to kiss me softly, twice more. "Just because we have agreed to get married, it doesn't mean that we're going to stop growing as a couple. But, my beautiful girl, we're always going to figure things out."

"I love you." I whispered, smiling at his face.

"I know you do." He said, pulling me closer to his body. "I love you, too, baby." I reached my arms behind his back and scratched his back. "Mm." He hummed. "I wish I would have brought some massage oil."

I giggled. "I did." I said, as I kissed his shoulder.

Edward smirked at me. "I knew I was marrying you for a reason." He teased, winking at me. He got up off the bed, and walked to the bathroom.

"It's in my make up bag." I called out. Edward came back in the room holding my lotion and the massage oil. But the best part was the sexy smile on his face. He climbed onto the bed with me, and sat at my feet. "Why are you way down there?" I asked, pouting.

He chuckled. "Because as much as I like your face, I like your feet, too. I'm an equal opportunity Bella lover." I smiled at that, because he was just so sweet.

He opened the bottle of body lotion, and squeezed some out in his hand. He started with my left foot, and started rubbing the arch of my foot with his thumbs. "Ah, Edward." I breathed. He was a master at foot rubs.

"You have really sensitive feet." He chuckled, before rubbing more lotion between his hands. He moved up and started rubbing lotion into my freshly shaved legs. "And the softest, most shapely legs I have ever seen."

I bit my lip, looking down my body at him. "Thank you." I said quietly.

Edward chuckled, before moving down to my left foot, and giving it the same treatment as the right. "I love that you're so shy, and so sexy at the same time. It's absolutely amazing."

I giggled, covering my face with my arm. "Stop trying to make me blush." I laughed. "You're doing it on purpose."

"I'm not." He laughed, crawling up over my body. He uncovered my eyes, holding my hands with his. He pressed a kiss to my lips, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth. "Do you want a massage?" He asked.

"I want to give you one." I told him, kissing him, again. "You got to shave my leg, so I get to rub your back. It's only fair." I giggled.

"Are you going to let me do it again, sometime?" He asked, laying down beside me, on his back..

"Shave my legs?" I asked, getting up to crawl to the end of the bed and pick up the massage oil. "I guess if you want to."

"Oh, I want to." He said. I giggled as Edward spanked my bum. I looked over my shoulder at him.

"Sorry. I was mooning you." I said, sitting down on my feet.

"Oh, please, never ever apologize for that." He said, winking at me. "Moon away, gorgeous."

I laughed. "You're so crazy."

"Good thing you fell in love with me before you found that out, right?" Edward chuckled.

I sat on Edward's thighs and poured some massage oil on my hands, reaching up and rubbing my hands over his abs. He started humming and closed his eyes. "I love everything about you, Edward." I told him. "You're loving, caring, generous, thoughtful, supportive, sweet, strong, athletic, gorgeous, sexy, mischievous, adventurous and just a little crazy."

Edward laughed, opening his eyes to look at me. "Wow." He said. "This guy you're going to marry seems pretty amazing."

"He is incredible." I said, playing along, moving my hands up to his chest. "You might know him, actually. He grew up in this little town in Washington, not far from here."

"Bella, you're making me jealous." He laughed. I started laughing with him, and he leaned over to wrap his arms around me, pulling my body tightly against his.

"You're making me all oily." I whined. "Unless you're into that kind of thing?" I teased.

"Well, if it's you covered in oil, then I'm into it." He said, rolling us over so he was on top of me. "I'm a one woman man."

"Good." I said, kissing his lips.

He snuggled his head into my shoulder, kissing my neck. "As crazy as I am to suggest this, do you want to get dressed and head downstairs for some breakfast? I'm so hungry."

I giggled. "Yeah. Your girl's hungry. Feed me."

"Mm." He said, sucking on my earlobe. "I love that." He whispered. "You're my girl."


	364. Pancakes and Planning

**A/N - So yesterday, the alert didn't go to most people for Chapter 363, myself included. So, if you haven't read it, make sure to check it out before you read this one. Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 364 - Pancakes and Planning

We slowly pulled apart, and I laid on the bed, watching Edward pull on some forest green boxer briefs. "Are those new?" I asked, rolling on my side, and twirling my hair around my fingers, smiling at him.

"They are." He said, walking over to the bed and leaning down to kiss my lips, setting his hand on my hip. "You like them, so I stocked up."

"I love that you pay attention." I said. "And I like the green. Very, very sexy."

Edward chuckled, pulling on some green cargo shorts and a grey t-shirt. "I'm glad my fiancé approves." He said.

"I definitely do." I said, getting up and going to my bag. I pulled on my purple panties and my blue satin bra. I did a little spin for Edward, who was sitting on the bed, smiling at me.

"Beautiful." He said, making me smile.

I pulled on my denim skirt and my black tank and then came to take his hands, pulling him off the bed. "Let's finish getting ready." I said, pulling him into the bathroom.

We brushed our teeth, and then Edward sat on the bathroom counter, watching me put on my makeup and dry my hair. I curled the ends and then looked over at him. "Is this okay to meet the grandparents?" I asked. "Or should I pull it back?"

"Baby, you look beautiful." He said, hopping off the counter. He pulled me into hug and kissed my forehead. "Will you leave it down for me?"

"Of course." I agreed. "You stayed scruffy for me." I said reaching up to lightly run my fingernails over his jaw.

"Well, you know if you ask me for something, I'll give it to you. No questions asked." He said, taking my left hand and kissing my ring.

"I love you, Edward." I said, standing on my toes, to kiss his chin.

After pulling his wallet out of his pants on the bench by the bed, and then taking my hand, Edward and I took the elevator down to the main floor and then went to the dining room. It was a beautiful room, with river rock flooring, floor to ceiling windows on one side and cute little square oak tables, each with a little vase of yellow lilies in the center.

The room was about three quarters full, but Edward and I still managed to get a seat by the window. He sat in the seat next to me, instead of across. I loved that he always wanted to be so close to me. I set my hand on his thigh and his hand was immediately on mine, lightly caressing my knuckles with his fingertips.

"What do you want to eat, baby?" He asked, as we flipped through our menus.

"I think I feel like the Peninsula Pancakes." I said. It was an order of three buttermilk pancakes with fresh fruit and whipped cream.

"Mm." He said, looking up at my eyes, before his eyes moved down to my lips. I smiled, and leaned in to kiss him. When he looked at me like that, I couldn't resist. I pulled back, opening my eyes, and Edward was grinning at me. "We should take this breakfast up to our room." He suggested playfully, winking at me.

"Yeah, I don't think so." I giggled. "We would probably have to shower again, and then, we'd miss our check out time."

"Good point." He said, squeezing my hand. "I'll have to take a rain check on that one." He winked at me, and I laughed. Still insatiable.

The waiter came and Edward ordered my pancakes, the Olympic breakfast for himself and a cup of coffee. I also ordered a glass of cranberry juice.

"So you think you can eat that whole breakfast?" I teased, rubbing my hand up and down his thigh. It came with two eggs, ham slices, two pieces of toast and roasted potaotes.

"Easily." He said. "I've got a bottomless pit." He chuckled, patting his stomach.

"Your poor mother." I giggled, making him laugh. "I can't you how many times that thought has come up in my mind."

"Well, you're taking me off of her hands, then." He said, smiling at me.

Our breakfast was brought to the table and it looked amazing. I took a drink of my juice, then looked at Edward, who was cutting up his ham with his fork. "Baby?" I asked, making him look up at face.

"Yeah." He said, looking up at my face. "What's on your mind? You look deep in thought."

"I don't remember a lot of what you said during your proposal, because I was so surprised and excited, but I do remember that you said you never wanted to sleep without me, again." I started.

"Yes, I did say that." He said, smiling. "And I meant it."

"So, um, did you mean, like when we get married? Or, starting now?" I asked. I have no idea why, but just sitting here with him, his proposal popped into my mind. I was trying to figure out how that was going to work. Did he want me to stay in his room, or sleep in my bed with me?

"It's up to you, really." He said, smiling at me. "I'll follow you around like a puppy. If you want me in your bed, I'm there. If not, send me home." Edward reached over and cradled my cheek with his hand. "I didn't mean to make you worry about it, honey. I just wanted you to know how much I love you, how committed to you I am, and how much I want us to be together."

I smiled at him. "You are so sweet." I told him. "We could take turns or something. I guess I'll have to talk to my dad about it, but I really don't want to wait until September."

"Sounds good, gorgeous." He said, smiling at me. He took a bite of his ham, and closed his eyes. "This is so good. Baby, try it." He said, putting some on his fork, and bringing it to my lips. I ate it off his fork and smiled.

"It is really good." I said. I picked up a strawberry slice and brought it to Edward's lips. He brought his hand up to mine and pushed my fingers into his mouth sucking them off. I looked around me and noticed a couple about my dad's age that saw that. They smiled at me, and I blushed and smiled back. "Edward." I whisper scolded.

He chuckled. "Sorry. You're just so tempting." He said, leaning in to press a quick kiss to my lips.

As we finished our breakfast, Edward and I talked about our honeymoon. It made me laugh, because it was so Edward to be thinking about that part of the wedding. "What?" He chuckled. "Don't tell me that's not going to be the best part? You and me, completely alone for a whole week, or maybe two. Yeah. Let's go for two." I laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Yeah, it's going to be great, but the part I can't wait for, is when you to kiss me at the end of the aisle, for the first time as husband and wife." I told him. "I'm going to be Bella Cullen."

"You are, baby." He said, smiling. He looked so excited. "Well, where am I taking the future Mrs. Cullen after this amazing wedding kiss?"

I laughed. "I don't know. I've never really thought about it." I told him honestly. "You seem to have it all planned out in your mind."

"What about somewhere like Hawaii?" He asked, making me smile. "We've both never been, so we can discover it together. And you can wear pretty dresses and put flowers in your hair." I absolutely loved the sound of that.

"And there are beaches, rainforests and volcanoes." I told him, excitedly. "Oh, and sunsets."

Edward laughed, and he looked so happy. "So, you think that might be the place for us?"

"Definitely." I told him. "I'm so excited. I want to go now." I laughed.

"Well, we could, but then it won't be as special next summer." He said.

"No, I know." I agreed. "I just really can't wait."

"Me, neither. And, the best part, baby, is that I can get you a t-shirt." He said, winking at me.

"After that lacy little number you bought me to wear last night, you still want to buy me t-shirts?" I asked, smiling at him.

"Bella." He said, taking my hand. "Of course. I just wanted you to have something special for our engagement. Please don't think that you have to wear that stuff every night. I love your body in those t-shirts. You look so sexy, especially when the neck slips down over your one shoulder."

I smiled at him. "You are a special guy, you know that?" I asked. "I love you so much."

Edward smiled at me, leaning in for another kiss. "I love you, too."

We finished our breakfast, before going back up to our room to pack. I set my last bag by the door, and sighed. I turned to Edward. "I really loved this trip." I said, looking around the room, wishing we could spend just a little more time here.

Edward smiled, walking over to me and took my hand. "This trip was just the beginning, baby." He said. He pulled my hand and led me over to the bed. "But we have twenty minutes until we have to check out. Let's use it." He said, winking at me.

I giggled, hopping on the bed. "I love the way you think."


	365. Like a Cullen

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! It's still Saturday, July 24, 2010 in Edward and Bella's world. Enjoy!**

Chapter 365 - Like a Cullen

After a solid fifteen minutes of making out on the bed, Edward and I finally grabbed our bags and headed down to the lobby to check out. My hair was probably a little messy, but I didn't care. Edward had his hands in it, and that's all that mattered to me.

We loaded up the trunk, and got back in the car. "So, you want to go shopping, or something?" Edward asked, me still sitting in the parking lot of the hotel.

"Don't want to go home?" I asked, him, picking up his hand, and pressing a kiss on his palm.

"Is it that obvious?" He asked, smiling at me.

"Talk to me, babe." I said, turning in my seat. "Are you worried about your grandparents?"

"Uh, not really." He said. "This is going to sound selfish, but I'm just not ready to share you. It's my grandparents today, and like a million more tomorrow." He laughed.

"Aw, baby. I know what you're saying." I told him. "But, I'm really nervous to meet all million and two of your family members, so I honestly won't be leaving your side." He smiled, leaning in to kiss my lips.

I pulled back when I heard my phone ring. I reached into my purse and smiled when I saw it was my dad.

"Hi, daddy." I said, smiling.

"Good morning, kiddo. Are you still in Port Angeles?" He asked.

"Yeah. We just checked out of the hotel, actually." I told him.

"Okay, well, I don't know if you have plans, but Heidi and I wanted to take you two out for dinner tonight, you know, before the big Cullen family reunion." He chuckled.

"That's so sweet, dad. Just a sec." I said, bringing the phone down. "Baby, my dad and Heidi want to take us to dinner tonight."

"Of course." Edward agreed. "That would be great." I smiled at Edward, happy that he always accepted every single one of my dad's invitations.

"We're in, dad." I giggled. "I'm really excited."

"Well, we have to celebrate your engagement." He said. "Is six o'clock okay. At the Lodge?"

"That sound great." I said. "Thank you both so much for doing this. I love you, dad."

"I love you, too, Bells." He said. "I'll see you tonight."

I hung up and leaned across the car to hug Edward. He wrapped me tightly in his arms, making me feel so safe and warm. "I'm just warning you that I'm probably going to cry tonight." I told him, basking in his touch.

"Oh, I know you will, angel." He chuckled. "Are you okay, though?" He asked, pulling back.

"Yeah, I'm amazing." I told him, smiling. "So you still want to shop?"

"For you." He said. "Why don't we find you a pretty dress for dinner tonight?"

I laughed. "You know, you are every girls' dream. Most girls have to drag their guys to the mall, and you're the one that suggested it." I said. "You're perfect."

"Well, I don't care about every other girl. As long as I'm your dream man, then I'm happy." He said, leaning over to kiss my lips.

We drove downtown and stopped in to a few different boutiques. Edward found Alice a pretty ribbon necklace with a few pink beads on it. "We don't need to do the whole souvenir thing, but I know Alice will expect something." He chuckled. I smiled thinking about how much Edward had spoiled his little sister.

I found two dresses, and much to Edward's enjoyment, he got to watch me model them in the change rooms. One was a black, strapless tube dress, with elastic around the bust. It hit me mid thigh, and had a beautiful purple and white paisley print down the center. It was cute and I could make it casual by wearing it with flip flops, or fancy with heels. The second dress had a black and olive swirl pattern, and was a soft chiffon fabric. It had spaghetti straps and a crossover v-neck bust. It fell just above my knees, and was very flowy and soft.

"Baby, you are so sexy." Edward said, as he carried my bags back to the car, and holding my hand with his free hand.

"Well, thank you, handsome." I said, smiling up at his face. "You sure you don't want to shop for you."

"Nah." He said. "You want to head home?"

"Yeah." I agreed, as we got in the car. "Want to go to your house? I could meet your grandparents, and we could hang out with your family before we meet my dad and Heidi for dinner."

"Sounds good." He said, smiling at me. We drove back to Forks, listening to music. It seemed like we were home in no time. We had a late breakfast, so we didn't eat before we left, but I was definitely getting hungry by the time we pulled up to Edward's house.

"Are you hungry?" He asked. "I don't know what everybody's up to, but I can make us a pizza pocket or something."

I smiled up at him, as we unpacked our bags from the trunk and walked up to the house. "That sounds really good, baby." I said, as he leaned down to kiss me, before we opened the door.

I was honestly surprised that no one was in the house. The Cullen house was always loud, but in a happy, lived in way. We went upstairs to take our bags to Edward's room. Edward set everything down on the floor by his bed, and then flopped down on the bed.

I giggled. "You can't be tired already." I told him. "It's only three o'clock in the afternoon."

Edward reached up and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me on top of him. I started laughing and leaned in to kiss his lips.

"Hey. You guys are home." I looked over my shoulder and I saw Jasper standing at the door, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans.

I got up off of Edward, and went over to give him a hug. "Just walked in the door, Jasper." I told him.

Edward came up beside me and pulled his brother into a tight hug, patting his back. "How's it going with Grams and Pop?"

"Oh, uh. Alright." He said, shyly. "Pop wants to take us golfing tomorrow morning."

"Uh." Edward groaned, making Jasper laugh. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Em's trying to figure out a way to get out of it, but he hasn't come up with anything, yet." Jasper said, smiling.

"We might just have to suffer through it." Edward said, wrapping his arm around Jasper's shoulder.

"I know." Jasper sighed, smiling at me. "Hey, um, everyone's in the backyard. Should I tell them you're back?"

"Actually, we're just going to have some pizza pockets." Edward said. "We can all hang out here and eat, before we go out back. I'm starving, and with all the questions, we won't get to eat."

We all agreed and the boys went downstairs to sneak into the kitchen and make our lunch while I freshened up in the bathroom. When I came out, I laughed. Edward and Jasper were just walking back in the room with the plates of our lunch, and Emmett was walking in the door behind them with a six pack of coke.

"Hi, boys." I laughed. "Secret Cullen powwow?" I asked, as Emmett locked the door.

Emmett came over and gave me a hug, before kissing my cheek. "Welcome back." He said. "And if they knew you were back, they would be swarming around you guys. Plus it's tradition to hide out in Edward's room." He chuckled.

"You guys hide out often?" I asked, sitting on the bed beside Edward. Emmett flopped on the foot of the bed and Jasper pulled the desk chair over to the bed. We all grabbed a pizza pocket and started eating.

"Well, grams and pop were discussing career aspirations." Emmett said, rolling his eyes. "Jasper beat me to it, saying he had to go to the bathroom, so I had to wait a few minutes before I came in, so it wasn't suspicious." Jasper laughed, and I liked that he had escaped first.

I laughed, and Edward shook his head. "What did you say?" Edward asked Emmett, opening a can of coke. I slipped it from his hands and took a drink, making him smile at me.

"Oh, I just said I was going to follow Rose to college in Port Angeles." Emmett laughed.

"I'll bet pop liked that one." Jasper chuckled.

"I missed you guys." Edward said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I smiled. In this moment, hiding out with the boys, I truly felt like a Cullen.


	366. Patti and Stewart

**A/N - This is it! Today is Summer Vacation's 1st birthday! I started posting this story one year ago today! I've learned a lot and I think I've grown as a writer! But the one thing that stands out to me the most of the past year, was how much support I've received from all of you! I cannot thank you enough! Enjoy!**

Chapter 366 - Patti and Stewart

We finished our lunch and the boys had me laughing the whole time. I absolutely loved being a part of this family. But, after about a half hour of hiding, Edward suggested we'd better get downstairs, before they came in looking for us. I was honestly surprised that someone hadn't.

Edward grabbed the necklace he got for Alice out of the shopping bag, and then took my hand. As we walked down the stairs, I was starting to get nervous to meet the infamous grams and pop. "Are they going to ask about my career aspirations?" I asked.

"Eh, they'll like teacher." Emmett said. "You're fine."

Edward leaned down to kiss my lips, and then squeezed my hand, before we walked into the backyard. Alice was dancing around in the grass, and looked to be in her own little world. When she heard the door, she looked up and came running over to us, with a huge smile on her face.

"It's my brothers and sister." She yelled out. Edward bent down and lifted her up, kissing her forehead.

"How's my pretty princess?" He asked her, pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"I'm good." She said smiling. "Hi, Bella." She said, waving at me. Edward set her down and she wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Hi, Alice. I missed you." I told her.

Edward got down on his knees in front of her and passed her the necklace box. She gasped when she opened it. "Is this for me?" She asked, looking up at Edward with wide eyes. It was this cutest thing. "'Cause mom said that you guys wouldn't have time to get souvenirs, so I wasn't supposed to ask."

Edward kissed her cheek. "I always have time to buy you presents, princess. Always." He said. "Do you like it?"

"I love it. It's the prettiest thing I've ever seen." She said, honestly. "Will you put it on me, Bella?"

"Of course, Alice." I said, taking it out of the box and tying the satin ribbon around her neck. She turned around to show it to us, smiling from ear to ear. "Beautiful." I told her, making her giggle. "Okay, you two." I said to Edward and Alice. "Are you going to introduce me to your grandparents?"

Edward and I stood up, and Alice stood in between us, taking our hands, and leading us into the backyard. Emmett and Jasper were sitting on either side of their mom on one side of the picnic table, and Carlisle was sitting on the other side, with an older couple to his right; grams and pop. Esme waved at us, not being able to get up, because Emmett had his arm slung over her shoulder.

Grams had grey hair, styled in a very short cropped pixie cut. She had thin red lips, and deep set dark eyes, heavily lined with make up. Her diamond earrings were so big, I could see them from across the yard. She was wearing a crisp white blouse and tan Capri pants, with embellished, brown leather sandals. I would have been intimidated by her, if she wasn't laughing.

Pop had bright while hair, combed back, and I couldn't get over how much he looked like Carlisle. He was wearing a navy and white striped polo shirt, white dress pants with a crease up the leg, and white dress shoes. Just looking at them, I felt way underdressed in my denim skirt and tank top.

"Grams, look at the necklace that Edward got me?" Alice called out, excitedly. "Now I've got jewellery like you." I giggled a little

"Well, isn't that beautiful." She said. She and pop stood up when they saw us.

"I hear congratulations are in order." Pop said, slapping Edward's shoulder, before shaking his hand.

"Yeah, thank you." Edward said, smiling. "This is my beautiful fiancé, Bella Swan. Bella, this is my grams, Patti, and my pop, Stewart."

"It's so nice to meet you both." I said, smiling at the them. They both shook my hand, and Patti, picked up my left hand.

"Oh, Edward. You have your grandfather's taste in jewellery." Patti said, smiling up at Edward. "Your ring is beautiful, Bella."

"Thank you." I said. "I absolutely love it." I looked up at Edward and smiled. He winked at me, wrapping his arm around me, setting his hand on my hip.

Carlisle stood up, and gave us both a hug. "Here, Bella, sit down." He said, giving me his spot at the table. "Welcome home, kids. Did you have a nice time?" He asked, pulling over two lawn chairs for him and Edward.

"It was great." I told Carlisle, as Alice climbed up on her dad's lap.

"Yeah. What did you guys do?" Alice asked, making Emmett laugh. I looked over and Emmett and laughed with him. That boy's mind was always in the gutter. I looked at Edward, waiting for him to answer and his face was red. I shut my eyes for a second. Boys. I figured I would have to answer her.

"We went swimming, we walked on the pier, we went out for Thai food, and then we went shopping today, and Edward got your necklace." I told her. "It was a really fun little trip."

"That does sound fun." Alice said, laying her head on her dad's shoulder, and Carlisle rubbed her back. It was really sweet.

"So, Bella. We'd love to here a little bit about you? Are you from Forks, like Edward?" Stewart asked.

"Actually, no." I told him. "Well, I was born here, but when I was four, my mom and I moved to Phoenix, and I lived there until I graduated high school last year. Then, I moved up here to attend the University of Washington in Seattle. I'm studying to become a teacher." I said.

"Oh, how nice," Patti said. "What an admirable profession." I smiled and glanced over at Emmett. He chuckled and shook his head.

"And where are you staying this summer?" Stewart asked me.

"Oh, with my dad. He's the police chief here." I told them. "Charlie Swan."

"Dad, he'll be here for the barbeque tomorrow evening with his girlfriend, Heidi. You'll meet him then." Carlisle said.

We spent the next hour sitting outside in the yard, talking to Edward's grandparents. Edward and I told them how we met, all about our apartment, and our classes. Stewart quizzed Edward about his science classes, and his grades so far, and even suggested that it wasn't too late to consider medical school.

"Nah. I'll leave the hospitals for the experts." Edward said smiling. I was so proud of Edward for standing up to his pop, but doing it in a nice way. Edward was such an amazing man.

At five o'clock, Esme got up to go inside to make dinner. Edward and I followed her in, after saying our goodbyes. We needed to get ready for dinner with my dad and Heidi. When we got inside, Esme gave us both big hugs.

"I'm still so excited for you two." She said, smiling at us with tears in her eyes.

Edward kissed his mom's cheek. "Don't cry, mom." He chuckled. "You'll get Bella started."

I giggled, wiping under my eyes. Who knew that getting engaged would be so emotional, even the following day? "I wish I could stay and help you with dinner." I told her, feeling bad that we were leaving.

"Oh, you go spend time with your dad." She said, smiling at me. "I'll make them something easy." She laughed, winking at me.

"Well, I'll be over bright and early to help you cook for the barbeque." I told her. "When do you need me?"

"Sweetheart, whenever you want to come, you can." She said, pulling me into a tight hug. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too, mom." I said, giggling. Esme squealed taking my hands and giving them a squeeze.

"I love the way that sounds." She said, smiling.

"Okay." Edward laughed. "I'm taking my fiancé, now. We're going to be late." He said, taking my hand and pulling me out of the kitchen. "You can borrow her tomorrow morning." Edward teased.

"Alright." Esme giggled. "But come say goodbye before you go."

"We will." Edward called. He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his hips as he carried me up the stairs. I started kissing his neck, and Edward put his hands on my bum cheeks. "You're amazing, you know that?" He said, as he walked into his room and shut the door.

"Right back at you, sexy." I said, biting his earlobe, and making him groan. He laid me on the bed and crawled over me. It looked like Edward and I were going to have some fun before dinner.


	367. Dad and Heidi

**A/N - Thank you all so much for the congratulations! I promise a lot more to come. Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 367 - Dad and Heidi

I was laying on my back on Edward's bed and he was on his knees over top of me, straddling my hips. He pulled his t-shirt off, before slowly pulling my tank top off. I had to arch my back a little, and Edward smirked at me.

"You look so pretty in this bra." He whispered, tracing his fingers over the cups. "Too bad it's coming off."

I laughed, reaching up to undo his shorts. "I can't wear it under my dress, anyway." I told him.

He hopped off of the bed to take his shorts off, before climbing back where he was. "So, basically, you're telling me, that you're going to be sitting beside me at dinner in a pretty dress without a bra, but I can't do anything about it, because your dad will be across the table?" Edward asked, reaching behind me to unclasp my bra.

I laughed. "Basically." I said, winking at him, as I tossed my bra to the floor. Edward laughed, leaning forward to kiss me.

"So sexy." He mumbled against my lips, as he kept kissing me. He reached down, inching my skirt up my hips, before he settled against my body, making me gasp. "You okay?" Edward asked, moving his thumb over my bottom lip.

"Yes, baby." I said, pulling his hips closer, and closing my eyes at the feeling. It had been a long seven hours since our make out session in the hotel room. I loved feeling this connected to Edward. I needed it now. And clearly, so did Edward.

Edward rolled off of me, and pulled me close to his chest. "I needed that." He chuckled.

"You read my mind." I giggled, placing light kisses on his chest, as he rubbed my bare back.

"I can't believe I have to go golfing tomorrow." He said, tossing his head back on the pillow. While we were talking with his grandparents in the yard, Stewart brought up the Sunday morning game with the boys, that Emmett was telling us about, and despite all three of them thinking their hardest to get out of it, they came up blank.

"Are you pouting?" I asked, reaching up tug on his bottom lip.

"Maybe." He chuckled. "I just, I don't know, I hate the idea of leaving you all morning."

"I know, baby." I said, licking a trail up his chest to his neck. "But, I'll be helping your mom in the kitchen the whole time anyway. So, don't worry about me. Just try to have fun with your brothers."

"I'll just think about you in an apron." He chuckled. "In nothing but an apron."

I laughed. "What happened to my sweet innocent Edward?" I asked, before slapping his bum.

He laughed. "He's still here. But, Edward, the nineteen year old guy, with a half naked woman in his arms, who just happens to be his fiancé, and the sexiest woman in the world, is here, too."

"I have to admit that I really, really enjoy that particular Edward." I said, slipping my hand into his briefs to rub his bum cheek that I had just spanked.

Edward laughed, before kissing me quickly. "I love you." He said. "Hey, we'd better get dressed."

We both sat up. "You know, that's the second time you've suggested that today." I teased him, as we got up, stripping the rest of our clothes off.

"I seriously apologize." He chuckled. "But one of us has to be responsible."

We both got dressed. Edward wore grey dress pants and a white polo shirt, and I chose my new black and olive swirled dress that Edward bought me today. We took turns in the bathroom freshening up, before we headed downstairs to say goodnight to the Cullens.

Edward helped me into the car, and then turned to pick a wild daisy growing beside the driveway. He got in the car and passed it to me, before leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Edward, you gave me three dozen roses yesterday." I teased.

"And that was yesterday." He said, winking at me. "I love you. And you look absolutely incredible, babe."

We pulled up to the Lodge and Edward and I held hands on the way in. "Bella." I heard, turning to see Heidi and my dad walking over to us from the other side of the parking lot. Heidi was wearing black Capri pants and pretty yellow blouse, and my dad had on tan dress pants and a black polo shirt. The looked so cute together.

I hadn't seen my dad since the engagement on the beach. He pulled me into a tight hug, kissing my cheek. "Hey, kiddo." He said, pulling back. He had tears in his eyes, and it made me start crying. He pulled me back into a hug and patted my shoulder. "Shh, Bells." He said softly.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, wiping my eyes. "We're supposed to be celebrating." I giggled.

Heidi passed me a tissue, as she wiped her own eyes. "Happy tears are allowed." She laughed. "My purse is packed with tissues, tonight." I gave her a hug, and Edward shook my dad's hand.

"Okay, let's go get something to eat." My dad said, clearing his throat. Heidi took his hand and Edward wrapped his arm around me, before kissing the side of my head.

We got in the restaurant and were seated at a nice booth, with my dad and Heidi at one side, and Edward and I across from them. "So we're done with the tears now?" My dad asked, chuckling.

I laughed. "I hope so."

"So did you guys have a good night away?" Heidi asked, smiling at me.

"It was great." Edward said, looking over at me. "We had Thai food for dinner."

"Oh, how was that?" My dad asked. I giggled. He wasn't one for trying new things. He was a steak and potatoes kind of guy.

"It was really good dad. You would like it." I told him, laughing at his face, as he frowned sceptically.

"We'll take you." Edward offered. "Next week, when we go to Seattle. If you don't like it, we'll stop for burgers afterward." My dad seemed to like that compromise.

We ordered dinner. My dad and Edward ordered the steak and potatoes, making me laugh, Heidi got chicken and I got a creamy pasta dish.

"So, I know it's still early, but have you guys talked about the wedding at all?" Heidi asked us.

"Well, Bella wants a lemon cake." Edward laughed. I laughed with him. Edward remembered every detail I had ever said about our wedding.

"We were thinking of getting married next summer." I told them.

"That's nice." Heidi said. "It gives you time to plan all the details."

"Have you talked to your mother?" My dad asked me.

"Yeah. I talked to her last night." I told him. "She was really excited. Oh, and she said that she's going to come up for a visit before we go back to school." I wasn't sure how my dad would feel about seeing her again. It had been years.

"I'm glad Bella. That's good for you to have a strong relationship with your mom." My dad said.

"Um, it's not going to be weird, is it?" I asked. "You know, having mom here? Because if it is, we could always just meet her in Seattle instead."

"Bells, I appreciate you looking out for me." My dad said, smiling at me. "But I'm okay. I promise. I've found a woman that I love, and I've moved on. Yes, it's going to be a little strange seeing her again after so many years, but we're all grown ups here. We'll get through it." He reached across the table and patted my hand. "And I don't want you worrying about me. When your mom comes, you enjoy yourself. She's coming here for you."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, dad." I said.

"And, um, speaking of moving on, Heidi and I wanted to run something past you, Bells." My dad said. He looked a little nervous all of the sudden, and Heidi was looking down and fidgeting in her purse.

"Dad, you know you can tell me anything." I said, feeling a little anxious, now, based on the way they were acting. I looked at Edward, and he looked as clueless as I felt. He set his hand on my knee under the table, and I really appreciated the gesture. I always felt better when Edward was touching me.

"Well, kiddo. Heidi and I talked things through, and you know, we aren't getting any younger." I looked up at him. He was stalling. I raised my eyebrows hoping he would just tell me what was on his mind. He chuckled. "We're getting married."


	368. Changes

**A/N - I hope you are all having a great weekend! It is still Saturday, July 24, 2010, in the story. Thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 368 - Changes

To say I was shocked by my dad's announcement would be an understatement. I wasn't expecting them to get married so soon. But, I was not surprised. My dad and Heidi were meant to be together. They had been friends for years, they worked together, and it was clear to anyone that looked at them, that they were in love.

I got up out of my seat, and my dad followed my lead, so he could pull me into a tight hug. Of course I was crying instantly, and my dad was rubbing my back.

"Congratulations, daddy." I said, standing up on toes, and kissing his cheek. "I'm so excited for you guys."

Heidi got up and came over to give me a hug. "Thank you so much, Bella." She cried. "I can't tell you how much it means to me and your dad that you're okay with this."

"Of course I am." I said. "I love you, Heidi. You are so important to me, too."

"So, you're alright with having a wicked stepmother?" She teased, making me laugh.

"Absolutely." I giggled. I turned around, and saw that Edward was shaking my dad's hand. They were both smiling and laughing. I loved their relationship.

Edward came over and kissed Heidi's cheek. "Congratulations, Heidi." He said.

We all sat back down, and Heidi passed out more tissues. "So you're engaged, too, huh?" I teased my dad.

"Actually, not." He said, smiling at me, as I frowned at him. "We both just talked about it, and decided to just get married. No proposal, no big engagement. We've been thinking about it for a while, and just decided to do it. But I knew that Edward was planning your proposal, so we decided to wait to tell you." I smiled at my dad. He was so sweet. Everyone was always thinking of me, and I loved them all so much for it.

"When are you getting married?" I asked.

"Well, we were thinking maybe at the end of August." He said. "That was if you were okay with it."

"Oh, daddy." I said. "Of course, I'm okay with it. I love you so much, and all I want is for you to be happy." I sniffled, and Heidi passed me another tissue, before wiping her own eyes, again.

"We want to have the wedding while you're still in Forks, uh, August twenty eighth. It's a Saturday. And Heidi's parents are moving here in two weeks, so we have to get them settled first." My dad explained.

"I am so excited for you guys." I said, leaning my head on Edward's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and kissed the top of my head. "I'm going to have another mom." I giggled. "You know, Heidi, by the end of next year, I'll have three moms. Mom, you, and Esme."

"You're a lucky girl." Heidi said, smiling.

We enjoyed the rest of our dinner and my dad seemed so happy. He was laughing, and telling jokes with Edward. That was all I ever wanted for him. He had been alone for so many years and I was happy to be a part of his life again. Seeing him this way was the reason I had encouraged him to ask Heidi out in the first place.

"So, where are you planning to have the ceremony?" Edward asked, after we ordered dessert. Edward and I ordered a slice of apple pie a la mode to share. I was so full from dinner, but my dad insisted, saying we were celebrating.

"Um, we were just thinking of having something small, maybe in the backyard. Just family and the boys from work." My dad said.

"Are you going on a honeymoon?" I asked.

"Actually, we were thinking of just heading up to Vancouver, Canada. Maybe do some fishing." Heidi laughed, leaning in to kiss my dad's cheek. "But we were going to wait until you back to school, because we want to spend as much time with you as we can."

I reached my hand across the table, and took Heidi's hand. "I love you guys so much."

"So, Bells, you are okay with Heidi moving in with us?" My dad asked me.

"Absolutely." I smiled.

Our dessert was brought to the table, and I ate a small bite of pie to make my dad happy, then set my fork down. I was so full. Edward took a big bite of pie and hummed. I looked at his face and smiled, and he winked at me.

"But, talking about people moving in, can I talk to you about something, dad?" I asked, remembering that I was going to talk to him about mine and Edward's sleeping arrangements.

"What, is Edward moving in, too?" My dad chuckled.

"Well, no, not really." I said. "Um, this is kind of embarrassing to talk about, but would you be okay with Edward spending the night sometimes?"

Edward took my hand, and held it on the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "And, I'll take her off your hands, the other nights." Edward added, chuckling. I couldn't get over how comfortable Edward was talking about sleeping with me in my bed.

My dad looked like he was holding back a smile, as he looked over at Heidi. "I don't know, Bells." He said.

Heidi smiled at me, and nodded her head. "Now, Charles, they are engaged."

I blushed and Edward started laughing. "I'm just teasing you, kiddo." My dad chuckled. "You're an engaged woman, now, and it's your house, too."

"Thank you, dad." I said.

"Plus, Edward is more than welcome. He's family now." My dad added.

"Thank you, Charlie." Edward said. "I really appreciate that."

After we finished our desserts, and my dad paid the bill, we all got up to leave. "Are you staying at Edward's tonight?" My dad asked, as we walked out to the parking lot.

"Maybe that would make sense." I said. "I'm helping Esme cook for the reunion tomorrow morning."

"Okay." My dad said. "Are they putting you to work in the kitchen, Edward?" He chuckled.

"Nah, I have to go golfing with my pop tomorrow." He said, frowning, and making us all laugh.

"So, Emmett and Jasper are sleeping over this week." My dad said. "Esme called to make sure it was alright."

"Charlie and I will stay at my place and the boys can take your dad's room." Heidi said.

"Thank you so much." Edward said. "We really appreciate it. We are getting so many people over this week. It's going to be crazy."

"Well, you boys can stay as long as you need." My dad said. "We're all family now, right?"

No matter how many times I heard it, that still made me smile. It was funny how this summer started out and it was just my dad and I. Yes, I was dating Edward, but we hadn't even said that we loved each other. And now I was engaged and my dad would be getting married in about a month. Yes it was change, but it was the good kind of change. I was excited for our future together as a family.

After hugs, congratulations and promises to see each other the next day at the Cullen family barbeque, we went our separate ways. Edward opened my car door, and then kissed my cheek before closing the door and going around to the driver's side.

He turned on the radio on low and drove us down to the beach. "Aren't we going back to your place?" I asked, squeezing his hand.

"We will, but I wanted us to have a chance to talk before we got home." He said, parking with a good view of the ocean, and shutting off the car. "Get in the backseat." He said, winking at me. We got out of the car and he went to the trunk, pulling out a blanket, before we both got in the backseat.

He leaned against the door and I laid back on his chest, covering us up with the blanket. Edward wrapped his arms around my waist, and lightly moved his fingers back and forth over my stomach.

I turned my head and kissed his chest. I loved him so much for doing this for me. "Are you okay?" Edward asked, softly. "You've had a fairly emotional couple of days."

"I'm really happy." I said, before turning to lay on my stomach, laying my chest onto Edward's stomach. I reached up and put my hands on Edward's scruffy cheeks. "And I love you, so much. Thank you for doing this."

"Bringing you to the beach?" He asked, rubbing my back. "Anytime, baby."


	369. Backseat Rendezvous

**A/N - Happy Monday! Thank you so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 369 - Backseat Rendezvous

I loved that Edward brought me to the beach to talk. He was really the sweetest fiancé a girl could ask for. He always wanted to make sure that I was alright, and even if I was, he liked to talk things out with me.

"So tell me what you thought the second your dad told you he was marrying Heidi." Edward asked, twirling my hair around his fingers.

I was laying on his body, resting my chin on his chest, and looking up at his face. "Honestly, he caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting it so soon, but I was expecting it." I said. "Does that make sense?"

"Yeah." Edward said. "You can tell the way they are together that marriage was inevitable, but I agree with you. I didn't think they were going to do it right away." We sat quietly for a minute until Edward spoke again. "So, Heidi will be moving in with you guys. You told your dad that you were okay with that."

I reached up and wiped a tear from my eye. "I am." I told him, honestly.

"But?" Edward said, rubbing my back.

"But, the time I spend with just me and my dad is really important to me." I told him.

"I know it is, baby." Edward said. "But, I can tell you from personal experience, that having a mom in the house, and two brothers and a spunky little sister, I still have time with my dad. Your dad loves you, honey, and that's not going to change."

"Why are you so perfect?" I asked him, smiling up at his face.

Edward wiped under my eyes, with his thumbs. "I just love you, Bella. And I truly want you to be happy." He said. "Come closer."

I wriggled up closer to him, and pressed a kiss to his lips. He smiled against my lips, and kissed me again. "I love you." I told him, wrapping my arms around his neck. "And I am happy."

"Good." He said, kissing my lips. "Just, make sure to talk to your dad. Tell him you want father daughter days, or something. Heidi can come hang out with my mom for the day. You're a daddy's girl. This is important."

"I want our daughters to be daddy's girls." I said. "I can't wait to see you with our children. You are going to spoil them rotten." I laughed.

Edward chuckled. "Yeah, I will definitely be a softy. You're going to have to be the disciplinarian." He said.

I laughed. "I don't want to be the mean parent." I said, kissing his lips.

"You won't need to be. We're going to have those good kids that never get into trouble." He said. "Like you." He slapped my bum over the blanket. "And you will be the only one in the house getting spanked."

"Mm." I moaned, leaning in to kiss his jaw. "I love the sound of that."

Edward slipped his hands under the blanket and set them on my bum. He inched his hands under my dress and traced his fingers over my panties. "Can I take these off?" He whispered, gently tugging on the waistband.

"Um, I don't know. There are still a few people around." I told him, biting my lip. It was just after nine at night, and I was worried that someone would see us.

"Good point." He chuckled, kissing my lips, before sitting us both up. I put my knees on either side of his hips, and he leaned against the back of the seat. He brought his head down to kiss my cleavage.

"Mm, baby." I whispered. I loved the feeling of his lips on my skin.

He set his hands on my hips and slowly moved them up my sides, caressing the sides of my breasts. "Pull the blanket up around you." He said, smiling up at me.

I followed his instructions and held the corners of the blanket in my hands, before placing them on Edward's shoulders, shielding my body from anyone that might happen to look over at us. He brought his hands over my chest, lightly pulling the front of my dress down.

"We're going to have to find you more clothes that you can't wear a bra under." Edward said, gently massaging my body. I laughed, in between groans. "Does that feel good, baby?" He asked, moving his hips up.

"So good." I whispered, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered on my lips, before kissing and sucking his way down my neck to my chest.

I had my head thrown back, and my eyes closed. Edward always made me feel so good. He showed me how much he craved my body. But more than the physical, he showed me how much he loved me.

I heard a knock on the back window, and I gasped, opening my eyes. Edward pulled my dress back up, as I looked out the window. Vanessa was waving at us, so I waved back.

Edward chuckled, as she opened the back door, and slid in beside us. "Hey, you two." She laughed. "Having fun?"

"We were, Vanessa." Edward teased.

The front passenger door opened and Vanessa's brother EJ slid in the car. "Hey, is this where the party is?" He laughed.

"It was a private party for my fiancé and I." Edward said. I started to get up off his lap, but Edward held my hips, so I would stay put. I looked at his eyes and he looked down at his lap and then back at my eyes, shrugging a little, his cheeks a little pink.

I smiled at him and kissed his cheek. The driver's door opened and Jake got in. "Officer Black, here. I've received reports of lewd misconduct in a public parking lot." He said, winking at us, before laughing.

I blushed and dropped my head onto Edward's shoulder and he wrapped his arms tightly around my back. His body was shaking, so I knew he was laughing.

"So when are we going out to celebrate this engagement?" EJ asked. "I mean, besides this great backseat rendezvous. We'll get some drinks. My treat."

"Most of us are under twenty one, Eric Jamie." Vanessa scolded her brother.

"What about virgin cocktails?" He asked. "Girls like frozen margaritas, right?"

"That sounds great." I said, lifting my head off of Edward's shoulder, and turning a little. "Thank you so much, Eric Jaime." I said, using his full name, like Vanessa did.

"No, full names." EJ laughed. "So when are we going out?"

"Um, Edward's family is coming down to visit starting tomorrow." I said. "So maybe Friday or Saturday night?"

"What about tonight?" He asked. "It's only ten o'clock."

I looked at Edward and he shrugged. He looked game. I nodded at him. Why not? We were all dressed up. "Okay." Edward agreed. "But we're not staying out past midnight. I have to golf tomorrow morning."

EJ laughed. "Sounds like a plan. Meet us at the Smokehouse Lounge. They have a patio."

Everyone got out of the car, and went to EJ's car, which was parked across the lot behind us. I hadn't even noticed the car sitting there when Edward and I pulled up.

"Can I get off your lap now?" I teased Edward, kissing his lips.

"Yeah." He laughed, reaching up to adjust the front of my dress. "Sorry about that." He said, looking a little embarrassed.

"Oh, no. Don't apologize." I giggled, rubbing my hands over his chest. I loved that Edward got so turned on when we were together. "Do I look horrible?" I asked him. "From crying and making out."

"Of course you don't, angel." He said. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, baby." I said, running my fingers through his hair. I slid off of Edward's lap and pulled down my dress, that had ridden up. We got out of the backseat and got back in the front seats.

"You know, as excited as I am to spend time with our friends, I really had other plans for our night together." Edward said, winking at me as he started the car.

I giggled and blushed. "Well, when we get back to your place, we can still have a little fun." I said, reaching over to rub his thigh. "Unless you really need your sleep for golf."

Edward chuckled, as he turned onto the highway. "You are way more important to me than golf." He said, smiling at me. "Or sleep."


	370. Fun with Friends

**A/N - So, yesterday, fanfiction displayed yet another quirk. It sent out an alert for a chapter I posted last week. Just so you know, I don't go back and change anything in the story, so nothing changed. Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing. Enjoy!**

Chapter 370 - Fun with Friends

Edward drove us to the bar, and took my hand, leading me in. I was excited to be spending time with Jake, Vanessa and EJ. We hadn't really had a chance to spend much time with them. And Vanessa was so much fun.

Edward and I showed our ID at the door, and met Vanessa, Jake and EJ inside the lobby. We were led out to the patio, and because it was so late, and getting cool out, there weren't too many people out here. It was a nice patio though, and they had tall heat lamps between the tables.

Vanessa and I decided to order virgin strawberry margaritas and Jake and EJ both wanted beer. "I don't know what to get." Edward said, looking at the drink menu.

"Oh, I know." Vanessa said. "Get an Arnold Palmer. It's half lemonade and half iced tea. And, he's a golfer, and you're golfing tomorrow, right? Maybe it'll help your game." She giggled.

Edward laughed. "I definitely need the help." He agreed.

"So, you suck at golf?" EJ asked, running his fingers through his long, wavy, blonde hair.

Edward laughed, again, and I smiled, because it was my favourite sound in the world. "I am the single worst golfer on the planet." Edward admitted.

"Then why go?" Jake asked, setting his arm on the back of Vanessa's chair.

"Because I have a grandfather that seems to think that all men should golf." Edward said, shrugging his shoulders. "He says that all major decisions in the world are made on a golf course."

"Wow." EJ laughed, shaking his head. "I make all my decisions out on the water."

Our waitress walked up to the table, and EJ's smile widened. "Hello, gorgeous." He said. Our waitress, who's name tag read Gianna, really was gorgeous. She was tall, with long, thick black hair, green eyes and an olive complexion. She had on a tight white t-shirt and tiny black shorts. She smiled at EJ, as she pulled her pencil out from behind her ear.

"What can I get you guys?" She asked, standing with her hip pushed out to one side. We gave her our orders, but she walked around the table to EJ, and set her hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to need to see some ID." She said, winking at him.

"Absolutely." He said, pulling his wallet out of the front pocket of his black board shorts. He passed her his drivers licence and she read it over closely.

"Eric Jamie Wolfe. Sacramento, California?" She mused out loud. "Born April 9, 1988." She traced her fingers over his shoulder. "Twenty-two, huh?" She passed him back his ID, and winked at him, before walking back inside.

"Holy shit." EJ said, running his fingers through his hair. Jake and Edward started laughing at him, and Vanessa and I looked at each other, giggling.

"I can't believe you called her gorgeous." Vanessa said to her brother.

"Well, she is." EJ defended.

"Obviously, but still." She said, reaching over Jake to slap his leg.

"Hey, a single guy has to do what a single guy has to do." He said. Vanessa looked at me and rolled her eyes.

"So, what made you guys decide to leave California?" Edward asked EJ. "I imagine they have incredible waves."

"We were living with our aunt and things weren't that great, so when Vanessa turned eighteen, we decided to leave the state and make our own life." EJ said. He smiled at his sister and I could tell how much he loved her and protected her.

It was nice that she had Jake now, too. He was such an incredible guy, and I knew he would keep her safe. I had no idea what she and EJ had gone through in the past, but I was so glad I could be her friend now.

"Well, you guys picked a great place to call home." Edward said, picking up my hand and kissing the back of it.

"Yeah, all the cool people live in Forks." Jake added, laughing.

"I think we're cool." I said, laughing.

"We are." Vanessa said, leaning over to give me a hug.

"Your margarita's ladies." I turned and saw Gianna with a tray of drinks in her hand. "Beers for the boys." She said, setting them down in front of Jake and EJ. "And an Arnold Palmer for the golfer. Am I right?" She laughed, setting Edward's drink down in front of him.

Edward blushed a little, and shook his head. "Very far from it." He laughed. I put my hand on his thigh and gave it a squeeze. He was so adorable.

"Alright." Gianna said, running her fingernails through EJ's hair. "Let me know if you guys need anything else." She turned and walked back inside, with EJ's eyes glued to her little shorts.

"EJ." Vanessa laughed. "Stop staring at her bum."

His eyes flicked over to the table and he laughed. "She wants me." He said, confidently, making us all laugh.

"Do I really look that preppy?" Edward asked out of the blue. "Like I actually look like I golf for fun?

EJ laughed. "Says the guy in the white polo shirt." He said, slapping Edward on the shoulder.

"Hey, we went out to dinner with Bella's dad tonight." Edward defended.

"I think you look sexy." I told him, reaching up to put my hand on his cheek. He smiled at me, and leaned down to kiss my lips.

"And this is what happens when you hang out with engaged couples." EJ laughed. "So much PDA."

"Ah, leave them alone. That's what we're celebrating." Jake defended us.

"Thank you, Jake." I said.

"So when's the big day?" EJ asked.

"Next summer some time." Edward said, tossing the straw out of his drink, and taking a big swallow. "We haven't picked an exact date, yet, though."

"This is so exciting." Vanessa said, smiling. "I've never been to a wedding before."

"Well, you're definitely coming to mine." I told her, giving her another hug.

We all sat around talking and laughing for the next hour. The boys all talked about EJ's classic car, and Vanessa and I talked wedding details. I told her that we would probably have the wedding in Edward's back yard. She told me that she always wanted to get married on the beach. When she said that, I saw Jake turn his head, and look over at her. I could see in his eyes how much he truly cared about her.

Just before midnight, Gianna came back over with the bill, and set a folded cocktail napkin in front of EJ. "Have a great night." She said, before leaving.

EJ opened the napkin and smiled. "She gave me her number." He announced, like he had won the lottery, making us all laugh.

He gave Jake and Edward a high five, and Vanessa and I laughed. "Finally, the single guy catches a break." He said, standing up.

"You guys okay to get home?" Edward asked EJ, as he threw some money down on the table.

"I'll drive." Vanessa said, as we walked to the door. After hugs in the parking lot, Edward and I got in the car and headed back to his house.

"That was fun." Edward said, looking over at me. "Did you have a good time?"

"I had a great time." I told him, bringing his hand up to my lips. I placed a few innocent kisses over the back of his hand and his palm. I started sucking on his fingers, and I heard Edward's breathing pick up. "Are we home yet?" I asked him, lightly sucking on the inside of his wrist.

"Mm, Bella." He groaned. "Almost, baby." I smiled against his skin, and started kissing a path up the inside of his arm. I had always felt desire around Edward, and I craved his touch, but I had never felt anything so strong as I did right now. I needed him so much.

"Baby, I need you." I breathed, moving my hand over to his thigh. And I did. I knew Edward and I couldn't go all the way tonight, but I was starting to realize that I didn't want to wait another six weeks. I didn't think I could wait that long.


	371. Practice

**A/N - Happy Wednesday! Thanks again for reading. I'll let you get right to it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 371 - Practice

Edward looked over at me, and I smiled. His face was flushed, and he looked turned on. It was a look I was getting to know well. "God, so sexy." I heard Edward breathe.

"I don't wait until we go back to school." I admitted to Edward.

About a month ago, Edward and I had discussed it, and we decided to wait until September before we had sex. We both weren't ready for that step at that time. Well, I wasn't ready. I'm pretty sure Edward was, but he was being an angel, like he always was, agreeing to wait for me to feel comfortable.

But, so much had changed in the past month. Edward and I were engaged now. And more than that, we both felt incredibly comfortable around each other. We changed in front of each other now. There were no more turned backs. We even bathed and showered together now. Our physical relationship had come a long way.

I literally craved Edward's touch. I felt like I needed him to touch me, all the time. But, we were responsible. So, I decided that I was making my birth control appointment first thing Monday morning. I was hoping to get in soon, so I could start taking the pills.

Edward parked the car in front on the house, and turned in his seat to face me. "What are you saying?" He asked, taking my hands.

"I'm saying that I want you." I told him honestly. "I love you and I trust you and I don't want to wait another six or more weeks for us to have sex."

"Okay." He said, laughing when I slapped his arm. "I'm sorry." He said. "I'm not teasing you. If you feel ready, then we can try it."

I felt like my face was on fire, and even though I was sure that that was what I wanted, I was still a little nervous to talk about it. "Um, I still want to wait until I start taking the pills." I told him.

"Alright. Are you as nervous as I am?" He asked, bringing my hand up to his lips, so he could kiss the back of it.

"Yes." I said, smiling. "I'm nervous, but I'm excited. Do you remember last month when we talked about it on the way home from camping? I was terrified just thinking about it. And you said that I would know when I was ready."

"And you're ready? Edward asked, leaning in to kiss me. I nodded my head, and smiled at him. "Okay." He smiled, leaning in to kiss me.

I put my hands on the back of his neck and held him close to my lips. Edward groaned and deepened the kiss. He pulled back a little and looking in my eyes. "You want to go upstairs?" He asked, kissing my lips softly.

"And practice?" I asked, giggling.

Edward's cheeks looked flushed, and he smiled back at me. "Yeah. Let's go practice." He said, getting out of the car.

He came around to my side, and took my hand, leaning me to the front door. I stopped him before he opened it, and pulled him down to my level, so I could kiss him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him harder. He put his hands on my bum, and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his hips, and Edward opened the door. I was kissing his neck, as we walked in.

"Staying out pretty late the night before a golf game, aren't we, Edward?" I froze in Edward's arms and he stopped walking, his body stiffening. Pop was still awake.

I turned my head and peeked over at the family room. Carlisle, Esme, pop and grams were all sitting together, having tea. Esme and Carlisle looked like they were both trying to hold back their laughter, and for that I was grateful. I couldn't really read grams' expression, but more than likely, it was disapproval.

I'm sure I was so red, I could have spontaneously combusted. Edward had his hands on my bum, and our bodies were pressed together in a highly inappropriate way. Plus we were both breathing pretty hard, and it was more than obvious where we were headed.

"Yeah, we ran into some friends and they took us out for a celebratory drink." Edward explained, talking as if I wasn't wrapped around him like a koala. "But, I'm heading to bed, now. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight." He said, hurrying us to the stairs, without even waiting for a response.

I could hear laughter downstairs, but I didn't care. I still wanted to get Edward's clothes off as fast as I could. I loved him so much and I was still incredibly worked up from the ride home, and what we had started in the backseat at the beach.

Edward closed his bedroom door and set me down. He sighed. "That was embarrassing." He said, kicking off his shoes.

I walked up to him, and unzipped his dress pants, letting them pool at his ankles. I grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up revealing his gorgeous chest and abs. I leaned in and started licking his chest, while Edward pulled his shirt off the rest of the way.

He was left standing in front of me in his black boxer briefs and black socks. "Um, are you sure you still want to, you know, fool around?" He asked, looking torn between his desire and his embarrassment.

"Edward, they already think we are, so what difference does it make?" I asked, slipping my dress over my head. "Plus I really, really want to practice."

Edward smiled at me, and leaned down to pull off his socks. I giggled, as he stepped forward and lifted me up, carrying me over to the bed. He set me down and I laid back. Edward crawled over top of me, laying down and pressing a hot kiss to my lips.

"I love you so much, sexy." Edward said, caressing his fingers up and down my sides. He stopped at my panties. "Now, can I take these off?" He asked, laughing.

"Yes." I said. "But it's such a good thing you didn't when we were at the beach." I laughed.

"I know." He laughed, kissing my lips, before sitting back on my legs. He pulled my panties down my legs, and slowly traced his fingers back up my legs. I gasped as he touched me, and closed my eyes, just enjoying the sensation.

I felt his lips on the inside of my knee, then my thigh. I opened my eyes and propped myself up on my elbows. Edward looked up at me and our eyes met. "Can I try, Bella?" He asked, moving his fingers back and forth between my hipbones.

I saw nothing but love in his eyes and that was all that I needed to see. "Yes." I told him.

Edward smiled at me, before lowering his lips back to my leg. He lightly bit and licked at the sensitive skin on my thigh. He slowly moved his lips up my leg. "Uh, Edward." I breathed. I had never felt anything so amazing. It didn't take my body long to respond.

Edward moved his way up my body, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake. He finally reached my lips and I pushed his shoulders, so he would roll onto his back. He wrapped his arms around my body and pulled me in close to his side. I was kissing his chest, tasting his sweaty skin.

"How do you feel?" Edward asked, looking down at my face, smiling at me.

"Amazing." I said, running my fingers over his chest. "I love you." I told him.

"I love you, too, gorgeous." He said. "Thank you so much for trusting me."

"I do, and I will trust you forever, my hubby to be." I giggled. "Now take off your boxers." I said, lightly snapping his waistband against his skin.

Edward laughed, leaning over to kiss me, before he sat back, lifted his hips and pulled his underwear down to his knees. He kicked them down the rest of the way, making me laugh. "Can I just tell you how amazing it is to see you so confident?" He asked, rolling over to face me.

"Yes. you can tell me." I giggled, wrapping my arms around his neck.

He pressed a kiss to my lips, before smiling. "It. Is. Amazing." He said, kissing me, again.

"Thank you, baby." I said, moving my right hand down his chest, lower and lower and lower. I started moving my hand over him, and he closed his eyes.

"Oh, baby. That feels so good. I love the way you touch me." He said, rolling onto his back.

I leaned over to the bedside table and grabbed Edward's massage oil, pouring some onto my hands, making my caress of his skin so much easier. "Kiss me, baby." Edward breathed.

I smiled at him, leaning over his face, and sucked on his gorgeous top lip. He was humming and making all sorts of amazing sounds. He wrapped his arm around me, and started rubbing my back. Edward leaned his head into my shoulder, and groaned, finally letting go.

"We are so amazing together." Edward said, laying back on the bed. I giggled, kissing his lips.

"I agree." I said, sliding off the bed. "I'll be right back." I went into the bathroom and and grabbed a couple of towels. I wiped the oil off of my hands and then crawled back into bed with Edward, wiping down his body.

"Thank you, baby." He whispered, pulling me into his arms and holding me tightly. "I love you."


	372. Bad Dream

**A/N - Thanks so much for reading! This chapter starts just after midnight on Sunday, July 25th, 2010. Thank you all so much for your support of the story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 372 - Bad Dream

Edward and I both went in the bathroom, and brushed our teeth together. He decided to take a quick shower so he could just get up and go tomorrow morning. I knew he was tired, and I felt bad for keeping him up. I had no idea how early his pop was going to wake him up. I washed my face and used the bathroom while he was in the shower.

I was just washing my hands, when I heard the water shut off. I grabbed Edward a towel and had it waiting for him when he opened the curtain. "Thank you, baby." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips, dripping water on me.

I laughed, grabbing his towel to dry off, before running to the door. "I'll be in bed." I said, before turning to go to his dresser.

I pulled on one of Edward's black t-shirts, and then crawled into his bed, kicking my way under the covers. It had been an incredibly long day and I felt drained, but I was so excited to just be here with Edward, that I wasn't sure if I could sleep.

Edward came out of the bathroom and grabbed a pair of white cotton boxers from his drawer, pulling them on. He flicked off his bedroom light and crawled into bed with me. "It's after one in the morning." He said, pulling me close to body, so my face was buried into his shoulder.

"Mm. Edward, you smell delicious." I whispered, kissing his still damp skin. "Did you put on cologne?" I asked, giggling.

Edward laughed, and it was his embarrassed laugh. I smiled into his shoulder. "Maybe." He said softly, kissing my forehead. "I wanted to smell good for you."

"Baby, I love the way you smell." I told him, lifting my face to kiss his lips. "Are you tired?" I asked, throwing my arm over his waist and lightly rubbing his back.

"I feel tired, but I can't sleep." He said, setting his hand on my bum. "And I'm fairly certain, you're not wearing panties." He chuckled, lightly patting my bum.

I giggled. "I'm not." I told him. "But just don't think about it."

"Well, that's easier said than done." He whispered. I laid my head against his chest, and listened to his heartbeat. It was lulling me to sleep. "I love you, angel." He said.

"Love you." I mumbled back. I heard Edward chuckle, but my eyes were starting to get heavy.

I dreamt that night that Edward was golfing with Gianna, the waitress from the patio. She was hanging onto his shoulders, laughing and kissing him, even bending over at the waist to put the golf ball on the tee. But the worst part was that Edward was laughing and looking at her with that look he only used on me. That look of absolute love and devotion. I felt so absolutely heartbroken and I woke up feeling like I was going throw up.

Edward was laying on his back, with his arm above his head. He was sound asleep and he looked so peaceful. I looked at Edward's clock and it was three-thirty in the morning. I slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom.

I had tears on my cheeks, so I washed my face. I hated when dreams seemed so real. I knew that Edward would never leave me, but I still had that sick feeling in my stomach. I sat on the toilet lid and leaned forward.

I had a feeling that the dream was just my nerves getting the better of me. Edward and I had decided that we were going to have sex for the first time in the coming weeks, and I was pretty sure, my own fears were just getting the better of me.

Maybe I was just really nervous, but I knew I was ready. I was so mad that my mind would conjure up such an upsetting dream. I had just gotten engaged and I wanted to enjoy it.

"Bella?" I looked up and saw Edward standing in the doorway. His hair was messy and he was scratching his stomach. "Baby, what's wrong?" He asked, coming to crouch down in front of me. "Are you sick?" He started to rub his hand up and down from my ankle to my knee.

"Bad dream." I whispered.

"Aw, baby." He said, standing up. He reached out and took my hand. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, as I stood up, and followed him back to the bedroom.

"But you need to sleep." I said, stalling a little.

"I told you that I didn't care about sleep." He said, climbing back into bed with me. "Tell me. It might make you feel better."

"I dreamt that you and our waitress were in love, kissing on the golf course." I said, as I started crying.

"Oh, Bella." He said, kissing my forehead. "Please don't cry, honey." He said, rubbing my back in slow circles.

"It was just the way you looked at her." I said, my breath catching my throat. "It was the way you look at me."

"Shh." He said, setting his hand on the back of my head and bringing me close to his chest. He let me cry for a minute, before he pulled back, running his fingers through my hair. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm sorry." I whispered. "I'm just overreacting."

"Can I tell you what I think the dream means?" Edward asked, wiping my cheeks. I nodded, wrapping my arms around his arm and holding it to my chest.

"I think you're just a little upset and scared about your dad getting married." Edward said, softly.

"What?" I asked. "What does that have to do with Gianna?"

"Who's Gianna?" Edward asked, frowning at me.

"The waitress." I said, giggling. "She was wearing a name tag."

"Baby. I don't look at other girls." Edward said, smiling at me. "You have such a pretty laugh." He whispered kissing my lips softly.

"Thank you." I said, squeezing his arm tighter. "Now, back to your theory. What does that dream have to with my dad?"

"Oh, yeah. Okay. I think in your dream, you felt abandoned. You were alone, and I was happy with someone else. I think with your dad getting married, you might feel a little alone. And I think those fears just came out in the dream." Edward explained.

"Huh." I said. "Maybe." Edward may have had a point. Dreams weren't always literal. You had to really look at what the dream was trying to say, not what actually happened.

"And, I know this goes without saying, but you're not losing your dad. And you're not losing me." Edward said, kissing me, again.

"I know." I agreed. "It's just that change is hard, you know?"

"I understand completely." He said. "Now, let go of my arm." He chuckled. "I want to hug you." I giggled, and let his arm go, only for him to instantly pull my body flush against his.

"I love you, Edward." I said, kissing his neck. "I feel kind of silly."

Edward tapped my bum. "Baby, don't worry about it. I'm here for you, and I love you." He told me. "If you're that upset, I'll even skip golf tomorrow and stay home with you. I could just hold you, and we could snuggle on the bed."

I giggled. "Nice try, Edward." I said, making him laugh. "Plus, I'll be with your mom, okay?" I reassured him. "And I feel better already."

"I'm glad, honey." He said. "I love you. Now, try to get some sleep."

"Okay. I love you, Edward." I whispered. "Thank you for listening to me."

"Anytime, Bella." He said, holding me close.

I fell asleep with a smile on my face. Unfortunately, I was woken up too, soon. I opened my eyes and the room had the glow of dawn. The sun was just coming up. I looked around the room and Edward was just walking out of the bathroom. He was all dressed, and looked ready to go. He was wearing white shorts, a navy and white striped polo shirt and his sunglasses were hanging on the front of his shirt.

"Baby?" I groaned. "Are you leaving?

Edward walked over to the bed and ran the back of his fingers softly over my cheek. "Yeah. We're heading out right away." He said. "Go back to sleep, honey." He leaned over me and kissed my forehead.

"But, I'm lonely." I whined.

Edward chuckled and walked over to his dresser. He picked up his stuffed green snake that I had won him at the Lakefair by popping balloons with darts, and brought it over to me. "This guy could use a hug." He laughed.

I frowned at him, but took the stuffed animal and hugged it to my chest. Edward laughed loudly, before leaning in to kiss my lips. "I love you so much, Bella." He said. "Have a good morning and I'll try to get home as soon as I can."

"Okay. Try to have fun, baby." I told him. "I love you, too."

Edward slipped his wallet and phone in his pockets, before opening his bedroom door. "Bye, beautiful." He said, smiling at me, before closing the door. I sighed. And so began my morning without my gorgeous fiancé.


	373. Me and Esme

**A/N - Thank you to everyone for reading! I am so lucky to met have such incredible people just by writing this story! I appreciate your support so much! Enjoy!**

Chapter 373 - Me and Esme

I fell back asleep after Edward left. I loved sleeping in his bed. I could still smell his cologne on the sheets. I woke up at eight o'clock with a smile on my face. This was the way I wanted to wake up. Happy and in love.

I hated that I had a nightmare in the middle of the night, and I hated that Edward had to worry about me. I knew he was, and I hoped that my subconscious fears weren't bothering him today. I wanted him to have fun.

I got out of bed, and pulled up Edward's sheets. I went into the bathroom, and had a shower and dried and curled my hair, put on some makeup and brushed my teeth. I went back into Edward's room and got dressed in my denim skirt I had worn home from the hotel yesterday and my blue bra. I pulled my baseball t-shirt out of Edward's drawer and slipped it on, tying it at my waist.

I went downstairs and found Esme sitting in the kitchen at the table, eating a small plate of fruit salad. "Oh, good morning, sweetheart." She said, standing up to pull me into a hug.

"Good morning, Esme." I said, sitting beside her. "Where is everybody?" The house seemed so quiet.

"Well, Carlisle and the boys are golfing, and Patti took Alice out shopping this morning. They just left actually." She said, as she served me a plate of fruit.

"Nice quiet morning, alone?" I asked.

"I prefer the noise, actually." She giggled. "So, how was dinner with your dad?"

"Eventful." I laughed. "I don't know if he told you or not, but he and Heidi are getting married."

"He talked to Carlisle about it, actually." Esme said, taking my hand and holding onto it. "Your dad was really quite nervous to tell you."

I nodded, and felt the tears back in my eyes, again. "I'm really happy for him." I told her, wiping my eyes.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Esme asked, rubbing my back.

"I had a nightmare last night that Edward was with another girl." I told her. "Edward thinks I'm scared of being abandoned by my dad."

Esme nodded her head. "Can I tell you what I think?" She asked, and I nodded. "I think when you have everything you could ever want, sometimes you get scared of losing it. You're happy for your dad, you're newly engaged, and everything is working out for you. So, it's only natural that you would have fears."

"Yeah." I agreed, smiling at her. "That makes sense. Thank you, Esme. You are so amazing." I told her.

"Well, I try." She giggled. "Bella, sweetheart. This summer has been incredible so far. I have gained a daughter. And, I'm not just saying that because I can see how happy you make my oldest son. You are a beautiful person, and I have gotten to know you for who you are. And I really love you. You are a part of this family, Bella."

I pulled her into a tight hug and she kissed my cheek. "I love you, Esme." I told her. She always seemed to know what to say to make me feel better.

"So, how was Edward this morning?" I asked her. "I'm worried that I kept him up too late."

Esme giggled. "Well, I can tell you that he looked pretty happy for a boy heading out to play a game he hates, without much sleep." I blushed and giggled with her.

"I'm sorry about last night." I told her. "That was pretty embarrassing."

"Oh, don't apologize." She said. "When the moment strikes you, you have to do what you have to do."

I started laughing at that, and she smiled at me. "I know but Carlisle's parents were right there." I said, covering my eyes with my hand.

"Oh, don't worry about them. They're a little stuffy. They could use some loosening up." She giggled.

"Do you get along with them?" I asked her.

"I do, for the most part." She said. "The only real problem I have with them is that they tend to be overacheivers. And therefore, they push the boys. Now, I'm all for the boys being successful and getting involved, but I want them to do what they want in life. Especially with Edward, Stewart has always pushed the medical field. He did the same thing with Carlisle. And I don't want him to do that with my boys."

"You raised Edward well." I told her. "He knows what he wants. He wants to be a pharmacist. He talked to me about it, and he told me that he wanted to be home for me and our family."

Esme smiled. "He's such a good boy." She said. "I'm so proud of him."

"He's amazing." I agreed. "I can't wait to marry him."

"That was a pretty incredible proposal he planned, wasn't it?" She asked, smiling.

"It was the most romantic thing I could have imagined." I told her. "I was worried about Alice, though. She looked a little scared."

"She was okay. She just gets upset when people cry." Esme explained. "But, after you explained to her that you were going to be her sister, we couldn't get her to stop bouncing around for the rest of the day. She still has those roses in her room." I smiled just thinking of Alice, and how much I loved her.

Esme and I finished our breakfast, and then decided to start cooking for the barbeque. First, we made a marinade and made about fifty skewers of chicken and vegetables. As we cooked, I asked her about Carlisle's proposal.

Esme smiled. "Well, I have to tell you about how we met first." She said. "Carlisle went to college in Chicago, which was how we met. I studied art history in college." She told me. "I had no idea what I really wanted to do in my life, but I knew that I loved art."

"I didn't know that." I told her. "That is amazing."

"Yeah, it was a great program, and I loved my classes." She added. "But, anyway, I met Carlisle in the parking lot at the college. I had an old car, and I couldn't get it to start." She giggled, at the memory. "So this absolutely gorgeous man walks up to me and asks if he can help. I got out of the car and popped open the hood, asking him if he knew anything about cars."

"That is so cute." I giggled, as we started chopping up cabbage for homemade coleslaw.

"Just wait. It get's cuter." She giggled. "Carlisle just laughed, and admitted that he knew nothing about cars, but had already called a mechanic for me." I started laughing just trying to picture it. "Anyway, he sat with me on the curb while we waited. We hit it off right away, and long story short, we started dating.

"So, a year later, Carlisle tells me to dress up, because he's taking me out for a fancy dinner. And, I'm absolutely sure he's going to propose to me. So, we eat dinner, and nothing. No proposal. I was absolutely crushed, Bella." She said. "But I tried my hardest to keep a happy face on, as we got back in the car. Instead of driving me back to my parent's place, he drives back to the campus. Now it's late, and the campus is pretty much deserted. He parked the car in the exact place my car had been parked the day we met."

"Oh, my god, Esme." I said. "That is so sweet."

She laughed. "I know. So we get out, and he brings me over to sit on the curb, the very spot where I had first learned his name, and he pulled a ring box out of his coat pocket. He told me that he loved me and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life showing me how much."

Esme and I were both crying as she told me the story. She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. "We were in a parking lot, Bella." She laughed. "But it was the most romantic moment of my life. And the rest is history. Carlisle has been the best husband a woman could ever ask for, and an even more incredible father. And, sweetheart, I know that Edward is going to follow in his father's footsteps. I have never seen Edward happier than he is when he's with you. You two are going to have a beautiful life together."

I pulled Esme in a tight hug, and she patted my back. "Thank you so much for sharing that with me." I told her. "Your marriage with Carlisle is exactly what I want for Edward and I."

"And I think it's what your dad wants for himself and Heidi, as well." She added, smiling at me.

"They make a beautiful couple, don't they?" I asked, leaning against the counter.

"They do, Bella." She said. "And don't ever forget that you are a part of that family. You are a Swan first, and no matter what changes, your dad loves you more than anything."

I loved Esme so much. She was always there for me, and I was sure that I was going to have the best mother-in-law ever, because she was already one of my best friends.


	374. Food and Family

**A/N - We hit 7000 reviews! I'm so blown away! Thank you so much! I was unable to reply to reviews, yesterday: error message...another quirk in the system perhaps? Also, it seems that I have a anonymous heckler. The story is what it is...an angst free tale of love and family. It is not an action thriller. This far into the story, things will not change. But, I can't tell you all how much appreciate all your beautiful and supportive reviews...writers are people, too! So, on that note, have a great weekend, and enjoy!**

Chapter 374 - Food and Family

Esme and I kept cooking. We made potato salad, two different kinds of pasta salad and black bean and corn salad. There was so much food but, I guessed there were going to be a lot of people.

Just before ten, I got a text message from Edward. 'Baby, we are only on the ninth hole. This is torture. Are you wearing an apron? I love you, sexy girl.' I giggled as I read it.

I typed him back quickly. 'I'm wearing my baseball t-shirt and my denim skirt. Hurry up and get home, so you can help me take it off. I love you, too, my hot fiancé.'

"Is that from Edward?" Esme asked, stirring a bowl of chip dip.

I smiled. "It is. He said that they are only on the ninth hole, and that it's torture."

Esme laughed. "My poor kids." She said. "But, I'm glad they're spending time with their pop."

"Will you tell me about the rest of the family?" I asked her.

"Of course." She said, smiling. "I'm so excited to see my brothers and sister. And I know that the boys are excited to see their Uncle Liam, my baby brother. He's always been a fun guy. He likes to tease and joke, and I have never seen him mad. Never." She giggled.

"Yeah, Edward has told me so much about him." I said. "And you have two older brothers?" I asked.

"Yeah, Henry and Collin. They're both still in Chicago. They're both married to great ladies and between them we've got three nephews in college, around yours and Edward's age, and three nieces in high school, Jasper and Em's age." She said.

"The boys are great kids, and Edward likes them. The girls are at that age where they're really hung up on looks and friends, so I hope they get along with Rose and Maria." She laughed. "I was just talking to Collin a couple of weeks ago and he was telling me how lucky I was to have boys."

"Aw, it's probably just a phase." I said.

She laughed. "Who knows." She said. "But, my Alice is a little fashionista, so we'll have to deal with that when the time comes, I'm sure."

"No. Alice is an angel. She'll be a good girl." I reassured Esme. "And you must be excited to see your big sister."

"Oh, I'm so excited." Esme said. "Renata lives on a ranch with this big burly cowboy. He's a sweet guy." She laughed. "But, it's funny to me, because growing up, she hated to get dirty, she always talked about living in the city and working in a tall office tower, and now she's a stay-at-home mom with two little twin girls, younger than Alice, and helping out on the ranch."

"I'll bet Alice is excited." I said, covering our bowls with plastic wrap.

"Oh, she is. She was talking to the girls on the phone last night, and she was bragging about you." Esme said. "You're going to be surrounded by little girls. Carlisle's sisters all have little girls. Sasha has one ten year old, Irina has two daughters, eight and four, and Katrina has a two year old and a brand new nine month old baby girl."

"Wow." I laughed. "That's a lot of kids."

I was actually really excited to see Edward with his baby cousin. He was so good with kids and it was actually one of my favourite things about him. He was so calm and patient with babies. I couldn't wait.

"It is a lot of kids." She laughed. "We'll have a houseful for sure. And Carlisle's sisters are such sweeties. Sash is a single mom. She had her daughter with a boyfriend, and things didn't work out, but she's doing great. She's works in a salon in Spokane, and she have a great little apartment. We're really proud of her."

"Irina is a bank teller in Coeur d'Alene, and her husband is in the computer field." Esme continued. "Don't ask me the details. I'm not really into technology." She laughed.

"No kidding. I had my laptop for a year and didn't know I had a web cam until Edward told me at the end of May." I told her.

"That's so sweet." Esme giggled.

"I know." I said, smiling. "I just love that boy." I admitted, before biting my lip.

Esme came over and gave me a tight hug. "You're such a sweet girl." She said, kissing my cheek.

"Okay, sorry." I laughed. "I interrupted you."

"Oh, don't worry about it." She said, taking my hand and pulling me over to the kitchen table. "And Katrina was a receptionist, but she's quit now. With the two babies, she has decided to stay home." Esme said. "And her husband is a radiologist. She actually met him at the hospital were pop worked." Esme reached over and squeezed my hand. "And, that, dear Bella, is the family in a nutshell."

I laughed. "All I can say is wow." I said. "I'm a little overwhelmed."

She laughed. "Oh, sweetheart. Don't worry about it. Just have fun." Esme said, smiling. "You're a part of this crazy family now, too, so don't you dare feel out of place. You have just as much right to be here as anyone else."

Esme was speaking to me so sincerely. And, she was right. I did feel like a part of this family. The Cullens had always made me feel that way, right from the day Edward had brought me to this house on the first day of summer vacation.

"That means a lot to me, Esme." I told her. "All I have in this world for family is my mom and dad. That's it. No aunts, uncles, cousins or grandparents. And this engagement besides giving me the greatest man in the world, had brought me so much more."

"Bella, sweetheart, we're lucky to have you." She said.

I heard the front door open and Esme and I got up to see who it was. Patti and Alice were back, and their arms were full of bags. They must have had ten each. Now that was a shopping spree.

"Hi, mommy. Hi, Bella." Alice said, smiling from ear to ear. I crouched down and gave her and hug.

"You're quite the shopper, aren't you?" I asked Alice.

"Yep." She giggled.

Patti passed me her bags. "These are all Alice's as well. Will you be a dear and take them up to her room for her?" She asked me, heading to the stairs. "I'm quite tired, and I was hoping to take a short nap before Stewart and the boys get home."

"Oh, of course." I said told her. I wondered if Patti was upset with me over the little incident last night, when Edward and I were making out as we walked into the house.

Esme reached for the bags in Alice's hands. "Bella, I can do this." She said, shaking her head. I could see that while Patti was a nice woman, she had a bit of a privileged side to her as well, and it was clear that Esme didn't like it.

"I don't mind helping." I said, smiling at her, reassuringly. "Alice is going to show me all her new clothes, right?" I said, looking down at Alice.

"Yay." She said, running up the stairs.

"Thank you for this morning, Esme." I told her, kissing her cheek.

"I loved every minute of it, sweetheart." She said, smiling. "Thank you for your help with the cooking."

I followed Alice up to her room and she had dumped out all of her bags on her bed. She showed me her new outfits, dresses, skirts, shoes, chattering the whole time. I started hanging them up in her closet and folding some things for her dresser, and when I turned around, noticing that the room had gone quiet, I smiled. She had fallen asleep on her bed.

I turned out her light and closed her door. She had a busy morning. I was halfway down the stairs, when the front door opened and the boys all piled in the house, Edward with a orange tiger lily in his hand. Edward looked up the stairs, and when he saw me, his face lit up. He ran up the stairs, and wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face in my neck.

"God, I missed you." He chuckled. "Now I believe there was something I was supposed to do when I got home?" He asked, passing me the flower, taking my hand and leading me up to his room. He closed and locked the door, turning to smile at me. "Oh, yes. I believe I was supposed to help you take these clothes off."

I laughed, setting the flower on the desk, and then rubbing my hands over his shoulders. "How was the game, baby?" I asked, as he traced his fingers over my stomach.

"I lost. Badly." He laughed, pulling off my t-shirt. "Mm. The blue bra." He said, snuggling his face into my cleavage, making me laugh.

"I missed you, baby." I said, pulling him over to his bed.

"I missed you, too." He said, running his fingers through my hair. I felt whole again with him here. I laid my head on his bicep and closed my eyes, just enjoying Edward's smell, warmth and touch.


	375. Reconnecting

**A/N - Okay, so review reply wasn't working again yesterday, but I think it's fixed today! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 375 - Reconnecting

I was so glad that Edward was home from golfing. I was even happier that we had a couple of minutes to enjoy each other's company, and reconnect before the family got here.

"How are you feeling, today?" Edward asked, gently brushing my hair, off of my face.

"Really good." I told him. "Your mom and I had a great time together this morning. You wouldn't believe how much cooking we did."

He smiled. "I'm glad one of us had fun." He leaned in to kiss my lips. "Mm, I missed you." He whispered, bringing his hands to the zipper on my skirt and pulling it down. I lifted my hips and helped Edward take off my skirt.

Edward propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at me. He brought his hand to my stomach and slowly twirled his finger around on my skin. He smiled. "What?" I asked, smiling up at his gorgeous face.

"I can't believe you're going to be my wife." He said, smiling at me.

"I can't wait to be your wife." I whispered.

I sat up a little so I could take off my bra. Edward laughed at how forward I was acting, but it didn't take him long to follow my lead and pull his shirt off. I pushed his shoulders back and crawled over him, so I was straddling his hips.

"Do you want to take these shorts off?" I asked him, as we started to move together.

"No." He groaned. "I was going to change anyway, so I don't care. Just don't stop."

I giggled, and he smiled, holding onto my hips. I closed my eyes, setting my hands on top of Edward's. "Baby, look at me." Edward breathed. I forced my eyes to open, and I looked into Edward's beautiful eyes. "I love you." He said, as I fell forward onto his chest.

Edward always made me feel incredible, but it didn't seem that Edward was finished, just yet. He rolled us over, and kept moving, gently kissing and licking my chest.

"Edward." I screamed, before biting my lip. Edward dropped his head down on my chest, and started chuckling. I ran my fingers through his hair and gave it a light tug. "Stop laughing at me." I scolded.

Edward grabbed my hands and looked up at my face. "I'm not laughing at you." He said, chuckling. "I just love that I can get that reaction out of you."

"So, you're gloating?" I asked, trying to be stern, but I ended up giggling.

"Maybe." He said, inching up to lay beside me. "Come here." He said, pulling me into his arms. Edward leaned in and placed a few light kisses on my lips. "I love you so much, angel. You are so beautiful."

"I love you, too, baby." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "Now that you got that out of your system, do you want to tell me about your morning?"

Edward laughed. "I got what out of my system? That you turn me on? Never going to happen, sexy." He said, reaching down to squeeze my bum cheek, making me laugh. "But the morning went okay. It was nice to spend time with my brothers and dad."

"And pop?" I asked, scratching his back.

"Yeah, he was a bit of an asshole on the drive up." Edward said, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. He smiled at me, before kissing my lips, again. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Well, I don't want you to get upset." He said.

"Edward, I love you, and I'm here for you, always. I want you to talk about things if they bother you. It helps, babe." I reassured him.

"Okay." Edward sighed, letting out a deep breath. "So, you'll need a little back story here. My Aunty Sasha, which is my dad's little sister, had a daughter ten years ago, with a guy she wasn't married to."

"Yeah, your mom told me that." I said.

"Oh, okay, good." He said, smiling at me. "Anyway, it's pretty clear he doesn't like the idea of casual sex, or even sex before marriage."

"So, he was upset about last night? When we came into the house making out?" I asked, biting my bottom lip nervously.

Edward reached up and lightly tugged my lip out from between my teeth. "Don't bite your lip. That's my job." He teased, winking at me.

"And, you don't change the subject." I told him.

"Yeah, he just said that Cullen men are gentlemen and that we're not the kind of men that leave women in the situation that Sasha is dealing with." Edward said. "As if to imply I'm using you for sex."

"But, we're not even having sex. Well, not yet, anyway." I defended. "Did you tell him that?"

Edward chuckled. "No, Bella. He doesn't need to know anything. It's none of his business." He said. "God, but poor Jasper." He chuckled. "It's no wonder he's so damn shy."

I could tell that Edward was upset because he was swearing. He very rarely swore. It didn't bother me at all, but it was something that I had noticed over the last few months.

I didn't want Edward's grandparents to have a poor opinion of mine and Edward's relationship, but it was very clear that they were quite opinionated, and set in their ways. That was fine with me. I knew that Edward and I were in love, and our relationship was moving at pace that both he and I were comfortable with. People could think what they wanted, but Edward and I made the decisions that were right for us.

"Did what he said upset you?" I asked, hoping to give Edward the opportunity to talk about his feelings with me.

"Um, yes and no." Edward said, lightly rubbing his hand up and down on my bum cheek. "Yes, it bothers me that he thinks I would ever leave you. I mean, we're engaged. And, you and me talked about that. If something happened that we ended up pregnant, we would have the baby and start our family early." Edward explained. "But, no, because I know that he has these opinions, and I was expecting it."

"Did that lecture upset the rest of the morning, though?" I asked. I hoped that they were able to salvage their time together.

"Actually, no." Edward chuckled. "Emmett cracked some jokes, and had everyone laughing. The morning went well, I just really hate golf." He said, before leaning in to kiss my neck.

"Well, I'm glad you had a good time, for the most part, anyway." I told him.

"I did." Edward said, sitting up. I sat with him, and kissed his lips. "And, baby, please don't worry about pop, okay? Our life together is ours, and I would never do anything to hurt you."

"Oh, I know you wouldn't, Edward." I said. "And I love you for worrying about me, but I'm fine." I stood up off of the bed. "Now, maybe we should get dressed." I giggled. "We've got Cullens and Masens descending on the house anytime now."

Edward got up, and pulled me into a hug. "Okay, if we must." He chucked. "I'm just going to have a quick shower."

"Alright." I told him. "I'll pack your bag. You're staying with me for a few days, remember?" I said, slapping his bum.

"As if I'd forget." He said, winking. "Okay, gorgeous. I'll be right out, unless you want to join me?"

I laughed. "I would love to, but, I'll have to take a rain check." I told him.

"Fine." He sighed, smiling at me, before he closed the bathroom door.

I went to his drawers and grabbed five t-shirts, two polos, two pairs of jeans and three pairs of shorts. I pulled out a few pairs of boxers, some boxer briefs, and added them to his stack on the bed. Guys were so easy to pack for.

I decided to wear the other new dress that Edward bought me in Port Angeles yesterday. It was the black tube dress, with the purple and white paisley pattern. It was strapless, and I loved that, because it encouraged Edward to kiss my shoulders and neck.

I heard the bathroom door open and I smiled when Edward walked out in a towel, his hair still damp, but styled. "Edward Cullen. You are drop dead gorgeous." I said, walking over to him and wrapping my arms around his hips.

Edward chuckled, and leaned down to kiss my lips, setting his hands on my hips. "Well, thank you." He said, before leaning down to kiss and lick on the top of my right shoulder. "And you look incredible in this dress."

I smiled because I was in Edward's arms, he was kissing me like I knew he would and I felt so loved.


	376. Liam

**A/N - Thank you all again for reading! I'm not feeling that great, so if I'm a little slow on review replies, that's why. Thanks, again. Enjoy!**

Chapter 376 - Liam

There was a knock on Edward's bedroom door. "Edward, get some clothes on. Nanny, Grandpa and Uncle Liam are here." Emmett yelled. He sounded so excited, and it made me smile. I loved that Cullens valued their time with the family.

Edward started laughing hysterically. "How did he know I wasn't dressed?"

I giggled, pulling his towel off. "Now, you're not dressed." I said.

"Bella Swan, soon to be Cullen." Edward scolded, before winking at me.

"I love that." I whispered, reaching up to run my fingers over his bare chest, tracing his skin, and moving lower and lower, making Edward hum. I brought my hands around his body to his bum and gave it a two handed squeeze. "And I really, really love your bum." I told him, giggling.

"Oh, I know you do." He laughed, leaning in to kiss my lips. "And my bum loves your hands."

I slapped his bum, and he bit my bottom lip, making we squeak in surprise. "Edward." I pouted, batting my eyelashes at him.

"Aw, baby." He said, putting his hands on my bum and pulling me close to his body. "Did that hurt?"

"No." I said. "You just surprised me. And I kind of wanted a hug." I admitted.

"Well, you can have more hugs once I'm dressed. What should I wear, sexy?" He asked, leaning in for one more kiss.

"A tight black t-shirt, so I can see your body." I told him, walking to his closet to get out his duffle bag.

"Yes, ma'am." He chuckled, walking to his drawer and pulling on a thin black t-shirt. I put all his clothes in the duffle bag, while Edward pulled on some white boxer briefs and tan shorts.

"Okay, handsome." I said. "You're all packed and ready to go."

"Thank you, baby. I love you." He said. "I'm just going to toss my bag into Jasper's room."

"Okay, I'm just going to use the bathroom." I told him. "I'm a little nervous."

"I understand." He said, kissing my lips. "But, you're doing great, Bella. And I can guarantee that Uncle Liam will love you."

"So, you won't let go of my hand?" I asked.

"I promise. Unless you're being hugged." Edward laughed. "And this family, especially my mom's side, are huggers." I smiled up at his face. He always gave me the reassurance that need.

"Okay. Go drop off your bag and I'll be right out." I said, spanking his bum and making him laugh.

I went in the bathroom and washed my face, fixing myself up a bit after mine and Edward's little reunion in bed. I brushed my hair out and put on some lip gloss, before going out to join Edward in his room.

"You look beautiful, angel." Edward said, leaning down to kiss me.

"Thank you." I said, as we walked out into the hallway. I pulled Edward's hand so he would lean down and I could whisper in his ear. "And I'm not wearing a bra under this dress, either."

Edward's eyes widened and I giggled as his eyes travelled from my eyes to my chest and then back again. "God, Bella." He said, as we walked down the stairs. "You have to tease me, don't you?"

I laughed. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize for that." He said. "I love it. But, now I can't wait to get into your room tonight and slowly take this dress off." He looked over at me and winked, and I smiled up at his face. That was exactly what I needed to make me feel more relaxed.

I could hear laughter in the kitchen, so Edward and I, hand in hand, walked into the kitchen. It was so crowded. Everyone was down here, Carlisle, Esme, grams, pop, nanny, grandpa and who I assumed was Uncle Liam, holding Alice, and standing with Emmett and Jasper.

"Kids." I looked over and saw nanny. She ran over and pulled us both into a tight hug. "I missed you two, so much." She said, pulling back from us.

"I missed you, too, nanny." Edward said, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.

She reached up and patted Edward's cheek. "So I here we're getting Bella as a granddaughter, officially." Nanny said, looking over at me.

I smiled. "We've been engaged for two days." I told her, as she picked up my hand and looked at my ring. "It was an amazing proposal."

"I'm so happy for you two." She said, hugging us again, and making Edward laugh.

"Okay, Elizabeth. Give the old man a turn." I started laughing, as grandpa walked over to us, and pulled us into a hug. "Congratulations, kids. I love you, both." He said, kissing my cheek, and then Edward's.

"Thank you, grandpa." Edward and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed. We were already thinking alike. I thought it was cute.

I looked up and grams and pop were watching us from the kitchen table. They were smiling at us, and I took that as a sign that maybe we could get past the tension that seemed to have been building between us.

"Edward, get the hell over here and introduce me this gorgeous girl on your arm." Liam said, in a loud voice.

"Uncle Liam." Alice scolded, making Esme laugh.

"Sorry, pumpkin." Liam said to Alice. "Get the heck over here?" He asked, shaking his head. "That doesn't sound like me. Sorry, Alice, my dear. You're just going to have to ignore me, and never repeat what I say. Deal?"

"Deal." She said, giggling, as Liam set her down and she ran to sit on Carlisle's lap.

Edward and I walked over to Liam. He was actually a really great looking man, which wasn't surprising looking at the rest of the family. This family had great genes. There was no denying that.

Liam looked to be in his late thirties. He was about as tall as Edward, maybe about an inch shorter. He had blue eyes and dark brown hair that was combed back. He had the start of a beard and laugh lines around his eyes. He was wearing a white, cotton, button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, khaki cargo pants and black flip flops.

"Uncle Liam. This is my beautiful fiancé, Bella Swan. Baby, this is the famous Liam Masen that you've heard so much about." Edward said, smiling widely. I loved seeing my boy so happy. It was clear how much Edward loved his uncle.

"All bad, I hope." Liam said, winking at me. I giggled and blushed as he took my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it. "Nice to meet you, Bella. But, I swear, I know so much about you. You are Eduardo's favourite topic."

"It's so nice to meet you, too." I said. "Can I ask about the Eduardo?"

Edward and Liam looked at each and laughed. "Liam had spent a few weeks in Brazil, like six or seven years ago, and when he came back, he brought me a soccer ball, and all these team Brazil t-shirts and stuff." Edward started.

Liam laughed, before taking over the story. "And Edward thought it was really cool. Like so cool, he started calling it football, like they do in Brazil and he was watching all the games." Liam said, laughing. "He fancied himself quite the football player. And he had a little group of fan girls in the park." Emmett and Jasper were laughing, and it was nice to see all the boys having so much with the family.

Edward's cheeks were a little red, and I smiled up at him. "Fan girls, huh?" I asked, happy to have heard a new story about Edward.

"Baby, I was twelve." Edward laughed, squeezing my hand.

"And quite the little heartthrob." Liam laughed. "So, I starting calling him Eduardo."

"That is so cute." I said. "I can't wait to get more of these stories out of you."

"Oh, I have quite a few of these little nuggets." Liam laughed. "And I can't wait to share them all." He said, wrapping his arm around Edward's shoulder. "Or should I save some of these embarrassing stories for the wedding reception?"

Edward, still holding my hand, pulled Liam into a tight hug. "I missed you." Edward said, with such feeling, it brought tears to my eyes.

"I missed you, too, buddy." Liam said, patting Edward's back. "And I'm so damn proud of you."


	377. Love and Support

**A/N - Still sick, so I'm just going to extend a giant thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing! You are all amazing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 377 - Love and Support

After getting a hug from Liam, in which he lifted me off of the ground and spun me around, we headed out to the backyard for lunch. Liam and Edward were talking and Jasper walked up beside me.

"Hi, Bella." He said.

"Hey, Jasper. Is Maria coming over this afternoon?" I asked him.

"Yeah, um, they're have a family lunch or something first and her and Rose will be over is couple hours." He said.

"Is she excited to meet the family?" I asked him.

He chuckled. "Yeah, she does really great around people." He said, shaking his head. "I wish I had that quality, even a little bit." I was so touched that Jasper was opening up to me. It was these kind of moments that made me feel a part of the family.

"I know, Jasper." I agreed. "But, your personality is a part of what makes you who you are. And you are an incredible guy. I consider myself extremely lucky to have you as a part of my life." I told him, touching his arm. "You feel okay around the family?"

"Um, most of them." He said. "I just don't like being put on the spot."

"Yeah, that always sucks." I laughed, and he laughed with me. We all sat down at one of the picnic tables. Liam, Edward, me and Jasper on one side and Emmett, Alice, Nanny and Grandpa on the other side of us. Esme, Carlisle, Grams and Pop sat at the picnic table beside us.

We all passed around all the salads, and chicken kabobs. There was a lot of food, and I was so happy that I had a chance to help Esme this morning.

"So, Liam. Did you just get in from another assignment?" Esme asked her brother.

"Yeah, Morocco." He said, excitedly. "It was amazing. I toured the north coast and then crossed over to southern Spain for a week. I just got back three days ago and went straight to Chicago to stay with mom and dad. I haven't even been back to my place in New York."

"What was the story on this time?" Carlisle asked him.

Liam laughed. "Nightclubs." He said.

"Seriously, I have to get a job like that." Emmett laughed.

"And your girlfriend wouldn't like that." Edward told him.

"Yeah, you're right." Emmett said, laughing. "Wait until you meet her Uncle Liam." I giggled at how in love Emmett looked in that moment.

"You said she was a dancer?" Liam asked, before taking a bite of his potato salad.

"A ballerina." Emmett said proudly. "She's insanely talented."

"That's very cool." Liam said. "I've dated dancers, but not ballerinas." He said, winking. I shook my head, as I laughed. I was pretty sure that he meant exotic dancers. "All my boys were bachelors, and now you're all dating, and Edward's engaged. What's a single guy like me going to do in Forks for a week?"

"Well, all the smart guys are staying with Bella at her house." Emmett said. "She's a great cook."

I laughed. "We have an available couch if you're interested." I offered, making Liam laugh. "It's not much, but it's right in front of the TV."

"I would love that, Bella. Thank you." Liam said. "I have slept on far worse than a couch."

Edward leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Thank you, baby." He said, lightly biting my earlobe. I giggled, and set my hand on Edward's thigh, giving it a little squeeze.

I was glad that I could make Edward so happy by inviting his uncle to stay with us. I didn't have a lot to offer, but it seemed to me that being close to family was what the Cullens valued the most in life.

After we ate, Liam, Alice, the boys and I all went to sit out in the grass together. "So, I brought souvenirs from my latest trip." Liam said, as Alice crawled onto his lap. I was surprised at how comfortable Alice was around him, considering he seemed to be travelling so much.

"Did you buy me something?" Alice asked him.

"Of course I bought you something." Liam said, kissing the top of her head. "I'm the cool uncle, remember?"

"The coolest." She giggled.

"I have a whole suitcase full of presents." He said. "You want to go get it?"

"Jasper, will you help me?" Alice asked her brother. Jasper got up and took Alice's hand.

"It's the black suitcase by the front door." Liam called after them, as they went into the house.

Liam leaned back with his arms behind him, and stretched out his legs. Edward sat with his legs crossed, and I sat beside him. "So you're sure you're okay with me staying at the house, Bella?" Liam asked me.

"Oh, absolutely." I told him. "My dad is staying at his girlfriend's place." Edward reached over and squeezed my hand. I appreciated his never ending support.

I looked up at the house, and I saw Jasper and Alice walking back out the door, with the suitcase, followed by my dad and Heidi, each holding a big plate of food. I smiled when I saw them.

I leaned into Edward. "I'm just going to go talk to my dad." I whispered, getting up. I hadn't had a chance to talk about my concerns alone with him, since dinner the night before.

"I'll be right here, angel." Edward said, smiling at me. "I love you."

I smiled back at him, and blew him a kiss, as I walked over to my dad. I heard Edward, Liam and Emmett laughing, so I knew they were teasing Edward.

"Hey, Bella." Heidi said, smiling at me. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." I told her. "Edward bought me this dress yesterday." I turned to my dad, and after he set his plate of brownies on the table, he turned and gave me a hug. "Can I talk to you for a minute, daddy?" I asked him.

"Of course, Bells." He said, following me into the house. We sat at the kitchen table, and my dad actually looked a little nervous. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah." I told him. "I just wanted to talk about your wedding."

"Bells, I'm sorry we just kind of sprung it on you last night." My dad said, reaching over to squeeze my hand.

"No, dad." I told him. "It's alright, really. And I'm so happy for you guys. You are perfect for each other, and I love you both. What I really wanted to talk to you about, was just that I want to make sure we still spent time together. You know, just the two of us."

"Oh, of course, kiddo." He said, leaning in to give me a hug. "The time that we spend together means so much to me." My dad said, reaching up to wipe a stray tear from my eye. "I just got you back, Bells. And I treasure every minute I have with you."

"I love you, dad." I said, hugging him, again.

"I love you, too, Bella." He said, getting up. "So you're sure you're okay with it?"

"I'm you're biggest supporter." I told him, honestly. "I can't wait to help you plan it. I have so many ideas."

My dad laughed. "I think you've been hanging around Esme too long." He said, patting my shoulder. "But, go nuts. You and Heidi can sit down and make it something great." That idea sounded amazing, actually, and I thought it would be a great bonding experience for Heidi and I.

"I can't wait, dad." I said. "Will you tell Edward I'm just upstairs, fixing myself up?" I asked, as I gave him another hug. He agreed, and went back outside. I smiled, happy that I was able to talk to my dad about my concerns. I knew everything would be alright.

I ran up to Edward's bathroom, because this was a happy family reunion, and I didn't want anyone to worry about me if they saw me with teary eyes. I used the bathroom, and then splashed my face with water.

I heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Baby. It's Edward. Are you okay?" I couldn't help the huge smile that spread across my face. He was absolutely perfect. I opened the door, and he pulled me into his arms, giving me a tight hug. "How did it go?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my cheek and neck.

I giggled. "It went perfectly." I felt so happy and really, how could I not? I was surrounded by nothing but love and support.


	378. More Masens

**A/N - Thank you all so much for the get well wishes. Give me a couple more days, and I think I'll be back to normal. I love hearing what you think of the chapters. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 378 - More Masens

Edward sat on his bed and pulled me onto his lap, wrapping me tightly in his arms. "I love you so much." He said, kissing my bare chest and shoulders. "So, did you tell your dad that you wanted to still have father daughter time?"

"Yeah, and he said how important that was to him, too." I told Edward, lightly rubbing his back. "I'm happy that I talked to him. Somehow, everything just feels better, now."

"I knew it would go okay, babe." Edward said, laying backwards on the bed, making me fall on top of him. He laughed. "Because you just so darn lovable."

"Mm. So, are you." I said, turning so I was straddling his legs.

"Uncle Liam loves you." Edward said, as I his kissed his chest over his shirt.

"I like him, too." I said in between kisses. "So he won't mind staying on the couch?"

"He was going to be staying on the couch here, so that doesn't matter, but I'm so glad he's staying at your place with us. You are so amazing." Edward said, putting his hands on my bum, and shuffling me a little higher to his hips, making us both groan.

"Baby, don't start that, now." I whispered, sitting back up. "Tonight, okay?"

Edward was looking up at me, and he looked so hot, it was literally killing me to be the strong one, but someone had to be. His hands were on my sides, and he was lightly rubbing his thumbs over my dress. I put my hands over his and slid them up to my chest, closing my eyes, at how good it felt when he touched me.

"Bella, what do you want?" He asked, and I knew that I was giving him mixed messages, telling him no, but moving his hands to touch me.

"I don't know." I breathed, as he gently moved his hands. "We have to stop."

Edward sat up and wrapped his strong arms around me. I giggled into his chest and he laughed. "We really are bunnies, huh?" Edward whispered in my ear, before licking it.

"Uh huh." I said. I looked up at his face and scrunched up my nose, trying to make it move like a bunny nose.

Edward burst out laughing. "You're crazy, my sweet girl." He chuckled, before kissing the end of nose. "And I love it. Should we go back downstairs?"

"We'd better, because if we stay up hear any longer, I can't be held responsible for what I do." I told him, rubbing his shoulder.

Edward laughed, as he stood us up, and set me down.

"Come on, beautiful." Edward said, taking my hand, and leading us back downstairs.

We got back outside and I saw two guys around our age, sitting with Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Liam.

"Who are they?" I asked Edward, as we walked out the back door.

Edward smiled. "Those are my Uncle Henry's sons, Riley and Samuel. From Chicago." He told me. "They're great guys, but watch for Riley, he's a bit of a flirt, like your buddy Alec." Edward teased, squeezing my hand.

I giggled. I knew it drove Edward absolutely crazy when guys flirted with me, even if they weren't serious. Jealousy was the only thing we had ever really fought over, but we had come a long way, as we learned to talk about what was bothering us. I was proud of Edward for being able to joke about it, now. I knew it still upset him a little, but we'd keep working on it, and I would always encourage him to talk to me, when I knew something was bothering him.

"You're the only man I want, baby." I reassured him, letting go of his hand, reaching behind him, and squeezing his bum cheek.

Edward looked down at me and winked. "My frisky little bunny." He whispered, before kissing my lips.

"Hey, Eddie." One of Edward's cousins called out. "Are you going to introduce us to the pretty lady attached to your lips?"

"They are always like that." Emmett laughed.

"Yeah, yeah." Edward chuckled, sitting down on the grass. I sat on his lap and he wrapped his arms around my waist. "Boys, this is my beautiful fiancé, Bella Swan. Bella, these are my cousins, Riley and Samuel."

"Sam." Samuel corrected. "It's nice to meet you, Bella."

"You guys, too." I said, smiling. They both looked like nice guys. You could tell they were brothers. Both had sandy blonde hair, and their faces looked a lot alike, but Sam's hair was gelled up in a faux hawk, and Riley's was a little longer. "So, who's older?" I asked.

"I am." Riley said. "I'm twenty one and Sammy just turned nineteen."

"So, you're finished your Junior year at college?" I asked Riley.

"Yeah. One more year." He laughed. "We both go to the University of Illinois in Chicago. I'm studying Urban Planning."

"Very cool." I said, and Riley winked at me. Edward picked up my left hand and flashed Riley my engagement ring, making everyone laugh.

"Point made, Eddie." Riley chuckled. I reached down with my right hand, and lightly caressed the outside of Edward's thigh, just to give him a little reassurance.

"What about you, Sam?" I asked. "What are you studying?"

"I'm taking my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design." He said. He looked down a little after he said it, and I could see that his personality was a bit like Jasper's.

"Ah, a computer genius." I said, making Sam chuckle. "That is such an admirable skill. I'm fairly clueless about computers, unless it's e-mail."

"Well, send me an e-mail if you ever need any help." Sam offered. I seriously loved the Masen family. They were all so sweet, and friendly.

"Thank you so much." I told him.

"Okay, we're all introduced?" Uncle Liam asked, taking a drink of his beer. "Who wants presents?"

"Me." Alice yelled out. She was sitting on Emmett's lap, now. We all laughed at her. She was absolutely adorable, and so very spoiled.

"Okay." Liam said, unzipping his suitcase. "For little Alice." He said, pulling out a long thin box. She opened it excitedly, and pulled out a folding fan. It was a beautiful burgundy color, with hand painted roses on it.

"Thank you, Uncle Liam." She said, excitedly, fanning herself. She turned and started fanning Emmett in the face, making him laugh. "I love it."

Next he pulled out five tubes about eighteen inches long, and passed them out to each of the boys. Edward opened his in front of me, and pulled out a poster. When he unrolled it, we both gasped. It was a gorgeous poster of a matador, but it looked like a print of a painting.

"This is amazing." Edward said. "Thank you so much."

"This will look great in our living room." I said. "What do you think, baby?"

Edward kissed my neck. "Absolutely." He agreed.

"And for the beautiful Bella." Liam said, smiling and passing me a small flat box.

"Liam. You didn't have to get me anything." I said. I was honestly surprised that he thought to get me something, considering that he had only met me for the first time today.

"Bella, Bella." Liam said, shaking his head. "Us Masen men like to spoil the ladies." Edward dropped his head onto my shoulder and started laughing. "Isn't that right, Edward?"

"That's right." Edward agreed, kissing my cheek.

I opened the box, and pulled out a gorgeous red and gold silk scarf. "Oh, Liam. This is absolutely beautiful." I said, running the soft fabric through my fingers. "I love it. Thank you so much."

I got up off of Edward's lap and Liam stood up. I gave him a huge hug, and he lightly patted my back. "Welcome to the family, sweetheart." He said. "Consider it my rent for your couch."

I laughed. "You know you don't need to pay me rent. But, I will have you washing dishes." I teased.

"She drives a hard bargain." Liam laughed, as I sat back down on Edward's lap.

Edward wrapped his arms around my stomach and kissed my cheek. He whispered in my ear, making me smile. "She's worth it."


	379. Catching Up

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and for your reveiws and get well messages! I'm getting there! Enjoy!**

Chapter 379 - Catching Up

Riley and Sam got up get something to eat, and Jasper was showing us his poster from Liam. His had lots of blues and blacks, and it was really pretty. "Are you just going to tack it up, or do you want to frame it?" I asked him.

"Um, I don't know." He laughed.

"I think it would look nice in a plain black frame." I told him. "I can do it for you if you want." I told him.

"Okay, thanks." He said, smiling. Emmett and Jasper went to take their posters up to their rooms. Jasper took Edward's poster, and my scarf for us, too. Alice got up, and hopped over to get some dessert.

"So, you guys aren't living together, yet?" Liam asked Edward and I.

"Well, we have the apartment in Seattle which is officially ours in exactly one week." Edward said, excitely. "But for now, we're having sleepovers."

Liam laughed at that, and shook his head. "You guys are pretty damn cute together, you know that?" He said.

I looked over my shoulder at Edward's smiling face, before turning back to Liam. "We know." I said, before giggling.

"So, tell us about Morocco." Edward said.

"It. Is. Amazing." Liam said, smiling. "Just beautiful. Culture, beaches, palaces, gardens, shopping. It's just fantastic. The pastries were to die for. I spent some time in Tetouan. It had a decent nightclub scene. But, it so incredibly romantic at night time. It's cities like that that make me wish I had a relationship like yours. It is definitely a place for lovers."

"So, Liam. You're a great looking guy." I started, before Liam cut me off.

"Why, thank you. You're very easy on the eyes yourself." He said, winking at me. Edward and I both laughed at his flirting.

"What I was trying to say, was that you seem like a great catch. Why don't you have anyone to take with you on your trips around the world?" I finished.

"Um, I don't know. I've met a lot of great girls in my life, but they all seem to have their own lives, or careers. No one has been willing to leave their lives behind to just travel and see the world with me." He explained. "And I've dated girls in New York, where I live, but I'm not home enough, and it's not fair to them to make them wait for me." He sighed. "I think I'm just destined to be a bachelor, that's all."

"I don't believe that." I told him, honestly. "I think there is someone out there for everyone. You'll find her, Liam. Or maybe she'll find you."

Liam chuckled, and looked at Edward. "She's a romantic, huh?" He asked.

"She is." Edward said.

I laughed. "Actually, I think he is more of a romantic than I am." I told Liam. "You should have seen the proposal."

He chuckled. "Maybe we'll watch it this week. I hear Em taped it."

"We haven't even seen it." I told him.

"Is it going to make me cry?" Liam asked. "Because I don't want anyone to see me cry."

I laughed. "Well, we both cried." I warned. "So, I can't guarantee that you won't."

He laughed. "I'm happy for you kids." He said, as I got up. "I'll be back. I'm just going to get a refill." He said, holding up his empty bottle.

So, Edward and I were left alone on the lawn. "Well, beautiful." Edward said. "What do you think so far?"

"You have a beautiful family, Edward." I told him. "They are all great guys."

"Yeah." He agreed, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"Want some company?" I looked up and saw Heidi my dad. "We brought brownies." She said, giggling.

"Of course." I said, smiling, as my dad and Heidi sat beside us. "Mm. Chocolate." I said, as I took a brownie. I took a bite, then turned and brought it to Edward's lips. I laughed as he ate the rest of the brownie out of my hand.

"I'm just going to get something to drink." Edward said, holding my hips and slipping out from under me. "Do you want anything, babe?"

"Maybe, coke?" I said.

"I'll be right back." He said, winking at me.

"So, are you having fun?" My dad asked.

"I am." I told him. "The family is great."

"So, I hear you have plans for the wedding?" Heidi asked me, smiling excitedly.

"I do." I told her. "I was thinking a police theme would be cute. Do you like it?" I asked biting my lip.

My dad laughed, and Heidi smiled. "I love it." She agreed. "I can't wait to start planning all the little details with you." I was really happy that they wanted me to be so involved. It meant a lot to me.

I looked up and smiled when I saw Edward. He was holding a little baby in one arm, and had a tiny little girl on his other hip. She had a chubby face and blonde hair in pigtails. But the best part was that Edward was just glowing.

He came and crouched down beside me, setting the little girl on her feet. She was wearing a yellow sundress and had little tiny sandals on her feet. She was absolutely adorable. "This little cutie is Casey." He said, as the little girl walked over to me, and sat down on my lap. "And this little beauty is my new baby cousin, Beau."

"Hi, Casey." I said, rubbing her cheek with the back of my finger. "My name is Bella."

"Hi, Bell." She said, smiling up at me.

Heidi reached over and held her little hand. "Hi sweetheart. What a pretty dress you have on."

"I hungee." She said, frowning, and making Edward laugh.

"I can take her." Heidi offered.

"Her mom is the blonde one by my dad." Edward said. "Katrina."

"Okay, come on you." Heidi said, lifting her up, and carrying her over to Edward's aunt.

I looked over at Edward and smiled at the way he was cradling his baby cousin. Little Beau was smiling up at Edward. "Can you believe she can crawl already?" Edward asked, sitting her on his knee, and bouncing her lightly.

She was too cute. She had on a short pink dress and little pink shorts with ruffles on them over her diaper. And, she had blonde hair like her sister, with a little pink bow on the top of her head. But, I swear, Edward was cuter. He looked so happy.

"Yeah, babies don't stay helpless for long." My dad added, making me smile.

"Bella." I heard Alice call. "My cousin Andrea is here." I looked up and saw a beautiful blonde girl, about ten years old being drug over to us, by a bouncing Alice. She looked fairly shy. She had on purple shorts and white t-shirt with purple sleeves.

They came over and sat beside us. "Hi, Andrea." Edward said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Are you having a good summer break so far?"

"Yeah." She said, smiling. "I go to day camp at the YMCA when mom has to work." She told Edward. "We go swimming and play basketball and go for walks. And sometimes, I stay with Aunty Katrina, and help with Casey and Beau." She said, reaching out, hold baby Beau's hand.

"I bet the girls love having you over." Edward said, smiling at her. "Andrea. I want you to meet someone really important to me." He said, reaching over to take my hand. "This is Bella. She's my fiancé."

Andrea looked over at me and smiled. "Hi Bella." She said. "Can I come to your wedding?" She asked, smiling.

"Hi, Andrea. It's so nice to meet you. And of course you can come to our wedding." I told her.

"I'm going to be in the wedding, right, Bella?" Alice asked me. Edward chuckled, and I smiled.

"Yes, princess." Edward told her, before turning to me. "I forgot to get our drinks. You want to hold the baby?" He asked me, lifting Beau up setting her on my lap. I looked up at him, a little panicky. "I'll be gone for two minutes." He whispered.

I smiled, as I sat the little girl on my lap. She looked up at me and smiled, grabbing a hold of my fingers, and laughed. I looked up and Edward was watching me with a smile on his face.


	380. Baby Girls

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I'm feeling way better! I happen to be enjoying this reunion a little too much, and I'm going crazy with details. But who can blame me...Edward Cullen + a baby just might be the cutest thing on the planet! On that note, enjoy!**

Chapter 380 - Baby Girls

I sat in the grass and little Beau bounced up and down on my leg. She was a happy baby, and I couldn't help but laugh at her.

"Beau is always happy." Andrea told me, smiling.

"She seems like it, doesn't she?" I agreed, as the baby started giggling. "So what grade are you going into this September?" I asked Andrea.

"Grade five." She said smiling. "I really like school. I have lots of friends at my school." She told me.

"Andrea, look." Alice said, jumping up. "Maggie and Grace are here." Andrea got up, and both girls ran over to their cousins.

I smiled. There were two little blonde girls in the same green and white checkered dresses. They both had their hair cut in chin length bobs, but the little one had bangs. They were about eight and four, so I figured they were Carlisle's sister, Irina's little girls.

So I was left with my dad and a baby girl. "Edward has a huge family." I sighed, laughing, making my dad chuckle.

"It's your family now, too, kiddo." He said, smiling at me, as I moved Beau to my other knee.

"It is." I laughed, bouncing the little girl. "But at least they all seem really nice. Edward's uncle, Liam, brought me a scarf from Spain." I told my dad. "It's beautiful."

"Well, I'm glad that you're fitting in." He said, smiling at me. "This is a great family. And I notice Edward is trying to get you used to holding babies." My dad laughed.

I laughed. "He is, isn't he?" I said, patting the girl's back.

"Well, it's clear that he's a family man." My dad mused. "I'm so glad that you've found someone that loves you so much, Bells. You deserve that kind of love."

"Thank you, dad." I said, smiling. "I love you."

"I love you, too, kiddo." He said, getting up, as Edward walked back over to me. My dad leaned over and kissed the top of my head. "Have fun."

I laughed, as Edward walked back over to me, and sat down in front of me with two cans of coke in his hands. "Hey, handsome." I said. "My dad seems to think you're trying to get me used to holding babies. Do you think there's anything to that theory?" I teased.

Edward chuckled. "Maybe." He said, leaning forward to kiss my lips. "I just can't get over how pretty you are when you're holding a baby."

"Well, I think you're just plain hot when you're holding a baby." I admitted, giggling. "Here, take her." I said, lifting up little Beau and passing her back to Edward.

Edward took her and stood her up in front of us. He held her up and she bounced and giggled. "She likes to dance." Edward said, smiling at his cousin.

"She's a Cullen, alright." I laughed. "So, all the Cullen's are here now, we're just waiting for, um, I know this. Your Aunt Renata, and her twin girls, and your Uncle Collin and his son and three daughters."

"You're good, babe." Edward said, smiling at me. "I love you."

I smiled back at him. "I love you, too."

"Hey, Edward." I looked up and saw a gorgeous, blonde woman. She was wearing black Capri pants and a bright green beaded tunic, and her hair was up in a ponytail. "I've got to feed her, okay?"

"Yeah, of course." He said, standing up and passing her Beau. "Aunty Katrina, this is my fiancé, Bella."

"Oh, it is so nice to meet you." She said, smiling at me, before leaning in to give me a one armed hug. "Congratulations, you guys." I instantly love Katrina. She had a really high and excited voice, and seemed genuinely sweet.

"Thank you." I said. "It's nice to meet you, too." Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind.

"Thanks for letting us borrow Beau." Edward chuckled.

"Well, after I feed her, you can borrow her again. Casey is cranky. I think it's from being on the road for so long." Katrina said, shaking her head, laughing.

"Do you want me to try and cheer her up?" Edward asked.

"Um, I actually think she needs a nap." She said. "Do you think you could lay her down for me?"

"I would love to." Edward said, before leaning over to kiss his aunt on the cheek. "I'll put her in Alice's bed upstairs."

"Okay, thank you sweetheart." Katrina said, walking into the house with the baby.

"You want to help me? Casey seemed to like you." Edward asked me.

"Of course I do." I told him. "Plus you're not supposed to be leaving my side." I said, reaching up to take his hand.

"I know. I'm sorry, but you were with your dad." Edward laughed.

"Good point." I told him, smiling as he kissed the back of my hand. We walked over to Emmett who was holding a crying Casey.

"Here, buddy. Let me take her." Edward said to his brother. "Someone needs a nap." Emmett looked relieved, and I laughed at him. "What's wrong, baby girl?" Edward asked, as we walked towards the house. Casey just dropped her head on Edward's shoulder and whimpered a little bit.

Edward gently rubbed her back as we walked up the stairs to Alice's room. He started humming quietly to her, and I smiled. Edward was going to be an amazing daddy. We walked into Alice's room and Alice, Andrea, Maggie and Grace were all sitting on the floor playing Barbies.

"Hi girls." I said. "Alice. Do you think it would be okay if Casey had a nap in your princess bed? She's really tired and a little bit sad from not being at home, and your room is happy and bright, and I think that will make her feel better."

"Okay." Alice agreed. "But will you do our hair, later?" I loved how she was bartering with me.

"Of course I will." I told her. "And Casey will be up to play in couple of hours, too."

"Alright. Come on guys." Alice said, holding about six dolls under her arms. I smiled as all the little girls grabbed some dolls and carried them out of the door. They were all so sweet.

"Thank you, Bella." Edward said, smiling. "You're amazing."

"I do what I can." I giggled, pulling back the covers.

Edward laid Casey down, taking her little sandals off of her feet. He picked up her little foot and wiggled her toes. "Look at these little toes." Edward said, before tickling her tummy. "How can a little girl with toes this cute have little tears in her eyes?"

Casey giggled, reaching up to rub her eyes. I got up and got a warm, wet, face cloth from Alice's bathroom, and came back out to wipe her tear streaked face. She squirmed a little, but settled when Edward pulled the blanket up to her chin.

"Do you want a story or a song?" Edward asked Casey.

"Song." She said, as her eyes struggled to stay open.

"Okay." Edward said, crouching down beside the bed. He started singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider to her, and I started singing with him. By the time we finished the song, Casey was fast asleep, which was pretty impressive considering there were only four lines to the song.

Edward and I stood up and walked to the door. Edward turned out the light and closed the door. He pulled me into his arms and kissed his lips. "You are so incredible. You know that?" Edward said, pulling me back towards the stairs.

"Well, I was just thinking the same thing about you, gorgeous." I said, squeezing his hand. "You are just perfect." Edward smiled at me. "I think we're going to be good parents one day, babe." I told him.

"Oh, I know we are." He agreed, as we walked into the family room. Katrina was sitting on the couch with a blanket thrown over her shoulder.

"Did Casey go down easily?" She asked, rubbing Beau's back.

"Oh, yeah. I think she's just exhausted." Edward said. "She's in the first room on the right."

"Okay. Thank you both." Katrina said, smiling.

"Anytime." I told her. And I meant it. Earlier in the summer, I had been terrified of babies, but with more practice and Edward's support, I was starting to realize that babies weren't so scary after all.


	381. That's Everyone

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! It is still Sunday, July 25, 2010 in this story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 381 - That's Everyone

Edward and I walked back outside, and saw Esme hugging a big group of people. "Uncle Collin, Aunt Emmie, and my cousins Kevin, Jane, Rebecca and Connie." Edward whispered in my ear.

Kevin walked over to Edward. "Hey, man." He said, shaking Edward's hand. "Good to see you." He was about Edward's height with black hair and brown eyes. He had a goatee, which was kind of cute, because it was obvious that he was trying to look older than he was.

"Yeah, you, too." Edward said. "Kevin, this is my fiancé, Bella. Babe, this is my baby cousin, Kev." Edward teased.

Kevin laughed. "By one month, Edward. One month."

"It's nice to meet you, Kevin." I said, reaching out my hand. "So, you're from Chicago?"

He shook my hand, before putting his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. "I am. Just finished my first year of college."

"It's a great experience, isn't it?" I said.

"Yeah, but I'm lucky. I have Riley and Sam at the same college, so it wasn't too bad of an adjustment." Kevin said. "So you guys met at UW?"

"We did." Edward said, smiling. "You got a girl, yet?"

Kevin smiled. "I do, actually." He said, proudly. "Met her in my math class. She's a pretty blonde with cute plastic framed glasses. She's really smart."

"Why didn't you bring her?" Edward asked.

"Ah, it's a bit early for that, yet." Kevin laughed.

"So, you haven't introduced her to anyone?" Edward asked.

"Oh, well, Riley and Sam met her at school, and mom and dad, but that's it." Kevin said. "She's amazing, and if things keep going like they are, you'll meet her by Christmas."

"Sounds good, buddy." Edward said, giving him a hug. "Go get something to eat, man. My mom and Bella cooked all morning." Kevin went over to the picnic tables, and grabbed a plate.

"I like him." I said to Edward. "He seems really nice."

"He's a great guy. We're the same age and we've always just gotten along really well." Edward said. "And I'm glad he has Riley and Sam, too. He's got three sisters and he still lives at home."

I laughed. "The girls can't be that bad, right?" I asked, and Edward just laughed, taking my hand and leading me over to the girls.

"Hi girls." Edward said, smiling. "This is Bella. Bella, these are my cousins, Jane, Becky and Connie."

The girls all had long dark hair, and the oldest two had a ton of eye makeup on. They were all wearing little shorts and tank tops.

"It's nice to meet you." I said, smiling. It didn't escape my notice that they looked me up and down, before they smiled back at me, and said hi.

"Where are my hugs?" Edward asked, raising his eyebrow, and making me smile. They rolled their eyes before coming over to Edward, one by one. They didn't hug him, they just stood there, as he hugged each one of them. I was trying not to laugh, but it looked hilarious. I felt bad for Kevin, and right away, I understood why he hadn't introduced his new girlfriend to his sisters.

Edward introduced me to his aunt and uncle and they were both really friendly. He just finished his introductions when the backdoor opened and two twin girls with red hair came running into the backyard. They both had blue jeans and little white t-shirts on. They got even cuter when they got closer because they had freckles all over their noses.

But what surprised me, was who came out the door, next. First, was a woman, that looked almost exactly like Esme, is a floral sun dress. She had to be Esme's sister, Renata. But behind her, was a huge man. And I mean huge. He had to be close to seven feet tall, and had wide shoulders. He would have been intimidating, except for the fact that he was laughing loudly. He was wearing jeans and a denim shirt, with a black vest over top.

"That is my Aunty Renata and Uncle Demitri. He immigrated here from Hungary with his family about twenty years ago and runs a ranch in Wyoming. He looks scary, but he is seriously the nicest guy you'll ever meet." Edward whispered in my ear. "My little cousins are Luca and Olga, both traditional Hungarian names."

"They are just priceless." I said, smiling as I watched the little girls, who ran straight to Alice and the girls and started playing dolls.

"So, this is everyone." Edward said. "The whole family is here."

I wrapped my arms around Edward and pulled him close to me. "They are amazing, baby." I said. "I'm so happy that I'm here, and that I can be a part of this."

"I wouldn't want you to be anywhere else." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips.

"Okay, Edward. Let me meet her." I turned and smiled as Renata came up to us, with her arm wrapped around Esme. "Hey, Bella. I'm Edward's aunt, Renata. And I've heard so many amazing things about you."

"Aw, thank you so much." I said, smiling at Edward's pink cheeks. "It's so nice to meet you, too." I smiled when she pulled me into a tight hug, kissing my cheek. She was so much like Esme.

She hugged Edward next, and he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Congratulations, sweetheart. We love you so much." She said.

"Thank you." Edward said, smiling.

"Hey, Edward." I looked up and Demitri was walking over to us. It was hilarious to see Edward looking up to someone. "Congratulations." He said, shaking Edward's hand, and patting his shoulder.

Demitri was instantly likable, and he seemed like a big kid, even though he looked to be about fifty years old, a little grey in his black hair. "Thank you, man." Edward said, smiling. "This is Bella."

I smiled way up at him, and reached out to shake his hand. My hand was literally dwarfed by his. "Lovely to meet you, mezem." He said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. "Such a sweet girl, Edward."

"She's amazing." Edward said, making me smile.

"Bella, Bella." I turned and saw Alice before she grabbed my hand. "All my cousins are here. Do you want to do our hair now?"

"Of course." I told her. "It was so nice to meet you both." I said to Renata and Demetri.

Edward grabbed my other hand, as Alice pulled me over to the other girls who were sitting in the grass. "Baby, you can go hang out with your cousins, if you want." I told him. "I'm okay with the girls."

Edward leaning in to kiss my cheek. "Are you sure, because I promised not to let you go?" He asked, squeezing my hand.

"I'm sure. Everyone is amazing, and I feel really comfortable." I told him honestly. "Go. You rarely get to see them."

"Okay." He said, kissing my lips. "I love you, baby." He said, before jogging over to the boys who were all sitting at the picnic table. He sat down between Sam and Jasper, and was laughing immediately. I smiled as I watched him.

"Okay, Bella." Alice said. "These are my cousins, Andrea, Olga, Luca, Maggie and little Gracie. Guys, this is my best friend, Bella."

"Hi, girls." I said. "It's so nice to meet you all. Do you have a trick for telling the twins apart?"

"Luca has way more freckles." Alice said laughing. "Right Luca?"

"Right." Little Luca agreed, smiling at me. When I looked at the girls up close, Olga's little button nose was turned up a little bit. The girls were all so sweet, and I instantly loved them.

"Okay, should I start with the oldest or the youngest?" I asked the girls, and Andrea told me to start with the youngest. "Okay, Gracie. That's you." I said, and she came over and gave me a hug. I sat her down in the grass and knelt behind her. She had a little bob, so I gave her a zigzag part and put her hair in pigtails. She was only four, so she looked adorable.

"Can I help?" Andrea asked me, as Luca and Olga plopped down in front of me.

"Of course." I said. So, I taught Andrea how to French braid, and we each did one of the twins' hair. She did a really good job, and she looked really proud of herself. I gave her a hug, and she was absolutely glowing.

I did Alice's hair and Andrea braided Maggie's hair. Maggie giggled the whole time, saying it tickled. That just made Alice laugh, and pretty soon we were all laughing. I gave Andrea a bun, and then all the girls decided to play with my hair. Andrea braided it, and all the little girls snapped barrettes in it. I'm sure I looked crazy, but the girls had fun, and that was all that mattered.


	382. Entourage

**A/N - Ah, Sunday...and no Wimbledon tennis today! What will I do with my free time? Fan Fiction! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 382 - Entourage

Esme, Renata, Irina and Sasha all came over with cameras, and snapped pictures of all of us girls with our new hairstyles. Esme introduced me to Carlisle's sisters, Irina and Sasha, as I hadn't met them yet. They were both really nice, which wasn't surprising, considering Carlisle and Katrina were amazing people.

The rest of the afternoon went well, Carlisle and my dad barbequed hamburgers for dinner, and it seemed that food, family and fun summed up the day. I sat with Edward, his cousins and Uncle Liam, and we all exchanged college stories. It was a great afternoon, and I felt like I fit right in.

Rose and Maria stopped in around dinner time, and Liam teased them a little, making Rose blush, and Maria laugh. They only stayed for a couple hours, but said they'd come hang out with us they next day.

My dad and Heidi left at around seven, and the boys and I decided to go back to my place and get them settled in. "Hey, it's okay if you don't want us, but do you think Riley, Sam and I could come hang out for a while?" Kevin asked Edward and I as we headed to the backdoor.

"Of course you can." I told him, making Edward smile.

I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder, and turned to see Emmett, and I laughed. "I was hoping I could talk you into making that really good snack mix, big sis." He said, winking at me. He knew that playing the sister card would work on me.

I tapped my cheek, and Emmett planted a huge wet kiss on my face, making me laugh, as I wiped off my face. "Okay, but I'll have to stop at the store on the way home." I told him.

"Love you." He said, running into the house.

Edward laughed. "You don't have to do everything they ask you, you know?" He whispered in my ear, before lightly sucking on my earlobe.

"I know. But, I like to spoil people. I can't help it." I said, as we walked into the house. I went up to Edward's room to grab my purse and my tiger lily off of his dresser that he brought me after his golf game. It was a little wilty, but if I pressed it when we got home, it should be okay.

I met all the Cullen boys in front of Jasper's room and they all had their bags over their shoulders. "Do the boys have rental cars or are they driving with us?" I asked Edward.

"Liam has a car and he's taking the guys." Edward said. "They're going to follow us."

We all went downstairs, and after hugs from nanny, grandpa, Alice and the odd cousin or aunt that happened to be in the family room, we headed outside. The guys all threw their bags into the back of Emmett's truck. Esme came outside to kiss all the boys on the cheek, and Carlisle walked up to Edward and pulled out his wallet. He passed Edward about two hundred dollars. "That should keep them fed for tonight." Carlisle laughed.

"Thanks, dad." Edward said. "Yeah, Em is already putting in requests."

Carlisle gave me hug. "Don't be afraid to kick then all out if you can't handle them." He said, making me laugh.

"I would never." I giggled, as Edward kissed my cheek.

"Edward, either." Carlisle teased, making Edward laugh. "We'll see you kids tomorrow. Have a good night."

"Thank you, Carlisle." I said, before Edward took my hand and led me over to the car. He opened my door for me and leaned in to kiss my lips, making me smile. We were getting closer and closer to bed time, and that meant I was getting closer to being nearly naked with Edward on my bed in my room.

Emmett and Liam both honked, making Edward laugh. He waved at the guys before going around to the driver's side and starting the car.

"Are we going to be in for a week of teasing?" I asked him, turning in my seat, so I could reach over and rub his thigh.

Edward smiling, bringing his hand down to cover my hand on his leg. "We might be." Edward laughed. "But I don't care. They can tease all they want. I have you and that's all that matters."

"Aw, baby." I said, smiling. "Can I confess what I was just thinking when you were kissing me?"

Edward smiled, and glanced over at me. "I would love to hear what goes on in that beautiful mind of yours."

I smiled, giving his thigh a squeeze. "I was thinking that the day is almost done and we'll be in bed soon. Alone."

"Mm, I love when you have sexy thoughts about us." Edward hummed. "We'll have to scoot the kids to bed quickly."

I laughed. "I like the way you think." I said, as Edward pulled up in front of the grocery store. I sat and looked in the mirror in the visor and took all the clips out that the girls had put in my hair. I undid the braid and shook my hair out. I left everything in all afternoon, because the girls all seemed so proud, and I didn't want to hurt their feelings. But I had to say, it felt so good to have my hair back down.

"God, baby, you look so beautiful." Edward said. "I can't tell you how much I want to bury my hands in your hair and just smother you with kisses."

My cheeks flushed and I leaned over to press a kiss to his lips. "I love you, Edward." I said, smiling at him. I put my palm on his cheek, and leaned in for another kiss.

He smiled at me, and then winked. "I love you, too." He said.

We got out of the car and met all the guys in front of the store. "Okay, I'm getting the ingredients for the chocolate Chex Mix, and some stuff for breakfast. Any other requests?" I asked.

"Bacon." Emmett said, making us laugh.

I looked at Emmett and I knew what he was going to say next. "Gummy bears." We both said at the same time, laughing. "And Twinkies for Jasper. Boys?" I asked Edward's cousin and uncle.

Liam starting laughing hysterically. "Oh, she is going to be a great teacher." He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and making me smile. "And I like fuzzy peaches." He added, kissing my cheek.

Edward laughed, as Riley requested black liquorice, Sam, red liquorice and Kevin called jelly beans.

"Okay, I'm going to send you guys to get the sugar, and Edward and I will get the rest." I told them. Edward got us a cart and we stocked up on cereal, peanut butter, pancake mix, chocolate chips, blueberries, bananas, orange juice, milk, eggs and bacon.

I was hoping we wouldn't need to shop too much this week, and that this would keep the boys fed for a few days at least. I had only planned to have Edward, Emmett and Jasper over, but we had picked up four more boys in our entourage.

I didn't mind in the least, though. I loved that the boys were getting to spend so much time with their family from across the country. Not having any extended family of my own, I really appreciated the closeness of this family.

On our way to the checkout, the guys all walked up and dropped their snacks into the cart. I hoped Carlisle gave us enough money. It took the girl at the check out a while to ring through our order, but I had to laugh at how the guys took all the bags, and carried them all out to the car. I could get used to this treatment, I thought.

"Are you sure it's okay with you, having all the guys over?" Edward asked me as we drove home.

"I'm sure, baby. I promise." I told him, squeezing my hand. "I'm actually really excited." I said. "I've been looking forward to having you guys over." Edward smiled at my admission.

We got to the house and all the guys piled out. They dropped their bags at the front door and all ended up flopped in front of the TV. I giggled. At least they seemed easily entertained. Jasper and Edward helped me carry in the groceries. I started the Chex mix while Edward and Jasper put away the groceries.

Jasper seemed to want to stay close to Edward and I. It was easy to forget that he was only fifteen years old, in a room full of college guys. I didn't mind in the least. I enjoyed Jasper's company.

"Jasper, do you want to get me three big bowls from the cupboard to the right of the sink?" I asked him. I wanted him to feel included, and give him an excuse to stay in the kitchen with us. Jasper got me the bowls and I passed him a big spoon, and he and I loaded up the bowls with Chex mix.

When we were finished, I pulled Jasper in a hug. "Thank you, Jasper." I said. "And if you need anything, just tell me. Make yourself at home, okay?" I whispered.

Jasper smiled at me. "Thanks, Bella." He said, taking two bowls and heading into the living room with the boys.

Edward walked over to me and pulled me close to his body, leaning down to whisper in my ear. "You are absolutely amazing."


	383. Time for Bed

**A/N - Thanks, again, for reading! And, your amazing reviews keep me motivated! I love them! Enjoy!**

Chapter 383 - Time for Bed

After a few more delicious kisses from Edward in the kitchen, the last one having left me pressed up against the fridge, we decided to join the boys in the living room.

I grabbed the last bowl of chocolate Chex mix and Edward took my hand, leading me out to the living room. I smiled when I saw all the guys pigging out on their snacks.

Emmett, Jasper and Liam were on the couch, and Riley, Sam and Kevin were all sitting on the floor.

"Thanks, Bella." Emmett said with his mouth full, making me laugh.

"Guys, let me get you some sleeping bags to sit on." I said, passing Edward the bowl of snack mix, and going to the closet by the front door. I stepped over the boys' bags and pulled out mine and my dad's sleeping bags.

I walked back into the living room and Kevin and Sam jumped up to take the sleeping bags from me. "Sorry that one is pink." I laughed.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Bella." Kevin laughed. "We're confident in our sexuality." He said, making all the guys laugh.

They spread out the sleeping bags and laid down on their stomachs. "Come here, baby." Edward said from the recliner. I smiled at him and went over to curl up on his lap.

"Okay, guys. I figured Bella's movie collection was made up of chick flicks, so I brought over some scary movies." Emmett said, going over to his duffle bag.

"Scary." I whined. Edward wrapped his arms around me tighter, kissing my cheek.

"I'll protect you, baby." He whispered in my ear.

"Liam, can I have the blanket behind you?" I asked, making him laugh.

"It's a hundred degrees in here." Liam laughed, passing me the blanket.

I covered myself up to my chin. "Well, I need some kind of protection barrier between me and the TV." I said, making the guys laugh.

Emmett put in some kind of horror movie, and turned out all the lights. The guys would yell out 'oh's, and 'that hurt's, as the movie went on. I wouldn't know what they were talking about. After ten minutes, my face was snuggled into Edward's chest and he was softly stroking my hair. I was hoping that I would have fallen asleep, but I couldn't, so I still heard all the screaming.

An hour into the movie, I slipped my hands under Edward's t-shirt and started scratching his sides. He kissed the top of my head, then leaned his head down to whisper to me. "Don't start that, baby." He laughed under his breath. "Not, yet."

I giggled and snuggled into his neck. I pressed a couple of kisses to his skin, before I started sucking on his neck. Edward groaned, but then coughed, trying to cover it up. He probably didn't fool anyone, but it didn't matter to me right now. I really wanted my boy, and I had a feeling, I was going to have to wait until they watched another movie.

And, like I predicted, Emmett put in another movie. "I'll be back in a minute." I whispered to Edward, and he nodded at me.

I got up and snuck upstairs. I hated scary movies. I went in the bathroom and locked the door, stripping out of my dress and underwear, and getting in the shower. I figured with this many guys here, I might as well take my turn when I could get it.

I washed my hair and body, before getting out. I brushed my teeth, French braided my wet hair, and slipped my dress back on just to get to my room. I pulled on a pair of sweat pants, a sports bra, and a black tank top. I went into the closet and found some extra pillows and blankets, and headed back downstairs.

Edward was asleep in the recliner. And Kevin and Sam were sleeping on the floor. I took some blankets and covered them up. I didn't think they were going to stay the night, but I didn't mind if they did.

"Emmett and Jasper." I whispered. "My dad's room is to the right when you go upstairs. The bathroom is the middle door." I passed Liam a pillow and blanket. "And Riley, I'll get Edward out of the recliner. You can sleep there, okay?"

All the boys seemed exhausted, but happy with the sleeping arrangements. I pressed a kiss to Edward's lips, and he opened his eyes, looking around, before smiling at me. I smiled, loving that he responded to my lips, even in his sleep.

"Come on, baby. Time for bed." I whispered, taking his hand. Edward got up and Riley patted his shoulder, before sitting in the recliner.

"Night, man." Riley laughed.

Edward just chuckled. "Goodnight, guys." I pulled his hand, and he followed me up the stairs. We got to the hallway and he leaned down to kiss my lips. "Mm. You smell so good. Did you have a shower? How long was I asleep?" He chuckled.

"Maybe a half hour." I said. "Hurry, and get ready for bed. I need you." I said, biting my lip. I reached down and squeezed his bum, before turning and running to my room. Edward laughed, before going into the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on, and I smiled. He was smart to shower now, because with all the guys in the house, I was sure there was going to be a line up in the morning. I flopped down on my bed, still dressed and waited for Edward.

I heard Emmett and Jasper and come up the stairs. "Goodnight, guys." I called out.

Emmett peaked in my room. "Um, is Edward in the shower?" He asked.

"Yeah." I told him.

"Okay, then he won't mind if I take a pee." Emmett laughed. I started laughing, and covered my face. I heard Edward call out my name when the door opened, and then I could hear them both laugh before Emmett closed the door.

I loved Edward's relationship with his brothers. They were so close. It was really sweet and I felt so lucky to be a part of this family now. I shut my eyes and waited for Edward to come in. Five minutes later I heard my door close. I opened my eyes and smiled when I saw Edward standing a the end of the bed in a towel.

"Mm." I hummed. "Hi, sexy boy."

Edward smiled at me. "I thought maybe you were sleeping." He said, walking over to the side of the bed.

"How could I sleep without you?" I asked, reaching out and tugging the bottom of the towel, until it fell off of him.

Edward smirked at me before crawling onto the bed and straddling me. "I love it when you're this confident." He said, setting his hands on my stomach, and slowly moving them up to lightly cup my breasts, making me smile. "Why are you wearing a bra to bed?"

"Because there are six guys in the house besides you, and you're the only one that gets to see me without a bra." I told him, and he looked a little embarrassed for asking. "But feel free to take it off of me, now." I told him reaching up to trace my fingertips over his lips. That got his smile back.

He parted his lips and sucked two of my fingers into his mouth. I had no idea why that was such a turn on to me, but it was, and my eyes closed, as I breathed out. "You liked that, baby?" Edward asked, pulling my tank top up and over my head.

"Yeah." I said, opening my eyes, again, as he traced his fingers over my now bare stomach.

"Okay, how do I get this bra off?" He chuckled, reaching behind me. "There are no clasps." I laughed, leaning up to kiss his lips.

"It's a sports bra, Edward." I said. "Just pull it off."

He laughed. "Baby. I'm a guy, remember. I don't know these things until you tell me."

"Sorry." I said, kissing him, again. "Do you forgive me?"

"What?" He laughed. "I can't forgive you, because I wasn't mad at you." He reached to my sides and gently pulled my bra up and I lifted my arms to help him pull it off. "Now, that's more like it." He said, moving his hands over my chest.

I reached my hands up to the sides of Edward's face, and brought his lips down to my chest. I moaned and ran my fingers through his hair. "Baby, that feels so good." I whispered. Edward moved his hands down my body to my hips, then my thighs.

I brought my knees up on either sides of his hips and he started moving with me. "I've been waiting for this all afternoon." Edward whispered in my ear, before tracing my outer ear with his tongue.

"Baby, I love how you feel." I breathed, holding onto his back. I slid my hands down and held onto his bum cheeks, making him groan. "I love you."

Edward stilled, and rolled off of me. "God, I love you, baby." He said, reaching over to pull off my sweatpants. I kicked them off the rest of the way, we slipped under the covers and Edward pulled me to his chest. It was an incredible end to an incredible day.


	384. Good Morning, Beautiful

**A/N - It's actually a new day the world of Summer Vacation: Monday, July 26, 2010! Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 384 - Good Morning, Beautiful

I woke up to the feeling of Edward's lips on my bare shoulder, and his hand on my bum. I smiled and hummed, before I opened my eyes. The room was still a little dark, so it must have been just after dawn. The house was quiet, so everyone still must have been sleeping. I didn't blame them. All the guys had long flights yesterday, and all the Cullen boys were up early for golf the morning before.

"Good morning, beautiful." Edward said, looking up at my eyes. We were both on our sides facing each other. I loved laying like this because it gave me chance to actually look at Edward's face up close. He was so tall, that I didn't have this luxury until we were laying down.

"Good morning, Edward. I didn't say you could stop." I giggled. Edward chuckled with me, pressing a quick kiss to my lips, before spanking my bum and making me gasp.

"Maybe I want to kiss you somewhere else." Edward said, smirking a little, and making me blush. "Now, don't get me wrong. Your shoulders are so beautiful." He said, bringing his fingertips up to trace where his lips had been only minutes before. "Your skin is so soft, like a rose petal. And lucky for me, this skin is all over your body."

I bit my lip. Edward always said the sweetest things to me. He reached up and pulled the blanket down to my waist. My body was instantly covered in goosebumps, making Edward smile. "Looks like I'm going to have to warm you up." He whispered, sliding his warm hand up from my bum, to the middle of my back. He brought his face to my chest and started a randomly kissing, licking and sucking everywhere.

I was passed breathing hard. I was panting now. The things this boy could do with his lips were amazing. I was also starting to sweat. Edward had definitely succeeded in warming me up.

Edward put his hands on my shoulders and gently rolled me onto my back. He started kissing my belly button, and then surprised me as he began moving lower, placing kisses over my underwear. I don't know why, but it seemed like such a sexy thing for him to do. He had never done that before, but I definitely liked it.

I was humming, and Edward lifted his head to smile up at me. "Shh, baby." He chuckled.

"Sorry." I breathed. "But I really liked that." I figured it was good for me to be honest with him. We were learning about each other, so I thought I would help encourage Edward.

He smiled, proudly. "I'm happy to hear that." He said, grabbing the waistband of my panties. "But, can I take these off?"

"Okay." I agreed, lifting my hips to help him pull them down.

Edward threw my blanket right off my bed, before tugging my panties off of my feet. We were both naked together in my bed, and I was so incredibly turned on by the idea of it. Usually, one of us had something on.

Edward smiled at me before picking up my right foot. He started kissing my ankle and then quickly worked his way up my leg. I let out a deep breath, trying so hard to be quiet, but it was nearly impossible. I reached over to grab a pillow, and covered my face with it, hoping to muffle my whimpering.

Edward was caressing the outside of my thigh, making the moment both sexy and sweet. It fit Edward to a tee. He was so perfect, and I didn't think I could be more in love with this man that I was marrying.

After I didn't think I could take anymore, Edward placed one more kiss to my body, before sitting back. I threw the pillow off of the bed and let out a deep breath. I started giggling and Edward sat up beside me. He traced his fingers over my stomach.

"You are so beautiful, Bella." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips.

"And you are amazing, Edward. My god." I said, throwing my arm over my eyes.

He chuckled. "You are very, very easy to love, my girl." He said, caressing my lips with his fingertips. I opened my lips, and lightly bit his two fingers. He groaned in response, making me sit up.

"Lay down, Edward." I said. "I want to play with you."

Edward actually blushed when I said it, but laid back on the bed, anyway. I sat on my knees beside him, and leaned over his face to kiss his lips. He smiled as I pulled back. "I love your lips." He whispered, making me smile. I kissed over his shoulders and lightly traced my fingers over the bite mark I left on his shoulder on Friday night. It was fading, but I could still see it.

I turned and leaned over to my nightstand to grab the massage oil. I straddled Edward's thighs and dripped the massage oil right on his body. His abs and thighs clenched, and I looked at his face, and he was struggling to keep his eyes opened.

I started moving my hand and he groaned a little, so I stopped my hand. "Edward. You have to be a good boy, and try to be quiet." I whispered, smirking at his shocked face.

"Sorry, baby. Keep going." He said, propping himself up on his elbows so he could watch me. We looked at each other in the eyes and it was such an intense moment. I could tell what he liked by watching his face. And more importantly, I could see how much he loved me in his eyes. He finally let go, and fell back on the bed.

"I love you so much, baby." He breathed out. I crawled off the bed and grabbed his towel from last night, and gently wiped the oil from him, and my hands. Then I scooted over on the bed and pulled him over to me. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me hard. "Mm, I love you." He said, again.

I giggled. "I love you more."

"No you don't, Bella." He laughed, pressing a kiss to my lips. "It's impossible for anyone to love anyone else as much as I love you."

I laughed. "Can't we love each other the same amount?" I asked, scratching his back.

"Mm, I'll have to think about it." He said, before sucking on my bottom lip. "You'd better get dressed, baby. I'm having trouble holding back, here."

I laughed. "I would, but you're going to have to let me go." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair.

"I don't want to." He said, closing his eyes. He sighed. "My life is so stressful. I can't make all these decisions." He teased.

I laughed. Edward was acting so playful this morning. And I was loving every second of it. "You can watch me get dressed." I suggested.

"Okay." He agreed, making us both laugh. I got off the bed and walked to my dresser, pulling on my butterfly print panties from Victoria's Secret. "Mm. I love those." Edward said, smiling at me. I grabbed a pair of denim shorts and pulled them on. I put on a black bra, and laughed when Edward pouted out his bottom lip. I pulled on a white tank, and then a purple one over top. "That's too many layers between me and your body." Edward teased.

"Sorry. I like how it looks." I said. "It's just more for you to peel off tonight."

"Good point." He laughed, standing up and walking over to me. "You look beautiful, baby." He said, taking my hand and twirling me around. "I left my bag downstairs." He laughed.

I walked over to the drawer and threw him some black boxer briefs, and a white t-shirt. "You sort of live here." I giggled, watching him pull on his t-shirt and briefs. "Should I go get your bag?"

"I'll get it." He laughed. "We're all family in this house. That is if any of the guys are even up."

"Yeah, I guess it's only seven in the morning." I said. "Okay, I'm going to finish getting ready and then I'll start breakfast."

Edward wrapped his arms around me, and kissed my forehead. "I love you, gorgeous. Thank you for this morning. It was amazing." He whispered.

I smiled up at him. "I loved it, too." I said, kissing his chest. "You are the perfect fiancé."

"I'm glad I'm doing a good job." He said, patting my bum. "I'll be back." He said, kissing my lips. He walked out the door and I heard his footsteps running down the stairs.

I went to use the bathroom, and then I opened the door so Edward could join me. I washed my face and while I was putting on my makeup, Edward walked in the bathroom. I looked over at him and smiled. He was wearing his camo shorts. I loved how his bum looked in those shorts.

"You approve?" He asked, smiling at me, as he walked behind me and started taking my braid out.

I hummed as Edward ran his fingers through my wavy hair. "I definitely approve." I said. We brushed our teeth together, before I headed downstairs. I had seven boys to make breakfast for. I know, I was hungry. Edward and I had definitely worked up an appetite.


	385. Mob

**A/N - Thank you so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 385 - Mob

I walked down the stairs and noticed my dad's room door was wide open, and both Emmett and Jasper were still asleep on the bed. I smiled and made my way downstairs. It looked like Liam, Riley, Sam and Kevin were all still asleep, but when I steeped on a creek in the floor Liam sat up.

He smiled at me and got up, walking into the kitchen. He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." I said, as he sat at the table and rubbed his hand over his face.

"Oh, you didn't wake me. I was up." He said. "My internal clock is way off. Way too much travelling, lately."

I sat down across from him. "Do you ever get a break?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Yeah, sometimes." He said, smiling at me. "I was thinking of making a change, though. I'm getting older, and I need some semblance of security, you know?"

"I understand that, completely." I told him. "I have never felt more at home anywhere on earth than I do right here in Washington."

He smiled. "You make Edward so happy." He said, leaning back in the chair, and crossing his arms over his chest.

"He makes me happy, too. I feel complete and secure and loved." I told him. I didn't know why, but I felt incredibly comfortable around Liam, already. I could see why Edward had such a strong bond with him.

"I haven't told anyone, yet, but I'm leaving New York." He confessed.

"Really?" I said, surprised. "Are you going back to Chicago?" The Masens were all from Chicago, and both his brothers and parents still lived there.

"No." He said. "Chicago is my past. I don't like go back. I was actually thinking about Seattle." I smiled as soon as he said it, because I knew how happy that would make Edward. Liam smiled when I did. "I was offered a position with the Seattle Times."

"Congratulations." I said. "But wouldn't that put you in the same position you're in now, always gone around the world and never home?"

"I like you." Liam said, smiling. "And to answer your question, yes and no. It's similar to my job now, but it only requires an overseas assignment two, maybe three times a year. And, I was thinking of maybe writing my own travel guide. Travel is my life. I don't want to stop, but I think I want to cut back, you know."

"That sounds great, Liam." I said. "I'm happy for you. Have you told anyone?"

"No." He said. "You're the only one that knows. I just sort of needed to say it out loud before I decided anything. I needed to see how it sounded."

"And?" I asked. "How does it sound?"

He smiled and nodded his head. "I think I like it. Thank you, Bella. I really appreciate you listening to me to ramble."

"You are very welcome." I told him. I was touched that he trusted me enough to confide in me.

"Now, do you want some help with breakfast?" He asked, standing up. "I've been told I make the fluffiest scrambled eggs on earth."

I giggled. "I'm intrigued."

"Stop trying to show me up." I turned and saw Edward walk into the kitchen. He had a small bunch of white daisies in his hands.

"Oh, baby." I said, walking over to him, and kissing his chin. "Seriously, when did you leave the house? I didn't hear the door."

Edward laughed. "I'm stealth." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips.

"Well, thank you, babe." I said, taking the flowers and getting a tall narrow vase for the daisies. I set them on the table, and Edward went over to the coffee pot to make coffee. It was cute that he couldn't cook, but he could make coffee.

I got out two pounds of bacon, and my dad's biggest frying pan. Liam took out a dozen eggs and some milk and started cracking the eggs.

"So, you can't cook, huh, Edward?" Liam asked, still cracking eggs.

Edward laughed. "Bella's teaching me." He said, proudly, coming up behind me, and wrapping his arms around my shoulders to give me a hug before he sat down.

"He doesn't have to worry. I would never let him starve." I giggled, flipping the bacon over.

"And, yes, I know how lucky I am." Edward said, when Liam opened his mouth. Both guys laughed, and Liam punched Edward in the shoulder.

"I smell bacon." We turned and saw Emmett standing in the kitchen in just his boxers.

"Em, get dressed." Liam laughed. "Bella doesn't want see that."

"Oh, she's seen me like this. She doesn't care. Right, Bella?" Emmett asked.

"I giggled. "No, I don't care, but the bacon won't be ready for a while, so you do have time to get dressed. I promise." I told him.

"Okay." He said, sceptically. "I'm holding you to that promise."

"I'll personally save you some if you're not back in time." I told him. He went running up the stairs, making me laugh.

"So, Liam, you were up early." Edward said, looking over at me and looking a little worried. "Already showered?" I bit my lip so I wouldn't laugh at how adorably obvious Edward was being. He was worried that Liam heard us this morning.

"Yes, Edward. I was upstairs." Liam laughed. "I'm also aware of the fact that you are engaged to a beautiful woman, so I will not hold anything against you."

Edward blushed, and I laughed. "Thank you, Liam." I said.

Jasper walked into the kitchen, all dressed with damp hair. "Um, hi guys." He said, smiling. "Do you need any help, Bella."

"Um, maybe just get out a stack of plates, and set them by the stove. Thanks, Jasper." I said, smiling as he gave me a gentle hug. "Maybe Liam and I can just make up the plates?" I suggested, looking over at Liam, who was fluffing his eggs with a fork.

"Sounds good." He said.

"Baby, do you want to start making some toast, please?" I asked Edward.

"Yeah, baby. Get off your ass." Liam teased, making Edward laugh.

"Only Bella calls me that, and I respond to positive reinforcement." Edward said, coming over to get a kiss from me. I gave his bum a quick squeeze and Liam laughed.

"Edward, I'm not kissing your lips, and I'm definitely not squeezing your ass." Liam chuckled, as Edward put four slices of bread into the toaster. I was having so much fun with the guys in the kitchen. Hopefully, we would get to spend a lot more time with Liam if he took the job in Seattle.

Emmett came running down the stairs and into the kitchen, still pulling on his t-shirt. "Did I miss anything?" He asked, making everyone laugh.

"No, Emmett, but wake up your cousins and see if they want to eat." I said, shutting off the heat on the stove and setting the bacon on a plate with some paper towels to blot off the grease.

Edward was on a roll with his toast, already having put the next batch in. Liam put some eggs on a plate and passed it to me. I put three slices of bacon on each plate and a slice of toast. Jasper took the finished plates from me and put them on the table. We had a nice little assembly line going.

Emmett, and a tired looking Kevin walked into the kitchen. "Good morning." He said, smiling as Edward passed him a cup of coffee. He hopped up on the counter and Jasper passed him a plate. I sent Edward, Liam and Jasper to sit down at the table with Emmett, and I put tin foil over Riley and Sam's plates.

I got out some OJ and milk, Emmett asked for maple syrup for his bacon and Liam wanted ketchup for his scrambled eggs. Sam came in, looking showered, but wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday. I uncovered his plate and he hopped up on the counter beside Kevin. I wished I had more space in here, but it didn't seem like the guys cared.

Riley came down and Emmett got up, so he could sit down. Emmett wandered over to the counter and started eating the leftovers from the pans. He was so cute.

"Bella, come sit down." Edward said smiling at me, and patting his leg. I laughed at him, but brought my plate and sat on his lap. Edward wrapped his left hand around my waist.

"You're right, Liam. These are incredible eggs." I said, after taking a bite.

"I'm glad you liked them." Liam said, smiling. "Happy I could help you feed this mob." I smiled and looked around the room. I didn't think they were a mob. I absolutely loved having the house this full. This was what family was all about.


	386. Even More

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 386 - Even More

After we ate, Riley, Sam and Kevin headed back to the Cullen house to get their bags. I invited them keep staying here, seeing as everyone seemed to have fun together. Emmett, Jasper and Liam headed back home, and Edward stayed back with me to help me clean up. The other guys offered, but I wanted them out of the house. I had a phone call to make.

I was going to make my appointment for my physical exam, so I could start taking my birth control pills. Heidi was on the night shift this week and she had agreed to take me.

I got the doctor's card Carlisle gave me out of my purse and sat at the table, while Edward washed the dishes. I just looked at for a minute. This appointment was going to be a turning point for Edward and I.

Originally, the pills were just to help me get rid of my cramps. But, now that Edward and I were engaged, and our physical relationship was getting more and more heated, taking the pills meant so much more.

Edward sat down beside me and took my hand. "Come here." He said. I stood up and came to sit across his legs, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. He kissed my cheek, and then my neck, making me smile. "What's going on in that pretty head?" He asked, rubbing his thumb on my thigh.

I wrapped my other arm around him and leaned in to kiss his neck and suck on his earlobe. He hummed and I smiled.

"Bella, as good as that feels, I know you're stalling." Edward said, rubbing my back. "Talk to me, baby."

"It's just a big deal." I said, quietly.

Edward pushed my shoulders back so he could look at my face. "We don't have to, you know, have sex right away if it's making you nervous." He said. "Don't do it for me, okay? I love you, Bella. A lot. And I want you to be sure you feel comfortable with taking that next step. I'm not going anywhere, babe."

"I know." I said. "But I'm the one that said that I didn't want to wait anymore." I had told him Saturday night that I didn't want to wait until September, and that I wanted to start the pills right away.

"I remember that." He said, running his fingers through my hair. "But, you're allowed to change your mind. I'm not going to be upset if you want to wait."

I leaned in and kissed his lips. "I love you." I told him. "And I'm pretty sure I'm ready, I'm just nervous."

"That's understandable." He said, kissing me, again. "Because I'm pretty nervous, too."

"You are?" I asked, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "Tell me why."

He looked down and chuckled a little. He seemed embarrassed. He looked up at my eyes. "Okay, well, there are lots of reasons."

"Will you tell me some of them?" I asked him, and he nodded his head.

He let out a deep breath, and just started listing things. "Okay. Like, I just want it to be good for you. I hope I'm good at it. I don't want to hurt you, but I know I probably will. I wonder if after we do it, you'll want to do, again. But, mostly, I'm scared it's going to change things between us."

"Aw, Edward." I said, leaning in to pull him into a tight hug. "How long have you been worried about this stuff?" I asked him.

"Um, pretty much from the minute you agreed to date me." He said, blushing a little.

"What?" I asked, surprised by his answer, making him chuckle.

"I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that guys don't think about sex. Because we do. And when I met you, and hung around with you, I really liked you. And I worried that I wouldn't be able to please you." He admitted. "I just want to be good enough for you, Bella." He said, reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ear. "And I've have absolutely no experience."

"You are good enough, Edward." I told him. "And we both don't have experience."

"I know, but the guy is supposed to know what the heck he's doing." Edward said.

"Please don't get upset." I told him, kissing his flushed cheek. He was being way too hard on himself. "We'll just do what feels right. I mean, we get the basic mechanics of it, right? Like what goes where."

That got him laughing and he kissed my lips. "That's cute, Bella. And, I'm sorry." He said. "I'm just over thinking it."

"Baby, you're not." I told him. "You're allowed to be nervous. I am, too."

"Tell me what you're nervous about." He said, running his fingertips up and down the outside of my thigh.

"I'm scared that I'm going to cry and then you'll think you hurt me and go into overprotective mode, and then you won't want to do it, again." I told him, honestly. "And I share your concern that it will change things between us."

Edward nodded his head. "Do you think I'm too overprotective?" He asked, frowning a little. "Like to the extent that it's annoying?"

I smiled at him. "No, Edward. Of course not. I love that you care so deeply for me. It's nice to be cared about. It's actually one of my favourite things about you." I told him, making him smile at me.

"Okay, good. Because I don't think I can change that." He said, leaning in for another kiss.

"Good." I told him. "Don't ever change that."

He smiled. "Okay, so we're both scared that other person won't want to do it, again." He said. "So, why don't we just agree to do it, again? That way, we don't have to worry about the first time being perfect."

I giggled at how cute he was being. I loved hearing his thoughts. "Deal." I said, putting out my hand. Edward took my hand and shook it, before leaning in to kiss my lips.

"As for things changing between us, I think that's inevitable." He said, pulling me close to his chest. "I mean, physically, sex is about as close as we can get. We'll be putting a lot of trust into each other. I think it will change things for the good, though. It will make us even stronger. We're giving each other all that we can give."

I smiled into Edward's neck and placed a soft kiss there. "You are so romantic, Edward." I whispered. "And I think you're right." I sat back and looked into his eyes, smiling at his gorgeous face. "I love you."

He smiled at me. "I love you, baby." He said, running the back of his fingers along my cheek. "You are so amazing."

"Thank you." I said. "And thank you for talking about this with me. I'm so glad you shared some your fears with me."

Edward nodded his head and let out a deep breath, before laughing. "It's never easy to talk about stuff like that, is it?"

I giggled. "No, it's really not. But I can tell you that I feel a lot better about everything." I told him.

"I'm glad." He said, kissing my lips. "So do I, gorgeous."

"So are you still nervous?" I asked him.

He chuckled. "Yes." He admitted.

I laughed, slapping his shoulder. "Edward." I whined, making him laugh.

"What?" He asked. "I am. Aren't you?"

I bit my lip. "Yeah." I confessed. He chuckled and spanked me, making me giggle harder.

"Isabella Swan." He said, shaking his head, but looking in my eyes, his own shining back at me. "You are so perfect for me. I can't even tell you."

I turned so I was straddling his lap, and leaned in to kiss him. Edward put his hands on my bum, and deepened the kiss. I buried my hands in his hair and kissed him with all that I had. I loved him so much and I wanted him to feel it right now.

"Should have known we couldn't leave you two alone." I pulled back and Edward and I looked over at the door. Riley was standing there with his suitcase. Edward laughed and I leaned in to kiss his lips once more.

"I'm going to go make the call upstairs." I whispered, and Edward nodded.

"You're in luck, Ri." Edward said, standing us up. "You get to help me with the dishes." I picked up the card from the doctor's office and headed to the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Bella." Riley said. "I can go if you want me to."

I patted his arm as I walked by. "It's okay. I just need to make a phone call. I'll be right down." I told him. "I told you are more than welcome here."

"Thanks, Bella." He said, smiling. I looked over at Edward and he smiled at me, before he mouthed the words 'I love you.' And after this morning, I loved him even more.


	387. Pants On

**A/N - Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers! Thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 387 - Pants On

I got to my room and sat on my bed. I leaned back and smelled Edward's pillow. It made me smile. I liked that I could smell his cologne in my bed. It felt right to me.

I was so happy that Edward and I had a chance to talk about our concerns and fears about sex. I had no idea that Edward was worried so much about it. He seemed to be worried that he wouldn't be good at it. As if I would know what was good or bad. Plus, the whole idea was ludicrous to begin with. Every single time that Edward touched me, I felt like I was in heaven. No matter how our first time turned out, I knew it would be perfect because it would be ours.

I definitely wanted to talk to Edward a little bit more about that. I wanted to make sure he understood how much I have loved everything we have done together so far. And, that I would rather that he have no idea what to do in bed, than know everything there was to know about sex. Because we were going to share our first time together. And that meant more to me, then some fancy move he could have picked up from his last partner.

I really hoped it was just his nerves talking. It would break my heart if he didn't know how much I loved and needed him. I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to tell him, now. I got off my bed and walked to the top of the stairs. I called out Edward's name and he came over to the bottom of the staircase.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, drying off his hands. I don't know why, but my eyes teared up and my nose started to run. I wiped my nose on the back of my hand, and sniffled. "Shoot." I heard Edward say, before he ran up the stairs and pulled me to his chest.

"I'm sorry." I said, sounding a little muffled against his chest. "I didn't mean to cry right now."

Edward crouched down and picked me up bridal style, before carrying me to my room. He kicked the door closed with his foot, and then sat on the bed, with me on his lap. I was trying to wipe at my eyes, but Edward reached up and took my hand in his. He placed a soft kiss on it, before setting it on my lap.

"Is this about what we talked about downstairs?" He asked and I nodded. "Is it something that I said? Did I say something wrong?"

I leaned in to kiss his soft lips. He looked so tense. "No, baby. I love when you tell me how you feel." I said. "I just wanted to tell you that I have loved everything we have done together so far, and I will love everything we do in the future."

He smiled at me, and started to open his mouth, but I covered it with my palm. "When we're together, you know, in bed, I trust you completely. And every time you touch me, Edward, it's indescribable." I continued. "Even now I'm just happier than I was two minutes ago because you're holding me." I uncovered his mouth. "What I'm trying to say, is that I don't want you to worry about making the moment perfect, because it will be perfect, anyway, no matter what happens."

Edward looked at my eyes, and he blinked, making a tear fall from his eye. He reached up quickly to wipe it off his cheek, and he chuckled nervously, shaking his head. "I'm sorry." He said, softly, and I think he was apologizing for crying. "It's really hard for me to see you cry." He admitted.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug. "I know." I said, enjoying the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around my back.

He let out a deep breath and then let me go, leaning back so he could look at me face. "You know I have always had this irrational fear of losing you." He said, and I nodded. "Well, as time goes on and you get more and more rings on your fingers, I have been feeling better about things, getting more secure. I know you love me, Bella. And there is honestly no greater feeling in the world.

"But sex, to me, is a symbol of love. I waited my whole life for you, Bella. And because I love you so much, I want that moment to show you how much love I have for you." He said. "That's all."

"That's beautiful, Edward." I told him, leaning in to kiss his lips. He kissed me back twice more. "And I know you'll show me that. You know how I know that?"

He laughed. "How's that?"

"In the last five minutes you showed me how much you love me. You got upset when I cried. Don't you see how connected we are?" I explained, making Edward smile. "All that and your pants are on, Edward."

His eyes widened when I said that, and I think I caught him off guard by my boldness. He started laughing really hard, and it made me smile and blush at the same time. "So, you're implying that we're going to feel more connected when my pants are off?" He chuckled, reaching up to rub his thumbs over my hot cheeks.

"I think that's how it works, babe." I giggled, sliding my hand down to his chest, and resting it between his legs.

"Frisky are you?" He asked, lifting me up and tossing me on the bed, before crawling over top of me. He started tickling my stomach, and I was squirming around on the bed, trying to get away from his fingers.

He was smiling down at me, and he looked so happy. This was exactly why I had called him up here. We weren't finished talking, and I didn't want things unresolved for too long. I felt totally confident with the way things had just worked out.

Edward finally stopped tickling me, and dropped down beside me on the bed. I rolled over to snuggle up to his chest. "I love you." He said, kissing my forehead. "So much, Bella."

"I know you do, baby. I love you, too." I said. "Will you sit with me while I call the doctor?"

"Of course." He said, sitting up. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and passed it to me. I sat up and Edward sat behind me, putting one leg on either side of me, and wrapping his arms around my waist. "How's that?" He asked, making me giggle.

"Perfect." I told him. I dialled the number and when I told the receptionist my name, she said, that they were expecting my call. I asked when the next available appointment was, and I was told that the doctor actually had an opening at eleven o'clock the next morning.

I took the appointment slot and then hung up. I turned in Edward's arms. "Tomorrow." I said. He pulled me tighter to his body and rocked us slowly.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" He asked. "Because, again, I feel helpless."

"Baby, you are the sweetest man on the planet, I swear." I said, leaning back and kissing his jaw. "But, Heidi will be with me. I'll be okay."

"Okay." He said, pressing his lips to the top of my head, and just leaving them there. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Edward." I said, running my fingers through the hair on his legs. "Thank you for being here, and for telling me how you feel."

"Yeah, of course." He said, as he started rubbing my shoulders. I groaned and dropped my head forward, just enjoying his strong hands on my body. Edward chuckled and it made me smile. "So, you feel good with everything we talked about, now?" He asked.

"I do." I told him. "And I'm really excited for us to try it."

Edward wrapped one arm around my shoulders and one around my thigh, turning me so I was laying across his legs. He was holding up my shoulders. He leaned down to kiss my lips so I didn't see when he brought his had up to my breast. I moaned into the kiss as he gently massaged me.

He pulled back from the kiss and smiled at me. He slid his hand down my stomach, and then slipped his fingers into the front of my shorts. I reached down and undid the button, pulling down the zipper to give his hand some more room. He smirked at me before his fingers went to work. He played me like his guitar, and left me panting for air.

Edward hummed and leaned into trace his nose along my neck. "You're so beautiful, angel." He whispered in my ear, making me smile.

"Wow." I breathed, reaching up to put my hand in his hair, and bring his mouth to mine. He kissed me back just as passionately as I was kissing him. He pulled back smiling, but leaned back in to press a couple more gentle kisses to my lips.

"Edward. Don't you ever, ever tell me that you don't know what you're doing." I said, running my fingers over his chest. "Because that was amazing."

Edward chuckled. "I'm glad you think so." He said.

"I know so." I told him. "I feel like Jello." Edward laughed, and I smiled up at him.

"I wonder what other desserts I can make you feel like." Edward mused, smiling back at me.

"Pudding?" I asked, making him laugh.

"I'd like to lick some pudding off of you." He said, before kissing my lips.

"That could be messy." I said, biting my lip.

"I think messy can be good, Bella." Edward said, his voice sounding a little deeper. And the way he said it made me shiver in anticipation.


	388. Good Girl

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I'm glad everyone enjoyed the friskiness of last chapter. I'd like to thank my amazing friend Sally for prereading this chapter when I got nervous about it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 388 - Good Girl

I laid in Edward's arms for minute, basking in the way Edward made me feel. All of a sudden it hit me. Edwards cousin Riley was downstairs. "Baby. You're cousin's here." I said, sitting up on Edward's lap.

He chuckled. "Yeah, Sam and Kevin are here, too. They're all downstairs. I have them finishing the dishes." He laughed.

I stood up and did up my shorts. "We should probably go down there." I said, wrapping my arms around Edwards waist, as he stood up. I brought my hand down the front of Edward's shorts. "Or do you want me to help you with this?" I said, giving him a little squeeze.

He closed his eyes and groaned. "I was going to say, forget about it, but when you talk like that, Bella, it drives me crazy." He pulled his shirt off and unzipped his shorts, letting them fall to the floor. I reached forward and traced my fingers over his briefs and Edward let his head fall back. "Okay, baby. Let's do this quickly, before someone comes up here." He said, yanking down his underwear and sitting on the bed, making me laugh at his eagerness.

I came on the bed and sat beside him. I brought my hand out and Edward covered it with his, moving our hands together, quickly. Edward was looking at my eyes and I held his gaze.

"Um, baby? You know how you put your mouth on me?" I asked, biting my lip. Edward just nodded, squeezing my hand harder. "Um, do you want me to do that to you?"

Edward squinted his eyes, before he fell back on the bed, his chest moving up and down quickly. I leaned over his face and placed a few kisses along his jaw. He turned his face to capture my lips.

He sat back up and grabbed some tissues to clean himself up before he got redressed. "No, Bella." He said, finally, coming back over to sit with me on the bed. "I don't want you to worry about things like that, yet, okay. We have so much stuff going on, and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

I nodded my head. I really didn't know much about this kind of thing, so I was counting on Edward to tell me what he wanted. "Okay." I agreed. "But, you'll let me try it one day?" I asked, reaching over to take his hand.

"You can do anything you want to me, but let's tackle one thing at a time." He said, smiling at me reassuringly. "I love you." He whispered, leaning over to kiss me. "And I just want a smile on this pretty face at all times. That's what I want."

I smiled back at him. "That's pretty easy with you around." I told him.

"Good girl." He said, kissing me, again. He stood up and held out his hands to help me up. I loved when Edward said things like that. I bit my lip and put my hands on Edward's hips.

"Why do you look so shy, right now?" He asked, tilting my chin up to look at his face. He smiled at me, before kissing my lips. "Tell me, Bella." He said, firmly. I actually shivered and I think he knew why I was acting like I was. I loved when he acted dominant over me. It was so hot.

"I like when you're in control of me." I whispered, feeling my face heat up. Edward smiled at me, bringing his hands to my bum, and giving it a good hard squeeze before he brought his hand back to spank me. I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

He leaned down to suck on my earlobe. "I'm going to have fun with you, tonight." He whispered, rubbing his hands over my bum cheeks.

"So, you're going to tease me, now?" I asked, turning my head to bite his neck.

"Mm, I love when you bite me." He whispered. "It's like you turn into an animal. It's so insanely sexy, Bella. I might just keep you in here all day."

"But, your family." I said, as Edward lifted me up and laid me back on the bed. Just then, as if on cue, there was a knock on my bedroom door.

"Edward. Everyone is going to down to the beach for the day." It sounded like Sam. "You want to just meet us down there?"

"Sounds good, buddy." Edward called back, pulling his shirt back off. "We'll be there soon. I just have to go to my place and get my trunks."

"Okay." Sam said, and I heard his footsteps on the stairs.

"Bella, take your shirt off." Edward said, sitting at the foot of the bed. I smiled at him.

"Are we playing early?" I asked him, and he shook his head.

"Where did my good girl go?" He asked. "You haven't done what I asked you to do."

I felt a flutter in my tummy. Edward wanted to play right now. I don't know if he knew how sexy he was when he was telling me what to do. I bit my lip and pulled off one of my tank tops.

"Isabella." He warned, lifting my foot up to his mouth and sucking my big toe into his mouth.

I moaned and fell back on the bed. "Edward, that feels so good." I whimpered.

"Should we just go to the beach?" He asked me, setting my foot back on the bed.

"What?" I asked, confused as to why he didn't want to play anymore.

"Your shirt, Bella." He said. "That was three times I had to ask you."

"Oh, yeah." I said, quickly pulling off my second tank top. "I'm sorry, Edward."

"Don't apologize. Just don't let it happen again." He said, running his hand up and down my leg. He let a smile slip out when he looked at my face, and I had to bite my lip not to smile at him. We hadn't perfected role playing, yet.

"Take your shorts off, and then stand up in front of me." He ordered. I did what he asked, then I slipped off the bed and stood in front of him. "Good girl." He cooed. He traced his fingers up and down my bare sides.

"You are so beautiful." He said, pulling me closer to him and burying his face into my cleavage. "I want to bite you, Bella, but not before you go to the doctor."

I dropped my head down, resting it on Edward's shoulder. He had never said anything like that to me before. Ever. I loved it. I was breathing really hard and Edward moved his hand to my back, gently caressing my bare skin.

"Are you okay?" Edward whispered. He was out of character and he was my sweet Edward, again.

I nodded my head into his shoulder, before I turned my head and kissed his neck. "I feel amazing."

"Okay. Tell me if you want me to stop." He said, softly.

"I don't want you to stop." I whispered. Edward grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back so he could look in my eyes. He nodded his head, and I knew he believed me.

"Alright, Isabella." He commanded. "Will you dance for me?" I looked at him with wide eyes, and he nodded at me in encouragement. I just stood in front of him, having no idea what to do. He slapped my left bum cheek "Bella."

I bit my lip and Edward winked at me, making me smile. He set his hands on my hips and started moving them side to side. I slowly started to move my hips on my own and Edward hummed. "You look so beautiful." He said.

He stood up and wrapped his arms around me, and leaned down to kiss my lips softly. He started swaying back and forth with me. He brought one hand up to run his fingers through my hair. "I love you, angel." He said, taking my hand, and twirling me around.

I laughed as he pulled me back to his chest. "I love you, too." I said, smiling at him.

"Was that okay?" He asked, sounding unsure of himself. "I had no idea what I was doing." He chuckled. I rubbed his bare back with my fingers.

"You were amazing." I said. "You know what my favourite part was?" I asked, as we kept swaying back and forth.

"What's that?" He asked, moving his hands to my bum.

"When you sucked on my toe." I admitted. "You surprised me so much, I forgot what I was supposed to be doing."

He chuckled. "I love your feet." He said. "I love all of you. You're perfect." I rested my cheek on his chest, just enjoying his body pressed against mine. "So, I didn't make you feel uncomfortable, right?" He asked, still sounded worried.

"No, Edward. I trust you." I said, pressing a kiss to his chest. "I loved that."

"Okay." He said, smiling down at me. "Will you tell me what to do, next time?" He asked.

I giggled. "I'll try." I said. "But, I'm pretty sure I won't be as sexy as you were."

Edward laughed. "You are so sexy, baby." He said, squeezing me to his chest. "And you're all mine."


	389. Shoebox

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! And thank you for the support. I do get nervous when I post new steps in Bella and Edward's relationship, and I love that you all seem to like what I'm doing with the characters. Enjoy!**

Chapter 389 - Shoebox

Edward sat on my bed and watched me put on my bathing suit. I slipped my tank tops and jean shorts on over top and threw my bra and a pair of panties in my purse. "Okay, my sexy fiancé, let's go get your swim trunks and get to the beach," I said, reaching out my hand for his.

"If we have to go." He chuckled, standing up. "I'd much rather play with you in your bedroom for the rest of the day." I smiled up at his face. There would be no controlling him now. I was going to have to be the strong one and get him to leave the bed every once in a while.

We went downstairs and out to his car. The whole drive to his place, he had his fingers lightly rubbing up and down on the inside of my left leg. A couple of times, he tried to get frisky, moving his hand further up my thigh. I picked his hand up and placed on my knee. He just started laughing each time I did it.

"Baby, should I invite my dad and Heidi to the beach? I haven't seen him since yesterday." I asked Edward, as he parked the car in front of the house.

"Of course, honey," he said, as we walked up to the house, which looked abandoned. "And as much as I love you and want you with me all the time, if you want to hang out with him, invite him or just go to him. You know you don't have to ask me, right?"

I wrapped my arm around his waist as we walked up the stairs to Edward's room. "I know, Edward." I said, stopping him at the top of the stairs to pull his head down so I could kiss him. "I love you, too." I whispered, making him smile.

We walked into Edward's room, and Edward stopped dead in the doorway. He closet door was opened and there was a shoebox sitting on the floor with the lid off, and bunch of what looked like condoms were spilled out of the box.

"What the hell?" He said, walking over to crouch down and throw the little packages back in the box. His face was red and I couldn't tell if he was mad or embarrassed or both.

I walked over to him and got on my knees beside him, reaching over to take his hand. He looked over at me, and chuckled. "So, this is one of two boxes that I warned you about, care of my dad and grandpa." He said, smiling at me.

I giggled remembering the last time nanny and grandpa were down and Edward had been so embarrassed by all the sex talks they were giving him.

"Well, at least we don't have to go to the store and buy them when we need them, right?" I giggled, trying to make him feel less embarrassed.

"Yeah, that's true." He said. "And I don't care if someone needed one and took one, either, but to just leave the box out like this? And all the guys are at your place, anyway. That's weird." Edward said, getting up and putting the box back in his closet, but on the high shelf this time. He bent down and grabbed a second shoe box, moving it up, too. "Plus, I don't like people going through my stuff. It's family, you know. I've never had a problem, before. And with Alice, and the little girls around playing, I don't want them to see these."

"Okay." I said. "I understand that completely. Talk to your dad about it." I told him. "That or bring your condom stash to my house." I teased, poking him in the stomach.

"No way." He said. "We might be engaged, but your dad is still a cop. I'm most certainly not going to get caught hauling about three hundred condoms into your bedroom." He laughed. "That just would not look good for me at all."

I laughed with him. "We could bring some, though." I suggested boldly. "I mean, I don't know when we'll need them, but it's probably good to have, right?"

Edward leaned down and kissed my lips. He turned to go back in his closet and reached into his box. He walked over to me with three in his hand. "You're right, baby," he said, smiling at me. "But, put them in the bottom of your purse, or something for now, okay?"

I giggled, taking them from him, and zipping them into the inside pocket of my purse. "Alright. All hidden." I said, turning around to run my hands over his abs.

"Okay, good." He said, smiling. "You want to undress me?" He asked, smirking a little.

"What kind of question is that?" I asked him, unzipping his camo shorts. "I like you without clothes on." Edward chuckled as I tucked my fingers in his briefs and pulled down both his shorts and underwear to his thighs. He kicked them off the rest of the way, before pulling his t-shirt off.

He walked over to his drawer and pulled his swim trunks out, before slipping it on. He grabbed his white t-shirt and pulled it over it his head. "Okay. I'm ready." He said, smiling at me. I loved his swim trunks. Every time he wore them, I thought of our first trip to Florida.

I reached under his t-shirt and traced my fingers over his abs. I loved his body. I leaned down to press a couple kisses to his stomach. "I love you." I whispered. I may have already told him a hundred times today, but it never seemed like enough.

"I love you, too." He said, smiling. I took his shorts and underwear and folded them, putting them in my huge purse. "Is it weird that I like that you have our underwear in your purse?" He asked.

I started laughing, making him smile. "Maybe it's weird, but I like it, too." I said, taking his hand and leading him back down to the car.

In the car on the way to the beach, I called my dad. I asked him if he and Heidi wanted to come hang out at the beach with us before work.

"Only if I don't have to go in the water." My dad said, chuckling.

"Why don't you want to go in the water?" I asked, smiling.

"Because I haven't been swimming in almost fifteen years, Bells, and I don't have a swim suit." He defended.

"I'll have to take him shopping." I heard Heidi call out in the background making me laugh.

"Okay, Bells. We'll meet you over there in about a half hour." My dad said, still chuckling over Heidi teasing him. They were so cute together.

"Alright. Love you, daddy." I said, before hanging up. "They're coming." I told Edward, making him smile.

We got to the beach and walked out to join the huge group of Cullens and Masens. Carlisle was sitting by himself, laughing at Alice who was playing in the sand. Edward led me over to him and we sat down beside him.

"Hey, kids. You made it." Carlisle said, chuckling. "Sam said you guys were upstairs in Bella's room."

"I had to make my appointment." I told Carlisle.

"Oh, good." He said, smiling at me. "Was she able to get you in?"

"Yeah. I go tomorrow at eleven." I told him. "Um, will she give me the pills or, do I come back to see you?" I asked.

"Well, they need to wait for your results, which should only take a couple of days. And assuming everything is fine, and if you're okay with me prescribing your pills, I can do it as soon as possible." Carlisle explained. "So, you can start taking them by Friday."

"Oh, okay." I said, a little nervous all of a sudden.

"Bella, we'll go over your calendar, side effects, and any other questions you have when I prescribe them, okay?" Carlisle said, seeming to sense how I was feeling. "And we can talk about it more on Friday, but if you're going to have sex before Bella's been on the pills for a least a month, make sure you're using a condom." He said, looking over at Edward, and Edward nodded.

"Yeah, actually I need to talk to you about something." Edward said, and Carlisle nodded. "I've got a box full of condoms in my closet, and when I went upstairs to get my swim trunks just now, the box was on the floor and some of the condoms were spilled out."

Carlisle frowned. "Well, nanny and grandpa are staying in your room, so that's strange." He said. "Alice." He called, and she came skipping over.

"Hi guys." She said smiling, as she sat on her dad's lap.

"Sweetheart, were you or your cousins playing in Edward's room this morning?" Carlisle asked her, smoothing down her windblown hair.

"No, we were in the family room to watch TV and my room to play Barbies, but that's all daddy. I promise." She said, looking up at his face. "Am I in trouble?" She asked pouting out her bottom lip.

He kissed her forehead. "No, sweetheart." He said, standing her up, and lightly spanking her bum. "I love you. Go play." He said. She giggled and ran over to Andrea.

"I don't even care about the condoms, dad. But I mean I've got some of Bella's personal things in my room, too, so I don't want anyone going through my stuff." Edward said to his dad.

"I understand why you're upset. That's an invasion of privacy." Carlisle said wrapping his arm around Edward's shoulder. "We'll figure it out, okay?"


	390. Casanova

**A/N - Happy Monday! (Happy Independence Day to my readers from the USA.) Thank you all so much for reading. It is still Monday, July 26, 2010 in Summer Vacation World. Enjoy!**

Chapter 390 - Casanova

Esme came over to sit with us when she saw us. She had little Beau in her arms, and a huge smile on her face. "Hi, kids." She said, sitting down beside us on the blanket. "How was your night with all the boys?" She asked me.

I giggled. "They were all great." I told her. "Except they made me watch a scary movie."

Edward held his arms out, and Esme passed him the baby. He set her on his lap and she giggled and bounced, making Edward smile. "Oh, she didn't even watch the movie." Edward laughed. "She had her face buried in my chest the whole time."

"Well, I'm glad the boys were good." Esme said. "I worry, you know?"

"Well, you don't need to. They are all very helpful. I love having them over. I like to take care of people." I said, reaching over to tickle Beau's little tummy, making her giggle.

"You're very good at it." Esme said, smiling at me. "This is Jasper's first time being away from home without us, too, so I was a little concerned about him. I mean, I know he's fifteen, but he's still my baby boy." That explained why he was being a little clingy. I was going to work even harder to make sure he felt at home.

"Mom." Edward said. "He was with me and Em, too."

"I understand, Esme." I told her, pinching Edward's side, which made Carlisle laugh at us. "But, he helped me make snacks last night, and he was up setting the table this morning. He seemed to sleep well, too." I didn't want her to worry about him.

"I'm glad, Bella." Esme said, smiling at me. "Thank you so much for watching all my boys." Edward and Carlisle laughed at her. Boys would never understand.

Carlisle took Beau from Edward. "You kids get out there and have fun." He said. "You're not an old married couple, yet."

I laughed. I actually couldn't wait to be the other half of an old married couple with Edward. I took off my shorts and my purple tank, leaving me in just my bathing suit and a white tank. Edward pulled off his t-shirt, and when he turned to throw it on my purse, Carlisle looked at his shoulder.

The bite mark. I had forgotten about it, and apparently, so had Edward. Edward looked at his dad, who was holding back a knowing smile, before he looked at me. "Shit." He whispered.

I blushed and covered my face, as Edward reached back over for his shirt. "Just forget it Edward." I said. "You didn't bring another shirt, anyway."

He took my hand and led me out to the beach, where the guys were standing in the surf. "I'm sorry, baby. I forgot." He said, squeezing my hand. He looked genuinely worried that I was mad at him.

I smiled up at his face. "It was an honest mistake, Edward." I said, letting go of his hand, and wrapping my arm around his waist. "Plus, it's pretty much faded, anyway."

He looked down at his shoulder, before looking back at me. "Yeah. It's not that bad." He agreed.

"But, if I get teased, it's your fault." I added, before running away from him. I heard him laugh behind me, so I looked over my shoulder and he was chasing me. I screamed and he grabbed me around the waist, just as my feet hit the water.

"Will you stop running from me?" He laughed, leaning down to kiss my neck.

"No." I laughed. "I love when you chase me, because I always get kissed once you catch me."

"You'll always get kissed." He said. "But right now, I want to get you wet."

"No, Edward. It's freezing." I said, trying to get away from him, which only made him hold onto me tighter.

"Bella, Bella." He mock scolded. "Just think. The colder you get, the harder I'll have to work to warm you up."

"Mm." I hummed. "Don't tease me, Edward. We've been secluded too much already today. I'm sure we're in for some endless teasing from the boys as it is."

"Ah, we have to go to sleep sometime." He said, reaching down and squeezing my bum.

"Hey, Casanova." Liam called, making us both look up. He was standing with Em and Jasper about waist deep in the waves. "Get the heck over here."

Edward laughed, letting me go, but taking my hand. We slowly walked out in the water. Me feet were getting used to the water temperature and it was starting to feel warmer.

"Casanova?" Edward asked, as we got closer to the guys. "I thought it was Eduardo?"

"You're seriously going to question that nickname, Edward?" Liam laughed. "I have my sources, and they tell me that you were locked in a certain bedroom for about an hour after breakfast."

"There is more than one thing to do in a bedroom, my dear uncle." Edward defended, winking at me.

"Okay, enough teasing." Liam said, smiling at us. "I have some news to share."

"Yeah, Edward. We had to wait until you got here." Emmett said, splashing water at Edward. I squeaked and turned my back, giggling as a few drops of water splashed me.

I moved behind Edward, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind so I would be shielded from further splash attacks. I leaned my head on Edward's back, and pressed a kiss to his spine. He put his hand over my mine and gently rubbed his fingers over my skin. I don't know how he did it, but every little thing he did was romantic.

"Okay. What's the big news?" Edward asked Liam. I smiled into his back. I knew, and I was really looking forward to Edward's reaction when he heard that Liam would be moving out to Seattle.

"I'm moving." Liam said. "I got offered a position in Seattle."

"Get the hell out." Edward said, laughing. I let him go and he went over to Liam, pulling his into a tight hug. "Are you serious?"

Liam patted Edward's back, and I smiled watching them. "I am."

"When did you find out about this?" Edward asked, as Liam gave Em and Jasper hugs as well.

"Well, I got the offer a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't decide until this morning that I was going to take it." Liam said, looking over at me and winking.

Edward looked over at me, and smiled. "You knew?" He asked, looking shocked, but happy at the same time.

"I was just the sounding board." I said, going over to give Liam another hug.

Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind. "This is so awesome. When are you moving?"

"Maybe in a couple months. I have to finish my last story for the New York Times, and then find a place in Seattle and get settled." Liam explained.

"This is so great." Edward said. "We're going to know someone in Seattle."

"And you'll be close enough that I can work my matchmaking magic on you, Liam." I teased, making him laugh.

"She has yet to fail in matchmaking, Liam." Edward said, kissing the top of my head. "I'd trust her on this one."

"Yeah, she even set up our first dates with Rose and Maria." Emmett said. "She made us homemade pizzas and stuff."

"Well, I'm not as young and handsome as these boys." Liam said. "You might have a tougher time with me."

"Oh, you are so. And you are a very charming and charismatic man, as well." I told him. "It shouldn't be too hard."

"Hey, guys." I turned when I heard Maria's voice. Her and Rose were walking out into the waves over to us. Rose was wearing a pink tankini with a halter style neckline and Maria was wearing a black and white polka dot one piece with a pair of blue shorts over top.

Jasper walked over to Maria to take her hand, as she seemed a little unsure of the waves. He was blushing, likely from seeing her in a bathing suit for the first time, and she was smiling up at his face. They were so cute together. Rose wrapped her arms around Emmett's shoulders and he leaned down to kiss her.

"That's it. I'm surrounded by beautiful couples." Liam said. "I'm going to go hang with the single boys for a bit." The other boys were playing football on the beach.

"Enjoy your single days, Liam." I said. "You'll probably be married before me and Edward."

Liam just laughed, but Edward leaned down to whisper in my ear. "You're probably right."


	391. Sharks and Snacks

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 391 - Sharks and Snacks

Rose, Emmett, Jasper, Maria, Edward and I were all hanging out in the water together. "Let's go deeper." Emmett said, lifting Rose up, and making her laugh.

Maria and I looked at each other and laughed. We were both so short. "Do you want to get up on my back?" Jasper asked Maria. "I can carry you out deeper."

"Um, okay." Maria said, looking over at me. I remembered earlier in the summer, when Maria had gotten upset, thinking Jasper couldn't lift her up. But he could, and he carried her down the beach. She had been so excited.

Jasper got right down on his knees in front of her, the water hitting his shoulders. "Okay, just wrap your arms around my shoulders. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Jasper stood up and Maria wrapped her legs around his waist. He put his hands on her calves, and then walked out deeper into the water. Maria was laughing and it made me smile. I was happy that she was feeling better about her self image. She really was a beautiful girl, and Jasper was head over heels.

"Alright, sexy girl." Edward said. "Get up here." He crouched down and I wrapped my arms around him and he lifted me up holding onto my bum. I had my legs wrapped around his hips and as my feet got covered by the water, I slid my right foot down and started moving my toes over Edward's crotch.

Edward chuckled. "Bella." He scolded, grabbing my foot and moving it up.

I giggled. "Yes, Edward?" I said, trying to act innocent, before leaning in to suck on his ear lobe.

"Mm." He hummed. "You're such a bad girl today, aren't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I said dipping my toes into the waist band of his swim trunks.

"I love you, frisky." Edward said. "I'm a lucky guy." I kissed his cheek, as he walked up to join his brothers.

"Are there sharks out here?" Maria asked.

"I think so." Emmett said. "Washington had a shark attack about twenty years ago. They say it could have been a white shark. Bit a surfers arm. There's only been two attacks in Washington, like ever, though. So the chances that you'd be bitten are pretty rare."

"Well, now I don't want to be out here." Rose said. "That's creepy."

Emmett laughed. "You have a higher probability of being bitten by your hot boyfriend." He said, leaning in to bite Rose's neck, and making her laugh. "And I think they only like girls in polka dots." He said, referring to Maria's bathing suit.

"Emmett." Jasper scolded.

"I'm scared." Maria said, holding tighter to Jasper's back.

"So am I." I giggled. "Let's go back to the beach. It's freezing out here."

Jasper walked quickly with Maria, and then set her down when the water was about two feet deep. He took her hand and they walked back over to Esme. Edward walked closer to Emmett, who was still carrying Rose.

"Hey, buddy. Did you take some condoms out of my room this morning?" Edward asked him quietly.

Emmett chuckled. "You have condoms in your room?"

"Yeah, and you can take them if you need them, but just let me know." Edward said.

"No, man." Emmett said. "I didn't touch them. Why? Did someone steal them?"

"Well, the box was in the middle of my room this morning." Edward said, setting me down, and then taking my hand.

"I'll bet it was the three witches." Emmett said laughing, likely referring to his cousins, Jane, Becky and Connie. "The guys wouldn't touch your stuff, and I saw Jane lurking around the house this morning when I came to change."

"Okay, thanks man." Edward said. Emmett set Rose down and they walked over to the blankets. "So, now we have a suspect."

"Are you going to talk to the girls?" I asked him.

"I don't know. Maybe they would take it more seriously if it came from my dad or something." Edward said.

"I agree." I said, my teeth chattering. Edward wrapped his body around me from behind, his arms across my chest. I laughed. "Baby. I can hardly walk."

"Hey, it's my job to keep you warm." He said, leading me over to the family. I saw Heidi and my dad sitting with Carlisle, Esme, Renata, and Demitri.

"Hey, dad. You made it." I said, taking a towel from Esme. "Thanks."

"Of course I did." My dad laughed. "And Heidi brought puffed wheat squares."

"Yum." Edward said, drying off quickly. He grabbed his shirt, and pulled it over it his head. I really appreciated that he covered up the bite mark on his shoulder before he sat by my dad. I sat with my towel wrapped around my shoulders. Em, Rose, Maria and Jasper all sat down with us. Rose sat between Emmett's legs.

"How did you guys go out in that water?" Demitri laughed. "All the girls look so cold."

Edward put his towel over my shoulders, making me laugh. "Thank you, babe." I said.

"We just followed Em out there." Edward laughed, taking a two puffed wheat squares and passing me one. He leaned in and kissed my cold lips.

Everyone came over to have a snack with us. Esme brought out potato chips and Tupperware containers of fruit salad. Alice and the little cousins were all playing and laughing.

I noticed Jane, Becky and Connie all sitting together, glaring at Maria and Rose. I had no idea why they had such a bad attitude, and it bothered me. If they had been in Edward's room going through his things, I knew he would be upset. He trusted everyone, and I would hate for that trust to be violated, and put a damper on the reunion.

After we ate, Edward, his brothers, cousins, Carlisle and a couple of uncles went to play football on the beach. They had enough guys to actually play the game properly. I sat with my dad and Heidi, Esme, Renata, Rose and Maria and we talked about the wedding.

"So, I was thinking of getting a white, knee length wedding dress. You know, just keep it casual." Heidi said. "And I thought, if we go with the police theme, your dad can wear his uniform, or a navy blue suit. Carlisle has agreed to stand up for your dad, and I was thinking that would look gorgeous in a pretty blush pink dress, next to me."

I gasped. Heidi was officially asking me to stand up for her. I pulled her into a hug. "I would love that." I said, leaning back to look at her face. She wiped some tears from her eyes, and my dad cleared his throat. Esme smiled at me. I appreciated her support so much.

"So the wedding colours are going to be pink and navy blue?" Maria asked. "I think that's so pretty." She said, smiling.

"It would be gorgeous if you carried a pink bouquet with navy ribbon." Renata added.

"What about peonies?" Esme asked. "You could have a large bouquet of pink peonies, and Bella could hold a small bunch of white peonies. They're frilly and delicate."

"With all you girls, and your ideas, I don' think there will be a problem getting this wedding put together in five weeks." My dad said, seeming pretty excited.

"It'll all work out daddy." I said, leaning over to give him a hug.

"Okay, we've got to head to work, Dee." My dad said, getting up, and than helping Heidi up.

Esme got up and pulled Heidi into a hug, and then my dad. "I'm so glad you two could make it out for a couple hours this afternoon."

"Well, when Bella asks, Charlie doesn't say no." Heidi teased, making me laugh, even though I knew it was true.

"I'll be back." I said, after my dad and Heidi said their goodbyes. I walked my dad and Heidi out to his truck. "Um, I made my appointment with the doctor, and she had an opening tomorrow at eleven." I said. "You still wanted to go with me, right?" I asked Heidi.

"Of course, Bella." She said, pulling me into a hug. "I'll pick you up at ten thirty tomorrow morning."

"Okay, thank you." I said. I gave her and my dad one more hug. "Have a good night at work." I waved as they drove out of the lot. I turned and walked back to the beach, and smiled when I saw Edward waiting for me, holding my purse. He was so adorable.


	392. Second Chance

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 392 - Second Chance

Edward walked over to me. "Hey, baby." He said, wrapping his arms around my hips and leaning down for a kiss. "I didn't see you on the blanket, and I wasn't sure if you left."

"I would never leave without telling you." I told him, spanking his bum. "I just wanted to tell Heidi when my appointment is tomorrow."

"Okay." He said. "And she can still take you?" The look on his face told me how much it was killing him not to be there with me. I think he was more nervous than I was.

"Yes, baby." I said. "She's going to pick me up at ten thirty." I rubbed his back. "And don't worry so much. I'll probably only be in the doctor's office for fifteen minutes."

"I know, it's just that I hate that you have to go through this at all." He said. "I just like to help, and I can't this time. It seriously drives me crazy, babe."

I smiled up at his face. "And I love you for that, Edward. But let me do this for us, okay? And then after Heidi goes to work, you can come pick me up and spoil me."

Edward laughed. "That sounds amazing."

"Why do you have my purse?" I asked him, as we walked back to the beach. "Needed some lip gloss?"

He laughed. "No, actually, smarty pants." He said. "My lips are plenty soft enough. I actually just wanted to change out of these trunks. I've got sand in unpleasant places from playing football in damp swim trunks."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, let's go get changed." I said, pulling him over to the bathroom behind the surf shop. We squeezed into the bathroom together and stripped off our wet bathing suits. I gave Edward my towel and he was dusting the sand off of his body, while I put on my bra and underwear. I giggled. "You're getting sand on me."

Edward laughed. "Sorry. It's everywhere." He said. "You'll probably wake up in a pile of sand in your bed tomorrow morning."

"Oh, well." I said, shimmying my jean shorts on. "As long as you're in the sand pile with me, I won't care." I passed Edward his underwear, and he pulled them on. I slipped my purple tank on and Edward pulled on his shorts. I rolled our bathing suits up in the towel, and passed it to Edward.

Edward and I got out of the bathroom and Connie was standing by the bathroom door. She was the youngest of Esme's brother Collin's three girls. She looked so shy by herself when she wasn't with her two older sisters. She looked like she was only fourteen.

"Hi, Connie." Edward said, smiling at her. I loved that Edward was so sweet with her, even though she hadn't been very friendly so far.

"Hi." She said, quietly. Edward took my hand and started to walk back to the beach. "Um, Edward." We heard Connie say, and Edward turned around.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Um, don't tell them I told you, but Jane and Becky were in your room today." She said. "Jane was playing with some, um, grown up stuff this morning."

"Condoms?" Edward asked.

She blushed and nodded. "Anyway, I asked her where she got it and she said in your room. I told her that she shouldn't be in there."

"Come here, sweetheart." Edward said, and Connie came over to him and hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of her head. "Thank you for telling me."

Connie pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry." She said. Her thick black eye makeup was running down her cheeks.

I took her hand and led her into the bathroom. "We'll meet you back at the beach, Edward." I said. He smiled at me, before turning and going back towards his family.

"You don't have to be nice to me." Connie said, sitting on the toilet lid. "I haven't been acting very nice to anyone." She sniffled.

"Look, Connie. I don't know what it's like to have older sisters that you look up to, but I can imagine that you want to be like them, and act like them." I told her, wetting a paper towel and wiping at her cheeks. "But, if they're doing things that you know are wrong, then you can stand up and be your own person. You seem like a really nice girl to me, and if you'd let me, I'd like to get to know you while you're here."

"I'd like that." She said, smiling at me.

"You know, you're really pretty without all this makeup." I told her, smiling at her face. She had really pretty green eyes, and long dark hair and bangs. She hadn't been wearing this much eye makeup yesterday, but it looked like her sisters had done her up today.

"Thank you." She said. "Um, who is that girl with Jasper? She seems really nice."

I smiled. "Oh, that's Maria Hale. She is one of the nicest, happiest girls I know." I told her. "She's fifteen."

"I'm fourteen and a half." Connie said. "I'm starting the ninth grade in the fall."

"That's cool." I told her. "I'll introduce you to Maria. And your cousin Jasper is a really great guy, too, you know. You should spend some time with him."

"I don't really know what to say." Connie said, looking down at her lap.

"Well, I'll introduce you, and I pretty much guarantee that Maria will talk your ear off" I told her, making her smile.

"Okay, well, I'm just going to use the bathroom. I'll meet you over there, 'kay?" Connie asked.

"Absolutely." I said, smiling at her, before grabbing my purse and leaving the bathroom.

I walked back down the beach and saw Edward sitting with Jasper and Maria. I sat beside them. "Is Connie alright?" Edward asked me, leaning over to kiss my cheek.

"She's fine." I told him. "I think she'd really like to meet you, Maria." I said. "She's only about six months younger than you are."

"Okay, cool." Maria said, smiling. But, Jasper looked nervous.

"She's sorry for acting how she was yesterday. I think she was just imitating her sisters. She seems like a really sweet girl, actually." I said, hoping to reassure Jasper. He was protective of Maria in his own quiet way, and I think he was scared that Connie might hurt her feelings.

Connie came walking back from the bathroom, and came to sit between me and Maria. "Hi." She said, quietly.

"Maria, this is Edward and Jasper's cousin, Connie." I said, introducing her.

"Hi, Connie." Maria said. "Are you starting ninth grade this year?"

"Yeah. I'm a little nervous." Connie said.

"Oh, you shouldn't be. I was, too, actually, but high school is so much better than middle school. Like the people are just so much more grown up and the guys aren't immature." Maria said, making Connie smile. I giggled a little. I knew Maria would make her feel comfortable.

I stood up, and Edward followed my lead. "Have fun guys." I said, leaving them to talk.

Edward wrapped his arm around me. "You are the nicest person I have ever met, Bella." Edward said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. "Thank you for talking to Connie."

"She's a really sweet girl." I told him. "I just think her sisters have been a bad influence on her."

"Mm, I want to take you home and kiss you all over." He said, stopping me to kiss my lips. "I love you so much."

I smiled up at his face. "I love you, too, babe." I said. Edward took my hand and led me back over to the blanket. Nanny and Grandpa were sitting together on little lounge chairs, and we went over to sit be them.

"Hi, my sweethearts." Nanny said, leaning over to kiss both mine and Edward's foreheads.

"Have you been taking care of my boy?" Grandpa asked me, making me smile.

"I have, and he's been taking really good care of me, too." I said, smiling when Edward wrapped his arm around me.

"Alright, tell me everything that's happened since we left in June." Nanny said, making Edward laugh.

"Hmm. Let's see." I said, smiling at Edward. "We went camping, we had our first forth of July together, and Edward kissed me under the fireworks. We went to Denver to visit my mom, we've done a bit of hiking, went on picnics, out to dinner, Edward taught me how to dance and so much in between. And, we got engaged." I said. I knew I was absolutely beaming, and Edward kissed my cheek. It had been an amazing month.


	393. What Can I Do?

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! This chapter takes place at the end of Monday, July 26th and the beginning of Tuesday, July 27th, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 393 - What Can I Do?

We all stayed at the beach until around six o'clock. It was nice to spend time with the family. Connie seemed to be having a great time with Maria and I even saw Jasper laughing a few times.

We all decided to head back to the Cullen house for dinner. Emmett took Rose and Maria home, before coming back home. Esme, Renata, and Carlisle's sisters all went in the kitchen to cook. They were all laughing and having a great time, and it was nice to hear.

All of us kids squeezed onto the sectional couches, and the floor in front, to watch movies. It was a tight fit, but we were all laughing, and I absolutely loved being a part of this big family. Edward sat me on his lap, claiming we had to make room. I knew he just wanted to hold me, but I wasn't complaining.

Esme and Sasha brought out plates of sandwiches for us while we watched TV. Even though we were adults, it was kind of nice to just sit here and be treated like a kid. I had always taken care of everyone, even growing up, so this was a nice treat.

It was nice not to do anything, and just be together as a family. All the little girls went to bed at around eight-thirty, and Edward got up to go to the bathroom. When he didn't come back for a while, I peaked over the back of the couch and I noticed him talking to his dad and Uncle Collin in the kitchen. He came back, leaning over the back of couch and kissed the top of my head, before coming back to sit down.

We all just sat around until around ten o'clock. "You guys ready to head back to Bella's?" Edward asked. "I feel like I'm going to fall asleep."

"Yeah, that's why you want to go home." Riley teased, making Edward laugh, and me blush.

"Hey, if you want to carry me to the car when I fall asleep, then we can wait a little longer." Edward said, punching his cousin's shoulder.

"Okay, let's go." Riley laughed. We all said our goodbyes to Esme, Carlisle and the family. Liam drove Riley, Sam and Kevin, and Edward, Emmett, Jasper and I rode together.

I sat in the backseat with Jasper, after Emmett called shotgun. "So, did you have fun today?" I asked him.

He smiled. "Yeah. I like spending time with Maria. She's so fun." He said. "And she's really excited about Connie. They exchanged e-mail addresses and they're going to be pen pals now, I guess."

"That's cool." I said. "I'm so happy that you asked Maria to come over that day in May. You guys are so good for each other."

"Well, I don't know what I do for her, but she makes me happy." Jasper said, blushing.

"Can I tell you what you do for her?" I asked, and he nodded his head. "You make her feel good about herself. You're good for her self esteem, and she is so happy around you."

"Why wouldn't she have good self esteem?" Jasper asked, frowning. "She's perfect."

I smiled. "That is really sweet, Jasper. But all girls have doubts about their bodies, their appearance."

"Well, what can I do to make her see what I see?" Jasper asked me.

"I think you already do, Jasper. It's just the way you are around her." I told him. "But, it doesn't hurt to tell a girl, either."

Jasper nodded, deep in thought, before he smiled at me. "Thanks, Bella." He leaned over and gave me a half hug.

"Anytime, Jasper." I told him.

We got back to the house and all the guys got ready for bed. They all sat up watching late night talk shows, and Edward and I went up to my room. Edward stripped to his boxer briefs and I took off everything but my panties. I went to my drawer and I grabbed my Washington t-shirt, slipping it on.

I shut out the light and we crawled into bed together. "Are you okay?" I asked Edward, running my fingers through his hair. We were laying on our sides facing each other, and Edward had his arm over my waist, and his hand on my bum. "You're not usually one to want to go to bed so soon."

He smiled at me, before leaning in to kiss my lips. "Yeah. I just wanted to hold you, and be alone with you." He said, sliding closer to my body.

"Aw, baby." I said, wrapping my arm around his back, and tucking my leg between his legs. We brought our lips together, and kissed each other lightly. It was a sweet moment. "Is it okay that we don't do anything, you know, sexual, tonight?" I asked Edward, whispering against his lips.

"Of course it is, baby." Edward said, rubbing my back. "Are you nervous about your exam?"

"A little bit." I told him. "I mean, it's just uncomfortable."

"What do they do?" Edward asked.

"Well, I'll get a pelvic exam and probably a breast exam." I told him. "Let's just say, she'll be checking parts of my body that I only feel comfortable with you touching."

"Does it hurt?" Edward asked, playing with the ends of my hair.

"No." I told him. "I'll just feel a little discomfort. It's more embarrassing than anything. Which is why I want Heidi there with me."

"Aw, baby." He said, leaning in to kiss my forehead. "What can I do?"

"Can you just hold me really tightly, tonight?" I asked, snuggling in to kiss his chest.

"Of course I can." He said, wrapping arms tightly around me. I felt so safe in his arms. Just being with Edward made me feel better. "How's that?" He asked.

"That's perfect, Edward. I love you so much." I told him, kissing his neck.

"I love you, too." He said. "Get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay." I said, shutting my eyes. I couldn't sleep though. I kept wriggling around, for probably twenty minutes. I rolled over, pressing my back to Edward's chest.

"Can't sleep?" Edward whispered, rubbing my stomach, lightly.

"No." I said. "So, what did you say to your dad and Collin?"

"Oh, I just told them what Connie said, that Jane and Becky were in my room. I think it's good for her dad to know she was taking condoms. Then he gets to have a sex talk with her." Edward chuckled.

"I'm glad you're not too upset about it." I said.

"I'm not. I don't really care about possessions. I care about the people in my life. And I understand that kids don't always think things through, or maybe they were just curious." Edward said.

"You're a good man, baby." I told him, kissing his bicep that my cheek was resting on. Edward softly rubbed my stomach and I finally drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, Edward was still holding me tightly to his chest. I rolled over and kissed Edward's lips. He smiled, but his eyes were still closed. "Good morning." I said, kissing him, again. His eyes opened, and I was blown away by the beauty of them. I loved that these eyes would be looking at me for the rest of my life.

"Good morning, angel." He said, giving me a tight squeeze. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, baby." I told him, kissing his forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too, honey." He said. We got up and while I had a shower, Edward shaved at the sink. He wrapped a towel around me and kissed my lips before he got in the shower. I dried and curled my hair, and put on a little makeup. I got dressed in a black t-shirt and tan shorts. Edward and I brushed our teeth together, before heading downstairs to make breakfast.

No one was awake this time, so Edward set the table and made coffee while I made French toast. The boys gradually trickled into the kitchen to eat. No one was showered or dressed yet, today. But, that didn't matter to me at all. It showed me how much more comfortable they felt here, and that made me happy.

After breakfast, the guys took turns getting ready, and helping me clean up the kitchen. Everyone just hung around the house this morning, and it was nice and relaxed. Apparently, the families were going to play baseball this afternoon at the high school's baseball diamond. It sounded fun, and Edward promised to pick me up on his way there.

At ten o'clock all the boys left to go hang out at the Cullen house before the big game. Edward kissed me at the door as if we would be separated for days. It was funny how dependant we were on each other, now. We were rarely apart, so when we were, I felt a noticeable absence. After they drove off, I sat on the front step and waited for Heidi. I couldn't wait to get this appointment over with.


	394. The Appointment

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 394 - The Appointment

Heidi pulled up at ten-thirty, just like she said she would. I got up and ran over to the car, getting in the passenger side. "Hi, Bella." She said, smiling at me. "How are you this morning?"

I giggled. "Actually, Edward's made me into a nervous wreck." I told her.

Heidi laughed. "Aw, what did he do?" She asked, reaching over and squeezing my hand.

"Well, he obviously didn't mean to do it. It's just driving him crazy that he can't be there with me this morning." I told her. "He's incredibly overprotective, and he hates when something is bothering me and he can't fix it."

"That's actually pretty adorable." She said, smiling over at me.

"I know. He's just being so sweet to me, and he keeps asking if I'm okay, or if I'm nervous. I mean it's just a quick exam, but it's starting to feel like a big deal." I said.

"Well, you're engaged." Heidi said, smiling at me. "You are his whole world Bella, so when you're upset, or scared, he feels that, too."

"I know." I agreed. "And I love him for it. I'm just nervous and embarrassed for this exam, already."

"You'll be fine. It's quick." Heidi said. "And, I know it's embarrassing, but it's for your health, right?"

"Thank you so much for being here with me." I told her, as she parked at the hospital. "I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have you in my life."

She leaned across the car and hugged me. "I feel the same way, Bella." She said. "I never had kids, so I never thought I would get to experience all these mother/daughter moments. And, Bella, you are like a daughter to me, and I am so touched that you trust me enough to be here today."

"I absolutely do." I told her. "Now, between you and Edward, I feel like I'm going to cry." I sniffled, wiping my eyes.

Heidi wiped her eyes with a Kleenex from her purse, before she giggled. "We are quite the pair, aren't we?" She said, making me laugh.

"We definitely are." I said. We got out of the car and Heidi took my hand as we walked into the hospital. We walked up to the reception desk and we were pointed to a hallway. We went down and were seated in a waiting room. I just sat there, tapping my leg, while Heidi read a outdated magazine. Heidi put her hand over mine, and smiled at me. "Relax." She whispered, and I nodded.

I decided to check my phone. I smiled when I saw a text from Edward. _'Hi, baby. I just wanted to wish you luck. I love you. Call me if you need me._' I loved that boy so much. He literally lived and breathed for me.

"Edward?" Heidi asked. I showed her the text and she smiled. "He's just so sweet, isn't he?"

"He is." I said. I figured I'd text him back so he didn't worry. '_Thank you for the text, babe. I love you, too. I'm in the waiting room. I'll call you later._'

"Bella Swan." I looked up from my phone. The nurse was standing there at the end of the hallway with a clipboard. I hated clipboards. They seemed so official and scary. And they were always writing things down that you couldn't see. Heidi and I got up and followed the nurse into an exam room, which was really cold.

"Okay. We're going to need you to change into the gown on the bed. Take everything off underneath, okay?" The nurse said, smiling at me. She seemed nice enough, but I was too nervous to really be observant.

"Okay." I said, before she left the room. Heidi turned around and I slipped off my t-shirt and shorts. I took off my bra and panties and slipped the gown on. It was open in the back, so I just sat up on the bed. "I'm changed." I said, and Heidi turned around.

She folded my clothes for me and set them on a chair. It was so motherly. I loved it. The door opened and who I assumed was the doctor, walked in with the nurse. "Hi, Bella." She said, smiling. "I'm Dr. Amun. And you're here for a pelvic exam so you can start taking birth control?"

I nodded my head, and started chewing on my bottom lip. "That's right." I agreed. Dr. Amun seemed nice. She was about forty years old, had olive coloured skin, and black hair pulled into a twist. She was wearing grey pinstriped dress pants and a white coat.

"I know this is an uncomfortable situation." She said, smiling at me reassuringly. "Have you had this type of exam before?"

"Once, back when I was fifteen. My mom took me when I started my period." I told her.

"Okay. Are you sexually active now?" She asked.

"No." I said, looking over at Heidi, and she smiled at me reassuringly.

"Alright. Let's get this done, shall we?" Dr. Amun said. "Can you lie back on the bed, Bella?" She asked. I leaned back on the bed and set my hands on my stomach. She pulled the top of my gown down, and then asked me to lift my right arm over my head.

"That's a beautiful ring, Bella." The doctor said, as she gave me my breast exam. I knew she was trying to get me to relax, and it worked, because it made me think of Edward.

"Thank you." I said. "By boyfriend just proposed to me on Friday."

The doctor had me switch arms. "Well, congratulations, Bella." She said, before pulling my gown back up. I slid my arms back through the sleeves as the nurse lifted the stirrups on the end of the bed. "Okay, can we get you to scoot down to the edge of the table, Bella, and put your feet up here."

I did what she asked, and I knew my face was bright red. I just closed my eyes while she did the exam. As I laid there, I just tried to picture Edward's pretty eyes so I would relax. She pressed on my stomach, making me frown. "Did that hurt?" She asked.

"No, it's just uncomfortable." I said, looking at her.

"Okay. I'm just going to take a sample for the lab and then you're done." Dr. Amun said. "Alright, Bella. All done." She said, and I sat back up, quickly. "Everything looks fine. You're perfectly healthy."

"Okay. Thank you." I said.

"I've have the results transferred to Dr. Cullen. Have a nice day." She said, before leaving the room, and closing the door.

"Ugh." I said, shivering a little. "I feel weird."

Heidi laughed. "I know." She said. "Why don't you get dressed, we'll pick up some greasy fast food and go back home and pig out."

I giggled at her playful side. "That sounds amazing." I told her. She turned around again, and I quickly got redressed. We headed back out to the car, then stopped in Sully's drive in. Heidi got us cheeseburgers and fries. As we drove back to my place, I sent Edward a quick text. '_Heidi and I are just grabbing lunch, and then we're going to hang out for a bit. Appointment went well. I love you, sexy._'

He texted me back right away. '_I'm so happy that's finished. Have a great lunch, baby. I love you._' He always made me smile.

Heidi and I sat on the back deck, pigging out on our lunch. "So, Edward and I decided that we're not going to wait until September to have sex." I just blurted out.

Heidi smiled at me. "Well, you're in love, and you're engaged. If you both feel ready for that step, then I'm happy for you guys."

"Yeah. We're still both really nervous." I told her, stuffing some fries in my mouth.

"That's understandable." She said. "But, I think the best advice I can give you, is to just go slow, be gentle with each other, and really enjoy the moment."

I smiled as she said that. I could almost picture it. Edward was going to be so sweet and loving with me. It was going to be an amazing moment and I couldn't wait to share it with him.

After lunch, Heidi and I went back in the house and I brought my laptop downstairs. We searched police weddings, and we were so excited to actually find some sites with products on it. They had some little napkins with handcuffs on them. Heidi loved them, so we sent in an order. We personalized them to say Charlie and Heidi, August 28th, 2010. Maybe one hundred napkins was too many for a small wedding, but I knew I would be saving one for the scrapbook.

We also found a great cake topper. The groom was in a police uniform, and the bride was in a wedding gown, but was wearing a police hat and a gun belt. It was adorable. I loved the police theme, because my dad and Heidi had met and become friends at work. They both loved their jobs and it was something that they shared.


	395. Three Hours and Forty Seven Minutes

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 395 - Three Hours and Forty Seven Minutes

Heidi left at one thirty to go get ready for work. I gave her a big hug at the door. I was so grateful that she had gone with me to my appointment. I went upstairs and filled the tub with hot water and the bubble bath that Edward got me in Seattle. I still felt icky from being in the doctor's office, so I figured a hot bath might help.

I brought my phone with me, and once I had sunk into the nice foamy water, I leaned back and called Edward. I missed his voice, and even more, I missed him. I needed him.

"Hey, baby." He said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Hi, Edward. Are you busy?" I asked him.

"No, we just finished up lunch and I just helped the guys load up Em's truck with all the baseball gear." He said. "Is Heidi still there?"

"No, she just left." I said. "Can you come over, now? I miss you."

"Of course, baby. I'm on my way." He said. I heard him yell out that he would meet them at the ball diamond, before he hung up. I loved him for being so dedicated to me. I leaned back in the tub and just closed my eyes, letting my muscles relax.

In ten minutes, I heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Bella?" Edward called out.

"Come in." I said, and I smiled when Edward walked into the bathroom with a big bouquet of mixed summer flowers. "Oh, Edward. They're gorgeous." I said, smiling, when he set them on the bathroom counter. He came over and sat on the closed lid on the toilet, reaching out to take my hand.

He leaned down and placed a long kiss to the palm of my hand. "I missed you." He said, smiling at me.

"I know. Three hours seemed too long." I agreed.

"It was actually three hours and forty seven minutes." Edward said, looking down at his watch, making me laugh. "How did it go?"

"It went quick. It's just embarrassing, and I feel a little weird from being prodded at, hence the bath, but I'm fine, baby." I told him, squeezing his hand.

"Do you want to just stay here this afternoon?" Edward asked. "We could just snuggle?"

I smiled up at his gorgeous face. "No, baby. I want to watch you play baseball. You're sexy when you play sports." I giggled.

Edward laughed. "Oh, I am, huh?" He asked, winking at me.

"Well, you're always sexy, but maybe just a little more when you're running." I said, making him chuckle. "Can I take a rain check on the snuggles?"

"Of course you can." Edward said. "Are you done soaking, or do you need a couple more minutes?"

"I'm done." I said, smiling at him. I reached in the water and pulled the plug, before standing up. Edward's eyes traced my body, and I could tell he was getting turned on. And as good as he looked in that grey t-shirt and khaki shorts, I really wished he wasn't dressed either.

He stood up and grabbed me a towel, wrapping it around my body, before pulling me close to him, so he could kiss me. He gave me a nice, hard, passionate kiss, and I was glad he wasn't treating me too delicately. He had been so nervous for me to have my physical exam, and had been acting so sweet to me.

But, now, he was being raw and passionate and just plain sexy. Edward pulled back smiling. "Hang onto me." He said, before lifting me out of the tub. He carried me back to my room and set me on the bed. I giggled all the way there, and Edward had the most beautiful carefree smile on his face.

"I love you, baby." He said, flopping down on the bed beside me.

"I know." I said, leaning in kiss his neck. "Will you touch me?" I asked him, biting at his jaw.

Edward pulled the towel opened, and traced his fingers over my body. "Are you sure?" He whispered. "You're not too sensitive?"

"No, I feel fine, baby." I said, rubbing my hands over his chest. "And I miss your hands and your lips."

"Okay, just tell me if you want me to stop." Edward said, and I nodded. He brought his lips back to mine and started sucking on my bottom lip, and his hands started to travel over my body.

"Mm." I hummed. "Baby, I missed this last night." I whispered pulling him closer to me. I reached down and pulled his t-shirt up, before I started licking and kissing his chest.

"God, Bella." He whispered, before taking his shirt off the rest of the way. I giggled as I reached down to undo his shorts. He pulled them off of his hips, before pushing me onto my back. "You are so gorgeous, baby." He whispered, as he laid down on top of me. We both groaned, as I wrapped my legs and arms around him, pulling him close to me.

Edward moved slowly against my body, and I looked up into his eyes. He was looking back at me with those gorgeous eyes that had gotten me through my appointment. "I love you, baby." I whispered, before I came unglued. Edward leaned in to start kissing my neck and shoulder, still moving against me.

This was such a phenomenal feeling. Being able to completely trust someone else with your body was indescribable. I could tell that Edward was trying to be gentle with me, still. He was just an amazing and caring man.

He finally stilled and rolled off of me. We both turned our faces to look at each other. Edward smiled at me and I started laughing. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing." I said. "I just love you and I'm so happy with our lives right now. Everything is perfect, baby."

"I'm happy, too, beautiful." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I love you."

"We should probably head over to the baseball diamond, right?" I asked, sitting up and running my fingers over his abs. "We're going to get teased."

Edward laughed. "We always get teased." He said, closing his eyes. "And I might be too tired to play baseball now. I'm all worn out."

I giggled. "I don't think I'm going to play." I told him. "Can I just watch?"

Edward opened his arms and pulled me down to his chest. "You can do whatever you want, baby." He said. "I'm just happy that I have you back in my arms."

"Forever, babe." I said, kissing his lips.

I heard Edward's phone ring from the pocket of his shorts on the floor. He groaned and reluctantly let me go to grab his phone. "Hello." He said, smiling at me, as he sat back on the bed. "Yeah, we're on our way." He laughed. "No, but I will be soon. Yeah. See ya." He hung up the phone, and shook his head.

"Who was it?" I asked him, getting up and going to my drawer.

"Uncle Liam." Edward said, pulling his t-shirt back on. He pulled off his underwear and I tossed him a pair from the drawer. He finished getting dressed as I pulled on a new pair of panties and a black lace bra. I pulled on a pair of black shorts and a cute tank. I didn't want to wear the clothes I wore to the doctor anymore.

"Can I asked what he said, or will I blush?" I asked, spritzing on a little perfume.

"He just asked if I was dressed yet." Edward laughed.

"Edward. You actually told him no, didn't you?" I said, raising my eyebrows at him.

Edward chuckled. "He would know if I was lying." Edward said, shrugging his shoulders, and making me laugh.

I went into the bathroom to get my beautiful bouquet from Edward and then came over to Edward in the hallway and took his hand, leading him downstairs. I put them in water, before we went outside.

"What am I going to do with you?" I teased as we walked out to the car.

"Marry me?" Edward said, pressing me against the car to kiss me.

"Absolutely." I giggled. "Now, let's go, handsome. I want to see this hot bum in action on the baseball diamond."

Edward laughed. "You just saw this hot bum in action in your bedroom, Bella." He said, opening up the car door for me. I blushed as I got in the car.

Edward came around and got in the driver's side. He looked over at me, before reaching over to put his palm on my warm cheek. "I love that you still blush for me." He said, leaning over to kiss my lips. "I love you."


	396. Day at the Diamond

**A/N - Happy Sunday! Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 396 - Day at the Diamond

Edward and I drove to the high school, holding hands. As we drove, I told him about the progress Heidi and I had made on the wedding planning.

"I love that you two are working together on this." Edward said, smiling at me. "It's giving you practice for our wedding."

I laughed. "I love that their wedding is so simple. I want that, too." I told him.

"Okay." He agreed. "As long as the day ends with rings on our fingers and you in my arms, then I'll be happy with anything."

"Aw, baby. You are so sweet." I said, bringing his hand up to my lips.

He smiled back at me. "It's very easy with you." He laughed. We parked at the diamond and everybody was there, setting up. Some of the guys were throwing baseballs back and forth, and the little girls were chasing each other around in the field.

"I can't believe your family is so big?" I giggled, as we walked over to the group.

"Crazy, isn't it?" He laughed.

"Hey, Edward." Liam called, jogging over to us. "Nice to see you dressed, even though your shirt's on inside out."

Edward reached up to his collar, and looked down. Liam and I laughed. "Baby, he's just teasing you." I said, kissing his chin. "Now get out there, and hit me a home run." I said, spanking his bum and making Edward laugh.

"You're not going to play, Bella?" Liam asked.

"Maybe later." I said. "I can't stare at Edward if I have to concentrate." Edward actually blushed a little, and Liam laughed.

"I love your honesty." He chuckled. "Okay, it's Masens versus Cullens."

"What team am I on?" Edward asked. "I'm both Masen and Cullen."

"The Cullen's need you desperately." Liam laughed.

"Alright. Then I apologize in advance for taking you down." Edward laughed. He leaned in to kiss me lips. "For luck." He whispered, making me smile.

I sat up on the bleachers beside Katrina, who was holing Beau. "Hi, Bella." She said, smiling. "Nice to see you, again." She said. "And even nicer to see a smile on Edward's face."

"Aw, was he moping this morning?" I asked her.

"He was laughing with the boys, but you could tell he was worrying, and wasn't quite himself." She told me. "Your relationship is beautiful. It reminds me of mine with my husband."

"What's it like being a stay at home mom?" I asked her, reaching over to hold Beau's little foot.

"I love it." Katrina said, smiling at me. "I don't like to be away from the kids. They change and grow everyday."

"That's one of the things that I admire about Esme. Everything she does is for her kids. I'm amazed by her every day." I said.

"Yeah, I've always loved that. I'm glad my big brother married such an amazing woman. And when I had kids, I wanted to be just like her." Katrina said, giggling. "Oh, there's my other girl."

I smiled as I saw grams carrying a squirming two year old Casey over to Katrina.

"Bell." Casey said, holding her arms out for me. Grams passed her to me and I set her on my lap.

"Hi, sweetie." I said, rubbing her back. "Were you playing baseball?"

She pressed her face into my shoulder and nodded her head. "So, you're being shy now, Case?" Katrina laughed, rubbing Casey's little leg. Casey peaked up at me, but when I our eyes met, she laughed, and dropped her head back down.

"Hi, Patti." I said, wrapping my arms around Casey. I hadn't spoken to Edward's grandmother in two days. The last time she had said anything to me, she was passing me armfuls of shopping bags for Alice, before going upstairs to have a nap.

I knew she was upset with Edward and I for our amorous display on Saturday night, but I wasn't going to apologize for that. We were young, in love, and newly engaged. I understood that she had values that she believed strongly in, but so did we. We waited until we were ready before jumping into bed together. In fact, we hadn't even gotten there, yet.

"Hi, Bella. I heard you were at the doctor's office this morning. Is everything alright?" She asked. She sounded concerned, but I knew it was more curiosity than anything.

"I'm fine, thank you. Just a routine exam." I told her, smiling. "I'm perfectly healthy."

I looked over at Katrina and she was shaking her head a little, laughing at her mom. "Well, that's good to hear." Patti said, lightly patting my knee. I think it was her way of apologizing to me. I would gladly accept it, too. I wanted so much to be a welcomed part of this family.

I heard cheering, and I looked up. It looked like everyone was set up to play. The Masens were out in the field, Sam, Riley and Kevin on the bases, Henry as short stop, Liam was pitching and Collin, Demitri and Grandpa were out in the field. Renata was catching and her little twin girls were out with their daddy in the field.

Jane and Becky were sitting with nanny and Collin and Henry's wives in the back row of the bleachers. I turned and waved at nanny and the girls, but only nanny waved back. I wondered if the girls got in trouble for going into Edward's room. They seemed to be on a tight leash, now, that was for sure.

Esme and Connie had all the little girls sitting behind the backstop, and it looked like they had little tasselled pompoms. This family was so adorable, I could hardly stand it. The Cullens were all lined up to bat. They had Jasper, Emmett, Edward, Carlisle, Irina, Sasha and her daughter Angela, Pop, and Irina and Katrina's husbands.

"This is so cute." I giggled, looking out at the game. "I love this." I looked out at Edward and he had a bat sitting along his shoulders and had his hands up on either end. He looked so sexy. His back was to me, and I was getting an amazing view of him bum. He was cheering on his dad as he went to bat.

Casey started to squirm on my lap. "What's wrong cutie pie?" I asked her, rubbing her back.

"Aminal quackers." She said, making me, grams and Katrina laugh.

Katrina reached into her baby bag and pulled out a little Tupperware container of animal crackers. She opened it up and passed it to me. I took out a little cookie and passed it to Casey. I loved her chubby little fingers She popped the little elephant in her mouth and crunched it up, before giggling.

"Do you want a camel?" I asked her, passing her another cookie, as she nodded her head.

"Camo." She said, making me smile.

"Bella." I looked up when Emmett called my name. "Edward's batting." He said.

"Good luck, baby." I called out, making Edward laugh. I heard his family teasing him, and Edward just shook his head at them.

Carlisle was on first base, waiting to run. Edward crouched into batting stance, and he looked incredibly sexy. Liam threw him a pitch, but it was too high, so Edward didn't swing at it. He had a good eye for this. I had never actually seen Edward play baseball, so I was loving this.

Liam threw another pitch, and Edward swung at it; the bat making a loud cracking sound when it made contact with the ball. It went way out into the outfield and little Olga and Luca were both running as fast as they could to get it.

Carlisle and Edward rounded the bases, both easily making it home. Katrina and I cheered for them, making Casey and Beau giggle. Even grams clapped. After all, we were all team Cullen.

Edward ran over to us, and leaned over Casey's head to kiss my lips. "Great job, baby." I said, making him smile, as grams patted his arm. "I'm very impressed." His cheeks flushed a little from the attention.

"I aim to please." He chuckled, sitting on the seat in front of me on the bleachers.

I reached forward and ran my fingers through the back of his hair. "You'll have to teach me how to do that, sometime." I told him.

He turned and looked up at me, smiling excitedly. "I would love to show you. Do you want to try it, now?" I bit my lip. I was nervous to let the Cullen team down. "There is seriously no pressure. Our team is going to win regardless."

I laughed at his confidence. He looked so excited that there was no way I could say no.


	397. Sexy Teacher

**A/N - Happy Monday! Thank you for reading and reviewing! Let's get back to Edward playing baseball...gorgeous! I can picture it now...! haha! Enjoy!**

Chapter 397 - Sexy Teacher

So, Edward wanted to teach me how to hit a baseball. "Okay." I agreed, making Edward smile at me. I knew Edward had worried about me this morning, so if he wanted to relax and have fun with me, showing me how to swing a baseball bat, who was I to say no?

Casey reached out and put an animal cracker up to Edward's lips. He ate it from her fingers, kissed her hand and winked at her, making her laugh. Casey picked up another cookie and brought it to Edward's face.

He laughed. "No more, Case." He said, tapping her nose. "You eat the zebra, okay?" He asked, lifting her up off of my lap. "Grams, you want to hold her, while I steal my fiancé for a minute?"

"Of course, Edward." Patti said, reaching out her arms to take Casey. "Have fun."

"Always." Edward said, as he took my hand, helping me off the bleachers. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and leaned down to kiss the top of my head as we walked back over to the Cullens.

"What if I can't hit it?" I asked him.

"Then you don't hit it." He said. "This is just a fun game. No one is keeping score." He laughed. "Well, I think Em is keeping score, but he's not supposed to be."

"You were very sexy up there." I whispered to him, making him laugh.

"I'm glad you thought so. I might have been showing off." He said, chuckling. He picked up a spare bat and passed it to me. Edward stood behind me and wrapped his arms around me, covering my hands with his.

"I love when you're wrapped around me, baby." I said, turning my head to kiss his arm.

"Okay, sexy girl, you're not focusing." Edward teased, leaning in to kiss the side of my neck.

"Edward, you smell amazing, you look so hot, and feel incredible." I said. "Plus, you're pressed against me. How can I possibly focus?"

Edward laughed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." I giggled. "I'm loving this. Just show me how to swing this bat."

"Yes, ma'am." He said. He set the bat on my shoulder, and slowly swung the bat straight out in front of us, following through and twisting our bodies, as the bat swung to the left. "How did that feel?" He asked. "You think you can do it by yourself?"

"It felt great." I giggled. Edward let go of my hand and slapped my bum making me laugh harder.

"Bella." He whined, even though I could tell my laugh was getting to him, and he was starting to laugh. I was happy that the rest of the family was focused on the game, and not Edward and I, and our antics. At least I didn't think they were.

"I'm sorry." I laughed. "Let me try it by myself." I bent my knees a little and set the bat on my right shoulder.

"Spread your legs, baby." Edward said, making us both laugh, when we realized the innuendo. His face turned bright red and he covered it with his hand. "Sorry." He chuckled.

"No, it's okay." I reassured him. "How wide?" I asked, before winking at him.

He laughed and shook his head. "Just a bit wider than your shoulders." He said. "It'll give you better balance and stability in the swing."

"Okay." I said, sliding my legs out wide. I set the bat on the my shoulder again, and swung it, making myself spin around. I laughed and looked up at Edward's smiling face.

"Beautiful." He said, walking over to me and taking my hand. "You ready to try it?"

"I guess." I said.

"Oh, you'll be fine." Edward reassured me. "Just keep your eye on the ball. Uncle Liam will throw you an easy one."

We stood with the family and waited for my turn. Emmett wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "You're going to be batting for team Cullen, huh, big sis?" He asked.

"Well, I'm going to try." I said, watching Edward's ten year old cousin, Angela hit the ball. The ball rolled towards Liam and he picked it up, but waited until Angela had run to first base before he tossed it to Sam. It was so sweet that the boys weren't competing, and were letting the kids have a chance to do well.

"Ok, baby. You're up." Edward said, excitedly. He leaned down to kiss my lips. "For luck." He whispered. I smiled because I had said the same thing to him before he went to bat.

I smiled, but walked up to the home plate. I was nervous, because I never really liked too much attention on me. "Throw her a slow one." Edward called, as I got into position, trying to stand the way Edward had shown me. "She's never played before."

Liam nodded and smiled at me. "Ready, Bella?" He called, and I nodded. Liam tossed the ball underhand to me, and I watched the ball, but I swung too late, and ended up just spinning around as I missed the ball.

"It's okay, baby." Edward said from behind me. "That was perfect form and a good swing. Just a little late. Try, again." I smiled as I got back into position. Edward was so supportive and just plain perfect.

"Okay. I'm ready." I said, adjusting my hands a little. My palms were getting sweaty, but I tried really hard to focus. I wanted to make Edward proud of me. Liam tossed me the ball and I swung at it. I heard it connect, and I was surprised that I hit it, I just stood there, looking to see where the ball went.

I heard everyone yelling 'run' so I dropped the bat and ran to first base. I looked back and Edward was beaming. He held both thumbs in the air, making me laugh.

"Good job, Bella." Sam said. "So you've really never played before?"

I giggled. "Nope." I said, looking back at the home plate. Edward was up to bat again, and I knew he talked whoever was actually next into letting him sneak in line. He was so cute. He winked at me, and I laughed.

"Get ready to run, Bella." Sam said. "Edward's going to hit it way out there."

I watched Edward laughing as Liam threw him a fast ball that dropped low. Liam definitely wasn't going easy on Edward. Edward seemed to love the challenge, though. When he got into position, he stuck his tongue out a little, and then bit his bottom lip. He was so gorgeous.

Liam threw him another ball and Edward connected the bat to the ball, sending it flying way out to left field. Edward started running towards me, and I will admit to just standing there watching him.

Edward laughed as he reached me on first base. He took my hand. "Come on, you." He laughed as we ran together to second base. "You have to step on each base before me, or this isn't going to count, okay?"

"Okay." I laughed with him, stepping on second base, just before Edward.

Edward looked out into the field. "You don't have to run that fast. It's going to take a while for Grandpa to get the ball." Edward said.

I kept running and Edward laughed as we stepped on third base. "I've never ran around the bases before. I don't want to chance it." I explained, making Edward chuckle. He seemed to be having so much fun with me out here, and I loved that I could make him laugh.

We got to home plate and I jumped with two feet on it. Edward lifted me up, before stepping on the plate, and spinning me around. "You did so good, Bella." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. There was applause and whistling behind us and it made me both blush and giggle.

"Aw. Thank you, babe." I said, taking his hand and leading him to the backstop. "I had an amazing and sexy teacher."

Edward laughed, leaning against the backstop and pulling me to lean with my back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me close. "I love playing baseball with you." Edward said, before I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head. "I will never forget your face when you hit the ball."

I laughed. "Did I look really crazy?" I asked him, reaching up to hold onto his arms.

"No, you looked adorable." He said. "I'm really proud of you for trying this."

"Thank you, Edward. I'm so glad I did." I told him. "I had so much fun running the bases with you."

He laughed, again, before bringing his face down to kiss my cheek. "So did I, beautiful." He whispered. "I love you."


	398. Turn Ons and Turn Offs

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing! This is still Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 in the story. I promise we will be moving along soon! Enjoy!**

Chapter 398 - Turn Ons and Turn Offs

The rest of the afternoon was amazing. The Cullens finally went out in the field so the Masens could take a turn at batting. I stood beside Edward and we played right field together.

The ball only came out to us twice. The first time, I thought Edward was going to catch it, but I stood with my glove out anyway because I didn't want it to hit me, so Edward thought I was going to catch it. It fell in front of us, making Edward start laughing hysterically. He picked the ball up and threw it in to Emmett who was on first base.

"I'm sorry." I laughed, as Edward wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to kiss my lips.

"No, don't apologize. That was adorable." Edward chuckled, spanking me with his baseball glove.

"You sure like to spank me, don't you?" I asked, looking up at his face as I bit my lip.

"Well, firstly this is baseball. So there is a lot of spanking going on." He laughed.

"What's up with that, anyway?" I asked him. "Why do athletes spank each other?"

Edward laughed. "Huh? I've never really thought about it. It like a congratulatory thing, I guess. Like good job."

"Okay. I still think it's weird, but carry on. Why else do you like to spank me?" I asked him, lightly running my fingers over his chest.

"Well, I like to touch your bum." He said, as he smirked at me. "But, mostly, I like spanking you because you like it. Your eyes close a little bit and you always smile when I spank you." He leaned in to put his lips right against my ear. "I think it turns you on." He whispered, making me shiver.

I looked up in his eyes. "You've got me there." I said, giggling. I winked at him, before turned back to watch the game.

Edward laughed. "And you like to tease me, don't you?" He asked, standing beside me and bumping my shoulder with his.

"I do." I giggled.

The second time the ball came to us, it was a pop fly. "You want it, babe?" Edward asked, looking up at it.

"No." I said, as I watched Edward move to stand underneath the ball. He caught it easily, before he threw it in to Carlisle, who was pitching.

Edward came and wrapped me in his arms again. I looked up at his face. "You are just too sexy, you know?" I told him, smiling.

"As long as you think so, I'm happy." He laughed.

Each side of the family took one more chance batting and one more time out in the field. This time, everybody came up to try. Jasper and Edward were so cute trying to show the little girls how to hit the baseball. I had such an amazing afternoon, and I would never forget it.

At around five thirty, we all decided to head back to the Cullen house. Carlisle was going to grill up some hotdogs, because apparently, that was baseball food. Esme asked Edward and I if we could stop on the way home to get some more mustard and potato chips. Of course Edward agreed, and we walked to his car.

"Edward. Can we come with you?" Alice called from behind us. I turned and saw Alice holding hands with her older cousins Andrea and Maggie, who were ten and eight.

Edward looked at me and I nodded. "Yeah, you can, but we have to stop at the store first, okay?" Edward told them.

"Yay." Alice said, hopping up and down. Edward chuckled before he opened my door, and then the back door. All the girls piled in. "Does everyone have their seat belt on?" He asked.

"Mine's stuck." Maggie said pulling on the seatbelt. Edward leaned in and untwisted the seatbelt for her, before pulling it across her and snapping it in the buckle.

"How's that?" He asked, smiling at his cousin. "Everybody else in?"

There was a chorus and yeses from the backseat and from me. Edward laughed, and leaned in to kiss my lips. "You are adorable." He whispered, before closing my car door and going around to the driver's side.

The girls starting singing Disney songs in the backseat and Edward looked over at me and smiled. I took his hand and watched him as he drove. He was going to be an amazing father one day.

Edward pulled up to the grocery store and came around to open my door and then opened the back door to let the girls file out. "Okay, Maggie hold Bella's hand." Edward said, lifting Alice up to hold her on his hip. "Andrea do you want to push the cart?"

Andrea smiled at Edward. She seemed to like the responsibility. "Okay." She said, as we walked in. Maggie held my hand, and I thought it was so cute how overprotective Edward was being. He loved his family so much.

Edward and Alice led the way, followed by Andrea, and then Maggie and I following behind. We went to the snack aisle and Edward loaded up the cart with every flavour of potato chips he could think of. Maggie was laughing at him, because we thought he was done, but then he would see another flavour. She was such a happy child.

Alice was having a blast, because Edward would pass the bags to her and let her put them in the cart. "Can we get liquorice?" Alice asked Edward.

"Okay, but you can only have one piece before dinner." Edward said, making Alice cheer as he put the package of red liquorice into the cart.

Maggie pulled on my hand. "I like black liquorice." She whispered to me.

"Baby, get a bag of black liquorice, too." I told Edward. I didn't want any of the girls to feel left out. We walked down the condiment aisle and got the mustard before going to the till.

After we paid and got back to the car, Edward put the bags in the trunk and I got the girls in the backseat. I opened the bags of liquorice and passed each girl one piece of candy. Alice and Andrea had red liquorice and Maggie had black.

Edward and I got into the car, and he opened his mouth. I took a piece of red liquorice out of the bag and put it in his mouth. He winked at me, making me laugh. I took a piece of black liquorice for myself as Edward pulled out of the lot.

The girls were giggling in the back seat and I was laughing at Edward who had driven three blocks with his liquorice sticking out of his mouth. He was always so much fun to be around.

We got home and the girls ran into the backyard. I helped Edward carry all the bags to the kitchen and we emptied a few bags of chips into bowls for Esme. Edward wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Do you want to go upstairs for a minute?"

I smiled. "I would love to." I said. Edward took my hand and led me upstairs to his bedroom. When we got in his room, I giggled. Nanny and grandpa had their clothes and suitcases sitting on the bed Even nanny's crochet basket was sitting there.

"Well, that is a total turn off." Edward sighed.

I laughed and wrapped my arm around him, sliding my hand into his back pocket so I could squeeze his bum cheek. "Crocheting doesn't turn you on?" I teased.

Edward laughed. "Well if you were sitting on my bed, crocheting in one of your t-shirts, your shoulder showing because the collar slipped to the side and your bare legs crossed at the ankle, I would definitely be turned on." He said, making me laugh.

"Let's go in the bathroom." I suggested, pulling Edward towards his bathroom. He shut the bathroom door and lifted me up, setting me on the counter. He ran his hands down the sides of my thighs to my knees. He gently held my knees and slowly spread my legs apart, before stepping between them and setting his hands on my waist.

Edward leaned in to press a kiss to my lips. "Mm, I love you." He whispered, before turning his head a little to deepen the kiss, his tongue massaging mine. I actually got butterflies in my stomach from this kiss. I felt his hand move up and start to caress my chest, and I whimpered. My man had total control over my body.

I reached around him and pulled him closer to me, so he was pressed against my body. We both groaned at the contact. Edward grabbed my hips so were even closer before he started rocking into me. "Ah, Edward." I whispered, setting my hands behind me for balance.

My hand bumped something and I turned my head to see what it was. I started laughing and Edward stopped moving, looking over at my hand. I giggled when I saw a cup filled with blue liquid and a pair of dentures soaking in it. Another mood breaker.

Edward groaned and dropped his head on my shoulder. He pressed a kiss to the side of my neck. "Maybe this is a sign that we should wait until tonight." I told him, reaching around his body to give him a hug.

Edward chuckled. "Tonight can't come soon enough."


	399. He's Ours

**A/N - Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 399 - He's Ours

Edward and I went back downstairs to join the family for the grilled hot dogs. It was a great evening shared with laughter and stories and fun. I adored the family and even Jane and Becky started laughing a little more. Esme suggested we take the whole family up to Port Angeles the next day for some sight seeing and shopping. I thought it sounded like a fun idea. I was really looking forward to it.

At ten o'clock, we decided to head back to my place. I wanted to stop by the police station and see my dad, so I gave Jasper my house key. When Edward and I got in the car, I looked over at him and smiled.

"I had a great day." I told him, reaching over to rub his thigh. "Thank you for making me forget about the doctor's appointment."

Edward smiled. "I'm glad I could help." He said, setting his hand on top of mine. We got to the station and Edward took my hand as we walked into the building. When we walked in my dad was sitting at the front desk filling out a form.

"Hi, daddy." I said, making him smile when he looked up at us.

"Hey, Bells, Edward." He said, coming over to give me a hug, and then pat Edward's shoulder. "How was your day? Heidi said you guys had a fun lunch and then did some shopping for the wedding."

"It was really great. Your wedding is going to be spectacular, dad. It will be the talk of the town." I giggled, making my dad and Edward laugh.

"Sounds good." My dad said. "What else did you do today?"

"Oh, there was a big Cullen versus Masen baseball game and I hit the ball." I said, proudly. Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed the side of my head.

"She did really good." Edward said.

I laughed. "Says the guy that hit countless home runs." I teased, patting Edward's stomach. "Where's Heidi?" I asked.

"Oh, she's at the veterinary clinic." My dad said. "Someone called reporting an abandoned kitten. I guess it was meowing out behind their house. Heidi went out to get him and I guess he's a little thin and dirty."

"Oh, no." I said, feeling the tears start to form in my eyes. I loved animals and I hated to hear when they were mistreated or abandoned. "Is he going to make it?"

"Well, Heidi just called and the vet said that they'll clean him up and make sure he's hydrated and fed, check him over, that sort of thing." My dad said. "Then we'll call the Humane Society, unless we can find a home for him."

I turned and looked up at Edward. He reached out and wiped the tears from under my eyes. He seemed to be thinking what I was thinking. I nodded my head at him. We were going to get a kitten together in September, but if this little baby needed a home now, I couldn't turn him away, just because he came into our lives six weeks early.

Edward smiled at me. "Do you think we could take him, Charlie." He asked, wrapping his arm around my waist.

My dad smiled at us. "I had a feeling you might ask that." He chuckled. "Yeah. He was clearly abandoned. No one owns him, so if want him, you can have him."

I couldn't help the huge smile that spread across my face. "I'm going to be a mom." I giggled, making Edward laugh. He kissed the top of my head.

"What does he look like?" Edward asked.

"Oh, he was pretty dirty so it's hard to tell, but it seems like he is a white and orange. Has big green eyes, though." My dad told us.

"Just like his daddy." I said, looking up at Edward. The front door opened and Heidi walked it. Her eyes and nose looked a little red, like she had been crying.

I walked up to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Is he okay?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah. He's going to be fine." Heidi said, pulling back. "He was just so sad looking. I hate that he doesn't have a home."

My dad chuckled, coming over to wrap his arm around Heidi. "Oh, he's already got a home. And I have a feeling that he's going to be spoiled rotten." My dad told her, making Edward chuckle.

"What? You found him a home, already?" Heidi asked surprised.

"We're going to take him." I giggled. "We're going to get our little Robert." I was so excited. I had been really looking forward to getting the cat with Edward, because it would be something that we shared, and that we could love together. This was sooner than I thought, but I couldn't have been happier.

Edward laughed. "You still want to call him Robert, huh?" He asked, wrapping his arms around me.

"Absolutely." I told him, smiling. "How old is he?" I asked.

"The vet thinks he's about five or six weeks old. They want to keep him for a couple days and make sure he's okay. You can probably get him on Thursday." Heidi said. "I'll call down there, and make sure they don't find him another home."

"Okay. Well, we should probably head home." I said, giving Heidi and my dad a hug. "I'll call you tomorrow, granddaddy." I said, smiling at my dad, and making him laugh.

"I love you, Bells." My dad said. "And don't worry about the cat. He'll be fine." I smiled. My dad knew me so well.

"Alright. Goodnight." I said.

Edward and I went back outside to the car, and Edward pulled me into a tight hug, and leaned down to press a long kiss to the top of my head. "Are you excited?" He asked, looking down into my eyes. From the huge smile on his face, I could tell how much he was looking forward to getting this kitten.

"I'm thrilled." I told him. "We're going to be pet parents."

Edward chuckled. "I know." He said, opening my car door for me. "Hey, we can pick up some kitty supplies in Port Angeles, tomorrow." I loved that Edward seemed so excited about this. My dad was right. This kitten was going to be spoiled.

We held hands on the drive back to my place and I practically skipped into the house. The guys were all hanging out in the living room watching some kind of action movie. They were all in boxers and t-shirts.

"Hey, guys." Liam said. "I thought you two decided to stay at a hotel or something."

Edward laughed, flopping down on the floor beside his uncle. "No, we stopped at the police station to see Bella's dad. And while we were there, Charlie was telling us about a little abandoned kitten they found." Edward was smiling as he told the guys the news. It was adorable. "And Bella and I decided to adopt him."

"Oh, my god. I'm going to be an uncle." Emmett said, making us all laugh.

Jasper came down the stairs in plaid pyjama pants and a white t-shirt. "Hi, Bella." He said, walking over to me to give me a hug.

"Hi, Jasper." I said, patting his back. "Edward was just telling everyone our news. We're adopting a kitten." I told him, smiling.

Jasper's face lit up. "Really?" He asked, smiling. "I thought you guys were going to wait until the fall."

"We were, Jazz, but Bella's dad and Heidi found a kitten that was abandoned, tonight." Edward told him. "He's a little thin so he's staying at the vet's for couple days, but Heidi thinks we'll be getting him on Thursday."

"What are you going to call him?" Kevin asked us.

I looked at Edward and he started laughing. "Robert." Edward said, quietly, his cheeks and ears a little pink.

Emmett started laughing. "I forgot how hilarious that was." He said.

"Don't laugh at my son's name." I teased, putting my hands on my hips. Edward smiled at me, and winked. "And he's your nephew." I added, making Emmett and Jasper laugh.

I ran upstairs to slip on some yoga pants, before I came down to join the guys for the movie. I sat in between Edward and Jasper, and we were covered in the blanket from the back of the couch.

During the movie, the guys were all talking about the different types of cars that were racing around. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I didn't mind in the least. I just enjoyed the company. Finally, at just after midnight, when the movie was over, we all decided to head to bed.

After brushing our teeth, Edward and I undressed and crawled into bed together. Edward pulled me to his body and leaned in to kiss my lips. "How are you doing, mama?" He asked, slowly rubbing my back.

I smiled at the new nickname. "I'm worried about Robert." I admitted. "You think he's going to be okay?"

Edward kissed my forehead. "I know it. Because he's ours. He's going to be perfect."


	400. Love and Respect

**A/N - Summer Vacation hits 400 chapters! When I started this story, I had no idea that I would still be writing it 13 months after I started it! But I am truly loving the experience. I have met so many amazing people, and I'm learning to ignore the rude, anonymous reviews from people that shouldn't even be reading the story! Thank you all for sharing this experience with me! Enjoy!**

Chapter 400 - Love and Respect

Edward and I just snuggled again that night. I was worried about the kitten, and I could tell that Edward was in his overprotective and nurturing mood. The way he was softly rubbing my back, and kissing my face showed me how deeply he cared for me. He always wanted things to be perfect, and he never wanted me to be upset or to worry about anything.

When we woke up, however, Edward was definitely frisky. When I opened my eyes, Edward was already awake. He was smiling at me, propped up on one elbow. "Good morning, gorgeous girl." He said, reaching up to run the back of his fingers on my cheek. His breath smelled like toothpaste, so he must have been up for a while.

"Good morning, baby." I said, smiling back at him. I would never get over how sexy he looked first thing in the morning, with his hair sticking up in every direction. "I'll be right back." I said, slipping out of bed and pulling on a t-shirt. I looked back at Edward and he was smirking at me. I giggled, before running into the bathroom. I used the bathroom and brushed my teeth, before running back into my room and locking the door.

I slipped my t-shirt off and climbed back into bed. "Now, where were we?" Edward asked, running his fingers along my cheek, again.

I giggled. "Kiss me." I said, reaching up to slide my fingers in his hair and pull his lips to mine. Edward responded by kissing me deeply, rolling over on top of me. I wrapped my arms around his back and moved my hands down to his bum. He had boxer briefs on, which was probably a good idea.

Edward groaned and pulled back a little to look in my eyes. "I love you." He whispered.

I smiled at him. "I love you, too." Edward leaned back in to press a light kiss to my lips, before he started moving down my neck to my chest. "Ah." I cried as he started licking my skin.

Edward chuckled. "That feel good?" He asked, looking up at my face.

"Mm. Really good." I said, reaching down to run my fingers though his hair. "But, I really want to you to kiss me." I told him, honestly. He always made me feel so loved when he kissed me. He moved up my body, laying on top of me. He started pressing a bunch of kisses to my lips, capturing my bottom lip between his.

Edward would smile at me between kisses, making me want to keep my eyes open to watch him, even though the feelings he created inside me made me want to close them. I wriggled underneath him, making him groan. I wanted him to move with me. He looked up at my face and I smiled mischievously at him. He chuckled before he started moving his hips against mine. This time it was my turn to groan. I don't know how he did it, but Edward made me see stars.

Edward had his face buried in the crook of my neck and was pressing kisses on my skin. I wrapped my arms around his back, rubbing circles on his skin. "I love you." I said, turning my head to kiss his ear.

"Mm." He sighed. "I love you, too." He rolled off of me and I moved to snuggle into his side. Edward looked down at my face. "Do you want to go have a shower?"

I giggled. "Together?"

"Yeah, together." He said, smiling smugly at me. "It doesn't sound like anyone is up."

"Okay." I agreed. "But we need to go quickly." I told him, getting out of bed, and pulling on my t-shirt. "No funny business."

Edward laughed, pulling off his underwear and throwing them in my laundry hamper. He went to my drawer and pulled on some boxers. "I can behave." He said, taking my hand and leading me to the bathroom. I held back the giggle. I knew he couldn't behave.

We got in the shower, after locking the door, and I started washing my hair. Edward grabbed some body wash and started caressing my body. "Edward." I scolded.

"What?" He chuckled, doing his best to look innocent. "I'm just trying to help you finish faster."

I smiled at him. "Well in that case, carry on." I giggled, making him laugh. I had never had to concentrate so hard to wash and condition my hair in my life. Edward's hands were very distracting. But, the best part of the shower, was turning the tables on Edward, and washing his body, while he shampooed his hair. He had a harder time multitasking than I did, and I loved every second of trying to distract him.

We got out and dried each other off. It was the little moments that I loved with Edward. I slipped my t-shirt back on and Edward pulled his boxers on, before we went to my room. Riley was just walking up the stairs, and he passed us in the hallway. He chuckled and shook his head at us. We almost got away with it.

Edward got dressed in his light wash, torn jeans and a white t-shirt, and I put on a white skirt and a black tank. I scrunched my hair with gel, and put on some light make up. Edward and I went down the stairs together to start breakfast.

I decided on blueberry pancakes today, so I stood at the stove and started cooking. Edward made coffee and brought out plates, juice, butter and maple syrup. Being domestic with him was just the best.

The boys filtered into the room to eat. I loved that the only wake up call they needed was the smell of breakfast. The guys all seemed excited about the trip to Port Angeles today. Sam, Kevin, Jasper and I sat at the table, Emmett and Riley sat on the counter and Edward and Liam stood to eat, leaning against the counter.

Riley and Edward offered to do the dishes for me, today, so I went in the living room and cleaned up the guys sleeping area, folding blankets, rolling sleeping bags and picking up wrappers and empty chip bags. Jasper came in the living room to help me.

"Hi, Jasper." I said. "Are you sleeping okay in my dad's room?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said, smiling at me. "Except Emmett hogs the blankets." He laughed.

"I totally believe that." I giggled.

"Hey, um, if you ever need anyone to babysit the kitten, I could do it." Jasper offered. "My friend Mike's cat had kittens a few years ago and I helped him take care of them."

"Aw, that's so sweet, Jasper." I said. "Thank you." I sat back on my heels. When Jasper offered to watch Robert for us, it reminded me that Edward and I had to go to Seattle on Sunday with my dad and Heidi. We were taking up some of our furniture and showing the place to Heidi. If we just got our baby on Thursday, how would I be able to leave him so soon?

"Bella. Are you okay?" Jasper asked. "You look pale."

"I'm okay." I said, forcing a smile. "I'll be right back." I got up and went upstairs to my room, flopping on my bed. I felt really worried and sad all of a sudden. Maybe I wouldn't be able to handle having a kitten. Edward and I had a pretty active life, always going places and doing things. A kitten was going to change that. We were going to have responsibilities now. It was definitely going to be an adjustment.

I heard my bedroom door open. "Baby. What's wrong?" I heard Edward's sweet voice behind me. I felt the bed dip in and I felt his hand on the small of my back.

"I'm worried about the kitten." I said into my pillow.

"Aw. Sugar, he's going to be fine. We can even call down there to check on him today if you want." Edward said. I felt him lay down beside me and wrap his arm around my waist.

"That sounds good, but that's not all that I'm worried about." I said, rolling over to face Edward. He ran his thumb along my bottom lip.

"What's bothering you?" He asked.

"Well, we have to go to Seattle on Sunday with my dad." I told him. "I mean Jasper offered to watch the kitten if we ever need a kitty sitter, but it's going to kill me to leave him. How am I ever going to be able to go to my classes in the fall? Or, even just out to dinner with you? This kitten is going to need us so much."

Edward smiled at me, before pulling me close to his body. "You are such a good mom. Look at you worrying about our baby." Edward said, chuckling. He pressed a kiss to my lips. "We're going to do just fine. It will take us a little while to get a routine down, but we'll figure it all out. And, honey, I'm still going to take you out, and we're still going to do things together. For the next six weeks, we have a ton of family here that is going to want to play with the kitten, until we figure it all out, okay?"

I smiled. "I know. I think I'm just really nervous." I explained. I leaned in and pressed a kiss to Edward's lips. "Thank you for knowing what to say."

Edward smiled. "I'm not just saying it. It's going to be an adjustment, for sure. But, you are so caring and loving. This kitten is a lucky little guy to have you. Almost as lucky as I am."

I pressed a kiss to his lips. "I love you, Edward." I whispered before leaning in to kiss him, again. "So, you think that Jasper will kitty sit Robert on Sunday?"

"I think he would love that, actually." Edward said. "Jasper really looks up to you and cares about you. You include him and your sweet to him, but you respect him at the same time. And I think trusting him with your baby will really mean a lot to him."

I couldn't help the huge smile that spread across my face. It meant so much to me that Edward saw these things in me.


	401. Hugs are Necessary

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! It is Wednesday, July 28, 2010 in Summer Vacation world. Enjoy!**

Chapter 401 - Hugs are Necessary

Edward stood up and pulled my hand to help me get up off the bed. "You ready to go to Port Angeles and go to the pet store?" Edward asked, pulling me into his arms and slowly rocking me back and forth.

"I'm very ready." I said, smiling. "Can we make a checklist in the car?"

Edward laughed. "Yes, we can make a checklist." He said, bringing his hands down to my bum, and giving my cheeks a squeeze. "Mm. Is the cat going to sleep in bed with us, because I don't want him to interfere with our snuggle time." Edward said, lifting his eyebrows up and down at me.

I started laughing really hard. "You are such a guy, Edward." I said, reaching up to pat his face.

"I know, and I thought we established that you like that about me." He teased, winking at me.

"Oh, I love that about you." I said, slapping his bum. "And no, we're not going to sleep with the kitten. I don't want you to roll over on top of him and squish him."

"Is that the only reason?" Edward laughed.

I giggled. "Well, I have to admit, I love our snuggle time, too." I said, biting my bottom lip.

"Well, that's good to know." Edward said, gently pulling my lip from my teeth. "And tonight is our last night being a childless couple, so we're going to have to make it count, right?"

I laughed, taking his hand and pulling him towards the stairs. "Absolutely." I said, winking back at him. We got downstairs and all the guys were sitting in the living room. Jasper jumped up and ran over to me. Edward patted his shoulder and then walked over to the guys.

"Bella, I'm sorry if I upset you." Jasper said, as I led him into the kitchen by the arm. "I don't really know what I said, but…"

"Jasper, stop." I said, smiling at him. "You didn't upset me at all. I'm just worried about the kitten and how I'm going to adjust. That's all."

"Oh, okay." Jasper said, looking relieved. "But, the kitten is going to be okay, right?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine." I said. "And, actually, I'd like to take you up on your offer. Would you like to kitty sit little Robert on Sunday?" I asked him. I was really taking what Edward said to heart: that Jasper valued our relationship. And I wanted him to know that I loved him and trusted him. "Edward and I need to go to Seattle for the day with my dad and Heidi, and I can't leave the kitten alone."

Jasper's face lit up. "I would love to, Bella." He said, smiling. "I'll take really good care of him." I pulled Jasper into a hug.

"I know you will." I said, patting his back. "Thank you, Jasper."

"If you're done with the love fest, we're going to hit the road." I laughed and turned around, seeing Emmett at the kitchen door. I looked up at Jasper and he was blushing.

"It involves the kitten." I said. "Hugs are necessary."

Emmett laughed, coming over to me and wrapping his arm around my neck and pulling me to his chest. "Well, then why am I not getting in on this?" He asked, as I tried to squirm out of his hold.

"Group hug." Liam called out. Everyone laughed, and surrounded us, squeezing us into a tight hug. I felt like I was in the middle of a football huddle. I could hear Edward laughing, and it made me smile.

"Can't breathe." I called out, and the guys finally let go. I felt so lucky to be surrounded by such a great group of guys.

After we all took turns to use the bathroom, and I threw in a load of mine and Edward's laundry, we all hit the road to Port Angeles. It was about a quarter after nine and we would reach the city at around ten. Esme had suggested that we all meet up at ten thirty. Edward, Emmet, Jasper and I all rode together, and Liam, Kevin, Sam and Riley followed behind us.

"Hey, do you think we should stop and show the guys Lake Crescent?" Edward asked his brothers.

I smiled. Edward had brought me up to Lake Crescent on our three month anniversary. He had played his guitar for me and took me on a hike, kissing me in the woods. It had been an amazing day. I knew that I had been blown away by it's beauty, so I figured that the boys from Chicago would probably be impressed the grandeur of the mountains, forests and gorgeous lake.

"Yeah, that would be cool." Emmett said. "I haven't been there in a few months."

"Okay, you want to phone him and tell him that well be turning off in about twenty minutes?" Edward asked. I reached over and squeezed Edward's hand. I was so excited to see the lake again. He looked back over at me and winked.

"It's too bad that we'll only get about a half hour there." I said.

"Yeah, maybe we'll have to come back tomorrow for a hike or something." Edward said.

"That sounds great, actually." I agreed.

Emmett called Liam and apparently the guys were excited to check it out. It was nice showing them around Washington. I still felt like a tourist here sometimes, myself.

As we drove down the highway, Edward looked over at me. "'Kay, baby. Want to work on your list?" He asked, smiling.

"What's the list for? Alternate names for little Robert?" Emmett asked, laughing.

"Emmett Cullen." I scolded, even though I was laughing. "His name will be Robert."

Emmett was laughing really hard in the back seat, and it was getting contagious. "Can I call it Bob?"

"What about Robbie?" Jasper suggested.

Edward looked over at me and winked. He did warn me that we would be teased over this name. "You guys can call him whatever you want." Edward said.

"As long as it's a variation of Robert." I giggled. "But, we're still opened to suggestions for the middle name. And the list is things we need to buy for the cat."

"I love Emmett for the middle name." Emmett said, chuckling, making us all laugh.

"No way." Edward laughed. "It has to be something catlike."

"Well, what colour is it?" Jasper asked.

"They think orange and white." I told him, looking over my seat at the boys.

"What about Creamsicle?" Emmett asked, making Edward laugh.

"Pumpkin?" Jasper added.

"I like them both." I said, looking over at Edward.

He laughed, and looked back at me. "Robert Creamsicle Pumpkin Swan Cullen?" He asked, making me laugh. The look on his face was priceless.

"You don't like it?" I asked him, reaching over to squeeze his leg.

Edward chuckled. "You do?"

"It's growing on me." I admitted. And it truly was. All the Cullen boys had picked a name for him, and I thought it showed how much this cat was already loved, even though none of us had met him yet.

I looked back at the boys and they both looked so hopeful that we would choose their name. "Okay." Edward laughed. "We'll go with that ridiculously long and embarrassing name for now. But if the cat is too ashamed to go out in public, I'm blaming you guys."

"Yes." Emmett said, high fiving Jasper. I put my hand back and both guys gave me a high five. I looked back at Edward and he was smiling. He loved the name; he was just teasing us.

The last ten minutes until we pulled into the turn off for Lake Crescent, we came up with a list of things to buy the kitten. We decided on bowls, food, toys, a pet carrier, a scratching post, a bed, kitty litter and a litter box.

I was so excited to get this cat. I couldn't wait to watch Edward holding it. The kitten would look so small in Edward's large hands. But I knew that Edward would baby this cat, just like he did with his sister and little cousins.

I had been so nervous this morning about getting the kitten. I mean, it was a little life that deserved care, love and comfort. And it was in my personality to want to nurture and spoil it, like a baby. But, the more we talked about it, the more my nerves turned into excitement. I knew we could handle this kitten. Edward and I were going to make great kitty parents.


	402. Stones

**A/N - Thanks so much for reading! Have a great weekend! Enjoy!**

Chapter 402 - Stones

We pulled into the parking lot at the lake and Liam pulled up, just as we were getting out of the car. The guys all piled out of the car and the look on their faces was adorable. They were in awe. I pulled my camera out of my purse and snapped some pictures of them.

"This is beautiful." Kevin said, smiling. All the boys walked down the beach to the water.

"Okay, boys. Stand together. I'll get your picture." I suggested. Edward leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of my head, before walking down to the edge of the lake with his brothers, cousins and uncle.

Liam stood in the middle and Edward, Emmet and Jasper stood to his left, while Riley, Sam and Kevin stood to his right. All the boys were in a line and had their arms around each other's shoulders. They were all smiling and laughing, so I took a few shots of them, a couple zoomed in and a couple to show the gorgeous scenery behind them. They were all so lucky to have each other.

"Okay, looks great, guys." I said, walking over to them. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist, and leaned down to kiss my lips.

"Thank you, baby." He said, smiling at me.

"Of course." I said. I would never miss an opportunity to capture Edward's gorgeous face on camera.

We didn't have very much time, but we walked along the shore for about ten minutes. Growing up in Chicago, the guys didn't get a chance to see the mountains. This scenery was literally breathtaking, and it was almost impossible to describe. You had to experience it. There was crisp and cool mountain air, the faint smell of pine and fresh water, and scenery that rivalled any postcard.

Liam leaned down and started picking up a bunch of stones. He leaned to his right and threw one on the stones out into the lake, making it skip about four times. So all the boys decided that they were going to skip rocks, too. And, being guys, they had to compete to see who could get their stone to skip the farthest.

All the guys threw impressive numbers. Edward had five skips, once, and Riley got six, but no one beat Liam. He actually got his to bounce seven times. It was insane, and I had no idea how he did it.

"Here, baby." Edward said, after having found me some flat stones to throw. I tossed one and it just plopped into the lake, making a splash. I tried to throw it from the side, like the guys were doing, but I same the sad result.

Edward walked over to me and smiled before kissing my lips. "You look so cute doing this, you know." He said, sneaking another kiss.

"I look cute when I screw up?" I asked, giggling.

"You always look cute, Bella." He laughed. "Come here." He said. "Hold the stone between your index finger and your thumb." He said, passing me a stone. I looked at his hand to make sure I was holding it right.

He stood behind me and turned us so my left side was facing the lake. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Now crouch down a little and lean back." He took my right hand in his and placed his left hand on my stomach. He guided my body in a practice throw, bringing my arm across my body.

"Good job, baby. Just throw it low and let it spin off your finger." He said. I bit my lip to hold back a smile. Only Edward Cullen could make skipping rocks on a lake sexy. And he was very successful at that. "Okay, give it a try." He said, stepping back.

I followed what Edward taught me and the stone sunk again. I turned and looked at Edward, shrugging my shoulders. He chuckled. "Do it again. It takes practice." He said, passing me another rock.

I tried again and again and again. I didn't seem to be getting it, and Edward was trying so hard to be supportive, but I could tell he was holding back his laughter. I started laughing with him and he came over and squeezed me to his chest. He looked down at me and smiled.

"You are just too perfect, Bella Swan." He said, smiling at me.

"Well, thank you Edward Cullen." I giggled. "That was fun, even though I couldn't get it."

"You'll get it one day, babe." He told me, reaching up to smooth my hair down my back. "If I have to spend forever holding you in my arms and going over and over the technique to skip stones, then we'll do it. We'll be put little Robert in his kitty carrier and bring a picnic and we'll come to the lake and throw rocks in the water."

"I love that, baby." I said, smiling, setting my palms flat on his chest, and standing up on my toes to reach his lips. He leaned down to press his lips to mine. It was a perfect moment. This lake was becoming a really special place for us.

"Okay, lovebirds." Liam said, chuckling. "My beautiful big sister, Esme just phoned and they're wondering what kind of trouble seven guys and one Bella could have gotten into during a forty five minute drive."

"Are they already in Port Angeles?" Edward asked his uncle.

"Yeah, they just got there." Liam said. "How far are we away from there?"

"Only like ten or fifteen minutes." Emmett said, as we all started to walk back to the cars. "Do you guys want to come back tomorrow morning for a hike?"

"That sounds cool." Riley said. "I'm in." The rest of the guys agreed, as well, before we got back in the cars and drove to the city.

We parked at the dock, and I smiled as I saw all the Cullens and Masens standing together, looking out at the harbour. This was such a huge group, Port Angeles wouldn't know what hit it.

Esme told everyone that we were going to go to the Marine Life Center. There were tide pools and touch tanks for the kids. I was excited about it. Edward took my hand and we walked with the group up the street and then into the center. It was small, but it was amazing.

There was so much to see and I had a blast watching the little girls' faces as they giggled putting their hands into the water. Alice was absolutely loving having her little cousins here with her. She was such a social girl. And I loved that Esme had planned an activity for the kids, first. This would give them something to talk about for the rest of the day.

We went outside and got to see some otters sitting on a small wooden dock. There were some pretty sea birds out here as well. I got lots of pictures of the kids and the wildlife. We stayed at the center until around twelve thirty, and everyone was getting hungry for lunch.

We went with the easy choice for this many people: McDonalds. You really couldn't go wrong with fast food. "Hey, Bella. McNuggets." Edward whispered in my ear, chuckling. When we had been in Jacksonville to visit my mom, I had made Edward stop at the McDonalds for chicken nuggets. And it looked like he remembered.

I smiled up at his face. "Darn right." I said, making him laugh. I left him in line to order for me, before I ran to the bathroom. I came back out and sat down beside Esme. It looked like the family was literally taking up half of the restaurant.

"Hey, sweetheart." Esme said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "How are you doing? I haven't really had much of a chance to talk to you in the last few days."

Esme Cullen was one of the nicest, most warm hearted women I had ever met. She had dozens of relatives down to visit and was trying to entertain them all, but she still took time to check in with me. I absolutely loved her.

"I'm good, actually." I told her. "You're going to get your first grandpet tomorrow." I said, giggling. Esme frowned at me, and I had to laugh. "Edward and I stopped at the station last night to visit my dad and he told us that they had found an abandoned kitten."

"Oh, no. Is it alright?" Esme asked, setting her hand on her chest.

"Well, I guess he was a little thin and dirty, so he's staying at the vet's for now, but Edward and I decided to adopt him." I told her proudly. "We're getting our little Robert early. So, you're going to be a grandma."

Esme giggled, before pulling me into a hug. "Well, that's exciting news." She said, as Edward walked up to the table and sat down beside me.

"You're lunch, beautiful." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. His aunts all awed, and Edward laughed, shrugging his shoulders. This boy was not at all embarrassed about public displays of affection, even in front of his family. "What's exciting?" He asked his mom.

"Well, I hear I'm going to be getting a grandpet." Esme said, giggling.

Edward smiled, and he looked so excited. His anticipation for this kitten, made me even more thrilled than I already was. "You are, mom." He said. "And wait until you hear his full name. It's bigger than he is." Edward chuckled, lightly bumping me with his shoulder.

I didn't care that everyone laughed when they heard Robert Creamsicle Pumpkin Swan Cullen. I knew once everyone met our little angel, it would be love at first sight.


	403. Ferries and Flowers

**A/N - Happy Sunday! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 403 - Ferries and Flowers

After lunch, Carlisle and Esme surprised us by telling everyone that we were taking the ferry to Victoria, British Columbia for the afternoon. I was so excited as I had never been to Canada before. We all drove to the port and boarded the ferry. It was going to be a ninety minute trip on the water, so we would be getting to Victoria at about 2:30pm. The ferry was leaving Victoria at 7:30pm, so we would have about five hours to explore the city. It wasn't a long trip, but it was going to be a nice getaway.

The ferry was a huge white and red ship. We all stood along the edge, by the railings and looked out into the Juan de Fuca Strait. We thought we saw some seals, poking their heads out of the water, but they were too far out to tell.

After about a half hour, Kevin and Sam were looking pretty seasick, so we decided to go inside for a while. Much to Edward's delight, there was a gift shop onboard. He found me a t-shirt right away. I had to laugh at him. The second he walked into a gift shop, he went straight to the t-shirt rack.

Edward picked out a huge teal blue t-shirt with a picture of two jumping orca whales on it, and the ferry in the background. It read 'Black Ball Ferry Line.'

I laughed at him, and he threw it over his arm and started to walking to the front of the store. "I think you pick the tackiest ones out on purpose." I told him.

He smiled at me. "I just want you to have a souvenir of every single place we've gone and everything we've done together."

I raised my eyebrows up at him, and tipped my head. That was sweet, but I didn't buy it. Edward burst out laughing. "Okay, I think you look cute in them, and I like when you laugh, so I do try the find the craziest shirt on the rack." Edward admitted. "But, what I said before is true. When I see you in a specific t-shirt, I remember all the great moments we shared in each place."

I reached up and put my hands on his cheeks, bringing his lips down to meet mine, and I pressed a hard kiss square on his lips. "I love you." I told him, smiling.

He smiled back. "I know." I slid my hand in his back pocket and walked with him to pay for the shirt. He seemed pretty proud of his purchase. I couldn't wait until we got home tonight so I could wear it to bed for him. After all, tonight was our last night without our kitten, like Edward said, so we did have to make it count.

We went to join the rest of the Cullens and Masens, and listened to all the little girls play with their new stuffed animals. It looked like Carlisle had bought each girl a stuffed whale or seal. They were trying to figure out what sounds the animals made, and they had us all laughing.

At two thirty, we docked in Victoria. We hadn't brought our cars, so we decided to see what we could on foot, or by bus. We took the bus to the Butchart Gardens. I had picked up a brochure on the ferry and was reading it to Edward on the bus.

"It's fifty five acres of lawns, flowers, shrubs and water features. There are numerous winding paths which showcase our spectacular views." I said. I looked up at his face. "Just think of all the photo opportunities."

Edward chuckled. "You're so cute." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and I rested my head on his.

We got to the gardens in about twenty minutes and we all piled off the bus. When we walked through the gates, I was blown away by the beauty of the property. There was just so much to see. There were beautifully sculpted hedges, fountains and just bed after bed of the prettiest colors of flowers you could imagine. It was breathtaking.

We spent the next hour and a half walking along the paths, going over bridges and taking pictures of each other. Edward and I sat on cute little bench under a tree for a break. I took out my phone and called my dad, smiling as he answered.

"Hey, dad. Guess where I am?" I asked, giggling.

He chuckled along with me. "Well, I know you're not in prison, so I have no idea." He teased.

"I'm in Canada." I laughed. "Can you believe it?"

He laughed. "Canada? You and Edward aren't eloping, are you?" He asked. I think he wanted to joke with me, but I sensed a little concern in his voice.

"No, dad." I laughed, and I heard Edward chuckled quietly beside me. He must have heard my dad. "Esme decided to bring everyone up to Port Angeles for the day, but after lunch, we took the ferry to Victoria."

"Well, that sounds like fun, kiddo." He said. "Oh, I've got a call, Bells. Bring me back some maple syrup." He teased, making me laugh.

"Okay, I love you. I'll call you when we get back home." I told him.

"Love you, too." He said, before hanging up.

I slipped my phone back in my purse and rested my head on Edward's shoulder.

"So your dad thinks we're eloping, huh?" Edward laughed.

"Well, it's an idea." I said. Edward pulled back and looked at my face. He looked surprised that I even said it.

"Are you serious?" He asked, reaching out to hold my hand. "Like have you thought about that?"

I leaned in and kissed his lips. "Well, I think about marrying you all the time, Edward." I told him. "But, no. I want our families with us, for sure. It's too important."

Edward smiled at me, reaching up to caress my cheek. "You're right." He agreed. "And I think about marrying you all the time, too. I think what I would miss if we eloped, was watching you walk down the aisle."

I smiled at Edward. "We'll get there, babe." I said. "Plus, this year will give me time to train the cat to sit in a basket or something, for the wedding."

Edward laughed. "Sounds like a plan." He said, bringing my hand up to his lips. "All perfect weddings have basket kittens."

I laughed, standing up, offering my hand to Edward. "Okay, maybe we'll have Alice walk him down the aisle in a little harness, or something." I said, laughing as Edward got up and took my hand.

"You're crazy, Bella." He laughed.

"I know." I said, smiling up at his face. "Come on. Let's go to the gift shop. I need to get my dad some Canadian maple syrup."

"Is that what he wants?" Edward asked.

"He said that he did, but I think he was teasing." I said. "But I think it would be cute if I got it for him, anyway."

"Yeah, he'll like that." He said. "And maybe I can get you a t-shirt from Canada." He looked so excited, that wasn't going to fight him on it.

"Alright, babe." I laughed. "But, I'm going to have so many t-shirts, you're not going to be able to decide what you want me to wear each night."

"Maybe I'll need a fashion show." He said, winking at me. "Every night to help me decide."

"Deal." I agreed. We ended up having really good luck in the gift shop. Edward found me a white t-shirt with a big, red Canadian maple leaf on the front. It looked a little see though, but I didn't worry about things like that anymore. When we had our apartment, Edward and I would be free to wear whatever we wanted. I was really looking forward to that. Edward and I were engaged, but I knew that us being alone together, living together, our relationship would get even stronger.

I was excited that I found my dad a big glass jar of pure maple syrup. I found Heidi some herbal soap that was handmade on Vancouver Island. It smelled so pretty. I got my mom a big jar of nutmeg and ginger body lotion. I also found a book of postcards. There were ten different photos of the gardens. I thought they were pretty, and I decided that I was going to send them to Angie whenever I was thinking of her.

I carried all my souvenirs to the till and I saw Edward standing there waiting for me. I didn't even notice he disappeared. He had a small bag in his hand, and he had a mischievous grin on his face. My boy liked to spoil me.

I bought my souvenirs and Edward and I went to sit outside and wait for everyone to leave the gift shop. "What did you buy, babe?" I asked him, putting my hand on his thigh and rubbing his leg.

He laughed. "Oh, I got you a flower." He said, smiling. He pulled a little box out of the bag and passed it to me. I smiled, looking up at his face, before I opened the box. I pulled out a small glass square, about three inches wide. It had about five pansies pressed flat in it. And had a magnet on the back. "They're flowers from this garden, and they're already pressed." He laughed.

I wrapped my arm around Edward's neck and gave him a hug. "It's beautiful. I love it, babe." I said. "It's going to look great on our fridge. In our apartment." Edward's face lit up. In four days, we would officially get the keys to our very own apartment.


	404. Pencils and Pet Stores

**A/N - Okay, guys...I'm heading up to the mountains! If you don't see a chapter from me this week, it's because I can't get an internet connection. But, I'll try! You know I'm as addicted to this as you are. Have a great day! Thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 404 - Pencils and Pet Stores

Carlisle came out of the gift shop with a big box. He reached in and pulled out two pencils with maple leaf erasers, passing one to me and one to Edward. "There you go." He said, laughing. Edward laughed, looking up at his dad. He looked like he was going to make a joke or tease his dad, but Carlisle spoke first. "Don't say anything Edward. It was cheaper for me to buy the entire box, so just take your pencil like a good son."

I started laughing at them. They had a precious relationship. "Thank you, Carlisle." I said, smiling. "I'm going to do all my homework with this pencil."

"You are very welcome, Bella." Carlisle said, smiling at Edward, as he emphasized my name. "Funny that my best behaved child isn't even one of biological children." He said, making Edward laugh. It meant so much to me that Carlisle considered me to be one of his kids.

I must have been glowing at the compliment, because Edward leaned over and pinched my side. "Teacher's pet." Edward whispered, making me laugh.

I started giggling because that didn't even make sense. "Look, you. I'm going to be the teacher and I expect you to be the apple polisher." That really got Edward laughing. He leaned down and kissed my cheek.

Everyone eventually made it out of the gift shop and we loaded back onto the bus. Carlisle spent the entire trip back into the city passing out pencils to all the kids. I thought it was adorable.

Edward kept tracing the end of his pencil up and down the outside of my thigh. I don't know why, because it wasn't even sexual, but I was getting really turned on. I bit my lip and looked up at his face. He was looking at my face. That's when I knew he was doing it on purpose.

He smiled at me, trying to look innocent. I reached down and quickly pulled the pencil out of his hand. He looked shocked and then laughed. "Okay, Mr. Cullen. I'm going to have to confiscate that." I said, slipping it my bag from the souvenir store.

He chuckled, and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "Mm. Yes, Miss Swan." He whispered. "Maybe we'll have to play teacher, later. And I'll be the really bad boy that needs detention."

I looked over at Edward, and I'm sure my eyes were bugging out of my head. He was incredibly frisky today, there was no doubt about that. We hadn't done a whole lot of role playing with each other, and when we did, we weren't very good at it, but I saw it as something else we did that strengthened the bond we had together.

"Too much?" He asked, reaching over to hold my hand.

I giggled. "No. That was okay. Just don't say sexy things to me when we're so far from my bedroom." I said into his ear. Edward smirked at me, and I knew we were in for some fun when we got back home.

The bus parked back at the harbour and we stopped at a deli to get sandwiches for dinner. We ate outside looking out at the water. It was nice to get some food in our stomachs for sure. All the walking really did make a person hungry.

While we ate, Edward called the veterinary clinic to check on Robert. I waited impatiently to find out how he was, but was reassured by Edward's smile. When he hung up, he took my hand.

"Okay. He was a little underweight, but they cleaned him up and he's happy and healthy. Apparently he likes to cuddle, and he's got the all the girls in the clinic fawning all over him." Edward chuckled.

I laughed. "Just like his daddy." I said, patting Edward's leg. "All you two are going to have to do to get what you want is look at me with your big green eyes. I'll be putty in your hands."

"Or paws." Edward laughed, before winking at me. "And, they said we could come get him tomorrow afternoon." I was just so glad to hear that Robert was healthy. I had been so worried about him. This time tomorrow, I was going to be a mom.

We had about an hour and a half until our ferry came to take us back to Port Angeles. There was a shopping center across the street from the deli, so we decided to check it out. It really was a great idea, because the girls could look at clothes, the guys could look for electronics, and Edward and I could find a pet store.

Jasper and Alice followed us into the pet store. "Why are we going into a pet store?" Alice asked looking up Edward's face.

"Oh, you haven't heard the good news." Edward chuckled. "Bella and I are getting a kitty tomorrow."

"Yay." Alice said hopping up and down. "Can we call her Cinderella?"

I laughed. "No, sweetie. It's a boy, and we're calling him Robert."

"Okay. Can I get him a toy?" She asked. I had to laugh. This cat was going to be beyond spoiled.

"Yeah." Edward told her, picking her up. It was probably a good thing he was holding her, because once you put a kid a pet store, they were running around everywhere. There was so much to see.

Jasper grabbed a shopping cart, and followed behind us. I was glad he was here. He seemed really excited about the kitten. We walked to the cat aisle and I gave Jasper the list. "Okay, what do we need?" I asked.

"Do you want to get the bed first?" He asked. We walked over and found a cute little circular bed, that was lined with really soft plush fabric. I loved it, and I figured Robert would, too. We found a cute little kitty carrier, next. It was black and had mesh panels on the side and front. Our kitty was going to be a traveller, so we were definitely going to need this.

We were looking at the cat dishes and found some cute little ceramic green ones with paw prints on the outside and fish on the inside. They were classy, but cute. Perfect for a spoiled cat. I wanted to wait until we were back in Washington to get food, litter, a litter box and the scratching post. We would have way to much to carry otherwise.

So it was on to toys. We got a couple of little furry balls for the kitten to bat around. Alice found what she wanted to get the cat. It was a little terry cloth stuffed turtle. Apparently it had catnip in it. Alice was really excited about and asked if she could give it to the cat herself, and of course, Edward agreed. Jasper picked out a little wand with feathers on the end of it and Edward found a big fuzzy mouse.

"He has to learn his cartoon cat heritage." Edward said, winking at me. "Sylvester the cat taught his son to hunt mice." We all laughed at Edward and I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing a kiss to kiss to his chest. He was too perfect.

Edward bought all our kitty supplies and we carried them out in two big bags. Jasper held Alice's hand and we met up with everyone out front of the center.

"So, you're sure you're just getting a cat?" Liam asked Edward.

"It's a spoiled cat, Liam." I corrected. "And this is only half of what he needs."

"Yeah." Alice said. "And I picked a toy for him."

"Oh, did you?" Liam asked, lifting her up. She wrapped her arms around her neck and he carried her back over to Esme and Carlisle.

We all piled back onto the ferry, and Edward and I sat together on a bench on the deck. I leaned my head on his chest and closed my eyes. I was so tired. Edward wrapped his arm around me and held me close to his body.

I woke up when I felt Edward move. I grabbed his wrist and looked his watch. It was 8:30pm. We would reach Port Angeles in a half hour.

Edward pressed a kiss to my cheek. "Have a good sleep?" He asked, smiling at me.

"Yeah. I was tired, but I didn't think I would fall asleep. I'm sorry I wasn't very good company." I said, rubbing his thigh.

"Don't worry about it." He chuckled. "I slept, too."

"Oh, good." I whispered. "You're well rested for our night together."

Edward laughed, before leaning in to bite my earlobe. "I will always have enough energy for you." He breathed into my ear. I smiled. Tonight couldn't come soon enough.

After the ferry reached the port, we gathered all our bags and walked back to the cars. Edward's trunk was full. Edward, Emmett, Jasper and I all got back in the car and made a quick stop at Walmart. We picked up some cans of kitty food, a cute blue litter box, some cat litter and a scoop. We decided to wait on the scratching post for now. I also found a cute little powder blue harness and a little leash. I thought the kitty might like to play in the yard and I wasn't going to risk losing him.

We got back in the car and headed back to Forks. It had been an amazing day with the family, and Edward and I were as ready for the kitten as possible. But, now, I was looking forward to a night alone with my fiancé.


	405. Taste of Spain

**A/N - So I survived my first day in the mountains...but I'll be up and at 'em first thing in the morning, so I'm giving you Tuesday's chapter now! And I have internet access! Enjoy! **

Chapter 405 - Taste of Spain

We got back to the house and met Liam, Riley, Sam and Kevin in the kitchen of my dad's place. The kitchen smelled amazing, and Liam was stirring a pan on the stove. It looked like Liam had all the boys chopping vegetables on the counter.

"What smells so good?" Edward asked.

"Oh, we're making paella." Liam said. "I learned a new recipe when I was over in Spain a couple weeks ago, and I thought I'd see if I could impress Bella with my cooking skills." He laughed. "Plus, a sandwich five hours ago is just not cutting it for me. I'm starving."

"Well, consider me impressed." I said, going over to the stove to give Liam a hug. "Thank you so much."

"There's no fish in it, is there?" Edward asked, making Emmett and Jasper laugh.

"No, buddy." Liam said, smiling. "I know my nephews, and one thing I know is that you hate fish."

"Can I help?" I asked him, washing my hands in the sink.

"No, go relax." Liam said. "You do enough. It'll be ready in about a half hour."

"Thank you, Liam." I said. I was really excited to try an authentic Spanish recipe.

Edward carried all of our bags of kitty supplies up to my room. He flopped down on my bed. "I'm exhausted." He said, smiling at me.

"I know. So am I." I said. "Why don't you have a quick nap. I'm going to call my dad and then run and have a quick shower, okay?"

"Aw. I don't get to join you?" Edward asked, winking at me.

"No, baby." I said, walking over to him and lightly patting is stomach. "But, I'll make it up to you later."

"Mm. Deal." He laughed. He reached his arms out and pulled me close for a hug. "I love you, baby." He said, kissing my neck and cheek.

I smiled. Edward could tell me that he loved me a hundred times a day, and I would never get tired of hearing it. The feeling of having someone care about you that much was indescribable. I loved it, and I loved him even more.

"I love you, too." I said, turning my face to kiss his lips. "So, so much." I said, kissing him, again.

I called my dad to let him know that we had made it home safely, and what our plans were for the next day. I told him that we would bring the kitten to the station so he could meet little Robert tomorrow afternoon. After we said 'I love you,' I hung up.

I reached in the souvenir bag and pulled out my tacky whale t-shirt, before I went to my drawer to get a pair of yoga capris, a pair of black panties and a soft cotton sports bra. Edward smiled at me, as I walked over to the door. "I'll be right back." I said, smiling.

I had a quick shower and got dressed before French braiding my hair. The t-shirt was so big, it hit me mid thigh, and the neckline slipped off my shoulder, but it was cute. I walked back into my room, and couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

Edward had set up the kitty bed, the litter box and the food and water dishes under my bedroom window. He even had the mouse toy in the bed. He was laying on my bed in his plaid pyjama pants, and no shirt.

"Oh, babe." I said, smiling as I walked over to him. "Thank you for setting this all up."

Edward got up and pulled me into his arms. "Of course. Our baby needs a home." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips.

"He's going to love it here." I said, running my palms over his bare back. "Let's go eat."

Edward took my hand and led me down the stairs. "Did I mention how sexy you look in that t-shirt?" Edward whispered in my ear, making me smile. "Eat quick. I want to take it off of you."

I smiled, but bit my lip. My boy was so hot. Ever since the ferry trip to Canada, I had wanted to get Edward in bed. And now I was only about a half hour away from getting my wish.

We walked in the kitchen and no one was there. I pulled Edward into the living room and we found all the guys watching TV, holding their plates.

"Hey, guys." Liam said. "You're plates are on the coffee table."

Edward and I sat together in the recliner and Jasper passed our plates to us. It smelled amazing. I took a bite and I moaned. "This is delicious, Liam." I said. "What's in it?"

"Rice, chicken, vegetables and spices." Liam said. "It's pretty easy, actually."

"Do you have a recipe?" I asked him.

He laughed. "Nope. I met this woman and she showed me how to make this from memory. So I just tried really hard to remember. It tastes about the same." He said, shrugging his shoulder.

"A woman, huh?" Riley asked, nudging his uncle in the arm. "Do we get a name, or do you remember?"

Liam shook his head. "I'm not that bad." He laughed. "If you must know, her name is Ana Flores, and she lives in San Roque in the very south of Spain. She's about twenty five years old, sweet as sugar and absolutely gorgeous."

"Are you going to keep in touch with her?" I asked him.

"I doubt it." He said. "I'm not moving to Spain and there is no way she would leave her home town and her family's business for a guy she only knew for a couple days."

I was so sad for Liam. He seemed like he had a lot of love to give, but couldn't find the perfect woman for him. I was excited that he was going to move to Seattle. At least he wouldn't be alone. He would have Edward living in the same city as him, and he would have me working my hardest at matchmaking for him.

"But, don't get all crazy over this." Liam said, looking at me. "I only knew her for two days, and we're not meant to be, or anything like that. It was nice to meet her and maybe I'll look her up sometime, but there is no future there. We left as friends, so it still had a happy ending."

I smiled at him. "Understood." I said. "But, if you ever talk to her, again, tell her that she has an amazing paella recipe. This is really good."

"Will do." Liam laughed. "I'm glad you guys like it."

We all hung out in the living room, watching old cartoons for the next half hour as we finished our meal. The guys were laughing at the Bugs Bunny and Tweety show, and when Sylvester the cat came on, teaching his son how to hunt mice, Edward wrapped his arms around my waist, and laughed.

"That's me and Robert." He whispered in my ear, making me laugh.

I looked over and noticed some of the boys drifting off. "Okay, guys. We're going to bed." I said, getting up to give them all hugs. "Just leave the dishes, Liam. I'll do them in the morning."

"Make Edward wash them." Liam laughed.

Edward chuckled. "Hey, I help." He said, faking that he was offended.

"Yeah, yeah. Get to bed." Liam laughed. We said our goodnights and Edward took my hand and, after we brushed our teeth, led me to our room.

He locked the door and flicked out the light. "Finally." He said, making me laugh. I pulled off my yoga pants and slid my bra out of my sleeve, before crawling into my bed. Edward crawled over top of me and laid down. "Mm. No matter where we travel, this is my favourite place to be."

I laughed. "In a twin sized bed with purple blankets?" I teased, making Edward chuckle. He leaned in to kiss my lips.

"The bed doesn't matter." He said. "The location doesn't matter. What matters to me, is that I'm laying in bed with you."

"You mean, laying in bed on me." I said, biting my lip to hold back my laughter.

He laughed. "Exactly." He said, pressing another kiss to my lips. "I didn't want to be crude."

"It's not crude." I told him. "It's nice. You know that I love it when you're on top of me, and in control."

"I like this, too, Bella." He said, against my lips before kissing me softly. I loved romantic Edward, but right now, I needed a more.


	406. Kissing

**A/N - Thank you all for the sweet reviews! I am having a great time up here! The mountains are gorgeous! So, here is Wednesday's chapter. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

Chapter 406 - Kissing

Edward was laying on top of me in my bed. The lights were out and we were finally alone. He was saying sweet things to me, but I wanted to hear him tell me something sexier, dirtier even. I had been craving this moment all day.

I brought my hands up to his hair and gave it a little tug, trying to show him without words what I really wanted. I could see Edward smirking, even in the darkness of the room. He could read my body, my face and my actions very easily. We were very in tuned to each other's need and desires. It had taken us some time, but we were learning quickly.

Edward leaned in to lick my lips. I don't know what it was about an action as simple as that, but it turned me on beyond belief. I hummed, and Edward smiled against my lips. I pressed a kiss to his lips and he kissed me back. He took my bottom lip into his mouth and sucked on it.

It was crazy, but all the little things he did to me felt like so much more. My entire body felt warm and tingly. I loved it. I brought my head up so I could kiss him. He kissed me back before he started in with a series of open mouth kisses.

I was loving every second of this. To me, kissing was so important. Edward and I had kissed the entire summer. It was the way we were intimate with each other. We had been taking things so slowly, that making out was how we relieved the sexual tension between us. But since we had dialled things up a notch, and gotten more comfortable with being naked together, kissing was always just a starting point to more.

And I understood that it made total sense that way. I was getting worked up as I kissed him. But, it was definitely nice to spend a while just kissing each other. I had never kissed another man, and I never would. Edward had amazing lips and the talent to know what to do with them.

The best part about kissing Edward, was that he didn't just kiss my lips. He read my body and my actions. We kissed each other. If I pulled back a little, he would kiss down to my neck. If I opened my mouth, he would respond with a French kiss. We had amazing chemistry and we just worked together.

"Stop thinking." Edward whispered, laughing. "Just enjoy this."

I smiled at being caught. "Does it count if I was thinking about you?" I asked, leaning in to kiss his lips a couple more times.

"Yes." He said, kissing me, again. He kissed the corner of my mouth before moving down the right side of my neck and along my collar bone until he reached my bare shoulder, where my new t-shirt had slipped off of my shoulder. He swirled his tongue over my bare shoulder and I actually gasped at the sensation.

"Mm. Edward. That feels incredible." I whispered.

He pressed one more kiss to my wet shoulder before moving his kisses down my body. He was kissing me over my t-shirt and I wished that we didn't have this barrier between us. I was humming and making all sorts of nonsensical sounds. I was convinced that Edward's lips held magical powers. He was so good at making me feel good.

I felt his hands slip under my t-shirt, slowly caressing over the front of my underwear, as they moved up my body. The touch was so brief, that I thought for a second it was an accident. But I knew Edward, and every touch was deliberate. He was so careful with my body.

Edward slowly lifted my t-shirt, just high enough that my stomach was showing. He brought his face back down and licked and kissed a random trail, covering every inch of my skin. He kissed a path along the waist band of my panties, before bringing his hands up to slip my t-shirt higher. I lifted my shoulders so he could pull the shirt off of my body. He slowly slid the shirt down my arms, but stopped at my wrists, leaving the shirt bunched around my hands.

"Will you leave your hands there?" He asked. "Or is that too weird?"

I smiled at how protective he was. "It's fine." I told him. I wasn't like I was tied down. Edward just wanted to be in control, like I told him that I liked. He was pretty smart, too. He knew that this would make me focus on his touch, and get out of my head.

Edward smiled, as he got up on his knees, straddling my body, his knees at my ribcage. He leaned forward, holding himself up on his hands and started placing little light kisses on my wrists, working his way down my arms. I tilted my head up to watch him. He was being so sweet, which was such a contrast to the dominant act of loosely binding my hands.

He kissed his way over my armpit on his way to my chest. He was worshipping my body and I felt amazing. I felt the love he was pouring out to me through his touch. Edward sat back up, sitting so his bum was on my hips.

He smiled down at me, as his hands took over for his lips. He gently caressed my body, tracing his fingertips delicately over my breasts, sides and stomach. I was covered in goose bumps and I couldn't help the smile that overtook my face.

I was enjoying this treatment immensely, but I needed to touch his body. I felt like I had to. Right now. I slipped the t-shirt off of my hands and sat up, bringing my arms behind his neck and pulling him down so I could kiss his lips.

"Did that make you uncomfortable?" He asked against my lips, even though I was trying to kiss him.

I giggled. "No, babe. I feel amazing." I told him truthfully, hoping he could read it in my eyes. "I just really needed to touch you. Can I have a turn?"

Edward chuckled. "Whatever the lady wants." He said. He wrapped his arms around my back and leaned back, pulling me on top of him. I laughed, because it was incredibly awkward and Edward bumped his head on the bed post at the foot of my bed.

Edward reached his hand up to touch the back of his head. "Are you alright?" I asked, reaching behind his head to check if there was a bump.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me down so I was laying on top of him. "I'm fine. Just another bruise to my ego." He said, smiling shyly.

I leaned in to kiss his lips. "Stop worrying about things like that." I said. "Let me make you feel good, so you forget all about it."

"Forget about what?" He asked, winking at me.

"Good boy." I said. I rubbed the front of his shoulders, and his chest with my hands. I traced my fingertips down his arms until I reached his hands. He interlocked his fingers with mine and it made me smile. I leaned down and started kissing his chest and stomach.

I pulled one of my hands out of his grip and brought it up to his abs. I dipped my finger in his belly button, and he laughed. "You found my ticklish spot." He said, bringing his hand up to move my fingers away.

"Mm. A new fact about my fiancé." I said smiling. "I wonder what else I can learn about you."

Edward smiled. "I'm an open book." He said, winking at me.

I reached for the waistband of his flannel pants. "Lift up." I said, pulling them down as he lifted his hips, so I could take his sleep pants off. I smiled when I saw Edward's white boxer briefs. He looked so good in them.

I brought my hand up and started gently exploring his body over his underwear. 'Uh' was about the only intelligible word I got out of Edward in the next two minutes. He seemed to really be enjoying himself.

He suddenly just sat up, scaring me a little. "Okay, as good as that feels, can I take over?" He asked as he was already pushing me back on the bed. I giggled, and he laughed. He laid on top of me, before he started moving his body against mine. We both groaned at the feeling. It was a long time coming. We had both been waiting all day for this. And boy, was it worth the wait.

I wrapped my arms around his back and held him close to me. Edward breathed into my neck, as he moved. "Uh, baby." I whimpered, letting go. Edward slowed down a little, but kept moving. The feelings quickly built up in me again, and I brought my hands to his bum, pressing him closer to me.

He groaned at that, but kept his hips moving. I could see the sweat forming on his face. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. His eyes were squeezed shut, his mouth was slightly opened and his chest was heaving. He looked gorgeous.

Finally, I couldn't keep my eyes opened anymore and dropped my head back onto my pillow. Edward slowed his hips and collapsed on top of me. He was hot, sweaty and heavy.

I giggled, trying to squirm out from underneath him. He chuckled, before rolling over, and curling up beside me. "Are you okay?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"I'm amazing." I whispered, my eyes closing, again. "But, so tired."

Edward chuckled. "Good. Get some sleep." He whispered. "I'll be right back." He said, kissing my lips. I licked my lips and could taste the salt of Edward's sweat on them. I smiled as he whispered that he loved me.


	407. Hiking with the Boys

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! Tackled an insanely difficult hike, today. So tired! But here is your Thursday chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 407 - Hiking with the Boys

I woke up on Thursday morning with a smile on my face. Edward was kissing my shoulder, we were going hiking with the boys and Edward and I were getting our kitten this afternoon. It was going to be the best day ever.

"Good morning, gorgeous." Edward whispered, kissing his way up my neck.

I rolled over to snuggle up to Edward's chest. "Good morning." I said, kissing his bare chest. "I'm sorry I fell asleep last night before you got back to bed."

"Ah, it's okay. I had a shower, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, and I had you in my arms, I was out." Edward said.

"But, I wanted to play teacher with you." I said, giggling.

Edward laughed, kissing the top of my head. "We can play that anytime, Miss Swan." He chuckled. "Right now, I just want to kiss you."

"Mm. Okay." I agreed. Edward moved up to my face and placed a hot kiss on my lips. He kissed me a few more times, before he sat up.

"Come on, let's get ready and make breakfast. I can't wait to get the cat." Edward said, hopping off the bed and going into my drawer for a pair of black shorts. The way he was running around the room, he looked like a little boy on Christmas morning. It was absolutely adorable.

I got out of bed, pulled on my sleep shirt and trudged to my bedroom door. I was still tired. Edward had got me up at six-thirty in the morning. I know he was excited for the cat, but that was a little ridiculous. Ridiculous, but cute.

Edward walked over to me and spanked my bum. "Wake up, sleepyhead." He laughed, making me smile. He was so lucky I loved him.

I went to the bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth, put on my makeup and took my hair out of my braid. I pulled it up into a high ponytail before going back in my room. Edward had pulled on a green t-shirt, and was sitting on the bed reading the back of the kitten food cans. He was so sweet.

Edward got up and kissed my lips. "I'll go brush my teeth, and then I'll help you with breakfast, baby." He said, smiling at me.

"Okay. Any preferences on what I should wear today?" I asked, running my fingers over his chest.

"Shorts." He said, smirking at me. "Short shorts."

I laughed at him. He was such a guy. "Okay." Edward left the room and I pulled on my butterfly panties, and my short green cargo shorts I got went we went camping. I slipped on a white cotton bra and a white tank top. I thought I looked pretty cute, and I figured Edward would like what he saw.

I opened the door and met Edward in the hallway. He was talking to Jasper, who was holding his clothes for the day. I said hi to him, before he went in the bathroom. Edward took my hand and led me down the stairs.

"I love the shorts." He whispered. "You look so sexy." I smiled at him.

"Thank you, babe." I said, squeezing his hand. We walked in the kitchen and I laughed. It was a mess from Liam's paella. "Get to work, hottie." I giggled.

"Bella." Edward whined, pouting out his bottom lip, exaggeratedly.

I laughed. "Okay, just get started, and once I get the breakfast cooking, I'll help you." I told him.

"What are you making?" He asked, as he filled the sink with water.

"I was thinking of banana nut muffins." I told him, getting out a bowl and finding a little square of clean countertop space. Edward and I made a good team. I had the muffins in the oven and Edward and I were getting the kitchen cleaned up. By the time the muffins were done, we had the room spotless.

I put the muffins on the table with butter and jam. Edward made coffee and I brought out orange juice and glasses. We had this down to a science. At this rate, we could open a bed and breakfast.

The guys came to eat, and seemed happy with the muffins. The boys were really excited about the hike this morning, so we left for Lake Crescent right after breakfast. It was so nice that the lake was only a half hour from home. Forks really was a great place to live.

We parked in the lot, and headed up one of the trails. Emmett and Liam led the way, followed by Kevin, Edward and I, then Riley, Sam and Jasper behind us. It was fun hiking with the guys. They had non-stop jokes to tell, and I was laughing constantly. Edward's family was amazing and I was so glad that they included me in the group so easily.

We must have hiked for about an hour up hill until we reached the end of the trail. The summit gave us a great view of the forest, mountains and the lake below. It was an incredible view. Edward and I hadn't taken this trail on out third anniversary, so this was a whole new experience for me, as well. Of course we took a bunch of pictures, and I was excited that we ran into some tourists, that were able to get a shot of all eight of us together.

On the way down, we were able to move so much faster. I had a good tight grip on Edward's hand so I wouldn't slip. Emmett told the guys about the hike we took at Beacon Rock when I went into shock after seeing the snake.

"She was hysterically laughing and couldn't control it." Emmett said. The guys laughed at me, but Edward leaned down to kiss my cheek making me smile. He was so amazing.

We got to the bottom of the trail and the guys decided that we should go into the lake. We took off of our shoes and stepped into the water on the smooth rocks. It was ice cold, but refreshing. We went in up to our knees, but of course Emmett started splashing the water around us. The guys turned it into a little water fight.

And of course, being a girl in a white bra and tank top, I hid behind Edward, So unfortunately for him, he got pretty soaked. I got splashed from the side, but I was pressed so tightly to Edward, that the front of my shirt remained dry.

It was fun though, and all the guys were laughing and teasing each other. Even with me hanging onto his back, Edward got Emmett pretty wet. They finally gave up and we went to sit on the beach to dry off. It was hot and sunny so it only took us about a half hour to dry off.

The guys were talking about movies and I just leaned my head on Edward's shoulder and listened to them talk. The boys didn't get to see each other that often, so it was nice they had this time together. I know the aunts and uncles and the rest of the cousins were important to them too, but these boys had the closest bond, and it was nice to see them getting along so well. It was almost like they were all brothers.

When everyone was dried off, we decided to drive to Port Angeles for lunch. We ended up having Chinese food. We just ordered a bunch of dishes and ate off each other's plates. It was so casual, and so much fun.

At around one o'clock, we headed back to Forks. We stopped at the Cullen's place to drop off Emmett and Jasper. Edward and I drove back to my place to get the kitty carrier. I put a towel inside so he had something to snuggle in. It was finally time to pick up our angel.

In the car on the way to the veterinarian's my hands were a little sweaty. Edward parked in front and shut off the car. He turned in his seat to face me and reached out to take my hands. "Are you okay?" He asked, smiling at me.

I smiled back. "Yeah. I'm a little nervous, but mostly excited." I told him.

"I know. Me, too." He agreed. "Like I just want to give him a really good home because he had such a rough start, you know?"

I closed my eyes so I wouldn't cry at Edward's sweet words. "I know exactly how you feel." I told him.

Edward lifted up his hips and reached into his front pocket of his shorts and pulled out a box. "Okay, so I saw this in Canada yesterday in the gift shop and I decided that I wanted to give it to you today." Edward said, smiling.

He opened the box and pulled out a ring, holding it between his thumb and index finger so I would see it. It was a copper ring about a half an inch wide and had a kitten's face cut into it. It was surprisingly detailed for something so small.

"It's laser cut copper." Edward said, smiling. "I saw it and I thought it would be perfect to give you on the day we got Robert."

The tears I tried to hold back, burst through and I leaned forward to wrap my arms around Edward's neck. "I love it. I love you. Thank you so much, Edward. It's perfect." I whispered in her ear. "You're perfect."

He chuckled. "You're welcome." He said. "Let's see if it fits any of your dainty fingers." He laughed. He took my right hand and laughed when it fit my thumb the best. I actually thought it looked really good on my thumb. I loved it.

Edward brought my hand up to kiss it. "It's perfect. Let's go get our kitty."


	408. My Two Boys

**A/N - Thank you so much for reading and your great reviews! I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but it is Thursday, July 29, 2010 in the story. This prairie girl is heading home from the mountains tomorrow, so because I'll be busy packing and driving, here is Friday's chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 408 - My Two Boys

Edward came around to my side of the car and opened my door for me, before he grabbed the kitty carrier from the backseat. I took his hand and we walked into the vet's office.

"Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan here to pick up the abandoned kitten." Edward said to the receptionist at the front desk, as he squeezed my hand. I smiled at him. He was so sweet.

"Okay, why don't you come back to the consultation room and the vet can talk to you." She said. She was really short and had her blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail. She seemed really friendly, and I was glad Robert was in good hands.

We followed her back to a room on the left and sat down by the window to wait. "Okay, the doctor will be right back in with your kitten." She said, leaving us in the room. Edward set the carrier down on the floor and reached over to take my hand. He set our hands on his lap and rubbed my palm.

Not a minute later, the door opened and an older balding man walked into the room. But my eyes immediately darted to the little ball of fur in his arms. Little Robert was so tiny, but was the cutest kitten I had ever seen. He was a peachy, orange color with thin white stripes on his head, big long whiskers and huge eyes.

"Edward and Bella?" He asked walking over to us.

"Yeah." Edward said, standing up. The vet passed Robert to Edward and he held the kitten high on his chest before sitting down. I leaned over and ran the back of my finger over the soft fur between Robert's ears. He was so soft.

"Hi, baby." I said, softly. He meowed the minute I spoke to him, and I smiled, looking up at Edward's face. Edward was absolutely glowing. He looked so happy. I think being a pet parent was definitely agreeing with him.

"I have to say I was so glad to hear that we had people willing to adopt the kitten so quickly." The vet said, smiling. "It was nice that he didn't have to go into a shelter."

"Well, Edward and I had planned to get a kitten in the fall, but when my dad, Chief Swan, told us that there had been an abandoned kitten, we knew right away that we would take him." I said, looking back at Edward.

Robert seemed so content in Edward's arms. Just looking at my two boys together made me smile. Edward had always been the most beautiful person I had ever laid my eyes on. But adding a kitten to the mix was almost too much. I had a feeling I would be taking a lot of pictures of them together.

"Well, I'm glad." The vet said, smiling. "So, the kitten is a little underweight, but he seems to be eating well, and is surprisingly, really quite healthy. He's eating soft food. And in a couple weeks, if you want to add dry food to his diet, just make sure to add some water to make it a little soggy. It's easier for him to eat that way.

"Don't feed him cow's milk. It's hard on his digestive system. Just stick with the kitten food from the pet store. He'll need to be fed about three or four times a day right now." The vet continued. "And if you have any questions, feel free to stop in or give us a call."

"Thank you so much." Edward said smiling, before leaning down to press a kiss to Robert's head.

I got up and opened the zipper on Robert's carrier. Edward gently set him in, and Robert walked around on the towel, as Edward zipped him in. He started meowing a little, and I could tell that he wanted to be held.

"Hang on, Robbie." Edward whispered. "We're going home."

We both shook the vet's hand, before heading back to the front desk. Edward paid for Robbie's care and kennel fees. As we left the front desk, the receptionist smiled at us. "Make sure to bring him in for a visit every now and then. He's pretty popular around here." She laughed.

"Of course." I agreed.

We went to the car and, after I got in, Edward set the carrier on my lap. He leaned in and kissed my lips, making me smile. He ran around to the driver's side, and got in.

I looked down at the kitten through the mesh windows. "Hi, baby boy." I whispered, and Robert meowed. I looked up at Edward. "I want to hold him." I said.

"I know." He said. "Let's go back to your room and just hang out for a little bit. Just the three of us. Because I'm sure once we introduce him to everyone, you're not going to get to hold him."

I smiled. "Yeah. He's going to be pretty popular, isn't he?" I said, smiling down at the kitten.

"He is." Edward said, smiling over at me. "How's he doing in there?"

"He finally laid down in the carrier, but his head is up and he's looking around." I told him. He seemed pretty curious.

"Okay. We're home." Edward said, as he pulled up at my house. I was so wrapped up in the kitten that I hadn't even noticed we were at my dad's place. Edward got out of the car and came around to my side of the car. He took the kitten carrier off of my lap and then held out his free hand for me. We quickly ran up to my room and I closed the door so we wouldn't lose the kitten in the house.

"Okay sit back on the bed and I'll pass you your baby." Edward said, smiling. I sat against my pillows and Edward reached into the cat carrier, and pulled out Robert. Edward held the kitten to his chest as he brought him over to me. He set the kitten on my chest, and I held him close. "There you go, mama." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Thank you, daddy." I giggled. Edward sat on the bed beside me and we watched the kitten lay down on my chest. I was stroking his back and he was purring. He seemed content with us, and that made me beyond happy.

"He's got good taste where he likes to sleep." Edward said, winking at me, as he lightly ran his fingertips over the side of my breast. I laughed, but shook my head.

"So, I'm outnumbered, huh?" I giggled. "I'm the only girl in this family."

"Yeah." Edward said, smiling. "But, us boys are going to spoil you, and show you how special you are to us." He leaned in and placed his hand on my cheek, before bringing his lips to mine. He pressed a couple of light kisses to my lips before deepening the kiss. I moaned.

Robert meowed, and Edward pulled back, laughing. "Hey, you." Edward said, lifting the kitten off of me, and setting him on the bed between us. "We're going to have to make some rules, here. When, I'm kissing mommy, you can't interrupt."

I laughed, as I watched Robert crawl around on my bed in between Edward and I. "Yes, he can, Edward." I giggled. "Should we show him his litter box and his bed?"

"Yeah." Edward said, excitedly. He scooped up Robert and we walked over to the little kitty area that Edward had set up last night. Edward set Robert in his bed and he did what he did in his carrier; he walked in circles. It was really cute. He climbed out of the bed and started walking on the floor. He walked so confidently, and it made me smile. I was glad that he felt safe and secure with me and Edward, especially after his rough start in life.

Edward slid the stuffed mouse across the floor and Robert pounced on it. It was so adorable that I could help but giggle. He played like that for about five minutes, before he walked away.

Edward got up to get him a dish of water from the bathroom, which Robert ignored. "Should we feed him?" I asked Edward. I was still a little unsure about what to do with the kitten.

"Good idea, baby." Edward said, getting up to grab a can of kitten food from the window ledge. "I'll be right back." He said, running out of the room. I watched as the kitten explored the room, walking around on the floor.

Edward came back in the room. "Fork." He said, laughing. He put half of the can in Robert's dish and we laughed as the kitty walked over to check out his meal. He sniffed the food, before he started eating. He was really messy and had the food everywhere; spread in the dish and on the floor.

Edward lifted up the kitty and set him in the litter box. "We have to put him in here after he eats." Edward told me, reaching his fingers into the litter and scratching it around. It was so sweet. He was teaching Robert what to do.

Robert watched Edward's hand, but hopped out of the litter box. Edward picked him back up and gently put him in the litter box, again. "Maybe he doesn't have to go?" I asked, looking over at Edward.

"He does." Edward said, picking up our little escape artist, again and returning him to the box. Robert sniffed in the box before trying to eat some the litter. Edward leaned over to kiss my cheek. "It's okay, honey." He whispered in my ear. I must have looked a little panicked. "The kitten book said that they'll do that."

Edward and I sat for the next five minutes, leaning against the side of my bed, side by side, waiting for the kitten to use his litter box. It might not have been the most romantic way to spend an afternoon, but I loved it. When our baby finally used his litter box, Edward picked him up and cradled him against his chest. He praised Robert for being a good boy, and kissed the top of his head. I loved my two boys.


	409. On My Mind

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing this last week while I was gone. The trip was amazing, as always. I can't get enough mountain air...it's so fresh. But, I'm back. Also, I would just like to throw in a quick reminder that this story is meant to be happy and fluffy, and will continue that way. Thanks, again! Enjoy! **

Chapter 409 - On My Mind

Edward and I spent another half hour playing with Robert. We gave him his ball toy and he batted it around for awhile. He started to look really tired, so Edward picked him up and laid him down in his bed. He was asleep in seconds. It was so sweet how he could go from frisky one minute to out cold the next. But I figured growing kittens needed their rest.

Edward took my hand and we got onto the bed together, laying down in each other's arms. "So, what do you think?" Edward asked me, running his fingers through my hair.

"About Robert?" I asked, lightly rubbing Edward's back. "I love him. It's funny. It was an instantaneous feeling, too. Like the second I saw him, I fell for him, and I knew he would be perfect for us."

Edward leaned in to kiss my lips, before pulling back and smiling. "I know how you feel. He's a lot of work right know, but I think once we get his routine down, and he gets used to his surroundings, it will seem like we always had him."

I smiled, peaking over Edward's shoulder. The kitten was fast asleep. "I want to introduce him to everyone, but I don't want to wake him up, yet." I told Edward. If my kitten was tired, who was I to wake him from his nap?

"I agree." Edward said, winking at me. "What do you want to do to pass the time?" He asked, lifting his eyebrows up and down, making me laugh.

"Well, I don't know if you remembered or not, but I should be getting my birth control pills tomorrow." I said, feeling my cheeks heat up at the gravity of the statement.

"Of course I remembered." Edward said, cupping my face with his hand. He leaned in to press a kiss to my lips. "A lot happening this week, huh?" He chuckled.

"Yeah. It's borderline crazy." I laughed. "But, I know that one thing has been on my mind a lot."

"What's that?" Edward asked, smiling at me.

"Being with you." I admitted. "You know, um, making love." I said, biting my lip.

Edward smiled at me, his sweet, amazing and supportive, best fiancé on earth, smile. "I know how you feel, because I think about that a lot, too." Edward said, pressing a kiss to my lips.

"Um, I was wondering if I could, or, um, if you would, uh." I let out a deep breath. I wished I wasn't so nervous about talking about sex. It was hard to put my feelings into words.

Edward leaned in and kissed my lips softly a few times. "Tell me, baby." Edward whispered. "We can do anything you want."

"The condoms." I said, before closing my eyes.

Edward kissed my closed eyelids making me smile. "You want to try putting it on me?" He asked, and I nodded my head.

I got up and went to my purse, pulling one out. I walked back over to Edward and passed it to him. He set it on the bedside table, before leaning back in and wrapping his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. He kissed me, and it turned passionate, quickly.

I rolled onto my back and Edward moved so he was laying on top of me. He started lightly rocking into my body, making me hum quietly. I wasn't expecting him to start doing that in the middle of our conversation, but I was loving it.

I was pretty sure he was doing it to help me relax. And, boy, was it working. I was always worried that me being nervous would make Edward think that I didn't want to do things with him. But, that was so far from the truth. I was so attracted to him, it wasn't even funny. I just had trouble expressing it in words.

Edward made me feel amazing as usual, before sitting up. He looked down at me and traced his fingers over my breasts. "Do you want to try?" He asked, pulling off his shirt.

I smiled at him. "Yeah. But you're going to have to show me what to do." I said, sitting up, and reaching for the waistband of his shorts. Edward stood up and pulled off his shorts and underwear. He sat back on the bed and I pushed his shoulder so he would lay back down.

I let my fingers explore his body a little and Edward was watching my hand. "Mm, Bella." He breathed. "You have to stop doing that." He chuckled. "It feels too good." I smiled at his face. I love that he encouraged me so much.

"Okay, so should we try it?" He asked me. I knew that he had done this before. He told me that he practiced by himself a couple of times, and I know that his dad had talked to him about it a lot. But, I didn't think it would hurt for me to learn, too. I figured that I might be more comfortable if I was a part of the process.

"Um, yeah." I said, leaning over to the bedside table to pick up the condom.

Edward reached up and put his palm on my cheek, guiding my head down to his lips so he could kiss me. "Mm, baby. You are so sexy." He said, smiling up at my face. I put my hand on his chest, caressing his skin.

"Okay, let's do this." I said, giggling. Edward smiled when I laughed. He looked relieved that I wasn't so nervous, anymore. Edward talked me through every step. It was actually way easier than I thought.

"Was that okay?" Edward asked. "Not too bad, right?"

I smiled. "No, it was easy." I said, lightly scratching my nails on his abs. "Does it feel weird, though?

"Um, not really." He said. "It's different, but it's our only option right now." He pulled me close to his body, so I was laying against his side. "I don't want to you worry about it, okay? It's going to be great. I love you and I want you to feel good."

I smiled up at his face and kissed his cheek. "I love you, too, Edward." I told him. I traced my hand from his chest, down past his stomach. I wanted him to feel good, too.

"Uh, babe." Edward groaned. He leaned into my body and buried his face into my hair. He wrapped my arms tightly around my shoulders. He was breathing hard and it was amazing. I loved that I could make Edward react like this.

"Ah, Bella." He whispered, before flopping back on the bed. I giggled as I looked down at his face. He looked completely relaxed and happy.

I leaned over him and started kissing his face everywhere. He was so beautiful and I loved him so much. He was chuckling, so I just kept kissing him. I loved his laugh and I wanted to hear more and more of it.

"Mm, I love you, baby." Edward said, leaning up to kiss my lips. "I'm going to go clean up, okay?"

"Okay." I said, laying back on the bed and smiling as I watched Edward's bare bum walking to the bathroom. I rolled over onto my stomach and looked over at little Robert. He was sound asleep. I was so happy that he had slept though mine and Edward's little escapade in bed. Edward and I had a strong relationship and I was glad that the kitten was fitting in well, already.

Edward came back in the room fully dressed. He came to lay beside me on the bed, on his stomach. He leaned into me and bumped me with his shoulder. "He's still asleep?" Edward asked, smiling at the kitten.

"Yeah, can you believe it?" I laughed.

"No, actually." Edward laughed, reaching over to take my hand in his. "He didn't seem to like when I kissed you earlier, so I'm really surprised he let me get frisky with you."

I laughed. "Well, I think the secret is to get Robert really tired first." I told him, turning my head to kiss his shoulder.

Edward laughed. "Fine by me." He said.

We watched Robert for about five more minutes, just watching his little chest rise and fall in his sleep. He was such a beautiful little creature and I felt so lucky that we got to take care of him.

Robert stretched his little legs, before getting up. He hopped out of his bed and walked over to his water dish. He had a drink and then walked over to his litter box. He walked around it, and then hopped in. He dug around a little before peeing. I was so proud of my baby. He was a quick learner.

I got off the bed and scooped up the kitten. "Good boy, baby." I said, kissing his tiny pink nose. He meowed and I giggled. "Do you want to go meet the rest of your family?" I asked him in a baby voice. "Grampa Charlie and Gramma Heidi?"

He meowed again and I giggled. "Edward, I think he understands me." I said, turning around to look at Edward's smiling face.

"It seems like, doesn't it?" Edward said, getting up and wrapping his arms around my waist from behind and resting his head on my shoulder. "But, it could be that he just likes the sound of your pretty voice. I know that I do." He whispered, leaning in to suck on my earlobe. "Let's go show him off."


	410. Talking this Through

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 410 - Talking this Through

We put Robert back in his carrier, and I stopped in the bathroom, before Edward and I went downstairs and got in the car. I held Robert's carrier and we were off to introduce our kitty to his extended family.

"So, you doing okay?" Edward asked as we drove to the police station. "Like with the condoms? We didn't really talk about it."

I looked over at him and smiled. He really was the sweetest man. "Um, yeah. I'm okay." I said, biting my lip.

"You're chewing on your lip. What's on your mind?" Edward asked. "This won't work unless we talk about things, Bella." He said, looking over at me, when he stopped at a stop sign. "I know it's awkward and stuff, honey, but if we're going to have sex, we have to be able to talk about it. There are so many emotions tied up in it, and if I say or do something that makes you uncomfortable, it would kill me Bella. We've waited all summer to get to this point and I don't want to screw it up, now."

I reached over and took his hand in mine. "I'm sorry. I always seem to stay in my head when I get nervous, and I don't want you to think that I'm keeping things from you. I love you and I trust you, but it's just hard for me to talk about these things." I said. I hated that Edward didn't think I was honest with him.

Edward pulled over about a block from the station and parked the car, shutting it off. I looked down at little Robbie and he was fast asleep in his carrier. I was glad because Edward and I needed to talk, uninterrupted.

"Bella. I know you aren't trying to keep things from me. I love and trust you, too." He said, leaning over to place a kiss to my lips. "But if we can't talk about simple things like condoms, how are we going to talk about the things that matter? I'm going to need you to tell me if I'm hurting you, or if I'm doing things right." Edward shook his head. "Bella, I'm honesty terrified about us having sex."

"What?" I asked. "I thought you said you were ready for us to do it?" I was so confused, and honestly a little hurt. I wiped my eyes and turned and looked out the window.

"I am." Edward said, reaching over to caress my cheek with the back of his fingers. "Look at me, please."

I turned my head and looked at looked at him. "I have no idea what you're trying to say to me right now." I told him, honestly, wiping my cheek, again.

"I didn't mean to make you upset, Bella." Edward sighed, dropping his head back on the head rest. "I'm ready for us to move forward physically and I know you are, too. I seem to be saying things wrong, and I just, uh. Bella, I just want things to be perfect for you, for us, and I'm scared I can't make it happen."

"Baby." I said, softly. I reached over and took his hand, bringing it up to my lips. I pressed kisses on the back of his hand. "Why are you putting so much pressure on yourself? It's not up to you to make everything perfect. We've both never had sex before. It's not just my first time. It's yours, too. We're probably going to be awkward and nervous, and it might not be pretty." I giggled. "But it's going to be our first time. It's going to be perfect for that reason alone, Edward."

Edward turned his head and smiled at me. "Thank you." He said. "I just, um, I think I get caught up in my head, sometimes, too. But, yeah. You're right, Bella. It will be perfect."

I smiled at him. "I'll talk to you about it, Edward. I promise. I know that it upsets you when I don't." I told him.

He leaned over and placed his hand on my cheek. "I love you." He whispered before leaning in to kiss my lips. "And, you don't upset me, Bella. Honestly. I understand."

"Do you remember on Monday, when I made my appointment for my physical?" I asked and Edward nodded his head. "We talked about how we were both nervous about it. And now, with your condom lesson, we ended up having this conversation about our fears, again."

"Uh, huh." Edward said, frowning at me a little. He looked like he wasn't sure what I was getting at.

I laughed, and it made Edward smile. "Do you think that maybe we're over thinking things?" I asked. "Like we've had so much time to think about having sex, and how we're going to feel and react. It's all just speculation. And I think it's our nerves talking. My mom actually gave me some good advice on the subject. Do you want to hear it?"

Edward raised his eyebrows, but was still smiling at me. "Okay." He said, looking really curious.

"She said she had never seen anyone love someone else like you love me." I told him, making him smile, widely. "But, when I told her I was nervous about sex, she said that we get scared because our minds build things up to be bigger than they are. She said that sex is important, but we shouldn't fear it."

"That actually really makes sense." Edward said, squeezing my hand. "So, when did you guys talk about that, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Of course I don't mind." I told him. "When we were in Denver. It was a great mother/daughter moment for us."

"Were you bright red?" He asked, making me laugh at how well he knew me and my reactions.

"Yep." I laughed. "But, what I'm trying to say, is that maybe we should just do it. Stop thinking, you know?"

Edward pursed his lips. "Um, I see your point and you're probably right about the over thinking part. But at the same time, I don't just want to get it over with. I still want it to be great, and I want us both to be in the mood for it. Comfortable, relaxed and turned on."

"Well, I'm always comfortable with you, and I really don't have a problem getting turned when I'm with you, but I guarantee you that I probably won't be relaxed." I told him. He wanted me to be honest with him, telling him what I felt and thought about, so I would.

"Is there something I can do to make you more relaxed?" He asked.

"Actually, yes." I told him.

"Tell me and I'll do it." Edward said, seriously.

"Don't worry so much about me. I want you to enjoy this, too." I told him.

"That would make you feel more relaxed?" He asked in disbelief. "If I just worried about myself and what felt good for me? No way, Bella. That is not going to happen. You matter to me so much."

"I know." I said. "I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I want us to get caught up in the moment. Showing each other, in the most physical way, how much we love one another. I don't want it to be, I don't know, clinical." I shrugged. "Does that make sense?"

Edward nodded his head. "That makes perfect sense. I love how you think, angel." He said, smiling. "See what I mean. When we talk, things make more sense. I need to understand what you're thinking and you're feeling. What you want is just us making love. I'm glad you told me that, because I'm sure I would have been more step by step, trying to concentrate. And I think that in itself would have been disappointing to you."

I finally understood why Edward was so adamant about talking this through. He wanted us to be on the same page. And as much as I was reluctant to talk about this, mainly because of my own embarrassment, I was so glad that we had.

Robert meowed and I looked down at him, again. He was looking a little restless. "Hang on, baby." I whispered. He was being so well behaved.

I leaned over to kiss Edward's lips. "I love you, Edward. And you would never disappoint me. Ever. You know that." I told him. "Plus, you wouldn't be you if you weren't worried about me. I love that you are so caring and sweet and thoughtful." I reached over and ran my fingers through his hair.

He hummed as scratched his scalp lightly. "Thank you for talking about this with me." Edward said, leaning in for one more kiss.

"Thank you for making me talk about it." I told him, winking.

"Mm, Bella. My naughty girl." Edward said, huskily. I giggled. I loved how Edward could go from sweet and caring to sexy and frisky in a second. All it took was a wink.

I bit my lip, before leaning in to whisper in his ear. "This is what I meant about being turned on when I'm around you." I said before I bit his earlobe.

Edward smiled at me. "Well, now probably isn't a good time." He said.

I sighed. "I know."

"Let's go introduce Robert to the family, then tonight, when he's all tucked in bed, we'll practice some more." Edward said, kissing me, again. I loved my boy, and loved how he thought.


	411. Grampa and Gramma

**A/N - Happy Monday! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 411 - Grampa and Gramma

Edward started the car and drove the last block to the police station. "I didn't mean to get so serious, Bella." He said, as he shut off the car.

"It's fine Edward." I told him, reaching over to squeeze his thigh. "We're adults and this is important for us."

He smiled at me. "Have I told you how much I love you, today?" He asked, before leaning over to kiss my lips.

"Yes." I giggled. "But you can tell me, again."

"I love you more than life, Bella." He said, kissing me, again. "Forever."

"I know you do, baby." I whispered. "I love you, too." I pressed one more kiss to his lips, making him smile. Edward got out of the car and came around to get the cat carrier off of my lap. He took my hand and we walked into the station. Heidi was up at the front desk with Sue, the receptionist.

"Hi, kids." She said, smiling. "You picked up the kitten." She sounded so excited.

"We did. Is my dad here?" I asked.

"No, he went out on a noise complaint with Barelli, but he should be back anytime now." Sue said. "Is this the abandoned kitten?"

"It is." I told her. "We just picked him up a couple hours ago. He's already been home, ate, slept, played. He's amazing."

"Can we meet him, or are you going to wait for your dad to get here?" Heidi asked, going over to get two chairs for us to sit on behind the desk with them.

"No, that would just be mean." I laughed. "And Robert has been dying to get out of this carrier."

Edward had the carrier on his lap, so I leaned over to open it. Robert walked over to the door and meowed at me, making me smile. "Hi, baby. Come meet your Gramma Heidi and your Aunty Sue." I said to said to him softly. I lifted him out and pulled him to my chest. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his fluffy head.

"You've named him Robert?" Sue asked, smiling. "That is just so sweet."

"Yeah, he's our first child, so we gave him a people name." I said, looking over at Edward. He winked at me, and I smiled.

"But he has cat middle names." Edward added, laughing. "Courtesy of my brothers." Edward looked over at me. "His full name is Robert Creamsicle Pumpkin Swan Cullen." I laughed as Edward said it. He still seemed a little embarrassed, and he looked so cute when he was.

Heidi laughed. "You guys are so cute." She said, holding out her hands. "Let me hold my first grandson."

I passed him to her and she held him close to her chest. Robert was looking around, still the curious little guy that he was back at my place. "He looks so good." She mused. "So, much happier and healthier than when we found him. He's like a different kitten."

"I'm so glad." I said. "He seems really happy. He's vocal and pretty brave, too. For what he's been through, he seems to be a content little kitten."

"He's absolutely adorable." Sue said, smiling.

I pulled my camera out of my purse, and snapped a picture of my future step mom and our new kitty.

Heidi laughed. "Hey, I have my work hair style in. No pictures." She said, making me laugh.

"You look beautiful." I told her. "And my dad fell in love you with your hair like this." She just laughed at me and shook her head. She could deny it all she wanted, but she knew I was right.

I heard the door open and Edward and I turned to see Alec and my dad walk in. "Hey, Bells. Hi, Edward." My dad said, walking around the counter to give me a tight hug. He kissed the top of my head and I could tell that he had missed me, as he had been staying at Heidi's all week, because I had Edward's family at our house. I really missed our breakfast and dinner routine, too.

"Hey, Grampa." I giggled, wrapping my arm around his waist. "We brought your grandson, Robert, for a visit."

"I see that." He said, patting Edward on the shoulder, before going to pull up a chair, and sitting in between Heidi and I.

"Hey, Bella." Alec said, pulling me into a hug. "Congratulations on your engagement, and your new cat." I thanked him, as Edward stood up and he and Alec shook hands. "Congrats, buddy. You've got yourself a beautiful bride to be."

Edward chuckled and nodded his head. "I know it. Thanks, buddy. I'm a lucky guy." I smiled at Edward. I was so proud of him for getting over his jealousy. He had come so far since the beginning of the summer.

Alec came and sat beside Sue to see the kitty. "Okay, pass me the cat." My dad said, smiling at Heidi.

"Dad. He's not just the cat." I teased, smiling as Heidi passed my dad Robert. He meowed, and he looked so cute. My dad was holding him with hands on his sides, and he was letting his little legs dangle. My dad brought Robert up in the air and looked at his face.

"Hello, Robert." My dad said in a regular voice. It was hilarious. His voice was so deep and Robert looked a little confused. He was only ever talked to in a baby voice.

"Daddy, I think you're scaring him." I laughed.

"Bells, when I was a little boy, I had a dog." My dad explained, lowering the kitten to stand on his legs. He was still holding Robert up, but the kitty was used to being snuggled. Edward took my camera and snapped a picture of my dad. My dad chuckled. "It was brown mutt that I followed me home when I was nine years old. I loved that dog. So, kiddo, I don't know a thing about cats."

"What did you call the dog, chief?" Alec asked, getting up to take the kitten from my dad.

"Joe." My dad laughed. "It was from my favourite television show at the time, 'Run, Joe, Run.' Each week, the dog saved somebody's life. He was on the run for being falsely accused of an attack on his master." I laughed. I loved hearing these stories from my dad's childhood. I felt closer to him every time he told me more about himself.

Alec sat back down and cuddled his face into the kitten's fur. He looked so funny. Alec was huge, and the kitten looked so small. "Wuzza, wuzza." He said, making Edward and my dad start laughing.

"What the heck, Barelli?" My dad laughed. "What language are you speaking to this poor cat?"

"It's baby animal speak." Alec laughed.

"So, you've got a sweet, sensitive side under those muscles, huh?" Heidi asked him, patting his shoulder.

Alec laughed. "It only comes out around animals and my Siobhan." He said, winking at me. "Edward knows what I'm talking about. When you're with the guys, you act tough and macho, but when you're with your girl, the poetry comes out."

Edward laughed, and I smiled at my gorgeous fiancé. I didn't know what Alec was talking about. Edward was always sweet. And so was Alec. I had such amazing people in my life. I took my camera back from Edward and I snapped a picture of Alec.

"Hey, are you going to blackmail me with that photo?" Alec teased.

"Maybe." I laughed. "I just want to make Robert a baby book, and have pictures of everyone that loves him. That is my only motive, I swear."

We sat at the station for another twenty minutes, and I got a picture of Sue with the kitten, too. I even snapped a shot of Edward putting Robert into the carrier. Edward winked at me, and I smiled.

"Okay, dad." I said, getting up to give my dad a hug. "I'll see you later."

He kissed my forehead. "Okay, kiddo. Have a good afternoon." He said, before going over to shake Edward's hand. I gave Heidi, Alec and Sue hugs before we left.

Edward and I got in the car, and I smiled as I looked down at Robert in his carrier. He was already asleep. "That went really well." I said, reaching over to squeeze Edward's hand.

"Yeah." Edward agreed. "I like watching you with your dad. You guys have an amazing relationship. It's like you have spent your entire life with him. It's really quite beautiful, actually. And I hope one day, that my relationship with our son or daughter is just like that."

I could have cried. "That is so sweet, baby." I said, sniffling. "Thank you for telling me that." Edward reached over and brushed my cheek with his thumb. "And you are going to be an amazing daddy. You already are."


	412. Our Little Family

**A/N - Happy Tuesday! It is still Thursday, July 29th, 2010 in the story. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 412 - Our Little Family

Edward and I drove away from the station, and I smiled when he pulled up to the florist shop. He leaned over and kissed my lips. "It's hard to be sneaky when you're right here." He laughed.

"You don't have to be sneaky." I told him. "And you don't have to spoil me so much."

"Yes, I do. I'll be right back." He said, getting out of the car. He came back in five minutes with a bunch of three gerbera daisies; one red, one orange and one yellow.

"For you, my gorgeous, sexy and amazing fiancé, and mother of my kitten." Edward said, passing me the flowers, as I laughed. "One flower to symbolize each of us in our little family."

"Edward. You are truly perfect. Thank you. I love them." I put my hand up to his face and pulled him closer to me. I pressed a kiss to his lips, before taking his top lip in my mouth. He hummed, as he sucked on my bottom lip.

I finally pulled back and smiled at him. He smiled back. "Now, that, my pretty girl, is why I like to spoil you." He said and I giggled.

"Okay. You've made your point." I laughed. Edward turned on the car, and turned back out onto the street.

"Baby?" I asked. "We should have bought a litter box for your house. Where is Robert going to pee?"

Edward chuckled. "Can I just say that I love that you even think about where the kitten is going to pee?" He said. "You're going to make him just like you, having to stop every half hour." He teased.

I laughed. "I am not. I'm just being a responsible mom." I defended, making Edward laugh with me.

"Okay, let's go stop and pick up a litter box and some litter at the grocery store." He said. "Then it's off to the mad house that is the Cullen residence. I pity poor Robert."

"Aw, Edward. He's going to love your family. He'll be spoiled over there." I said, reaching over to rub his thigh, my favourite thing to do when we were in the car. I wished I could hug him and kiss him, but this would have to do for now.

We stopped at the grocery store and Edward ran in. I stayed with Robert in the car. He was still sleeping and I didn't want to wake him by getting out of the car.

I leaned my head back against the head rest. We had such a busy day. Hiking with the boys, getting the kitten, experimenting with the condom, a serious conversation about our first time, and now we had started the kitten introductions. I had a feeling that I would be falling asleep early tonight.

I heard the trunk open, so I knew that Edward was back. I opened my eyes, just as he got back in the car. "Tired, angel?" He asked, leaning over to press a soft kiss to my lips.

"Exhausted." I admitted. "I don't know how long I'll be able to stay awake."

"Well, we'll just go hang out for a bit, and then we can go back to your place and get some sleep." Edward said. "It's been a busy day."

"I know, but I want you to be able to spend a lot time with your family." I told him. "This reunion is important."

Edward laughed. "I know. I love them all. But to me, Bella, you're the most important."

I smiled at his sweet words and was reminded of what Alec said back at the station. "Baby? You know when Alec said that guys are macho around other guys, but sweet with their girlfriends?" I started.

"Yeah. That's not true. At least not for me, anyway. A lot of guys act tough around each other, but personally, I don't have a lot of friends. My friend Paul is a musician like I am, so there is no need for acting tough when you're focused on music. And, baby, I'm not a real guy's guys. I've never fit in with that crowd. I am how I am. I've never pretended to be anything else."

"Aw, Edward." I said, smiling at his face. "I know that, babe. It's one of the many reasons I love you. You are just naturally sweet and loving."

Edward smiled back at me. "And just so you know, Alec isn't that type either. You are friends with some great people, Bella." He said, as he pulled up to his house.

I smiled over at Edward. I agreed with him completely. Since coming backing to Forks this summer, I had surrounded myself with incredible friends and family. Even though I missed my best friend Angie more than anything, I would never regret my decision to come back home.

"Okay, babe." Edward said, laughing. "We've got a whole handful of little girls bouncing up and down on the porch."

I looked up at the house and saw Alice with all her little cousins. Even Jasper was there with the girls. He ran down to the car as I got out with the carrier.

"Hi, guys." He said. "Is the kitten alright?" Jasper was so adorable.

"Yeah, he's amazing." I told him. "Do you want to carry him in?" Jasper looked so excited, as I passed him the carrier.

Edward grabbed the bag of litter, the litter box, and the bag with the toys that Jasper and Alice picked out for the cat in Canada. I slung my purse over my shoulder and kept my camera in my hand.

"Does he need to use his litter box before we play with him?" Jasper asked, looked back at us.

"Probably. He's been sleeping a lot." Edward said, as we walked up the porch steps. "Hi, girls. The kitty's here."

"Yay." They all cheered and followed us into the house.

The house smelled amazing. If I had to guess, it would be that Esme was cooking pasta and sauce. I hadn't realized I was hungry, but suddenly, I was starving. I followed Edward and Jasper into the kitchen and Edward set up the litter box by the backdoor, out of everyone's way. He filled it with a little litter, and then unzipped the carrier.

I looked behind me, and it looked like the whole family was gathered around to see Robert's first appearance. He meowed and strutted out of his carrier onto the kitchen floor. The room 'awed' at him, as Edward picked him up and set him in his litter box.

"Come on, Robbie." Edward said softly, scratching in the litter, just like he did in my room. Robert, being the intelligent kitten that he was, used his litter box right away. Jasper was watching what Edward was doing, closely. I knew he was taking his role as kitten sitter on Sunday very seriously.

Edward lifted him up and cradled him to his chest. He stood up and wrapped his free arm around me. "Okay, everyone. Bella and I would like to introduce you to our new kitten, Robert." Edward said, smiling. "We just got him a few hours ago. He's about six weeks old."

"He's absolutely priceless." Esme said, coming over to kiss my cheek. She reached up and patted Edward's cheek, before petting Robert. He meowed at her, and made us all smile. "Dinner's almost ready. Why don't you take him in the family room so the kids can play with him?"

"Okay." Edward said, leaning down to kiss his mom's cheek.

We walked in the family room and Edward set the kitten down on the floor. Robert toddled around and all the little girls sat in a circle around him, all reaching out to pet him. Edward and I sat on the couch together and watched our baby get spoiled. I leaned my head on Edward's chest and he had his arm around me. I loved his smell, and I loved his warm body.

"Jazz." Edward called. "The bag on the kitchen floor has the toys you and Alice picked out in it, if you want to give them to him." Edward took my camera from my hand and started taking pictures of the kids playing with the kitten.

"Okay." Jasper said, excitedly, jumping up and running into the kitchen. He came back and passed Alice the turtle toy. He took out the feather toy he got and he waved it around in front of Robert. Robert pounced on it, and Jasper laughed, looking back up us. "He's so cute." He said, lifting him up and giving him a gentle hug, before setting him back down. Just watching Jasper with the kitten reassured me that Robert would be in such good hands when we went to Seattle.

Alice started walking the turtle around on the floor and Robert snuck up to it slowly, before jumping on it. It was like he did a sneak attack. It was adorable and it started Alice laughing. And her laugh got all the little girls laughing.

Robert seemed to love the attention he was getting, so he clearly didn't take after either me or Edward on that front. Nanny came to sit beside me on the couch. "He's a sweetie." She said, patting my leg.

I smiled. "Yeah, we love him already."


	413. The Office

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I suffered a personal loss yesterday, so forgive me for not answering reviews. I appreciate them so much! Enjoy!**

Chapter 413 - The Office

As we were watching the kids play with the cat, nanny put her hand on my forehead. "You look pale, Bella. Are you alright?" She asked. Edward looked down at me, concern all over his face.

I turned my head and kissed his chest. "I'm just really tired." I told her. "And I've got a bit of a headache right now, but I'm alright."

"Bella, you should talk to Carlisle." Nanny said, patting my knee.

"No, I don't want to bother him. I'm fine." I said, shaking my head.

"Bella, please." Edward said. "Nannies just know these things."

"Okay, but he's just going to say that you guys are being crazy. No offence, nanny." I giggled, getting up. I felt a bit dizzy when I stood up, but lucky Edward was there holding my hand.

"Jazz, we'll be right back. You're in charge of the kitty." Edward said, as he led me into the kitchen. Carlisle was leaning against the island talking to his dad. "Dad, can I borrow you for a minute?" Edward asked.

"Of course." Carlisle said, following us into the hallway. "Where are we going?"

"Your office?" Edward asked.

"Okay." Carlisle said, smiling at us. He shut the door once we walked in, and then sat at his desk. "What's going on?"

I sighed. "Nanny and Edward ganged up on me and told me I had to talk to you." I said.

"You do look really pale." Carlisle said, leaning forward, his elbows on the desk.

"She's really tired, has a headache and she just got dizzy standing up." Edward added.

Carlisle leaned back in his chair and crossed his arm. "I think you're mildly anemic." He said. "I mentioned it when you were describing your menstrual symptoms."

"What does that mean?" Edward said, squeezing my hand, and looking overly panicked.

"Edward, please don't overreact." Carlisle said, smiling at his son, supportively. "What it is, is a decrease in the number of red blood cells. Most of the time, it goes unnoticed, but tiredness is a common symptom. Are you eating regular meals?"

"Yes." I told him, honestly. "Do I have to take pills? Because I really don't want to."

Carlisle chuckled. "No, Bella. A form this mild can be controlled with diet. For now, I want you to just make sure you don't skip any meals, and try to eat healthy foods. Salads, raw fruits and vegetables, meat, and lots of orange juice. If that doesn't help, we'll take a blood test and add some supplements or vitamins." He said. "You'll be okay."

"Thank you, Carlisle." I said.

Edward let out a deep breath, and I leaned over to kiss his cheek. I loved that he worried about me. He couldn't help it, and I thought it was sweet. I put my hand on his leg and squeezed his thigh. Edward set his hand on top of mine, and smiled at me.

"While you're in here, Bella. I got your test results from your physical." Carlisle said. "Everything is perfect, so you can start the pills anytime. I have some samples here, so I can give you your first month's packet." He said, leaning over to open his drawer. He passed me a small box. "You can start them whenever your ready, but take them at the same time every day. It increases the effectiveness of the pills. I recommend keeping them in your room, and taking one everyday before you go downstairs for breakfast."

"So, I don't have to wait until I have my period? I could start tomorrow?" I asked him.

"Absolutely." Carlisle said. "Just remember that the pills won't be completely effective right away. So always use a condom, too. At least for the first month." Edward and I both nodded our heads. "Do you need a demonstration, or would you like to look at some diagrams?"

I was fairly confident that I didn't look too pale in that moment. I was not at all interested in my future father in law showing me how to use a condom. Plus, my fiancé did a very good job with his hands on demonstration this afternoon.

"No, thank you, Carlisle." I told him. "I'm fine."

"Edward, do you have enough condoms? Because I can always get you some more." Carlisle asked, which made Edward start laughing hysterically.

"Are you serious, dad?" He asked, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I know that I'm a teenaged boy, but you gave me hundreds of the things."

Carlisle chuckled. "Okay, okay. Point made." He said. "I just wanted to make sure."

"Thank you, dad." He said, getting up to give Carlisle a hug. "I really appreciate everything." It was an incredibly sweet moment. Edward had said that watching me and my dad together showed how great our relationship was. But, the same could be said about Edward and Carlisle.

Carlisle came over to me and pulled me into a tight hug. "Let's go get you something to eat, okay, Bella?"

"Thank you so much." I told him. "For everything."

"Bella, sweetheart. You are family, and I love you like one of my own children." He said. "And if you aren't feeling yourself, don't wait for Edward to drag you in here to talk to me."

I laughed. That was such an accurate description of Edward. "I won't." I said. "And I love you, too, Carlisle."

Carlisle smiled at us and squeezed my shoulder. We headed out into the hallway and then went back into the family room. Emmett had Robert in his arms. He was holding him like a baby and it was absolutely priceless. I slipped the birth control into my purse, grabbed my camera off of the couch and snapped a picture.

"Hey, Uncle Emmett." I said, making Emmett laugh. "What do you think?"

"I love him, and I think I might keep him." He said.

"You're going to have to fight me for him." Edward said, sitting down on the couch beside his brother.

"I'm fairly confident I could take you." Emmett laughed.

"Time to eat, kids." Esme called from the kitchen. "Everything is outside on the picnic tables."

"And, here's your cat." Emmett said, passing Robert to Edward. It was hilarious. Emmett was willing to fight to keep the cat, but the minute dinner was ready, he passed him off. All the kids ran off to the yard to get their dinner, leaving me, Edward and Robert alone in the family room.

I came and sat beside Edward, and he gave me the kitten. He reached up and brushed my cheek with the back of his fingers. "Do you feel okay? Do you want me to bring you something to eat in the house?" Edward asked, making me smile.

"I'll be okay once I eat, baby." I said. "Thank you for being so loving and caring and supportive. Edward, I just love you so much."

"I love you, too, gorgeous. And I will always take care of you." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "And, I just wanted to apologize for freaking out and overreacting, or whatever. I don't mean to do it, you are just everything to me."

"Oh, I know, baby." I said, leaning to kiss him, again. "Don't apologize for caring about me. I love that about you."

"And we survived more condom talk, huh?" Edward said, winking at me.

I laughed. "We did." I said. "Are you willing to practice with me some more? I think you are a very good teacher on that subject."

Edward smiled at that, obviously happy that I was talking to him about it. "Of course, baby. We'll practice until you feel comfortable with it." He said.

"Good. Thank you." I said, looking down at the sleeping kitten in my arms. "Should we put him in his carrier to sleep?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Edward said. We got up and Edward took Robert and laid him in his carrier, zipping him in. He was fast asleep, so I didn't mind leaving him in the house where it was quiet.

Edward took my hand and led me outside, sitting me down at the picnic table. Esme had bowls of hot pasta along the table and then four different kinds of pasta sauces. It was very creative, and a nice way to satisfy so many different appetites. Edward served me a huge plate of fusilli and I chose the meat sauce. Edward got me a small plate of salad and another plate of veggies and dip.

"Okay, let me go get you some orange juice." Edward said, before kissing the top of my head.

"Okay, thank you, baby." I said to Edward, before he ran into the house. I looked across the table at Carlisle. He was chuckling to himself at how much Edward was doting over me. I thought Edward was amazing, and I was so lucky to have him.


	414. Under the Covers

**A/N - Thank you all so much for your sweet messages and reviews! Enjoy!**

Chapter 414 - Under the Covers

We had a great dinner with the family. I found out that most of Carlisle and Esme's families were leaving on Saturday, so Friday would be our last day to spend together. I was upset, because I had grown so close to everyone. But, at the same time, this family seemed to have such close relationships, I knew I would be seeing them again soon.

Apparently, we were all going to spend the next day out at the beach. Most of the family wasn't near an ocean, and they all seemed to be enjoying it. Emmett was telling his cousins about body boarding. I was looking forward to the day for sure.

Honestly, I was a little upset by the anemia diagnosis Carlisle had given me today. I didn't want anything to slow me down. I was glad that it could be managed but diet, but still. And on top of that, I knew Edward was worried about it. And I hated worrying him.

Plus, I was scared that he would think I was too weak or tired to move forward with our physical relationship. But, I was so exhausted right now, I couldn't think straight. I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder, and he looked down at me.

"Are you okay, honey?" He whispered.

"Actually, I'm really tired." I admitted. There was no sense trying to deny it right now. It was pretty obvious.

"Let me take you home." Edward said, getting up.

"No." I said. "I want you to spend time with your family."

"Bella." Edward sighed. "Can you just work with me and stop being so stubborn?"

"Kids. I don't want to interrupt, but Bella can go lay in your room for a while." Nanny told Edward. "We won't be up for a while."

"Are you sure, nanny?" I asked her. I didn't want to kick her out of the room she and grandpa were staying in.

"I'm sure, sweetheart." She said. "You get some sleep." Esme was looking at us from across the table. She looked so concerned, and I felt bad that I couldn't talk to her right now.

I got up and gave nanny a hug. "Thank you, nanny." I said, before taking Edward's hand and letting him lead me into the house. He picked up Robert's carrier and all three of us went up to his room. He locked the door and set the kitten down beside the bed.

I pulled off my shorts and Edward got me a pair of boxers from his drawer to put on. They were way more comfortable to sleep in. I crawled on the bed and Edward laid beside me, pulling me into his arms. I shut my eyes, after resting my head on Edward's bicep. A few tears slipped out of my eyes.

"Bella, angel." Edward whispered to me, before placing a kiss on my forehead. "Are you okay? Still have a headache?" He asked, lightly rubbing my back.

"I feel better since I ate." I told him. "I'm just upset about making you worry."

"Baby, no." He said, softly. "It's not your fault. And we'll get it under control. It's not going to be a big deal. Everything is going to be fine."

I nodded, but cuddled my face into his chest. I was crying, and I was too tired to stop it. Edward just kept rubbing my back for me, whispering that it was okay.

"Go back down with your cousins." I said, reaching up to wipe my nose.

"But I like holding you." Edward said. I raised my eyebrows at him, making him chuckle. "Okay, but only after you fall asleep." He compromised.

"Deal." I said, covering my mouth as I yawned. "And, you can tell your mom everything, if you want. She looked worried."

"Okay. I love you, baby." He whispered. "Get some sleep." I snuggled close to him, again, and eventually let sleep overtake me.

When I woke up, it was dark. Not only did Edward have the lights out, but there was no more sunlight shining through his bedroom windows. I stretched, before sitting up. I felt way better. I looked at Edward's clock and it was nine thirty at night. I must have slept for three hours.

I went into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face and combed out my hair. I slipped off Edward's boxers and pulled my shorts back on. I walked downstairs and found all the boys flopped on the couch in the family room watching a movie. I smiled when I saw little Robert sleeping on Edward's chest. It was so sweet.

I went in the kitchen to get a glass of water. All the 'adults' were sitting around playing cards, and just talking. Esme got up and wrapped her arm around me. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?" She asked.

"Um, a lot better, actually." I told her. "I'm sorry for being a rude guest, I just couldn't stay awake, anymore."

"Bella, you're not a guest, here. You're family, you know that." She said, quietly. "Are you going to go watch the movie with the boys?"

"Yeah. I was just going to get a drink of water." I told her.

"Oh, here. Let me." Esme said, turning to get me a glass of water. It was nice to be spoiled by a mother figure right now. "And there you go, sweetheart." She said, passing me the glass. "Go sit down, Bella. Don't wear yourself out."

I looked over at Carlisle and he shook his head, as he smiled at me. It was clear that Edward got his doting qualities from his mom. "Esme, stop scaring her. She's alright." Carlisle said, getting up and walking over to me.

"You don't look as pale. Is the dizziness gone?" Carlisle asked, in full doctor mode.

I laughed. My future in-laws were amazing. No one was this lucky. "I'm good. Thank you both. But if you guys keep worrying, just think what that's going to do to Edward?" They both laughed. They knew their son.

"Hey, baby." I turned when I heard Edward's voice. "I thought I heard your pretty laugh." He walked up to me, with the kitten cradled against his chest. He leaned down to kiss my lips, before passing me the kitten.

"Hi." I said, smiling. I kissed Robert's head. He looked exhausted. "Oh, no. He needs to eat." I said, panicking all of a sudden. I slept through the kitten's feeding time, and I felt like a bad mom.

"He ate. Em and I ran over to your place to get some food." Edward said. "I fed him at around seven. It was probably a little late."

"No, that's fine, baby." I said, petting Robert's head. "He's lucky to have such a good daddy."

Edward and I went to sit in the family room with the boys, and I snuggled into Edward, and the kitten cuddled up on my chest. Edward looked down and winked at me. He was always jealous of the kitten when he slept on my chest.

We all stayed over at the Cullen house until close to midnight, just hanging out and watching movies. It was fun and I was happy that the kitten slept through it all. After hugs and kisses to the grandparents and family, we finally headed back to my place.

Everyone got ready for bed and after Edward got the kitten to use his litter box, we set him in his bed for the night. He rolled over and stretched out, leaving his head hanging over the edge. It was the sweetest thing, ever.

Edward and I snuggled close together, and I kissed his bare chest. "You feeling okay?" Edward asked. "Good enough for your fiancé to duck under the under the covers and get a little frisky with his girl?"

I giggled. I was completely unprepared for him to say something like that. I was sure he was going to baby me. I was beyond thrilled. I grabbed his hair on either side of his head and pulled his face to my lips for a hot kiss. Edward hummed, and I could feel his smile against my face.

His hands went to work, pulling off my panties. I wriggled around, trying to lift my hips and help him out, all while still kissing him, but it was really hard to do. Edward was chuckling and I was trying not to be loud and wake the kitten. Finally Edward pulled back, smiling at me.

"Okay, you take your t-shirt off and I'll go under the covers and take care of the rest." He said, smirking at me, seemingly thrilled with his plan.

"Okay." I agreed, pulling off my nightshirt, as Edward disappeared under the blanket. I felt his lips of my stomach, and his tongue in my belly button. I tried to hold back the moan that was trying to escape my lips, but I knew Edward was working hard to get a reaction out of me.

He worked his way lower, kissing me, touching me, making me feel incredibly loved and cherished. His fingertips were dancing along my thighs and I was panting. I had no idea how Edward knew how touch me the right way, but he did, and it was amazing.

Finally, when my body couldn't take anymore, I reached under the covers and gave Edward's hair a light tug. He clearly was reluctant to stop, but worked his way back up my body, kissing and tasting my sticky skin. When he got to my face, he smiled and pressed a long kiss to my lips. "I love you, Bella."


	415. Professor Cullen

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 415 - Professor Cullen

Edward was holding me in his arms, kissing my face. "I feel like jello." I told him, scratching his back. "Like I feel that good."

Edward chuckled. "Well, that was the point." He said before he started French kissing me. I moaned and I couldn't believe how turned on I was, again. I pulled back and smiled at him.

"Can I undress you, now?" I whispered against his lips.

"Why, Bella? Are you being a naughty girl?" He answered.

"Mm hmm." I said, biting at his jaw. I loved that Edward was teasing me. He made me feel so comfortable with him. I slipped my hand under the covers and traced it over his body.

"Do you want me to give you another lesson?" Edward asked, breathing heavily. He wanted to show me how to put a condom on him, again. But, I remembered every detail he told me this afternoon.

"Nope." I said, giggling. "I want to try it by myself. I'm a good student. I paid attention to my sexy teacher this afternoon."

"Good girl." Edward whispered. He was smiling and I could tell he loved that we were fooling around right now.

I had to admit, this was pretty darn fun. I had wanted to play teacher with Edward, and in my head, I would be the teacher, but playing the student was turning out to be an amazing experience. One that I definitely wouldn't mind trying again.

I pulled the blanket off of the bed and then leaned over to yank off Edward's boxer briefs. "Mm, Bella." He moaned, kicking them the rest of the way down his legs. I would never get over how gorgeous his body was when he was naked. He was stunning.

I leaned over his body and started licking and biting at his chest and stomach. "Bella." Edward whispered. "You're getting distracted from the lesson plan."

I giggled. "Oops." I said, biting my bottom lip. I had no idea where this confidence was coming from, but Edward seemed to like it, and that was an incredible encouragement to me. "But, you're so yummy, Professor Cullen." I said, winking at him. He groaned, again, and I giggled.

"Miss Swan. If you want full credit for this assignment, you'd better get to work." Edward said, propping himself up on one elbow so he could watch me more closely.

"I'm sorry, Professor." I said, getting off the bed to get a condom from my purse. I climbed back on the bed, sitting on my knees. "I'll be a good girl."

I got up and straddled Edward's thighs. His eyes didn't know where to look first. It was actually pretty cute. I reached forward and teased Edward's body with my hands. He was struggling to keep his eyes open and I will admit that I was looking pretty smug.

I reached over to grab the condom and I tore it opened. I followed Edward's directions from this afternoon, and had the condom on him in no time. And I don't want to brag, but I think I did a really good job. I put my hands on Edward's hips and gave them a light squeeze.

"How did I do, Professor?" I asked. "Did I pass the exam?"

Edward sat up, pulling me forward so he could kiss my lips. "My god, Bella." He whispered.

I leaned forward and bit his earlobe. "You're out of character." I giggled.

"Mm. Do you blame me?" He asked, pulling me so we were both laying beside each other on the bed. He turned me around so my back was to his chest. He started moving against my body, and I threw my head back into his shoulder. "How's this?" He asked, bringing his hand around to hold onto my hip.

"Uh huh." I breathed out. This was different from anything we had ever done and I loved it. Well, who was I kidding, anything with Edward was amazing, but this was special.

Edward eventually slowed his movements and rolled onto his back. I turned around so I was on my stomach beside him. I propped my head up on my hand and watched him take the condom off. He blushed when he saw me watching, and I didn't know why. He got off the bed and tossed it in the garbage. He pulled his underwear back on and then ran out of my room. I heard him washing his hands, before he came back into my room, locking the door, again.

He climbed back into bed with me and pulled the blanket over top of us. "That was amazing, Edward." I told him. "I loved every second of that."

"Really?" He asked.

"Yeah, really." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "Did you?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course I did. You couldn't tell?" He asked, frowning a little.

"I could tell, but you seemed a little embarrassed when I watched you take the condom off." I told him. I didn't like secrets, and I didn't want Edward to retreat into his head.

He shook his head. "You noticed that?" He chuckled.

"I notice everything." I told him, rubbing my hand on his bare chest. "What's wrong?"

"I just want to protect you, and taking them off is kind of gross. It's not as sexy as putting them on, you know?" Edward explained.

"I told you, I don't think it's gross. Edward, I think you're sexy a hundred percent of the time. And I want to make love to you, soon. This is part of it." I told him, leaning in to kiss his lips, and make him smile. "I'm alright. And I love you for wanting to protect me, but you don't need to, okay. At least not when we're in bed together. Every other time, you can be my knight in shining armour."

Edward laughed. "Okay, deal." He said, leaning in to kiss me. "I love you."

"Oh, I know you do, Professor Cullen." I giggled.

Edward chuckled. "You are really, really good at role playing." He said, leaning in to kiss my neck. "Like, wow."

I giggled. "I'm glad you think so." I said, bringing my hands up to scratch them over his scalp. "I like being your student."

"Mm." He hummed. "You're too good. And I didn't even have to punish you for being a bad student."

"Darn it." I said, tugging his hair a little bit. "Well, I did get distracted a little before my exam. I think I was a bad girl." I bit my lip and Edward smiled.

"You want me to punish you?" He asked, pulling my lip out of my teeth, before leaning in to bite my lips with his teeth.

"Uh." I moaned. "Yes, Edward."

"I don't even know what to do." He chuckled nervously.

I brought my lips up to his ear. "Spank me." I whispered, before sucking on his earlobe.

"I don't want to hurt you, though." He said, rubbing his hand over my bum cheek.

"Then I shouldn't have been a bad girl." I told him. "I want you to do it, Edward."

He squeezed my bum in his hand, kneading my flesh, before letting go and bringing his hand back down, spanking me. It stung but it felt really good a the same time. I groaned, burying my face into Edward's chest. He rubbed my bum cheek softly. It was such an Edward thing to do. I knew he wasn't going to do it again, so I wouldn't ask him to.

"Thank you, Edward." I whispered, kissing his chest.

"That wasn't too hard?" He asked.

"No, baby. That was perfect." I told him. "I've learned my lesson."

Edward chuckled. "I wonder what made you so frisky and adventurous tonight?" He asked. "I'll bet it was the orange juice."

I laughed. "Must have been. Too bad we're all out of orange juice over here." I told him.

"Well, I'll go get you some, first thing in the morning." Edward said. "My girl needs her vitamin C."

"Thank you, baby. You take such good care of me." I whispered, reaching my arm around him to scratch his back, and make him hum. "I'm such a lucky girl to have a man as amazing as you."

"I'm the lucky one, Bella." He said, pressing a long kiss to my forehead. "And I'm going to spend my whole life showing you how much I love you."

I tipped my face up and kissed his lips. "You already do."


	416. The Best Morning

**A/N - Happy Saturday! It is finally a new day in Summer Vacation world! Friday, July 30th, 2010! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 416 - The Best Morning

I woke up to the sound of my kitten's meows. I opened my eyes and smiled. Edward was laying on the bed beside me, on his back, and the kitten was walking around his chest. Edward was chuckling, and I could only imagine how soft Robert's paws were on Edward's bare chest.

I sat up and smiled at my boys. "Good morning, my adorable boys." I giggled. Robert looked over at me and meowed. The blanket fell off of my bare chest, and Edward smirked at me.

"Meow." He said, before laughing. "Good morning, gorgeous."

Edward lifted the kitten and passed him to me. I cuddled him to my chest, his fur was so soft. "Hello, baby boy." I giggled. "Did you wake your daddy up?"

"He's already used his litter box, I've already cleaned his litter box, changed his water dish, and fed him his breakfast." Edward said, smiling at us. "It seems that a certain little kitten is an early riser, and he's hungry when he gets up."

"Aw." I said, burying my face into the kitten's soft fur. "I can't believe I slept through all of that."

"Well, you were tired." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "And we both agreed to let mommy sleep."

I flipped the kitten so he was on his back, so I could rub his tummy, as I had him cradled to my chest. I looked up at Edward's face and he was smiling at me. "What?" I asked, giggling.

"You're sitting on your bed, naked, your hair is sexily tussled, and you have kitten cuddled up to your full, sexy, delicious bare breasts." Edward said, his eyes looking hungry. "That kitten always get the prime real estate."

I laughed. "You always say the sexiest things to me." I said. "Come here and kiss me."

"Yes, ma'am." He chuckled, getting on his hands and knees and crawling over to me. He leaned in and kissed my lips. "I love you." Robert meowed and I looked down at him. Edward leaned in close to Robert and the kitty put his paw up on Edward's mouth. It was the cutest thing, ever. Edward kissed Robert's paw. "Love you, too, Robbie."

"Aw." I said. "You guys are so cute." Edward took the kitty from my arms and set him on the bed. Robert liked exploring, so he marched around the bed until he found a little fold in the covers and snuggled in.

"Hey, he was warm." I said, wrapping my arms around my bare chest.

"That's my job." Edward said, pushing my shoulders so I fell back on the pillows. He straddled my waist bringing his mouth to my chest. I moaned and hummed as he laved my breasts with attention. He was so good.

"God, baby." I sighed, leaning my head back, as Edward moved his kisses up my neck. "I love your mouth."

He chuckled. "Warmed up, yet?" He whispered, against my skin.

"Yeah." I smiled. "That was incredible. I swear this is the best morning of my life. I love waking up to my boys."

Edward smiled, before kissing my lips. "I'm glad I could be a part of the best morning of your life."

"It wouldn't be good without you." I told him, sitting up. "Are you going to have the first shower?" I asked him, rubbing his back.

"Okay. I'll be out in five minutes." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I love you." He grabbed his swim trunks and a black t-shirt before heading out the door, smiling at me over his shoulder. I got up and pulled on my nightshirt. I grabbed my bathing suit, a cute blue baggy tank and a pair of nylon black shorts that I could wear in the water.

I grabbed a beach bag and packed Robert's harness and leash. He was going to go for his first trip to the beach. I knew that people usually left cats home alone, but Robert was just a baby. Truth be told, it was me that didn't want to leave him. At least not for the first few weeks. I also threw in a blanket for Robert and one of the plaid shirts I had stolen from Edward.

I looked over at my baby and he was still sleeping on my bed. I didn't know if he could get down by himself yet, so I'd have to keep an eye on him. I grabbed my cell phone and snapped a picture of Robert and sent it as a text message to Angie with the phrase, 'I'm a mom.' Edward walked back into my room, smiling when he saw me.

"Hey, gorgeous. It's all yours." He said, walking up to me, and giving me a minty kiss. "How's the baby?"

"He's all packed and ready for the beach." I said, smiling.

"Do you think he'll be okay on the beach?" Edward asked, sitting on the bed and picking up Robert. "Like don't you think he should stay at the house?

"Well, I'm not going to leave him by himself." I told him, defensively. "He's too small."

"Okay, baby. Don't get upset. We can bring him." Edward said, getting up and walking over to me. He smoothed down my hair, and smiled at me.

I let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just can't see myself leaving him alone right now, Edward. He's so tiny." I said, wiping my eyes. "And he was abandoned. I don't want him to think that we left him, too."

"He's not going to think that, Bella." Edward said, wrapping his arm around me and hugging me close to his body. "He knows we love him."

"I'm sorry. I'm acting like a crazy person." I said, grabbing a tissue off of my desk.

"No, you're not. You're just overprotective. You're a mom, now." Edward said, leaning down to kiss my lips.

I laughed. "Just think how insane I'm going to be when I actually have a baby." I said. "You're not going to want to stay with me."

"Isabella." Edward scolded. "You know darn well that I'm never leaving you." I nodded my head. So this was what it felt like to be a mother. Edward kissed my temple. "Go have a shower; relax. I'm going to run to the store and get your orange juice. I'll leave the kitten with Em and Jazz, okay?"

"Okay." I agreed. "I'm sorry for overreacting, Edward."

"Bella, stop apologizing to me." Edward said. "We knew that getting a kitten was going to be an adjustment. It's just going to take some time, okay? I'm not mad or upset, nor do I think you're crazy."

I laughed. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said. "Now you'd better get in that shower, before I toss you back on that bed and show you how much."

I giggled. "Mm, frisky Edward. And you haven't even had any orange juice." I teased, referring to Edward's explanation on why I was so frisky the night before.

"That just works on you." He teased. "I'm always frisky when you're around."

"Oh, that reminds me." I said, walking over to my purse and pulling out my birth control pills, and holding them up.

"Is it weird that I'm really excited for you to take your first pill?" Edward asked, sitting on the bed. I sat beside him and opened the box.

"Um, no." I said, smiling at him. "Because now that I'm starting these, and we are both really good at putting condoms on you, we can actually have sex."

"Make love." Edward corrected, gently bumping my shoulder with his.

"Oh, yeah." I giggled. "I'm really excited, too."

"Good. Take the pill." Edward said, chuckling.

I popped the pill out of the foil and put it in my mouth. Edward was practically bouncing. I tried to swallow but my mouth was too dry. I ran to the bathroom and Edward followed me. I filled my hand with water and took a sip so I could swallow it.

I turned and smiled at Edward, who was holding Robert against his chest. "Okay. That's one." I laughed.

He looked at his watch. "Seven forty nine." He said. "My dad said they are the most effective when you take them at the same time everyday."

"Okay. Seven forty nine it is." I said, smiling. "Now, scoot. Your girl's about to get naked and I don't trust you to keep your hands to yourself."

Edward laughed. "Smart, aren't you?" He said, leaning in to kiss my face. I wished we had time for him to put his hands all over me, again.


	417. Breakfast and the Backseat

**A/N - Happy Sunday! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 417 - Breakfast and the Backseat

I had a shower, brushed my teeth, scrunched my hair with gel and got dressed. I loved beach days. And I was really excited to take the kitty on this little family outing. I still felt bad about overreacting when Edward suggested we leave the kitten at home.

I did not want to be _that_ girl. The one that was snotty and short tempered with her boyfriend. The only way I could explain it, was that I was incredibly overprotective of the kitten. Like I told Edward, the kitten had a rough start and I didn't want him to see us as more people that would leave him.

I knew, logically, that we couldn't take the cat with us everywhere we went for the next fifteen years. I just needed time. I knew that once we went back to Seattle, and started our classes, the kitten would be alone for a few hours everyday. But, it was the summer and I wanted to spoil him.

And the best part about Edward, was that he understood my concern. And, he always gave me what I wanted. He supported my decision and he supported me. I have no idea what I did to be so lucky to have found a man as amazing and utterly devoted to me as Edward was. Like, right now, he was at the grocery store getting me orange juice.

He knew that being diagnosed with mild anemia had upset me, so he was doing everything he could to make sure I was happy and healthy and feeling like myself, again. I loved him so much.

I went downstairs and decided to make the boys French toast and bacon today. I knew they were leaving the next day, so I wanted to spoil them while I had the chance. I heard laughter from the living room, so once I put the bacon in the pan, I went into the living room to see what was going on.

I smiled when I saw all the guys sitting or laying on the floor, still in their boxers, playing with the cat. It was funny how, an innocent girl like me, would have been bright red and embarrassed by a roomful of half naked men, three months ago. But, now, I saw all these guys as family, and it didn't even phase me.

Robert was walking around on the sleeping bags, hopping and batting at his mouse toy. I sat on the recliner and watched him I couldn't help but smile when I saw the kitten. He was so full of life and energy. I loved that he thrived on attention, too. He was a scene stealer for sure.

"How's my baby?" I asked, when Jasper turned and looked at me over his shoulder.

"Oh, he's doing really good." Jasper said, smiling. "Edward just went to the store, so he left us to watch the kitten." I loved that Jasper was so responsible. He was an amazing little brother.

"Thanks, Jasper." I said, getting up and kissing the top of his head. "I'm just going to work on breakfast." Jasper blushed, and nodded his head, before turning back to watch the kitten.

I went back to the kitchen and turned the bacon, before starting the French toast. I was just taking the first batch off the griddle when I heard the front door open. I smiled when Edward walked into the kitchen with two grocery bags in one hand and a single red rose in the other hand.

"The house smells great, beautiful." He said, setting the bags on the table, before walking over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist from behind me. He kissed my shoulder. "And you look amazing. I love you in a bathing suit."

I laughed. "Well, thank you, Mr. Compliments." I teased.

"I'm sorry about this morning." He whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you about the kitten. I know you're doing what you think is best for him."

I sighed, before turning in his arms. "Edward. You don't have to apologize all the time. I'm the one in the wrong, here." I rubbed my hands over his chest.

"I just don't like to see you cry." He said, dropping his head down.

"I cried because I was mad at myself for snapping at you." I admitted. "You might think I'm perfect, but I'm not."

"Bella, you are perfect." He said, bringing the rose up to my face and slowly brushing it's soft petals along my lips. "I love you."

I smiled. "I love you, too. Thank you for the rose and for what looks like a ton of orange juice."

Edward laughed. "You're welcome. And I only bought four cartons of juice." He said. "Do you think that's enough?"

I giggled. "It's perfect, babe. Thanks."

"I also got you some fruit. Bananas, apples, strawberries." He said. I smiled. Edward was truly amazing. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "You need to keep your strength up. I plan on wearing you out."

I blushed, before looking up at Edward's face. "I can't wait." I said, before winking.

Edward laughed, before leaning in to kiss my lips. "Can you call the boys? It's almost time to eat."

Edward called the guys and they all came out, helping to set the table and make coffee. I sprinkled icing sugar on top of the toast and set it on the table. I started the next batch, before putting the bacon on a plate and giving to the guys. Edward was standing against the counter, holding the kitten, while the guys ate.

I looked over at him and smiled. "Not hungry?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm starving, but I'm waiting for you." He said, making the guys at laugh at him. "Okay, okay." Edward laughed. "And who is the only guy in this room that's engaged?"

"Touché." Liam laughed.

I put the last batch of toast on the table and brought a slice over for both Edward and I on the same plate. He passed me the kitten and then lifted me up to sit on the countertop. He hopped up beside me, and then fed us our breakfast, alternating bites.

Robert was intrigued and watched the fork as Edward moved it around. He kept meowing, and I think he wanted to play with it. It was really cute, and it made me laugh. Edward was smiling at me, and it seemed he couldn't take his eyes off of me. I loved that feeling.

After breakfast, Liam, Em and Edward washed and dried the dishes for me. Jasper took the kitten, and I ate a banana, and drank a glass of orange juice at Edward's request. He was going to make darn sure that I followed Carlisle's dietary suggestions. I loved feeling so cared for.

The rest of the guys took turns getting ready for the day, and when everyone was ready, we took Robert upstairs to use his litter box, before putting him in the carrier. Edward grabbed my beach bag and the cat, leaving me to just follow behind.

I was going to let him spoil me for a few days, but after that, he was going to have to stop treating me so delicately. I really appreciated last night in bed, though, how he iniatied things with me. He wasn't babying me too much.

We all got in the cars and headed to the beach. Emmett and Jasper went to wait for Maria and Rose. "Let's get in the backseat." Edward said to me once we were alone.

"Edward Cullen." I teased, making him laugh.

"I just thought we should put the harness on the kitten in the car, in case he slips out of our grasp on the beach." Edward said, leaning in to kiss me. "But, we can do what you were thinking, instead."

I laughed. "I shouldn't encourage your dirty mind." I said, reaching over to squeeze his thigh.

"Bella." He laughed. "Not in front of the kitten." Edward got out of the car and came around to my side. He took the carrier from me, and then took my hand, helping out and then into the backseat. I slid down and Edward followed me in. Once the door was closed, he unzipped the carrier and Robert crawled out onto Edward's lap.

I reached into my bag and pulled out Robert's harness and leash. "Okay, Robbie. Let's see how you like your harness." Edward said, holding the kitten up over his face. Robert stretched his paws out and set them on Edward's face. He seemed to love to do that.

Edward set the kitten back on his legs and I slipped the harness over Robert's head. He looked a little confused and started meowing. "You're alright, baby." I told him softly, as I lifted one leg and slipped it through the harness. I did the same on the other leg, before I snapped the buckle. I attached the leach, and then leaned in to kiss my kitten on the head. "Good boy, Robert."

I was meowed at, and it made me smile. I wasn't sure if he was mad at me, or happy that I was done. "Ready to take our son to the beach?" Edward asked me, making me laugh. I adored him for playing along with me. I knew I was acting crazy with this kitten, but Edward was being super supportive.

"I am. Thank you, baby." I said, leaning over to kiss his lips. He put one hand on my face and deepened the kiss. I really wished it was nighttime and my fiancé and I were alone in the backseat right now. I could definitely go for some make out time.

Robert meowed, always feeling left out. "We're going to pick this up, later." Edward chuckled. "I promise."


	418. Squirming and Touching

A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Summer Vacation has passed 8000 reviews! I am so excited! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Also, I've posted a photo of Robert on my photo blog. twireader81 (dot) blogspot (dot) com Enjoy!

Chapter 418 - Squirming and Touching

I held Robert to my chest and wrapped the leach around my wrist. Edward took my beach bag and the kitty carrier in one hand and wrapped his left arm around my shoulder. "I'm really excited for today." I told Edward, looking up at his face.

"I am, too, angel." Edward said. "Do you want to try body boarding, again?" He asked. I could tell that he really wanted to do it. I know he had a lot of fun the last time we tried it.

"Well, you did look darn sexy in that wetsuit." I told him, laughing. "You should have seen your bum."

Edward laughed. "That was what I was thinking about you."

"Okay, if we can find someone that wants to baby sit Robert, then I would love to body board with your fine body." I told him.

"Oh, I don't think it will be too hard. Everyone loves this cat. In fact, I think they love him more than me." Edward chuckled.

I reached behind Edward and slapped his bum. "That's not true, you naughty boy."

"Mm, Bella. You want to play teacher, again, tonight?" Edward asked, smiling smugly.

I laughed. "Well, whatever we play, we're going to need to get some more condoms from your house. I only have one left in my purse."

"That just won't do, sexy girl. We'll get some more." He said, kissing the top of my head as we walked over to sit with Esme and Carlisle.

"Hi, kids." Esme said, smiling. "I didn't know you were going to bring the kitten."

I set Robert down on the beach blanket and he started to crawl around. "I couldn't leave him." I admitted, biting my lip. Carlisle patted my shoulder.

Edward got a Styrofoam bowl and poured some water from a water bottle into it for Robert. Then, he reached into the beach bag and he pulled out Robert's extra blanket. Robert walked over to the blanket and flopped over. He was squirming a little and then leaned his head down to try and bite his harness.

"He doesn't like his harness." I said, reaching down to rub his tummy. I was hoping that would distract him from biting his harness.

"He just needs to get used to it, Bella." Edward said. "He'll be fine." I looked up at Esme and she smiled at me. Even she noticed how amazingly supportive Edward was. Edward picked Robert up and stood him back on his feet. He took two steps before he rolled over, again, this time kicking his feet. It was actually really cute, but I knew he was still trying to get out of the harness.

"Hi, guys." I smiled when I heard Maria. I turned and saw Jasper and Maria holding hands, and Emmett with his arms wrapped tightly around Rose. Maria was wearing her polka dotted bathing suit and blue shorts and Rose was in her pink tankini. She had a little white skirt on over top and it looked really cute.

"Oh, my god. Is this the kitten?" Maria squealed. "Eek, he's so adorable. Jasper said he was the cutest little thing, ever, but I had no idea he was this priceless."

We all laughed at how sweet Maria was. Jasper was blushing, but smiling at her. They were the most adorable couple. They sat down between me and Esme, and Rose sat on Emmett's lap, between Carlisle and Edward.

Jasper reached out and rubbed Robert's tummy. "Hi, kitty." He said, quietly.

Robert got up and walked over to him, and Jasper picked him up. Robert absolutely loved Jasper and they had already formed an incredible bond with each other. "Jasper, you're even cuter when you're holding a kitten." Maria said, making him blush bright red, and duck his head down a little.

Esme and I laughed. "I say that to Edward all the time." I told her, and she giggled. Esme leaned over and kissed Jasper's cheek. I loved the Cullens. They were the best family, ever.

"So, we haven't seen you girls all week. What have you been up to?" Esme asked Rose and Maria.

"We went to Aberdeen for three days to visit my aunt." Rose told her. "Let's just say, I'm glad to be home."

Emmett squeezed her tighter and kissed her neck. "I'm glad you're home, too." He said, huskily. She laughed, and slapped his arm. It was fairly obvious that Emmett wished he and Rose were alone right now.

"I can't believe we missed the kitten's arrival." Maria said.

"Well, we just got him yesterday. You haven't missed a lot." Edward told her.

"May I hold him?" She asked, looking at me and then at Jasper, who was kissing Robert's head. "I've never held a cat before."

"Oh, yeah." Jasper said. Maria put her arms against her chest and Jasper set the kitten against her body. Robert squirmed a little, and Jasper put his hands out to make sure the kitten didn't fall, but it looked like he touched her chest instead. "Oh, shoot. Sorry. I didn't mean to, um, well, you know." Jasper said, the reddest I'd seen him today.

I felt really bad for him, because Emmett saw it and started laughing at him, until Rose slapped his thigh. And Maria, who never got embarrassed, had pink cheeks, too. "Um, it's okay." She said, quietly. She was looking down at the kitten, and Jasper was looking at anyone, but Maria.

"Mom, do you want to kitty sit?" Edward asked, breaking the silence. "I want to hit the waves before it get's too busy out there."

"Of course." She said, smiling. "I haven't had a chance to bond with my grand pet." I laughed. I was glad everyone was so welcoming to Robert. Maria passed the kitten to me and I gave my baby a kiss.

"You be good for your grammy." I told Robert, making Edward laugh, as I passed him to Esme.

"I like that name for you, mom." He said, smiling. "You can put him in his carrier if he get's tired."

"We'll be fine." Esme said, smiling. "You kids go have fun."

All six of us got up and I pulled off my tank and shorts. I was going to wear my shorts in the water, but not under a wet suit. Rose pulled off her skirt and Emmett whistled at her, making her laugh.

Maria leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Do you think I'll fit in a wet suit?" I could have cried.

I pulled her into a tight hug. "Of course, sweetie." I told her. "The guys that run the board shop are my friends, and they are amazing." She smiled at me and nodded her head. She wasn't as big as she saw herself.

"Ready, guys?" Edward asked, smiling at us.

"Yeah. Rose and I will go get the guys." Emmett said, pointing down the beach where Sam, Riley, Kevin and Liam were playing Frisbee.

Edward and I walked behind Maria and Jasper over to the board shop. I didn't want to eavesdrop, but I heard Jasper apologize to her, again. But, what surprised me was when Maria told Jasper that she liked it. I looked up at Edward and he looked back down at me. His eyebrows were raised and I had feeling that Jasper was going to get a 'take your time with your girlfriend' talk.

We got to the surf shop and Embry and Jake were there. "Hey, gorgeous." Embry said, coming over to give me a hug. "Edward." He said, shaking Edward's hand. "And, Jazz, was it?"

"Yeah." Jasper said, quietly. "This is my girlfriend, Maria."

Jake came over and gave us all hugs. Embry started getting the wetsuits down for us. "Hey, Jake. Edward and I got a kitten." I told him. I was a mom. I had to brag.

"Awesome. I'll have to come visit him some time. I'll bring Vanessa." Jake said, smiling.

"Well, he's here. I brought him. Edward's mom is watching him right now." I said. "Where's Vanessa?"

"Oh, she's out on the water today with EJ." He said. "I can't wait to get back out there."

"Just give yourself some time, man." Edward said, patting his arm. "You got shot."

Jake laughed. "Yeah. I know. Just get out there and have some fun for me."

With Edward, our friends and family out on the water with me, and our kitten being lovingly taken care of, I knew I wouldn't have any trouble having fun this morning.


	419. Wetsuits

**A/N - Sorry this is a little late...a million distractions this morning! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 419 - Wetsuits

Embry and Jake got us suited up, and laughed when six more joined out group. Maria easily fit in a wetsuit, but Embry and Jasper crouched down to roll the cuffs at her ankles because she had really short legs. Emmett helped Rose into her wetsuit, and was getting pretty handsy with her. I think Carlisle was just going to have to have a big teen sex talk with the boys.

"I'm paying for all ten of us." Liam told Embry.

"Uncle Liam. You don't have to do that." Edward said.

"I want to." Liam said, wrapping his arm around Edward's shoulder and kissing the side of his head. It was a sweet moment.

Jake leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Don't worry. We'll give him the family discount." I laughed. I had that best friends in the world.

We all got our boards and headed out to the water. Embry went over his 'stay close to the shore' speech, again, and explained that we could lay, kneel or stand on the boards. The guys all looked really excited, and we started paddling out together.

"Got some pretty good moves, Uncle Liam." Edward said, as Liam paddle out beside us.

"I've surfed on some amazing beaches all over the world. Had some great teachers." He said, smiling. Liam must have some incredible memories from his travels.

"Where was your favourite place to surf?" I asked him.

"Oh, um. I'd say the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia." He said, smiling. "They have incredible waves, and luckily for me, a nice area for beginners." He laughed. "I was writing an article on the lesser known sights on Indonesia. All tourists really know about are the resorts in Bali."

I was so excited for Liam to move to Seattle. I knew that I would be able to learn so much about the world, just from talking to him. "You would make an amazing tour guide." I told him, making him chuckle.

"Hey, I'll tell you anything you want to know." Liam said. "Are you guys riding in?" He asked.

"Um, we might just float for a bit." Edward said. "Show us how it's done." Liam laughed, and hopped up on the board, and surfed in. It was really impressive.

Edward reached over for my body board and pulled it closer to his. He had one arm over the boards, and wrapped one arm around my back. I smiled at his face and he leaned in to kiss me. It started out softly, but we got worked up pretty quickly. I brought one of my hands to Edward's chest and slowly moved it down his body.

"Mm." Edward started, before I increased the pressure of my hand. "Shoot, baby." Edward laughed, reaching down to hold my wrist. "This wetsuit isn't going to leave much to the imagination when I get out of the water."

I started laughing really hard, and had to hold only Edward's shoulder. "Oh, my god, Edward." I giggled. "I'm sorry. I didn't even think of that."

"Don't apologize." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I love your hands on my body." He kissed me, again. "And I really love your cold, salty lips."

I giggled. "I like your lips when they're cold and salty, too." I told him. I slid my hand back down his body. "How are we doing down here?" I asked, biting my lip to hold back my smile. "Can we ride in, yet?"

Edward laughed. "Bella, stop touching it." He said. "That does not help." He reached down and took my hand in his, bringing it up to his lips, before he threaded our fingers together.

I giggled. "But, you're my fiancé. And you're so very sexy. I want to touch you." I said, batting my eyelashes at him.

Edward laughed. "I want you to touch me, too, beautiful."

"Then why are you keeping my hands away from your body?" I asked, leaning in to bite at Edward's bottom lip.

"Because, we're not alone out here, and when we start this, I want to be able to finish it." Edward said, smirking at me.

"Mm." I hummed. "Sounds good."

"Hey, you two cuttlefish. Are you ever going to ride in? This is my third time out." Liam asked. I giggled. I couldn't believe we had just been floating out here that long.

"Just waiting for the cold water to work it's magic." Edward said, making Liam burst out laughing. These guys had the most incredible relationship.

"God, I love you, Eduardo." Liam said, reaching over and patting Edward on the shoulder, before riding in the next low wave on his stomach.

"So, what did you think about what Maria said to Jasper." I asked Edward when we were alone, again.

"Yeah, that was something." Edward said, shaking his head. "I mean, I know Jasper and he wouldn't do anything too serious with her, right now. He's not comfortable with his own body, yet, never mind with a girl's. I mean a kiss to him is a really big deal, so I kind of doubt he's going to be moving to second base anytime soon."

"I agree with you completely. And I know for a fact that while Maria is an outwardly happy and confident girl, she is very insecure with her body image." I told him. "I think it's really sad, actually."

"You really wouldn't know it, to look at her." Edward said.

"I know. But it's the little things that most people don't even think about, that upset her. Like on the beach she asked me if I thought they would have a wetsuit that fit her." I told Edward, feeling myself tear up a little.

"Oh, baby." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "You're such a sweet girl. I love that you care so much about everyone's feelings. You are so amazing."

I smiled at him. "Thanks." I said, kissing his lips. "But, I think when Jasper touched her breast, even though it was an accident, it maybe gave her a little confidence."

"That makes sense." Edward said.

"But, still, I don't think she is ready to go any further right now, either." I told him.

"Okay, good." He said, smiling. "But, I'm still going to talk to him."

"Oh, I'm not at all surprised, big brother." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through Edward's wet hair.

"We talk a lot and he's pretty comfortable with me." Edward continued. "I know with dad, he get's a lot more embarrassed. But who can blame him?" Edward chuckled. "He has the dreaded diagrams."

I laughed. "At least I got out of that one." I said. "I'm lucky. I get the hands on training with a very sexy man."

"You are very lucky." Edward chuckled. "It's pretty embarrassing. And I have a feeling dad is planning some kind of talk for Jazz. But, hopefully I can get him out of it."

"You're a good brother." I told him. "I love you."

Edward smiled. "I love you, too. You want to ride in on these waves?"

"I would love to." I said, smiling at him. "And I'm sorry that I made it so you had to sit out here so long."

Edward chuckled. "I'm not sorry." He said. "It felt really good in a wetsuit, but I really liked just being out here with you. I love talking to you, hearing your thoughts and opinions on things." He reached up and put his hand on my cheek. "You know that I think your mind is one of your sexiest features."

"Aw. Thank you, baby." I said, turning to lay on the body board. Edward propped himself up on his board and we let the waves wash us into the shore. Kevin and Sam were standing together on the shore so we paddled back out with them.

"What do you think of the Pacific?" Edward asked his cousins.

"It's a lot colder than I thought it was going to be." Kevin laughed. "But I like body boarding. This is great." I was so happy the boys were enjoying their last day out here.

We all rode back into the beach together. They were laughing and we were all having a blast. I noticed Jasper and Maria in water only about knee deep. She looked scared and Jasper was sweet to stay with her. I knew she was afraid of sharks.

I saw Emmett and Rose making out in the water, and held back a giggle. There was definitely something to be said for kissing in the water. Edward and I had done it enough times to know. It was nice to see them so in love.

Liam and Riley joined us and we rode out one more time, this time riding in our knees. We all fell off of our boards this time, but came up laughing. I would never forget this morning out in the ocean.


	420. Friends and Food

**A/N - Happy Wednesday! It is finally nice and hot here, so I'm finding it way easier to get into the mindset of Summer Vacation! It is still July 30, 2010 in the story. Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 420 - Friends and Food

We all walked back to the board shop, and Edward even carried my board for me. Edward helped me pull my wetsuit off, so I could hold on my bathing suit bottoms. EJ and Vanessa were back in and were sitting in the counter.

"I hear there's a kitten on the beach?" EJ asked, laughing. He had his wetsuit pulled down to his waist, and was holding a bottle of Gatorade.

"Yes." I laughed. "You guys want to come meet him?"

EJ hopped off the counter and Jake held his hand out and helped Vanessa down. I could tell that he wanted to pick her up, but he wasn't allowed to lift anything. She was wearing a navy blue one piece Speedo, little red board shorts and pink flip flops. She was adorable. She and Jake held hands as they walked over to the blanket with us.

EJ walked up beside us and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. It made walking awkward, because Edward already had his arm around my waist. "So, I called Gianna." He said, smiling.

"Oh, yeah. How did that go?" Edward asked, reaching up and knocking EJ's arm off of my shoulder. They both laughed, so I knew there were no hard feelings.

"Really, really well." He chuckled. "She came over to my place for drinks."

"Drinks, huh?" Edward chuckled.

"Among other things." EJ laughed. "She is one amazing woman."

"Okay. Too much info." I giggled. "Innocent girl here."

"Sorry." EJ said, but the way he was smiling, I knew he wasn't. "I'm seeing her again, tonight."

"Well, congrats, man. I'm glad things are working out for you." Edward said. I smiled. Edward was so cute when he hung out with the guys. I just loved everything about him. I reached down and squeezed his bum, just before we got to the beach blanket. Edward looked down and winked at me.

"Hey, grammy. How's my son?" Edward asked, sitting down beside his mom. Esme laughed, leaning over to kiss Edward's cheek.

"Well, I think he does hate the harness." She said.

Jake, Vanessa and EJ all sat down with us. "Esme, Carlisle, these are our friends, Jake, Vanessa and EJ." I said, making the introductions. "Jake works with my dad and Heidi and EJ and Vanessa are brother and sister, and they just moved up here from California."

"It's very nice to meet you all." Carlisle said, reaching out to shake everyone's hand.

"Esme, you made me sandwiches when I was in the hospital." Jake said, smiling. "Thank you, ma'am. They were delicious."

"Oh, sweetheart." Esme said, putting her hand on her chest. "How are you doing?" She was sweet. Always such a mom.

Jake chuckled. "I'm doing really good. Bored out of my head, but I'm going back to work in about a week. Desk duty." He said.

"I'm going to miss you being at the beach." Vanessa told him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Well, in about a month, I might be able to take you to the beach." He said, making her smile.

"Okay, let's see this cat." EJ said, looking over at the carrier.

Edward opened the carrier and let Robert walk out. He meowed when he saw Edward. Edward picked him up and cradled him to his chest. "Hey, cutie pie." Edward whispered, and the kitten meowed, again.

"Oh my gosh, he is adorable." Vanessa said, smiling. "I want a kitty, EJ." She said to her brother.

"We can't have pets in the apartment, sis. Sorry." He told her, and she pouted. Edward passed the kitten to Vanessa and she snuggled him to her chest.

"You are just the cutest little guy, ever." She said in a baby voice to the kitten. Robert was meowing away, and it made me smile. He had so many people that loved him, and he deserved it. Jake was smiling as he watched Vanessa. He was so smitten. He reached over and scratched behind Robert's ear.

Alice and Andrea ran over when they saw the kitten. Alice plopped down on her dad's knee, and Andrea sat beside me. "Hi, Bella." She said, smiling.

"Hi, sweetheart." I said, wrapping my arm around her to give her a hug.

"Do you kids want to stay for lunch?" Esme asked Jake, Vanessa and EJ.

"No, thank you, Esme." EJ said, standing up. "We've got food down in the cooler. It was nice meeting you, though."

Vanessa came over and passed Robert to me. "We'll have to hang out again, soon." She said, before taking Jake's hand. I smiled as I watched them head back down to the board shop. Jake was walking and Vanessa was skipping along side of him. Every few stepped Jake would lift his good arm, and Vanessa would twirl underneath it. They were just the sweetest couple.

"Well, they're nice." Esme said, smiling.

"Yeah, they're the ones that took us out for drinks when we got home from Port Angeles last weekend." Edward told his parents. Carlisle and Esme chuckled to themselves. They remembered that night that Edward and I got home from having drinks with our friends and were caught making out.

"I'll go round everyone up for lunch." Carlisle said, setting Alice down before getting up.

Robert was meowing in my arms and Edward leaned in to kiss his head. "Are you hungry, Robbie?" He asked. "Let me get your lunch." Edward rummaged in the beach bag and brought out a little can of food. He put it on a paper plate and I set Robert down on the blanket. Andrea and Alice were giggling as Robert ate, because he was always so messy.

"Can we take him for a walk?" Andrea asked when Robert was finished his lunch.

Edward looked at me, and I nodded. "Okay, Bella and I will come with you girls." He said.

"Can I hold the leach?" Alice asked.

"No, princess. Bella is going to hold the leach. He's never been on a walk before so he might be a little nervous, okay?" Edward said, and Alice looked a little upset. "You can hold my hand, though. I'm cool, right?"

Alice giggled. "Yeah. You're the coolest."

"I know." Edward laughed with her, taking her hand. I took Robert's leash in one hand, and Andrea's hand in the other. We walked in the sand behind the blankets. It was shady under the trees, and not too hot for the kitten.

"He's peeing." Andrea said, laughing.

"I'm glad." I told her. "He's hasn't had a chance to go since we got here."

Robert hopped forward in the sand, and then started kicking up his feet, sending sand flying everywhere. Alice and Edward laughed. "What is he doing?" Alice giggled.

"He's playing in the sand." Edward told her. I laughed as I watched Robert. Just when I thought that he was getting a little more comfortable with the harness, he would roll over onto his back. Andrea crouched down and set the kitty back on his feet. Robert took a couple more steps before he sat down.

"Should we just take him back?" I asked Edward. "I think he's done."

Edward picked him up and held him to his chest. "Bella. I have to go to the bathroom." Andrea whispered.

"Okay. I'll take you." I told her. "Babe, we're heading down to the bathroom, first, instead."

"Alright. I'll go with you guys." He said. Alice ran ahead and took my hand, and Andrea still had a hold of my other hand. Edward walked beside us with Robert. We all took turns at the bathroom, and I was glad that Edward was there to watch the girls when I took a turn. I held Robert, while Edward went in, and then we all walked back to the beach blanket to have lunch.

Edward put the kitten in his carrier, so we could eat. Esme, nanny and Renata had made chicken salad sandwiches for lunch. I was glad because I was getting my meat quota for the day. Edward reached into the beach bag and pulled out an apple for me. I laughed, burying my face into his shoulder.

"You seriously packed me an apple?" I giggled. "You are so sweet." He was still making sure I was getting my fruit, even when we were at the beach.

"Am I going overboard?" He asked, kissing the top of my head.

"Never." I told him, tipping my face up to kiss his lips. "I love you."


	421. Too Much Talking

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! The ideas for the upcoming plotline are flooding into my mind, and although this story is long, I plan to keep it fresh, right to the end. Don't worry, we have a long way to go, but I am incredible excited to share it with you all. Thank you so much for embracing this story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 421 - Too Much Talking

After lunch, we spent the afternoon on the beach, just sitting together and talking. It was nice to spend this time with the family. Robert was pretty popular and everyone wanted to hold him. Right now, Liam was holding him. Edward was holding his little cousin Grace, Irina's four year old daughter, and I was holding Casey, Katrina's three year old.

The guys sat with us and we talked about college, friends, Chicago, girlfriends, just everything. It was fun, and I enjoyed myself so much. But, to me, the best surprise, was that Collin's daughters, Jane, Becky and Connie, all sat and talked with everyone. They had pretty much kept to themselves for more of the week, but were finally loosening up. I even saw a smile or two.

We stayed until around six o'clock, before we all packed up and headed back to the Cullen house. We had veggies and dip and cold cuts and cheese for dinner. At Esme's request, we all gathered together into the family room, and watched the video of mine and Edward's engagement.

Esme and I were sitting beside each other, and we were both crying. Well, I was close to bawling. It was the first time I had actually heard Edward's beautiful words. When he had actually proposed, my heart was pounding so hard, I could hardly hear him.

Edward was sitting on my right, and he was running his fingers up and down on my thigh. I looked over at him, and his eyes looked red, too. He smiled at me and leaned over to kiss the side of my head.

We all laughed at the video, when Emmett zoomed into the ring on my finger. It was such an Emmett thing to do. The ring looked gorgeous, as the sun was catching it. But, my favourite part of the video, was that Emmett taped Edward and I walking down the beach together towards our big rock. It was a really great shot.

Edward fed Robert in the kitchen and he used his litter box. He seemed tired and just slept on my lap for most of the night. It seemed his day on the beach had worn him out.

We spent the rest of the night, playing cards, talking and laughing. At eleven o'clock, the boys and I headed back to my place to go to sleep. Esme told us that she was making a big farewell breakfast the next morning before everyone left, so we were just going to head back over at around eight-thirty or nine on Saturday morning.

Liam, nanny, grandpa, grams and pop were all staying for a couple days longer. It made the prospect of goodbye the next day, a little less sad. When we got home, I gave all the boys a hug, before Edward and I went upstairs to bed. I set Robert in his bed and he curled up into a tight ball.

I stripped out of my bathing suit, and crawled into bed naked. Edward smiled as he pulled off his t-shirt. "I brought you a present." He laughed, reaching into the pocket of his board shorts. He pulled out a handful of condoms and set them on my night stand.

I laughed. "When did you get those?" I asked him, smiling when he pulled off his board shorts and crawled into bed with me.

"When I went up to the bathroom before we left." He told me, pulling me close to him. "I raided my own shoebox." He laughed.

"I'm glad you remembered." I told him, smiling, as I rubbed his back.

"How could I forget?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my neck.

"The engagement video was amazing." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through Edward's hair. "You are like a poet. The things you said to me, Edward, were just beautiful."

He chuckled. "Bella, you cried so hard watching that. I'm not going to let you watch it anymore." Edward teased. "You made me cry."

I giggled. "I'm sorry. I just happen to adore love stories, and ours is my favourite one." I defended, kissing his lips.

"I know." He agreed. "Mine, too."

"I had a great day, today." I told him. "Robert did really well on the beach."

"Yeah, except for the harness." Edward chuckled. "But, I think he'll get used to it. I mean, he only has to wear it if he goes outside."

"You're right." I agreed. "But, can I tell you my favourite part of the day?" I asked, moving my hand down his back to squeeze his bare bum.

Edward smirked. He knew exactly what I was referring to. "What's that, sexy girl?" He moved his hands down my back and held onto my bum cheeks, too.

I groaned. "When you told me that once we were alone, I could start something that you could finish." I whispered.

He laughed. "Yeah, that sounds about right." He said, before moving his head down to kiss the top of my breasts.

"Um, do you think it's weird that we both just came to bed naked tonight?" I asked Edward. "I mean, we both just stripped and climbed into bed, neither one of us second guessing ourselves, or acting nervous."

Edward kissed my lips, before leaning back so he could look into my eyes. "I think that it says a lot, actually." He said, smiling at me. "We are obviously comfortable with each other, and I think that we are both ready to take that next step." He kissed me, again.

"It's funny. I honestly didn't know if I would be able to tell what you were thinking, or how you felt; how comfortable you were. But, it's so obvious, now. You act the same around me, now, when you're naked, as you do when you're dressed. No red cheeks, no panic, no teary eyes." Edward continued. "It's amazing how far we've come, isn't it?"

I smiled. "It really is." I reached up and ran my fingers through Edward's hair. "I really feel ready."

"I know, and I wish we could do more right now, but I don't like having to be quiet with you." He whispered against my lips. "Especially not the first time. I don't want us to hold back at all."

I smiled back at him. "I'm really excited. When are we going to do it?"

"Well, that's just it. I want it to be somewhere special, like a nice hotel, but then, if we do that, are we going to feel comfortable, like we are right now, in your twin sized bed?" Edward said. It sounded to me that he was just thinking out loud. I knew he couldn't help it, but he was definitely over thinking and over planning, again.

"Well, honestly, I was thinking about your bed." I told him, scratching his back.

"Like, at my parent's house?" He asked, looking a little surprised.

"Yeah. I feel really comfortable in your room, plus your bed is a lot bigger than mine." I told him.

"So, you don't want a hotel?" He asked, looking a little surprised.

"I see what you're trying to do, spoil me, make it really special, but I think I would feel a little pressured in a hotel room." I told him.

Edward nodded. "No, I understand that." He said. "But, the only thing I worry about at my house is that we might be interrupted."

"Well, maybe we can get the house to ourselves for a night, or something." I suggested. "Like really, really soon."

Edward chuckled. "In a hurry, are we?" He asked, smirking, again. I nodded, giggling. I was in a hurry. I wanted him. A lot. "Okay, I'll see what I can do, baby. But in all likelihood, I could probably clear out the house a lot easier during the day than I could at night."

"That could work, I guess." I said. "And if not, we could do it here."

"Ugh." Edward sighed, leaning his head down onto my shoulder. "I'm over thinking it, again." He confessed. I laughed, kissing the top of his head.

"Baby, it's going to happen when it happens, where it happens. Hey, it might even be on the couch downstairs." I teased, making him laugh.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." He laughed.

I brought my face down to his neck and started sucking and biting it. "Too much talking." I mumbled, moving down to Edward's chest, and placing kisses all over it. I got a little brave with my hand and Edward groaned. I was hoping to pick up where we left off in the ocean this morning.

I sat up and pushed his shoulders back, so he laid flat on his back. I sat beside him on the bed and just enjoyed the feeling of my his skin on my hands. "Mm, Bella." He whispered. "Yeah, sexy girl. You are so amazing."

I smiled and leaned in to kiss his lips. Edward opened his mouth and deepened the kiss. He pulled back a little breathless, before rolling me over. "My turn to play." He said, straddling my thighs, and caressing my body from my hips to my shoulders. Edward leaned in to kiss my lips. This night was definitely worth waiting for.


	422. Good Mornings and Goodbyes

**A/N - This chapter is the end of Friday and the start of Saturday, July 31, 2010. Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 422 - Good Mornings and Goodbyes

Edward kissed and touched and tasted me everywhere. He held my hands in his, and even though he was being wonderfully sinful, he still caressed my hands with his thumbs. He was always gentle and careful. He never seemed to lose control with me, and right now, that made me feel incredibly safe and loved.

Edward left me panting and sweating. He smiled at me as he laid down beside me and pulled me close. "You are so delicious." He whispered against my lips, tracing his fingertips up and down my spine, in the dip of my lower back and over the curve of my bum.

"And you are so wonderfully talented." I giggled. "How do you know what to do?"

"I just do what feels right. And I think I know your body pretty well." He said, kissing my lips. "And if you moan or sigh, or your body tightens up a little, then I know you like what I'm doing."

I leaned in and sucked on his bottom lip, gently scraping it with my teeth. "Well, that seems like a lot of work, Edward." I said, seductively.

Edward chuckled. "Mm, I happily volunteer to do it for the rest of my life." He said, kissing me.

"I love you." I whispered.

"Mm. I love you, too, my sweet and sexy angel." Edward said, pulling me close to his chest. I cuddled my head to his chest, and fell asleep in minutes.

For the second morning in a row, I woke up to my boys, snuggling in bed. Edward had the kitten curled up in his arms. "This is my favourite way to wake up." I said, stretching my arms over my head.

"How's that? Naked? Because I love when you wake up naked, too." Edward said, smiling down at me.

I reached over and slapped his stomach, making him laugh. "No, Edward. I like waking up to a naked fiancé holding a kitten on his bare chest. It's very sexy." I giggled.

"Well, your baby wakes me up early." Edward laughed. "I can't believe you don't hear him. He starts meowing, but stays in his bed until I lift him out and put him in his litter box."

"I can believe it, Edward. The things you did me before I fell asleep. Mm. No wonder I was exhausted." I giggled, making Edward laugh. "Why don't you wake me up? I'll get up with the kitten." I told Edward.

"Ah, I don't mind, sugar." Edward said, smiling. He set the kitten on my chest between my breasts. It tickled so much, but Robert was still sleeping, so I tried to stay still. "You two rest a little while longer. It's early. I'm going to grab a quick shower."

"Okay." I said, smiling. "I love you." I said, watching him get out of bed and walk around my room naked. He grabbed a white t-shirt, his camo shorts and a pair of white boxer briefs. "Mm. I love you in white boxer briefs." I told him. "You look like a Calvin Klein underwear model."

Edward laughed, walking over to kiss to the top of my head. "You look at a lot of men's underwear ads?" He teased making me blush. He cupped my cheek with his hand, before leaning in to kiss my lips. "It's okay if you do."

I laughed, covering my eyes. "No, I don't Edward." I told him. "But, I used to. Angie and I had a whole binder full of them we cut out of magazines in high school."

Edward chuckled. "That is hilarious." He said. "I love learning these things about you. You are just so adorable."

"Okay, okay." I giggled. "Just go have a shower."

Edward laughed as he walked out the door. I starting giggling because he left the room completely naked. I guessed guys didn't care about things like that. I looked down at my kitty and stroked his head. I could feel him purring against my chest. He was just perfect. I closed my eyes and drifted off.

I woke up to Edward's lips on my forehead. He smelled delicious. "Mm. You smell good. Did I fall asleep?" I asked.

Edward sat down on the bed beside me and wrapped his arm around my body. "You must have." He said, smiling. "Go get ready. We have a long morning ahead of us." He said.

"I hate goodbyes." I told him, resting his head on his shoulder.

"I know, babe." He said. "But, I've got all their e-mail addresses and we can stay in touch, okay? And, hey, they'll all be back for our wedding next year. And we always see them at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Spring Break. So, don't be too upset, alright?"

"Yeah, that actually makes me feel a lot better." I said, smiling up at Edward's face. "I love you."

Edward caressed my chest as he picked up the kitten. He had a mischievous look on his face and I loved it. "I love you, too." He said. I got up and Edward whistled when I bent over to get a night shirt off the floor of my room.

"Hey, we all can't walk around naked." I teased. I grabbed a black tank, a white skirt, my black lace bra and a pair of green cotton boy shorts.

"Sexy." Edward said, winking at me from my bed. "Oh, babe, your pill."

I looked at the clock and it was seven thirty. Close enough. I took the pill and swallowed it. "I'm so glad that you remember everything." I laughed, before I went into the bathroom. I had a quick shower and got ready. I just scrunched my hair, again, so I would be ready faster. I came back into my room and Edward wasn't there. I walked downstairs and Edward and Liam were sitting at the kitchen table together, drinking coffee.

"Just go really slow, buddy. She'll be fine." Liam said. "And you're not trying to make a porno. You don't need to do anything fancy. Just follow your body; follow hers."

I bit my lip and hid behind the wall by the doorway. I knew I was blushing bright red. It sounded like Edward was talking to his uncle about sex. It was actually really sweet, and I was happy that Edward had someone to confide in, and talk to about these things.

"Morning, Bella." Emmett said, from behind me, making me jump. He completely blew my cover. He wrapped his arm around me and led me into the kitchen. My face was still red and I was hoping for more recovery time.

"Good morning, guys." I said, going over to sit on Edward's lap. His ears were red and he looked a little embarrassed. I leaned in and kissed his cheek, rubbing my hand up and down his side. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close to him.

"Good morning, Bella." Liam said, smiling at me. "Where's your baby?"

"I have no idea." I laughed. "I left him with his daddy."

"He's in bed with his uncle Jazz." Edward said, smiling. He kissed my cheek. "You smell incredible." He whispered in my ear, making me smile. I loved being this close to him.

While we waited for the guys to get ready and pack their suitcases, I had a glass of orange juice and Edward cut me a bunch of strawberries into slices. He even sprinkled sugar on them for me. I thought it was adorable, but Liam and Emmett were teasing him. He just shrugged his shoulder and came to sit beside me while I ate them.

At nine o'clock, we all drove to the Cullen's house for breakfast. Esme had fruit salad, hash browns, bacon, sausages, waffles, and pancakes, all set out on the tables in the backyard. Renata and Esme both had tears in their eyes, and I could only imagine how hard it would be for sisters to say goodbye to each other.

I was surprised when I saw my dad and Heidi over, too. It was good to see them, and it had been a long week, living without my dad. I had really missed both him and Heidi, and gave them both huge hugs.

We all had a great time, but as expected, had some tearful goodbyes on the front deck. I didn't cry until I saw Alice crying when her little cousins left. All the little girls gave me a hug, and Andrea made me promise, again, that she could come to my wedding. The boys all gave Edward and I hugs and thanked me for letting them stay with at my house and for making them breakfast.

In only a week, I had completely fallen in love with the whole Masen and Cullen families. It had been an amazing week, and I would never forget it.

After the last car had driven down the driveway, we all went back inside. All the guys, plus Alice and the kitten, sat in the family room and turned on the sports channel. After I kissed my dad and Edward on the top of their heads, Esme, Heidi, nanny, grams and I went into the kitchen to wash all the dishes from this morning's breakfast.

I pulled Esme into a tight hug, and she rubbed my back. "Thank you, sweetheart. I needed that."

"It's the least I can do. I feel so lucky to a part of this amazing family." I told her. "I had a great week."


	423. Girl Talk and Boy Talk

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! You all make me feel so special! Have a great day! Enjoy!**

Chapter 423 - Girl Talk and Boy Talk

We spent the next few hours over at the Cullens'. It was nice to have a some girl time with Heidi and Esme. We were upstairs changing the sheets on the beds, when the girl talk took a turn for the embarrassing. Heidi asked how things were going with Edward and I, considering we were staying in the same bed.

I laughed, but I knew my face was bright red. "Um, things are going really, really good." I told them biting my lip. "And, uh, I started my birth control pills yesterday."

"Oh, good. All your tests came back normal?" Heidi asked, and I nodded. "So, are you going to give us the dirt? Have you guys, you know?"

I burst out laughing. "Heidi." I said.

"Oh, come on, Bella." She laughed, as Esme giggled. Esme was changing pillowcases, pretending not to listen, but I knew that she totally was.

"Well, I've had six other boys, well men, staying over in my house for the last week since I've been engaged, so no." I said. But, I really, really wanted to.

"Is the lack of privacy the only reason?" Heidi asked me, pulling my hand so I would sit with her on the bed. Esme sat down on my other side.

I looked at then and smiled. "I think so. Yeah." I admitted. "I'm definitely ready."

"What about Edward?" Heidi asked. "Does he know how you feel?"

"Um, yeah. We talk about it a lot." I said. "And you know Edward. He wants it to be perfect. He's thinking about hotels, and trying to plan everything. I told him that I just want us to be alone and that it will happen when it happens."

"Aw. My baby is all grown up." Esme said, smiling, and holding her hands to her chest.

"Well, your house guests are gone." Heidi said.

"I still have Liam, and with the grandparents still here, Emmett and Jasper." I said. "I mean, I don't mind at all. I love the boys."

"Well, Liam can stay here, and Em and Jasper can share his room, now." Esme said.

"And I'll keep your dad at my place again, tonight." Heidi said, looking pretty proud of herself. "You and Edward can have the house to yourselves."

I felt really overwhelmed all of the sudden. I could be losing my virginity tonight. Both of us would be. I had to remember that this was a first for Edward, too. And just by hearing him talk to Liam this morning, I knew he was pretty nervous.

"You look pale." Esme said, putting her hand on my forehead, again. "Do you need to eat?"

"Um, no." I said. "I think I just need to talk to Edward." I stood up and turned to face them both. They were both really important women in my life and I felt so lucky to have them both. I leaned in and hugged them both, and we had a little group hug. "Thank you both so much for everything. I love you."

I went back downstairs and found Edward in the kitchen, kneeling by the litter box with Robert. He was such an amazing daddy. Edward looked up and smiled when he saw me. "Hey, gorgeous. I've missed you all day." He said. "Everything okay? You look a little stressed, or nervous, or something."

I kneeled down beside him on the floor. "Actually, I need to talk to you." I said, and he looked really serious all of a sudden. "Can we go outside, or somewhere private?"

"Yeah, of course." He said, picking Robert up. "I'll be right back." He jogged into the family room and came back catless. He took my hand and led me to the backdoor. We went outside and sat on the deck stairs together.

I picked up Edward's hand and held it in both of mine. I started playing with his fingers. I ran the tip of my finger over his ring finger on his left hand. There would be a wedding ring right here in a year's time.

Edward wasn't talking. He was just giving me time. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Um, so I was talking to Heidi and your mom upstairs."

Edward chuckled, nervously. "Girl talk, huh?" He said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. "That could be dangerous."

I giggled. "Actually, they were scheming to make sure that my dad's place is empty tonight."

"Why is that?" He asked, looking a little confused. I bit my lip and looked up at his face. He looked into my eyes, and I could see the second he figured it out. "Oh." He said. "Um, really?"

"Yeah." I said, nodding my head.

"So, you want to do it tonight?" He asked, and I could feel his hands start to sweat.

"Um, I don't know. I think so." I said. "It just freaked me out that's it like today, and that everyone knows about it."

Edward nodded his head. I could tell his mind was working a million miles an hour. "Um, okay." He said. "Uh, why don't we just go back to your place, hang out, maybe order some dinner. Just spend some quiet time together. Alone. And then we'll see where the night takes us. Just because we're by ourselves, we don't have to do anything, okay? If it feel right, then we'll go with it. If not, we can just do what we've been doing. Maybe take a bath, together."

I smiled widely at Edward. "I love that." I said. "You really are perfect, you know."

He laughed. "I just love you, and I want you to be happy."

"I love you, too, baby," I said, smiling. "Can I confess that I heard you talking to Liam this morning?"

"Shit, Bella. I'm sorry." He said, dropping his head a little. "I, uh, I didn't tell him anything, I just." He started, but then stopped. He actually looked a little sick.

"No, baby." I said, getting up and coming to sit on his lap. Edward wrapped his arms around me, holding onto my hip. "I'm not upset about it. I just love that you have someone that you can confide in."

Edward smiled at me and then kissed my shoulder. "Thank you, Bella." He said. "And I know you keep telling me that I'm perfect, but I'm not. I get scared and nervous, too."

"I know that." I said, turning in his lap to wrap my arms around his shoulders. "But, you can talk to me, too, you know. I would never think any less of you if you shared your fears with me."

He smiled. "I know. I just needed a guy's opinion on something." He told me, chuckling when I frowned. He reached up and smoothed the frown lines out from between my eyes. "We both have different roles to play when we make love, and I was just looking for a little reassurance on my end." He admitted.

"Aw, Edward." I said, wrapping my arms around him, and pulling him close. "Are you sure you're ready? I mean, I'm not trying to force this."

He chuckled. "Oh, I'm ready." He said, looking a little smug, again. I couldn't help but laugh. That was such a cute answer. He spanked my bum. "You want to just go home now?" He asked, seemingly a little eager.

I nodded my head, smiling at him, looking right into his eyes. We went back inside, and after gathering our kitten, and giving everyone hugs goodbye, we were on our way. My dad looked a little curious as to why we were leaving, but he didn't ask, so I didn't say anything. He told us he and Heidi would be over at six thirty in the morning, tomorrow, so we could load the futon and head to Seattle to see our apartment. August first, the day we got the keys. What a busy weekend.

We went to the car, but instead of going home, Edward pulled up to the grocery store. "Don't have enough condoms?" I teased, squeezing Edward's hand as we walked into the store.

Edward laughed and it made me smile. "I just wanted to pick up some things for tonight. You know, if we're just hanging out at the house, we might get the munchies." He said, smiling. I was hoping we would be too busy to get the munchies.

He got a shopping cart and I set the cat carrier in the baby seat compartment. Robert meowed and I smiled. He was like an instant smile creator. This cat was special. I followed Edward around the store, giggling at each thing he put in the cart. Ice cream, chocolate sauce, peanut butter, whipped cream, pudding and maraschino cherries.

"Do you plan to use a bowl while you eat your snack?" I asked, blushing.

"Does your belly button count?" He asked, winking at me. I covered my face with my hand and Edward chuckled. I wasn't embarrassed, I was excited. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head.

Edward bought his 'snacks' and we went back out to the car. Next, he drove up the street and stopped at the flower shop. He ran in and came back with a small bouquet of orchids. They were white and purple and incredible extravagant. He passed them to me, making me smile. I leaned over and kissed him. He was amazing.

We got back to my place, unpacked the groceries, put the flowers in water and took the kitten upstairs to feed him, and let him use his litter box. We came downstairs and sat on the couch in the living room with Robert crawling around on our laps.

I looked at Edward and he looked as nervous as I felt. When our eyes met, we both laughed, and the tension seemed to melt away. This was going to be a great night, no matter what happened.


	424. Panties and Pizza

**A/N - I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 424 - Panties and Pizza

Edward leaned back on the couch and I crawled onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. He was gently rubbing his fingers up and down on my bare arm. It felt good and it was completely relaxing. Robert had curled up at the other end of the couch and I was glad that he was giving me some time with my man.

"Are you hungry?" Edward asked me, looking down at my face.

"Yeah." I said, looking up at his face. It was obvious that we were both trying to act normal, but our nerves were getting the better of us. We honestly hadn't spent much time alone in the last week, and even in my room, we had to keep quiet because of our house guests.

"What do you feel like?" He asked, making me smirk.

"Touch me and find out." I said. Edward lifted his eyebrows at me, before he started laughing. I knew what he meant. He wanted to know what I felt like for dinner, but I wanted him to relax. I wanted to relax, myself.

"Oh, I have every intention of touching you." He said, his confidence back in full force. "I just want you fed, first."

"Just get a pizza or something. That's fast, right?" I asked, moving my hand over his chest.

"Always in a hurry." He said, slipping his hand under my skirt, patting my bum. "Have I seen you in these panties?" He asked, completely changing the subject.

I giggled. "I think maybe once." I said, leaning in to kiss his neck. "You want to see them, again? You know, just to make sure?"

Edward chuckled. "Definitely." He said, tuning his head to kiss my lips. I got up off of the couch and pulled off my skirt, leaving me in my tank top and green striped boy shorts. I did a little turn for Edward, and he was beaming. "This is my favourite look on you." He admitted. "It's so innocent, but incredibly sexy at the same time."

He reached forward and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to stand between his open legs. He placed a kiss on my stomach, before turning me around. He kissed the small of my back, making me smile. All of a sudden, I felt a pinch on my bum cheek. I squeaked and looked back. "You bit me." I giggled, and was met full force my Edward's mischievous smile.

He chuckled. "Bella, you have a bum that's just begging to be bitten." I smiled at him. This was my Edward. It seemed that we had both forgotten our nerves and were back to being Edward and Bella.

"You must just be hungry. Order the pizza." I said, smiling.

"Alright, alright." He said, reaching forward to spank my bum. He went into the kitchen to order the pizza and I ran upstairs to use the bathroom. When I came back downstairs, I heard Edward talking and figured he was still on the phone. But, I was surprised to see Emmett, Jasper and Liam all standing in the kitchen.

I normally wouldn't have cared, but I was only wearing my panties and a tank. I froze in my tracks, and all the guys turned to look at me at the same time. "Hey, Bella." Emmett said, as if this was no big deal. "Just came to get our stuff." He walked past me, gave me a half hug, and went up the stairs to get his bag.

Jasper, whose face was as red as mine, I'm sure, just smiled at me, before running up the stairs behind Emmett.

Liam chuckled. "I'm sorry, Bella. Looks like we interrupted something?" He asked. "I'll just get my bag so you two can get back at it." He walked into the living room to get his bag.

I giggled and shook my head and went to stand behind Edward. I wrapped my arms around his stomach, and he reached down to rub my arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't know they were coming." He whispered.

"It's okay." I said, squeezing him a little tighter. I wasn't upset about it, and it wasn't going to affect my night. The doorbell rang. The pizza was here. Edward went to the door and I sat down, hoping to hide my bottom half under the table.

Edward came back and set the pizza on the table, just as the guys all came back in the room. "Pizza." Emmett said, excitedly, making me laugh.

"Isn't mom making you dinner?" Edward asked, sitting down beside me at the table.

"Yeah." He said, looking a little disappointed.

"Just take a piece on your way out." I said, winking. "Not that I'm kicking you out."

Liam started laughing as they all grabbed a piece of pizza before heading to the door. "You're the best, Bella." Emmett said with his mouth full.

Edward and I both laughed, and sat there waiting until we heard the truck drive away. Edward put his elbow on the table and rested his face on his hand. "I'm really sorry about that." He said, smiling sweetly at me.

"Don't be, Edward. I love your family." I told him, reaching over to run my fingers through his hair.

"I know, but I didn't want them to ruin the mood." He said.

I smiled at him. "You know what would help the mood?" I said, grinning at him. "Take off your clothes." I giggled.

Edward laughed. "You want me naked, already?" He asked.

"Well, I thought maybe I could enjoy those white boxer briefs you teased me with this morning." I told him biting my bottom lip.

"My girl and her weakness for underwear models." He teased, making me laugh, as he stood up and took off his t-shirt. He unzipped his shorts and let them fall to the floor.

"Mm. Gorgeous." I said, reaching over to trace my fingers along his waist band. Edward smiled at me, before going to the fridge.

"What do you want to drink?" He asked. I may have been staring at his bum, and didn't answer the question. He laughed and I looked up at his face. "Baby?"

"Uh huh?" I asked.

"What do you want to drink?" He asked, still chuckling

"Oh, um, you'd better get me some more OJ." I told him. "I'm kind of getting addicted to it." Edward laughed and poured us each a glass of orange juice before sitting beside me.

We ate our pizza and had our OJ. It was an nice quiet meal, spent with us just smiling at each other. I was feeling really relaxed right now, and I think it was because Edward was doing everything he could to make me feel that way. I only ate one slice of pizza, though. I wanted to save room for dessert.

I heard Robert meowing just as I put the pizza in the fridge. Edward and I went in the living room to check on him and he was standing at the edge of the couch, looking down, like he wanted to get off, but was too scared to jump.

"What's wrong, Robbie?" Edward asked, scooping him up. "You want your mommy?" Edward passed me my baby, and I snuggled him to his chest.

"Do you have to use the litter box?" I asked him, walking over to the stairs. Edward put his hands on my hips and followed me up the stairs.

"I love these panties." He said, from behind me. "What do you call these?"

I laughed. "Boy shorts." I told him.

"What a weird name." He mused. "There is nothing boyish about them. You're bum looks very pretty in them."

I giggled. "You know you are adorable." I told him as we walked into my room. I set Robert in his litter box and sat on the floor beside him. Edward sat beside me, and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. He leaned in to kiss my neck, and it made me smile.

Robert kicked his feet before hopping out of his litter box. He meowed before walking over to get a drink. He checked his food plate and before walking away. "Someone wants his supper." Edward said.

"I'll get it." I said, jumping up and running to the door to go downstairs to get a fork. "If you clean his litter box." I heard Edward's laughter from all the way downstairs. I smiled as I came back into the room. Edward was just adding new litter to the box.

"You are so darn adorable, Bella." He laughed, as I fed the kitten. When Robert was finished eating, he ran over to his mouse toy and smacked it with his paw. I giggled and Edward smiled, laying down on his stomach. He was sliding the toy around and Robert was pouncing on it.

"Kitty break." I said, straddling Edward's hips and laying down on Edward's back. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and watched Edward play with Robert.

"I'm sorry this isn't really romantic." He said, turning his head to look back at me.

"Edward, this night is perfect so far. Just spending time with our little family is exactly what I want." I told him. "And maybe we can play when the baby goes to sleep." I giggled as the watched the smile spread across his face. This night was only just beginning.


	425. Dessert

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and for the great reviews! This is still Saturday, July 31, 2010 in the story! Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 425 - Dessert

We played with Robert for a half hour. But, like always, after he played really hard, he was exhausted. I climbed off of Edward and smiled when Edward picked Robert up, kissed his head and laid him in his bed. Our kitty was out cold.

Edward lifted me up and set me on my bed. I giggled. "Are you tucking me in, like you did with Robbie?" I asked him.

He chuckled. "No, baby. Actually, I have other plans for you, sexy girl." He whispered, leaning in to lick my bottom lip.

"Mm." I hummed, smiling up at his face.

"I'm going to get dessert." He said, smiling.

He walked out of the room and I let out a deep breath. This could be it. The next time I got out of this bed, I may have made love to Edward. I had to relax and try not to over think this. I pulled my tank top off, and laid back down. I figured Edward might like my sheer black lace bra.

I sat up and started chewing my lip. Maybe I should put on lingerie? Would Edward like that better than mismatched underwear? But, then again, he said that he really liked these panties.

Edward walked into the room with his arms full of sugary toppings. He set them all at the foot of my bed, before he straddled my legs. "I love your bra." He said, tracing his fingers over the cups, and making my breath catch in my throat.

"Thank you." I said, sounding nervous, even to myself.

"Baby, relax." He said, laying on top of me and pressing a kiss to my lips. "You look a little worried."

"Well, I was just, I don't know, never mind. It doesn't matter." I said, shaking my head.

"Bella. It's does matter to me. Tell me." He said, before kissing me, again. This time a little harder.

"I was just trying to decide if I should put on some lingerie." I admitted, my cheeks feeling a little warm.

He leaned in and kissed my cheeks, the left, then the right, before pressing another kiss to my lips. "You don't have to do that for me. I think you look gorgeous in what you have on. But, if you would feel better, then by all means."

I giggled. "I'm fine like this." I admitted, and Edward smiled.

"Good choice." He said, winking at me, before sitting up on my thighs. He turned and grabbed some chocolate sauce, popping open the cap. He squeezed a little bit in my belly button, making me laugh.

"That's cold." I said, smiling up at his face.

"I probably shouldn't have put it in the fridge." Edward chuckled. He leaned down and swirled his tongue around my belly button, before licking up the chocolate. "Mm. Chocolate Bella."

I laughed. "Crazy Edward." I said, reaching down to run my fingers through his hair.

"Oh, I'm just getting started." Edward chuckled. He leaned back and grabbed a pudding cup, making me laugh. "Do you remember when I told you that I wanted to lick pudding off of you?" He asked, as he pealed off the top.

"I remember." I said, smiling. Edward dipped two fingers into the butterscotch pudding and ran them over my stomach in the shape of a heart. I giggled and pulled Edward's hand to my lips. I sucked his fingers into my mouth and swirled my tongue around them.

"Shit, Bella." He said, closing his eyes. "I thought I was supposed to be teasing you."

I giggled, pulling his fingers out of my mouth. "Butterscotch Edward." I said, smiling.

He laughed. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I said, smiling.

He leaned down and started licking the pudding off of my stomach. It tickled, but I was loving every second of it. "All clean." He said, sitting up and smiling at me.

"Good. Come here and give me a butterscotch kiss." I said, pulling his shoulders so he was laying down on me. He started kissing and licking at my lips. He tasted phenomenal. He finally pulled back to breathe, but leaned back in and pressed kiss after kiss after kiss on my lips.

"This is fun." Edward said, smiling, before kissing me, again.

"It is. Let me have my dessert." I said, sitting up. Edward rolled onto his back and I straddled his hips. He was absolutely glowing and I loved that he was enjoying this so much. I reached behind my back and unhooked my bra, slowly pulling it off, and tossing it off the bed.

"Mm." Edward hummed, smiling, reaching up to tease my breasts with his fingertips.

"I didn't want to get that bra dirty." I giggled.

"No, we wouldn't want that, baby." Edward said, playing along. I picked up the chocolate sauce and squeezed a trail from his stomach, just under his belly button, up to his throat. I grabbed the whipped cream and shook it up, spraying a line over the chocolate. I picked up the jar of cherries and tried to open it, but the lid was too tight.

Edward chuckled, taking the jar from me. He popped it open and gave it back. "Thank you, baby." I said, reaching in the jar, and taking out a cherry. I ran it over his bottom lip, before putting it in his mouth. He chewed the cherry and I licked my lips just watching him. He looked so delicious.

I put three cherries in the whipped cream on his stomach, placing the jar on my nightstand. I leaned in started licking his abs. Edward was humming, and I knew he loved this. I kept licking the chocolate and cream off of his chest, and I was so glad that I didn't eat too much dinner. I had gone a little crazy with the whipped cream.

I knew I had whipped cream on my face. I looked up at Edward's face and he laughed. "You are so adorable." He said, leaning in to lick the cream from my face. He wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me forward, pressing our sticky bodies together.

"This was fun and really, really delicious, but it's pretty messy, huh?" I asked, smiling against his lips.

"You know that messy is fun." He said. He brought his hands down to my bum and squeezed it. I moaned and started moving my hips against his. "Ah, Bella." He groaned, smiling up at my face. He held my hips and moved with me. This always felt really good.

I put my hands on his shoulders and looked down into his eyes. I screamed a little, dropping my head on his shoulder. Edward kept moving his hips and I kept moaning. "Baby." I breathed, kissing his neck when he finally stilled, letting out a load groan.

"Wow." He said, rubbing my back. "And can I just say, that I love when you're loud like that."

I giggled. "Did I wake the kitten?" I asked, before going back to kissing his neck.

"No, he's still asleep." Edward said, after looking over at him. "Do you want to have a shower? Maybe rinse off?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." I said, getting up. Edward and I stripped our underwear off, before holding hands and walking to the shower. I pulled my hair up in to a messy bun, so it wouldn't get wet, while Edward turned on the shower. He helped me in and I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my face on his chest.

"Are you having fun tonight?" Edward asked, kissing the top of my head.

I looked up at his face and smiled. "I'm having a great night." I told him. I reached over and grabbed my body wash, and squeezed some out in my hands I lathered up Edward's body, making sure he was nice and clean. I couldn't tell who was enjoying it more, me or him. He did the same for me, and my legs felt wobbly by the time he was finished. Let's just say that he was very thorough.

We got out of the shower and we took turns drying each other off. We held hands and went back into my room. Edward moved all of the dessert toppings to my night stand, before we laid down in my bed.

"You up for more?" Edward asked, leaning in to kiss my lips as his hand moved up and down my outer thigh.

"I think so, yeah." I said, before deepening the kiss that Edward started.

I was nervous, but really excited. I had decided that I wanted to make love to my fiancé tonight. This was going to be our night to show each other with our bodies how much love we shared. We were going to be connected to one another in the deepest way possible. And I was ready. We both were.


	426. Perfect

**A/N - Okay, this is it! The big moment. I wish I could make this story T+. So if you guys aren't comfortable with sexual situations, even though this isn't graphic, skip the chapter. It will not effect the plot if you do. Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 426 - Perfect

I turned on my side, so Edward and I were both facing each other. I kissed him with all the passion I had in me. I wanted him to feel everything I was feeling. And I was feeling a lot of things. I was turned on beyond belief. I was really excited and I was determined. I could do this. I wasn't scared.

I was with the man that I loved with my whole heart and soul. We had promised each other that we would be together for the rest of our lives and just over a week ago, we had become engaged. I trusted Edward more than anyone else on earth and I loved him more than I ever thought it was possible.

Edward pulled back, a little breathless, still smiling at me. He didn't seem nervous, just extremely happy. It was kind of cute, actually. He started to kiss his way down my body, licking and sucking, and making me feel more turned on than I already was. He sat up, bending my legs, but leaving my feet on the bed. He rubbed my legs, from my knees to my hips, before opening them.

I was so proud of myself. I didn't blush, I didn't close my eyes, or turn my head in embarrassment. I met Edward's eyes and held his stare. He was checking with me wordlessly. He was making sure I was alright.

Edward winked at me and I giggled. The moment was getting fairly intense, and I was grateful to him for making it more relaxed. He laid back down, kissing the insides of my thighs and my hips. His right hand held my outer thigh, but he reached his left hand up so I could hold it. We interlaced our fingers and I felt incredible close to him in that moment.

Edward worked his magic on my body with his lips, tongue and fingers, and I barely kept it together. Edward was on a role tonight, and I knew that he was trying to make me feel as good as he possibly could. He was doing an outstanding job.

He kissed his way back up my body and I put both hands on his cheeks, leaning in to kiss him. "I love you." I whispered, because, really, on a night as important as this one was for us, I couldn't say it enough.

"Oh, Bella. I love you, too. So much, baby." He said, wrapping his arms tightly around my back and pulling me to his chest for a nice, warm, safe hug. He kissed my forehead before looking into my eyes. I knew what he was looking for, again. My yes or no answer on whether we went ahead tonight.

I bit my lip and nodded my head. I was ready. Edward smiled at me, his face almost glowing. He was going to give me his virginity, as I was to him. I could feel the electricity in the room and I know my breathing was picking up speed.

I sat up and reached over to the bedside table. I picked up a condom and carefully tore the package open. I gently caressed Edward's body and, even though my hands were shaking, I put the condom on him, like he had shown me.

Edward reached over and took both of my hands in his. "Are you okay?" He whispered, before pulling me to his chest.

I nodded. "I am. Honestly." I told him, smiling. "I'm just a little nervous."

He smiled back at me, before leaning in to kiss my lips. "I'm nervous, too." He told me. "Will you tell me how you feel as we go?" He asked.

"Uh, huh." I agreed. I knew he was worried about hurting me, so I was going to make sure that I was there for him, too.

"Do you want me on top?" He asked, making me giggle. Edward laughed with me, before leaning in to kiss me. He was being his adorable self, always planning and thinking. I loved everything about Edward, this part included.

"Yes, baby." I told him. "I like when you're in control." He nodded before kissing me again. It was a strong dominant kiss that stirred so many emotions in me, I honestly forgot what I was nervous about. Edward was a phenomenal kisser.

As he was kissing me, he rolled us, so I was on my back. His hands travelled all over my body, and I was positively tingly. He was laying between my legs and was gently rocking his hips against me. It felt so good, but was hard to focus on, as his hands were on my breasts, gently massaging me.

I know I was groaning and moaning and mumbling. I couldn't even tell you what I said, but I'm sure it was a bunch of Edwards, yeses, and I love yous strung together. Edward sat up on his legs and looked into my eyes. I smiled, before I looked down to watch Edward align our bodies.

This was it. I wanted to be nervous, but I was so turned on, my body couldn't remember how to be scared. My body just wanted more. Edward reached up and took both of my hands in his as he slowly slid part of the way into my body. It was so agonizing slow and I wanted more, but at the same time, my body started to tense.

Edward dropped his head onto my shoulder, placing a soft kiss there. He was breathing hard, and he looked like he was concentrating. "Breathe, Bella." He said, his voice strained. "You are doing so good. Just try to relax, okay."

He had stopped moving, but I think it was because he honestly couldn't move any farther. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I felt myself start to relax and I felt Edward smile against my shoulder.

He started to move again, inside of me. It felt good, but strange at the same time. Edward pushed forward and I felt a sharp pinch. I gasped and squeezed Edward's hands. "Ow." I said, and I felt the tears fall from my eyes, involuntarily. The strangeness had turning into a stinging sensation.

Edward immediately turned his head and started kissing my face, everywhere. He was shushing me, and telling me over and over again that he loved me, and that I was okay. I nodded my head. The stinging was starting to fade. "I love you, too." I told him.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked, before sucking on my earlobe. I loved that he was doing that. It was relaxing to me.

"No." I whispered. "Keep going." I squeezed his hands and concentrated on how his body felt in mine as he rocked slowly against me. It was an incredible experience and I knew I would never forget it. It didn't feel that good right now, and I didn't expect it to. But at the same time, I loved it.

This was Edward, the love of my life, my fiancé, making love to me. We had met only four and half months ago, but after spending almost every day together, we had grown so much, had come so far. We had done so many things and had made so many memories together. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world.

I felt it when Edward finally let go. I felt it in his whole body. He collapsed on top of me and was breathing so heavily. "I love you, Bella." He said softly in my ear. He propped himself up on one arm, looking into my eyes. He reached up and rubbed under my eyes with his thumb. He pouted out his bottom lip. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you." He whispered, tears forming in his own eyes.

"I'm okay, baby." I said, cradling his face in my hand. "That was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, Edward." I said, leaning my head up to kiss his lips.

He smiled. "For me, too, honey." He sat up and took the condom off, getting up to throw it in the garbage.

I rolled over and cringed. I felt a dull ache in my body, and set my hand low on my stomach. "Is it still supposed to hurt?" I asked him, biting my bottom lip.

Edward came over and sat on the bed beside me. "Yeah." He said, looking incredibly guilty. "You might be sore for a while."

"It's okay, Edward." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "Stop looking so guilty." I giggled

He laughed and shook his head. "God, I love you." He said, leaning down to kiss me, again.

"I love you, too, Edward. Even more now." I told him. "I couldn't have wished for a better experience. That was perfect. You were perfect."

He smiled at me. "I'm so happy that you feel that way. And I know it hurt, Bella, but it's not always going to be like that." He said, rubbing his hand along my hip.

"I felt really good at first, but kind of weird." I told him. "I want to try it, again. Not right, now, but I'm definitely curious, you know. I want to know what it feels like when I'm not as nervous."

Edward smiled at me, before leaning in to kiss me. "It felt really good to me, too. Like amazingly good, Bella. And I can't wait for you to feel what I felt." Edward leaned in and kissed me again, so softly and sweetly.

"Do you want me to run you a bath?" He asked. "The hot water might help, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, baby." I said, squeezing his hand before he walked out of my room. I sat up and looked down. There was a little bit of blood on my leg and a small spot on my sheets. I smiled. I had given myself to Edward in every single way I possibly could. And I loved that.

Edward came back in the room, still naked, and still smiling. "Okay, gorgeous." He said, leaning over the bed and picking me up bridal style. "Let's go soak."


	427. Sea of Love

**A/N - I am overwhelmed by the response to the last chapter! Thank you all so much! Enjoy!**

Chapter 427 - Sea of Love

Edward carried me into the bathroom and set me in the warm sudsy water. "Mm." I hummed. "The water feels really good." I smiled at Edward, who was sitting on the closed lid of the toilet. "You know what would make it better?"

Edward smiled at me. "What's that?" He asked. "You know I'll do it for you."

I smiled back. I did know that. "Come in here with me." I said, biting my lip. "You are too far away."

His smile was breathtaking. "Your wish is my command." He said, getting up. I moved forward in the tub, cringing a little bit. Edward sat behind me and then pulled me close, so I was sitting on his leg. "Does it still hurt really bad?" He asked, leaning in and tracing his nose along my throat and behind my ear.

"It's like a dull ache," I said, leaning my head back on his shoulder. "It's not even as bad as the cramps I get from my period."

Edward kissed the side of my head and brought his arms around my body, setting his hands low on my stomach. "Well, I'm glad it's not too bad." He whispered. "When we get out, take a painkiller. I don't want you to be in pain."

"I'm alright, baby." I said, kissing his jaw. "I'm too happy to let it bother me."

"Yeah?" He asked, smiling at me.

"Yeah." I agreed. Edward turned his head and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. "So, we're not virgins, anymore." I mused, looking into Edward's eyes.

He chuckled. "No, we're not. And I'm so glad that I waited for you. I mean, like, I'm happy that I just didn't sleep with someone in high school that I didn't really love. This, Bella, was so special. We love each other, and we're engaged and we took our time, and baby, it was perfect."

I smiled at Edward, as he reached up and ran his fingers through my hair. I always loved getting a glimpse into his mind. "It really was." I agreed, leaning in to kiss his lips.

I leaned back and snuggled into Edward's warm body. He was running his hand up and down my back. "Will you sing to me?" I asked him, kissing his chest.

I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head. "Okay." He said. I smiled as he started humming, and then singing. It was a beautiful song and it sounded like an oldie.

"That was amazing." I said, kissing his neck. "What was it?"

Edward wrapped his arms around me, and gave me a tight hug. "It was 'Sea of Love' which was written by Phil Phillips. It's most famous version was recorded by Del Shannon and the Honeydrippers." He said, making me laugh. I loved how knowledgeable he was about music. "Phillips wrote the song in 1958 to impress a girl."

"Did it work?" I asked him, looking up at his face.

He smiled and winked at me. "You tell me."

I giggled. "I'm going to say yes." Edward laughed, and leaned in to kiss my lips, again.

"You want to go back to bed, maybe get some sleep?" I asked. "We've got a big day tomorrow." I knew it was still early, but my dad was going to be here early the next day to get the futon.

"Can you believe we get our apartment tomorrow?" Edward asked, tipping up my chin, so he could kiss me.

"I'm really excited." I said, smiling.

"So am I." He said. "Okay, can you stand up?" He asked, making me laugh really hard.

"Edward, we had sex, I didn't break my legs." I teased, making him laugh.

"I'm sorry, I just, I don't know." He said, looking a little flustered and embarrassed.

"You're worried. I understand." I said, kissing his lips. "It's sweet and I love you for it. But, you don't need to, okay? I love you so much, and I'm so thrilled with what happened tonight."

Edward smiled. "Alright." We both stood up and Edward wrapped his arms around me, giving me a wet, naked hug. I laughed, and he chuckled. We dried off and I took a Tylenol, so Edward wouldn't worry. I still felt a little sore, but the bath definitely helped.

We went back into my room and I pulled on my Florida nightshirt. Edward pulled on a pair of grey boxer briefs, making me smile. "You are so hot." I whispered, making him chuckle.

Robert meowed behind me, and I turned and smiled. He was really getting in the habit of not getting out of his bed by himself. We should have probably stopped spoiling him, but he was too cute to stop. I picked him up and gave him a kiss before setting him in his litter box.

"Um, Bella. There's a tiny spot of blood on the sheets." Edward said from behind me.

I blushed, and nodded my head. "I know. Uh, just let me change the sheets really quick." I said, turning to walk to the hallway to get a clean set. Edward reached out and took my hand in his, stopping me.

"Bella. Don't be embarrassed, please. It's natural" He said, softly. "I should have thought to put a towel down first."

"It's alright." I said, letting go of his hand to get the sheets. I came back in the room and smiled when Edward had all the sheets taken off the bed. I smiled at him. "You didn't have to do that." I said, even though I thought it was really cute that he had.

"Let me put the new sheet's on." He said, taking them from my hand.

I giggled. I kind of liked this domestic Edward. He was a sweetie. "Okay." I agreed. "I'm just going to put these in the wash."

I went in the bathroom and used soap and cold water to get the blood spot from the sheets, before taking the sheets down to the laundry room. When I came back up, Edward and Robert were laying on the bed together.

"Aw." I said, shutting the door, and turning out the light. "You guys look so cute together." I said, slipping into the bed with them. Robert meowed and walked over to me, climbing on my arm and then my chest. I was laughing because his little fuzzy feet tickled my skin. He walked in a circle and then laid down.

Edward, of course, starting laughing. Every time the kitten slept on my chest, Edward laughed. "You can tell he's a boy." Edward said, rolling over on his side and wrapping his arm across my body.

"He's a mama's boy." I said, kissing the tip of Edward's nose. Edward snuggled his face into my neck.

"I set the alarm for five in the morning. Is that okay?" Edward asked me, whispering in my ear, before sucking on my earlobe.

"That's perfect." I said. "What about the kitten?" We had agreed that the kitten would sleep in his own bed at night.

"Is he asleep?" Edward asked, looking at our baby.

"Yeah." I said, smiling. Robert looked incredibly comfortable and was passed right out on my chest.

"I guess we can leave him in here with us, then." Edward said, gently rubbing my hip.

"Just don't squish him." I giggled.

Edward chuckled. "I won't, baby. I promise." He said, moving his hand to rub low on my stomach. It was such a sweet gesture and I knew he still felt bad that I was sore, even though it wasn't his fault.

"I'm going to miss Robert, tomorrow." I said, reaching up and stroking Robert's soft fur. "How are we going to leave him?" My voice cracked and I felt on the verge of tears with the combination of Edward being so sweet and nurturing, and the thought of leaving my baby for a whole day.

"Oh, Bella." Edward said, in his sweet, comforting voice. He sat up and pulled me close to him, so my head was on his chest. Robert didn't even wake up. "You're going to be one those moms that cries when they drop their kid off at kindergarten, aren't you?" He asked, making me laugh. I was totally going to be that mom. "And Jazz is going to spoil him tomorrow, babe. He is in very good hands."

"I know." I agreed. "I guess I'm just being selfish." I said, sniffling.

"No, you're not, angel." He said, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "You are just the most loving person I have ever met. But, Robbie will be fine, and we're going to have a great day with your dad and Heidi. I've missed them this week."

I thought that was an absolutely adorable thing for Edward to say. I loved his relationship with my dad. "Me, too." I agreed. "Thank you, baby. You always know what to say to make me feel better."

"Well, it's all true, Bella." He said. "Tomorrow will be great. I promise you, that."


	428. Sunday Morning

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! This chapter starts August 1, 2010 in the story. Can you believe we actually made it to August? Thanks, again. Enjoy!**

Chapter 428 - Sunday Morning

I woke up before the alarm on Sunday morning. I had to pee. I was laying on my side and Edward was snuggled up to my back, his face in my hair and had his arm over my hip. Robert was curled up against my stomach under the covers. I was sandwiched between my boys. And, honestly, I would have loved to lay here and bask in my warm place in bed, but I couldn't hold it anymore.

I picked up Edward's arm and moved it back, before getting up on my knees and trying to sneak out of bed. Robert lifted his head at me, and honestly looked mad at being woken up. He got up, took two steps and fell over beside Edward's chest. He must have been cold and tired. I walked to the door, trying to be quiet.

"Baby?" Edward asked, even though I was sure he was still half asleep.

"I'll be right back." I said, before jogging to the bathroom. I was super relieved that I wasn't very sore this morning. The pain seemed to be almost gone.

As I washed my hands, I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. Did I look any different? I was a woman now, in some people's sense of the word. I had lost my virginity to the man that I loved more anyone on earth. I thought, in that moment, I looked different. I had more of a sparkle in my eye.

I giggled at my reflection. Maybe I was making it all up. I was the same person, after all. I just felt more alive. This was something that Edward and I didn't rush into, and because of that, I cherished the moment even more.

I took another painkiller just so I was feeling one hundred percent for our big day. We were getting the apartment. I checked Edward's watch on the bathroom sink and sighed. It was ten to five. The alarm would be going off in ten minutes anyway. I pulled off my nightshirt and got in the shower.

I knew I had a bath and shower before bed last night, but I wanted to wash my hair and shave my legs. I had washed my hair and was just conditioning, when I heard the bathroom door open.

"Bella?" Edward asked, closing the door. "I thought you said you were coming back."

I giggled. "I know. I'm sorry. I just thought I might as well start getting ready, because if I laid back down, I wouldn't want to get back up." I explained. "But do you want to join me? I'm a little lonely."

Edward chuckled his beautiful laugh and I smiled. "Of course, gorgeous." He said, pulling the curtain back. I loved my handsome man and he was absolutely naked.

Edward stepped in and wrapped his arms around my back, pulling me close to him. He leaned in and kissed my lips. I moaned and deepened the kiss. This kiss felt like so much more. Everything felt so much more special, deep.

He pulled back slowly and the biggest smile spread across his face. "Wow." He said, before leaning in to press a soft kiss to my forehead. "And to think, I almost missed this shower."

I giggled. "I'm sorry for starting with out you." I said, reaching up and rubbing his chest with my hands. "Mm, you are so yummy."

Edward started laughing really hard at that. "Yummy, huh?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah." I said, reaching behind him to squeeze his bum.

"How do you feel today?" He asked, stroking his hand down my wet hair, before kissing my forehead.

"Amazing." I said, looking up at his beautiful face.

He chuckled softly. "Well, I'm glad. But, I mean, uh, you know, pain wise?" He said. "I saw the pain pills on the sink."

"Um, I felt about ninety five percent when I got up. I just thought that I would take one in case, you know." I said, turning us around so Edward's back was under the spray of the shower. I grabbed the shaving cream off the side of the tub and started shaving my legs.

"I hate that you have to feel that way at all, you know? First the cramps, and now this." He said tracing his fingertips on the sides of my hips. "It just doesn't seem fair."

"Baby, I understand what you're saying, but this was a one time thing. And I'm on the birth control pills now for the cramps, so you could be looking at a pain free girl." I said, looking over my shoulder at him.

"I hope so. I can protect you from everything but that." He said, moving my hair and kissing my back in between my shoulder blades. "I love you."

I don't know how he did it, but Edward always said the sweetest things. It always felt like he was reciting his wedding vows, or something. And when he said and did such sweet things, it always brought tears to my eyes. But, who could blame me? I was feeling pretty emotional, considering the huge step Edward and I had taken the night before.

I felt the tears overflow and I cried out loud a little. I set my leg down from the edge of the tub and turned to wrap my arms around Edward's waist. "I love you, too." I cried, kissing his chest.

"Baby?" He asked, clearly having no idea why I was crying. He rubbed my back, softly.

"I'm sorry, I just feel really emotional since last night." I explained.

"It's okay, angel. I understand." He said. "Um, do you think it might be the birth control pills? They are just hormones, right? And, um, you've been crying a lot since you started them."

Edward was so cute. He sounded like he was trying not upset me with his theory, which actually made sense. "Do you think I should ask your dad?" I asked.

"Yeah. We'll talk to him." He said. "Do you feel okay to go to Seattle, today?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, baby." I said, reaching up to wipe my eyes before Edward leaned down to kiss my lips. There was no way I would miss this trip. Today was the day we got our very first place today, and I knew this would be a day I wouldn't forget.

We finished up in the shower and finished getting ready. I packed my birth control in my purse so I could take it on the road. It was too early in the morning right now. It was only six o'clock, so I sat on the bed with Robert. He was still sleeping, so I just stroked his back. He was purring and it made me smile.

"Are you hungry, baby?" Edward asked, walking into the room with the box of last night's pizza in one hand and a tall glass of juice in the other hand.

"Yeah." I said, smiling. "Thank you." Edward crawled on the bed beside me and opened the box. There were three slices left.

"I'm sorry there isn't more. Darn brothers." He teased, making me laugh. We ate the pizza, sharing the last piece. I didn't want it, but Edward's insisted I eat. We hung out with the kitty until I heard the front door opening. I picked up Robert and Edward and I headed downstairs. My dad and Heidi were here.

My dad gave me a hug, kissing my head. "Okay, Edward. How are your muscles? We've got a futon to lift into the truck." My dad said, making Edward laugh.

"I think I can handle it." Edward said, kissing my cheek before following my dad out to the garage.

Heidi smiled at me and took my hand, leading me to the couch in the living room. She just looked at me. I knew what she wanted to know; if Edward and I had made love the night before. I bit my lip and nodded my head. She smiled and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Oh, Bella. Congratulations." She said, excitedly. "How are you feeling, today?"

"I feel amazing. Like I thought I couldn't love him more, or get closer to him, but I was wrong." I told her, petting Robert's head. "It was incredible. Edward was sweet and gentle and sexy at the same time."

She smiled. "I'm so happy for you." Heidi was so much more like a friend than a soon to be step mom to me.

"The only thing is that I seem to be crying a lot." I told her. "Edward thinks it could be the birth control pills."

Heidi nodded her head. "Yeah, they'll do that." She agreed. "It will just take you a little time to get used to them. But, you'll be fine." She leaned in and hugged me again. We both leaned back on the couch and I rested my head on her shoulder, while Robert curled up on my lap. "So, what did you think?"

"I thought it felt really good at first, but still a little weird, but then it hurt." I said, happy to have a mother figure right now.

"The first time is the worst. You're nervous, you don't really know what you're doing and then, it hurts." She said, making us both laugh. "But, you're still smiling, and I guarantee that you are going to have an even better experience next time. Because it's going to feel good."

"I can't wait." I giggled. "But, Edward made the whole night special. We had fun, we laughed, he was just perfect."

"Edward really is the perfect man for you. You two make such a beautiful couple." Heidi said, leaning over to kiss my cheek. "Come on. Let's go see your new place."


	429. Uncle Jasper

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! It means a lot to me. I spend hours everyday living in these alternate realities; writing, researching and rereading. I found out yesterday that someone was using parts of my work in their fanfiction. It is heartbreaking to see your work with someone else's name on it. As a former university student, it is ingrained in my head that plaigarism is wrong. So, just keep a look out for this throughout fanfiction. It is sad, but hopefully, it will be taken care of soon. But, on a happier note: Edward! Enjoy the chapter! **

Chapter 429 - Uncle Jasper

Heidi held the kitten for me, while I went upstairs to get his carrier. He was going to stay with Uncle Jasper today. I grabbed a big tote bag from my closet and packed his toys, some cans of food, his harness, leash and his little bed. I wanted him to feel comfortable today while we were gone.

"Hey, baby." I turned when I heard Edward at my bedroom door. "You ready to go? We have to go to my place and drop off the kitten. Plus, I've got a ton of our stuff in my room that we can take to Seattle."

He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me flush against his body. I smiled up his face. "I'm ready. I was just packing Robert's luggage." I teased, making Edward chuckle.

He reached up and ran his fingers through my hair. "Are you doing okay?" He asked, looking at my face.

"I am." I told him, putting my hands on his cheeks, and pulling him down so I could kiss his lips. "I love you."

He smiled against my lips, before kissing me, again. "Love you, too, gorgeous." He said.

"Oh, I have some things for Seattle, too." I said, reaching down to spank Edward's bum, and making him laugh. "Some very special things."

I went into my closet and pulled down a small box. It had two full pressed flower journals, the flower magnet Edward had bought me in Vancouver, and the potholder that Edward crocheted for me. Edward laughed when he saw the potholder. I thought it was adorable.

Edward took Robert's tote bag and the carrier, before taking my hand and leading me downstairs. I smiled when I walked into the living room. My dad was holding Robert in his hands, again. And just like last time, he was holding the kitten away from his body. Heidi was laughing at him, and Robert was meowing.

"Dad, just snuggle him against your chest. He doesn't know why you're holding him in the air all the time." I said, laughing, and going over to rescue my kitten from his grandpa. I brought him up to my chest and kissed his head. He put his paw on my face, making me smile.

We put him in his carrier and we all headed out to our cars. I smiled when I saw the futon strapped down in the back of my dad's truck. Our very first piece of furnature for the apartment. I was so excited. I reached in my purse and pulled out my camera so I could snap a picture of it. Edward chuckled, and kissed the top of my head, before opening my car door for me.

I was around seven in the morning, as my dad followed us to the Cullen house. No one was up, except Carlisle, Esme and Jasper. Carlisle and Esme stayed on the deck and talked to my dad and Heidi while Edward and I went in with Robert.

Jasper looked thrilled when I passed him the kitty carrier. Edward gave him the tote bag and laughed. "Bella packed everything the cat owns in this bag." He said, making everyone laugh.

"Okay, Jasper. He hasn't had breakfast yet, so you can feed him whenever he wakes up, then around noon, and then again at about five this afternoon." I said. "Call me if you have any questions, or even if you think he needs to hear my voice."

"Oh, um, okay." Jasper said, looking a little overwhelmed.

Edward chuckled and wrapped his arms around me from behind, before kissing the top of my head. "Don't phone her." Edward told his brother. "Robert will be fine and Bella needs to enjoy her day."

I giggled and kissed Edward's arm. Perhaps I was being a bit of an overprotective mom. "Okay, but I might call you." I added. Edward leaned down and bit my shoulder making me laugh. "Just once." I said, giggling.

Jasper laughed at us before sitting on the couch with the cat carrier beside him. He peaked inside and smiled. Robert was in great hands. I walked over to Jasper and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you for watching our baby." I said, smiling as he lightly patted my back.

"Um, yeah. Of course." He said, smiling shyly at me, as I let him go.

"Ok, we're going to go get some of our things from my room." Edward said and Jasper nodded, looking through Robert's tote bag. He looked a little distant and maybe a bit upset. I had a feeling he was sad at the prospect of his brother moving back to Seattle. I understood that completely.

Edward took my hand and led me upstairs to his room. "Babe, is Jasper really upset about us going back to school?" I asked as we walked.

"Um, he hasn't said anything to me." Edward said. "Why?"

"He just looks kind of sad this morning." I said, as we got up the stairs. "But, maybe I'm wrong."

"No, I'll talk to him." Edward said, kissing my cheek. "Thank you for caring about him." He said, smiling.

Edward knocked on his bedroom door and nanny opened the door in her housecoat. "Hi, sweethearts." She said, pulling us both into hugs.

"Hi, nanny." Edward said. "I just going to get some of my things to take to Seattle. I'll just be about five minutes, okay?"

"Take your time." She said, smiling. I held back a giggle at grampa who was snoring in bed. It was so cute. Edward took the two boxes of dishes, one at time and moved them to the hallway. Then he put the bedspread and sheet set from Esme with the dishes.

He got a big box from inside his closet that was folded down and opened it up. I watched him put in the soap, candles, bookends, some picture frames, a coffee mug, some books, and the vinyl records I got him for his birthday. Then he leaned in his closet and pulled out the bag of bath towels Esme bought us in Seattle when we had signed the lease for the apartment.

I giggled. I couldn't believe that Edward and I had collected so much for our apartment already. "Okay, that's all for now." Edward said softly. He gave nanny a hug. "I'll see you tonight, nanny."

"Alright, kids. Have fun." Nanny said, turning to give me a hug, too.

I carried the towels and Edward took one box of dishes down the stairs to the car. He set them down on the deck, standing up and stretching out his back. "How many more boxes do you have?" My dad asked him.

"Oh, uh, just two more and a bedspread." Edward said. My dad patted Edward's shoulder and they went back in the house together, leaving me standing with Carlisle, as Heidi and Esme were sitting on the porch swing together.

"Um, Carlisle?" I asked, using my opportunity while I had it. "I have a quick question about the birth control pills, if you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind, sweetheart." He said. "You know you can come to me anytime."

I smiled. "Thanks. Actually, I've been fairly emotional the last couple of days." I explained. "I mean, I'm an easy crier, anyway, but Edward noticed that since I've been taking them, I've been crying more."

Carlisle nodded his head. "Yes, they will have that effect, and could for the first three months until your body gets used to them. The pills are trying to fool your body into thinking you are pregnant, so you might get those emotions tied with pregnancy." He said. "But, if you notice it's really out of control, we can make some adjustments."

"Okay. Thank you." I said. "I just wanted to double check."

Carlisle smiled and gave me a hug. "You're being very mature about this Bella." He said. I loved that I had Carlisle's respect. It meant a lot to me.

My dad and Edward came out of the house with the last of the boxes. "Bells, go say goodbye to your kitten. We've got to hit the road, kiddo." My dad said.

Carlisle took the box from Edward, so he could go in with me. We went in the house and Jasper was sitting on the couch holding Robert on his chest. "Hey, Jazz." Edward said, sitting down beside his brother, and wrapping his arm around his shoulder. "We're heading out."

Jasper nodded, his eyes actually looking a little red. I felt like crying, just looking at his face. "Hey, buddy. We still have five weeks of summer vacation, okay?" Edward kissed the side of Jasper's head. "I love you." He said, getting up and scratching Robert behind the ears.

I came over and pet Robert's head. "Have fun today, boys." I said, making Jasper laugh. I gave Jasper's shoulder a quick squeeze, before Edward and I went back outside.

"You have good instincts, angel." Edward said, referring to Jasper being upset about us getting the apartment today. He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it.

"Well, I understand how he feels." I said. "I'm so excited for our life together, but I'm going to miss everyone so much."

"I know." Edward said. "But, we're going to make it work. And our life together is going to be amazing."


	430. Tell Me

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. As well, I really appreciate the support you've all given me for the plagiarism incident. I still haven't seen any results, but I'm hoping that something is done soon. Thanks, again. Enjoy!**

Chapter 430 - Tell Me

Edward and I had the trunk and backseat full of our decorations, soaps and dishes for the apartment. It was the start of our life together. Edward and I officially had our place as of today, and I couldn't wait to get the keys.

My dad was following us to Seattle, and while I was excited about the family trip, I was really looking forward to the next three hours alone with Edward. He had turned his music on really low and had his window rolled down, which was allowing the wind to whip through his soft hair.

Edward was gorgeous. And I may have been staring at him. He was also wearing his sexy sunglasses, and his lips just looked so kissable. He had on a tight fitting black t-shirt and his comfy torn jeans. He literally looked like a model.

If he wasn't driving, I would have crawled over on his lap, straddling his legs, pressing my body against his, and leaned in for a hot, fingers tangled in hair, heavy breathing, kiss. Just looking at Edward turned me on. He didn't even have to say anything, or even look at me. I wanted him.

Edward was the love of my life, and I had found that since we made love last night, I was feeling incredibly strong urges of lust as well. And true love and lust together were a dangerous combination. I could see in my mind Edward's body moving over top of mine. I needed him.

"Sugar." Edward said, licking his sweet lips, before he glanced over at me. I wanted that tongue in my mouth, on my skin. I bit my lip.

"Uh, huh." I said, even though it came out like a whisper.

"Tell me what you're thinking." He asked, his own voice coming out raspy and sexy. I think he already knew what was on my mind, because he sounded as turned on as I was. He just wanted me to say it out loud.

"I want you." I said, reaching over to set my hand on his thigh. I squeezed his muscular leg, before running my fingers on the inside of his leg.

"God, Bella." He said, reaching down to cover my hand with his. He moved my hand down to his knee. "Tell me more."

I giggled, and Edward looked over at me and smiled. We were both still turned on, but my shyness peaked through every now and then. I found it hard to say these kinds of things out loud, but based on how turned on I was, I figured I could do it.

"I was thinking about last night. I was thinking about kissing you, hard. I want your tongue all over me, and I want to have our bodies pressed together. I want you moving on top of me and I want your hands on my body." I said. I probably said it a little fast to be really sexy, but I wanted to get it all out.

Edward groaned, and my body tingled at the sound. "That sounds amazing, baby." He said. "What got you so turned on, right now?"

"You." I said, plainly. "I was just looking at how delicious you are."

Edward chuckled. "Baby, I can hear you breathing. And it's turning me on like you wouldn't believe." Edward said. I hummed in reaction, squirming in my seat. I loved that we were both thinking the same thing. It only made it hotter.

Edward moved his hand over to my knee. I was wearing blue sweat shorts and a white tank. I wanted to be comfy for moving in. Plus I didn't want any pressure on my tummy. I watched Edward's hand move up my thigh. I should have stopped his hand, but my body wouldn't let me.

He brought his fingers between my legs, over my shorts and I gasped, throwing my head back on the headrest. He put a little more pressure on my body and I cried out. I grabbed a hold of his arm. I needed something to hold me on earth.

"How's that, sexy girl? Does that feel better?" He asked in a strained whisper.

"That feels so good, Edward. Harder." I whispered.

Edward did what I asked. I have no idea how he was still driving. I could hardly breathe. "I'm not hurting you, am I, baby?" Edward asked. I smiled. I wondered when overprotective Edward would show up. He was so sweet and caring.

"God, no, Edward." I said, turning my head to look over at his face. He was driving with his left hand, but kept glancing over at me, alternating looks between his hand and my face. This had to be the sexiest, craziest thing we had ever done. But, I think it was because it was so dangerous and risqué, it made the moment even sexier.

I was holding my breath, because I felt like I was about to let go. "Baby, let go. I want to hear you." Edward said. "Be loud, sugar."

I started panting and finally cried out, digging my nails into Edward's arm. "God, baby. You are amazing." I breathed, reaching for his hand and interlacing our fingers.

"You liked that, huh?" He asked, smirking over at me. I brought his hand up to my lips and kissed the back of it.

"I would go as far as to say that you have magic fingers." I told him, giggling.

He laughed. "Well, I'm glad I can make you feel good for a change." He said, bringing our hands over to his lips, kissing my fingers.

"Aw, babe." I said, pouting over at him. "You always make me feel good."

"Except for last night." He added.

"Baby, it had to happen that way." I said. "We knew it was going to hurt, but Edward, you made me feel so good all night before that, and I loved it. I loved it all."

"I'm so happy that you feel that way." He said, smiling over at me.

"I do, Edward." I said, smiling. "Now, are you going to let me help you take care of this?" I asked, reaching over to put my hand on his crotch.

He hummed. "No, babe." He said, looking over at me. I pouted out my bottom lip making Edward laugh. "Bella, I don't have a change of clothes with me, for one thing. And, most importantly, I'm driving a car with you in it. I'm not going to risk your safety, angel."

"I know, I understand." I told him, finally, and reluctantly moving my hand back over to my lap. "And thank you, but that's not really fair to you."

"Baby, I'm still over the moon from last night. I can bask in that memory for a while." He said, making me giggle. "But, if you're feeling up to it later, we can play a little more when we're alone."

"I love playing with you." I told him, making him smile.

"I love that you are so comfortable with me." He said, smiling over at me. "I like that you tell me what you want. It's incredibly attractive."

I bit my lip. I loved that Edward was telling me what he liked, too. "Oh, but, Bella, that shy quality you have, mm, it's such a turn on for me."

I felt my face heat up, and covered my face with my hands. I hated blushing so much. "Uh, uh, uh, Bella. Let me see those pretty pink cheeks." He said. His confident voice made me swoon. I uncovered my face slowly, and Edward glanced over at me, smiling. "Gorgeous." He said, winking at me, the smile wide on his face.

"I have no idea why I'm still blushing with you." I admitted, giggling. "I mean, with everything we've done."

Edward was still smiling. "You know I love that blush." He said, reaching over to take my hand. "And, I've told you this before, but I hope that you never stop blushing with me. It's sweet, baby."

"Well, at least you like it." I said, turning in my seat to look at him.

"I love it." He chuckled, squeezing my hand, as we pulled into Port Angeles. "Do you need to stop?"

"Um, actually yes." I said, blushing, again.

"God, baby, you're gorgeous." He said, bringing my hand up to his lips. "Mm." He hummed. "You'd better call your dad, okay?"

Just from Edward humming, I was getting turned on, again. "Ah, Edward. Don't hum." I said, biting my lip.

Edward looked over at me and chuckled. "Really?" He laughed. "That's all it takes?"

I giggled. "Stop teasing me. You are really just that sexy." I explained, making him laugh, again.

"I'm sorry. I'll try my hardest not to turn you on." He said, winking at me. I slapped his shoulder and he laughed harder. I grabbed my phone and called my dad. Luckily Heidi picked up. I told her we were stopping at the gas station for a bathroom break, and my dad pulled in beside Edward.

Heidi got out and we walked to the bathroom together. "Why are you blushing?" She asked me, as we walked into the girls bathroom together.

I giggled. "I might have a frisky fiancé." I told her, before going into the stall, as she laughed. "And that's all I'm saying."


	431. Welcome Home

**A/N - Happy Sunday! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 431 - Welcome Home

I took my birth control pill in the bathroom before going back out to meet Edward and my dad. Edward bought us slushies and way too much snack food. "Baby, it's not even eight in the morning." I giggled as we got back in the car, after hugs from my dad and Heidi.

"Bella, it's summer vacation. There is no such thing as time on summer vacation." Edward said, winking at me, before he pulled out and then turned back onto the highway.

The rest of the drive to the ferry was fun. Edward and I laughed almost the entire trip. He was trying tell me jokes. I didn't get them, so he ended up having to explain the punch line to me, over and over, again. When I finally got it, I didn't think it was funny, which just made Edward laugh more.

"Where did you even learn those jokes, Edward?" I asked, giggling at his gorgeous smiling face.

"Oh, from the guys on my baseball team in high school. Which might help to explain why a lot of them were dirty jokes." Edward said, looking over at me.

"Which explains why I didn't get them." I said, blushing a little.

"I'm sorry." He said, reaching over to squeeze my hand. "Did I make you uncomfortable, just now?"

"No, baby." I said, kissing inside his wrist. "Keep going. I like watching you smile."

He smiled over at me. "I don't have to be telling jokes to smile, you know." He said, winking at me. "You just make me so happy, baby."

I smiled at him. "You're such a smooth talker." I said, giggling.

"You think so, huh?" He asked, squeezing my hand.

"Mm hmm." I said, licking the inside of his wrist. "You taste so good, Edward." I whispered, before blowing on his wet skin.

"Uh, Bella." Edward breathed. "Baby. You're going to have stop teasing me. We don't have a bedroom, or time alone to finish what you're starting here."

"We're almost at our apartment." I said, sucking his finger into my mouth and biting down on in, lightly.

"Bella." Edward begged, his voice strained. He was actually sweating, and his face was red.

"I'm sorry, baby." I said, pouting. "I just can't help myself."

"I know, Bella." He said. "You have no idea how much I want you right now." He said, as we were pulling into the line up for the ferry. "But, honey, your dad is parked right behind me. And I have to tell you that is pretty darn terrifying, especially considering what I'm thinking about."

I bit my lip and smiled at him. "I would love to know what you're thinking about." I told him. He just chuckled and shook his head. We didn't talk about it, again. But, I told myself the minute we were alone, I was going to get it out of him.

After the ferry ride, we drove to the apartment. The Wedgewood Estates. I smiled as Edward pulled up in front of the buildings. This was our new home.

"This is it, gorgeous." Edward said, reaching over cup my cheek and look into my eyes. He looked so excited.

"I know." I giggled, leaning in to kiss his lips. "Let go get our keys."

Edward and I got out of the car and met my dad and Heidi on the sidewalk. She smiled at me before pulling me into a tight hug. "I love the neighbourhood." She said. Heidi was seeing all of this for the first time, so I was glad she approved, too.

"It seems fairly safe, doesn't it?" My dad asked, making me giggle. They were both such cops. My dad came over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "You laugh, but if I didn't think it was safe, you wouldn't be moving here."

"Oh, Charlie." Heidi said, spanking his bum. My dad blushed, and I laughed, again.

I was practically bouncing, I was so excited. "Come on. Let's get the keys." I said, giggling. Heidi snapped a photo of me. "When did you get a camera?" I asked her.

"Last week. I knew I was going to want to take pictures of your place, so I picked one up." She told me. She was going to be the best step mom. I pulled her in another tight hug, thanking her for being here.

We walked into the office and I smiled when I saw Lee Stephens, the landlord. He had been so nice to us when we had toured the place and signed the lease. He had such a fatherly vibe, and I honestly felt safer, just having him in the complex.

"Hey, kids." Lee said, smiling when we walked into his office. "It's Mr. Cullen and Miss Swan, right?" He asked, looking down at his books. "Suite 23."

"That's us." Edward said, chuckling.

I squeezed Edward's hand. "Baby, what about Robert?" I asked him, quietly.

"Oh, that's right." Edward said, pulling out his wallet. "Mr. Stephens, we have a kitten, now." Lee started chuckling, as Edward passed him two, hundred dollar bills. It was a one time pet deposit, and I thought that little Robert was well worth the money.

"Alright." He said, leaning down to check a box on the form on his desk. "You'll have to bring him by, sometime. The wife is a big cat fan."

"Of course." I said, smiling. "I love to show him off." Edward laughed and kissed the top of my head.

Lee grabbed two rings and gave us each a key. I smiled and I saw a flash. Heidi and her camera. I loved that she was documenting this actually. It was such an important day. Edward slid his key on his key ring, and I put mine in my purse.

"Alright, kids. It's all yours. Make sure to give me a call if you have any problems." Lee said, shaking our hands, after he had us sign a paper proving he gave us our keys. "Welcome to Wedgewood."

"Thank you so much." I said, smiling. "We'll be in and out for the first month." I said. "We don't get all of our furniture for a couple of weeks." I thought I'd let Lee know, so he didn't wonder where we were.

"Alright. I'll keep an eye on the place for you, two." He said, chuckling. He made me smile. I really liked it here.

We led Heidi and my dad to building number two. Edward was holding my hand and swinging our arms as we walked. We walked up the flight of stairs and turned to the left. Number Twenty Three.

"So, this is it." I said, smiling. Edward chuckled, and leaned down to kiss my cheek.

"Okay, kids. Stand by the door so I can get a picture." Heidi said. Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind for the photo. Edward passed me the key and then covered my hand in his. We slid the key in the door together and Edward pushed the door open. I went to take a step, but Edward stopped me.

"Let me carry you over the threshold of our first place." He whispered in my ear, before scooping me up. I started laughing into his shoulder, and he was chuckling with me. I saw a flash and I knew Heidi was still taking snap shots of us. My dad was smiling at me, and I couldn't have been happier that he approved of everything in my life right now.

Edward walked us into the entryway, leaned in and kissed me. The kiss was probably too passionate, as my dad was right behind us, but I knew how important this place was to Edward, to us, and if this was the way he wanted to celebrate, then I wasn't going to stop him.

Edward set me down, and I smiled up his face. "Welcome home." I said, making him smile wider at me.

"Welcome home." He repeated, winking at me. We turned and faced my dad and Heidi. Heidi had her arm around my dad's waist, and he was looking down at her, smiling.

"Okay, Edward." My dad said. "Are ready to carry the futon up to the second floor?"

Edward chuckled. "As ready as I'll ever be." He said. Edward kissed my cheek before following my dad back out the door.

"Heidi. I'll give you the grand tour." I said, grabbing her hand and leading her into the kitchen.

"This is great, Bella." Heidi said, smiling. "I'm so happy that you'll be able to cook."

"Yeah, it's definitely one of the reasons I'm so happy to be out of the dorms." I told her. "And Edward will be eating a lot better than he did last year." I giggled.

I took Heidi around the apartment, showing her the master bedroom, and the amazing balcony. I was so happy that she seemed to like the place. I hadn't been inside the building in about two months, and it was even better than I remembered it. I honestly couldn't wait to get all of our stuff in here. Once we had unpacked and decorated, it would really feel like a home. Our home.


	432. Moving In

**A/N - Happy Monday! Just a reminder, it is Sunday, August 1, 2010 in the story. Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 432 - Moving In

Heidi and I heard grunting and swearing and laughing, so we walked over to the door. My dad and Edward were holding one end of the futon, and two guys, around mine and Edward's age, were holding the other end.

They were both really tall like Edward was, but one had short sandy blonde, curly hair, and the other, long wavy black hair. They were both seemed really nice, and I wondered where my dad and Edward had recruited them from, and so quickly.

They walked through the hallway and set the futon down in the big living room area. My dad and Edward shook hands with the guys, thanking them for their help. Edward came over to me and took my hand, leading me over to the guys.

"Bella, these are out new neighbours, Kel and Jax." Edward said, as I reached forward to shake their hands. "Guys, this is my fiancé, Bella Swan."

"Hi." I said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you both. Neighbours, as in, this building?"

"Yeah, we're right across the hall, actually." The curly haired guy said. "Number 24."

"Oh, that's so cool." I said, smiling. "Are you just moving in today?"

"Yeah, I was in the dorms last year. But when my baby brother, Jax, got accepted here, we decided to get a place together." Kel, the blonde brother, told us.

"We just drove up from Montana, and got in last night." Jax told us, smiling.

"Yeah, we were both in the dorms last year, too." Edward told them.

"You guys from Washington?" Kel asked us.

"Edward is from Forks, about three hours west of here, but I grew up in Arizona." I told them.

"Wow, that's cool." Kel said. "We're from Shelby, Montana." He chuckled. "Our parents run a little coffee shop. "God, it feels good to be a big city, again." He laughed. "Anyway, we'll let you guys get settled in. It was nice meeting you."

"Yeah, for sure." Edward said, shaking their hands, again, as they left. "We'll see you guys around." I smiled. I was so excited that we had great neighbours. I really liked the guys, so far.

Heidi, my dad, Edward and I all went down to the car to bring up the dishes, quilt, towels and boxes of decorations. It only took us two trips. Now that we started, I almost wished we had more things to move in. This was really fun.

"Are you guys hungry?" My dad asked. It was getting close to lunchtime. "I can run out and get some burgers."

"Okay, thank you, dad." I said, giving him a tight hug.

"I'll go with you." Heidi said, taking my dad's hand. She looked over her shoulder and winked at me. I had to bite my lip so I didn't laugh.

The second the door was closed, Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me to the futon. I giggled as we flopped down on it, side by side. Edward put his hands on my cheeks and leaned in for kiss. This was the life.

I hummed, and Edward started leaning into me. I leaned back so I was laying on the couch, and Edward laid overtop of me. He was smiling at me, and I smiled back. "Are you happy here?" Edward asked, kissing my lips.

"I truly love it, babe." I said, wrapping my arms around him, and rubbing his back with both hands. "It feels right, doesn't it?"

"It does, Bella." He said, smiling. "Can a I kiss you?"

I giggled. "Yes, please." Edward brought his lips back down to mine and we spent the next twenty minutes making out on the couch. I loved that we had this time to be alone and reconnect.

We were laying side by side and Edward was rubbing his hand up and down on my side. "Baby? Will you tell me what you were thinking about in the car before we got on the ferry?" I asked him, looking at his gorgeous face.

He laughed. "Mm. I don't know." He said, his hand slipping from my side, down to my bum cheek. He was patting my bum lightly, and it made me smile.

"Why not?" I asked, leaning in to kiss the divot above his lips, and making him smile.

"I'm not going to tell you, until we're alone and in a bed together." He said, nipping at my lips.

"We are alone, and a futon is a kind of bed." I argued. I don't even know why I bothered. I knew he wasn't going to tell me.

Edward laughed. "You are so darn adorable. You know that?" He asked, leaning in for kiss.

"I know. That's why you love me, right?" I asked, kissing him.

"It's one of the many reasons, angel." He said, smiling. There was a knock at the front door and Edward hopped up to open the door for my dad and Heidi. We all went in the kitchen and ate our burgers sitting up on the kitchen counters. We really needed to get a kitchen table. But, for now, this was fun.

I called Jasper and he told me that little Robert had just eaten and was sleeping in his bed on the couch in the family room. "Thank you, Jasper. Love you." I said, before hanging up. I was trying not to be too overprotective, but I did miss my baby.

Heidi had a brought a bunch of cleaning supplies, so we all split up to clean the apartment. Heidi took the bathroom, Edward, the living room; my dad had both bedrooms and I took the kitchen. I carefully cleaned and disinfected the fridge, stove, sink and countertops. It was literally sparkling when I was finished with it. I got my flower magnet from my box and stuck it to the fridge, smiling. I was so, so excited.

My dad and I washed and dried both sets of dishes and put them in the cupboards. It was so amazing to me that I had my own little place with my fiancé. I was truly excited. My dad gave me a hug when we were all done.

"I'm really going to miss you this fall, Bells." My dad said, making me tear up. Darn birth control, I thought to myself.

"Oh, no you don't, dad." I said, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. "Not yet. We still have weeks."

He chuckled. "Sorry, kiddo."

"Charlie, can you help me reach this window in the bathroom." Heidi called. I kissed my dad's cheek, before he went to go help her.

Edward walked into the kitchen with his bottle of Windex. "Hi, baby." He said, smiling. "It looks great in here." I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest. "Are you okay?" He asked, quietly, rubbing my back.

"My dad was trying to make me cry." I told him. "He said he was going to miss me."

"Aw, angel." He said, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "We still have so many memories to make this summer. Don't cry." I sniffled, but laughed at myself. I knew he was right.

I stood on my toes and kissed his chin. "I love you." I told him, making him smile.

The house was all clean and we were unpacked. Well, as much as we could be for now. The house was fairly bare, but we would get there. We locked up and headed down to our cars.

"Okay, kids." My dad said, giving us both a hug. "Heidi and I will meet you two back in Forks."

"Oh, okay." I said, confused. "Aren't we going to be following you?" I asked.

"No, babe. We've got a quick stop to make before we head back." Edward said, smiling. He was totally up to something. I loved it.

"Okay." I said, giving my dad another hug. "Thank you for all your help today, daddy. It meant so much to me that you were here."

"Anytime, Bells." He said, kissing the top of my head. I gave Heidi a hug, and Edward and I waved at them as they drove away.

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Ready for your surprise?" He asked, smirking when I looked up at his face.

I giggled. "I hope so." I was so thrilled that he had planned something for us. Edward was the most thoughtful man on earth. We got back in the car and I frowned when Edward turned off towards the airport. Edward wasn't even trying to keep the smile off of his face.

"What's going on?" I asked him. With Edward, a person never really knew.

"You'll see." He said, winking at me, as he parked in the short term parking. He took my hand and led me inside the airport terminal. He was looking at his watch, as he led me over to an arrival gate. We sat down together in the seats.

"Baby. Who are we waiting for?" I asked, looking at his face. A huge smile spread on his face and he pointed over to my right. I turned in my seat, and when I saw her, I actually screamed. My best friend was running over to me.


	433. Whispering

**A/N - I'm so excited by your reaction to Edward's surprise for Bella. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. More great news: the plagiarized story is down! I feel so relieved! Thanks to everyone for your support. Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 433 - Whispering

Edward had taken me to the airport to pick up my best friend, Angela. I could not believe that he was constantly surprising me with the most heartfelt gifts. And having my best friend come to Seattle to visit me, was the best surprise ever.

I ran over to her and she pulled me close, squeezing me in the tightest hug. "Hey, girlie." She said, loosening her grip on me a little bit to look at my face. Hers was streaked with tears, as I was sure mine was.

"Hey, Ang." I said, pulling her back into another hug. "I've missed you so much." I told her. I hadn't hugged my best friend in close to three months, and that was way too long in my eyes.

"I know, Bella." She said. "But we're here until Friday." I squealed and Angie laughed, pulling me back into her arms. We finally pulled apart, both wiping our eyes and I looked to Angie's right to see her boyfriend, Ben. I held back a giggle at his bright yellow t-shirt. He had brought a little Arizona with him.

"Hey, Bella." He said, as I pulled him into a hug, too. I looked and I saw Edward giving Ang a quick hug. My life was so perfect. I found that I was always thinking that, but it was so true. I loved that my best friend and the love of my life got along so well.

I gave Edward a hug and he leaned down to kiss my lips. "Surprise." He said, softly, making me just beam at him.

"I love you for doing this for me." I whispered, making him smile.

"Okay, you two. You can get all smoochy later." Angie teased. "I have to see this engagement ring." I giggled and held my hand out for Angie to see my ring. "Oh, Bella. That is incredible." She said, looking up at my eyes, with a huge smile on her face.

"Thank you. I love it, too." I said, looking over Edward and smiling. He winked at me, making me feel so loved.

"It's so elegant, but not gaudy and over the top. It's perfect for you." She looked up at Edward. "Well done." Angie giggled. "Oh, I wanted to apologize in person for my little freak out the night before the engagement."

"Don't worry about it." Edward laughed. "You were protecting your best friend. I understand."

Angie and I wraped our arms around each other and we went to pick up Angie and Ben's luggage, before heading out to Edward's car. Ang pulled me in the backseat with her, and Ben and Edward sat upfront. Edward chuckled at us, but I could tell how thrilled he was that I was so happy.

Ben was fascinated by the view from the ferry, so we took a bunch of pictures of us on the deck. He had never left Arizona, so he was loving this. When we drove off of the ferry, Edward and Ben sat in the front seat, again. They had the music playing and were talking and laughing as we drove. Edward was telling him all about Washington.

Angie and I were snuggled close together in the backseat. I had so much to tell her. "Edward and I had sex last night." I whispered in her ear.

She pulled back so she could look at my face, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. She was blushing as hard as I was. We were definitely not used to sex talk. And I knew Angie was waiting until she got married.

"What was it like?" She asked. "Did it hurt?"

"It was the best experience of my life. Just feeling that close to him, his body in mine, Ang, it was almost too much for me to handle." I said, making her smile. "It felt like a pinch and then I had this ache for the rest of the night, but I feel fine now. Edward and I had a warm bath afterwards and he held me close to his chest."

"Aw." She said, probably too loud. I slapped her leg, and she giggled. "Edward is so sweet."

"He's perfect." I agreed. "We've definitely been working up to it, though. That's been fun."

Angie laughed. "Can I tell you something?" She whispered.

"Of course." I told her, taking her hand in mine. "Anything."

"Ben's seen me naked." She whispered. My reaction was the same as hers was when she found out that Edward and I made love. She laughed and slapped my leg. "We were in his room, hanging out and I was wearing my t-shirt and panties. I took my bra off, because the underwire was uncomfortable. We were watching a movie on his laptop, and he put his hand on my bum."

She giggled, and it made me smile. I was beyond thrilled that she had Ben. "Then what happened?" I asked.

"Well, I reached over and pulled his shirt off. He seemed really nervous, but he did the same to me." She said, her face on fire. "He started touching my chest, and Bella, my god, it felt so good." She closed her eyes, just at the memory of the moment. "So, one thing led to another and I ended up naked."

"Did anything happen?" I asked.

"No, nothing really." She said, but it just felt like a big deal. We're still not hundred percent comfortable with each other, that way, you know?"

"Oh, I know. Believe me. It took me a long time to feel that way with Edward, too. And don't rush it, Ang." She nodded at me and smiled. "So, are you still going to wait until you're married?" I asked her.

She nodded her head. "Yeah. I mean, I think so. Ben knows and he told me that it's alright with him." She said. "I mean there is so much we can do together, without having sex."

I nodded in agreement. "You're completely right. And those things are just as amazing." I told her. "Like on the drive to Seattle this morning, Edward got a little handsy."

Angie giggled. "While he was driving?" She asked and I nodded my head. "Oh, my god."

I laughed. "I know. It's definitely the sexiest thing he's ever done."

"Wow." She said, biting her lip.

I giggled. "So, you and Ben can have lots of fun leading up to the big night." I told her, making her smile. "So things are pretty serious?"

"Yeah." She said, smiling. "We're together a lot. He comes to my place for dinner once a week, and I go to his house, or his brother's place to hang out with his baby niece. Bella, he's so great with babies."

"Isn't that such a turn on?" I asked, making her giggle. "Edward is the same way. You should have seen him with his baby cousins. It was priceless."

"Speaking of babies, I got your text. You're a mom?" She asked.

"Yes. Edward and I adopted a kitten last week. He was abandoned, and my dad and Heidi found him. He was at the vet for a couple days, but he's happy and healthy and the most spoiled kitten in the world."

"I can't wait to meet him." She said, giggling.

"Oh, he'll steal your heart." I told her, smiling. "I'll have to check you're suitcase before you leave. He's that priceless." She laughed and I hugged her tightly.

I had missed having her with me. We could talk online, or over the phone, but nothing could ever beat the real thing. I felt so lucky to have her with me now, especially after Edward and I had sex. I could truly tell her every detail, and know that as a best friend, she would never tell a soul.

The rest of the ride, we caught up on everything that had happened this summer. I told her about my dad and Heidi planning a wedding, our apartment, Edward's family reunion and everything else, even the everyday stuff. Ang told me about her job, the classes she picked for next semester and her and Ben's little day trips. I was loving every second of this.

We stopped for a bathroom break in Sequim, and while we waited for Ang and Ben to buy souvenir postcards, I wrapped my arms around Edward's hips. "I love you so much, Edward Cullen." I said, looking up into his eyes. "Angie is the best surprise in the world."

He smiled down at my face. "I know we had talked about maybe driving down there this summer so you could see Angela, again. But, I figured with the kitten, and your dad's wedding, we might not have the chance." He explained. "So, I thought, why not bring your best friend to you?"

"I can't even thank you enough, baby." I said, rubbing his back.

"Bella, just watching your face, and seeing you so happy is all I wanted." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Edward." I said, pulling him into a tight hug. This day just kept getting better.


	434. Surprise

**A/N - Happy Wednesday! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 434 - Surprise

We got back to Forks at around six o'clock. Ben couldn't get over all the pine trees. Angie and I laughed, as we had to stop for him to get a picture. He was just like Edward was with the cactuses in Arizona.

"Aren't we going to my place?" I asked Edward as he started driving to the Cullens' house. "Angie's staying with me, right?"

"I thought we could just get the kitten first." He told me, as we pulled up to the house. I saw another car parked at the house. I didn't recognize it, but then I saw the rental car sticker on the bumper. I wondered who was here.

Edward took my hand, and led me around the side of the house to the backyard. I looked up at him, and he was smiling. We walked into the yard, and the tears instantly fell from my eyes. There was a huge banner that read 'Congrats on your Engagement,' and my dad and Heidi and the whole Cullen family, including the grandparents and Uncle Liam were there. I also saw all of our friends: Paul, Rachel, Alec, Siobhan, Jake, Embry, Quil, Vanessa, EJ and Gianna. Even Rose and Maria were here.

But the best surprise of all, was when I looked over to the back door and saw my mom and Aro walk out. Edward had brought everyone I loved together in one place. It completely made sense to me now, why Edward had flown Angie and Ben in, today. He wanted them at our engagement party.

I covered my face with my hands and leaned forward. I was absolutely sobbing. I was so incredibly happy and surprised and just overwhelmed. Edward leaned down in front of me and pulled me into his arms.

"Shh, honey." He whispered. "You're okay."

I nodded my head and tried to take a deep breath. I looked up at Edward's face and he had tears in his own eyes. It was amazing that he reacted to my emotions the way he did.

My mom came over and wrapped us both in a hug. "Surprise." She said, giggling, but wiping at her own eyes.

"I'm so happy that you could make it, mom." I said, kissing her cheek. "I've missed you."

"I know, baby." She said, smoothing back my hair. "Why don't you go inside and get cleaned up? Then you can come back out here and celebrate." I nodded and turned to look at Angie. Ben was hugging her and she was crying too. She was such an amazing best friend.

"Do you want to come in?" I asked her.

"Okay." She said, grabbing my hand. "Then you get to introduce me to everyone."

Heidi and Esme came over to me, both pulling me into a tight hug. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" Esme asked, smoothing down my hair.

"Yeah, it's just having everyone I love in one place is so overwhelming to me." I explained, smiling at her. "And, I am so, so surprised."

"Okay, sweetie." She said, kissing my cheek. "We love you." I smiled. I had the best family in the world.

Angie and I, with Edward and Ben on our heels, went inside to Edward's room. I grabbed a black skirt out of Edward's drawer, and the scarf that Liam gave me from Spain, before Ang and I went into the bathroom together. She splashed water on her face, while I switched into my skirt, and looped the scarf around my neck.

"Are you alright, girl?" She asked, while I washed my face and put a little eyeliner on.

"Yeah." I told her. "I started birth control a couple days ago, and it's making me cry more than usual."

Angie laughed. "Bella, you always cry." She said, laughing when I slapped her shoulder. "Well, you do. So, you're surprised?"

"I'm blown away." I told her, giving her a tight hug. "I love that you were able to be here for this."

"I wouldn't have missed it, girlie." She said, kissing my cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Ang." I said.

I opened Edward's door, and smiled when I saw Ben sitting at Edward's desk chair and Edward pacing the floor. When Edward saw me, he came over and pulled me tight to his body. "Tell me what you're thinking. Was it too much? Should I have told you about the party?" He asked.

I smiled up at his face. "I'm thinking about how much I love you. I'm so touched that you would bring everyone together for me to celebrate our engagement. This whole day has been perfect and I loved the surprise, baby."

Edward smiled. "Okay." He said, letting out a deep breath. "I'm so happy you like this. Let's go back down to the party." He said, kissing my lips. "I saw presents."

I laughed. "Sounds good." Ben and Angie followed us down the stairs, and back out to the yard. Everyone turned to look at us, as we came out. I figured that I'd better make an announcement.

"Um, hi." I said, giggling, nervously. Edward squeezed my hand in support. "Obviously, I'm pretty surprised." I said, and everyone laughed. "But, I want to thank you all for being here, and for setting this up. I am so touched. I just wanted to say that having everyone that I love on this earth all together, is the most amazing feeling in the world. So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. "Yeah. I'd like to thank my mom and nanny for helping me put this together, while I kept Bella out of town. And also, Charlie and Heidi for helping us with the apartment today, and for keeping Bella in Seattle all day." Edward said, smiling.

"I would especially like to thank to Bella's mom, Renee and her friend Aro for flying in from Denver to be here, as well as Bella's best friend, Angela, and her boyfriend, Ben, for coming all the way from Phoenix." Edward continued. "We love you all, and I can't thank you enough. So, let's eat." He said, laughing.

Everyone applauded and I smiled. This was the most amazing engagement gift in the world. I looked over at my dad and smiled. I took Angie's hand. "Come with me. I want you to meet my dad." I told her. Emmett and Liam had come over to talk to Edward and Ben, so Ang and I went over to my dad and Heidi.

My dad pulled me into a tight hug. "I can't believe you knew about this." I giggled, and he and Heidi laughed.

"Edward made us promise not to tell." Heidi laughed.

"Dad, Heidi, I want you to meet my best friend in the entire world, Angela Weber." I said. She shook my dad's hand and Heidi gave her a hug.

"Nice to meet you, Angela." My dad said. "Bella talks a lot about you."

She laughed. "Aw, thanks, girlie." She said, hugging me.

Jasper walked over to me, holding my baby kitten. Robert had his little harness and leash on. I had missed him so much. "Welcome home, Bella." Jasper said, his face red, likely because Angie was with me. "Robert did really well. He just ate about a half hour ago."

He passed me my baby, and I buried my face into his soft fur, and he meowed. "Thank you, Uncle Jasper." I said, making him laugh. "Come here." I said, pulling him into a one armed hug. "I truly appreciate that you watched him for us, today. You are the best almost brother. I love you."

Jasper nodded shyly. "I, um, I love you, too, Bella." He said, softly. "I can watch him anytime you want. I had a lot of fun with him."

"Aw." I said, smiling at Jasper, before looking at down at Robert. "Thank you so much. I'm sure he loved being here with you, too."

Maria ran over and, after petting Robert, she pulled Jasper over to the picnic table. Angie and I laughed. "Is that his girlfriend?" She asked me. "Because they are adorable together."

"Yeah, they're only fifteen. It's a pretty darn cute relationship." I said, smiling. "So, what do you think of my son, Robert?" I asked her.

She started laughing really hard. "Robert?"

"Edward named him. His full name is Robert Creamsicle Pumpkin Swan Cullen." I said, making her laugh harder. "But if you're going to laugh at him, then you don't get to hold him." I teased.

"I'm sorry." She said, rolling her eyes at me, and making me giggle. Ang and I had that perfect kind of relationship where we could tease each other, without taking things too seriously. I loved it.

"You're forgiven. Are you hungry?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm going to grab something." She said. "Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in one minute." I said. I wanted to talk to my dad. Heidi, smiled at me, and offered to go with Ang. I swear, Heidi read my mind. Either that, or she was the best soon to be step mom in the world. When Ang and Heidi left, I pulled my dad aside.

"What's on your mind, kiddo?" He asked, reaching over to pet the kitten.

"I just wanted to check that you were okay with mom being here. I mean, I'm glad she's here, but Forks is, I don't know, like your territory." I said, giggling because I didn't really know how to explain it. "Is it too weird for Heidi?"

"Bells. I love that you worry about me, but this your party. You enjoy it." He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his side. I felt safe, like a little girl. "Your mom and I talked when I got here, and things are alright. We both want this to be a good day for you, kiddo. Everyone is getting along."

"Okay. Thanks, dad." I said, smiling up at him. "I just worry, you know?"

"I know, but don't." He chuckled, making me laugh. "Let's go get some dinner. We earned it today."


	435. Engagement Celebration

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I'm so glad you liked the surprise! Enjoy!**

Chapter 435 - Engagement Celebration

Everyone had food and we all sat around at the picnic tables, folding tables and lawn chairs. It was amazing having everyone together.

I had been worried about having my mom and dad together, considering they hadn't really seen each other in fifteen years, and they hadn't parted on the best terms. I knew that my dad would always resent my mom for taking me away from him. And I'm sure that my mom was jealous of my dad because I had chosen to say in Washington, and make a future here.

But, for now, everyone seemed to be getting along. I'm sure a lot of that had to do with both my parents being in their own, new, beautiful relationships. Aro was an amazing man, and he seemed good for my mom. He was a hardworking lawyer, but he was down to earth and loved to travel. And, most importantly, my mom seemed happy.

And then, of course, there was Heidi. Her and my dad had been friends and co-workers for years, and with my little nudge, had begun dating. Their relationship was a whirlwind romance, but they were amazing together. I was thrilled for their upcoming wedding and I couldn't wait to have Heidi as a step mom.

Edward was sitting beside me, holding Robert in one arm, while he ate. Angie was on my right, with Ben beside her. Emmett was quizzing Ben about tae kwon do, and I was happy to see my friends and soon to be in laws getting along.

Aro was sitting beside Edward, and had him laughing at Italian engagement traditions. "The night before the wedding, the men, they drink and eat and gamble, yes." Aro said.

"No strippers?" Alec asked, from across the table. Siobhan shook her head at him, but laughed.

"No strippers." Aro laughed.

"What about the bride?" I asked him.

"Nothing." He said, making all the guys laugh. "But the marriage was arranged, no. A dowry was agreed on. The man would come and give her a kiss and a betrothal ring, and the contract, the engagement, was sealed until death. Before the wedding, the woman, she will take a bath in perfumed water. But, no party for the woman."

"Well, that sucks." Rachel said, making me laugh. "We'll have a party for you Bella. Don't worry." She said, winking at me. "Bachelorette parties are the best part of the whole wedding."

Edward leaned in close to my ear. "No strippers." He whispered, making me blush. He chuckled, and winked at me. As if I would want a stripper when I had a man as perfect as Edward. I'd just have to make him dance for me.

The rest of dinner went well, and Esme, nanny, grams and Heidi started cleaning up the food. I went to stand up and help, but Esme raised her eyebrow at me and I sat back down. She was so amazing.

Within about twenty minutes, they had everything cleared up, and tray after tray of pastries and squares brought out and set on the table. This was the best party ever.

"Presents." Esme said, making us all laugh.

"Aw, you guys didn't have to do this." I said, as we all came to sit in a circle in lawn chairs. Everyone was snacking on dessert, and seemed to be having a good time.

"Bella." My mom scolded, making me laugh. I had actually missed that. "I want to go first." She said. I looked at my dad and he rolled his eyes. I bit my lip. He was so cute, and he was doing so good. She reached in her purse and pulled out an envelope. I really hoped she didn't go overboard. My mom had a tendency to want to show off.

She passed the envelope to Edward and he passed it to me. He was still holding Robert, who had long since fallen asleep in daddy's arms. I tore open the envelope and read the sweet card, signed by both my mom and Aro.

Inside was a photo of a gorgeous dining room table. It had two long bench seats on the long ends and cute dining chairs on either end. It was big. I could see Edward and I setting up laptops on one end, and eating at the other side.

"Wow. Renee. That's beautiful. Thank you." Edward said.

"Well, I called Esme and she said that you two didn't have a kitchen table yet. It's going to be delivered the same day as your bedroom set." My mom giggled. "We coordinated."

I smiled. She did go overboard, like I knew she would. I had in my mind a small little breakfast table with two chairs for our place, but the set my mom picked out really was lovely. It was a piece I could see Edward and I keeping for years.

"Thank you, mom." I said, getting up to give her a hug. "It's gorgeous." I turned and hugged Aro, too. "Thank you. I love it." I told him, as he kiss my cheek.

"Well, I just thought it would be nice to for guys to have a big table, so you have room when the family comes over. Hint, hint." My mom giggled.

"Aw, of course mom. You know you're always welcome." I said, sitting back down beside Edward.

"Okay, my turn." My dad said, getting up and carrying over a huge box and setting it in front of Edward and I. It was wrapped in pretty paper with flowers on it, and I looked up at Heidi. I knew she wrapped it. My dad would never get it to look so professional.

Jasper got up and took Robert from Edward, so we could both rip open the paper, together. When I saw the box, smiled. "Dad, Heidi. This is great." I said. "You didn't have to do this." It was a 32" LCD TV.

Edward and I got up to hug my dad and Heidi. "Is this so you can watch baseball when you come visit, Charlie?" Edward teased my dad, patting his shoulder and making him laugh.

"Darn right." My dad laughed, before pulling me into a hug.

"I love you, daddy." I said, as he kissed my cheek, giggling as he moustache tickled my face.

The rest of the evening went great. We got so many nice things for apartment, like two big snuggly blue chairs from Carlisle and Esme, as well as books, CDs and gift cards. I still thought that people shouldn't have brought gifts, but I was grateful at the same time. These were our friends, and I was just happy to have them here.

I didn't cry until I opened nanny and grandpa's gift. Nanny had crocheted us a queen sized afghan. I could already see Edward and I snuggled up together under the blanket on the futon in the evening. Esme had brought out tissues for me and I loved her for it.

Aro also gave me an amazing gift. "This is just for the beautiful Bella." He said, passing me a small box. I opened it, pushing aside the tissue paper. It was a small journal, and as I flipped through the pages I gasped. It was page after page of hand written recipes. "They are all my mother's recipe's from Italy. You loved the last one so much, yes?"

Of course I cried, again. It was an amazing gift and I was touched that he would do something like this for me. Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder, kissing my temple.

The fun and crazy gifts started when we got to our friends. Angie and Ben got us matching t-shirts. "I know how much Edward has a thing for t-shirts." Angie said, making Edward laugh and making me blush. The shirts read 'I'm Someone's Mr. Right' and 'Yes, I'm Always Right.' They were so cute. They also got us a newlywed survival guide, which I thought was adorable.

Edward and I both blushed bright red when we opened Paul and Rachel's gift. It was just an envelope, so I figured we had dodged a bullet, but when we opened it and saw the Victoria's Secret gift card, I covered my face with my hand, and giggled.

"What is it?" Heidi asked.

"It's basically a gift for Edward." Rachel said, laughing. "So he can pick Bella out something sexy." Everyone laughed at our expense. I was embarrassed now, but I actually couldn't wait to spend that gift card.

Edward slipped it in his back pocket, earning more laughs. "Thank you." He said, setting his warm hand on my bare knee, giving it a light squeeze.

It was getting late and Esme had turned on the porch light so there was soft romantic glow. Just when I thought the night couldn't get any better, Edward and Paul got up and went inside. They came back out with their guitars. Edward was also holding a red rose, and he passed it to me before he sat down beside Paul. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. My mom got up and came to sit beside me, taking my hand. She looked so excited.

Edward played me my song, the one he wrote for me, but this time, Paul was accompanying him, and it was so magical. He was looking right at me, even though there were so many friends and family here with us. Edward's voice gave me goosebumps. Then they sang me some oldies, all love songs. They only played for about a half hour, but it was my favourite part of the evening.

At around ten o'clock, all of our friends headed out. Esme had little boxes of chocolate for everyone. I would never be able to repay her for doing this for us. We gave everyone hugs and Heidi took our photo with every guest. This was definitely a night I would never forget.


	436. What You Were Thinking

**A/N - Happy Friday! Summer Vacation now has over 8500 reviews! I'm so incredibly thrilled! Thank you so much! This chapter takes place at the end of Sunday, August 1 and the start of Monday, August 2, 2010. Thanks, again! **

Chapter 436 - What You Were Thinking

At around eleven o'clock, Angie had fallen asleep on Ben's lap. "We'd better get back to my dad's place." I said to Edward, nodding my head in Ang's direction.

He chuckled. "Definitely." He leaned in to suck on my earlobe. "Plus, I can't wait to get you in bed." I bit my lip, looking up into his eyes. I couldn't wait, either.

I walked over and gave Esme and Carlisle a huge hug. "Thank you so much for doing this." I said. "I can see all the work you put into it, and I appreciate it so much."

"I'm just happy that you liked it, sweetheart." Esme said, kissing my cheek. "I really wanted to celebrate your engagement, but we had the reunion planned, and I wanted this party to be all about you two."

"Well, I loved it." I said, smiling. "Is my mom staying here?"

"No, she's staying at a hotel. She said she didn't want to put anyone out." Carlisle told me.

My dad and Heidi came over and hugged me. "I'm staying at Heidi's, again, this week, so your friends can stay at our house." My dad said. "We're on the day shift this week."

"Okay, dad." I said. "I'll see you tomorrow night, then. I love you."

I took Edward's hand and we walked over to my mom and Aro. "So, you're staying at a hotel?" I asked her.

"Yes, Isabella. Now don't make a big deal out of it." She said, squeezing my shoulder. "Now, honey, we're heading back home on Tuesday morning." I was so upset. I thought I was going to get to spend more time with her, not just a day. I nodded. "Baby, I could only get two days off work, but I've got some more time off coming up soon, okay?"

"Okay." I agreed, wiping my eyes. "I'm just happy that you came."

"I know, Bella." She said, pulling me into a hug. "We'll see you, tomorrow."

I went to give Jasper, Emmett, Liam and Alice hugs, too. Jasper had Robert in his carrier and his things packed up in his tote bag. Liam told me that I looked beautiful in my scarf, and I blushed. "Thank you. I truly love it."

I watched as Ben kissed Angie's forehead to wake her up. He smoothed his hand through her hair, and she smiled. They had such a beautiful relationship. I was so happy for them. We all drove back home and Edward helped Ben carry their suitcases upstairs. I showed Angie around, quickly, but she looked like she was fall asleep, so I figured that I give her the grand tour in the morning.

"So, are you okay to share my dad's room with Ben, or should we make him sleep on the couch?" I asked her, taking her hand.

"Oh, um. We can share." She said, giggling. "He's a good snuggler." I smiled. I was so happy that she was.

I gave her a hug, before taking Robert into our room. I set up his bed, kissed his nose, and laid him down to sleep. He was exhausted. I pulled off my skirt, tank and bra and crawled into bed in just my panties. I was laying on my stomach, snuggled into the pillows.

I heard the door open and I looked over my shoulder. "Hey, gorgeous. I didn't know if you were still awake?" Edward said, pulling off his t-shirt.

"Yeah." I said, rolling over to get a better view of him taking off his jeans. He was left in a pair of grey boxer briefs, and I grinned. My fiancé was delicious. He turned off the light and crawled into bed beside me.

I snuggled close to his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me, his hands on my bum cheeks. "Tonight was amazing, baby." I whispered, kissing his chin. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Bella. I just wanted to spoil you. And, I figured having your best friend and your mom here would make the night complete." Edward explained.

"It was perfect." I said, snuggling my face into his neck. "I'm sorry I cried and scared you."

"It's okay, angel. I know you cry when you're happy." Edward chuckled, squeezing my bum. "But, you seemed upset when you talked to your mom, and she said she wasn't staying that long."

I teared up, again, and sniffled. "It's just hard having her so far away." I admitted.

"I know, baby." He whispered. "I wish I could fix this for you."

"Aw, Edward. You don't have to fix anything." I said, looking up at his face. "Our life is perfect."

Edward started rubbing my back, as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. "It really is." He agreed. "We'll make the most out of your day with your mom, okay?"

"Okay." I said, smiling up at his face. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby. Forever." He whispered. I fell asleep in Edward's arms, my favourite place on earth.

I woke up to kisses on my face. I smiled before I even opened my eyes. "Good morning, beautiful." Edward whispered, as his hand caressed my body. I opened my eyes and was met with his gorgeous green eyes.

"Good morning, handsome." I said, closing my eyes when his touch got a little bolder. "Ah, baby." I breathed.

"Is this okay?" He asked, straddling my thighs, and leaning in to lick and kiss my stomach and chest.

"Uh huh." I whispered. I had actually really wanted to spend some time getting physical with Edward last night, but after the party, I was so tired. His kisses reminded me that I was supposed to get him to tell me what he was thinking about yesterday.

I reached down, and put my hands on either side of his head and he looked up at my face. He looked like he didn't want to stop kissing me, and was torn between looking at my face, and getting back to work. I had to giggle. "Tell me what you were thinking in the car on the way to Seattle, yesterday." I said. He wasn't getting it out of it this time.

He chuckled. "If you must know, I was thinking about doing what I'm doing right now." He admitted. "I wanted to taste your entire body, licking you everywhere. And, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to living out my fantasy."

I moaned and threw my head back on the pillow. I giggled. I was trying to take in these moments and cherish them forever. Edward and I were young and in love, so why not embrace that, and all the feelings that went along with it.

Edward was the sexiest man alive. He wasn't kidding when he said everywhere. After fifteen minutes, he had worked his way down to my feet. He was kissing the bottom of my feet and I was laughing because it tickled so much.

"I love you, Bella." He said, smiling at me, as started massaging my foot with his thumbs.

"Mm. I love you, too, baby." I said, smiling. "But, I really need to pee."

Edward laughed. "Go, sexy." He said, rubbing my shin. "Are you coming back? Or are you going to sneak into the shower without me, again?" He asked, that cute little smirk on his face.

"Or, we could just have a shower together." I suggested, sitting up and wrapping my arms around his shoulders, pressing our chests together.

"Are you using your body to try and convince me?" He asked, wrapping his arms around me and spanking my bum, lightly.

"Maybe." I said, batting my eyelashes at him.

He chuckled. "Well, it's working." He leaned in and pressed a hot kiss to my lips. "Let's go."

It was just after six in the morning, and even Robert wasn't awake. Edward wrapped a blanket around our naked bodies and we hurried to the bathroom, trying to be quiet so we didn't wake Angie and Ben.

"Get in the shower, Edward, so I can pee." I said, hopping up and down.

"You know, the hopping is a good look for you, sexy." He chuckled, making me blush, before getting in the shower and turning the water on.

I was just about to ask him to start singing, when he did it on his own. He remembered from camping that I couldn't pee if he heard me go. It was things like this, that I never thought I would ever want in a man, that stood out to me, now. I know I told Edward that he was perfect all the time, but I honestly wasn't just saying it. To me, he was everything.

After I used the bathroom washed my hands, I slipped into the shower with my man. His face lit up when he saw me, even though we had only been apart for two minutes. The day had just begun, and it was already incredible.


	437. On Your Mind

**A/N - Happy Saturday! I have decided to change the rating of this story from T to M. An M rating is suitable for ages 16+. I have no plans to change the style in which I write, but with Bella and Edward's relationship getting more and more serious, I don't want to have to worry about offending anyone. I hope you are all okay with my decision, as I have put a lot of thought into it. Thanks so much for reading! **

Chapter 437 - On Your Mind

Edward and I played in the shower for about a half hour. He tickled me a little, and we had a wet make out session, but we kept things pretty innocent, scrubbing each other's backs, things like that.

I noticed that Edward hadn't brought up sex. It was Monday morning and we had sex for the first time on Saturday night. I was excited to try it, again, knowing that for me, this time would be better. But, our friends were just across the hall, so I understood his hesitation. But at the same time, I thought we could at least talk about it.

Edward was drying me off with a bath towel, but stopped, draping the towel over my shoulders and looking down at my face. "What's on your mind, beautiful?" He asked, rubbing my back over the towel.

"Oh, um, nothing really." I said. I could feel myself blushing bright red. I was mad at myself. Edward and I talked so much about opening up with each other. I had told myself that I wasn't going to keep things from him. And, Edward had told me that no matter I was feeling, he just wanted me to tell him, so we could talk it out.

I let out a deep breath. "Actually, that's not true." I said, correcting myself. Edward smiled at me in support, and I could sense the relief on his face that I was actually opening up to him.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" He said, softly, leaning down to kiss my cheek.

"Yeah. Um, can we maybe go sit on my bed?" I asked. The bathroom felt a little cold, and impersonal.

"Of course." Edward said, wrapping a towel around his waist. I secured my towel around my body, tucking it in just above my breasts. Edward took my hand and led me back into my room. He sat down at the foot of the bed, and I sat beside him.

"Okay, um, I was just wondering why you haven't really brought up having sex with me, again?" I asked, looking down at my sweaty hands in my lap. Edward went to open his mouth, but I cut him off. "Like I know Ang and Ben are here in the house right now, and everything, but I thought maybe we could at least talk about it?"

Edward hesitated for a minute, likely to make sure I was finished this time. It made me laugh, and he smiled at me, reaching over to take one of my hands in his. He brought my palm up to his face and placed a soft kiss on it.

"Well, firstly, I want to apologize to you. I was pretty sure that it was too soon to talk about making love, again." He said. "So, I'm sorry for assuming. I don't want you to ever think that I don't want you, Bella. Because, I do. So, so much." He looked at my eyes before looking down at my hand. He was playing with my fingers. "I've just been thinking about the apartment and the engagement party."

"Edward." I sighed, feeling really stupid and selfish, all of a sudden. "I should be apologizing to you. You planned this huge party for me, for us. You've had so much on your mind. I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have said anything."

Edward met my eyes, again. "You are not stupid." He said, quietly, but firmly. "And, I am so proud of you for opening up to me." He wrapped his big, strong arm around me, and pulled me close to him, kissing the side of my head. "Is there something in particular that you wanted to talk about, or ask me?"

"Um, so I'm excited about trying it, again, but I'm honestly a little more nervous this time around." I admitted.

"Do you know why that is, or is it just a feeling?" He asked, turning so we were looking at each other, again.

"Yeah. I think I know why." I told him, looking down, again. I took a steadying breath. "This time, I'm not just going to be laying there, right? Like you're going to expect me to do things, but I don't really know how. I'm scared that I'm not going to do it right."

"Bella." Edward said. "You know me." He got up and laid back on the bed. "Come here. I want to show you something." He said, holding his hand out for me.

I crawled over to him and he pulled me into his arms. He leaned in and started kissing me, hard. I moaned. It felt so good, and I had no idea what he was trying to show me, but I was definitely enjoying this demonstration.

Edward rolled halfway on top of me, and his hands started moving over my body. I hummed and moved my hands around his back, and then down to his bum. I squeezed his cheeks and starting moving my body against him. Edward groaned, before he pulled back, smiling at me.

"Come back." I breathed, pulling his shoulders towards me.

Edward chuckled. "In a minute." He said, leaning in for another quick kiss. "But, you just proved my point."

"What? How?" I asked, frowning at him.

"Did you notice how you moved your body against mine?" He asked. "It's natural, Bella. When you're not over thinking things, and just enjoying the moment, you do what feels good. So, please don't worry about trying to please me, because, baby, just being in bed with you, turns me on." He leaned in to kiss my lips, again. "You're going to do it right." He slipped his hand under my towel and pinched my bum cheek, making me giggle. "You do everything right with me."

I reached up and ran my hand over his bare chest. "I love you." I said, smiling at him. "And I loved your demo."

Edward chuckled. "I thought you might." He said, caressing the back of my thigh with his fingertips. "But, do you feel better about it? About the next time that we make love?"

"Yes." I said, smiling. "I'm a lot less nervous."

"It's okay that you're nervous, though, babe." He said. "Because I am, too. I worry about being gentle enough for you and satisfying you. And I know that I shouldn't, and it's hypocritical of me to tell you not to worry, but I want to be honest with you about it. I don't want to pretend that I'm a cool cucumber."

"Don't worry about me, okay. You are always amazing with me. You make me feel good every time you touch me." I told him, hoping to reassure him, like he did for me.

"Mm, good." He said, leaning back in to kiss me. We picked up where we left off on Edward's little demonstration. I loved the way this boy's mind worked.

We both rolled onto our backs, breathless. Edward's towel was still on, but mine had mysteriously come loose. I rolled over to snuggle up to his chest. "That was fun." I said, kissing his fresh from the shower skin.

"It was." He said, looking down at my face. "But, everything is okay?"

"Definitely." I said, smiling. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Bella." He said. "And, as for when we make love, again, I don't know. I mean, I'd really like for us to be alone in the house, again, like last time. I don't want you to have to worry about someone hearing us, or interrupting us."

"No, that makes sense. I really do understand, and I agree with you completely." I said. "It will happen when the time is right. I just wanted us to be able to talk about it, you know?"

"Absolutely, angel." Edward said, smiling. "I promise to share more of my thoughts with you. I honestly just didn't want you to feel intimidated, or pressured."

"See, you really are perfect." I told him.

"Well, I do have a t-shirt that says Mr. Right." He said, smiling at me.

"It says that you're my Mr. Right." I said, giggling.

"You want me to wear it to bed?" He asked me, tickling my sides, and making me roll over onto my back.

"No." I said, immediately, smiling as Edward straddled my thighs. "I like you shirtless when you sleep."

He reached up and caressed my chest. "I'm starting to like you shirtless when you sleep, too." Edward admitted, making me blush.

"What about my t-shirt collection?" I asked, pouting out my bottom lip. I loved my souvenir shirts. They held so many memories for me.

"Well, little lady, I'm still incredibly attached to those shirts." He said, winking. "And I love undressing you. It just gives me something to take off of you."

"So you want me to get dressed, just so you can undress me?" I asked him, reaching up and caressing his arms.

"Bella, there is a whole multi million dollar lingerie industry based on exactly that concept." He said, making me laugh.

"Which reminds me of the Victoria's Secret gift card." I said. "Any idea of what you want to spend it on?"

"Well, you can say no if you're uncomfortable with it." Edward said, smiling as he cupped my breasts in his hands. "But I was thinking about a corset."


	438. Online

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! It is Monday, August 2, 2010 in the story world! Enjoy!**

Chapter 438 - Online

My fiancé wanted me to get a corset. I was really excited about the idea of looking sexy for him. I had two sexy nightgowns, one that I had bought for Edward's birthday, and the other he had picked out for the day we were engaged. I hadn't worn them a lot, but maybe I was going to have to start. Edward seemed to really like it when I did.

I smiled at him. "I've never worn one, but I think that might be fun." I told him, sitting up and wrapping my arms around his waist. I kissed his chest.

"Yeah? That's not too weird?" He asked. The smile on his face showed me how me how excited he was by the idea.

I giggled. "It's not weird." I said. "And you seem pretty hot and bothered by the idea. I'm excited to see how you react when you actually see me in it."

Edward laughed. "I'm hot and bothered?" He wrapped his arms around me, and pulled us down so we fell on the bed, together. We were laughing and he starting kissing my face.

"I think so, Edward." I giggled, scratching his back. "But I like it, so I'm not complaining."

"So, next time we're in Seattle, you want to go into the underwear store?" Edward asked, grinning.

I giggled. "Are you going to pick it out for me?"

"Oh, wait." he said, propping himself up on his arm. "What if we order it online?" He asked, and I started laughing.

"An eager boy, huh?" I asked.

"Darn right, sexy girl." He said, hopping off the bed to get my laptop.

"We're doing this right now?" I laughed.

"Why not?" He asked, chuckling, bringing the laptop to the bed.

I heard Robert meow, so I got off the bed and picked up my baby. "Good morning, sleepyhead." I whispered, kissing his head, before setting him in his litterbox. Edward was laying on the bed on his stomach, still in just his towel, his eyes glued to the screen.

I giggled as I got Robert his breakfast. I grabbed a t-shirt and slipped it on, before running ot the bathroom to get the cat some fresh water. I came back in the room, and smiled as I saw my baby eating his food. He was such a good kitten. After he had a quick drink, I scooped him up and set him on the bed. He crawled over to Edward's face, and Edward started laughing.

"You're baby wants you to stop looking at half naked women, while his mommy is right here." I teased, as Edward reached out and cuddled the kitten up to his chest. Robert rolled onto his back and put his paws up on Edward's chin.

"Baby, I'm not, I mean, I am, but I'm looking for you." Edward stuttered, his cheeks a little pink. His shyness made me giggle. I flopped down on my stomach beside him.

"You know I'm just kidding, right?" I asked, kissing his shoulder, and making him smile. "Did you find anything you like, yet?"

"Um, yeah, what about this one?" Edward said, double clicking on a smaller image. I looked at the picture and smiled. It was a gorgeous black bustier with tiny white polka dots on it. It had red, satin lacing up the sides, and tiny red bows where the straps connected. It even came with a removable garter belt. There were matching polka dot panties, with ruffles on the back.

I smiled, looking over at Edward. He was watching my face closely for a reaction. "I love it, Edward." I told him, honestly.

"Really?" He asked. He ran his right hand through his hair. "God, Bella. I have no idea why I feel so nervous right now."

"It's a bustier, which isn't really a corset." I told him. "Corsets sort of pull in the tummy, with laces, but bustiers give a little lift up here." I giggled, pushing my boobs up.

Edward laughed. "Well, you don't need either, but I think if I had to pick, the bustier is going to look really hot."

I wrapped my arm around his back. "You can change your mind if you want, because the corset was the original fantasy, but this one you've picked out is really pretty and classy. I honestly love it, Edward." I said, trying to reassure him. "As for your nerves, I think you're just excited."

He chuckled. "You are going to look so darn sexy in this." He whispered, leaning in to kiss my lips. Robert meowed, and Edward reached down to pet him. "So, um, should we order it?"

"Definitely." I said, smiling, turning the laptop so I could type in the details. "Okay, 34B and medium panties." I said out loud as I filled in the order form. "Babe. The site is recommending black, thigh high stockings, with lace trim. Should I get them? You know to clip on the garter belt?"

"Shit, baby." Edward breathed. "Yes." I giggled at how easy it was to turn Edward on. "Oh, um, I mean if you want to get them."

"Stop it, Edward." I laughed. "You're making me nervous. I want to get this set and the stockings, and I'm going to wear it for you because I love you." I said, reaching over and spanking his towel covered bum.

Edward chuckled. "Okay. Thank you, Bella." He said, smiling. "You are going to look so sexy."

I bit my lip. I was excited. I pulled the towel off of Edward's waist, revealing his bare bum. I spanked him left bum cheek, and he smiled at me. "What are you going to wear for me?" I asked, batting my eyelashes at him.

"I was hoping nothing." Edward laughed, rolling onto his side, and flashing me a front view of his body. I giggled, before looking up at his face.

"I think I like that plan." I said, smiling at him and reaching over to pick up my kitten, cuddling him up to my chest.

We finished putting in the order and I laughed when Edward paid seventeen dollars extra to get the package delivered tomorrow instead of in a week. He was clearly excited about this new outfit.

We got dressed, me in a blue sundress, and Edward in tan shorts and a black t-shirt, and headed downstairs. I could hear Angie and Ben getting ready upstairs, so I decided to start breakfast.

Ang always loved my French toast, so I decided to spoil her. Edward sat at the table, snuggling the kitten while I cooked. "If you're not going to help, will you at least sing for me, again?" I asked him as I whipped up the eggs with a fork.

"I am helping, Bella." Edward said. "I'm parenting." As if on cue, Robert meowed. My boys were so cute sitting together, both looking so innocent. I giggled at them, before shaking my head, and getting back to work. Edward started singing to me, and it made me smile. A girl could really get used to this treatment.

I had the table set and the food, juice and coffee all made by thet time Ang and Ben came into the kitchen. They were holding hands. It made me smile; they were priceless. When Angie saw that I noticed, she blushed, and looked down. My best friend was incredibly smitten with this boy.

Ben pulled out her chair, and I had to hold back my girlie squeal of excitement. I loved that Edward had impeccable manners, and I was happy that my best friend had a man in her life that showed her so much respect. All women deserved to be treated this way.

"So what are we going to do this week?" Angie asked me as we ate. "You need to show me all the highlights of Washington."

"Well, today, we've got to hang with my mom, and I know I want to take you down to the beach. It's where Edward proposed, and it's absolutely beautiful. You'll love it." I said, excitedly.

"Oh, we should take them to Lake Crescent." Edward added. "My cousins from Chicago loved it. You've got thousands of pine trees, a glacial lake, and the air is so fresh. It's amazing." I smiled watching Edward talk about Washington. He truly loved his home state.

"That all sounds great." Ben said, smiling.

"And we have to see your place." Angie added, licking the icing sugar from her fingers. It didn't escape my notice that Ben was watching her lips. I peeked over at Edward and he smiled back at me. He saw it, too.

"Hey, maybe we can head up to Seattle the day before you go back." Edward suggested. "And then camp out at the apartment on Thursday night?"

"Love it." I said, looking over at Angie. Angie squealed and hopped up out of her chair, coming over to hug me. Edward and Ben chuckled at us, as we jumped up and down in each others arms. I was just thrilled to be reunited my best friend, again. It was going to be an amazing week.


	439. Doubts and Dens

**A/N - Thank you all so much! I'm having such a good time writing this story and it's so nice to see people reading it! You are all amazing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 439 - Doubts and Dens

After we ate, Edward and I washed the dishes while Angie and Ben played with the kitten in the living room. I could hear them laughing, and I loved that they were enjoying my baby. Edward leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"You're pill, baby." He whispered, as I put the last plate in the cupboard. I giggled, because if he didn't remember these things for me, I never would.

"Thanks, babe." I said. "I'll be right down." I ran up the stairs to grab my pills out of my purse. I swallowed today's pill and then sat on my bed. I figured that I'd better call my mom and see what she wanted to do today.

"Hi, sweetie." She said, answering her cell phone, sounding perky and excited to hear from me.

"Hey, mom. Ang, Ben, Edward and I are all at dad's. Do you want to come meet us over here?" I asked.

She hesitated for a minute, before she answered. "Actually, is there somewhere else we can meet?"

"Dad's not here right now." I told her. "He and Heidi are both at work." I figured that was why she didn't want to come by. It still hurt me, but I understood.

"Oh, I know." She said. "It's just that the house has bad memories for me, that's all."

"Oh, um. Okay. I guess we could meet at the Cullens'. I'll just call Esme and make sure it's alright with her." I said. "I'll call you right back."

I hung up and called Esme. "Hi, sweetheart." She said, making me smile.

"Um, my mom doesn't want to come to my dad's place. She said there are too many bad memories here. So, um, do you think maybe we could hang out at your place. I mean I know you have your family there, so if you want, I could just take her somewhere else?" I knew I was rambling, and Esme had always told me that I was a part of the family, but I didn't just want to assume.

"Bella, sweetheart. Bring her here." Esme said. "You don't even have to ask. I'll make up some iced tea, and maybe she'd like to sit on the porch, or maybe she could watch the engagement DVD?"

"Okay, thank you so much, Esme. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that." I told her. "I'll see you soon, then."

We said our goodbyes and I called my mom, letting her know we were meeting at Edward's place in about a half hour. At least she knew how to find the place. I heard a knock at the door and looked up. It was Angie.

"Hey, girlie." She said, coming over to sit beside me on my bed. "What's going on? How come you're hiding out up here?"

"Oh, I just called my mom. She won't even come over here." I said, feeling tears in my eyes.

Angie pulled me into a tight hug, kissing my cheek. "It's okay, Bella. No one wants to hang out where they lived with their ex." She said.

"I understand that, but this is my house, too." I told her.

Angie got up and went to my night stand, picking up a huge handful of the condoms, letting them fall back down to the dresser through her fingers. "Bella. Do you really want your mom to see your little sex den?" She teased, making me start laughing. Angie leaned down to pick up Edward's boxer briefs by the elastic, before dropping them back on the ground.

"Okay, okay." I giggled. "Point made. And it's not a sex den, Ang. We've only done it once." I defended.

"Sure, Bella." She teased, pointing at the Victoria's Secret website that was still opened on my laptop screen.

I started laughing, again. "Oh, you should see what Edward picked out for me." I said, clicking on the image so she could see it. We both sat down on the bed, looking at the screen.

"Wow." Angie said, smiling over at me. "That is really sexy."

"I know." I giggled. "It's going to be delivered tomorrow."

"Ah, so basically, you want Ben and I in bed by seven tomorrow night, so you two can have some fun with that?" She asked.

I laughed. "I would never ask you to do that." I looked at her face. "Maybe eight." Angie started laughing so hard, so we just flopped back on my bed together. I had my head on her shoulder and she had her arm across my stomach. We laid there quietly for a couple of minutes, before Angie spoke up, again.

"So, what other lingerie do you have?" She asked, making me laugh. "What, Bella? I have no one else to talk to about this stuff. And with Ben and I getting more and more serious, maybe I should get something."

"I'm sorry for laughing." I said, looking over her. We both started giggling again, and I got up and went to my drawer. I held up my blue satin baby doll. "I got this for Edward's birthday in June." I said, tossing it to her.

"It's so silky." She said. "Does Edward like it?"

"He loves it." I said. "Oh, but you should see what he got me for our engagement night." I said, holding up the sheer lace nightie.

"Oh, my goodness, Bella." She said, smiling. "Were you bright red? Did you wear anything underneath?"

I giggled, blushing, again. "Yeah, I blushed, and this is what I gave me to wear underneath." I said, tossing her the thong.

She burst out laughing. "You don't wear thongs?" When Ang and I turned sixteen, we both went down to Wal-Mart and each bought a thong. We thought we were so grown up. But we both hated them, and threw them out before our moms noticed them.

"I know, but I did that night." I said, giggling. "He braved a lingerie shop for me, and the saleslady told him that these went with the nightie."

"Aw." She said. "That was really sweet of him to buy you this."

"I know. And, I didn't keep the thong on for very long, anyway." I giggled, making Angie laugh. "Edward is the best fiancé. I love him to pieces." I said, sitting back down beside her.

"I'll bet you love all his pieces." She said. We both started laughing really hard, our faces bright red.

"I do." I told her. "The first time I saw Edward naked, he couldn't believe it was the first time I'd seen a naked man. Have you seen Ben's, um, you know, piece?" I asked, not being able to think of what to call his private part.

As soon as I said that, Angie burst out laughing, so hard. I couldn't control myself, either, and we were both laying on the bed, crying, we were laughing so hard. "Hey, girls. Looks like we're missing the party." Edward said from my room door.

Angie and I sat up, and saw and Ben and Edward standing in the hallway. Edward had Robert in his arms, and they were chuckling at us.

"Just girl stuff." I said, quickly tucking my lingerie under my pillow. Ben blushed a little, because I think he saw my nighties before I hid them.

"Is your mom coming over?" Edward asked, setting the kitten in his litter box.

"No, we're meeting her at your house." I said, getting off the bed to get Robert's carrier. "I called your mom and she said it's okay." Edward nodded his head, before putting the cat in his carrier.

We all headed downstairs and out to the car. Ang and Ben got in the backseat and Angie took Robert. Before Edward opened my door, he pulled me close to him, and wrapped his arms around my hips. "What did your mom say?" He asked.

"Nothing really, she just doesn't want to be anywhere near this house, even if my dad's not here. She said something about bad memories." I told him.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, lightly rubbing my back.

I nodding my head. "I wasn't at first. I mean, she left my dad fifteen years ago, and this is my home. It's where I live right now. I sort of wanted to show her my room, and stuff. But, Ang talked to me about it, and I understand that she doesn't want to be where she and my dad went through the divorce."

"You know you didn't have to ask my mom to hang out at our house, right?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"I know. She said that, too." I giggled, stealing another kiss.

Edward reached down and spanked my bum, making me smile. "I'm going to put your name on my bedroom door, so you see it as your home, too, okay?" Edward teased, making me giggle. At least I thought he was teasing.


	440. Sentimental

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I'm glad I made some of you laugh. Enjoy!**

Chapter 440 - Sentimental

We drove to Edward's house, and just like we did back in Arizona, Angie and I sung pop songs out loud to Edward and Ben. The guys laughed with us, and it warmed my heart at how great we all fit together.

We got to Edward's place and my mom, Aro and Esme were all waiting for us on the deck. I walked up and gave them all tight hugs. "Edward, your brothers want to play American football. I don't know how to play. You will show me, yes?" Aro said.

"Oh, yeah. For sure." Edward said, looking over at me.

I smiled and nodded at Edward. He always wanted to check with me, that I was okay. I loved that about him. He didn't have a selfish bone in his body. Edward leaned down to give me a hug. "Come get me if you need me." He whispered, and I kissed his lips. Perfect.

"Oh, Edward. You're just going in the backyard." My mom teased. "We'll take care of her." Edward laughed, but kissed me, again.

"I know you will, but I'm going to miss her." Edward said, kissing me, again, maybe a little too passionately this time. I knew I was blushing, again, but I didn't care. My guy was amazing.

Aro, Ben and Edward all walked around the house to the backyard. "I love you, Bella." Edward called out, making all of us girls laugh.

We went inside and Esme had set up the family room with plates of finger sandwiches, iced tea and leftover pastries from the night before. She was amazing and I loved her so much. I would never be able to repay her for all the sweet things she did for me.

"Where's Alice?" I asked as we sat down and I took Robert out of his carrier.

"Oh, her grandparents took her to the park and Liam is in the back yard with the boys." Esme told me smiling. She was so family oriented and I could tell that she loved having her family here with her. "But, Carlisle had to go back into work today." She added, looking a little disappointed.

Esme and Carlisle's bond was exactly what I felt that I had with Edward. It was nice to see what we would be like in twenty years. I loved being a part of this family, and I couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life as a Cullen.

"So, do you girls want to watch the engagement video?" Esme asked, excitedly.

"Definitely." Angie said, smiling. So, the four of us sat together, crying, and watching Edward's proposal. I thought, considering I had bawled the last time I watched it, I would be okay this time. But, every time I saw Edward's face, I lost it. You could see how much he loved me in his eyes. And to watch him cry, even though they were happy tears, got me going.

Angie had her head on my shoulder and she was sniffling. "That was beautiful, Bella." My mom said, smiling at me, as she wiped under her eyes. "What an incredible moment."

"It really was." Esme said, passing around a box of tissues.

"Oh not, again." We all turned and I laughed and when I saw Emmett standing behind us drinking a bottle of Gatorade. "Bella, stop crying." He said, leaning over the back of the couch to pet Robert on my lap, and then kiss my cheek.

I laughed. "I can't help it." I defended.

"Hey, you've got all the food in here?" Emmett asked, walking around to grab a sandwich.

He took one, but Esme slapped his hand when he tried to grab another one. "I'll call you for lunch later." She said, giggling at Emmett's over exaggerated pout. "Go outside and play." Emmett laughed and ran back outside.

"So, are you ladies up for some girl talk?" My mom asked, smiling. I blushed and I looked at Ang, and her face was bright red, too.

"I don't know." I said, already embarrassed.

"Oh, come on Bella." My mom said. "How often do we get a chance to really talk like this." She had a point, and I wanted my mom to have a good time while she was here.

"Okay." I said, taking Angie's hand and squeezing it. I needed the moral support.

"So, have you and Edward, you know?" My mom asked, giggling.

I covered my face with my hand. "Mom." I whined. Angie laughed and buried her face into my shoulder.

"Isabella. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. You are a grown woman. You're engaged to an amzing man." My mom said, as if it was the most logical explanation in the world.

"Okay." I finally agreed. "But there will be no details."

"No details?" My mom asked. "So there are details to tell?"

Darn it, I thought. She tricked me. "Maybe." I said, blushing bright red. I couldn't believe I was talking about sex with my mom and Edward's mom, with my best friend koala-hugging me from behind.

"Bella, are you taking birth control pills? Using condoms?" My mom asked, and Esme actually giggled at her.

"Didn't you just tell me that I was a grown woman?" I asked, teasing her.

"Well, you are, but I'm still your mother. And it's my job to worry about you." She said. And I knew she was serious. I knew she loved me, but I knew she regretted having a child before she went to college and started her career. She didn't want me to deal with what she had to.

"Yes, I started birth control last week, and we are using protection." I told her.

"So, how did it go?" My mom asked. She was clearly not letting up.

Esme smiled at me, before getting up. She leaned in and kissed my cheek. "I'm just going to make lunch for the boys." She said, excusing herself from the room.

I appreciated Esme's gesture so much. I was about to share with my mom a very intimate moment in my life. And that moment was with Esme's oldest son. She didn't want to hear the details. She just wanted us to be happy. I loved Esme so much.

"I'll help you, Mrs. Cullen." Angie said, hopping up from the couch and running after Esme. It was cute. She was trying to avoid getting asked embarrassing questions. Smart girl. My mom could be relentless.

Once Esme and Ang left the room, my mom moved closer to me, and I lifted up Robert, flipping him over like a baby in my arms. He was still asleep.

"So, where were we?" My mom asked me, smiling.

"Okay, we've only ever made love once. It was amazing. I love Edward with my whole heart and soul and I feel closer to him now than I ever have. Edward was amazing the entire night, holding me, telling me he loved me, taking care of me. It was unforgettable." I told her, making her smile.

This was my mom, and I wanted to share my experiences with her. But, what Edward and I shared with each other, our very first time, was private. It was ours. So, I was willing to compromise and give her enough to satisfy her curiosity, but that was all she was getting.

"Well, it sounds amazing, Isabella." My mom said, reaching over to pull me into a tight hug. I tried to keep her from squishing my kitten. "I'm so proud of you, baby. You waited for a man that you loved. And you're all grown up." I laughed. I couldn't believe that my mom was getting so sentimental over my first time having sex.

I heard the back door open and then I head Edward's voice. I perked up and looked over my mom's shoulder. Edward came in the family room and a smile spread across my face. He looked beyond sexy. His hair was soaked with sweat, and his black t-shirt was clinging to his body. I bit my lip. I wanted him.

Edward was watching my face and his eyebrows lifted up. It was almost like he could read my mind. "Hi, Renee." He said, coming over to pick up Robert, and kiss my cheek. Robert meowed at his daddy. "Baby, I'm just going to run get a clean shirt." He said, passing me back the kitten.

"Okay." I said. I wanted to follow him up those stairs so much, but I couldn't just leave my mom. I watched his bum as he walked out of the room. I wanted to squeeze it.

"Bella, just go with him." My mom said, giggling. "You couldn't be more obvious right now." I blushed, but laughed with her.

"Thank you, mom." I said, setting Robbie on her lap. "I love you." I took off running up the stairs after my man. He was already in his room, so I opened the door and smiled when I saw Edward without his shirt on. I definitely owed my mom.


	441. So Turned On

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Sweaty Edward seemed to be pretty popular! Let's enjoy him a little more! **

Chapter 441 - So Turned On

When Edward heard his door close, he turned around and smiled. He ran over to me and wrapped me tightly in his arms, pressing me into his sticky chest.

"Ew. You're all sweaty." I laughed. I was totally only teasing him. He looked gorgeous, and I didn't mind sweat if it was on my man.

"I am." He said, before leaning down to press a long closed mouth kiss to my lips. That was teasing in my eyes. I wrapped my arms around his neck, keeping his head down, and opened my mouth, pressing my tongue against his closed lips.

He moaned and parted his lips, letting me push my tongue in. I was on my toes so I could get closer to him, my whole body strained, because even though we were touching, it wasn't close enough.

I reluctantly pulled back to breathe, and Edward smiled against my lips. "What's got you so turned on?" He asked, pulling my dress up, gathering it around my waist, before using both hands to squeeze my bum cheeks.

"God, Edward." I whispered, before sucking on his bottom lip. "You, baby. You look so sexy." I pressed my lips to his, again, but I was getting frustrated trying to reach for him. I growled. "You're too tall."

Edward chuckled sitting down in his desk chair. "Come here." He said, holding onto my hands and helping me balance as I straddled his legs. I smiled at his gorgeous face, before leaning in to attack his lips, again.

"Better?" He asked, chuckling, before leaning in to kiss my neck.

"Way better." I giggled. I started moving my hips on his and he groaned, throwing his head back.

"Shit, Bella." He groaned, reaching up to hold my hips. I smiled, and leaned in to kiss his lips.

"I love when you swear." I whispered, before biting at his lips. "You rarely lose control, and when you do, ah, I love it."

Edward smirked at me, moving my body against his with his big strong hands. I had my hands on his bare shoulders, holding on tightly, as my feet weren't even touching the ground.

"Mm, when I saw your face downstairs, sexy girl, I could tell how turned on you were." Edward whispered, leaning in to lick my neck. "Baby, I want to take your clothes off." He whispered, moving one hand up to caress my breasts, before gently squeezing one.

I moaned, before kissing him, again. "I know, but we can't, Edward." I breathed. "My mom is downstairs."

"I know." He said against my lips. "You want to finish this later?"

"Yeah." I whispered, a little breathless.

"Did everything go okay this morning?" He asked me, rubbing my back. "Em said you were crying."

"Proposal video." I said, making Edward chuckle.

"Get's you every time." He said, smiling.

"Yeah." I agreed. "It just reminds me how lucky I am." I laid my head down on his bare shoulder. "I love you, Edward."

He turned his head to kiss my forehead. "I love you, too, angel." He whispered.

"You'd better get changed, babe." I said, climbing off of his legs.

"Do I smell?" He asked, sniffing his armpits.

I started giggling. "You smell amazing. You smell like a man." I told him, laughing as he sprayed on more cologne and deodorant. He pulled on a white t-shirt, and then came over to hug me, again.

"I'd better smell like a man." He chuckled, slapping my bum. I giggled. I loved that Edward was getting more and more confident with me. Even a week ago, he wouldn't spank me unless I begged him to. "Come on. Let's go get some lunch." He grabbed a green t-shirt from his drawer and took my hand, leading me back downstairs.

We walked into the kitchen and Edward tossed the extra t-shirt to Ben. "Here you go, buddy." He said. Ben pulled his shirt off and pulled on Edward's dry shirt. I giggled at Angie. She had her eyes glued to his chest. She looked at me and raised her eyebrows, making me laugh. I guess I couldn't talk.

"So, how was American football?" I asked Aro. I had to laugh. The guy always looked perfect. He was wearing tan dress pants and a white short sleeved dress shirt. His black hair was combed back, not a hair our of place.

"It very confusing, no?" He asked me, chuckling.

"I have to agree with you." I giggled. "Sports don't make a lot of sense to me."

"Ah, Bella's learning." Emmett said. "And I start football practice next week, so you'll pick it up, just like with you did with baseball at Jazz's practice and games."

We all shared a great lunch, and I was excited when Alice got home. Grams had her arms full of shopping bags, again, and I had to laugh. Alice was so spoiled. Alice came over to me and I lifted her on my lap, kissing her cheek.

"So, did you empty all the shops?" I asked her.

"I think so." She giggled. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close to me. I hadn't had a chance to spend much time with her lately, and I missed her like crazy. She was giggling. "Bella, I can't breathe." She laughed, squirming. I set her down but Liam picked her up before she could get away, which only made her start laughing harder.

We spent about an hour just talking and catching up at the table. My mom and Aro seemed to fit in really well with the Cullens and Masens. I was thrilled. I wouldn't be able to deal with any more tension. I knew that my mom and dad faked it for me at the engagement party, but divorce was still hard, even fifteen years later.

Because she was leaving early the next morning, I wouldn't get to see my mom the next morning, so she wanted to take me out for dinner in Port Angeles. My mom offered to take everyone, but Esme told us to just go and enjoy our time together.

Ben and Ang wanted to change for dinner, so we went back to our place, agreeing to meet my mom back here in an hour. Jasper volunteered to kitty sit again, and Alice was thrilled because she wanted to play with Robbie.

I kissed my baby boy, and gave Esme a huge hug before we left. "Enjoy your night, sweetheart." She said.

"Thank you so much for everything you did for me today." I told her. "I love you so much."

"Aw, Bella." She said, patting my back. "I love you, too."

Edward, Ang, Ben and I all drove back to my place. Ben had a quick shower, and Ang went into my dad's room to change. Edward pulled me into my room and lifted my dress off over my head the second the door was closed.

"Mm. I've been waiting all day for this moment." Edward said, leaning in and pressing his face into my cleavage. I giggled as he reached behind me and unclasped my bra.

"Baby. I was going to wear this tonight." I said, before moaning as he started kissing my bare breasts. He slid his hands down my back until his fingers slipped into my panties. He yanked them down, and I know I started breathing hard. Everything Edward did turned me on.

Edward lifted me up and laid me on the bed. He pulled my legs open and crouched down in front of me, wrapping his arms around my thighs. He brought his face towards me, and started licking and kissing my body.

He didn't kiss a path down the inside of my leg like he usually did. He didn't ask me if I was alright. I gasped at the sensation, and I both heard and felt Edward chuckling against my skin. I loved that Edward was taking what he wanted. I loved that he was being a little more dominant. It was insanely attractive to me.

I was moaning and writhing around on my bed and Edward just held me tighter. I screamed out a little as I let go. I couldn't be quiet even I wanted to be. Edward kept kissing my sensitive body, and I could hardly breathe.

Edward stood up, and crawled onto the bed with me. I felt like I had goosebumps, but I was so hot. I rolled into his arms and snuggled my face into his neck.

"Wow." I said, before looking up at his face. "What brought that on?"

Edward chuckled. "I've been thinking about doing that all day, gorgeous." He said, before kissing my lips. "But it was definitely better than I imagined." I blushed and giggled. "Are you acting shy on me?" He asked, tracing his fingers over my bare back. "Was that okay? What I just did?"

"It was incredible." I said, smiling. "Feel free to do it anytime you want." The smile on Edward's face told me he was going to take me up on that offer.


	442. Beauty

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! It is still Monday, August 2, 2010 in Summer Vacation world. Enjoy!**

Chapter 442 - Beauty

Edward and I were laying on the bed together, and I was still feeling like Jello. I reached my hands down to the front of Edward's shorts. "Mm, Bella." Edward groaned. "What are you up to?"

I giggled. "I think that's pretty obvious, Edward." I said, making him smile. I reached down to unbutton his shorts, and he covered my hands with his.

"You don't have to do that right now." He said. Edward was always a gentleman.

"Yes, I do, Edward." I said. "For one thing, I really want to touch you, but mostly, you can't go walking around like this." I reached down and caressed his hard body, making him groan, again. "This part of your body is mine, and I don't want anyone else looking at it."

Edward chuckled. "It's yours, huh?" He asked. He was smiling so wide, his eyes were crinkled up at the corners. He was probably surprised with how confident I was being with his body. But, Edward had a way about him, that just made me feel safe and comfortable.

I smiled back at him, as I pulled his zipper down. He reached down and pulled his shorts off for me. I reached up and ran my hands under his t-shirt, over his flat stomach. He lifted his arms up I pulled his shirt off. I leaned over and kissed his chest and abs. I kissed my way lower, over top of his briefs. Edward hissed and I smiled up at his face. He winked at me, and I blushed.

I really wanted to try pleasuring Edward with my mouth, but I wanted to wait until we had more time. I wanted him to guide me, and tell me what he liked. I wanted us to take our time. I didn't want to rush the first time. And we needed to go meet my mom, soon.

I pulled his underwear down to his knees and reached over to get some massage oil, dripping some on my hand. When I touched Edward, he groaned and dropped his head back on the bed. I giggled. I loved that I had the power to make him feel so good.

As I touched him, I could tell he was trying to be quiet, but he was losing that battle. I loved watching his face. His eyebrows were furrowed, like he was concentrating, and his mouth was opened. He was breathing too hard to close it. I squeezed him a little harder and he let go, his face instantly relaxing. He was a beautiful man.

"Bella, baby, that was amazing." He said, propping himself up on his elbow. He grabbed his t-shirt and wiped off my hand, before cleaning himself off. He fell back on the bed, and sighed. "Mm. I feel like I could fall asleep." He chuckled, kissing my lips when I laid down beside him.

"Worn out, huh?" I teased, lightly scratching his chest.

He smiled up at my face. "Oh, yeah." He chuckled. "But we'd better get dressed for dinner. We don't want to keep your mom waiting."

Edward pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a white polo shirt while I got redressed. He was smiling at me the whole time. Once we were dressed, he pulled me in his arms and leaned down for a kiss.

"Are you excited for tonight?" He asked me. "Spending time with your mom?"

"I am." I said. "I'm going to miss her, but I don't want to focus on that. I just want to enjoy the evening."

"We will. And, baby, we'll have you're mom come see the place in Seattle sometime, okay." Edward said. "I can tell she's not very comfortable in Forks."

"I know she's not." I agreed, slipping my hands in Edward's back pockets. "But I love her for coming here, anyway."

"Tell her that, tonight." Edward said, pressing his lips to my forehead. "I think it would mean a lot to her to hear that from you."

"You are a special man, Edward Cullen." I said, looking up into his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too, my sweet beauty." He whispered before pressing another kiss to my lips. I smiled against his lips. "What?" He asked, smiling at me as he pulled back.

"I love when you call me that." I admitted.

"Beauty?" He clarified.

"Yeah, you've only ever said it a few times, but I really, really love it." I told him, making him smile.

"Why do you really, really love it?" He asked, smiling, but looking curious.

"I don't know. It just gives me butterflies." I explained. "It makes me feel special and pretty and I don't know." I giggled.

"Well, I do know. You are special and pretty, Bella." Edward said. "You're my whole world." He leaned down to kiss my lips, and I smiled.

There is no way to describe the feeling of knowing you are loved so much by another person. But, contentment, security and pure joy are the best I can come up with. And I was feeling it all in that moment. We took turns using the bathroom before we headed downstairs to meet Ang and Ben. They were watching TV in the living room. And they were snuggled closed together, Ben had his arm around Angie's shoulder. They were so cute, together.

"I hope you weren't waiting too long." I said, biting my lip. I felt guilty, but Edward and I had gotten a little frisky, and sometimes, that just couldn't be helped.

Angie burst out laughing. "You guys are so cute." She said, smiling at me. "And just so you know, your door is not sound proof."

Edward started laughing, as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind. "We're sorry." He said, kissing the top of my head. I was blushing, but laughed anyway. Ang was my best friend and I didn't hide anything from her, anyway.

"You know, Edward's brother said the same thing about our tent when we went camping." I said, making them laugh.

"Bella." Angie said, sounding surprised, before she laughed. She was surprised that Edward and I made out in the tent. But, then again, she didn't see how sexy Edward was when he was camping. She wouldn't understand.

Just then the phone rang in the kitchen, and Edward let me go, so I could go get it. "Hello?" I said, picking up the phone.

"Hey, Bells." It was my dad. I smiled when I heard his voice. I really missed living with him.

"Hi, dad." I said. "We're just heading out to Port Angeles to have dinner with mom."

"Oh, okay, well I won't keep you then." My dad said.

"It's okay, dad. I have some time. What's up?" I asked. I would always have time for my dad if he wanted to talk to me.

"Well, I just called to ask if you guys were going to be home this evening. But if you're going out, then we can postpone." My dad said.

"Dad. I don't think we have any plans after dinner. Did you want to come by?" I asked. "It is your house." I giggled.

He laughed. "Well, Heidi made some dessert and she figured maybe we could teach your friends to play horseshoes in the backyard tonight."

"Oh, dad. That sounds great." I said, smiling. "I would love that. I miss you."

"I miss you, too, kiddo." He said. "So, uh, just call me when you get home. And take your time with your mom. Enjoy your time together."

"Okay, thanks, dad." I said, smiling. "I love you."

"Love you, too, Bells. See you tonight." He said, before hanging up.

Edward walked into the kitchen and smiled at me as he took my hands in his. "You've got a pretty smile on your face." He said, leaning in for a kiss.

"That was my dad. He wanted to know if we would be home this evening." I told him. "He and Heidi are coming over with dessert, and they want to play horseshoes."

"Ah." Edward said, nodding his head. "Sounds fun."

"So, you think he's jealous of my mom being here?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Yeah, it sounds like that could be it." Edward said, running his fingers through my hair. "But I think he just wants to spend time with you. You are very fun to be around, you know."

I giggled. "Thanks, baby." I said.

"You guys ready to go?" Angie asked, as she and Ben walked into the kitchen.

"We are." I said, smiling. It was going to be a great night.


	443. More Goodbyes

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all for reading and for the reviews, favourites and alerts! Enjoy!**

Chapter 443 - More Goodbyes

We drove back to the Edward's place, and my mom was parked there waiting for us. She rolled down her window. "We'll follow you guys." My mom called.

Edward pulled onto the highway and drove up to Port Angeles. On the way there, Edward pointed out the turnoff to Lake Crescent, and Ben and Ang seemed excited to see it this week. I was so glad that they seemed to like Washington, so far, and they hadn't even seen much, yet.

When we got to Port Angeles, it was still early, so we all went for a walk on the pier. Aro told us how he loved the sea, and how much being by the ocean reminded him of Italy. "The air is so fresh, yes?" He asked, smiling.

"I love it." Edward said. "I can't stand any other climate." He laughed. "Too hot, or too muggy." I giggled just thinking back to Edward on our cross country vacation in May. He was miserable, but in a cute way.

We went for Italian food, and Aro was surprised by how good it was. I was watching my mom, and she honestly looked happy. I was thrilled for her, and I was so glad that her relationship with Aro was working out. He would always touch her hand, or shoulder, and seemed very affectionate.

Over dinner, my mom quizzed Angie on what she'd been up to this past year. It was nice to see my mom showing interest in Ang, as well. I practically spent every waking moment of my life in Arizona with Angie, but my mom hardly saw her, as she was never home, and always at work. But, things had changed for the better, and I was so thrilled.

We must have sat in the restaurant for over two hours, and it was seven o'clock when we left. My mom took my hand. "I just need a moment with my baby girl." My mom said, pulling me over to a bench in front of the restaurant.

Edward winked at me before walking over to the pier with Ang, Ben and Aro. I appreciated them giving me a moment to say goodbye to my mom, alone. My mom pulled me into a tight hug, and kissed my cheek. Her eyes were filling with tears, as were mine. I hated goodbyes. They never got easier.

"Isabella. I'm really sorry that I couldn't stay longer with you." She started. "But to be honest, being back in Forks has been incredibly difficult for me." I nodded. "I decided to leave this place, this life a long time ago. Making that decision, fifteen years ago, to take you and start a new life, wasn't easy for me. And I know that taking you from your dad was wrong, Bella. And I know he'll never forgive me for that. I understand that.

"But, Bella." She continued. "I'm so proud of you for following the path that's right for you. You have an amazing fiancé, and a great group of family and friends up here. I'm happy because you are, okay?"

By this point, I had tears streaming down my cheeks. It meant so much to me that my mom was admitting to her mistakes. It was nice to hear how she was feeling. "Mom, I'm just happy you came." I choked out, before she pulled me into a tight hug. "It means so much to me that you put your own feelings aside to be here for our engagement party."

"I'm glad, baby." She said, tucking my hair behind my ear. "Can I come visit you in Seattle?"

"Absolutely." I said, smiling through my tears. "I love you, mom."

"I love you, too, Isabella." She said taking my hand and standing up. "Aro and I are spending the night here in Port Angeles tonight and then we're heading out to Seattle first thing in the morning."

"Okay." I said, surprised. I thought she was going to be following us back to Forks and I would get to say another goodbye. But this was it. We walked over to join Edward, Aro, Ang and Ben, and my mom gave everyone hugs.

Aro gave me a big hug and kissed both of my cheeks. "Thank you so much for the recipes." I said. "And take care of my mom for me."

"I will, sweet Bella." He said, smiling at me. "We will see you, again, soon, yes?"

"Yes." I agreed, giggling. I really liked Aro. And seeing him with my mom, and how beautiful their relationship was, made me feel confident in the fact that she was finally happy with her life after all these years.

My mom gave me one more tight hug, before Aro helped her into the car. We all waved as they drove off down the street. I turned around and Edward immediately pulled me into his strong warm arms. I was still crying, but with Edward rubbing my back, I was already starting to feel more relaxed.

"She'll be back soon, angel." Edward whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "You want to head home and see your dad?"

"Yeah." I said, wiping my cheeks. "I'm sorry, guys." I said to Ang and Ben. "I'm not being very good company."

Ang wiped under her own eyes. "Goodbyes are hard." She said. "We understand." Ben has his arm around her shoulders and I loved that he was comforting her, as well. I truly believed that Ben was the right man for my best friend.

We got back in the car. This time, Ang pulled me in the backseat with her. Edward smiled at me, before closing my door and getting in the driver's seat. I know he loved when I sat with him, but he seemed thrilled that I was enjoying my time with Angie.

"Okay, girl talk." She giggled, quietly. I knew she was trying to cheer me up and I appreciated it so much. "So, you know how you asked me this morning if I had seen Ben's, um, piece?" She whispered. As soon as she said it, we both started laughing, again. Ang always knew what to say to make everything better.

"Uh huh." I got out, still giggling.

"Well, the answer was no." She said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "That is, until this afternoon."

"No way." I said, smiling. "What happened?"

"Well, when you and Edward were, um, doing whatever it was to cause those sounds, I was changing in the bedroom. Ben came back into the room after his shower in just a towel. He had forgotten his clothes." She said, giggling. "He looked so hot. And I have no idea what came over me."

"What did you do?" I asked her, my eyes wide in excitement.

"I walked over to him, and tugged on the towel. It fell to the floor." She said. "You should have seen Ben's face. He looked so surprised. He just stood there. And then, I reached down and touched it."

"Oh my god." I said, covering my mouth. "You didn't." I looked up and saw Edward looking at me in the rear view mirror. I smiled at him and he winked back.

"I did." She said, giggling.

"So, what did you think?" I asked her.

"It's sort of weird. Well, Ben, um, he reacted to my touch. We both blushed, but he pulled me over to the bed, and we sat down together." She said, her face red as she relived the experience. "He leaned over and started kissing my lips. He pulled back slowly and asked if I was alright. Then he said, I shouldn't be embarrassed and that we'd take our time."

"Aw." I said. "He's a real sweetie."

"I know. I love him so much." She said. She was absolutely glowing and I couldn't have been happier for her. "And things aren't even weird with us, now. I was worried that they would be, but they're not."

"I'm so happy for you." I said, giving her a hug.

"Hey. Are you girls talking about us?" Ben asked from the passenger seat, making Edward laugh.

"Maybe." I said, giggling.

"Girl talk is secret for a reason." Ang added. "But it is always, always about boys. Guaranteed."

Edward and Ben laughed. I sat as far forward in my seat as I could and started massaging Edward's shoulders. "Mm. That feels good, baby." Edward said, making me smile.

I looked over at Ang and she giggled. She leaned forward and started rubbing Ben's neck. He groaned, and we all laughed. Angie and I rubbed our guys' shoulders for the next ten minutes until we got back to Forks. They both seemed pretty darn relaxed.

We got Edward's house at around eight to pick up Robert. He was already sleeping in his carrier when we got there. Grams and Pop came to give us a hug. Apparently they were leaving back to Spokane tomorrow morning, as their granddaughter, Andrea was sick with the flu, and Sasha need their help to watch her.

Pop shook Edward's hand and patted his shoulder. He told Edward that he was proud of him. I felt the tears in my eyes when I heard that. I knew that Edward struggled a lot with the pressure his grandfather put on him to be a doctor, so I think pop's words meant a lot to him. Grams gave me a hug and telling me how nice it was to meet me. I liked grams, and although my relationship with her wasn't as comfortable as mine with nanny, I still had enjoyed meeting her.

I called my dad from the car on the way back to our house to let him know we were back. It had been an emotional night so far, and I was definitely looking forward to some laughs with my dad.


	444. Divorce

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 444 - Divorce

When we got home, I laid Robert in his bed and got him some fresh water, but he seemed to be out for the night, again. I changed into a tank and some yoga pants before I closed my bedroom door. I didn't want the kitten falling down the stairs.

I went in the bathroom and washed my face. I didn't want a tear stained face for when my dad got here. I heard a knock on the bathroom door, and opened it up. Edward walked in and shut the door behind him.

"How are you doing, gorgeous?" He asked, leaning in for a quick kiss.

"I'm alright." I said, smiling up at his face. "I know I can't have both parents in the same town, even though I want that so much. Promise me we'll never get a divorce."

"God, Bella." Edward said, frowning. "Don't even say things like that."

"I'm sorry." I said, feeling myself tear up, again. "It's just that it happened to my parents. Not everyone is as happy as your parents, Edward. Not every relationship is perfect."

I turned my back to him and went to sit on the toilet lid. I slumped over buried my face in my hands. I didn't mean to pick a fight with Edward. I think it was just my insecurities working overtime. And seeing the tension between my own parents these last couple days had really scared me.

"Hey, hey, Bella." Edward kneeling down in front of me. He reached up and ran his hands up and down the outside of my thighs. It was a soothing gesture. "Ours is."

"What?" I asked, frowning at him, wiping under my eyes.

"Our relationship." He said, softly, reaching up to take my hand in his. He kissed my fingertips. "It's perfect. You said not all relationships are perfect. And you're right. You're mom and dad were married, and loved each other enough to bring you into the world. But, they weren't soul mates. They seem to have found that now, though, baby. Your dad with Heidi and your mom with Aro. But, we're lucky. We found each other, now."

I smiled at him and sniffled. "I love you, Bella. And I'm going to love you forever. I promise you that. I will never leave you, okay?" Edward said, his own eyes getting a little teary.

"Okay." I said. "I'm sorry for even saying that."

"No, baby. It's okay." Edward sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't know what it's like to have had my parents go though a divorce. But, I can see how hard it is for you. I wasn't being very sensitive. I just don't want you to think that way, that's all. We'll always work through our problems. We can do this, Bella."

"I know we can." I said. "I guess I'm just upset about my mom leaving."

"I know. Do you want to just lay down?" He asked me. "I can tell your dad you're tired."

"No, I really miss him. I want to see him." I said. "Can you just tell him I'll be right down?"

"Yeah." Edward said, wiping his eyes, quickly. "And, baby, I'm really sorry."

"I know." I said. "I love you."

He smiled at me, and kissed my head after he stood back up. "I love you so much, Bella." He said, before leaving me in the bathroom.

I went back to the sink to rinse my face with cold water, again. I looked in the mirror and frowned. There was no way I was hiding my red eyes, now. I hated being so darn emotional all the time.

I went downstairs and no one was in the house, so I figured they were all in the backyard. I walked out in the yard and my dad was showing Angie and Ben how to throw horseshoes. I smiled watching them laugh. Heidi was sitting on the back deck.

"Hey, Bella." She said, getting up to give me a tight hug. "Edward said you were having a tough time tonight?"

"Yeah. I hate that my mom lives in another state." I told her. "But, I'm okay. Where's Edward?"

"He left." She said, and I know my eyebrows flew up. He would never leave without telling me. "He said that he would be right back, though. He looked a little upset, actually. Is everything alright with you guys?"

"It's stupid." I said, shaking my head.

"Did you two have a fight?" She asked me, as I sat down beside her.

"Not really. I just asked him to promise me that we would never get divorced. You know, because my mom and dad's has been really hard on me." I told her. "And Edward just got upset that I would say that about us. I didn't mean anything by it, you know?"

"I know, sweetie." Heidi said, reaching over and rubbing my hand. "I think Edward just sees your relationship like a fairytale."

I giggled. That was definitely true. But, I saw it that way, too. He really was my prince charming. "It is pretty darn perfect." I told her.

"It is, Bella." Heidi agreed. "Do you want some dessert? I made apple tarts."

I smiled at her. "Thank you." I said, taking a bite of one. "Mm." I hummed. "This is great."

"I'm glad you like it." She said, smiling. "And Bella. You and Edward have been dealing with some pretty big steps in your lives lately. You've had sex for the first time, you got your own place together. Emotions are running pretty high. So, just try to be understanding and patient with each other. Things will be okay."

"Wow. You're right." I said, smiling at her. My soon to be step mom was a relationship genius. "And these stupid birth control pills make me so emotional. I've been a cry baby for the last few days. That's got to be driving Edward crazy." Heidi laughed with me.

I heard the back door open and I smile spread across my face when I saw Edward holding a bouquet of gorgeous sky blue flowers. He came over to me and took my hand. "Can I just steal her for a minute?" Edward asked Heidi.

"Of course you can." She said, smiling.

I got up and let Edward lead me back into the house. He sat down on the couch and I sat beside him. He passed me the bouquet, and smiled cautiously at me.

"Thank you, baby." I said, smiling at him, before smelling the flowers. "They're gorgeous. But you didn't need to do this."

"I did, Bella." He said. "Because I'm always supposed to be there for you, listen to your worries, and tonight, I just dismissed your feelings, your fears. And I'm so, so sorry."

I set the flowers on the coffee table, before getting up and sitting back down across Edward's lap. "I love you, Edward." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through the hair above his ears. "I accept your apology."

"Thank you." He said, smiling at me. "It literally rips my heart out when you cry, Bella. And that I was the cause of it, god, baby, I feel horrible."

"Edward, don't." I said, leaning in to press my lips against his. And, he smiled against mine. "I'm over emotional with the pills, and my mom's goodbye."

"I know, but still." Edward started. I kissed him, again.

"Heidi thinks our emotions are running a little high because so much is going on in our lives right now." I told him. "So stop feeling bad. It's making me sad."

Edward chuckled. "So, you're not upset with me?" He asked, rubbing my hip.

"No, baby. I love you too much." I told him, giggling.

"So I can get away with a lot, huh?" He teased, pinching my side, and making me laugh harder.

"Definitely." I said, leaning in to kiss him again, this time, a little more passionately.

"I love you." Edward whispered. "Come on. Let's go play horseshoes with your dad." He stood us up and took my hand, leading me back outside.

Heidi got up and followed us over to the horseshoe pit. My dad gave me a nice tight hug and kissed the top of my head. He knew I had a rough night. We didn't need to talk about it. But that gesture told me that he would always be there for me. And I loved him for it.

We split into two teams; Ben, Ang and Heidi on one team and me, Edward and my dad on the other. Considering that my dad and Heidi were both insanely good players, we thought we'd divide them up to be fair.

We ended up playing for two hours, laughing and joking the whole time. I could not throw a horseshoe to save my life, no matter how many tips my dad gave me, or many times Edward tried to guide my hand. But, neither could Ben. I thought it was pretty cute how Angie would kiss his cheek, even when he missed the mark by two feet. This was exactly what I needed tonight.


	445. Normal

**A/N - Thanks for reading! It is Monday, August 2 and Tuesday, August 3, 2010 in the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 445 - Normal

We went up to bed at around eleven. I was so tired. Like literally exhausted. It had been an emotional day. I pulled on my Washington t-shirt and crawled into bed. Edward pulled off his clothes, and climbed into bed behind me in just his boxer briefs.

He wrapped his arm around my stomach and buried his face into my neck. "I love you." He whispered. I could tell he still felt bad about earlier. I wished he wouldn't, though. It was obviously just a misunderstanding.

Edward never wanted to think about the bad things in life. Which made sense, actually. Why dwell on the negative? It was just that, to me, divorce was a real thing. I had gone through it, and it would effect me for the rest of my life.

Edward never had to deal with that in his life. His parents had the perfect relationship, the perfect marriage. And Edward had grown up seeing that, wanting that for himself, and for us. As I watched Carlisle and Esme over the summer, I wanted that, too.

I rolled over to face him, and press a kiss to his lips. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. "I love you, too, Edward." I said, reaching behind him to scratch his back. "What are you thinking?" I asked him. I didn't want him to keep worrying about this. I wanted my happy, sexy, flirty Edward back.

"Just that I want things to be perfect with us." He said, lightly rubbing my back.

"They are." I said, kissing his top lip, and making him smile. "We talked about it, and it's fine. It was just a stupid fear that popped up in my head after trying to deal with my parents these last couple of days. I don't even know why I said it. I know that we are perfect together. I never want to lose you."

"I know. And you won't." He said, kissing me, again. "So, is everything good?"

I giggled. "Yes, babe. Everything is perfect."

"Good." He said, leaning in to kiss my neck. "Can I take your t-shirt off, now?"

I started laughing. He was such a guy. "But, I'm tired." I whined, making him laugh. I was just teasing him. I was exhausted, but I would gladly stay up to reconnect with him right now. I wanted him to feel reassured that I loved him and that I wasn't upset with him.

"We don't have to do anything. I just want to feel your body pressed against mine." He said, running his fingers up and down my bare side under the t-shirt.

"Mm." I hummed. "I like the sound of that." Edward reached down and pulled my t-shirt up. He leaned down and started to press gentle kisses all over my chest. I smiled. My Edward was perfect.

I started giggling and Edward looked up at my face and smiled. "I thought we weren't doing anything?" I teased.

Edward laughed. "Sorry. I just couldn't resist."

"No, no. Carry on." I giggled.

"With pleasure." He said, throwing the blanket over his head, and sneaking under the covers. He was kissing me and running his hands over my body, making me groan and squirm. I loved his touch.

Edward kissed his way back up to my lips, before pulling me into his arms. We eventually fell asleep, holding each other close. I was so glad that everything was back to normal with Edward and I. I hated little misunderstandings, and hurt feelings.

I didn't mean to imply that our relationship wasn't perfect. I knew that Edward and I would never get a divorce. We had just gotten engaged, and everything was perfect. I think when I said it, Edward thought that I was implying our love wouldn't last. Nothing could be further from the truth. I loved him with my whole heart and soul.

I woke up before Edward the next morning. He looked exhausted and was still out cold. He looked beautiful when he slept, so I got up and grabbed my camera, taking a quick shot of him. I put the kitten in his litter box, before getting him his breakfast and new water. After he ate, I set Robert on the bed with Edward. He curled up against Edward's side, so I had to take another photo. My boys were adorable.

I grabbed a pair of jean cut offs and a white tank, before heading to have a shower. I took my pill, scrunched my hair and put on some light makeup before heading back into my room to wake up my boys.

I smiled when I saw Edward leaning against the headboard with Robbie on his bare chest. I grabbed my camera and snapped another picture. Edward chuckled. "Baby." He said, reaching up to run his hand through his hair. "I probably look horrible."

I laughed. "No, you look gorgeous." I said, sitting down beside him. Edward wrapped his arm around me and Robbie crawled over onto my lap.

"How are you feeling the morning?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"I feel really good." I told him. "I'm ready to show Ang and Ben around. Maybe we can convince them to move up here to Washington with us."

Edward chuckled. "Well, we'll give it an honest try, okay?"

"I love you, babe." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"I love you, too, Bella. Forever." He said, smiling at me.

Edward got up to have a shower, and Robert and I went downstairs to make breakfast. I was kicking a cat toy across the kitchen floor and Robert would chase it, before hopping on it. I whipped up some scrambled eggs and bacon, and put the coffee on for Edward.

I was giggling at Robbie, who seemed to like our new breakfast routine, when Angie came down into the kitchen. She leaned down and scooped up my baby, before sitting down at the table.

"Hey, girlie." She said, smiling at me. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm doing really good." I said. "I just feel like I've been on an emotional rollercoaster these last couple weeks."

"I know, Bella. But look on the bright side. At least your life isn't boring, right?" She said, making me smile. "Your best friend is here to visit you, and you're engaged to a real hottie."

I giggled. "You're right." I agreed. "So, what do want to do today?" I asked her.

"Honestly, Bella. It doesn't matter what we do. I'm just happy to be here with you." Ang said, making me smile. "We could lay on the couch and watch talk shows all day and I'd be happy." I knew she was telling the truth, too.

"I was thinking of showing you Lake Crescent. I think Ben will love it. It is so absolutely breathtaking." I told her. "There is a nice little hike up there, that's not too long, but the lake is gorgeous."

"It sounds incredible, Bella." Ang said, smiling. "Let's do it."

When the guys came down, we ate breakfast and dropped Robbie off with an excited bunch of Cullen kids, before heading out to the lake. When Edward parked the car, Ben and Angie were absolutely speechless. So, like we did with Liam and the boys, we took a ton of pictures. I was thrilled to see Ben and Angie enjoying themselves.

We did a hike, and Ang was happy when she got to see a chipmunk. We laughed the whole way up, just talking about nothing special, but I was loving every second of it. It amazed me that we hadn't hung out in three months, but we picked right back up where we left off. Even with Ben. It just seemed comfortable, normal.

We got back down from the hike and Edward explained his tradition of putting our feet in the water. Ang and Ben laughed, but we all sat down to take off our shoes and join him about ankle deep in the water. "This water is freezing." Ben said, looking down at his feet. "I think my skin is turning blue."

Edward laughed. "It's refreshing." He said, walking out a little deeper. "But, seriously. Isn't this better than the dry, dusty desert?" Edward winked at me, and I bit my lip to hold back my giggle. That was Edward's pitch to convince my friends to move to Washington.

Angie started laughing. "But, you don't have cacti." She teased, making Edward laugh.

After letting our feet dry, we got back in the car, and went to Port Angeles for lunch. We stopped for hotdogs, before spending the afternoon walking up and down the streets, stopping in all the little boutiques and gift shops. Angie wanted to get souvenirs for her family. The guys decided to go into a sports shop, so I pulled Angie into the cute little lingerie shop where I had picked out my baby doll for Edward's birthday.

Angie's face was bright red. "You still want to get something, right?" I asked her, as we walked through the store. She nodded her head and I smiled. "Just because you get it now, it doesn't mean you have to wear it right away. It's just good to have, you know?"

"Yeah." She agreed. "Thanks for doing this with me."

"Anytime, Ang." I said, giving her a little hug. I was lucky enough to have Heidi help me the first time I bought lingerie. I wanted to be there for Angie. "That's what best friends are for."


	446. Surprises and A Special Guest

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 446 - Surprises and A Special Guest

As we walked up and down the aisles of the lingerie shop, Ang leaned down to whisper in my ear. "So, you don't think if I wear this to bed, Ben is going to think I want to have sex, right?"

I looked up at her eyes. "Of course not, Ang. You told me that Ben said you guys were going to take your time. And he knows your beliefs. He wouldn't push you. Ben is an amazing guy." I told her, reassuring her.

She squeezed my hand. "Thanks, girl." She whispered. We kept walking, but Ang didn't seem to be gravitating to anything in particular. I was starting to wonder if she was just too embarrassed to pick anything out. I figured, I'd get the ball rolling.

"What about this one, Ang?" I asked, as I picked up a silky chemise. It was about mid thigh in length, with spaghetti straps, and a little ruffle at the top of the bust. But the best part, was that it was a bright red, pink and yellow floral pattern. It was pretty and sexy, but in a sweet way. It fit Angie's innocence to a tee.

"I really like it, Bella." She said, smiling. "It's not too revealing, but it's still really nice. Should I try it on?" She asked, biting her lip.

"Of course you should." I said, giggling. Angie took my hand and dragged me into the change room with her.

Angie started getting undressed when I got a text from Edward. 'Where are you girls?' I giggled. "The guys are wondering where we are." I told her.

"You don't think they're going to come in here, do you?" She asked, looking panicked.

"No, I'll tell them to stay outside." I told her, as she pulled on the nightie. I sent Edward a quick text. 'We're in Casamurua. If you wait outside, I might have a surprise for you.'

'Mm. My sexy girl.' Was all Edward texted back. I giggled, as I slipped my phone back in my purse. Edward was insatiable.

"Well?" Ang asked, spinning around in front of me? "What do you think?"

"Oh, Angie. It's gorgeous." I said, smiling. Because she was so tall, the nightie was above mid thigh, but her legs we perfect, so it really showcased them. The fabric was silky and flowy, and skimmed her body perfectly.

"Do you think Ben will like it?" She asked, her cheeks a little pink.

"He will love it, Ang." I told her. "But, the most important question is do you like it? You need to feel comfortable in it, so you can feel confident."

She smiled at me. "I really love it." She said, giggling. She looked at her reflection once more, before pulling it off over her head and passing it to me.

"I have to buy something, too." I told her as she got redressed. "I just promised Edward a surprise."

She laughed. "That guy is so spoiled."

I smiled. "Oh, I know he is." I told her. "And my bustier is being delivered today."

"Oh, the life of an engaged woman." Ang laughed, as we left the change room. I found a table of lace cheeky panties, and picked out a black, purple and navy blue pair. It was a simple way to get Edward a surprise. And he would love them, guaranteed.

Ang and I paid for our lingerie before going out to meet our boys. They were both standing there with lilies in their hands. Edward had a gorgeous red Asiatic lily, and Ben passed Ang a pretty orange tiger lily.

"Thank you, babe." I said, smiling as Edward gave me the flower. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips.

"You're welcome." He said, smiling. "I figured if you were getting me a surprise, then I should return the favour." Edward reached for the bag and I pulled it back, giggling.

"No peaking." I teased, smiling as he kissed my lips, again.

"Mm. Do I get a fashion show?" Edward asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "I haven't had one in a while."

"You poor guy." I said, laughing, as I patted his chest. Edward laughed, before he wrapped his arms around me, and squeezed me tightly.

"I love you." He whispered in my ear.

"Okay, you love bugs." Angie teased. "Let's go home. I'm hungry."

"What do you want for dinner?" Edward asked her. "We can pick something up on the way back to town?"

"Oh, well, Ben and I were thinking of cooking for you guys." Ang said, excitedly. "You know, a little taste of Arizona."

"Aw. That's so sweet." I said, pulling Ang into a tight hug. "I would love that. Thank you guys." I was so touched that Ang and Ben wanted to spoil us tonight.

Ang wrapped her arm around my shoulder as we walked back to the car. "You can invite your dad and Heidi over too." Ang said. "I saw how happy you were last night when they were over."

I smiled up at her face. "Thanks, Ang." She was absolutely right. I hadn't had much of a chance to see my dad lately, especially with him staying over at Heidi's for the last couple of weeks. And, we were going back to college in about a month, so I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could.

"Plus, Ben and I have been practicing these recipes, and we kind of want to show them off." Ang said.

"Yeah, we don't want to brag, but this is a killer meal." Ben said, laughing. I was so excited for tonight. So, I gave my dad a call to invite them over. My dad seemed really excited about it, too.

We drove back to Forks, me in the front with Edward this time. He had his hand on my thigh, and was lightly rubbing his thumb back and forth. I looked over the seat and Ben had fallen asleep. Ang was laying her head on his shoulder, but was still awake.

It was a quiet drive back to Forks, so I kept running my fingernails up and down on Edward's arm to keep him awake. He would look over at me and smile every few minutes. I just stared at him. He was so beautiful and perfect and all mine. I would never, ever get enough of him.

When we got back to Forks, Ang kissed Ben's cheek to wake him up. "Can you guys drop off us off at the grocery store?" Ang asked. "We need to get a few supplies."

"Okay. We'll run go get the kitten, then we'll come back to pick you up." Edward suggested. We dropped them off at the store, and headed to the Cullen house. Alice was sitting on the porch swing and was excited to see us.

"You guys are finally home." Alice said, wrapping us in a tight hug.

"We just came to get Robbie, princess." Edward said, picking her up and carrying her into the house. She started to cry and put her head on Edward's shoulder. "Ali, what's wrong?" Edward said, sitting down in the family room and rubbing his little sister's back.

"I miss you." She said, sniffling. "And grams and pop left today. And Em and Jazz are playing games with Rose and Maria in the basement." She said, tearing up, again.

"I know." Edward said, pulling his little sister close to his chest. "But nanny and grandpa are borrowing my bedroom, so I'm staying at Bella's house, princess." He explained. "And Bella's friends came all the way from Arizona to visit her, so we had to show them around, today."

I was trying so hard to blink back my tears, but when Alice was upset, it was nearly impossible. I sat down beside Edward and ran my hand over her head. "Alice. Do you want to come to my house for dinner, tonight?" I asked her. "Angela and Ben are making us some spicy food for dinner, and my dad and Heidi are going to be there, too. You can be the special guest."

"Okay." She said, hiccupping a little. Edward rocked her back and forth for a minute so she would settle down. He mouthed the words 'thank you' at me, making me smile. I kissed the top of her head, before I headed through the kitchen to get to my kitty sitter in the basement.

Esme was cooking at the stove with nanny. "Oh, hi, sweetheart." She said when she saw me. "Did you have a good day?"

"It was amazing. We spent it in Port Angeles." I told her. "Um, we're going to take Alice for dinner. She's crying on Edward's lap, right now. She said she missed him."

"Oh, no. Are you sure you can to take her?" Esme said.

"Of course. I think she'll have fun." I said.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Esme said, smiling, coming over to give me a hug.

"Anytime." I told her, honestly. I loved Alice, and I really enjoy spending time with her. Tonight was going to be so much fun.


	447. A Delivery and Dinner

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! It is Tuesday evening, on August 3, 2010 in the story this chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 447 - A Delivery and Dinner

I went downstairs to get Robert, and smiled when I saw the kitten sleeping in Jasper's arms. "Hi, Bella." Jasper said quietly, as to not wake the kitten.

I sat down beside him, and he passed Robert to me. "How was he?" I asked, smiling down at my baby.

"He is so much fun." Jasper said, smiling. "I really love him."

"I'm glad." I told him. "I can't thank you enough for watching him. I just don't think he's ready to be by himself, yet."

"I don't mind, honestly, Bella." Jasper said, blushing a little.

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I still appreciate it." I told him, getting up. "You guys want to hang out at the beach tomorrow?" I asked them. Everyone agreed. I was looking forward to spending time with the Cullen's again. I had missed them.

I went back upstairs, putting Robbie in his carrier in the kitchen, before going back to the family room. Liam and grandpa were sitting with Edward and Alice, and the guys all had her laughing. That was how I wanted to see little Alice. She was a happy girl.

"Okay, you two." I said. "Ang and Ben are waiting at the store for us."

"Alright. Let's go get some dinner." Edward said, standing up, and setting Alice on the ground. She reached up and took Edward's hand, as we walked to the door. We said our goodbyes to the family, before going out to the car.

Edward opened the backdoor for Alice. "Babe. Let her sit in the front seat." I whispered. "Let's spoil her. She's having a rough time with all the goodbyes."

"I love you." Edward whispered, kissing my lips quickly. He open the passenger door and got Alice buckled in. I set the kitten carrier on her lap and she looked pretty excited that she got to hold the kitten. We drove to the store and Ang and Ben were sitting on the bench in front of the store, laughing with each other.

"Sorry we're late." I said, as they got in the backseat with me after putting the grocery bags in the truck.

"Oh, we just came out." Ben said, reassuring me. "No problem at all."

I leaned over and whispered in Angie's ear. "Alice missed Edward. Is it okay that she joins us for dinner?"

Ang smiled at me. "I have two little sisters. I understand." She whispered. I had the best, best friend, ever.

When we got home, Ang and Ben went in the kitchen and kicked us out, but not before I got Alice a glass of orange juice. Edward took our shopping bags upstairs, as well as Robbie to use his litter box, and Alice and I went in the living room together.

"You feeling better?" I asked her, running my fingers through her hair. She nodded. "It's okay to be sad, sometimes." I told her. "It's hard when people we love go away, but we just have to remember that they love us, even though we're not together."

"I know." She said, leaning over to give me a hug. "I love you, Bella."

Edward came down the stairs with Robert and set him on Alice's lap. She smiled and hugged him to her chest, making him meow. I heard the front door open and a minute later, my dad and Heidi walked into the living room.

Heidi was holding a small box, and she had a knowing smile on her face. It was our Victoria's Secret parcel. I blushed bright red, and looked over at Edward. His ears were red, and I had to hold back a nervous giggle.

"We signed for this on the way in." Heidi said, passing me the box. "Just caught the delivery guy on the front step."

"Pyjamas." I said, getting up to grab the box. My dad raised his eyebrows at me, and I started laughing. Talk about an embarrassing moment. At least they didn't know what was in the box. "I'll be right back." I said, running upstairs to hide to the box.

I set the box on my bed for tonight, and turned around to go back downstairs. I smiled when I saw Heidi at the door. "Hey, is Alice okay?" She asked. "I didn't know she would be joining us."

"She had a rough day." I said. "One set of grandparents went back to Spokane today, and Edward hasn't been around a lot. She started crying when she found out we were leaving, again, so I invited her here with us for dinner."

"Aw. The poor little angel." Heidi said, coming over to give me a hug. "How are you and Edward doing today?"

I smiled. "Amazing." I told her. "He's being his normal sweet and flirty self." Heidi giggled when I said that.

"So, you used your Victoria's Secret gift card already?" She asked, smiling.

"Oh, yeah. Edward was online shopping." I laughed. "It's a pretty black bustier."

"It sounds beautiful." Heidi said, as we started heading down the stairs.

We walked into the living room and I had to laugh. Alice was sitting in between my dad and Edward on the couch, holding the kitten, and they were watching Hanna Montana together. It was so adorable. I didn't even know we had the Disney Channel in the house, as my dad always had the tv turned to fishing or baseball.

I couldn't wait until one day, my dad and husband were sitting with my own little girl. My dad was going to make such a good grandpa. It was funny how as Edward and I got more and more serious, I was having these thoughts of the future. I already had a beautiful life and it was only going to get better.

Heidi came and sat in the recliner beside my dad and I sat down on Edward's lap. I leaned in to whisper in Edward's ear. "It's here." I said, softly, before sticking the tip

of my tongue in Edward's ear. He chuckled, rubbing my hand on my hip.

I leaned my head on his shoulder and watched Alice as she sang along to the TV show. She was so sweet. And I was so glad that she was feeling better. There was nothing worse than a sad little girl.

On the commercial break, I called out to Ang. "I'm hungry, Angie. When are we going to eat." I giggled when I heard her and Ben laughing. Edward lightly patted my bum, and kissed the side of my head.

"Ten minutes, girlie." Ang called back, making me smile.

"It's killing you not to be in the kitchen, isn't it Bells?" My dad asked, smiling at me. "Not even allowed to set the table."

I laughed. "Kind of. Yeah." I admitted.

"Bella. You work so hard. Just relax and enjoy this, tonight." Heidi said.

"Yeah, I'm going to have to start learning how to cook more, so I can give Bella a break." Edward added, still rubbing his hand on my thigh.

"Aw. No you don't, baby." I said, kissing his lips. "You spoil me enough."

"They're always like that." Alice told my dad, matter-of-factly. My dad started laughing really hard at her. She was so cute. Edward reached over and pinched her side, making her squirm around and giggle.

"Okay." Ang called. "Dinner bell." Alice laughed, hopping up off of the couch to run into the kitchen.

"Edward, I've got some folding chairs in the front closet." My dad said, as we all got up.

I walked into the kitchen and pulled Ang into a tight hug. "This smells amazing, Angie." I said. "Thank you so much for doing this for us."

"Don't thank me until you've tried it." She laughed.

I sat down beside Ang and smiled when a saw a huge pot of chilli. My dad and Edward brought in the extra chairs and we all squeezed in close around the table. "Okay. It's black bean chicken chilli." Ben said, as we took turns spooning it into our bowls.

"And we made home made tortilla chips." Ang added, proudly.

"Well, this all looks delicious." Heidi said. "Thank you so much for inviting us."

I was so impressed. The meal was delicious. I was surprised that Alice ate it, too. You never knew with kids, but she seemed to love it. I would have to get the recipe from Ang.

As we ate, we all shared cooking stories, and I told them about the time Edward and I made meatball subs, Edward splashed sauce on his shirt and he had to take it off for me to wash it. Edward was chuckling as I told the story. At the time, we had really just been dating for a few weeks, and it was a very awkward moment for us. But, now, after everything we'd been through, we could laugh about it.

I just adored spending time with my favourite people in the world, especially my fiancé, my dad and my best friend. Life couldn't get any better.


	448. Styles and Schemes

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! And to my anonymous reviewer...one chapter a day is all I have time to write! I'm a busy girl! Enjoy!**

Chapter 448 - Styles and Schemes

After dinner, my dad and Edward offered to wash the dishes, and Ben said that would help. So Heidi, Ang, Alice and I all went into the living room together with Robbie. Alice was holding the kitten, and Ang and I decided to do her hair. I ran up to my room to get some hair accessories.

We French braided her hair on both sides of her head. She looked so cute. "Let's do Bella's hair." Angie said to Alice. Heidi giggled at us, taking Robert from Alice, so she could style my hair. Angie, of course, encouraged Alice to do crazy things to my hair, So I ended up with a bunch of little ponytails all over my head.

We were all laughing, because nothing beat girl time. Angie took the kitten while the three of us put a bunch of mini braids all over Angie's head. Alice seemed to love being included, and I was glad I could help make her happy.

"Okay, girls. Heidi is getting married in a few weeks." I said, smiling. "How should she wear her hair?" I asked, making Heidi laugh. There was no way she was getting out of this.

"I think poufy in the front." Angie said, backcombing the front of Heidi's hair. Alcie was giggling, as she held Robert. I looked up at the kitchen door and saw the guys peaking out at us. Edward had the biggest smile on his face, and he winked at me when he saw me looking at him.

We put a few clips in her hair, and I thought she looked beautiful. The guys came back into the room, and we all got a kiss from our own guy. "Well, don't you look pretty?" Edward said, lifting Alice up on his hip.

"Thanks." She said, smiling. She looked so proud.

"Dad's going to pick you up in about fifteen minutes, okay princess?" Edward told her.

"Oh, okay." Alice said looking a little disappointed.

"Alice. We're going to go to the beach tomorrow." I told her. "Are you going to come with us?"

Alice's face lit up. "Yeah." She said, making Edward laugh.

"Alright. Let's get some pictures of our nice hairstyles before Alice goes home." Heidi suggested, making Alice smile. I got Edward my camera from my purse, and Heidi, Ang and I sat on the couch together. I held Alice tightly in my arms as Edward took a bunch of shots of us.

I knew Alice loved hairstyles and playing hairdresser, so every time we could take pictures of it, I was happy to pose and play along. I wanted her to always remember these moments.

The doorbell rang and my dad went to get it. A minute later Carlisle walked into the living room. He chuckled when he saw our hair. "Looks like you girls were having fun tonight." He said, smiling.

"Hi, daddy." Alice said, hopping up and running over to him, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Hi, pumpkin." He said, lifting her up. "Did you have a good time tonight?"

"Yeah. Angela and Ben made chilli. It was really good." Alice said, smiling. "And I got to hold the kitten." I giggled when she said that. I had a feeling when the Robert was over at the Cullen house, Jasper rarely let him go. He took his kitty sitting responsibilities very seriously.

"I'm glad you had fun." Carlisle said, kissing her cheek. "Let's go home, so you can have your bath. I hear you're going to the beach tomorrow." I smiled. Carlisle was such an amazing dad.

Edward stood up and lifted Robert up to Alice so she could give him a kiss, goodnight. "Love you, princess." Edward said, kissing her cheek.

"Thank you for coming over to be our special guest, Alice." I said, squeezing her hand. "I had so much fun."

"You're welcome." She said, smiling proudly. We all walked Carlisle to his car. He put Alice in the front seat and she buckled her seatbelt.

"Oh, Esme wanted me to invite you all for dinner tomorrow night." Carlisle said. "She wanted to book you in before you made other plans." He said, chuckling.

"Sounds good." My dad said, looking over at me.

"She's smart." I laughed. "We haven't made other plans, yet. We'll be there."

"Alright. Great. We'll see you then." Carlisle said, before getting in the car. We all waved at Alice as they drove down the street.

"Well, we should be heading home, too." Heidi said, giving us all hugs. "Thank you for the great meal." My dad gave me a hug and a kiss on the forehead, before following Heidi back to the truck.

Angie pulled my hand and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I want to wear my nightie, tonight." She said, looking at my eyes.

I smiled at her. "Okay." I whispered. "I'll send Edward to my room, you send Ben to yours, we'll change together in the bathroom and then surprise them." I winked at her and she giggled.

"Let's do it." She said, smiling, before walking over to Ben to whisper in his ear.

Edward smirkd at me, before walking over and wrapping his arms around me. "Are you scheming?" He asked, kissing my lips.

"Maybe." I giggled. "Go wait for me in my room. I wanna show you something. Oh, and throw that delivery box out of the room."

Edward chuckled. "I think I like where this is going." I smiled up at his face. I loved him so much, and I was so excited to show him this outfit. He picked it out for me, and I wanted to play out his fantasy.

"I think you will." I said, taking his hand and leading him in the house. "Oh, and turn on some music, okay?" Edward smiled as he ran up the stairs, just steps behind Ben.

Angie and I giggled. We went into the living room together, and I unbraided her hair before she took all the ponytails out of my hair. We looked cute after playing with Alice, but cute wasn't what we wanted tonight.

"Okay, so just relax, be confindent and only go as far as you feel comfortable." I told Angie, as she looked a little nervous.

"I know." She said, smiling at me. "I'm so excited."

"Me, too." I agreed. We got up and ran up the stairs together. Edward had the box sitting outside of the door, and Ben had the bag from the lingerie store sitting outside of my dad's door. We grabbed our parcels and went into the bathroom to get changed.

I ws thrilled that the bustier fit. "That makes your boobs look incredible, Bella." Angie said, as she helped me clip my black stockings to the garter belt.

I giggled, looking into the mirror. "You think so?" I asked adjusting my boobs in the bustier.

Angie laughed. "Stop adjusting." She said. "You look perfect."

"So do you, Ang." I said, giving her a tight hug. "Have a great night, and I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay. Love you." Angie said, taking a deep breath. We walked out into the hallway and, after giving her hand one more squeeze, I opened my bedroom door.

Edward was laying on the bed in a pair of black boxer briefs, his arms tucked under his head. He had the lights off, but the bedside lamp on. He had some quiet blues music on. The whole atmosphere was incredibly sensual.

I shut the door behind me, and slowly walked over to the bed. Edward sat up, his eyes wide. I smiled at him, slowly turning around so he could see the whole outfit. "Wow, baby. You look so damn sexy." He said, smiling at me.

He got off of the bed to stand up in front of me. He set his big warm hands on my shoulders, and slowly moved them down to my hands. He took a hold of my hands and lifted them up to his lips. "I love you, Bella." He said, quietly.

I smiled at his face, slipping my hands from his grasp and bringing them up to his cheeks. "I love you, too." I said, making him smile wider. The moment seemed to be getting serious, and I really wanted us to be laughing and having fun. "Angie said this bustier makes my boobs look good." I said.

Edward lost it. He started laughing hysterically. "God, baby. You always know what to say." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "And she's right. Your boobs look amazing." He set his hands on my bum, and gave it a squeeze. "You look perfect. All of you."


	449. Sensational

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! I'm going to be away from my computer tomorrow, so you get Thursday's chapter a little early! Enjoy!**

Chapter 449 - Sensational

Edward leaned down and scooped me up in his arms. I giggled, holding onto his neck, as he set me on the bed. He climbed up on the bed and straddled my legs, standing on his knees, and looking down at me. "You look so sexy, Bella." He said, smiling. "And I have a really hard decision in front of me. Do I take your clothes off of you, or leave them on?"

I blushed and giggled. I was thrilled that he liked the outfit as much as he did.

I reached my hands up. "Come here, baby." I said. "You're way too far away." Edward smiled and laid down on top of me, making me groan. I could feel how much he liked the outfit. He chuckled at me, before leaning in to kiss my lips.

I brought my hands up to his head and weaved my fingers into his hair. I deepened the kiss, and it was Edward's turn to groan. I moved my hips up against body and he pulled back from the kiss, smirking at me. I loved sweet and gentle Edward, but in bed, I loved when he was confident and in control.

He rolled over onto his side. "Stop rushing this." He scolded, but winked so I knew he was teasing me. "I want to enjoy my engagement present."

I laughed, but bit my lip as he reached over to trail his hand over my body. He started at my shoulder and worked over to my collarbone, before moving down to my cleavage. "So gorgeous." He whispered, leaning in to kiss the tops of my breasts that had spilled over the top of the bustier.

I rolled over so I was face to face with Edward and started kissing his lips, again. I couldn't get enough of him. He was so delicious, and I needed to be touching him, tasting him. When I pulled back to breathe, Edward chuckled.

"Someone is a little turned on, tonight." He said, smiling at me. I smiled back, before leaning in to bite his earlobe. He groaned, and I smirked. I wanted him to lose control. And I knew his weaknesses.

I leaned in to start sucking on his neck. I lightly scraped my teeth on the soft skin behind his ear and he hummed louder. "Mm, Bella." He breathed, moving his hands down my back. He got to the panties and tried to pull them down.

"No, baby." I breathed, pulling back. "You have to unclip the garter belt first."

Edward chuckled. "Sorry." He whispered. "I guess I just got a little eager."

I giggled. "Don't apologize for that." I said, leaning back in to kiss his soft lips. He smiled before kissing me once, twice, three more times. Our lips were like magnets. And I loved it. I leaned down to unclip the stockings from the garter belt, and Edward's hands were immediately on my legs. He was running his fingers over the bare skin on my thighs, above the black lace on the stockings.

"You are so beautiful, Bella." Edward said, sitting up by my feet. He picked up my right foot and brought it up to his lips. He started kissing my foot, and worked his way up my leg to my knee. He set that foot down and picked up the left, giving it the same treatment. His kisses felt incredible over the nylon stockings.

Edward leaned over my body, again, and started gently massaging my body. He rubbed my hips and moved up to my breasts. I groaned. His touch was confident but gentle. He lightly swirled his fingers over my panties and I threw my head back, closing my eyes, tightly.

"Edward." I breathed. I sat up and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "Stop teasing me." I said, reaching behind him, and scratching his back.

He looked into my eyes. "What do you want me to do?" He asked, running his fingertips up and down my sides.

I bit my lip. I was incredibly turned on, and I wanted Edward and I to make love, again, but I was a little embarrassed to say it out loud. "Can we, um, you know?" I asked, rolling my eyes at myself at how juvenile I sounded.

Edward smiled sweetly at me, leaning into kiss my lips. "Yeah." He agreed, kissing me, again. I was so grateful that he didn't make me talk about it, or say it our loud, right now. He knew that I was nervous, and he was being an angel.

He leaned his body into mine, and I laid back down on the bed. Edward started kissing my chest, moving his kisses down my body, over the bustier. He kissed me over my panties, before sitting up to pull them down my legs. I reached down to pull the stockings off, but Edward reached up to cover my hands in his.

"Can you leave the rest of the outfit on?" Edward asked, smiling at me. "I mean, you just look so incredible."

I giggled. "Um, okay." I agreed. "But, can I ask you a favour?"

Edward smiled. "Anything, sexy." He said, setting his hand on my bare hip.

"Take your underwear off." I said, smiling at him, as he chuckled. He slid off the bed and yanked them down, kicking the briefs off of his feet. He was so gorgeous. I would never get tired of looking at him. Never.

I smiled at him, as he crawled back on the bed. He grabbed my ankles and pulled my legs apart, sitting between them on his knees. "Better?" He asked, making me laugh.

"Way better." I said, feeling my cheeks flush. I reached over to the night stand and grabbed a condom. Luckily I had a sex den, as Ang liked to call it. Everything I needed was at my fingertips. Edward watched my hands as I put it on him.

He chuckled a little as he laid down on top of me. "You are so good at that." He said, reaching down to interlace our fingers and bring our hands up beside my head. I smiled, before he leaned in to start kissing my lips.

Edward deepened the kiss and started gently rocking against me. I pulled back and turned my head to the side so I could gasp for air. "Uh, Edward." I breathed.

"Does that feel good?" He asked, already knowing he answer.

"So good, baby." I said. "More." I knew I was begging, but right now, I didn't care. Edward moved faster against me, and I tried to lift myself up against him, pushing up with my feet, but my stockings were slippery against the blankets on my bed. My feet kept sliding back down.

Edward chuckled and reached down to my legs, gently caressing my thighs. He smiled at me. "Wrap your legs around me." He breathed. I smiled and did what I was told. Edward leaned in close, snuggling his face into the nape of my neck. "Are you ready?" He whispered.

I loved Edward for always giving me an opportunity to change my mind, and never failing to make sure I was comfortable with what we were doing. "Yes, baby." I whispered, reaching up to hold onto his shoulders.

Edward lifted his hips, and I gasped as I felt him start to enter me. "Is that okay?" He asked, stopping and setting his right hand on my cheek. I nodded, letting out a deep breath. He smiled at me, holding my eyes, as he started to move, again.

This was an incredible sensation. I felt like I was on fire, but in a good way this time. I felt so complete, but yet, I wanted more. I squeezed my legs tightly around Edward's hips, digging my heels into his bum, and pulling him as close as I could possibly get him. He groaned, and I smiled.

Edward tried to move back, but I was holding him to my body too tightly. He reached behind his back and bent my legs on either side of his hips. He held my ankles so my feet wouldn't slip, as he started to move, again.

"Ah, babe." I yelled, as he started to move a little faster, his body hitting into mine, creating delicious feelings everywhere. I felt so good, I couldn't help the smile that spread over my face. It felt like my body was shaking, and I was seeing bright lights behind my eyes.

It didn't take long before Edward stopped moving and dropped his head on my shoulder. He was breathing hard, and it made me smile. I wrapped my arms around him and rubbed his sticky back.

"How was that?" Edward whispered, before kissing my cheek.

I giggled. "That was amazing." I told him honestly. "It felt so good. You felt so good."

Edward chuckled, before kissing my lips, softly. "No pain this time?"

"No pain." I said. "I can see what you were talking about last time, though. How incredible that felt."

Edward smiled, and rolled off of me. "I'm glad, angel." He said, reaching over to squeeze my hip. "I'm going to be right back." He said, getting up and running to the door. He peaked out of my room, before sneaking in the bathroom.

I giggled. My man was perfect: sweet, caring, funny, loving, gentle, and so passionate. I stretched my body out, my arms above my head, and my toes pointed to the end of my bed. I felt sensational.

I laughed at the word that popped into my head: sensational. It was a little dramatic, but it fit. There was no better feeling than making love to a man I knew that I would spend the rest of my life with. And the best part was that it was only going to get better.


	450. So Happy

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all so much for reading! This chapter covers the end of Tuesday, August 3 and the start of Wednesday, August 4, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 450 - So Happy

Edward came back into my room completely naked, and I started giggling. He looked so amazing, and I was deliriously happy. "You look so gorgeous." Edward said, climbing into my small bed with me.

"Thank you. So, do you." I told him, leaning in for a kiss, as he laughed.

"You feel okay?" He asked, looking into my eyes.

"Mm hmm." I hummed, rubbing his shoulder. "That was amazing."

"So, no reason to be nervous, right?" He asked, making me smile. Edward had told me not to worry. I had been insecure in my inexperience, not knowing what to do, and how to move, but he reassured me that my body would take over.

"You were right." I admitted, as he smiled and reached up to run his hand through my hair. "I feel tingly all over."

Edward smiled, leaning in to kiss me. "I'm glad I can make you feel that way."

"So am I." I giggled. Edward raised his eyebrows, chuckling. He reached behind me, and slapped my bum, making me giggle. I pushed his shoulder so he would lay on his back, and I straddled his legs.

Edward's eyes were moving over my body and back to my face. He looked so happy, but he was distracted looking at me, so I reached forward and stuck my finger in his belly button before he could stop me. It was the most ticklish part of his body. His whole body stiffened and he reached up to grab my hand and move it.

"Bella." He chuckled.

I bit my lip acting innocent. "Is something wrong?" I asked, batting my eyelashes as I looked down at him.

"You are the sexiest woman alive, I swear." Edward said, smiling, reaching up to put his hands on my sides. He sat up and pressed a hot kiss to my lips. "I love you so much, baby."

I don't know how he did it, but I was suddenly on my back with Edward on top of me. I started giggling, as he tried to kiss me. "Bella." Edward whined. "I'm trying to be sexy, here."

I couldn't stop laughing, though, and that got Edward started. He buried his face into my shoulder and laughed. I rubbed his back, as I tried my hardest to stop laughing. It was just that Edward had caught me off guard by flipping us over.

"You are sexy." I said, still giggling a little. "You just scared me."

"I'm sorry." He whispered, kissing my jaw, and then moving down to my neck. He started moving across my chest with his kisses. I moaned and let my head fall back. He brought his hand up my side, before he started gently kneading my breast over the lingerie.

It felt so incredible. I moved my hips up to meet his, but neither of us were wearing any underwear. Edward pulled his hips back. "Baby, if you want to do that, I need to get another condom on."

"Okay." I said. "Put it on." I was turned on, again, and I didn't want Edward to have to worry about pulling away from me. Edward had the condom on in no time, and was right back to where we left off. He started kissing my lips, and this time, I wasn't laughing.

Edward and I moved our bodies together, touching each other everywhere and breathing hard. We didn't need to have sex, again. Just touching each other was enough. Edward seemed to really, really love this bustier. And while it was comfortable, it would have been nice to feel his skin on mine.

"Mm, baby. You are so amazing." Edward breathed in my ear. "I can't get over how damn sexy you are."

I giggled. "Thank you, handsome. I feel the same way about you." I whispered, giving him a kiss. "And as much as you love your engagement present, I'm not sleeping in these stockings." I told him, making his chuckle.

"Would you mind if I took them off your beautiful legs?" Edward asked, kissing me, again, as he ran his fingers up and down my thighs.

"Please do." I said, giggling. Edward sat up and got rid of the condom, before reaching up to peel the stocking off of my left leg. He kissed my bare foot, making me laugh. He smiled, reaching up to pull the right stocking off. I sighed. "That is so much better."

"Are the stockings that uncomfortable?" Edward asked, rubbing my foot.

"Sort of." I said. "They're hot."

"Why didn't you just take them off?" He asked.

I started laughing. "You asked me to leave the outfit on, remember?" I giggled.

Edward chuckled. "Because you look incredible." He defended. "But just tell me to shut up if you're uncomfortable, Bella." He said, seriously.

I had to laugh at him. "Baby, I'll never tell you to shut up." I said. "Plus, I wanted to look sexy for you."

"Well, you succeeded there." He chuckled.

"Good. Now, be a good fiance, and help me get this bustier off?" I said, sitting up.

"How do I get it off?" Edward asked, caressing my body once more.

I giggled. "Untie and loosen the laces on the sides." I said, turning my side so Edward could get to work. He seemed to be loving this. He loosened the top and pulled it over my head. I instantly had goosebumps from the cool air on my hot skin.

"Mm." Edward hummed, pulling me into his arms. "You're cold?" He asked, rubbing my arms up and down. "Let's snuggle."

I laughed. "You are so adorable." I said, as we laid back down onto the bed. Edward reached over and shut off the lamp, before pulling me into his arms.

"I love you, angel." Edward said, kissing my lips.

"I love you, too, baby." I said, smiling. "Tonight was amazing."

"It was." He said, sounding tired.

"Go to sleep, Edward." I whispered, running my nails up and down his back, softly. He was asleep in a seconds. So adorable, I thought to myself, again. I really, really loved this man. I snuggled my face into his chest and fell asleep feeling so loved.

I woke up to a naked fiance and a kitten curled up on my chest. I giggled, Robert's soft fur tickling my skin. "Good morning, gorgeous." Edward said, smiling at me.

"Good morning, baby." I said. "I love waking up this way."

"Well, you can wake up this way for the rest of your life." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I'm sorry for falling asleep so quickly, last night."

"Oh, that's okay." I said, smiling as I sat up, holding the kitten to my chest. "I fell asleep two minute after you did." Edward kissed me, again, making me smile. "You smell really good. Did you already have a shower?"

"Yeah." He chuckled, taking Robert from me. "Your son woke me up."

I laughed. "Oh, so he's my son when he wakes you up early?" I asked, petting Robert between the ears.

"Yeah." Edward agreed. "And, he's daddy's boy when he's asleep like this." I smiled.

"I love when you talk like that." I said, running my fingers through the hair on Edward's leg.

"Like what?" He asked, smiling smuggly. He knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Like when you talk about us being parents." I said, smiling.

"We are parents." Edward said, winking at me.

"We are. And our son looks just like his daddy." I said, laughing.

"I have orange hair?" Edward teased, chuckling.

"No, you're both cutie pies." I said, as I got off the bed. I pulled on Edward's t-shirt and one of my new pairs of lace panties; the purple ones. I did a little spin for Edward, so he could get the complete view.

"Mm. Those are sexy." Edward said, smiling.

"These are your surprise from the lingerie shop." I said crawling back on the bed to give him a kiss. "I bought three pairs."

Edward set the kitten on the blanket, before wrapping his arms around me and pulling me down on the bed. "I love you, Bella. I'm so happy. Our life together is amazing." I smiled up at his face. I couldn't agree more.


	451. More Girl Talk

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 451 - More Girl Talk

I gave Edward a few more kisses before getting off the bed. "I've got to go have my shower." I said, making Edward pout out his bottom lip. I giggled. "You're so cute, baby."

"Okay. I love you." He said, winking at me, as I walked to the bedroom door.

"Love you, too, babe." I said, shaking my bum at him, before stepping into the hallway. I heard Edward start laughing, as I shut the door.

I heard the shower running in the bathroom, so I peaked in my dad's room and Ang was laying on the bed, still in her new nightie. Ben must have been in the shower. I shut the door and crawled into bed with her. She rolled over and wrapped her arms around me.

"Hey, girlie." She said, smiling. "How was your night? Did Edward like the bustier?"

"Um, I'd say." I giggled. "We made love, again, last night."

"Oh, that's amazing." She said, tightening her arms around me to give me a hug. "So, how was it? What did it feel like this time?"

"It was amazing. It didn't hurt this time. At all." I said, smiling widely. "It felt so good, Ang. But, to me, the best part is that I feel so connected to him. Like I literally can't get any closer to him, because a part of him is inside of me."

Angie's cheeks turned red when I said that. I put my hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry. That was kind of graphic." I apologized.

"No, no, Bella." She giggled. "It's okay. I did ask."

"But, details, aside, it was amazing." I giggled. "And he wanted me to keep the bustier on."

"The whole night?" She asked, her eyes widening.

I laughed. "Well, the whole time he made love to me." I explained. "I think it really turned him on."

"That's because you looked so hot." She giggled. "I'm glad you had a good night."

"It was great. But I came in here to find out how the gorgeous nightie was received." I said, smiling at her blushing face.

"Ben loved it." She said, giggling, as I gave her another hug.

"Did he blush?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Um, yeah." Angie said, smiling. "We both were bright red."

"Well, that's understandable, Ang." I said, smiling. "The first time I wore a pretty nightie for Edward, I was physically shaking. So, what happened?"

"Okay. So, I walked into the room and Ben was sitting on the side of the bed in a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He looked nervous, I think because I told him to wait for me on the bed." She laughed.

"Anyway. He looked up at me and he actually gasped." Angie said, biting her lip. "It was so cute. Like he knew something was up, but I totally caught him off guard."

"Then what happened?" I asked, totally riveted.

"Um, I shut the door and walked over to him. I was thinking that maybe I would go sit on his lap or something, but he stood up before I reached him, and reached out to take my hands. It was sweet. He leaned in and kissed my lips, softly. Then he told me that I looked beautiful."

"Aww." I said, smiling. "That is so sweet."

"I know." She giggled. "But he wasn't really doing anything. I'm pretty sure he had no idea what I wanted, so he just stood there looking at me."

I couldn't help but laugh. I could totally picture Ben doing that. He was an incredibly shy person, but more than that, he really respected Angie's religious upbringing.

Angie was raised to wait until she was married to have sex. She said that she wasn't sure if she would, but knowing her as well as I did, I knew she would wait. So, I was not surprised at all to hear that Ben didn't know what Angie wanted when she came to bed in a sexy nightie.

"So, naturally, I had to take charge." Ang told me, confidently. "I pulled him over to the bed and we got in together. He brought his hand up to my cheek and kissed me softly. Don't get me wrong. I love his sweet side, but sometimes, you just want your guy to let go."

I smiled. "I understand that completely." I told her. "Edward is always making sure I'm alright. And it's amazing, but when he really gets turned on, and steals kisses instead of asking for them, uh, it's beyond words."

Angie smiled. "That's what I wanted. So, I basically just attacked him." She giggled, making me laugh. "I pushed him over and just started making out with him."

"How did he react?" I asked, giggling, as I tried to picture my sweet and innocent best friend attacking her man.

She giggled. "Well, at first he was a little unsure, but then he started kissing me back, letting his hands move up and down on my back. I reached up and yanked his hand down so it was on my bum." Angie admitted, giggling.

All of a sudden, in the middle of Angie's story, and at the best part, yet, my dad's bedroom door opened and Ben walked into the room. He was dressed in a pair of blue board shorts and an orange t-shirt, and was towel drying his hair.

When he looked up and saw us, he kind of froze. "Oh, shoot." He said. "I'm sorry. I just assumed…"

I sat up, pulling Edward's t-shirt down a little more, even though I was pretty sure Ben didn't see anything. "It's okay, Ben. I should be apologing to you. This is your room for the week" I said, getting off the bed. "I'm going to run have a quick shower."

Ang mouthed the word 'later' at me, and I nodded. "See you guys downstairs." I said, before leaving the room. I walked towards the bathroom and smiled when I saw Edward laying on the bed in his board shorts and black tank.

"Hey, sexy." I said, before going into the bathroom. I pulled Edward's t-shirt off and was just pulling off my new panties when the bathroom door opened. Edward walked in, smiling at me, before coming over and pulling my panties off the rest of the way.

"Where were you?" He asked, as I stepped into the shower. I pulled the curtain closed, making Edward laugh.

"Girl talk." I said.

"So I was laying on your bed this whole time, waiting for you to come back to your room, so I could watch you put your bathing suit on, and you were gossiping?" Edward asked, teasing.

I giggled. "Ben was in here. And I had to know how her night went." I said, shampooing my hair.

Edward chuckled. "Did they hear us?" He asked.

"Um, well, I don't know the whole story, yet, but I'm pretty sure they had their own fun." I told him, making him chuckle.

"Okay, baby. I'm going to go handle breakfast while you get ready." Edward said, making me smile. "I love you."

"I love you, too, hottie." I giggled. The shower curtain pulled opened and Edward peaked his face into the shower. I smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his lips. Edward chuckled, reaching in caress my side.

"Mm. You are so sexy." He said, winking at me, before pulling the curtain closed. I smiled. Edward made me feel so beautiful. I finished my shower and wrapped myself in a towel, leaving the shower open for Ang. I went in my room to get my bathing suit on, as well as a white tank and a little black skirt.

Edward left Robbie on my bed, and he was still sleeping. I scrunched my hair, put on some sunscreeen, and decided to skip the makeup. I picked up my kitten and went downstairs.

Edward and Ben were gone. I giggled. I had a feeling that 'handling breakfast' meant going out to buy it. I seriously loved Edward. He always tried so hard to make sure everything was perfect for me. He could have made me toast and I would have been happy. But, I loved this gesture.

I sat on the couch in the living room with Robert, and within five minutes, Angie came down to join me. I told her the guys were gone, and she giggled. "Edward is rubbing off on Ben. Ben can cook." She giggled, making me laugh.

"Oops." I giggled. "We're ruining your boyfriend." I teased making Angie laugh.

"Ah, it's okay." She said, picking up Robert, and kissing his nose. "Now that they're gone, we can talk about them."


	452. Breakfast

**A/N - Again, I won't be at my computer in the morning. So, I'll give you Sunday's chapter right now. The date in the story is Wednesday, August 4, 2010. Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 452 - Breakfast

"Okay, Ang." I said, smiling. "We left off with Ben's hand on your bum. Then what happened?"

Angie giggled. "Well, one thing led to another and I got Ben out of his clothes, except for his underwear."

"No way." I said, maybe a little too loudly, because even the kitten looked over at me.

She laughed. "Yeah. He wears tightie whities." We started giggling. "But he makes them look really sexy."

"I know what you mean. Edward used to wear boxers all the time, but when I told him how hot he looked in the boxer briefs, he started wearing them all the time." I told her, making her smile.

"Boxer briefs, huh?" Angie asked. "I wonder if Ben would wear those?"

I giggled. "You could always buy him some. He would wear them for you, I'm sure of it." I told her. "So, you saw the tightie whities. Then what happened?"

"Oh, um, we sort of just touched each other, you know. We made out and kissed and, um, rubbed." She said, turning red and laughing.

I giggled. "You are so cute. But, the important thing is that you had fun, together."

"We did." Angie said, smiling. "Can I ask you a really embarrassing question?" She said, looking down to pet Robert who was sitting on her lap.

"Of course you can." I told her.

"Has Edward ever, you know, um, gone down on you? Or have you done it to him?" Angie asked, her face bright red.

I leaned my head on her shoulder, because I was blushing, too. "Um, he's done it me a lot, actually. It feels incredible, Ang. I know at first, I was embarrassed, and I stopped him, but he seems to really like doing it." I told her.

"But, I haven't done it to him. I asked him if he wanted me to, but he told me not to worry about it until we made love. He said, lets tackle one thing at a time. But, I'm not sure if he wants me to, or not, because he hasn't said anything." I continued. "Like I know he wants to protect me, and stuff, but do you think he's worried I'll do it wrong?"

Angie wrapped her arm around my shoulders and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "No, Bella. I doubt it. I think you're right about him trying to protect you. That sounds exactly like Edward. He is really caring and everything he does is for you." Angie said. "I wouldn't worry about it. Wait until you're ready and try it. If he stops you, then talk to him about why."

I smiled up at her face. "You're right, Ang." I said, reaching over to stroke Robbie. "So, have you done it?"

"Um, no." She said, giggling. "I think we're definitely working towards that step, but I just wanted to know if it felt good."

"Yes, it does." I giggled. "But only because I trust Edward so much."

"That makes sense." Ang said. "It is okay if I call you when we try it. You know, to talk about it?"

I sat up and looked in her eyes. "Of course it is, Ang. You are my best friend in the world, and I love you. If you ever need to talk to me about this stuff, call me. Edward and I are just figuring this all out together, and it's a little scary when you don't know what to expect." I told her.

"But worth it, right?" She asked, biting her lip.

"So, so worth it." I said, giggling.

The front door opened and we heard Edward and Ben laughing as they walked in. I set the kitten down on the couch to sleep, before Ang and I got up and walked to the kitchen. Edward walked over to me and leaned down to kiss my lips. "You look beautiful." He whispered, winking at me.

Edward set a white pastry box on the table, and Ben had a drink tray with four large cups. "Okay, we got strawberry banana smoothies." Ben said, passing out the drinks.

"And apple and cherry turnovers." Edward said, opening the box.

I giggled. "Very nice, boys." I said. "You make a great breakfast."

Edward came to sit beside me, and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. He passed me a pretty white daisy, making me smile. He leaned in and kissed my lips, and then nipped at my earlobe. "I'm glad you approve, sexy girl." He whispered in my ear.

I turned looked at his pretty eyes. He winked at me, and moved his hand down to my thigh, rubbing his thumb over my bare skin. Edward was really touchy and handsy today. I liked it. Making love with me the night before agreed with him. I loved that he was acting so confident. It was such a turn on.

We ate our breakfast together, and Edward told Ang and Ben about the beach. Ben sounded excited to try the body boards, but Ang didn't look like she was sure about it.

"We can just hang out on the beach in our bathing suits." I told Angie, winking at her. "Watch our hot guys running around in wetsuits."

Angie laughed. "That sounds really good, actually."

Edward laughed and shook his head at us. "You guys ready to go?"

"Yeah, I just need to pack Robbie's beach bag." I said, making Ben and Angie laugh. "What? He's my son. I can't just leave him." I defended.

Ang got up and gave me a hug. "I know, girlie." She said, kissing my cheek. "It was just the way you said it. And the whole beach bag thing."

I giggled. "I'm a first time mom." I said. "I'm probably spoiling him, but I can't help it."

"I think it's cute." Ang said, getting up from the table. "Come on. I'll help you pack." Edward spanked my bum as I got up, and I looked over my shoulder and at him and smiled. I couldn't wait to get him alone, again.

Ang and I had the kitten packed up in no time. And when we came downstairs, Edward was just putting his cell phone back in his pocket. "Everyone is going to meet us there." He said, leaning in to kiss me, and taking the beach bag and kittiy carrier from my hand.

We drove down to the beach and walked down to our spot. I like to think of it as our spot, because every time we came here with the Cullens, we sat in the same place. I did want to show Angie, mine and Edward's rock, too. It was special to me, and I wanted to share that with her.

We beat the Cullens here and spread out our towels. "The ocean." Angie said, smiling.

I knew the feeling. Having lived in Arizona most of my life, I would never forget when my dad took me to see the ocean the first day I moved home, almost a year ago. I walked in and put my feet in the ice cold water. It was a great day, and I actually cried, sitting with my dad on the beach, waiting for my feet to dry. He had wrapped his arm around me and patted my shoulder, never quite sure what to do with me when I cried. It was so great to be reunited with him.

Ang and Ben walked down to dip their feet in the water, and I snapped a picture of them. They were holding hands and laughing. It was so sweet.

"They make a cute couple, don't they?" Edward said, slipping Robbie's harness on, and then sitting down beside me, with the kitten on his lap.

"They are perfect for each other." I told him, laying my head on his shoulder. "Like us."

Edward chuckled and wrapped his arm around me, setting his hand on my hip. He pressed a kiss on the top of my head. "Babe. You look so beautiful without makeup on." Edward whispered. "I haven't seen you that way in a while."

I smiled. "Well, that's because I've been trying to look pretty for you." I said, looking up at his face.

"You always look pretty." He said. "You are a beautiful woman, honey."

"I love you." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"I love you, too, baby." He said, smiling.

Ang and Ben came walking back over to us and plopped down on their towels. "So, what do you think of the Pacific?" Edward asked, smiling.

"It's cold." Angie laughed.

"But, amazing." Ben added. "I really like it up here. It's an amazing state."

"You're just going to have to visit more." I said, giving Angie a quick hug, and making her smile.

I pulled off my tank and skirt and laid back in the early morning sun. It wasn't too hot, but the sun was still warm. Angie followed suit and laid down beside me, reaching over to hold my hand. I smiled. I was truly enjoying Angie's visit, and I still had two more days with her.


	453. Lucky Girls

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading, and for the great reviews! Enjoy!**

**I want to just write a special good luck message for my amazing friend, Kerri! She is starting her first year of college, today! Best of luck, Kerri! I hope you find a great boy to smile at across the room! **

Chapter 453 - Lucky Girls

The Cullens showed up at the beach about twenty minutes after we got there. I was happy that Liam, Nanny and Grandpa showed up, too. Apparently, Rose and Maria were joining us after lunch.

Esme, nanny and grandpa set up beach chairs, umbrellas and towels about ten feet back from Ang and I. They were in the shade this way, but I figured that they were just giving Ang and I some privacy. It was sweet, and probably a wise decision, as Ang and I liked to talk about our boys.

Emmett, Jasper and Liam all wanted to get out in the waves, again. I could tell Ben and Edward wanted to go, too, but didn't follow after the other three guys when they ran down to the surf shop.

"Go with your brothers, baby." I told him, sitting up from my towel to rub his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking like he wanted to stay with me. He was such a sweet guy, but he didn't have to worry about me so much. He was also holding little Robbie against his chest.

"Go take Ben. He's never been out before. You need to help him." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "And I want to see your hot bum in that wetsuit. I wasn't kidding before, when I said I wanted to watch you running around on the beach in your wetsuit."

Edward smiled at me, even blushing a little. It was priceless. "Okay, baby." He said, leaning in to kiss me, again. I reached over and took Robert from him, setting him on my bare legs.

"Are you sure you don't want to go out, Ang?" Ben asked, taking his t-shirt off. I giggled at Angie. Her eyes were glued to his chest.

"No, I'm good for now." She said, smiling up at him.

Edward stood up and pulled his tank off, giving me a gorgeous view of his chest. I completely understood Angie's wide eyes, because I'm sure my face looked the exact same way right now.

Edward chuckled at me, and tapped under my chin with his fingers. I giggled. "Was my mouth open?" I asked quietly, blushing when Edward nodded his head.

"You're adorable, angel." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips, again. "I'll be back, soon."

I smiled up at him. "Have fun and take your time." I said. "Oh, and run lots." He laughed, before he and Ben ran down to the surf shop to meet up with Jasper, Emmett and Liam.

"We're lucky girls, Bella." Ang said, giggling.

"Yes. We. Are." I said, holding my hand up to shield the sun from my eyes, so I could watch Edward pull on his wetsuit.

"What are you looking at, Bella?" I turned around and smiled as Alice walked over to me. She set her towel down beside me and plopped down.

"Oh, Edward, Ben and your brothers are going to go body boarding." I told her. "Do you want to hold Robbie?"

"Yes." She giggled, reaching over to pick up the kitten, and set him on her towel. I slid the leach around my wrist, just in case he got away. "Do you think, Robbie likes the beach?" Alice asked, rubbing the kitten's stomach, because he had rolled over, again. I had to giggle. This kitten hated his harness.

"I think Robbie likes to hang out with us, but I don't really think he likes the beach." I told Alice honestly. "He really doesn't like the harness."

"Then why does he have to wear it?" She asked, making Angie giggle.

"Because Bella is crazy." Angie said, smiling at me.

"No, I'm not." I defended, making Alice laugh. "When the kitty is older, he can stay at home, but right now, I want to keep him with me, or a kitty sitter. And I don't want him to get lost. It's just like when Edward held your hand when we went to the fair. We keep a tight hold on the people, and animals we love."

Alice smiled. "That makes sense." I looked over at Ang and stuck my tongue out at her, making her giggle.

"Hey, girlie. They're in the water." Ang said, excitedly.

I looked out and watched Edward paddle out in the waves. He looked so sexy. I had never been into the whole surfer boy look, but Edward was really making it work for him. I didn't know who I was kidding. It didn't matter what it was, if Edward was doing it, it was sexy, and I was interested.

"Look, Alice." I said, making her look up from the kitten. "Your brothers are trying riding in on the waves on their knees." They all stayed on their boards for a while, before falling off. Ang, Alice and I laughed, and then cheered and clapped for them as they ran back into shore.

Ben waved at Ang, and Edward blew me a kiss. I had to laugh when Liam came up beside Edward and pulled him into a headlock. Edward laughed, as he pushed Liam's chest. Liam looked over at me and waved. It was cute. Edward's uncle teased him a lot, but it was all good humoured, and so adorable.

I snapped a couple of pictures of them foolong around in the water together. I really wanted to document as much of this summer as possible. This was honestly, the best three months of my life so far, and I still had about a month to go.

"Oh, pictures." Angie said, excitedly. She grabbed the camera away from me and leaned in, holding the camera out, and snapping a shot of us together. "Alice. Lean in beside Bella." Ang said, making me smile. I loved that Ang included her. She was a really amazing big sister to Corin and Makenna, so I didn't know why I was surprised that she was just as great with Alice.

Alice look so excited to be in the photo. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to me. She was absolutely glowing. Being the only girl amongst three brothers, she seemed to be loving the girl time.

Ang and I laid on our stomachs, our heads propped up on our hands so we could watch our guys body board. Even Alice copied us and laid on her stomach. It was so sweet.

After about an hour, the guys headed back in to the surf shop, and I enjoyed the show, as Edward pulled his wetsuit off. He had his back to me, and his board shorts pulled down a little in the back, getting stuck in the leg of his wetsuit.

I got a nice view of half of his left bum cheek, but only for a second. Unfortunately, Edward noticed, and he pulled them up quickly. I couldn't help but giggle, as he spun around quickly, looking over at me to see if I had noticed. Of course I had: I rarely took my eyes off of him.

He smiled over at me, and after he returned his wetsuit, he ran back over to our towels. He didn't say anything. He just reached down, slid the kitten's leach off of my wrist and passed it to Ang. Then, he actually surprised me, by leaning down and scooping me up.

"Edward." I giggled, squealing as he pressed my sun warmed body against his cold wet skin.

"Yes, Bella?" He asked, smuggly, carrying me towards the cold ocean. I wrapped my legs around his hips and squeezed him tightly, both of us groaning as the sensitive parts of our bodies aligned. "Shit." Edward breathed.

I giggled, again. I loved watching Edward lose control. He had reached the water and walked out to his knees. "Why are we out here?" I asked, leaning in to kiss his neck, and then bite it.

"Well, I was going to throw you into the water for laughing at my wardrobe malfunction." He started, making me laugh. "But, you just rubbed your pretty little body against me, and now you have to be my shield."

I started laughing harder, and Edward reached down and slapped my bum, laughing with me. "I'm sorry." I giggled. "But, you're just so cute."

"You're the cute one." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "Did you have fun on the beach with Ang?"

"Yeah. We really enjoyed watching you." I told him. "You looked very hot, my surfer boy."

"Well, thank you." Edward chuckled and kissed my lips. "But, it's way more fun when you're out in the water with us."

"Aw. We'll do it again before we go back to Seattle." I told him, making him chuckle.

"I hope we do _it_, again." He said, winking at me. I laughed, but rolled my eyes at him. He had to turn my innocent comment about body boarding into something sexual.

"Oh, we will." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "Both body boarding and making love." Edward blushed as he laughed at my boldness. Two could play at that game.


	454. Ice Cube

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! It is still Wednesday, August 4, 2010 in the story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 454 - Ice Cube

Edward set me down, my legs in the ice cold water, and set his hands on my shoulders as he walked back to the beach behind me. I giggled. "Am I still your shield?" I asked, teasingly.

"Yeah." He chuckled. "I can't help it that you're such a turn on."

"I'm sorry." I laughed. "But, you're the one that kidnapped me, and dragged me out to the water. And I also can't help it that you are the sexiest man alive."

"Mm. Really?" Edward asked, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and leaning in to kiss my cheek. I started laughing because he was leaning down on me, and he was so heavy, I could hardly walk.

"Edward." I giggled. "You're heavy."

"That's it." He chuckled, quickly scooping me up, again, and turning to run back towards the ocean.

"What are you doing?" I laughed, hanging on tightly to his neck. He was laughing as he ran through the surf. I screamed when a wave hit my legs and bum. The water was so cold. Freezing. Edward was standing waist deep in the waves, and he had goosebumps all over his chest and arms.

"Are you okay?" He asked, smiling at me.

"I'm an ice cube." I told him. "But other than that, I'm perfect." I squealed as we got hit by another wave, making Edward laugh.

"You are perfect." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. I leaned in to deepen the kiss and Edward smiled, before kissing me back.

This was one of the weirdest things I'd ever done. I was making out with my boyfriend in the freezing north Pacific ocean, while my friends and his family were back on the beach. I probably should have been embarrassed, but I wasn't. I was so in love, having so much fun, and was so turned on at the time that Edward was the only person on my mind.

We pulled back from each other, and Edward smiled at me, his eyes looking right into mine. "I love you, baby." He said, letting go of my legs. I still had a good hold on his neck, though. I went to wrap my legs around him, so we were chest to chest again, but Edward knocked my legs back down.

"Let me snuggle." I whined. "I'm cold."

Edward laughed. "Hang onto my back." He said, reaching up to hold my arms as he turned around.

"Fine." I said, wrapping myself around his back, and leaning on to suck on his earlobe. "Why your back?" I asked, as he started walking back towards the beach.

"Because, this cold water just helped me get my body back under control." He said, chuckling, reaching back to hold onto my bum. "But if you keep rubbing against me, I'm never going to be able to walk back over to my mom and little sister on the beach."

I had to laugh at him. Guys and their bodies were so weird. "I'm sorry." I said, trying to sound serious, but it came out as a giggle.

"Bella." Edward whined, still laughing. "You're not sorry."

"I am." I said. "I don't want to embarrass you around your family, but I do like that you get so turned on around me."

He chuckled. "I'm always turned on around you. Trust me." He told me. "You are just that sexy, even when you're not trying to be."

"Aw." I said, kissing his cheek. "I feel the same way. And, my god, Edward, you looked hot out there on the water."

He laughed, setting me down on the soft sand, talking my hand to lead me back to our towels. "I was showing off." He whispered in my ear, making me laugh.

We sat down on our towels, and I smiled at Angie and Ben, who were wrapped up together in one beach towel. Liam was sitting on Alice's towel playing with Robbie, and Alice was over sitting on her grandpa's lap.

Edward sat down on my towel, with his knees bent up, so I sat between his legs, with my back to his chest. He grabbed his towel and wrapped it around us.

Liam reached over and slapped Edward's shoulder. "That cold water is good for something, isn't it?" He teased, making me blush and bury my face in the towel.

Edward start laughing. "Darn right." He said, giving me a little squeeze. "Where are Em and Jazz?"

"Oh, They just went to wait for their girls in the parking lot. Their mom is dropping them off." Liam said, laughing as the kitten flipped over, again. "You know you have a crazy cat, right?"

"He's a Cullen, so that might explain it." I teased, making Edward laugh.

"No, he's a Swan-Cullen." Edward corrected. "Which apparently is a crazy mix."

"Well, as soon as you marry me, he'll just be a Cullen." I said, looking over at my shoulder at Edward's smiling face.

"Let's just go to Vegas." Edward said, making me laugh. "You could be a Cullen by this time tomorrow."

"Oh, no you don't." Angie said, pointing at us. "I am the maid of honour in this wedding, and if you go to Vegas, I get ripped off on that experience. And maybe I'm being selfish, but I want to see my best friend in a big, white, poufy dress."

I laughed at her little rant. "I won't rip you off." I promised. "Baby, we're getting married in Forks." I said to Edward, running my hands up and down his legs.

"Fine." Edward sighed, leaning in to kiss my neck. "Forks it is."

"And, we see who wears the pants in this relationship." Liam said, making Edward laugh.

"Oh, yeah." Edward said. "What Bella says goes, and I am just fine with it. She can tell me what to do anytime she wants."

Liam laughed at Edward, shaking his head. "You're a lucky guy, Edward."

"I know I am." Edward said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

I snuggled my head back into Edward's chest, seeking his warm body heat. I thought about what he said. Did I tell Edward what to do? I didn't think I did. I thought we always talked about things and we decided what to do together. Edward was laughing with Liam, and I was pretty sure they were kidding, but I still wanted to talk to him about it.

"Lunchtime." Esme called. I looked over to her and noticed Rose and Maria were here with the guys, now.

Liam got up and passed me the kitten, and I snuggled him to my chest. Edward went to get up, but I pinched his leg. He sat back down. Ben and Angie hopped up. "Are you coming?" Ben asked.

"Yeah. In just a minute." I said, smiling at them. Ang smiled at me before turning to go over for lunch.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, shifting a little, so he could look at my face.

"Um, this is probably really stupid, but you don't think I'm bossy or anything, right?" I asked, looking up at his face. "I mean, you just said that I wear the pants in the relationship, and I wanted to make sure that I'm not telling you what to do, or anything." I laughed. "Now, I'm rambling."

Edward laughed, reaching up to caress my cheek with the back of his finger. "No, baby, your not bossy." He said, smiling at me. "Uncle Liam and I were just teasing. Our relationship is perfect, Bella. I wouldn't change a thing about it. I promise you, that."

"Okay." I said, smiling at him. "I just wanted to check."

"Don't doubt yourself, angel face." He said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and squeezing me tightly. "You are my dream girl. Don't change, gorgeous."

I giggled. "Okay. That sounds easy enough." I had no intentions of making this into a big deal, I just wanted to double check things with Edward. I never wanted our relationship to be strained, or for either one of us to be holding anything back.

I loved that we could talk about our concerns with each other. Edward never ever just rolled his eyes at me, or dismissed my feelings. If I was his dream girl, than he was definitely my dream man.

"You want to get some lunch?" Edward asked, getting up and then reaching out his hand to help me up.

I cuddled the kitten up to my face, before smiling at Edward. "I would love to."


	455. Beach Football

**A/N - Happy Wednesday! A friend of mine, A is for Angel had a banner made for this story. The link for the banner is on my profile page. It was made by Mahek18. Check it out if you get a chance. Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 455 - Beach Football

Edward and I walked over and joined our friends and family for lunch. Esme had a big Tupperware bowl of fruit salad, as well as sandwiches. Alice came and sat between Edward and I. I thought it was cute, but Edward had to move his hand off of my leg, and he didn't look too happy about it. His face was priceless.

After lunch, Edward fed the kitten. He fell asleep in Edward's arms, so we put him in his carrier in the shade for a nap. I saw Vanessa walking over to us on the beach and smiled. "Hey, guys." She said, plopping down in the sand beside Edward.

"You look bored." Edward said to her, making her giggle.

"I am. Jake had to get a physical before he is cleared to go back to work. Which, by the way, is really stupid, considering he's just on desk duty for like a month, anyway." Vanessa said, rolling her eyes. "And EJ is out on the water, and Quil and Embry are busy."

"Well, you can hang out with us." I told her, making her smile. "I have no idea what we're doing this afternoon, though."

"I have my football." Emmett said. "We could play catch."

"We do have ten people. We could make two teams of five and see if we could actually play a game of football." Liam suggested. "You know how to play, Vanessa?"

"I live with my brother. I know all the rules of every sport on the planet. Even rugby." She laughed, punching Liam in the shoulder.

Liam laughed with her. He seemed to like the feisty types. I'd have to keep that in mind for when we moved back to Seattle and I tried my hand at matchmaking for him. He was really an amazing guy, and I know he wasn't single by choice.

I think when Liam saw people in relationships, he looked on longingly. If I could help him find what Edward and I shared, then I would gladly do it. Nothing could beat this feeling of happiness, and this sense of absolute bliss. I wished that everyone could feel this way.

"Okay, then." Liam said, getting up and dusting the sanding from his bum. "How do you want to split up the teams?"

"Let's go girls against guys." Vanessa said, smiling. "We're tough, right girls?" She asked, laughing when she looked at our faces, which were likely ones of shock and doubt. Angie, Rose, Maria and I tended to be a little more on the girlie side.

The guys were laughing at us, and Maria crossed her arms in front of her chest, inadvertently pushing her boobs up. "We can play." She said, making me smile.

I looked over at Jasper and he was looking at her chest. It was such a fifteen year old boy thing to do, so of course I giggled. Jasper's eyes snapped over to me, and his face turned beet red, and he dropped his head down. I didn't mean to embarrass him.

"Okay, I need a kiss first, or I can't play." I said, smirking at Edward.

Emmett ran over and kissed my cheek, making me laugh. Liam followed his lead and picked up my hand, bringing it to his lips. Ben came over and kissed the top of my head. And poor Jasper was still red. I walked over to him and stood on my toes to kiss his cheek.

"I love you, Jasper." I whispered. "And she didn't notice, so don't worry about it. I think it's cute."

"Um, okay. Thanks, Bella." Jasper answered, quietly, before walking over to Maria. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into a tight hug.

"I don't know how to play." She said, looking up his face, and pouting out her bottom lip, exaggeratedly.

Jasper laughed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "If you have the ball, just run with it. If not, um, try to keep me away from the girl that has it." He explained. I bit my lip, holding back my smile. Jasper and Maria's relationship was so cute.

Edward walked over to me and kissed my lips. "Go get 'em, tiger." He whispered, winking at me.

"Mm. Are you going to tackle me?" I asked, smiling up at Edward's face.

"If I don't get a chance during the game, you'd better believe I'm going to do it, tonight." Edward said, smiling at me.

I giggled, and blushed a little. "I can't wait." I said, smiling. He reached down and spanked my bum.

I reached back to move his hand up off of my bum. I looked behind me to see if anyone saw him spank me. Edward chuckled. "Bella, it's football." He explained, taking my hand and leading me over to the group. "Spanking is allowed."

I laughed at him, but raised my eyebrows in doubt. "Mm hmm." I said, reaching behind him, to give his right bum cheek a good hard squeeze.

He laughed. "I said spanking is allowed. Not groping." He teased, making me burst out laughing.

"Who's groping?" Emmett asked, making us both laugh harder.

"Oh, just Bella." Edward said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and pulling my back to his chest. He kissed the top of my head. "But she's allowed."

"Okay, you two. You're competitors." Vanessa said, reaching forward and taking my hand, pulling me towards the girls. I giggled and looked over at Edward. He was smiling at me, and it made me feel so tingly and happy. This was an amazing day so far.

Ang and Ben played rock/paper/scissors to see who would get the ball. I heard fancy football terms like offensive line and receiving team, but I just stood there, smiling pretty at my fiancé. Edward winked at me, making me smile wider. This sports stuff was hard for me to understand, but Ang won us the ball.

"Okay, girls." Vanessa said, pulling us into a huddle. "We've go the ball first. So, Rose will pass it to me, and I'll throw it to whoever is open, okay? Bella, Angela and Maria, you three just run down the beach, trying to stay away from the guys, and wait for my pass. If you catch the ball, keep running."

Ang looked at me and giggled. We were the kind of girls that went shopping and hung out drinking virgin margaritas. Until I had met Edward, I had nothing to do with sports, or being athletic in anyway possible. But, I was honestly loving all the new experiences, and Angie seemed to agree.

"Okay." Maria said, looking excited. "Let's play."

Rose and Vanessa stood together behind a line in the sand. Maria stood to their right, and I smiled when I saw Jasper standing a few feet in front of her, on his side of the line. Ang and I stood on Rose's right and Edward and Ben were whispering to each to other as they kept their eyes on us. I was nervous. Edward had something planned.

Rose passed the ball to Vanessa and Angie pulled my hand so I would start running. We were giggling, trying to get around Ben and Edward. Edward let me pass him, and just when I thought I was free of him, he felt him wrap his arms around my waist.

I screamed and he started laughing. He kicked my feet out from underneath me and then dropped down on his knees, before laying on top of me. I giggled, as he leaned in to kiss the back of my neck.

"Consider yourself tackled." Edward whispered. I giggled. I had asked for it, so I couldn't complain.

We heard cheering and I looked up. Maria had the football and was running her hardest. Jasper was clearly letting her go, as he was shoving Emmett back. "Jasper is so smitten." I said.

"Oh, yeah." Edward agreed. "What was he blushing about before?"

"He was looking at Maria's chest and when he saw that I noticed, he got really shy." I said, making Edward chuckle.

"Well, I'm always looking at your chest." Edward admitted, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "And if we weren't on a public beach, I'd be kissing and touching your beautiful chest, too."

I smiled, and tried to roll over. Edward lifted himself up on his arms to give a little room. "Don't tease me, baby." I whispered. Edward looked into my eyes and lifted his eyebrows up and down at me, making me laugh.

"You guys." Angie called out, making me laugh. "The guys are going to throw the ball now. And we have six points."

Edward stood up and helped me to my feet. "Baby, I think I have sand in a bunch of unpleasant places." I told Edward, laughing.

He laughed. "Lucky sand." He whispered, kissing my lips. I shook my head at him, before running back to my position on the beach. I loved football.


	456. I'm Yours

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! Remember that the story is rated M, now! Enjoy!**

Chapter 456 - I'm Yours

We ended up playing football for the next hour or so. They guys won the game 18 - 6. We never scored again, and the only points us girls had were the points Jasper let Maria get. It wasn't our fault that all the guys were so tall and had such huge strides when they ran.

And, I was fairly certain, Edward was just using this game as an excuse to hold onto me. If he had the chance, he had his arms wrapped around me, tightly. Not that I was complaining. I loved that he couldn't keep his hands off of me. And, I honestly didn't care about the outcome of the football game.

Edward, Alice and I ended up taking the kitten for a walk before we left. Well, attempted to walk him. He was getting used to the harness, but still didn't really care for it. When we moved to Seattle, he wouldn't need to wear it, because he would be running free in the apartment. I just didn't want to risk losing him. He was still very much a tiny, helpless kitten right now.

Edward, Ben, and Ang and I decided to head back to my place to clean up before dinner. Jasper asked if he could take Robbie over to the Cullen's house, and of course I agreed. I loved that Jasper had taken to the kitten so fast. It was cute.

We got back to my house and Edward and I went into my room. The second the door was closed, Edward pulled off his tank, before he grabbed the hem on my tankini top and pulled it over my head. He had a huge smile on his face, as he grabbed pulled my bottoms off.

"You are so, so gorgeous." He whispered, setting his hands on my hips and walking me backwards to my bed. When my knees hit the mattress, I sat down, inadvertently bringing me eye level with Edward's crotch. I brought my hands up and set them on his hips, holding him in front of me, so he didn't step back.

I looked up at Edward's face, and bit my lip. I really wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I knew that I wanted something to. Edward was just watching me intently. I could tell he was conflicted. His overprotective side wanted to step back from me, but the turned on man inside of him, wanted to see what I was going to do.

I slipped my fingertips under the elastic waist band of his board shorts and ever so slowly slid them down. First revealing the lower part of his muscular abs, and then the gorgeous, cut V between his hips, before I revealed all of my beautiful fiancé, letting his swim trunks fall down past his thighs, pooling at his feet.

I reached up and ever so lightly teased Edward with the tips of my fingers. He groaned and when I looked up at his face, his eyes were squeezed closed, and his jaw was clenched. I was thrilled that he was letting me touch his body this way.

I was nervous, but I wanted to taste him. I wanted Edward to trust me even more. I knew that he loved me, but he had this insane urge to protect me, like I was innocent and shouldn't be corrupted. I wanted him to see me as an equal, though, and let me pleasure him the way he did for me.

While Edward had his eyes closed, I leaned in softly wrapped my lips around him, just a tiny bit, before tasting him with my tongue. It was an amazing feeling for me, and I felt so intimately close to him. Edward gasped, his eyes shooting open, before he stepped back.

He scared me, and I brought my hand to my chest. I don't really know why, but I felt tears spring to my eyes. I was really putting myself out there, and I felt rejected. Maybe I did it wrong. Maybe Edward didn't want to me do this to him.

"I'm sorry." I said, quickly apologizing, as I reached up to wipe the tears that had started rolling down my cheeks I hoped that I hadn't ruined things between us. Maybe we should have talked about this before I tried it, but the mood felt right to me.

"Shoot, Bella." Edward said, dropping down onto his knees in front of me. He instantly had his hands on my face, and was rubbing his thumbs over my wet cheeks. "Why are you crying, honey?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed and his face a mask of concern. "Why are you sorry?"

I reached up to push his hands from my face, roughly wiping my running nose with the back of my hand. Edward looked hurt that I was pushing him away. "Because you won't let me, um, well, you know." I said, sounding a little juvenile. "Do you not trust me? I mean I know I have no idea what I'm doing, but I think it's only fair for you to let me try."

Edward laughed a little, making me frown at him, and slap his shoulder. "I'm sorry." He chuckled. "This isn't funny, but baby, you're completely misreading things here." He explained, reaching forward to run his hands over my hair, and down my back.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, grabbing Edward's tank from where it had fallen on the bed and wiped my eyes with it.

"Bella, what you just did, baby, that felt so incredibly amazing." He said, making me smile.

"Really?" I asked, sniffling.

Edward closed his eyes and smiled, as if he was reliving the moment. "God, yes, Bella." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips, softly, making me giggle a little. "But, I need to explain something to you. When you did that, Bella, I almost lost it; like completely let go. If I wouldn't have stepped back, well, uh, I think you get the picture."

"So you liked it?" I asked.

Edward got up off of his knees and sat beside me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me back on the bed, so we were laying down. "Bella, I don't know where you got this idea that I wouldn't like that." He said, kissing my lips, again. "Can you tell me, because I don't ever want you to feel that way, again. I love you and I trust you, and you never have to apologize to me about anything. Especially not that."

"Well, it's just that when I asked you about it before, you told me not right now." I said, biting my lip.

Edward reached behind me and started rubbing my back. "I'm sorry." He said. "I shouldn't have just dismissed it, but I'm always concerned with making you happy, and satisfying you. I didn't want you think you had to do it, or I was expecting you to. That was before we made love, right?" He asked and I nodded my head. "Have you been worried about it?"

"A little. I just didn't think you wanted me to do it." I said, kissing his chin.

"Bella, Bella." He said, pulling me into a tight hug. "Will you please talk to me when things bother you? I'm a guy, sugar. I'm not perfect, and I try really hard to consider all your feelings and make sure you're always happy, but sometimes I don't think of everything. You need to tell me, okay?"

"I know I should have said something, but it's a little difficult to just bring up." I said, feeling my cheeks heat up.

Edward smiled at me, and leaned in to kiss my cheeks. "Bella, it felt amazing." He said, kissing my neck, before sucking just behind my ear. "I love what you do to my body. You are incredible." He moved his kisses down my body, kissing my breasts, and making me groan. "You like that?" He whispered. "Because that's all I've thought about doing this afternoon. Tasting your delicious body."

I threw my head back, my eyes closed, just enjoying the incredible sensations Edward was creating inside of me. He rolled me over to my back, straddling my legs, before he started kissing lower and lower on my body. He slid my legs apart and I reached down to tug on his hair.

"Edward. You don't have to do that." I said, hoping that he wasn't just doing this to make me feel better.

"I know I don't, Bella." He said, kissing the top of my thigh. "But, I want to. I love you, and I love to make you feel good, baby." He licked my leg, right where he had kissed it, and I let out another deep breath. "Are you going to let me, gorgeous? Can I taste you, baby?"

"Yes." I breathed out. His words were driving me mad. He was talking dirty to me, in his own sweet way, and I almost couldn't breathe, I was so turned on.

"Yes, what, Bella?" He asked, a smile on his face, letting his fingers move over my heated skin.

"You can do it." I said, propping myself up on my elbows.

"What, sugar? Talk to me. You don't need to be embarrassed. Tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it." Edward encouraged.

"Lick me, Edward, please." I begged. I was so turned on, my legs were shaking and if he didn't do something soon, I felt like I might explode. I dropped my head back. "Hurry, babe."

Edward didn't say anything else, he just started licking me, everywhere. I was trying so hard not to scream out, but I couldn't really concentrate. Edward was really, really good at this. I cried out when I let go, and Edward chuckled, moving up my body to kiss my lips.

"How was that?" He asked, rubbing his hand up and down on my side. "Was that good, my sexy lover?"

I giggled. "That was really good." I said, kissing his lips, again. "You always make me feel amazing. But, you didn't let me do the same for you."

Edward smirked at me. "I'm yours, baby."


	457. Very Nice

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 457 - Very Nice

I was so glad that Edward and I had talked. I was getting really good at sharing my concerns and worries with him, but how did a shy girl really bring up something as sensitive and embarrassing as oral sex?

I felt bad for not talking to Edward about it, though, because he seemed honestly shocked that I had been thinking about it, and that I thought he didn't want me to touch him that way. I wish I wouldn't have cried, though. But, it was an honest reaction.

But, Edward had soothed me, and we talked things through. I was grateful that he didn't baby me, and dwell on my insecurities. Instead, he started kissing me, making me feel amazing. But, the best part was the dirty talk. I loved it.

Everything about Edward was a turn on, but when he talked to me, sounding dominant, during sex or even just when we were fooling around, it was beyond hot. But nothing that he said to me was as amazing as when he laid back on the bed, completely naked, and told me that he was mine.

Edward was giving me the go ahead to do what I had asked to do. And I was definitely going to take him up on it, before overprotective Edward kicked in and he changed his mind. I was pretty nervous, though, so I thought I'd just start with kissing his lips.

"You are mine, Edward." I whispered, before laying on my side beside him. He hummed as I brought my lips to his, and we started making out. I slowly moved my hand down his chest and over his abs. I wanted to get myself comfortable.

I decided to let my body lead me. I got up on my knees, looked into Edward's eyes and saw nothing but endless love and support. I smiled at him, and he winked at me, giving me butterflies. He mouthed the words 'I love you,' before I kissed his lips, again.

I started kissing his neck and then moved down his body to his chest, like he always did to me. I sat up on my legs and looked over Edward's body. I didn't even realize I was biting my lip until Edward reached up and pulled my lip free with his thumb.

I reached up and held onto his hand, before pushing his thumb in my mouth, lightly scraping it with my teeth. Edward groaned as I started sucking on his thumb. "Just like that, baby." He said, quietly.

I nodded at him, before reaching up and intertwining our fingers together. He squeezed my hand, as I leaned over his hard body. I couldn't get very much of him in my mouth, and I was nervous so I didn't try. I just concentrated on the sounds he was making. It was very encouraging to me.

"Oh, Bella." Edward sighed. "Yeah, baby."

He was groaning and it was nice to see him let go of control for a change. I normally loved that he took charge in the bedroom, but right now, I wanted a turn to prove that I could do this.

I watched as Edward's stomach muscles tightened up. "Okay, Bella. Stop, honey." He rasped out. I sat back on my knees and watched as he took our interlaced hands down to finish the job. He growled a little as he let go, and it made me smile. I could make Edward feel good. I did it.

I grabbed Edward's tank and used it to clean up his chest. He smiled at me, before closing his eyes. "Bella Swan, you are incredible." He said, before opening one eye and peaking up at my face.

I giggled. "I'm pretty sure that I could get better at it, but I'm glad you liked it." I said. I have to admit that I was feeling pretty proud of myself.

"Come here." Edward said, smiling. I laid down beside him and snuggled up to his chest. "I love you." He said, kissing the top of my head.

"I love you, too, baby." I said, kissing his chest.

Edward's cell phone rang on the dresser. He looked over at me and chuckled. "Oops." He said, winking at me. We sat up and Edward grabbed his phone. I started getting dressed. There would be no time for a shower, now.

"Hi, dad." Edward said. "Yeah, we're just on our way over actually." I pulled on my black lace panties and did a little spin for Edward. He gave me the thumbs up, making me smile. "No, we didn't get lost." He chuckled. "Yeah, love you, too, dad. See you in ten minutes."

Edward hung up the phone, setting it back on the night stand. "Well, your dad just got to my parents' house, and everyone is wondering where we are." He said, getting up and walking to my drawer.

"Are we really late?" I asked, pulling on my blue sundress.

"No, dinner's not for another half hour." He said as he pulled on a pair of green boxers, his jeans and a white t-shirt.

I brushed out my hair and pulled it up in a ponytail. I was hoping to have a shower and wash the beach off of me, but I really enjoyed the last half hour that Edward and I spent together, and wouldn't change it for anything.

Edward walked up behind me, and wrapped his arms around my waist. "You look beautiful." He said, kissing my cheek. "Are you okay?"

I smiled. "I feel great." I told him, looking at his face in the mirror.

"Well, I'm glad." Edward said. "But, I mean up here." He said, putting his hand on the side of his head. "And in here." He set his palm over my heart.

"I'm really, really happy in here." I said, placing my hand on my heart. "And up here," I said, tapping my fingers on my temple. "I'm really glad we talked about things."

Edward spun me around and kissed my lips. "That's what I want to hear." Edward said, smiling. "I hate to see you cry, angel. So, if you need to talk, I'm always here. Let's try to prevent those tears, okay?"

I giggled. "Thank you, baby. Thank you for trusting me, and being patient with me. You are just so perfect." I said, running my fingers through his hair, trying to make him look a little more presentable.

"Well, we're perfect together." He said, kissing my lips. "Let's go get some dinner. I'm starving."

Edward and I walked out of my room and ran down the stairs together. We walked in the living room to get Ang and Ben, and I smiled when I saw them in full make out mode. Ben was leaning over my best friend and her hands were moving over his back, under his t-shirt. They were being pretty loud.

Edward cleared his throat and I laughed when they flew apart, Ben sitting down on the other side of the couch. "You're not in trouble." Edward teased. "Making out is definitely allowed in this house, but my dad called and they're waiting for us for dinner."

Angie laughed, her face bright red, as she got up off the couch and grabbed my hand. "This is so embarrassing." She whispered in my ear, as we walked to the car. Ang and I got in the backseat together.

"No, it's not." I told her. "It was cute. Plus if you knew what Edward and I were doing upstairs, you would not be embarrassed?" I admitted.

"Oh, my gosh, Bella. Did you guys have sex, again?" She asked, making me cover her mouth.

"Shh." I giggled. "No, Edward let me try, you know, going down on him."

"No way." She said, sounding muffled through my hand. "What was it like?"

So, I whispered to her, the whole story, the misunderstanding, the tears, the reassurance, then, my experience. "It's big, so it's hard to really get very much in without gagging, but it was amazing, because looking at his face, and how much he loved it; it's so empowering."

She giggled, which got me giggling. We both couldn't stop laughing once we started, and I noticed Edward peaking at me in the rear view mirror. I would never be able to tell him how much I appreciated him bringing my best friend up here to me. Honestly, the timing was perfect. An engagement, and just having lost my virginity, I really needed her here. Nothing could beat a best friend.

By the time we got to Edward's house, we had settled ourselves down a little. Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we walked up to the house. "I love seeing you so happy." He whispered in my ear.

I looked up at his face and smiled. "Well, you made me a pretty happy girl this afternoon." I told him making him chuckle.

We went in the house and it smelled delicious. Edward and Ben walked into the family room with the guys. I kissed the top of my dad's head, before Angie and I went into the kitchen. Heidi, nanny and Esme were all working away.

"Hi, ladies." I said, before going over to give them all hugs.

"Hey, girls. Did you have a nice afternoon?" Esme asked. Ang looked at me and we started laughing, again.

"You could definitely say that." I said, smiling. It was very nice.


	458. Leaving

**A/N - Happy Saturday! It is still Wednesday, August 4, 2010 in the story. It seems that this day is never ending as well! But, you know me and my details! We've hit 9000 reviews and beyond! I'm thrilled. Thank you, thank you! Enjoy!**

Chapter 458 - Leaving

Esme had made an incredible dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes and asparagus. And nanny made a delicious mixed berry pie that we had with ice cream. I was so full I could hardly move. I loved that Angie got along so well with the Cullens and my dad. She and Ben fit right in.

It was too bad that tonight was our last night all together. "So we were thinking of heading up to Seattle tomorrow to show Angela and Ben the apartment." Edward told everyone. "Then we are going to stay at our place overnight before we take them to the airport."

"Well, I'm sorry to see you both go. It's been so nice meeting you." Esme said, smiling.

"I've loved every second of our visit so far." Ang said, smiling and reaching over to squeeze my hand. "Bella told me how amazing you all are, but I didn't think people like that existed." She laughed. "But I was wrong. You are all amazing."

"We know it." Emmett said, making us all laugh.

Liam's phone rang in his pocket, and he excused himself to the other room. "It's probably the office." Grandpa said. "I don't think New York wants to let him go."

Liam came back in, looking a little agitated. "I've got to head home tonight. There is some kind of last minute meeting and I have one more article or something." He explained.

"You need to go right now?" Esme asked, getting up to go give her baby brother a hug.

"I do. I'm sorry. I was hoping to stay a few more days, but unfortunately, I still answer to these people for another few weeks." He said, patting her back, and leaning in to kiss the top of her head. "But, I'll be back to Washington before you can even miss me."

"I can't wait." Esme said, wiping her eyes. The boys went to help Liam pack his bags and Heidi, Ang and I helped Esme clear the table. "I'm really excited for Liam to move so close." Esme said, making me smile.

"Yeah, I can tell that Edward is thrilled about it." I agreed. "Having his uncle in Seattle is going to make going back to school a lot easier on him."

"I'm going to make him bring you two home all the time." Esme said, giving me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"We will, for sure." I told her. "We already promised Emmett that we would come to all his football games."

Esme laughed. "And, he'll hold you to that." She said, making me smile. Ang was right. This family was amazing.

We all walked Liam out to the porch to say goodbye. He gave me a huge hug. "Take care of Edward for me, and save me your couch. I may have to bunk out at your place until I can find something." He said, making me giggle.

"Of course." I agreed. "We can't wait to have you."

"Thank you, beautiful." He said. "I'll see you in a couple weeks."

I didn't tear up until Liam pulled Edward into a tight hug and kissed the side of his head. "I love you, buddy." He said. "Learn how to cook for your girl."

Edward laughed and quickly wiped at his eyes. "Will do." He said, wrapping his arm around me. I rubbed Edward's back. It was hard to see him upset.

We all waved as Liam drove down the road, before going back in to hang out in the family room for the rest of the evening. I sat between my dad and Edward, with my kitten sleeping in my arms, and I couldn't have been happier. It was nice to just be together.

Edward got up to use the bathroom about twenty minutes after Liam left, his eyes filled with tears. I rarely saw Edward cry, so it really affected me. I passed the kitten to my dad, and followed Edward up to his room. He was sitting on his bed with his head hanging down.

"Hey, baby. Are you alright?" I asked quietly from the doorway.

He looked up and smiled at me, reaching up to wipe his cheeks. "Yeah, I'm okay." He said, holding out his hand so I would come over to him. "I think Uncle Liam leaving just caught me off guard, that's all." He said, pulling me onto his lap, so he could hold me close to his chest.

"I understand." I told him. And I really did. I felt the same sense of loss when my mom left so quickly after my engagement party. "Do you want to be alone?" I asked.

"No, sugar. You make happy." He said, squeezing me tighter. "I was just hoping to talk to him a little more, spend some more time with him. That's all. It's not a big deal." Edward was trying to play off his emotions and be tough, but he didn't have to be with me.

I kissed his shoulder. "Why don't you give him a call tomorrow?" I suggested. "I know it's not the same, but try to stay connected to him. Everyone needs someone to talk to about things. I have Angie, Heidi and even your mom."

Edward chuckled, tickling my stomach, and making me laugh. "What about me?" He asked, acting offended.

I laughed, slapping his hands away. "Well, what about when I want to talk about you?" I giggled, making him gasp, before he laughed. "I'm just saying, I know we're engaged and everything, but it's nice, sometimes to talk to other people and get their take on things, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." He said, rocking me back and forth. "Uncle Liam had always been great. I've confided in him for as long as I can remember. Insecurities, relationship advice, you name it."

"That is amazing, Edward." I told him. "You're lucky to have that bond with him."

"I know." Edward said, leaning back to kiss my lips. "Thank you, Bella." He whispered against my lips, before kissing me again. I smiled. I was happy to have been able to make Edward feel better.

We went back downstairs and I smiled when I saw Robert asleep on my dad's lap. My dad still looked a little uneasy around the kitten, but he seemed to making progress. I was proud of him. I looked over at Ang and she mouthed the words 'Is everything okay?' I smiled at her and nodded my head. Things were great.

At ten o'clock, we all decided to head home. Heidi had fallen asleep with her head on my dad's shoulder. Jasper offered to keep the cat overnight, for us. We were going to have to get him something in Seattle. He was so amazing to help us out so much.

"Be careful on the highway." My dad said, giving me a hug. "And call me when you get there." I loved having my dad in my life to worry about me. It was an amazing feeling.

"We will, dad." I agreed. "We'll be back on Friday, okay?" I reassured him.

"Just in time to help Heidi's parents move." My dad teased.

"That's right." Edward said, looking like he had totally forgot. I couldn't blame him because, with our engagement, the reunion, my mom and Ang visiting and the kitten, there was so much going on since the Clarkes left. "What time do you need me?"

"Oh, not until noon on Saturday." Charlie said. "And it's in Sequim. But don't worry about that now. You enjoy your trip."

Edward chuckled, shaking my dad's hand. "And I'll take care of our girl." He said, making my dad laugh, and me smile.

I kissed my baby kitten, and tried not to cry as I left him with Jasper. I wouldn't see him for two whole days and it felt like too long. But, as usual, Jasper reassured me that he would be fine. Ang, Ben, Edward and I all drove back to my house.

"Should we pack now, or wait until the morning?" Ang asked, flopping on the couch.

"Why don't we wait until the morning." Edward said. "We can take our time. Maybe leave here around nine?"

"That sounds good." Ben said. "I like the idea of being able to sleep in." We all laughed. That would be a welcomed change, for sure.

We said our goodnights, before heading upstairs to our rooms. I pulled my dress off and went to lay on the bed. I looked over at Robbie's empty bed and sighed. I missed my baby boy. We hadn't even had him that long, but he was already such a huge part of our lives.

Edward crawled into my bed and snuggled up to my back. "I miss him, too." Edward whispered, kissing my shoulder. "But, I can assure you that he is well take care off."

"I know." I said, reaching back to rub Edward's hip. I giggled, when I felt his bare skin. I rolled over to face him, reaching back down to rub his naked body. Edward groaned and I smiled. "Mm. A naked fiancé in my bed. What ever will I do with him?"

Edward laughed. "You can do whatever you want with me." He said, winking at me.

I smiled. "I think I'm going to take you up on that."


	459. Could Be Fun

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 459 - Could Be Fun

I rolled over and snuggled up to Edward's chest. "Are you tired?" I asked him, rubbing his back.

He smiled at my face. "I'm not, unless you are." Edward said, making me giggle. He never wanted to pressure me into anything, but I could tell that he wanted to fool around a little.

"I'm wide awake." I told him, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"Well, that could be fun then." Edward said, making us both laugh.

"It could be." I agreed. "Do you want to make love?" I asked, feeling my cheeks heat up. After I said it, I realized that we should probably just let these things happen, and not plan so much, but it was still so new to us, so in my mind, it made sense to talk it though. Plus, Edward was always extremely understanding.

"Yes" Edward said, making us both laugh. "Um, do you want to try a different position?" He asked, his own cheeks turning pink.

"Like what?" I asked. I didn't know anything about sex, so Edward talking about new positions was a little terrifying to me.

"Oh, um, I was just wondering if you wanted to be on top? You know, that would give you more control." Edward explained. "But, if you're not comfortable with that, we don't have to."

"Okay." I said.

"I mean, the only reason I brought it up, was because I know you're so shy, and you might be too nervous to bring it up." Edward continued.

"Okay." I repeated. I was definitely willing to try new things with Edward. And he was right. I never would have suggested trying anything different. The whole act of making love was so new to us both.

"Okay, you want to try it, or okay, we won't try it?" Edward asked, picking up my hand the twisting my fingers around with his.

I giggled. "I want to try it." I said.

Edward smiled at me and kissed my lips. "Okay. Um, but if you feel uncomfortable at anytime, just tell me, and we'll stop, or switch, or whatever." Edward said, seriously.

I smiled back at him. He was seriously, the sweetest man on the planet, I was sure of it. "I love you." I said, because, honestly, what else could I say. I loved him with my whole heart, so much I felt like I could burst.

He chuckled. "I love you, too, angel." He said, kissing my lips.

I smiled, because it felt even better to hear it back from him. I leaned up and bit at his bottom lip. Edward hummed, leaning closer to kiss me a little harder. He took my bottom lip into his mouth and sucked on it. I followed his lead, and soon we were in full make out mode.

I loved that our talking about sex, didn't ruin the mood. Just one kiss from Edward turned me on. Edward's hands started moving over my body and I groaned. I loved his touch.

Edward slid under the blanket, replacing his hands with his lips. He stuck his tongue in my belly button and I laughed. I felt as Edward chuckled on my skin, before kissing my skin and giving me goosebumps on a warm summer night.

"Lift up, babe." Edward said, sounding muffled from under the covers. I lifted my hips and he pulled my panties down my legs. He sat up on his knees, knocking the blanket to the floor. "You are so sexy." He whispered, leaning forward and rubbing his hands up and down on my bare thighs.

"Thank you." I smiled. "So are you." I told him. He chuckled, before leaning down to kiss the inside of my knee. He gave my skin a little bite, and I squeaked. Edward licked where he bit me, before moving up my leg, kissing and licking and biting.

He had me groaning and squirming in seconds. I looked down at Edward and he winked at me. He knew exactly how to get me to react. Edward kept working my body over, until I was literally shaking. I was gasping for air, and Edward moved up to my body, kissing my sticky skin until he reached my lips.

"Are you okay?" He asked, softly, pressing feather light kisses to my lips.

"Mm. I feel amazing, Edward." I breathed, closing my eyes.

"Don't fall asleep yet, my beauty." Edward said, kissing my cheek. "We haven't even gotten to the good part."

I giggled, opening my eyes and looking into his gorgeous green eyes. "Edward. That was insane." I said, smiling. "How do you know how to do that?"

He chuckled. "I just want to make you feel good, babe. So, I go by your reactions." He said, rolling onto his back. "Are you up for some more?"

I giggled. "Yeah." I agreed, smiling at him. And, looking down at Edward's body, he definitely needed some relief. I rolled over and reached for a condom on the night stand. Edward watched as I put it on his body, his breathing was heavy, making his chest rise and fall.

I straddled Edward's thighs, not really knowing how to do this. "Take my hands, baby." Edward said, reaching forward. We threaded our fingers together, and Edward squeezed my hands. I stood up on my knees and walked forward, lining up my body over Edward. I was actually really nervous, now.

"Bella." Edward called, making me looking up at his face. "Just lower down, baby. Take your time. Keep looking at my eyes, okay?"

I nodded my head, slowly dropping down, groaning as I felt Edward sliding into me. I stopped part way and looked down. I looked back at Edward's face and smiled at him. "It looks cool, right?" Edward asked, his voice a little strained.

"Yeah." I said, moving down a little more. I was leaning forward on Edward's hands, using him for balance.

"You are doing really good, Bella." Edward said, fighting to keep his eyes open. I felt myself relax and I slid down the rest of the way. Edward groaned, letting go of my hands, and reaching up behind my back, pulling me down so our chests were pressed together. "Ah, baby. This feels so good. You feel so good."

I smiled into Edward's neck, kissing his jaw. Edward slid his hands down to my bum, and then slid them over to my hips. "Should I move?" I asked him.

"Yeah." Edward said. "Whenever you're ready." I kissed Edward's lips, as I started rocking my hips slowly. We both groaned, and then smiled at each other.

"That feels amazing." I whispered and Edward nodded his head, smiling at me. I kept moving and Edward's started moving his hips with me, increasing the sensation. Nothing would ever feel better than this, I was sure.

I felt myself falling over again, and I leaned in burying my face onto his shoulder. I screamed into his skin and not a minute later, I felt Edward tense up under me, before he relaxed completely.

We were literally stuck together, both really sweaty. I turned my face to look at Edward. His eyes were closed and his mouth was open. He was breathing hard. "Mm. Bella." Edward sighed, rolling us over to our sides.

I was so tired, so I closed my eyes. I felt the bed move and Edward pull the covers up over me. I felt his lips press into my forehead. "Goodnight, Bella." He whispered. "I love you so much." I smiled, my eyes still closed. I heard Edward chuckle, so I puckered my lips. He pressed his lips to mine.

"Night." I slurred out, making him laugh, again. I smiled, but I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I remember is opening my eyes to the sun shining through the windows. I stretched my arms over my head, and looked over at my man.

Edward was still asleep. He was laying on his stomach, with one arm above his head, and the other reaching over to me. His fingertips were on my hip. I loved that he had to be touching me, even in his sleep. He was wearing a pair of boxers, so he must have gotten dressed the night before, when I fell asleep.

I was still naked, but oddly, that didn't bother me in the least. Edward's lips were lightly parted, and I wanted to kiss him so much. I rolled over, leaning into press a kiss to pretty lips. Edward grumbled a little, tucking his arm under his pillow and turning his head the other way. I laughed softly. He was so out of it.

I snuck out of bed and pulled on my 'I like it on top' t-shirt that Edward bought me in Colorado. I thought he would get a kick out of that when he got up. I ran to the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth. I went back into my room, and noticed it was only six-thirty in the morning. I took my birth control pill and grabbed the massage oil, before crawling back into bed.

I straddled Edward's hips and he groaned lightly. I poured some oil in my hands and warmed it up. I leaned over and started rubbing Edward's shoulders. He squirmed a little before moaning. "Mm." He hummed. "What a nice way to wake up."


	460. Lover

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and for all the reviews, faves and alerts! It is Thursday, August 5, 2010 in the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 460 - Lover

Edward kept humming as I rubbed his entire back, really digging my fingers in. I wanted him to feel so good and relaxed. He would be driving us all the way up to Seattle, again, today, so I wanted to prevent my babe from getting too stiff.

"That felt amazing." Edward said, rolling onto his back, and knocking me over onto the bed in the process. I giggled, at his panicked face. "I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

"Baby, I fell onto soft mattress, pillows and blankets. I couldn't be more alright." I said, laughing. Edward was sitting on his legs, looking down at me. He looked so gorgeous, and I was getting turned on just looking at him.

It was funny, that it had taken us months to get to this point in our relationship, but now that we were here, I couldn't get enough of celebrating the physical aspect with Edward. And last night was phenomenal.

"Well, then good morning, my hot, sexy lover." Edward whispered, making me smile and blush. His eyes traced down the length of my body, looking hungry, before he started laughing hysterically, and I smiled up at his face. I think he saw the t-shirt.

"You like it on top, huh?" He asked, winking at me. He brought his hand down to my body and started moving it over my chest. "Mm. You're just gorgeous."

I smiled. "I'm surprised, but I actually didn't mind being on top this time." I told him honestly. "Thank you for talking me through it, baby. I really appreciate how amazing you are, how you encourage me, and just love me, so much."

Edward laid down beside me, and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close, and kissing my lips. "I do love you, gorgeous. And I will until the day I die." He said, making me smile. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself last night."

"I really, really did." I told him, smiling. "Did you like it, though?"

"Oh, my god. Yes, Bella." Edward said, closing his eyes. "Just looking up and watching your pretty face, and your sexy, naked body over me, uh, Bella. That was unbelievable. And then when we joined together, I almost couldn't hold back. Baby. We feel so good together. It's just amazing." He chuckled at himself and his enthusiasm. "I'm sorry for going on and on about it, but I really liked it."

I laughed. "Well, if you're sure." I teased, rubbing his back.

Edward leaned in and kissing my lips. "Oh, I'm sure, lover."

I loved when he called me lover. This was only the third time he had ever called me that. The first time was just yesterday, before I had finally put my mouth on him. And just this morning, he had already called me his lover, twice. It was a thrilling feeling to me. I was not just a girlfriend, or a fiancé. I was someone that could bring him pleasure. I was his lover, too.

We were so connected and so tied to one another now. I had honestly never felt closer to him, than I had in these last five days. Edward and I had given ourselves to each other, fully. We trusted each other with our bodies and our hearts. It would have almost been overwhelming if I wasn't so over the moon in happiness.

"You're glowing." Edward whispered, sneaking his fingers under my t-shirt and rubbing his hand over my hip and bum. "You look really, really happy." He smiled.

"I am." I told him. "And I like your new nickname for me."

"What's that?" He asked, smirking. "Lover?"

"Yeah." I said. "It makes me feel older and sexy and more mature." I told him. I always wanted to tell him what I was thinking, because he loved that.

Edward hummed, before leaning in to kiss my neck. "You are so sexy, Bella." He whispered. "Like I am actually, physically turned on by you, all the time. It's your voice and your laugh, and the amazing things that you say. It's your sensitive side, your innocence, your generosity." He said, making me smile, before he continued.

"Your perfect, sensitive breasts, your flat tummy, your cute little belly button, the beauty mark on your bum cheek, your long gorgeous legs, your adorable toes. And your taste, Bella, god, you taste so good. Your lips, your skin, your nipples, and between your legs."

I felt my face burning, half in shyness, and half in lust. Edward had never spoken so frankly to me. Edward looked up at my face and put his palm on my hot cheek, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth on my skin. He smiled supportively at me.

"I'm not trying to embarrass you, baby, I've just never felt this way before. You own me, Bella. You have no idea just how much. My heart loves you and my body is infatuated with you." He said, before leaning in to kiss me. "So, yes, Bella. You are the love of my life, but more than that, you are my lover, too."

I leaned in and kissed his lips. Hard. What could I say to that? I was engaged to the most eloquent, thoughtful and loving man. I could never explain how utterly and completely in love I was to Edward. But, I could try to show him.

I moved my hand down his chest, over his stomach, and now under his boxers. Edward groaned and I moved my hand over him. "Uh, Bella. That feels so good, baby." He whispered against my lips. I smiled. I loved that I could do this for him.

He slid his fingers between my legs and I gasped. "Can I have you, baby?" He whispered before kissing my lips.

"Yes, Edward. Take me." I said, biting at his shoulder.

Edward smiled, clearly happy that I was starting to feel more comfortable telling him what I wanted. Edward got up and pulled off his boxers, before putting on a condom. I pulled off my t-shirt, and Edward's smile grew.

He climbed back over top of me and lined up our bodies, slowing pushing into me. I closed my eyes and moaned. I loved this feeling. Edward started moving against me, caressing my body, kissing my lips. All at the same time. I was in sensation overload, with him.

I kissed him back, showing him as much passion as I felt. I reached down, holding onto his bum, pushing him even closer to me. I was trying to be as involved in our love making as I could, and Edward seemed to be responding to that.

He started moving faster, and harder, more sure of himself. I had never felt so much more passion from him before. "Shit, Bella." Edward breathed, leaning down to suck at my chest. "This feels so good."

I smiled. I felt so confident. I was his lover. I wasn't just being made love to. I ran my fingers through Edward's hair, scratching his scalp. "You feel so good inside me." I said, knowing how much Edward loved to hear my words.

Edward looked up at me and smiled. I pulled his hair, bringing his head up to me, so I could kiss his lips. He licked my lips, biting at them, sucking on them, turning me on, even more.

I screamed as I let go, probably way too loudly for having guests in the house, but I had never felt anything more intense. "Ah, Bella." Edward groaned, before dropping his face into my crook of my neck. It seemed like Edward was always brought right over the edge with me. He reacted to my body. To me.

Unfortunately, Edward had to get up because of the condom, but after he took it off, using his boxers to clean up, he climbed right back into bed with me.

"That was so intense." I breathed, kissing his chest.

Edward chuckled. "That's an understatement." He said, looking into my eyes. "Are you okay? I mean, I didn't hurt you? Wasn't too rough?"

"You are so perfect, Edward." I told him. "That felt amazing. I'm fine, baby. I'm better than fine." I reassured him. I put my hand on his cheek and leaned in to kiss his lips softly. "I love you."

He smiled against my lips. "I love you, too. Lover." He said, pulling back to wink at me, making me giggle.

"I don't think I can get out of bed." I told him.

Edward chuckled. "You can sleep in the car." He said, running his fingers up and down on my side. "We'd better shower, babe." Edward whispered in my ear. "We smell like sex."

I laughed. "Good sex." I said, making Edward laugh. I always shocked him when I said things like that.

"Mm." Edward hummed, leaning in for another kiss. "Great sex." Edward stood up and pulled on a pair of black boxer briefs. "Why don't you sleep for a few minutes? I'll go have a quick shower."

"Okay. Good night." I said, rolling over and closing my eyes. Edward laughed, pulling the blanket up over me after he lightly spanked my bum. He kissed my cheek, and I smiled. I loved him so much.


	461. Complex Woman

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 461 - Complex Woman

What felt like seconds later, Edward was kissing my cheek, again. "Wake up, sleeping beauty." He whispered. "Time for your shower."

I groaned and rolled over onto my back. "I don't wanna." I whined, teasingly.

Edward laughed. "Come on, baby." He said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and leaning in to kiss my lips. "You've been such a good girl this morning." He said, firmly. "Do you need a spanking?"

I moaned and opened my eyes, looking at his face. Now, that woke me up. His voice had been so confident, but he was blushing, and I knew he wasn't really comfortable with this. I had to beg him to spank me before. He was always so worried about hurting me. I decided to see if he would do it, again.

"I think I need a spanking." I said, sitting up and letting the blanket fall off of my bare chest. Edward raised his eyebrows at me, and I bit my bottom lip. I was trying to seduce him.

"God, Bella." Edward said. "Don't look at me like that." He said, looking up at the ceiling. He looked like he was trying to decide what to do.

"Why not?" I asked, getting up on my knees and setting my hands on his shoulders. Edward looked at my face, then down at my chest.

"Because, I'm already dressed and we still need to eat and pack. If you get turned on, again, well, quite frankly, we'll never leave this room." He said, making me giggle.

"I know. I'm just teasing you." I told him, leaning in to kiss his sexy jaw.

Edward wrapped his arms around me, and slid his hands down my back. Suddenly, and so quickly, I almost didn't know what happened, Edward slapped my left bum cheek twice, and quite hard, too.

I gasped, before I groaned. I really didn't think he was going to do it. But, I was so grateful that he did.

"Are you okay?" He asked, pulling back to look at my face. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you, or something." His face was the picture of worry. "Let me see."

"No, Edward. I loved it." I told him. "But, I want you to stop doing it if it's going to bother you so much." I said, sitting back down with my legs under me. "I never want you to be uncomfortable. And right now, you clearly are."

"I'm not." He said, looking down. "And if you like it so much, I'm not going to leave you unsatisfied."

"Edward, we've had sex twice in the last twelve hours." I said, seriously. "The last thing I am is unsatisfied."

"I know, Bella. That's not what I'm saying." Edward said, sighing. "Just forget that I said anything."

"What?" I asked, surprised. Edward and I talked about everything. How could I just forget it?

"I don't want to fight with you." He said, getting up and setting his hands on the back of his head. He looked so stressed out right now, and I hated to be the one to do that to him. He was facing the door, maybe thinking about leaving. I felt the tears start to pool in my eyes, as I reached over to pull on my t-shirt.

"We're not fighting." I said, my voice sounding hoarse.

I sniffled, and Edward turned around to face me. His face fell. "Are you crying?" He asked, sounding incredibly worried, as he came over to sit on the bed beside me. "Because, I just meant to tease you this morning, you know, about the spanking. I didn't mean for everything to turn so serious. I feel like I just ruined our day. Like everything was perfect, and I had to go and overreact. God, I'm so stupid."

I reached over and took his hand, bringing it up to my lips. "You're not stupid." I said. "You just happen to be the sweetest man I know. You don't want to hurt me and I understand that. I'm not some kind of, uh, I don't know what you call them. But, the people that like to be hurt."

"A masochist?" Edward said, looking over at me, and chuckling a little. I slapped his arm, and he laughed a little harder. "Bella. I'm well aware of that fact."

"Well, then." I said, sort of forgetting the point I was trying to make. I was just so happy to hear Edward's laughter, that I got a little distracted.

"Come here." He said, pulling my hand, so I would sit on his lap. I moved over, so I was sitting across both of his legs. "Can I tell you what I think?" He asked, reaching up to wipe under my eye.

"Yes." I said, wiping my nose on my shirt sleeve. Edward started laughing, again. I was glad he thought that was funny and not gross, but I didn't have a tissue and wasn't about to sit here with a runny nose.

"I think you are an amazingly wonderful, beautiful and complex woman." He said, making me smile. "And I'm a nineteen year old guy and I'm not very smart."

I giggled, and Edward smiled. He looked as happy to see me laugh, as I did for him. "You are very smart, Edward." I objected.

"Well, maybe when it comes to formulas and books and stuff, but I'm learning that the mind of one Bella Swan is pretty tricky." He said, leaning in to kiss the side of my head.

"I'm sorry. Am I giving you mixed messages, or something?" I asked, frowning at him. I wanted us to figure this out.

"No, baby. Honestly, I love the idea that you like when I spank you. It shows me how much you trust me. It's like you're giving your body over to me completely. You have absolute confidence in me, that I'm not going to hurt you." Edward said. "And I love that, and I'm so thankful for that. But, it's scary for me.

"I've told you that you are everything to me, and I cherish you, your body, your mind, your heart. I don't want to break that trust. I'm always scared that I'll spank you, and it will be too hard, or you will change your mind, or, even worse, you'll pull back from me. You won't ask for what you want." Edward continued.

"That, and it goes against everything I was ever taught. I was raised to be a perfect gentleman: to open doors, to be polite, to pay for dinner, and most of all, to never raise my hand to a woman."

I nodded my head. It was nice to get into Edward's mind. He thought about everything from all angles. I loved that about him. "I'm sorry for being complex." I said, making him laugh, again. He wrapped his arms around me, tightly and pulled me to his chest. I felt safe and loved, again. Like everything was right.

"Don't be sorry." Edward said. "I'm sorry for over thinking this."

"Edward." I whispered, and he hummed. "I do trust you. Completely. And, I love when you take control. I feel safe. You always reassure me, too. You are perfect for me, so please don't doubt yourself. Because I don't doubt you. You do what you think is right for us, and I will always agree with you."

"Okay." He said, nodding his head, and looking down at my face. "Thank you for that."

I smiled up at his face. "And, baby. You didn't ruin our day. I love when you tell me what's on your mind. It's only going to make us stronger."

Edward smiled. "I love you." He said, making me smile.

"I love you, too." I said. "Now, I'd better get my shower, huh?"

"Yeah." Edward chuckled. "I think I actually smell breakfast, so your best friend must be hard at work in the kitchen."

"Okay." I said, getting up. "We're okay, right?" Because I wasn't going to leave the room if Edward wasn't alright with what we talked about.

Edward smiled. "Yeah." He agreed. I smiled and turned to go have a shower, but Edward caught the back of my t-shirt, pulling me back to him. He lifted it to look at my bum. He leaned down to kiss where he had spanked me, before running his hand over my bum cheek.

"I'm fine, baby." I said, again, turning in his arms. I set my hands on his shoulders, before leaning in to kiss his lips. I kissed him again, and on the third kiss, he kissed me back. I smiled against his lips. "I love you, Edward." I whispered.

"I know you do, baby." He said. "And, I love you so much." He said, rubbing my back. "Go have your shower, angel." He whispered, standing up and pulling me into a hug. "We're sleeping in our apartment tonight."

I smiled. "Our first night, ever." I giggled. "I'm so excited."

"I was thinking that we'll bring your pink sleeping bag and sleep in our room, and give Ben and Angela the futon." Edward said, still rubbing my back.

"You love that sleeping bag, don't you?" I asked, teasingly, making Edward laugh.

"I do, but I love the sexy girl inside it even more." He said, winking at me. I couldn't wait for our sleepover.


	462. Experience and Knowledge

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 462 - Experience and Knowledge

I had a nice, hot shower, letting the water soothe my muscles. Edward and I had really gotten in quite the workout last night and this morning. I was a little stiff and sore, but it was so worth it. I loved how he could make me feel. I never dreamed that making love would feel so good.

I still felt bad about this morning. I hated that I had upset Edward. I was playing around with him, like he was with me. But, what I realized this morning, was that, while Edward usually acted confident, he had as many insecurities and fears as I did.

I relied on Edward a lot. I was young and inexperienced, so I tended to let Edward worry about things, let him make the decisions. But that wasn't really fair to him. He lost his virginity with me. He didn't have anymore experience than I did.

But, he knew a lot more. His dad was a doctor, and talked to him at length about sex. He had friends that talked, he heard things in the locker rooms, and I'm assuming he'd seen things on internet. I felt incredibly innocent about sex. Maybe I needed to get a book on it. Study. Then I would be on an even playing field with him.

I heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Bella." I heard Edward's voice.

"Come in." I called out. I heard the door open and close. "Hey, baby. Am I taking too long?" I asked, peaking out of the shower curtain.

"No, no." Edward said, walking over to kiss my lips.

"Okay, then what's up?" I asked, ducking back into the shower to shave my legs.

"I just." He sighed. "I just want to make sure everything is good." He explained. "I mean, I know we said everything was okay, but I just needed to check."

I smiled, because Edward was so thoughtful. "Can I tell you what I was just thinking about?" I asked.

"Yes, Bella. Of course. Always." He said.

"I was just thinking that I put too much pressure on you." I started.

"No, you don't." he said, interrupting me.

"Can you let me finish?" I asked, smiling. I knew he was going to stop me. It was how he was.

"I'm sorry. Go ahead." Edward apologized.

"I honestly don't know anything about sex, except for what I've learned with you. In school, we learned the basics, but that's it. No one ever explained the emotions that were going to be tied to it. No one ever explained that there was more than one way to do this." I said.

"And, you, Edward, you have been teaching me these things, and showing me, and guiding me. And I love that it's you. But, because of that, because you have this knowledge, I've been assuming that you know how to deal with everything." I continued.

"But, you don't have practical experience with sex. I'm your first, like you were for me. And that's easy to forget amongst all the emotions and experiences. In the moment, I pour all my trust into you. And I'm not sure that's fair." I said, rinsing my body off in the water.

I shut off the water, and pulled the curtain back. Edward was right there with a towel, and he wrapped it around my body before pulling me to his chest in a nice, tight hug. Edward pressed his lips to my forehead and held them there. I felt every ounce of love he had for me right now, and I felt so warm and safe and loved.

"It is fair." He whispered. "I love you, Bella, and I love that you trust me so much. And I do know a hell of a lot about sex. Yes, it's all on paper, but I know things. I like that I can show you things, and teach you things. It makes me feel important."

"But, I trust you just as much, Bella. And, these last few times, when we were making love, and you're kissing me, and moving your hips and pulling my hair, and holding my ass, Bella, all of that, it shows me that you want me to feel as good as you do." Edward explained, smiling.

"And I know we have a hell of a lot to learn, but we'll get there. And, I can tell you that each time we have sex, it gets better. Because it's not just the act, it's the emotions we feel. It's us striving harder to make the other feel good. It's amazing." He continued.

I smiled up at his face, and he smiled back down at me. "So, please, keep giving me everything, and I'll keep it giving you all that I have." Edward said, leaning in for a quick kiss. He looked genuinely happy that we had talked about this, and I was glad that there didn't seem to be any tension left in the air.

"Um, Edward?" I asked, feeling my face heating up. "What would you think if we got a book on sex?" Edward raised his eyebrows at me, and I giggled, nervously.

"Like what kind of book?" He asked, rubbing my back over the towel.

"I don't know. Maybe something that we could read together." I suggested. "Something to catch me up to your vast sexual knowledge base."

Edward started laughing. "I don't know how vast my knowledge base is." He said. "I mean I don't have the Kama Sutra memorized."

"See. I don't even know what that is." I said, pinching his bum over his camo shorts.

"The Kama Sutra?" He clarified, sounding surprised, and I nodded my head. "Mm. We're going to have to get a copy of that book."

"It's a book?" I asked, kissing his chest over his grey t-shirt.

"Yeah, it's an ancient text from India." He told me. "It talks about happiness in married life, and it has like ten different chapters on sexual positions, oral sex, all kinds of sensual pleasures."

"It sounds like you have it memorized." I teased, blushing.

Edward chuckled. "I spent a lot of time online over that last year at college. I was bored and lonely, so I swear, I've looked up almost everything there is." He said, looking a little embarrassed now that he'd said that out loud. "Um, I mean, like kissing underwater, and stuff, you know."

He shook his head and laughed, making me laugh. "What?" I asked him, sliding my hands into his back pockets.

"I'm not making myself sound very good, am I?" He asked, kissing my forehead.

"Edward, you sound like a teenaged guy." I said. "But, I like that about you. You research everything. You are very smart. I don't really know anything about this stuff."

"Bella, that's okay, too. You know I love your innocence, your sweetness. It is so damn sexy to me." He said, smiling. "But, if you want me to corrupt you, then I would happy to."

I giggled, and Edward wrapped his arms around me tightly. "So, can we get that book?" I asked. "I mean, I'd really like to look at it. We could read it together, right?"

"I will do anything to make you happy, Bella. If reading this book will make you feel more comfortable about sex, then yes, we can get a copy." He said, smiling. "And we'll sit on the bed together and we can read it, and act it out." He said lifting his eyebrows up and down at me, and making me laugh.

"Thank you." I told him.

"For what?" He asked, leaning in to kiss me.

"For being so supportive." I said, in between kisses. "For talking about this with me."

I moaned as he deepened the kiss. I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. My towel fell off of me, but I didn't care. Edward's lips were too important. His hands slid down my back, over my bum. He suddenly lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his hips.

He stepped backward and sat down on the closed lid of the toilet. He pulled back from my lips, smiling, before leaning back in to suck on my neck. I groaned and shifted forward, making us both hiss. I was clearly not the only one turned on here.

"Move your hips against me." Edward breathed, holding onto my bum.

"But you're wearing your shorts." I said, gasping for breath.

"I can change shorts." He whispered, chuckling a little. "I just need to feel you, baby." I smiled, moving against him, and groaned when he leaned in to start kissing the top of my breasts. I loved this feeling. Just Edward and I moving together like we had before we started having sex. It was just a quick way to make each other feel good. And boy, did it feel good.

I leaned my forehead on Edward's shoulder, trying to catch my breath. He chuckled, rubbing my back. "Wow." He laughed, looking up at my face. "I don't really think we need the Kama Sutra."

"Maybe not." I breathed, kissing his neck. "But, I'm really looking forward to reading it with you."


	463. Seattle

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I am confident with my storyline and the developing relationship between Edward and Bella. I changed my rating to M so I could explore this. Enjoy!**

Chapter 463 - Seattle

I got ready, pulling on a pair of jean capris, and a purple tank, while Edward laid on the bed and smiled at me, after changing into a pair of tan cargo shorts. I scrunched my hair with gel and put on a quick sweep of mascara and lip gloss. "Gorgeous." Edward said, smiling.

He took my hand and we went downstairs. Ang and Ben were at the table, eating. "Sorry, we started without you." Ang said. "It sounded like you were having fun, though, so no biggie, right?" She teased, making us all laugh.

"I'm sorry." I said, sitting down across from her, after Edward pulled out my chair. "I feel bad that you had to cook."

"Bella. I wanted to surprise you. I made my famous maple pecan pancakes for you." Ang said, lifting up a huge stack of five pancakes and setting them on my plate, making me giggle. She put a big stack on Edward's plate, too.

"Thank you, Angie. You know you're the best friend anyone could ever ask for, right?" I said, batting my eyelashes at her.

"I know." She said. "And you're doing your apology eyes. I'm not mad at you." She laughed, watching me take a huge bite of her pancakes.

"Ang, oh my gosh, these are so good." I moaned. "I haven't tasted these in a whole year."

"I know. I made them for you the day you moved." She said, looking up at me sadly.

I pouted, blinking back the tears, just thinking about hard that day was. It was honestly the hardest day of my life, but I didn't regret it. If I wouldn't have left, I wouldn't have met Edward. Edward leaned over and kissed my cheek, and I smiled at him. He was an angel to me.

"Bella, don't you dare start crying." Angela said, wiping under her eyes. "We have a whole fun day ahead of us."

"I can't help it." I said, laying my head on Edward's shoulder. "I'm really touched about the pancakes."

"Well, I love you. That's why I made them." Ang said, getting up to give me a hug. My best friend was amazing.

"I love you, too, Angie." I said, squeezing her tightly.

We finished our breakfast and Ang and I started the dishes. Ben said that he was going to bring down his and Angie's luggage. Edward wrapped his arms around my hips from behind and kissed my shoulder.

"Do you want me to go pack for us?" Edward asked, softly. I appreciated this gesture from Edward so much. Every extra minute I could spend with my best friend meant everything to me, considering she was flying home the next day.

"Thank you, baby." I said, smiling. "That would be great."

"Okay. I'll be right back, ladies." Edward said, winking at me, before going upstairs.

I filled the sink with water and started washing the dishes from Angie's amazing breakfast. She wasn't saying anything, so I looked over at her. She was smiling, and looked like she was holding back her laughter.

"What, Ang?" I giggled. "I tried to be quiet, I swear."

She laughed. "I don't mind, Bella, honestly." She said, picking up the plate I passed to her to dry. "But, I have one question for you."

"Okay." I said. "I'm a little worried."

She laughed. "I was just going to ask what you and Edward are going to do once your dad and his girlfriend move back home?"

"What do you mean, what are we going to do? I've already talked to my dad and he's okay with Edward staying over here some nights. I'm going to stay with Edward on other nights." I clarified. "My dad is okay with it."

Ang raised her eyebrow at me. "Well, just so you know, girlie, I was in your dad's room this morning and I could hear you guys getting it on, for lack of a better phrase." She said, making us both laugh. "Bella. You can't be that loud when your dad is in the next room."

"I know." I sighed, scrubbing the fry pan. "Well, we're either going to have to learn to be quiet or wait until my dad and Heidi are at work."

"I think option number two is the best bet." Angie laughed, putting the last of the dishes away. She leaned against the counter and sighed. "Bella. This trip has been amazing." She said, smiling over at me.

"I know." I said, reaching over to hold her hand. "I was thrilled that we got the time that we did in Arizona in May. I never dreamed that we would get more time." I would never forget that Edward did this for me. He was truly incredible.

Ben and Edward came down with our suitcases. Edward packed the sleeping bags and the afghan from nanny, so Ang and Ben would have something to sleep under tonight on the futon.

We were on the road by nine-thirty, a half hour later than we had planned to be. But I was grateful that Edward and I were able to talk this morning. After a summer of innocent touches, we'd made some pretty big strides in out relationship in the last couple of weeks.

A lot had changed, but to me, and obviously to Edward, as well, it was for the better. We were growing up, we were learning, and we were doing it together. My heart felt so full and my love for Edward kept growing.

We got to Seattle at around one in the afternoon, and I called my dad right away so he didn't worry. Then I called Jasper to check on my baby, who was doing fine. I was excited to show Ang and Ben Seattle, just as she had shown Edward and I Tucson in May. The car trip was as fun as usual, with them. We sang, we laughed, we told stories. With best friends, you never ran out of things to talk about.

We had eaten lunch in the car, picking up burgers at a drive thru on the way, so we could get right to the sights. The first place we went was Pike Place Market. I had loved hanging out here with our families when we first got the apartment, and I wanted to show it to Ang.

Of course, Angie and I went crazy with the shopping, and she bought a ton more souvenirs for her sisters, brothers and parents. We stopped for coffee at the first Starbucks, listened to the street performers and our boys bought us flowers from the vendors; Ang got pink tulips, and I got orange and yellow dahlias. And of course, Edward was rewarded with a kiss from me.

After a couple of hours, we grabbed some ice cream and headed to Kerry Park. It was the best place to just sit and see the piers and the gorgeous Seattle skyline. So, we took a bunch of pictures, just having a blast together.

Our next stop, on our whirlwind tour of Seattle, was the Space Needle. We got our pictures take at the bottom, before taking the elevator up. At the top, we all took in the view. I had never been up here, even though I lived in Seattle for eight months. But, it's not the same when you're alone. These views, these moments, were made to be shared.

I stood and looked out at the gorgeous view with Edward standing behind me, his chin resting softly on the top of my head, his arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders. The breeze was a little cool, but Edward was nice and warm and snuggly on my back.

It was already six o'clock and we were all getting hungry. We drove down to the waterfront to find somewhere to eat. We ended up just grabbing a slice of pizza. We were teenagers, and not hard to please. We grabbed some dessert to go and sat on the benches along the waterfront, just enjoying the view.

It was starting to get dark and the lights at night were gorgeous. We reluctantly decided to call it a night. Our site seeing was done, but Ang was excited to see the apartment. When we got there, Ang was practically bouncing. Edward walked up the stairs behind me, one hand on my bum the whole way up. I looked over my shoulder and he winked. His playful side was adorable.

"Oh, Bella. It's beautiful." Ang said, after the grand tour.

"We love it." I said, smiling, watching Edward and Ben trying to convert the futon from couch to bed. "It's going to look better once we have more furnature in the place, and decorations and stuff."

"Well, you'll have to send pictures, girlie." She said, pulling me into a hug. "I'm so happy for you."

We decided to go to bed early, considering we were exhausted from our day. Three hours of driving and then almost seven hours of walking, really made us tired. We decided to get up early Friday morning, because Ang wanted to see the university before we took her and Ben to the airport for their flight at noon.

After hugs and kisses, Edward and I went into our bedroom. "Can I just say, how excited I am that this room, right here, is our bedroom?" Edward said, smiling. "Like, it's not you staying in my room, or me staying in your room at your dad's place. This is ours."

I giggled, jumping into Edward's arms. "I know." I laughed, as he spun me around. Life was good.


	464. First Night

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all so much for reading! I truly appreciate it! This chapter takes place on Thursday, August 5, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 464 - First Night

After we brushed our teeth together for the first time in our new bathroom, Edward and I rolled out the two sleeping bags we brought. "I didn't bring an air mattress." Edward said, looking disappointed. "We have hardwood floors."

"It's okay, baby." I said, warpping my arms around his hips and holding him close to me. "We don't we lay on top the sleeping bags and cover up in our new comforter that your mom got us for our bed. Plus, we are sort of camping."

"Okay." Edward said, smiling. "Sounds good."

"And if you have a sore back, tomorrow, I can always rub it for you." I said, winking at him, and making him laugh.

"Mm. It's all sounding better and better." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Of course it is. I'm here." I teased, plopping down on the sleeping bags. Edward sat beside me and leaned over to kiss my shoulder. The apartment was so quiet. I was used to noise from the Cullen kids.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked, picking up my hand and bringing it to his lips.

"I'm just thinking about how quiet it is here." I said.

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" He asked, rubbing my arm, slowly.

"Um, I don't know. Maybe just different?" I said, sounding unsure. "I mean, I love the noise at your house. There is always so much going on. So many people. So much love and laughter."

"I understand that completely." Edward said, smiling at me. "But, you know what the good part is?"

I smiled back at him. I knew exactly what he was thinking, but I wanted to hear him say it. "What's that?"

He chuckled. "We can have the noise and family on weekends, when we go home, or when they come here to visit." Edward said, making smile. He was right. We weren't really losing the family at all. "But, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Bella, we have our own room, our own kitchen, our own bathroom, and our own living room. Just think of the fun we can have."

"What do you have in mind?" I asked, leaning back to unbutton my jean capris and pull them off.

"This." He said, smiling. "You dressed in a tank and panties. I can watch you eat cereal in your panties."

I laughed. "So, that's why you wanted us to get a place together. Because you have a panty fetish?" I said, making him laugh.

"I do not." He said, even though his cheeks were pink. "I just think you're pretty like this. You're relaxed and comfortable, and you're you." I smiled, as how sweet he was. "And, of course, being the leg man that you know I am, I have a gorgeous, unobstructed view of your long, sexy legs."

"Edward, I'm 5'2." I said, giggling. "There is nothing at all long about my legs."

"Oh, Bella, Bella, Bella." Edward said, shaking at his head. "Lay back."

I raised my eyesbrows at him, before doing what he asked. I laid back on the sleeping bag and Edward picked up my left foot. "Let's see how long this sexy leg is."

He placed a kiss on the top of my toes, making me laugh. "One." He said, in a soft, husky voice. I hummed, just hearing him say it. That was his sexy voice; the voice he used when he was being seductive.

I bit my bottom lip, holding it between my teeth, as I watched him kiss a path up my shin, over my knee, and then over my thigh. He stopped when he hit my panties with his lips. "Twenty five." He said, looking up at my face and smirking. "You're legs are twenty five kisses long."

"Yeah?" I asked, smiling as he laid down beside me to kiss my lips. "And that's long enough for you?"

He chuckled. "It's exactly the right length, Bella." He said, leaning in to suck on my earlobe. "You are the perfect size, baby. You're not too short. You are the perfect little package for me."

"Good." I giggled. "And I'm glad you're such a big boy." After I said it, and saw the look on Edward's face, I laughed. I had meant his height, but of course Edward was thinking of the sexual connotation.

He laughed with me, before pulling me into his arms for a tight hug. "I love you, gorgeous." He said, kissing the top of my head.

"Mm. I love you, too." I said, snuggling my face into his chest.

"Are you tired?" He asked, rubbing my back.

"I am." I admitted looking up at his face. "And I'm trying not to think about how Ang is leaving tomorrow."

"I know" Edward said, kissing my lips. "But, I promise we'll keep seeing her. She is a major part of your life. She's practically your sister, and baby, I understand that bond, that connection. Family is everything to me, too. She's leaving, but just think of it as temporary. We'll figure it out, okay?"

I looked into his eyes, knowing he was looking right back into my watery eyes. "Thank you." I said.

"I just don't want you to fall apart when she gets on that plane. It kills me, Bella, to see you like that." He said, and I loved that he was so honest about his feelings with me.

"Well, I don't want you to worry about me, but I'm going to guarantee that I'll cry when she goes." I told him honestly. "I love her, and that combined with the pills, Edward, I really can't control it."

"I understand that." He said, rubbing my back. "I'm just going to have to work harder to make you smile."

I smiled instantly when he said that. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Edward." I said. "I have never been so happy."

"Good. Then I'm doing my job. Lover." He said, making me glow. He knew that nickname got me every time. "Mm, Bella. You are so beautiful." His hand slipped under my tank to my clasps on my bra. "Are you wearing this to bed?" He asked, smirking a little.

I laughed. "I wasn't planning on it." I admitted. "Do you want to take it off of me?" I asked, batting my eyelashes at him.

He smiled widely. "Do you even have to ask?" He asked, reaching up to pull my tank top over my head. He gently cupped my breasts, giving them a light squeeze, before moving his hands to my sides. "Lift up." He whispered, smiling when I pushed my chest forward.

Edward slipped his hands under my body and unclasped my bra. "You are so good at that, now." I said, smiling. "Remember when you snapped my bra on my back?"

Edward laughed. "You have to point out my embarrassing moments, huh?" He asked, pulling my bra off of my arms.

"I'm sorry." I laughed. "But, it was cute." I reached up and pulled his t-shirt up and over his head.

"Well, as long as you think it's cute, then I guess I'm alright with it." Edward said, laying down beside me, again, pulling me chest to chest with him.

"Edward?" I asked, kissing his chest.

"Yeah, baby?" He said, rubbing my bare back with his big, warm hand.

"I want to get Jasper something. You know for always watching Robert." I said. He was just amazing, and I wanted him to know how much I appreciated him watching the kitten so I could spend the day in Seattle with my best friend.

"That's sweet." He said. "Yeah. I think he would really like that. Do you have something in mind?"

"I've been trying to figure it out, but I don't know." I said, scratching his back.

"Hmm. There's a baseball memorabilia shop in the mall. We could get him something from the Cubs? Like a card, or something." Edward suggested. "He is really into that kind of thing."

"That's a great idea, Edward." I said, snuggling against chest. I yawned, and Edward chuckled.

"Go to sleep, my beautiful girl. I love you." Edward said, making me smile. "And maybe tomorrow, before we go home, we can stop at a bookstore, too."

"Can't wait." I said, giggling, thinking that this would be the first time I would be embarrassed in a bookstore. Edward pressed a kiss to my forehead.

Tomorrow would be tough, but Edward would get me through it.


	465. Tour of Love

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you to everyone for reading. Today in the story starts Friday, August 6, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 465 - Tour of Love

I woke up to the feeling of Edward running his fingers through my hair. He smelled like his body wash and shampoo. He was so delicious. I smiled and opened my eyes. "Hey, pretty girl." He said, kissing my forehead. "How was your first night of sleep in our very own room?"

I rolled over and wrapped my arms around Edward, squeezing him tightly. "It was perfect." I said, my voice sounding scratchy. "How about you?"

"Amazing." Edward said, smiling. "I had the most beautiful woman in my arms to hold."

"How are you that sweet, all the time?" I asked, sitting up. I wrapped my arms around my bare chest. It was freezing in here. The air conditioning must have been set really cold.

"I just love you, and want you to know, all the time." Edward said, sitting up with me. "Cold, or shy?" He asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

I giggled. "Freezing." I said, kissing his cheek.

"Mm. Can I warm you up?" He asked, kissing my lips.

I stood up, running my fingers through his still damp hair. "After I go to the bathroom." I said, giggling. I ran to the bathroom, and was back in Edward's arms in two minutes.

"That was fast." He said, kissing my neck.

"Well, I had quite the incentive." I said, moaning when he started sucking on my skin. He moved his hands over my body, and I closed my eyes just enjoying his touch. I was definitely warmed up.

We didn't take things too far, even though I saw a bunch of condoms in the bag Edward packed for us. I thought it was cute that he brought ten condoms for us, for an overnight trip. But, I had to give him credit. He was prepared.

I also noticed that he packed me a box of tampons. I wouldn't be needing them for a about a week, but I loved that he was so thoughtful. This was the first time in my life that I was excited to get my period. I was so curious to see if the birth control pills would help reduce the cramps.

I had a quick rinse in the shower, and washed my face, but piled my hair back in a messy bun. I smiled when I saw what Edward packed for me to wear today. My butterfly panties, which he seemed to adore, my black, lace, see through bra, a black tank and my blue, floral skirt. It was a really cute outfit and I was proud of him for putting it all together. I skipped the mascara this morning, for obvious reasons.

I came out of the bathroom and found Ang, Ben and Edward all sitting on the futon. "Hey, girlie." Ang said, smiling. "You ready for some IHOP?"

I giggled. "Absolutely." I said, going over to sit on Edward's lap. I loved that we were keeping up the tradition. We had IHOP on the day that Edward and I left Phoenix in May, and now again, today.

I was sad that Ang and Ben were leaving, but, at the same time, I didn't feel heartbroken. Edward was right. This wasn't a permanent good bye. We were a part of each others lives and hearts, and no matter where we were, we would always be best friends.

We all got up to go to the restaurant, Edward and Ben each carrying a suitcase. Edward and I decided to leave our things here. I think he wanted us to come back alone this afternoon before we went home, because he winked at me when he suggested it.

"You look beautiful." Edward whispered, making me smile.

"So do you." I whispered back. Edward had on a white t-shirt and his light jeans with the tears in them. I have no idea why, but I thought they were so sexy on him. I figured it was because they sort of gave him that bad boy look.

We got to the IHOP and ordered our breakfast. Edward and Ben ordered the hash browns, eggs and bacon, Angie had the strawberry banana waffles, and I had the summer berry crepes.

"You guys always have to be so masculine." Angie said, laughing. "You know, it's okay for you to order fruity pancakes with whipped cream."

Edward took my hand, which had a forkful of crepes covered in syrup and whipped cream, and brought it over to his mouth. Ang and I laughed, as he happily chewed. "I can just eat Bella's." He said, chuckling.

I reached over and snuck a strip of crispy bacon from Edward's plate, stuffing it in my mouth. He gasped in mock horror, which made us both burst out in laughter. I had to hold my hand over my mouth so I didn't spit out my food.

Ang awed after both Edward and I settled down. "You guys are so cute together. I'm so happy that you're engaged." She said, smiling at us.

"So am I." Edward said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and kissing my cheek. "I love you." He whispered in my ear, making me smile even wider.

After breakfast, we all got in the car and headed to the university. It was funny. I hadn't really thought about my classes, or being back at school. The only thoughts I had were of Edward and the new apartment, making trips home and having people to visit. My life had become so full, and I loved it.

But now that we were at the school, again. I was getting excited. I knew that Edward had a lot of hard courses, and lots of lab work coming up. He wasn't looking forward to it, but I was.

I loved studying with Edward. I couldn't wait to lay on the futon, reading an assigned novel. I would have my feet on his lap and he would have a textbook on my feet. His left hand would be buried in his gorgeous hair, while he highlighted the important things with a yellow marker. His eyebrows would be furrowed in concentration and his lips would be moving ever so slightly while he read over his material.

I would peak over my book at him, and after a couple of minutes, he would feel me watching him, and he would look over at me, a happy smile spreading across his face. He would let out a deep breath and lean forward setting his book on the coffee table.

He would say something cute, like 'Bella break,' before crawling over my body and laying down on top of me. He would pull the novel out of my hand and fold down the corner of the page, before setting it on the floor. I hated when people did that, dog-earring books, but I wouldn't care, because it was Edward.

Edward and I would end up kissing, touching and just loving each other for a while. Just enough for a break from our studies, and to remind each other, to remind ourselves, that we were the most important thing in the world. That we would be getting married in the summer and that our life together was going to be amazing.

We would end up doing homework for another hour or so, before we showered together, and then going to our room to make love before bed. Maybe I would have to share my little fantasy with him, and see if that would perk him up, and make him look forward to the day we went back to school.

We gave Ang and Ben the campus tour, but my favourite spot was the classroom where I had first laid eyes on Edward. The room we first spoke to each other. This was the exact spot that changed my life.

Edward winked at me as I told the story to Ang, and Ben chuckled. "So, you guys were about as bad as Ang and I?" Ben asked, laughing.

"No, we were worse." Edward said, reaching over to hold my hand. "I didn't go over and introduce myself without being partnered up with her for a project. At least you approached her on your own."

"Aw, baby." I said, smiling, and squeezing his hand. "It all worked out." That made Edward smile.

On the way off campus, we stopped for coffee at the café where Edward had asked me to be his girlfriend and where we had shared our first kiss. "This is the place." I said, making Edward chuckle, as we all stood and stared at the bench.

"This is so sweet." Ang said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "The Bella and Edward tour of love."

I blushed as everyone laughed. Edward kissed my cheek. "I'll never forget that moment as long as I live, Bella" He said, softly. Neither would I.

I sat in the backseat with Ang, as Edward drove to the airport. We were holding hands and had our heads together, temple to temple. We didn't say anything, we were just soaking up the moment, and each other's presence.

Ang and I both cried before she and Ben left to board the plane. Edward pulled me to his chest and rocked me back and forth, letting me get the tears out of my system. I hated to cry, but I was always bad with goodbyes.

When I was cried out, I lifted my head and rested my chin on Edward's chest, looking up at his beautiful face. "I'm okay." I whispered, smiling at him.

"Good. I love you, Bella." He said, sweetly, leaning down to kiss my lips. "Now, let's go back to our apartment and fool around." His eyes held a glint of mischief. And true to his word, the night before, Edward made me smile.


	466. Bachelor Pad

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 466 - Bachelor Pad

Edward stopped at a drive thru for tacos on the way back to the apartment. My eyes were a little sore from crying, so I kept them closed. "You know I was kidding about fooling around, right?" Edward said, as he parked in front of the apartment. "I just wanted to make you smile."

I opened my eyes and smiled at him. "Well, it worked." I giggled. "But, I was hoping that you weren't kidding."

Edward chuckled. "Really?" He asked, reaching over to set his hand on my thigh. He gave it a little squeeze, before reaching up to cradle my face in his hand. "Do you feel okay?"

"I'm sad that she's gone." I told him, honestly. "I miss her like crazy and she's only been gone for a half hour." I said, wiping my eyes, again. "But I love you, and we have our apartment to ourselves."

Edward smiled at me, leaning in to kiss my forehead. "Come on, baby." He said. "Let's go have our lunch. We can snuggle on our futon."

I smiled. Edward was so amazing. He came around and took my hand, the taco bag in his other hand, leading me up to the building. "Hey, neighbours." We heard from behind us.

We both turned and saw Jax behind us with a large pizza box. "Hey, buddy." Edward said, smiling.

"Up to check on the place?" He asked, smiling. He looked at my face, and his smile fell. I think my red eyes and nose freaked him out. "Hey, uh, is everything okay?"

I giggled. "Yeah. Just ignore me. I cry a lot." I said.

"We just dropped off some friends at the airport." Edward explained, and Jax nodded his head.

"Gotcha." He said, patting my shoulder. "Do you guys want to come hang out at our place? We've got a total bachelor pad set up."

"Edward's engaged." I giggled, as we walked up the stairs. "He's not allowed to hang out with the fun single guys. He might change his mind and not want to marry me." I teased.

Jax and Edward laughed. "She's got you on a tight leash, huh?"

"No, I don't." I laughed. "I'm kidding. Plus I'm a bachelorette, still. Let's check this place out."

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and leaned down to my ear. "Are you sure you're up for this?" He whispered. I nodded, and smiled at him. I couldn't sit and mope all afternoon. These were our new neighbours and I wanted to have a good relationship with them. Plus, I could use the distraction.

"Kel." Jax called out, as he led us in the apartment. "So, welcome to the bachelor pad." He said, sweeping his arm in front of him.

Their living room had a foosball table, a pinball machine, and a big screen TV, with a bunch of video game consuls set up on the shelf underneath. They had a one long black leather couch in front of the TV, and a small card table set up to the right. I also noticed two mountain bikes out on the balcony.

"This place is amazing." Edward said, smiling. I knew it reminded him of the game room in the basement of his parents house. Em and Jazz would love this place. They would probably spend more time over here than at our place.

Kel came out of his bedroom. "Hey, guys." He said, pulling into a hug at the same time. "Come for pizza?"

Edward laughed. "No, we have tacos, but your brother invited us over to hang out with you guys."

"Wanted to show off the place, huh?" Kel asked, punching his brother in the shoulder.

"Well, yeah." Jax said, laughing. "We've been working on it all week."

Edward and I sat on the couch and Jax sat beside Edward. Kel pulled over a folding chair to the coffee table, and we all dug into our lunch.

"So, you guys just hanging out for the day?" Kel asked.

"We actually came up yesterday to show Bella's best friend, and her boyfriend, around Seattle." Edward told them.

"Oh, yeah? Are they thinking of moving up here?" Kel asked, taking another bite of pizza.

"I wish." I said, tearing up. "They just went back to Phoenix about an hour ago. Um. Can I use your bathroom?" I didn't really want to cry in front of all the guys.

"Of course." Kel said, as I got up. Edward reached up to squeeze my hip. I appreciated the gesture. He was letting me know that he was there for me. I smiled before I turned to walk down the hall to the bathroom.

Their apartment was the exact same layout as ours, except it was like a mirror image. I went in the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bathtub. They didn't have tissues, so I tore off some toilet paper to dab at my eyes.

I wished with all of my heart that I could have Angie with me in Seattle. But she had her own parents, siblings, boyfriend and job in Arizona. I let out a deep breath. I would be okay. It was just that the goodbye was still too fresh.

"Baby." Edward said through the door.

"I'm okay." I said, getting up to splash some water on my face. I opened the door and Edward pulled me into his arms.

"Come on." He said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Let's go back to our place for a bit, okay?" I nodded my head, and we went to go say goodbye to the guys.

"We'll see you guys in just over a week." Edward said. "We've got some furniture coming."

"Sounds great, buddy." Jax said, as they walked us to the door.

"I really like your place." I said, quietly. I was a little embarrassed about crying, and I felt bad that we had to leave. Edward looked like he was having fun.

"Thanks, cutie." Kel, said, lightly squeezing my shoulder. "Feel better, okay." I nodded and smiled before we waved at the guys, and crossed the hall to our place.

Edward pulled me over to the futon, which was still laying back in the bed position, and we both crawled on it. Edward pulled me over to his chest and held onto me tightly, gently tracing his fingers up and down on the back of my thigh.

"I'm sorry." I said into his chest. "I'm not being very much fun."

"Don't apologize for missing Angela and Ben." Edward said, softly. "I miss them, too. We had a great five days with them." Edward brought his hand to my cheek, before he brought his lips to meet mine.

I giggled, making Edward smile. "You taste like taco sauce." I whispered.

He chuckled. "Do you want me to brush my teeth?"

"No. You taste good." I said, inching up on the futon so I could kiss Edward a little harder. Kissing him, connecting with him like this, made me feel better. Edward had that kind of power over me. The world was perfect when our lips met.

I was rubbing Edward's back, and shoulders, just wanting to touch him everywhere. It was like I couldn't touch enough of him at once. I slid my hand down, over his chest, and stomach to his crotch. I pulled back to breathe and Edward let out a deep breath.

"Bella, angel, you don't have to do that." He said, reaching down to move my hand. "We can just kiss right now." He whispered, pressing soft kisses to my lips.

"But." I started to object, pouting a little, and trying to move my hand back to the front of Edward's jeans.

Edward chuckled. "No, Bella." He said grabbing both of my hands and holding them above my head. "Just kissing."

I sighed. Edward had way more will power than I did. But, I appreciated that he was trying to be sensitive. Edward rolled over on top of me, setting my hands on his shoulders.

"You used to like my kisses." He whispered against my lips, making me smile.

"I love your kisses." I whispered back, before kissing him.

Edward smiled before sucking on my bottom lip. I took his top lip in my mouth, and closed my eyes. This was our first kiss, recreated. I remember how special Edward had made me feel in that moment. And I felt that way, again, right now. My fiancé was a very, very smart man.


	467. Sick

**A/N - Thank you to everyone for reading, reviewing and adding me to faves and alerts. Enjoy!**

Chapter 467 - Sick

Edward and I kept kissing, just enjoying each other, loving each other. We were both laying on our sides on the futon, and Edward was rubbing my back. "We should probably hit the mall and then head home, right?" Edward said, softly. "We still have a three hour drive ahead of us."

"I know." I said, smiling at his pretty face. "And I miss our kitten, but I'm really enjoying just being with you, right now. This is really nice."

Edward smiled. "I'm just happy to see you smiling, again." He said.

"I'm alright, babe." I said, sitting up. "Thank you for being so amazing today."

"I'm always amazing." He said, winking at me as he sat up, making me laugh. That was very true.

Edward and I packed our bag, and rolled up our sleeping bag, before heading out to the car. On the drive to the mall, I looked over and smiled. "Baby, I just wanted to thank you for packing for me, yesterday. You did such a good job, and you thought of everything."

Edward chuckled. "I probably over packed." He said, looking over at me as we parked at the mall. I smiled. He was amazing.

We stopped at bakery for a box of pastries for the family. Edward ran it back to the car, before we went in the mall. We stopped at the baseball memorabilia store first and we looked around a little. Edward chuckled. "Jazz has so much stuff, I don't even know what to get him."

"What about this?" I said, picking up a DVD box set. "It says it's the best Cubs games in history."

Edward took it from me, and looked at the back. "Yeah. This looks good, Bella." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "He's going to love it."

I was glad that we had found something for Jasper. He had helped us out so much by always volunteering to watch the kitten for us whenever we had to leave town. He was an absolute angel, and I wanted to make sure he knew how much we appreciated it.

We walked by a pet store on the way to the bookstore, so we stopped in and bought Robbie a little stuffed fish that made a crinkly sound when you squeezed it. I had to get my baby a souvenir.

But, I had to stop stalling. We were going to the bookstore for sex books and I was already embarrassed. My stomach felt a little like it was churning. Edward held my hand as we walked into the bookstore.

"Babe, you actually look sick." Edward said, as we walked over to the lifestyle section.

"My stomach feels funny." I admitted, smiling.

"Well, don't be nervous about these books, okay." He said, smiling back. "You love books. It's nothing to worry about."

Edward looked over the shelves and pulled out an illustrated edition of the Kama Sutra. He flipped through it, and passed it over to me. I blushed looking at the paintings. They were beautiful, but very graphic.

Edward had pulled another book off the shelf, too. It was called 'Loving Sex.' "Let's get this one, too." Edward said, passing it to me. "It looks like the kind of book you wanted. It talks about relationships, too. It's not just sexual positions, and stuff like that."

Two girls walked by and giggled when they saw the books we were holding. Edward just shook his head. "Okay." I agreed, smiling, even though I was actually sweating now.

"Baby, you don't look so good." He said, setting his hand on my forehead. "You're hot."

"Actually, I feel like I'm going to get sick." I said, running for the bathroom. I got to the toilet just in time before I threw up. At first I thought I was just upset over Ang leaving, or that I was nervous about the sex books, but something wasn't right.

I threw up twice more, before unsteadily getting up and rinsing my mouth out. I looked horrible and pale, but I was so hot. I walked back out to the store. Edward was standing outside the door with the books in a bag.

"God, baby. Do you think you can make it home?" He asked, gently setting his hand on my cheek. I just shrugged my shoulders, and leaned into him. I felt horrible. "Okay, we'll try, and I'll call my dad from the car."

Edward helped me hobble out to the car, and after he had me buckled in, he got in the car, and headed to the ferry. We got to the ferry and Edward set me down on a bench before he called Carlisle.

"Hey, dad. Yeah, we're on the ferry. Actually, Bella's really sick. She's pale and sweating, and she has a fever." He said. He looked up at me. "Throwing up?" I nodded. "Yeah. Um, I don't know. I just really want to get her home."

I got up and went in to the bathroom, throwing up, again. I was feeling really weak, and shaky, now. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but it felt like the flu. I walked out and Edward was waiting for me on the other side of the door.

"Come here, honey." He said, lifting me up and carrying me over to the chair. He held me on his lap and I had my head laying on his shoulder.

"What did your dad say?" I whispered.

Edward kissed the top of my head. "Well, he did ask if we were being careful when we had sex." I looked up at his face.

"What?" I asked, feeling a little dizzy from moving so quickly. "He thinks I'm pregnant?"

Edward rubbed my hip. "No, baby. I think he was just going through all the possibilities." Edward explained. "But, I told him we were really careful and that you were taking your pills everyday at around the same time, and we always used a condom."

I dropped my head back on his shoulder. "Baby, we think it's food poisoning." Edward said. "You weren't at all sick until we ate those tacos."

"But you're not sick." I said, quietly.

"Yeah, but I had the chicken tacos, and you had beef." Edward said. "That has to be it." I groaned and snuggled closer to him. "You're going to be okay. We'll get you some water and ginger ale. You're not supposed to eat anything."

I felt horrible, and I wanted to be in my bed, but we had a two and half hour drive ahead of us. Edward bought my clear liquids, and a large cup of coffee for himself, before we went back to the car.

Edward drove as fast as he could, and I could tell he was worried about me. He sang to me softly, as he drove, and I felt nice and relaxed, but he did have to pull over once so I could get sick. He had his arm around my back, holding onto me while I threw up. I was embarrassed, that he saw me like that, but he just looked worried.

Edward called his dad once we hit Port Angeles, and Carlisle was going to call my dad and let him know I was sick. We finally got back to my place, and I noticed my dad, Heidi, Esme and Carlisle all standing by the front door.

Edward carried me up to my room, and even though I was so sick that I could hardly move, I noticed the big pile of condoms on the bedside table. And now, our parents were all standing in my room. I guess I'd have to have to worry about that later.

My dad and Heidi kissed my forehead before they followed Esme out of the room. She closed the door, and Carlisle sat on the bed beside me. Edward was sitting on my other side, holding my hand. He looked so worried, that if someone was going by his face alone, they would be sure that I was on death's door.

"Feeling sick, sweetheart?" He asked, as he pressed lightly on my stomach. His hands were cool, and I felt like smiling, because he was such a doctor.

"Yeah. I can't stop throwing up." I said, quietly. "I'm not pregnant, right?" I was terrified at the thought of it, because I was not ready to be a mom to a human baby, yet.

"Honestly, Bella. I don't think so." Carlisle said. "Morning sickness usually starts about two weeks after pregnancy, and Edward tells me that you've only been sexually active for less than a week. Are your breasts sore or tender?"

"No." I said, too sick to be embarrassed. I was just glad that my dad wasn't in the room for this. "That's good, right?" I asked.

"Yes." He chuckled a little. "That's good. Do you have diarrhea?"

"No." I answered. "I just feel weak, a little dizzy, and my stomach is starting feel cramped up." Edward leaned down and kissed my forehead, making me smile.

"Bella, Edward and I went over your day, and I think what we're dealing with is food poisoning. I think it's a staphylococcus aureus bacteria. That's often found in non refrigerated dairy products. You had sour cream on your taco, I hear, so that may be the culprit." Carlisle explained.

"Can you fix me?" I asked, closing my eyes.

"We can fix you, sweetheart." He said. "We just need to keep you hydrated, okay. I want you drinking small sips of fluids for the rest of the day. Tea with lemon and ginger is good for nausea. And just rest, Bella. If you keep the fluids down, we'll start you on some gentle, soft food."

I sighed. This was going to be a long night.


	468. My Nurse

**A/N - So, I actually made tacos for dinner last night! Call me crazy, but I got a craving for them after writing the chapter! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 468 - My Nurse

Carlisle got up to leave. "Bella, Edward is going to stay with you tonight, and if you need me, have him call. Don't worry about the time, okay?" He said.

"Thank you." I whispered, as he squeezed my toes on the way out of the room. He nodded and left, shutting the door behind him.

"See, you're going to be okay, baby." Edward said, kissing my cheek.

I turned my head to look at the clock and saw the condoms on the nightstand. "Edward. Hide the condoms, please. Hurry." I whispered. Edward flew off the bed, pulled open the drawer, and slid everything into it in one sweep. He was just closing the drawer when my dad walked in with Heidi right behind him.

"Hey, Bells." My dad said, coming to sit at the foot of my bed, rubbing my leg. He looked over at Edward and frowned slightly, but luckily, he didn't say anything. "How are you feeling?" He asked me.

"Horrible." I told him, honestly.

"We'll be right across the hall if you need us, kiddo." He said, smiling sympathetically at me.

"What about the Clarkes?" I asked. "They're moving tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it, kiddo." My dad said. "You just rest."

I closed my eyes and I could hear everyone talking, but I didn't know what they were saying. I think I fell asleep. All I remember was waking up and needing to vomit. I flew out of bed and ran out the door and into the bathroom, just making it to the toilet in time.

My throat was burning, and my eyes were watering. I felt like I was on fire. I slumped over and closed my eyes, resting my face on my arms on the toilet seat.

"Oh, baby." I heard Edward's voice at the door. I couldn't lift my head, but I heard the water running in the sink. Edward sat on the floor and helped me lean back against his body. He brought a cool face cloth to my forehead, and gently wiped my face. It felt so good.

"I feel gross." I whispered.

"I know you do, but you're not gross. You're beautiful." He said, running the towel down my arms, and over my chest. I tried to laugh, and Edward kissed the back of my head. "Do you want to lay in your bed, again?"

"I want to get out of my clothes." I said.

"Okay." He said, standing up, and flushing the toilet. He crouched down and lifted me up, carrying me back to my room, setting me on the edge of the bed. He shut the door and came over, gently pulling my tank top off. He unclasped my bra, and pulled it off of me. I stood up, holding onto his shoulder, and he pulled off my skirt.

I reached up to pull my panties off. I was sweating and it felt like they were stuck to me. Edward helped me pull them off of my legs. "I'm so hot." I whispered.

"Bella, you have goosebumps all over your body." Edward said. He pulled a t-shirt over my body, and I laid back on the bed. "Honey, do you want new panties?"

"No. I'm too hot." I whined.

"Okay." He said, sitting down in my desk chair.

"Aren't you coming to bed?" I asked.

"It's only nine o'clock." He said.

"In the morning?" I asked. I was so confused.

"No, baby. We've only been home for an hour." Edward explained. He walked over with a mug with a straw in it. "Come here. You need something to drink." He set the mug on the table, and helped me sit up against my pillows, before bringing the straw to my lips. I had a couple of drinks, before I dropped my head down on the pillow.

"Aw, Bella." He said, sitting down on the bed beside me. "I hate seeing you so sick. Get better, angel."

"I'm trying." I said, opening my eyes to look at him. "Where's Robbie?"

"Jazz has him." Edward said, tracing his fingers along my cheek.

My eyes teared up. "I miss him." I said, feeling a tear roll down my cheek.

Edward grabbed a tissue from my bedside table, and wiped my cheek. "I know, baby, but you need to sleep, okay?" He reached over to pass me a little purple flower. "Here. I ran outside to get you this when I went to get your ginger ale."

I smiled. I really needed the flower in that moment. "I love it." I whispered. "Are you going to stay with me tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said. "Em offered to go help your dad move Heidi's parents, tomorrow." Edward chuckled. "He can lift more than I can, anyway. And, my mom is going to stay here tomorrow with me, in case."

"Aw. Tell her thank you." I whispered, closing my eyes, before forcing them open to look at Edward, again..

"I will." Edward whispered. "I love you, honey." I smiled and closed my eyes, again. I drifted in and out of sleep all night. I only threw up twice more, which was nice, but I felt really weak.

Edward made me keep sipping my water and ginger ale every time I woke up. He was being a complete angel. He walked me to the bathroom when I had to go, and carried me back to bed. He must have been exhausted, because he was there for me, awake whenever I needed him.

The night was rough, but by morning, I still felt nauseous, but a lot better. I looked over at Edward and he was asleep, sitting up against the headboard. His arms were crossed, and his head was leaning back, but he was out cold. He was wearing his white t-shirt and green boxer briefs. He was so gorgeous.

My bedroom door opened, and Heidi peaked in. I waved at her and she walked in with my dad on her heels. My dad held back a chuckle at Edward. "We're heading out, Bella." Heidi whispered, placing her hand on my forehead. "Are you feeling okay? You have some colour in your cheeks."

"Yeah." I whispered, smiling up at my dad.

"Esme is downstairs." My dad said. "If you need anything, call me, and I'll come right home, kiddo."

"I'll be okay." I said, quietly. "Just tell Mary and Randell that I'm sorry we couldn't help."

"Oh, Bella. They understand." Heidi said, smiling. "Do you need to use the bathroom before we go?" I agreed, and Heidi helped me to the bathroom, after my dad kissed my forehead and headed downstairs.

"How was the trip to Seattle?" She asked me, as I leaned against the sink to brush my teeth.

"It was fun, but hard to say goodbye." I told her. "But, Edward was amazing."

"I can only imagine." She said, smiling. "Come on. Let's get you back to your man." She said, making me giggle, as she held me up and I slowly walked back to bed. I laid back down and pulled the covers up.

"Oh, can you pass me my birth control pills from my purse?" I asked her. I didn't want to miss one, especially after the little scare we had yesterday. She passed it to me and I swallowed it with some water. "Thank you." I whispered, laying back down.

Heidi left the room and closed the door. I rolled over and rested my face on Edward's stomach. I felt better, but I still felt sick, and I was hoping that it was okay that I took my pill. I wanted to asked Carlisle, but I was falling asleep, so I decided to talk to him about it later, and fell asleep instantly.

I woke up alone and I had a really bad headache. It hurt so much. I cried out when I sat up, and not two seconds later, the door opened and Edward was right there. "What's wrong?" He asked. "I'm sorry. I had to use the bathroom."

"My head hurts." I said, wiping my eyes Edward looked like he was torn. He wanted to hold me, but he wanted to call for his mom, too.

"Shit." He said. "Um, can you wait two seconds?" He asked, and I nodded. "Okay." He said, running out of the door. I could hear him calling for his mom as he ran down the stairs. Esme and Edward were back in my room in a minute.

Esme set her hand on my forehead. "Let's get you something to eat, okay?" She said.

She went downstairs and Edward pulled me into his arms. "Bella, you have to promise me you'll never get sick, again, okay, gorgeous?" He whispered. "I'm not good at this."

I giggled, looking up at his face, even though my head hurt. "I promise." I said, making him smile. "But, I've enjoyed you being my nurse." Edward laughed, and I felt a little bit better.


	469. Better

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading. The date in the story is Saturday, August 7, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 469 - Better

Esme had brought me dry toast, water and an aspirin for my head. Edward was sitting up on the bed, and I sat between his legs, leaning against his chest. I felt too weak to sit up on my own just yet.

Edward kissed the back of my neck when I finished my breakfast. "How's your head, angel?" He asked, quietly.

"Better." I said, rubbing his legs. He was wearing black board shorts and a grey t-shirt today. "But I really, really want to have a shower."

Edward chuckled. "Mm. That could be fun." He teased, making me smile. "Can you stand up?"

"Maybe a bath?" I suggested.

"Sounds good, honey." He said, getting up. "I'll go run the water." I smiled, laying back on my pillows. I was one lucky girl. Edward was so amazing to me.

I felt Edward's lips on my forehead. "Do you just want to sleep?" He whispered.

"No, my hair feels disgusting." I said, opening my eyes. "I didn't even wash it, yesterday."

"Okay, come on, sugar." He said, picking me up bridal style. I smiled when Edward carried me into the bathroom. He had the tub full of bubbles, and the room smelled incredible.

"Oh, baby. This is great." I whispered, smiling. Edward set me down on the toilet seat and gently pulled my t-shirt off, before lifting me back up and letting me sink into the warm bubbles. I hummed and leaned back, closing my eyes.

"How does the food feel in your stomach?" He asked, softly.

"I think I might be able to keep it down." I said, smiling at him.

"I'm so glad, Bella." He said, smiling at me. He looked so relieved, and I could only imagine how hard this last day had been for him.

Edward sang me my song while I floated in the water. I felt so nice and warm and clean, but most importantly, loved. Edward stood on his knees beside the tub and took my horrible hair out of the extremely messy bun I had put it in yesterday. He shampooed my hair for me, then rinsed it under the tap.

"Edward, my legs are fuzzy." I said, pouting a little bit.

"Then you're going to have to be a little peach." He said, winking at me, as I laughed. "I'm way too tired to be held responsible with a razor in my hand, today."

"You're so cute, you know that?" I asked, smiling.

"I try, baby." He said, drying me off, after the water was drained from the tub. He wrapped the towel around me and carried me back to my room. "Okay. What do you want to wear?"

"Maybe, some yoga pants and a tank." I said, making Edward smile.

"Panties, today?" He asked, teasingly, making me giggle, as he rooted around in my dresser drawer.

"Edward. I was delirious." I said, defending myself. "And I actually had a fever."

He chuckled. "I'm just teasing you, gorgeous." He pulled my yellow tank top over my head, and I pulled it down. I stood up and held Edward's shoulder as he dressed me in my navy blue panties and black yoga pants.

He brushed out my hair for me, and then carried me downstairs. Esme French braided my hair for me on the couch. Edward brought me my pillow and covered me up with the blanket on the back of the couch. I appreciated the change of scenery.

I was dozing in and out, and Edward was rubbing my feet for me, while he watched a baseball game. The doorbell rang and I turned my head. I smiled when I saw Alice skip into the living room. She was holding a pink teddy bear in her hand.

"Hi, Bella." She whispered, loudly. "I'm supposed to be really quiet because you don't feel good."

Edward and I laughed. "It's okay, sweetie." I told her, smiling. "You don't have to whisper."

"This is for you from all of us." She said, setting the bear on my stomach.

"Aw. Thank you, Alice." I said. "I love it. Does he have a name?"

"Well, I was thinking he looked like a Pinky-Pie." She said, making me smile. "But, you can change the name if you want. I don't think he's attached to that one, yet."

"No, I love it, Alice." I said, closing my eyes, again.

"How's our patient?" I heard Carlisle's voice, and I smiled, but I kept my eyes closed. I was tired. Edward told his dad everything that had happened since last night, and Carlisle, came over, pressing on my stomach, again.

"I'm checking for abdominal swelling, Bella, which would be a sign that things are more serious, but you seem to be fine." Carlisle explained, and I nodded.

"Thank you." I said, softly. "I just feel really tired."

"Okay, sweetheart." He said, feeling my forehead. "You just keep resting. We can get Esme to make you some soup, or some rice. You'll get stronger, again. But, the worst is over."

Edward got up and walked into the kitchen, before he came back with Jasper. I smiled when I saw my kitten in Jasper's arms. "Bella, Jazz brought you your baby."

"Hey, Robbie." I said, smiling when he meowed. Jasper set the kitten on my chest and Robbie laid down. He seemed to be content with me. I reached up to pet him and smiled when he purred. "Thank you for watching him, Jasper." I said.

"Um, I hope you feel better, soon, Bella." Jasper said.

"Thank you." I said, softly. "Edward, can you take him? I feel like I'm going to fall asleep." I fell asleep before Edward even walked over to me.

When I opened my eyes and looked around, I smiled. Jasper was sitting in the recliner with Alice on his lap. Edward was sitting at the end of the couch, with my feet on his lap and Robbie was crawling around on the blanket on my legs. They had Pocahontis playing on TV.

I loved that all the Cullens were here to keep me company. They were so sweet to worry about me. I loved it. "Hey, beautiful." Edward said, smiling at me.

"Hi." I said, sounding hoarse. Edward leaned forward to grab my water off of the coffee table, and passed it to me.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, rubbing my leg over the blanket. "My mom made you some soup."

"Soup." Alice said, smiling. "Can I have some soup, too?"

"Okay." Edward said, smiling. "Come eat at the table." He helped me sit up and passed me the kitten. He kissed my forehead before walking into the kitchen. I missed Edward's lips on mine so much. Stupid food poisoning, I thought. It was keeping me from my fiancé, and his warm, soft lips.

I looked down at my kitten and rolled him over on his back, rubbing his tummy. He wrapped his little paws around me, wriggling around. He was so perfect, and I was so glad that Edward had the kids bring him over to me.

Edward brought my soup in a mug for me, and kissed my cheek as he passed it to me. The doorbell rang and Edward smiled, looking relived. He came back in a minute with a big bouquet of bright yellow sunflowers. They were so happy and cheerful. He set them on the coffee table for me and I smiled.

"These were supposed to be here three hours ago." He said, softly, I think more to himself, than to me. It made me smile. He was such a perfectionist.

"Thank you, Edward." I said, drinking my soup with one hand and petting the kitten with the other. "They are beautiful. I love you so much, baby."

Edward smiled, getting down on his knees beside me. He reached up and swept some loose hairs off of my forehead, that were falling from my braid. "I love you, too, Bella. And I'm so happy that you're feeling better, angel." He pressed a soft kiss to my lips and I smiled.

"I've missed your lips." I whispered, before he pressed another kiss to my lips.

"Mm." He hummed. "I've missed this smile. And I've missed your pretty eyes being open." I pressed another kiss to his lips and he groaned, deepening the kiss. I think my sexy, turned on fiancé missed a lot more than my smile.


	470. You, Me and The Kitten

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! This chapter takes place on Saturday, August 7 and Sunday, August 8, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 470 - You, Me and The Kitten

Jasper, Alice, Edward and I all spent the afternoon in the living room watching TV and playing with the kitten. Well, I watched them play with the kitten. Edward wouldn't let me up from the couch.

Esme and Carlisle had left. I told Esme she didn't need to stay and watch and me. She looked worried, but I assured her I was fine, as I hadn't been sick since the middle of the night. Plus, I had my Edward. She made him promise that he would call if I was the least bit nauseous.

She wanted to take Alice and Jasper with her, but I had missed them so much this past week, having spent so much time with Angie. It made me smile to lay here and watch them play. Plus, I knew how important spending time with Edward was to Jasper, and I didn't want the boys to be apart.

I fell asleep for a few hours and I woke up when I heard the front door open and Emmett laughing. I smiled and rolled over on the couch. Alice was curled up and sleeping in the recliner. It was dark in the house, so I knew it was late.

"You don't have to pay me." I heard Emmett say, and it made me smile. The Cullen boys were sweet. My dad argued with him and they laughed, and it sounded like Emmett got paid fifty dollars for the afternoon helping the Clarkes move.

I heard footsteps come in the room and I looked up to see Edward pick up Alice and carry her out of the room. Emmett, Jasper and Alice must have left, because five minutes later, Edward, my dad and Heidi came into the room.

"Hi, daddy." I said, smiling when he walked over. "How was the move? Are they all settled?"

"Hey, kiddo. Everything went good, and Randell gave me this to give to you." My dad said, making me laugh, as he passed me a twenty dollar bill.

"Aw. He's sweet." I said, smiling.

"How are you doing, Bella?" Heidi asked, putting her hand on my forehead.

"I'm fine. It looks like I'm going to live." I said, making my dad smile. "Edward took excellent care of me. I might have to keep him." I whispered. Edward started laughing, leaning over me to kiss my lips.

"She slept most of the day." Edward told my dad and Heidi. "She's keeping down toast and soup, but she should probably eat, again."

"I feel like more toast." I said. Edward went to make me toast, and my dad ordered Chinese food for himself, Heidi and Edward. He ordered me a bowl of while rice so I wasn't left out. I had to giggle. I loved my family.

Edward put Robbie to bed in my room, before we all ate in the living room together. I got kisses from everyone, and Edward carried me upstairs to bed. I used the bathroom and brushed my teeth, before going back into my room. Edward pulled off my yoga pants and helped me into bed.

Edward undressed completely, except for his while boxer briefs. He crawled into bed with me, and wrapped his arms around me. "How do you feel?" He whispered, rubbing my back, softly.

"I feel so much better." I told him. "You were amazing today. I love you."

"I love you, too, angel. So, so much." He said, kissing my forehead. "Can I admit I was scared to death? Just seeing you so sick was so hard for me. You went from being cute and embarrassed in the bookstore picking out sex books with me one minute, and then the next, you were in the bathroom getting sick."

"I'm sorry." I whispered, kissing his chest.

"It's okay, gorgeous." He whispered. "You're better now and that's all I need."

I slept really well that night, and think the food poisoning was all but gone. I woke up feeling really good, and very well rested. Edward was still sleeping, and I was glad, because he deserved it. I heard a meow and slid out of bed, walking over to Robbie. He was in his litter box.

"Hey, handsome." I said, picking him up and snuggling him to my chest. "You're still so tiny, aren't you." I whispered, carrying him back to bed with me. I crawled in and set Robert down on the blanket. He marched around, looking for a place to sleep. He loved sleeping in our bed. He was so spoiled.

Edward moved his foot under the covers and Robbie pounced on it. It was so cute. I started giggling and Edward groaned, rolling over. He saw me sitting up, and sat up. "Are you okay, baby?" He asked, sounding panicked. "Do you need something?"

"I'm fine, baby. I'm perfect, actually." I said, smiling. "I'm just laughing at how your kitten thinks your blanket feet are the enemy."

Edward chuckled and propped himself up. He moved his foot again, and Robbie attacked. Edward laughed, and looked over at me. "I love this." He said, smiling. "I love our life. Times like this. You, me and the kitten. And we have our families and friends. Everything is amazing."

I smiled, and flopped back on the bed. I wrapped my arms around Edward and hugged him tightly. "I love you." I whispered. "And I think I'm better."

Edward squeezed me back. "You think?" He asked, kissing my lips.

"Well, I haven't really tried to walk too much yet, but I feel fine, now." I explained, before kissing him.

"I still want you to rest, today." He said, seriously.

"But, you're half naked, and so, so hot." I said, pouting. Edward chuckled. "What? It's true."

"You don't have enough energy to fool around." He said, moving his hand down to my bum.

"But, it's been three days, Edward." I said, biting at his bottom lip and then his scratchy jaw.

"Since we made love?" He whispered, looking into my eyes. I nodded and he groaned. "I know, baby. I'll tell you what. The next time we're alone, as in, no one is in the house alone, we can read our new books together."

"Why don't we read them, now?" I asked, pressing my hips forward into Edward's body, making him groan.

"Shoot, baby." He groaned. "That feels good." I smiled. I liked that I could get him to react. "Uh, Bella." He whispered, holding my hips back. "The books are in the trunk of the car, and sexy, as much as I want to keep going with this, your dad is right across the hall."

I leaned in to kiss him. He smiled and then kissed me back. "Always so practical." I said, smiling.

Edward smiled back, reached up and yanked my tank top up, before ducking his head down to suck at my right breast. I gasped. He caught me off guard completely. Maybe he didn't want to be the practical one all the time.

"Baby, that feels so good." I whispered, as his hand started moving into the front of my panties. I honestly didn't expect him to get this frisky with me so soon, but I was glad that he had. I had really turned him on this morning, so I was one hundred percent responsible. And I loved it.

Edward was rubbing his fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, and I think he was trying to get a reaction out of me. It was working. I reached forward and slid my hand into his underwear, trying to make him feel as good as he was for me. He groaned, and the sound was deep in his chest. It was so sexy and I closed my eyes just listening to him. He was so hot.

Edward started kissing up my chest and moved to my shoulder. "Squeeze harder." He whispered, before sucking on my skin.

I moaned quietly, before squeezing and rubbing him harder. He exhaled into my neck. Just hearing him react like that, brought me over. I held back my scream and buried my face into my pillow.

I heard Edward chuckle lightly, as he wrapped his arm around my back. "That was amazing." He whispered in my ear. "Are you okay?"

I nodded my head, before turning to look into his eyes. "I needed that. Three days was way too long." I whispered, making him chuckle, again.

Edward looked so happy and relaxed, and I was glad to see him that way. He had been so worried about me, and so focused on taking care of me. His face had been tense and his eyebrows were furrowed. Edward worried a lot, but I loved that about him. It just showed me how much love he had for me.

But, now, we were both back to our happy and fun selves, giggling over touching each other. Robbie meowed and we both looked down at the end of the bed. He must have been sleeping, but looked like he just woke up. Edward picked him up and set him in between us, where he laid down to sleep, again. Life was perfect.


	471. I Did Know That

**A/N - Happy Friday, and happy first day of Autumn! Thank you to everyone that is reading! Just a reminder, it is Sunday, August 8, 2010 in the chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 471 - I Did Know That

After we showered, and fed the kitten, Edward and I just decided to spend the entire day in bed. I felt better, but Edward still wouldn't let me do anything. So we were going to have a bonding day, just us and our Robert. My dad came in to check on me in the morning.

"Carlisle, Heidi, Ed Sr. and I are going to go fishing today." My dad said, leaning against the doorframe. "Are you going to be okay?"

I smiled, my head resting on Edward's chest. "I'm fine, dad. I promise. I feel completely cured, but Edward won't let me do anything." I explained. Edward had his arm wrapped around me, and was lightly rubbing my arm.

"I'll take good care of her, Charlie." Edward said, smiling.

"I'm sure you will." My dad said. He glanced at the now empty nightstand, and then back at us. I could feel my face heating up. He must have seen the condoms before Edward hid them on Friday.

I looked over at Edward and he looked like he was in shock, and was even a little pale. "Daddy." I started, trying to sit up. I had no idea what I would have said, but I was glad that my dad interrupted me.

"No, no." He said. "It's none of my business. You're getting married next year. I'm just glad that you're being careful."

I honestly didn't know what to say. "Thank you, sir." Edward said. I almost giggled, because Edward was back to calling my dad 'sir.' But, I was way to embarrassed to laugh right now.

"Have a good day on the lake, dad." I said.

He nodded, and chuckled a little. "I will." He said, smiling. "You get some rest." He said, pointing at us. I nodded and the minute he closed the door, I started laughing. I looked over at Edward and he dropped his head back on the pillow.

"God, Bella." Edward said, letting out a deep breath. He reached his arms up and tugged his hair. "I was enjoying the idea that your dad didn't know we had a physical relationship." He sighed and I giggled at how cute he was. "Bella. I could have been shot just now."

I rolled over and rested my arms and chin on Edward's chest. "My dad is not going to shoot you, Edward." I said, reassuring him. "He loves you."

"Well, maybe he used to love me." Edward said, peaking down at my face. "But, no father likes the man that is sleeping with his daughter."

"Aw, baby." I said, rubbing his chest. "I'll protect you."

"Thank you. I appreciate that." He said, seriously, making me laugh, again. "We're just going to have to stop having sex, Bella. I can't take the pressure."

I couldn't stop giggling. I loved when Edward teased me like this. He reached over and stroked my hair. "You are so beautiful when you laugh." He said, smiling at me. I looked into is eyes and bit my lip. The moment got really intense, all of a sudden. I could see in his eyes how much love and passion he had for me. It was an incredibly powerful feeling.

He leaned over me and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. He pulled back, smiling. "I love you, Bella."

I smiled. "I love you, too." I said, reaching up to put my hand on his cheek. "Will you go get the books from the trunk?" I asked him.

"Um, yeah." Edward agreed. He kissed me, again, before he got off the bed.

There was a little bit of tension in the air. Well, maybe not tension, but anticipation. I think we both knew that when we read our books, it was going to lead to sex. We had only had sex, or made love, four times now. So, the idea of doing it was still a little nerve wracking.

I got up and put Robbie in his litter box for a minute. I sat beside the bed and watched him as he kicked his feet. He looked tired, so after he had a drink, I picked him up and set him in his bed. I smiled when he plopped down and rolled over. I loved my kitten.

I heard my bedroom close and I turned my head to see Edward. He was smiling sweetly at me. "Is Robbie asleep?" He asked, setting the books on the bed, before coming over to help me up off of the floor.

"Yeah." I said, wrapping my arms around his hips. I kissed his chest, before I looked up at his face.

"Bella, nothing has to happen, okay?" He said, rubbing his hands on my hips. "We can just look at the pictures, or whatever."

I giggled. "Maybe I want something to happen." I told him, sliding my hands into the back pockets of his shorts.

"Oh, do you?" He asked, smirking at me. "Because, you're supposed to be resting, my gorgeous girl."

"I told you, I'm better now." I said, smiling up at his face.

"Okay, let's at least lay down." He said, taking my hand and leading me to the bed. "I don't want to wear you out." I adored Edward for trying to stick to his plan of making me rest today.

We sat on the bed, Edward against the headboard, and me between his legs, with my back to his chest. I liked sitting this way, because I could feel his heartbeat on my back, and his body heat. Edward passed me a banana, before peeling one for himself.

"Baby, you take such good care of me." I said, turning to kiss his lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Which book do you want to read first?"

I giggled, because I was both nervous and excited. "I'm sorry. I'm acting like such a teenager." I said, laying my head back on his shoulder.

Edward rubbed my stomach, slowly. "Firstly, you are a teenager for another year. And, baby, you're excited, and probably nervous. I know I am. We're still learning at this stuff, and we'll probably make mistakes." Edward explained. "I just want us to have fun together, get to know each other's bodies, and learn what you like.

"That, or maybe these books will jut turn us on, and we'll make our own fun." He added, chuckling. I turned in his arms and kissed his chin.

"I love the sound of that." I said, reaching forward. I picked up the Kama Sutra and leaned back against his chest. "You want to just look at the pictures?" I asked, flipping open the book to the middle.

"Yeah." Edward said, making me smile.

On the page that I had randomly flipped to, was a picture of a man sitting down with his legs outstretched and woman facing him, sitting on his lap, her legs on either side of his hips. It was gorgeous painting, with lots of colours. It read 'Kama's Wheel' beneath the image.

I was just about to turn the page, when Edward reached up to cover my hand with his. "I like this one." He said. I turned to look at him over my shoulder.

"Why?" I asked him. I wasn't doubting him, but I wanted to know what he was thinking.

"Well." He said, letting out a deep breath. "I like that the man and woman are face to face. I love looking at your eyes, your cheeks, your mouth. I feel like I can read you by looking at your face. I also like that you would be on top of me, and my arms are free to touch your body."

"Wow." I said, smiling. Edward was so incredible. He always thought things through. These were things that I didn't even think of. "And we could kiss and talk to each other, too." I added.

Edward smiled. "I love that, too." He said. "What do you think it would feel like if we were sitting up like that?"

"I don't know." I said. "But it doesn't look intimidating at all. I think I would be comfortable trying it, if you were."

Edward smiled, pulling the book from my hand and setting it down at the edge of the bed. I giggled as he wrapped his arms around me and laid down on the bed. He started kissing my neck and shoulders.

"Well, that didn't take long." I said, laughing as his hands started to caress my sides.

"What didn't take long?" He whispered, before going back to the trail of kisses he was giving me.

"For you to get turned on." I said, sucking in a deep breath when he got a little bolder with his touches.

"Bella, you know I'm always turned on when I'm with you." He breathed, reaching up to pull off my tank. I smiled because I did know that.


	472. Love and Lunch

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you to everyone for reading, reviewing and adding this story to their favourites and alerts lists! I have the best readers, ever! Enjoy!**

Chapter 472 - Love and Lunch

Edward and I undressed each other, all while kissing and touching. I wasn't at all shy around him anymore. I was fine with Edward seeing me naked, and I was almost comfortable seeing Edward naked.

I say almost, because, while his body was beautiful and perfect, I still wasn't confident with how to touch him. I appreciated when he guided me, and talked me through it. I'm sure over time, I would get more sure of myself, but in the mean time, was enjoying the learning process.

"Do you want to try it, now? The position from the Kama Sutra?" Edward asked into my neck. "Because you can change your mind if you want."

"I want to try it." I said, running my hands through his hair. Edward smiled at me, before he got up and went to the drawer to get a condom. "Can I put it on you?" I asked. Hey, a girl would only get more comfortable if she made herself familiar, with the, uh, equipment.

"Yeah." Edward said, smiling. He came to lay back on the bed, and passed it to me. I rolled it over his hard body and he groaned. "I love when you touch me, Bella." He said, smiling.

"Really?" I asked, because reassurance was only going to make me more comfortable.

"Really." He said. "Come here." He opened his arms and I laid down beside him, snuggling up to his bare chest. I kissed his chest, and set my hand on his abs. "Do I not tell you that enough?"

"No, baby. You tell me a lot." I said, looking up at his face. "It's just that I'm still not one hundred percent confident with this area." I told him, moving my hand in the air above his crotch.

He chuckled. "That area, huh?" He asked, smiling, leaning in to kiss my lips. I giggled and he smiled. "We'll get there, lover."

I smiled wider. I loved that nickname, and Edward knew it. I got up on my knees and straddled his thighs. "So, how do we do this?" I asked him.

Edward reached up to caress my body: from my shoulders down my arms and back up. He traced my collar bones with his fingertips and then cupped my breasts before sliding his hands down my ribs He set his hands on my hips and gave them a little squeeze.

I had my head thrown back and was trying hard to breathe. I was covered in goosebumps and I loved it. "Okay, can you lower yourself down on me?" Edward asked, looking up into my eyes.

I nodded, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. I buried my head into his neck and we both groaned as our bodies joined together. It felt odd not to move. We were just holding onto each other, trying to keep breathing.

"Can I move your legs around my back?" Edward asked, kissing the side of my head. "Just sit back on my thighs." He said, rubbing my legs, before helping me stretch them out behind him.

"Edward." I breathed, as my body moved closer to him. We weren't even moving, just sitting still, but the feeling of his body in mine was causing me to react. Edward brought his hands up to my sides and groaned.

"My god, Bella. This feels so good." Edward said, leaning back to look at my face. I put my hands on his shoulders and he put his hands on my hips.

"Should we move?" I asked, smiling when Edward leaned in to kiss my lips. He smiled back at me, still breathing heavy. It was so glaringly obvious that I was an amateur at this, but Edward never made me feel that way.

"You could, Bella." He whispered. "But like this, I can't really move." He kissed my lips again. "But you don't even have to. This feels amazing."

I rolled my hips against him, and he shut his eyes, dropping his head back. "Oh, god, Edward." I breathed.

Edward looked up at my face and smiled. He let go of my hips and wrapped his arms around my back, pulling our bodies flush together. "You feel so good, sexy girl." He whispered, kissing my neck. He brought one hand down to my bum, pushing me closer to him.

I groaned. "The house is empty, Bella." Edward whispered. "I want to hear you, gorgeous." He pushed his hips up and I screamed. I couldn't have held back even I wanted to. Edward groaned and fell back. I slid back and then crawled over to lay beside him.

"Wow." I whispered, kissing his chest, again.

Edward chuckled. "Yeah." He said, looking over at me. "I'm going to safely say that was the best twenty five dollars I've ever spent on a book in my life." Edward winked at me. "Did you like that?"

"I loved it." I said, running my hand over Edward's now sweaty chest. "I don't think it's ever felt that good."

Edward smiled and looked at me, again. "You do realize that I'm never going to get my homework done this semester." He said, making me smile. "I'm serious, Bella. And this is really scary, because I'm going to get thrown out of college. You'll have to go to work as a teacher and I'll say at home and study the Kama Sutra all day, and then all night, I'll teach you what I've learned.

"Baby, you're turning me into a sex addict." Edward continued, rolling over to face me. "And I love it." He breathed, before he leaned in to kiss my lips. I giggled. Edward was definitely one of a kind.

"I think I'd be okay with that plan, actually." I told him. "But, you might have a hard time explaining that to your grandfather Cullen."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess your right."

Edward and I got cleaned up, before coming back to bed, both of us in just our underwear. "I'm tired." I said, shutting my eyes.

"Then sleep, angel. You are supposed to be resting today." Edward said, stroking my hair. He got up and pulled on his jeans. "I'm going to go get us some lunch, okay?"

"Mhm." I said, rolling over on my side. I felt Edward pull the blankets up over me, his hand rubbing my hip through the covers. A minute later, my eyes flicked open to see Robert curling up beside me. I smiled before falling asleep.

I woke up when I felt Edward's body pressed into my back. He had his arm wrapped around my stomach and was tracing his fingernails back and forth over my skin, so lightly.

"Hey, beautiful. Are you hungry?" Edward whispered, before sucking on my earlobe.

I smiled and rolled over into his arms. "I am." I said, wiping my tired eyes. "What did you make me for lunch?"

"Well, Billy at the diner made you chicken strips, French fries and a strawberry milkshake. I figured you might be up for some real food." Edward said, smiling at me. "And I got you this." He brought a pink rose out from behind his back.

I smiled, reaching up to softly caress his face. "Thank you." I said, actually tearing up a little bit. "You are so romantic."

"Aw, Bella." He said, pouting back at me and wiping under my eyes. "Diner food isn't romantic." We both laughed.

"It is when you go get it for me." I told him. "You take care of me, and I love you even more for doing it."

Edward smiled and lightly ran the soft, fragrant petals of the rose over my bottom lip. "I will always take care of you, Bella." He said. "When we're eighty five, I'll scoot my walker over to the fridge and get you one of those meal replacement shakes for lunch."

I laughed and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him closely. "As long as it's strawberry." I teased, kissing his shoulder.

"Of course, angel." Edward said, leaning back to meet my eyes. He smiled at me, before kissing my lips. "Let's eat. I'm starving."

We sat up and I crossed my arms over my chest while Edward pulled all the food out of the bag. I was only wearing panties and Edward was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt.

"Why are you blocking my view?" Edward asked, smirking at me, as he reached over to rub his hand over my arm. "Are you still shy with me?"

"I'm not shy." I said, giggling and Edward raised his eyebrow. "Well, not all the time. But, you don't get to watch me eat topless if you're fully clothed." I explained. "It's only fair."

Edward laughed. "So you want my pants off?" He asked, making me laugh. "Getting more comfortable with this area?" He asked, setting his hand on his crotch. I fell back on the bed in hysterics, covering my red face with my hands.

Edward laughed, rubbing my thigh. I peeked at him and he winked. "You're such a guy." I said, sitting back up and eating a fry. "And you can keep your pants on."


	473. Naked

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 473 - Naked

"So, you don't want me to take my pants off?" Edward asked, pulling his t-shirt off, and passing it to me. I slipped it on and smiled at him.

"Well, I want you to take your pants off, but you don't have to do it now, you know, to eat." I said, laughing.

"Maybe I want to take them off." He said, getting up to unzip his jeans. I giggled, watching him strip.

Edward climbed back on the bed, completely naked. I know I was blushing, watching him eat his hamburger as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Um, what if you get ketchup on it?" I asked, then rolled my eyes at how stupid my question was.

Edward chuckled at me, reaching over to caress my cheek with the back of his finger. "If I got ketchup on this?" He asked, pointing between his legs.

I laughed and covered my face. "Never mind." I said. "This is so embarrassing."

Edward laughed. "You are so cute, Bella." He said, rubbing his hand on my leg. "Stop being embarrassed."

"I can't help it." I said, peaking up at him.

"Baby, we're getting married." He said. "Everything you see in front of you is yours. You own me, Bella. Well, you have from the minute our eyes met in class, but now it's official."

I smiled up at Edward's face and he smiled back. "You don't need to be embarrassed around me. You can ask me anything, you can say anything to me, and you can do anything to me, really. So, don't be shy, even though I think you're beautiful when you blush."

I pulled Edward's shirt off and tossed it to the end of the bed. He was right. We had decided to get married, and give ourselves to each other. We had made love, and we shared everything with each other; our thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams and even our bodies. I didn't need to be shy around him.

Edward smiled at me, before leaning in to kiss my lips. "You know, I wasn't trying to get you naked." He said, making me laugh.

I shoved his shoulder and rolled my eyes. "You were so." I said, grabbing his milkshake and taking a big drink.

"Well, I'm happy with the outcome of that little conversation, but you don't have to do anything you don't want to." Edward said, leaning over to kiss me.

"I know that. Maybe I wanted you to see my body." I said, smiling.

"Thank you. Can I try something?" Edward asked, smiling back.

"Um, okay." I agreed, even though I probably should have asked what I was agreeing to.

"Lay back, beautiful." He said. I laid back on the bed, setting my hands on my stomach. Edward scooted closed to me, gently pushing my hands off of my body. "Close your eyes." He whispered. I smiled at him before I closed my eyes.

My heartbeat picked up. I couldn't see him, so I didn't know what he was up to, but I trusted him. Edward set his hand on my stomach, before tracing around my belly button with his fingertips. I giggled and opened my eyes to look up at Edward's face.

He was smiling, watching his fingers, but he must have seen my eyes move and he looked up at my face. "Bella, no peaking." Edward chuckled.

"It tickles." I said, scratching my stomach.

"Do you need to your eyes open when you laugh?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my stomach.

"Maybe." I said, still smiling at him.

"Do I have to blindfold you?" Edward asked, laughing.

"I think you might." I said, batting my eyelashes at him. "Do you want to?" I asked, smiling at him.

"Um, okay." He said, getting up off the bed. He went into my closet and came back with a scarf. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"Edward, cover my eyes, and get busy." I said, biting my lip. Edward looked a little shocked, before he started laughing.

"Yes, ma'am." Edward said, smirking at me. He sat beside me and leaned over my face to kiss my lips. "Ready?" He asked, triple checking.

It was so Edward to make sure I was alright. We had blindfolded each other to pack for trips before, but never for anything sexual. We had really come so far, but as confident as Edward seemed to be in bed, I knew he still had insecurities, too. And his first concern was always for me. And I loved him.

"Yes, baby." I said, smiling, reaching up to lightly pat his chest.

Edward smiled, before lightly wrapping the scarf around my eyes and tying it loosely. "Tell me the second you're uncomfortable, okay?" He said, before kissing my lips. "And, I'll take the blindfold off."

"Okay." I agreed, smiling. I closed my eyes and just laid back. I trusted Edward completely, and I couldn't wait to see what he was going to do.

I felt Edward's hair brush my chin before I felt his lips on my neck. I hummed and he started sucking on my skin. He moved his kisses down over my breasts. I loved the feeling of Edward's lips on my sensitive skin. He kept moving down, kissing around my belly button, where his fingers had been before I was blindfolded.

I was nice and relaxed, but then I heard Edward moving, so I know I tensed up a little. My ears were straining to figure out what he was doing. I jumped a little when I felt Edward's hand on my hip.

"Relax, baby." He said, softly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." I said, wriggling around to get comfortable.

"Good job, baby." He said, rubbing his hand back and forth on my hip. I heard what sounded like plastic, before I felt something ice cold in my belly button. I squeaked a little, and Edward chuckled.

He leaned down and I felt his warm tongue on my stomach. I heard a slurping sound and giggled. He must have poured his milkshake in my belly button. I heard Edward laugh when I did, and it made me smile.

"Mm. You are so delicious, Bella." He said, before I felt the cold on my stomach, again. While Edward licked up his dessert, I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. I heard him hum and smiled as he started kissing his way up my body. His lips met mine and he tasted like chocolate and Edward, the two best flavours in the world.

Edward deepened the kiss and laid down on top of me. I wrapped my arms around his back, holding him to me as we made out. I usually closed my eyes when we kissed, but not being able to open my eyes and peak at him, was definitely different.

I moved my hips up toward Edward's and he groaned, pulling back from the kiss to take a deep breath. I loved the feeling of our bodies pressed so closely together, our hips aligned, my breasts pushing into his chest, our lips connected.

Edward slid the blindfold up and off of my eyes. He smiled at me, looking right into my eyes, before leaning back in to kiss me, again. I smiled when we both took a breath, before leaning up to kiss him softly over and over, again.

"Was that okay?" Edward whispered. "The whole milkshake thing?"

I giggled. "Yeah." I told him. "I loved it. But I am pretty sticky, now."

"Oh, no. We might have to go take a bath." Edward said, smiling. "Shall I go run the water?"

I started giggling. "Okay." I loved my Edward. And, he was really into baths, lately, which I thought was absolutely adorable. Edward kissed me before getting off the bed. He started walking to the door, before turning around and coming back to kiss me, again, which made me laugh.

"Sorry, but you're just irresistible, laying on the bed like that." Edward said, smiling. I sat up and smiled, watching him walk to the door, completely naked. He was hot.

I peaked over the side of the bed and checked that Robbie was still sleeping before I got up to follow Edward into the bathroom. He was standing by the tub, pouring in our bubble bath. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his hips, kissing his back. I couldn't wait to soak with my man.


	474. Panic and Plans

**A/N - Thank you to everyone for reading! Just a reminder that it is Sunday, August 8, 2010 in the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 474 - Panic and Plans

Edward got in the tub while I piled my hair up on my head. He held my hands and helped me into the water. I sat on his thighs and laid my head back on his shoulder. Edward hummed and wrapped his arms around my stomach, holding me close to him.

"You know, I never used to take baths." Edward said, making me laugh. "I was a shower man. But now, this is one of my favourite things to do with you."

I smiled, turning my head to kiss his jaw. "I like having baths with you, too." I said, still placing soft kisses on his stubbled chin. "I like being naked with you."

Edward chuckled. "Mm. I love that, too." He said, rubbing his hands over my stomach. "I'm glad you're starting to feel comfortable with me."

"I am comfortable with you." I said, reassuring him. "I just have insecurities sometimes, that's all. And that's just me."

"I understand that, baby. It's natural." He said, moving so he could look at my face. "But just know that I love you. All of you, unconditionally, okay?"

"I know you do. I love you, too, Edward." I said smiling.

Edward and I soaked in the water, just relaxing and enjoying each other's bodies. I was close to falling asleep when I heard my dad calling my name. "Bells. Are you guys home?"

I sat up quickly, splashing water everywhere. "Edward." I said, as if he could somehow solve this.

"Did you lock the bathroom door?" He asked, his eyes wide.

I had no idea if I did or not. No one was home, so I never thought of it. "I don't know." I said, panicking. "What if he checks my bedroom for us? We left our sex books on the bed. Oh, and pull the shower curtain closed."

Edward started laughing as he closed the shower curtain. "You know this is insane, right?" He asked, clearly having gone crazy from fear of getting caught by my dad. "We need our own apartment." Edward whispered, making me giggle.

"We have one." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Bells?" My dad called. "Are you in here? Are you sick, again?"

"I'm in here, dad." I said. "I'm fine. I'll be right out."

"Where's Edward?" He asked. "His car is here."

I don't know why, but I just lost it, and starting laughing, hysterically. I sucked at getting caught. I heard my dad walk down the hallway. I guess he thought I was crazy, which was good, because he left us alone.

Edward was chuckling, rubbing my back. "Let's get out of the water." He said, holding my hands and helping me stand up. He pulled the plug out of the drain and stood up. We dried off and wrapped the towels around our bodies. "I walked into this room naked, Bella." Edward laughed. "I don't have any clothes in here."

I bit my lip and smiled. "Yes, and you looked incredibly sexy." I said, smiling as I thought back to how hot Edward looked when he walked around the house nude.

Edward laughed, and pulled me into his arms, giving me a tight hug. "I love you. Let's just run back into you room, and if we're lucky, you're dad is downstairs." Edward suggested.

"Okay. "Let's do it." I said, opening the door and peaking out to make sure the coast was clear. I looked back at Edward and nodded, before opening the door and running across the hall into my room. Edward shut the door behind him and took my hand as we flopped onto my bed together.

"Uh, Bella. I'm getting too old for this." He said, making me laugh.

"Baby, you're nineteen." I giggled.

"I know, but hiding and getting caught by your dad has aged me today. First, the condoms, and now the bath." Edward sighed. "I feel like I'm at least forty five."

"Well, old man, you still look young and sexy." I said, reaching down to pull open his towel.

Edward smiled at me. "Well, thank you, my frisky little lover." He said, before kissing my lips. "Let's get dressed." He said, making me pout.

Edward pulled his black t-shirt and jeans back on, and I got dressed in a white tank and jean cut offs. We packed Robert in his carrier and went downstairs to face the teasing looks from Heidi and the disapproving looks from my dad.

Edward held my hand and we walked into the kitchen. My dad and Heidi were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee.

"We're going over to the Cullens' for pizza." My dad said, ignoring the elephant in the room. "Do you feel well enough to go, Bells?"

"Yeah. I feel fine, daddy." I said, going over to wrap my arms around his shoulders and give him a hug. "How was fishing?" I asked him. "Did you catch anything?"

My dad reached his hand up and held onto my arm. "We had a really good day." He said, telling us a little bit about who caught what kind of fish. It was like old times and I decided that I wanted to have a father daughter dinner soon. Just me and my dad, just like we did at the start of the summer.

We drove over to Edward's place, me Edward and the kitten in his car, and my dad and Heidi in the truck. "So, you think you're dad is okay with everything, you know, with us." Edward asked.

"Well, I think he's okay, it's just probably weird, that's all." I said. "I was thinking that maybe my dad and I should have a father daughter day, or something. Remember the day I found out that Heidi and my dad were getting married, and you suggested that it would be a good idea for me and him to still spend time alone together."

"I'm a smart man, huh?" Edward said, making me giggle. "Yeah, baby. Anytime you want to spend time with him, you do it. We're going back to Seattle in a few weeks, so definitely get in those daddy daughter days."

I smiled at my handsome, smart, sensitive and perfect fiancé. "Thank you, Edward." I said, reaching over to rub his thigh.

"Of course." He said, looking over at me. "But, you don't need to thank me. I know you're a daddy's girl. I'll just hang out with my brothers."

I smiled. I was excited to tell my dad about my plan. We pulled up to the house and Edward and I walked over to my dad's truck. "Can I talk to you, dad?" I asked, smiling.

"Of course, kiddo." He said. Heidi smiled at me before she and Edward walked into the house. My dad sat on the front porch step and I sat beside him. "What's on your mind?" He asked, picking up my hand, and patting the back of it. "Because if it's about this morning, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare Edward." My dad said, chuckling quietly.

I laughed. "Dad. You did so mean to scare him." I said, bumping his shoulder with mine.

My dad laughed a little more. "Well, maybe a little." He said.

"Well, it worked." I told him, making him smile. "But, I just wanted us to have a father daughter day, or dinner, or something. Just you and me."

My dad smiled. "I'd like that, Bells." He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "Did you have anything in mind?"

"Not really." I told him.

Honestly, I just missed my dad. We hadn't been living together for about two weeks, as we had Edward's cousins and then Ang and Ben staying over. So, really, we hadn't had much of a chance to just hang out. And with his wedding coming up at the end of the month, I really wanted to spend time to him.

"What about bowling tomorrow night?" He asked, making me laugh. It was such a random suggestion, but I loved it. "We can have dinner and then head over to the bowling alley and play a couple of games."

"Sure, daddy." I said, giving him a hug. "Sounds great. I can't wait."

"Me neither." He said, standing up, before helping me up. "We should go get some pizza before those Cullen boys eat it all." I laughed, because that was actually a possibility.

We walked into the kitchen and sat down beside each other in between Edward and Heidi. Esme smiled at me, so I figured Edward had filled her in on where we were. Edward leaned over to kiss my cheek and set his hand on my knee giving it a little squeeze.

I looked over at my dad and he had a big smile on his face. I loved my both of my guys. I was a lucky girl.


	475. Girls in the Kitchen

**A/N - Thank you to everyone for supporting the story. It is still Sunday, August 8, 2010 in 'Summer Vacation.' Enjoy!**

Chapter 475 - Girls in the Kitchen

We shared a great pizza dinner together. It was nice to be able to spend time together with everyone. It felt like forever since we had all been together. Darn food poisoning, I thought, again.

I also felt bad keeping Edward from his family. Emmett talked almost non-stop with Edward for the whole meal. It was like he had so much to tell him. Even Jasper was talking with the guys, so I knew it had been a while since they were together.

I think my father daughter night with my dad tomorrow was going to be a good thing for Edward as well. He said he was going to hang out with his brothers. That would be a great night for them, just the guys.

I knew that Emmett and Jasper looked up to Edward and asked him for all sorts of advice. Edward had told me that Jasper was more comfortable talking to him about girls, feelings and sex than he did with Carlisle. So, I think a guys night would be a great time for them.

I was happy that nanny and grandpa were still here, as well. Apparently, they were staying to watch Emmett's football practice this week, and going back home this coming weekend. It was so nice to see that they supported their grandkids. They had been in Forks to see Jasper's baseball games and Alice dancing at the assembly.

While we ate dessert, Esme's homemade triple chocolate walnut brownies, which were to die for, and were apparently Edward's all time favourite dessert, Nanny turned to talk to us. "We'd like to see the apartment before we fly back to Chicago." She said to Edward.

Edward looked so excited to show off the place, again. It made me smile seeing Edward that happy about our place. "For sure, Nanny." He said. "We'll give you the grand tour."

"And I hear you have nice neighbours?" Grandpa asked.

"Yeah, they're great guys. Kel and Jax." I said. "They're brothers from Montana."

"You should see their place." Edward said to his brothers. "It's a total bachelor pad. Foosball, video games, pinball. It's insane."

"Wicked." Em said, smiling. "When I get my own place, that's what I'm going to do with it."

"Emmett Cullen, don't you dare go moving out on me, yet." Esme said, looking a little panicky and a little heartbroken at the same time.

Emmett leaned over and wrapped his arm around his mom's shoulder. "Stop worrying, mom." He said, kissing the side of her head. "You're stuck with me for at least another year." Esme smiled and seemed appeased for now.

Esme was such a great mom, and I knew that Edward leaving for college in Seattle last year must have been really hard on her. And now, with all of our planning for the new place, she was losing Edward, again, in about a month. Just the thought of another one of her kids moving out, must have been so hard on her.

As per tradition, the guys, Alice and the kitten went out into the living room to watch the game, and the ladies cleared the dishes. I loved this part of the day, because Esme, nanny, Heidi and I got in our girl talk.

Nanny pulled me into a tight hug. "Bella, we've been worried sick about you, sweetheart." She said. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel great. Your grandson took really, really good care of me." I said, smiling, just thinking of the incredible things Edward did for me: carrying me around, getting me food and drinks, buying me flowers, running me bubble baths. So I bragged to all the girls, letting them know how amazing he was.

"Aw." Esme said, smiling. "That's my Edward. Always a gentleman. I'm really proud of him."

"Yeah, he was perfect." I said, leaning against the counter, smiling. "You raised him very well."

"What did you kids do today?" Nanny asked me, making Heidi giggle.

I looked over at Heidi and started blushing. I couldn't believe she was going to tell on me. My dad must have told her that he caught us both hiding in the bathroom together. She must have seen the panic on my face and just smiled at me, shaking her head, I let out a deep breath. I knew she was the best step mom to be.

"Edward said I had to rest today, even though I told him I felt fine, so we literally spent the entire day in bed." I told them. Esme and nanny still looked a little suspicious, but I wasn't about to admit that we were practicing the Kama Sutra.

"So, how's Edward doing with the new neighbours?" Esme asked. "I know how he gets a little jealous with other young men."

I smiled. "I'm actually really proud of him. He seems to get along really well with the guys, and he's not jealous at all. The only time he's ever been jealous though, is when someone actually shows interest in me, or flirts with me. And that's not the case with Kel and Jax. They're just like more brothers to me. We get along great, but we haven't really had a lot of time to hang out, yet."

"That's good." Nanny said, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're dad will be happy to hear that you have more guys looking out for you up there in Seattle." Heidi said, making me smile.

Edward walked into the kitchen under the guise of getting a drink. I smiled when I saw him, and he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, before leaning down to kiss my cheek.

"He just glows when he's around her." Nanny mused, making me smile. "It's beautiful." She said, walking over to pat Edward's cheek. I looked up at Edward and his cheeks were pink. He was so adorable.

"Do you ladies need any help?" Edward asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

"Honey, the work's been done for a half hour." Nanny said, in a scolding but teasing tone, that made Edward laugh.

"Do you want another brownie?" Esme asked, going over to cut up some more dessert.

"Yes, please, mom." Edward said, making me start laughing. He was so spoiled. Edward reached down and started tickling my stomach, holding onto me when I tried to squirm away.

"Are you going to spoil him for me when you go back to school?" Esme asked me, smiling at us.

"No way." I teased, laughing at Edward's shocked face. "He's back to pizza pops and takeout."

"Mom. Don't send me back with her." Edward said, making me laugh. "I'll starve." Esme, nanny and Heidi were all giggling at us.

I turned in Edward's arms and stood on my toes to kiss his chin. "I'll take good care of you, baby." I promised, smiling when Edward leaned down to softly kiss my lips. "Just like you take care of me."

"She's really perfect, isn't she?" Edward asked, making me squeak when he bent down to pick me up bridal style. He started walking towards the basement door with me in his arms. He called out "snuggle break," before carrying me down the stairs.

I heard laughter behind us and buried my head into Edward's shoulder. "Edward." I complained, red faced.

"What?" He asked, chuckling. "You don't want to snuggle with me?" He sat down on the couch with me on his lap.

"I love snuggling with you." I said, leaning in to kiss his pretty lips. "But my dad is upstairs. Your grandparents."

"I know." He said. "But, you're my fiancé and I love you. And I need you." Edward smirked at me, smugly, and I giggled. "Do you feel okay? Not sick?" He asked, rubbing my back.

"I'm perfectly fine, Edward. Thank you." I told him. "Now, are you going to snuggle me, or what?" I asked, winking at him, and making him laugh.

Edward leaned in and rubbed his nose against mine. "I'll snuggle you." He whispered, before kissing my lips. He laid us back on the couch and wrapped his arms around me, holding us chest to chest.

"How did things go with your dad?" He asked, setting his hand on my bum over my cut offs. "Is he down with daddy daughter day?"

I laughed. "He's down with it." I said, smiling. "We're going to have dinner and then go bowling together tomorrow night. I'm really excited about it."

Edward smiled back. "I'm glad, Bella." He said. "I love that you guys have such a close relationship. I can see how important that is for you." I leaned in for a kiss, loving Edward a little more every second.


	476. Brothers

**A/N - Happy Wednesday! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 476 - Brothers

Edward and I were laying side by side on the couch, just talking and kissing, giving each other almost innocent touches. I loved just being with him. When we were together, I forgot where we were or who was around, which in some cases, could be an embarrassing thing.

I didn't even hear their footsteps on the stairs, but I looked up when someone cleared their throat. Jasper, with Robert in his arms, Emmett and my dad were all standing behind the couch looking at us.

Edward, clearly in his own world, kept kissing my neck, still running his hand over my bum and the back of my thighs. In about two seconds, we were all about to see a red faced Edward. But, I couldn't talk. At least we would match.

I had my fingers tangled in his hair, so I gave it a tug. "Edward." I said, so he would stop. He just groaned out my name and kept kissing me. "Stop it." I said, kneeing him in the leg. I didn't want to hurt him, but he was only going to embarrass himself.

"Ow. What? Why?" He asked, looking at my face with a cute little confused expression, making Emmett burst out laughing. I was honestly surprised that Emmett lasted that long without laughing.

Edward rolled over and looked up at my dad, and his brothers. "Shoot." He said, trying to sit up, but really not being able to because I was laying beside him. "Um, Charlie, sir." He said, finally getting up.

My dad looked at him and laughed. "This really isn't a good day for me, is it?" Edward said, reaching up and running his fingers through own his hair, giving it a little tug.

My dad chuckled and slapped his shoulder. "You're fine in my books, kid." My dad said. "Bells. I just followed the boys down to let you know that Heidi and I are heading back to the house."

"Okay, daddy." I said, getting up to go give him a hug. He squeezed me back and it made me smile.

"I think I can get off work a little early tomorrow night." He told me, smiling.

"Oh, okay. That's great, dad." I said. "I love you."

"Love you, too, kiddo." He said. "Good luck at practice tomorrow, Em." My dad said, giving Emmett's shoulder a squeeze. "We'll come check how you're doing next week. We're on the night shift."

"Thanks, chief." Emmett said, looking pretty excited.

"See ya, Charlie." Edward said, letting out a huge breath as my dad walked up the stairs. Edward walked over to Emmett and punched him in the arm. "Thanks for the back up, little brother." He said, making Emmett laugh harder. "You could have yelled down the stairs to let me know you were coming."

"Maybe you need to learn to stop making out in rooms without locked doors." Emmett said, as he reached out to hit Edward back. Edward grabbed a hold of Emmett and they started wrestling with each other. They fell on the ground, still fighting with each other. I looked up at Jasper and he was laughing at them.

"They do this a lot?" I asked Jasper, smiling as we sat down beside each other on the couch.

"They used to." Jasper said, passing me my kitten. "They haven't since they both got girlfriends, well, you know, you and Rose."

"We've kept them distracted, huh?" I asked, making Jasper nod his head and laugh quietly. "Should we break them apart, or let them fight it out?"

"Um, I usually stay out of it." Jasper said, as we sat and watched Edward and Emmett wrestle on the floor.

"Good call." I said, smiling.

I thought it was cute that the boys wrestled. It was a little bonding time for them. And I had never really seen Edward so carefree. They were laughing, as they fought, so I knew they weren't really hurting each other.

Finally, the boys wore themselves out, collapsing on the floor side by side. "You guys done?" I asked giggling.

"Edward started it." Emmett said, laughing, making Edward chuckle. Both boys were out of breath, and Jasper and I were still laughing at them. "So, you like hair pulling, huh?" Emmett asked, laughing.

Edward rolled over and tried to grab Emmett, but Emmett got up and out of the way in time. Emmett ran behind the couch and wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind. "Save me, Bella." He laughed.

"Okay, boys. Edward. Leave your baby brother alone. And, Emmett, next time give us a little heads up." I said, looking up at Emmett's face.

"Fine." Emmett laughed, before kissing my forehead. "But admit that was hilarious." He said, letting me go, and walking over to the TV to set up a video game.

Edward got up and sat beside me, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my cheek. "I will admit that Edward's shocked face was adorable." I said, making Edward chuckle.

"Bella, my hand was on your bum." Edward whined. "In front of your dad."

I giggled, passing Robert to Jasper. "Everything is okay, Edward." I said, putting the palms of my hands on Edward's cheeks. I leaned in and kissed his lips, making him smile.

"Okay, Edward can mope later. We've got a game to play." Emmett said, passing Edward, Jasper and I controllers, before sitting down.

"Is it Mario Kart?" I asked, taking Robbie from Jasper's arms, so he could play the game with his brothers.

"No." Emmett said, chuckling. "You need to widen your video game repertoire." Edward and I starting laughing at him. He always surprised me with the intelligent things that he said.

"No, I don't. You guys just play." I said, snuggling my face into Robbie's tummy. "I need some mommy and baby bonding time, anyway."

"You sure?" Edward asked, lightly tracing his fingers on my thigh.

"Yes, baby. You guys show me how it's done." I said. I had to admit that I just liked watching the boys together. I liked spending time with them. I loved that bond that they shared. It was beautiful.

For the first ten minutes of playing some kind of battle game, the guys explained what they were doing, which buttons to press, the object of the game, how to get more points. I nodded and gave them uh-huhs, but I honestly didn't understand one word of what they were saying.

They finally got the hint and just started talking as they played. The boys seemed really excited when Edward told them about guys night. They threw out a bunch of ideas, like movies, or going to the beach, but decided that they were going to drive up to Port Angeles and get dinner and maybe play some pool.

Then, Emmett started talking about football. Apparently they put in a lot of hours for practice. They practiced Monday through Thursday from nine to eleven in the morning until school started. Then, they switched to after school practices, from three-thirty to five-thirty. That was a serious commitment, and I was really proud of Emmett.

"I'm excited to watch your practices, Emmett." I said, cradling a sleeping kitten to my chest.

"Are you bringing the cat?" He asked, laughing.

"I might." I said, giggling. "Why, is that not cool?"

The guys all laughed at me. "Well, it wouldn't be if let's say Edward came alone with a kitten, but since you're a chick, you can get away with anything. Trust me." Emmett said, chuckling. "You've got a lot of testosterone out on the field."

"And big egos." Edward said, laughing, when Emmett reached over to smack the side of Edward's head.

"Remind me to tell Rose to wear a sweatshirt, or something." Emmett said, frowning a little as he thought about it. "I don't want the guys checking her out." I giggled at how protective he was over his girlfriend. It was sweet.

"Why are you giggling?" Edward asked, leaning over to kiss my cheek. "I was planning on bringing a sweatshirt for you, too." He winked at me before going back to his game.

"Oh, really?" I asked, smiling at him. I reached over and ran my fingers through the hair on the side of his head. I loved over protective Edward. He was sweet. But, all this talk about the football team had me really curious. I was sure that the practice tomorrow morning was going to be very interesting.


	477. That Sounds Fun

**A/N - Thank you all for supporting my writing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 477 - That Sounds Fun

The boys played their video game for a couple of hours, before heading upstairs. Emmett wanted to get to bed early so he was well rested for practice the next morning. I kissed both of their cheeks, before they left. I loved my soon to be brothers-in-law.

Edward laid Robbie on one of the leather chairs, before pulling me into his arms. We laid back, exactly how we were during our interrupted snuggle break. I was exhausted and closed my eyes as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"Are you tired?" Edward asked softly, rubbing my back. "Should we go back to your place?"

"Wanna just sleep here?" I asked, leaning in to kiss his neck. "I'm exhausted."

"Sure, baby." He said, pressing a kiss to my lips.

I opened my eyes and smiled at Edward's face. "Are you okay?" I asked. "You know, having been caught by my dad three times today?"

Edward chuckled, letting out a deep breath. "Honestly, yes." He said, smiling. "When we get caught, I feel like a teenaged boy, but after I think about it for a minute, I remember that I'm an engaged man and you are my fiancé. Plus, your dad said I could have you. I asked him."

I giggled, just trying to imagine Edward asking my dad for his approval for the proposal. "You're so sweet, Edward." I said, running my fingers through his hair. "I'm all yours." I said, batting my eyelashes at him.

"Mm." He hummed, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I really wish we had my bed right now." He whispered my ear, before sucking on my earlobe.

Robbie meowed and I propped myself up to see him standing on the chair, looking at the ground. I got up and picked him up, cuddling him to my chest. "Do you need to use your litter box?" I asked him, kissing the top of head. He meowed again, and I smiled. I loved this kitten.

"I'm just going to take him upstairs." I said, walking over to the stairs.

"I'll come with you." Edward said. "I was thinking of having a quick shower."

"Mm. That sounds fun." I said, smiling at Edward. He face lit up, and I had to laugh.

"Awesome." Edward said, holding onto my hips as we climbed the stairs. We walked into the kitchen, and Esme and Carlisle were playing cards with nanny and grandpa.

"Hi, kids." Esme said, smiling, as I set Robbie in his litter box.

"Hey, mom." Edward said, leaning against the wall, as he watched me with Robbie. "We're staying here tonight."

"It's nice to have everyone under one roof." Esme said. She seemed pretty happy to have us here, tonight.

"Do you want your bed, tonight, Edward." Grandpa asked, winking at Edward. I looked up at Edward's face and his cheeks were pink.

"Come on, grandpa. I've had a really rough day." Edward complained, even though he was smiling.

"Got caught by Charlie, huh?" Carlisle asked, making me laugh. I was under the impression that my dad said something to Carlisle on the way out of the house.

"Three times today, actually." Edward said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Didn't learn your lesson the first time, huh?" Carlisle asked.

"No." Edward said, looking down at me. I smiled up at his face and he smiled back. "But she's going to be wife in about a year, so I shouldn't have to worry, right?"

"Well, when your fiancé lives with her dad, then you should make sure to lock doors. Or keep your hands to yourself." Grandpa told him, making Edward blush and me laugh, as I picked Robbie up out of his litter box.

Nanny offered to hold the kitten for us, so we could go upstairs and get ready for bed. I started laughing really hard when grandpa called "Lock the door," as we walked up the stairs.

"When are we moving?" Edward asked, as he locked his bedroom door, before taking my hand and leading me into the bathroom, where he locked that door, too.

"In about a month." I said, reaching down to unzip his jeans, before pulling them off of his hips, and letting them fall to his feet. I pulled his t-shirt up and he pulled it off for me. He seemed to like that I was undressing him, as he had a cute little satisfied grin playing on his lips.

I leaned in and kissed his chest, as I reached around to grab his perfect bum cheeks in my hands. I looked up at his face and pulled his body into mine, making him groan. That was all I needed to do, and my sweet Edward was gone. As Edward yanked my tank top off, I knew I had unleashed my sexy, turned on Edward.

"God, Bella." He whispered, leaning down to suck on my neck as he struggled with the clasps on my bra. He finally got it open and pulled it off of my arms. He grabbed my hips and lifted me up, carrying me to the bathroom counter and sitting me down on it, thankfully this time, devoid of grandpa's teeth.

Edward set his hands on my knees and opened my legs, before pushing his body as close to mine as he could. This time, I was groaning, and Edward was smirking. He held onto my hips as he ground his hard body into me. Edward leaned down to kiss my breasts, moving his hands over my back.

"I love your body." Edward whispered against my skin, as I weaved my fingers into his hair. "I love how you smell and taste. And, god, Bella, I need to get your shorts off." We were both panting, as he stood up to undo the buttons on my jeans shorts. I used his shoulders to lift myself up so he could pull my shorts and panties off.

Edward reached his hand between my legs, and I leaned in to bite Edward's shoulder. "Edward." I breathed and he looked at my face. "Go get your shoe box."

"Yeah?" He asked, looked excited. "Right here?"

"Uh huh." I breathed,

Edward and I had yet to really have hot, needy sex, and that is what this felt like. So far, we had planned and talked about if we were going to make love and in what position. The morning we left for Seattle with Ang and Ben, we had just made love without planning it, but it was in bed. We had never just gone crazy and done it in the bathroom, like this.

Edward came back in the bathroom, naked with a condom on. He looked so hot. He walked over to me and leaned in to kiss me. I moaned and ran my hands over his shoulders. "I need you." I whispered, and Edward smiled at me, before kissing my lips.

He slid into me quickly and I gasped. I wrapped my legs around his hips, holding him close to me. Edward started moving quickly against me, and I threw my head back. "Baby, you feel so good." Edward said, holding onto my hips.

I couldn't speak, but I wanted to scream at the same time. But all the kids were sleeping upstairs, so I knew I couldn't make a sound. But, Edward kept moving, his fingers digging into my hips and his lips were on my breast.

It was a sensation overload. "Edward kiss me." I ordered, frantically. I needed his mouth over mine so I wouldn't scream out. He kissed his way up my neck before bringing his lips to mine.

We started making out, and I groaned into Edward's mouth as I let go. I pulled back to breathe, leaning my head back against the mirror, my chest heaving. Edward was still moving his hips, his eyes glued to my chest.

"Bella." He breathed, stopping suddenly, as he dropped his head. "Wow." He breathed, looking up at my eyes. "That was insane."

I giggled, sitting up to wrap my arms around his shoulders. "I love you." I said, kissing along his strong shoulder and then up his neck to his ear. I sucked on his earlobe and made him groan.

"I love you, too, gorgeous." He whispered, pulling back to kiss my lips. Edward helped me off the counter and we got in the shower together. I washed his hair and he washed mine. Our shower was almost a continuation of our love making. Just touching and caressing and whispered words of love.

When we were finished, Edward watched me French braid my hair, and then we brushed our teeth together. I loved doing that. We went in Edward's room, and I pulled on my baseball shirt and a blue pair of Edward's boxers to sleep in.

Edward slipped on some black boxers and a white t-shirt. I was fairly certain that he wasn't wearing his boxer briefs because we had to walk past his parents and grandparents to get to the basement. I could definitely see the perk of having our own place.


	478. Trust Me

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all for reading! This chapter is the very end of Sunday, August 8 and the start of Monday, August 9, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 478 - Trust Me

Edward took my hand and we walked down the stairs together. "Goodnight." Edward said, trying to sneak down to the basement. I was guessing it was because his cheeks were flushed, his eyes were sparkling and he had a huge smile on his face. Just by looking at him it was obvious that we had just made love.

"Wait, Edward. You're kitten." Nanny said, smiling slyly. She may have been a senior, but she could read a face. I walked over to her and got the kitten, who looked as close to passed out as he could get.

Edward kissed his nanny's cheek, and then Emse's. "Goodnight. Love you." Edward said, picking up Robbie's carrier and taking my hand, before leading me downstairs. I was giggling at Edward, and so was everyone else.

Edward set the carrier on the leather chair before sitting down on the couch. "If it wasn't for the big smile, I can tell you would be pouting." I said, slipping the kitten into the carrier after a kiss on the head. I walked over to Edward and sat down on his lap.

He wrapped his arms around my hip, holding me close to his body. "I'm not pouting. I just want to be with you. Alone." He said. "Where no one is going to laugh at me for kissing my fiancé."

I wrapped my arms around Edward's shoulders. "They just like seeing you so happy, that's all." I told him, kissing his lips. "And you look really, really happy right now." I said, running my fingers through his damp hair.

He chuckled. "I'm glad. I am really, really happy right now." He said, leaning back on the couch.

"Good. So am I." I said. "But I'm exhausted." Edward smiled at me, kissing my lips before we snuggled close together, legs intertwined. And after whispered goodnights and a couple more soft kisses, we fell asleep. We were both exhausted from a long day, and I was happy to have my eyes closed.

All too soon, I felt Edward move. I groaned and Edward chuckled. "Wake up my beautiful angel." He whispered, kissing my forehead. "Are you hungry? I smell waffles."

I smiled, opening my eyes to look at him. And I frowned. "How are you already dressed?" I asked, stretching my arms over my head.

He laughed. "It's seven thirty, baby. I brought you some clothes from my room. You don't have much over here, but we can always go to your house if you want to change." I smiled, because Edward always thought of everything. He always wanted me to be happy.

I sat up and wrapped Edward in a tight hug. "Thank you." I said, softly. "And I'm dying to know what you brought me to wear."

Edward chuckled. "I'm no fashion guru, so go easy on me." He said, sitting back on the couch to watch me get dressed. He was wearing his camo shorts and a grey t-shirt, and looked gorgeous as always. Edward had my jean capris, a black t-shirt, my white bra that I wore yesterday, and a pair of blue and white striped boy shorts in a pile on the couch.

"You did very well." I said, pulling off my baseball shirt, before slipping on my bra and the t-shirt. I pulled off Edward's boxers and pulled on my panties and jeans. I did a little spin for Edward. "How do I look?" I asked, reaching up to take out my braid and run my fingers through the waves in my hair.

"You look too damn sexy." He said, frowned a little. "Good thing I brought you this." He said, grabbing his soft, grey hoodie off the back of the couch, and passing it to me.

I giggled, as I slipped it on. "Edward. It's August, and it's hot outside." I said, as he looked down, focused on rolling the sweater's too long sleeves up for me.

"I know." He said, bringing his hands up to cup my breasts over my shirt. I moaned and he smiled. "But, you're mine."

"I am all yours." I said, smiling up at his cute face. "And just because a football player looks at my boobs, it does not mean that I'm going to break off the engagement." I said, making him laugh. "Plus, they're not even going to be looking at me. I'm sure they have their own girlfriends."

Edward chuckled. "You make some good arguments, babe." He said, seriously. "Now if only high school guys thought like girls and weren't big perverts, we wouldn't have a problem."

I started laughing at him. "You're calling down your own gender." I said, squeezing his bum cheeks, because I loved them.

"Bella. Not too long ago, I was a high school baseball player. I was in the locker room. I heard all the conversations." Edward said. "Trust me on this one, okay?"

"Okay." I agreed. "But, you aren't a pervert and I know for a fact that Jasper is a sweet boy that wouldn't talk about dirty things. So, they can't all be bad, right?"

Edward smiled at me, kissing my lips. "You're always trying to find the good in people, aren't you?" He asked. "But, in this case, don't. Even I've told a dirty joke or two in my day."

"Hmm. Do I ever get to hear these jokes?" I asked, squeezing his bum, again.

"Never, Bella." He said, seriously. "I love you and respect you too much for these pretty ears to hear filthy things like that." My Edward was such a sweet man.

I laughed, again. "Thank you. But, are you actually trying to scare me away from practice?" I asked, slapping his bum.

"Maybe." He said, winking at me. "Come on. Let's go eat."

"Is Robbie upstairs?" I asked.

"Yeah, Alice was playing with him in the family room, the last I checked." Edward said, as we walked into the kitchen.

Everyone was in the kitchen and Esme was just bringing food over to the table. Nanny, grandpa and Alice were at the table and Emmett and Jasper were sitting at the island. Edward lifted me onto a chair at the island and then sat beside me.

Emmett looked up at me and laughed. "He actually gave you his sweatshirt?" He said, looking over at Edward.

I giggled, looking over at Edward. "Darn right." He said, reaching over to grab a waffle with his fork.

"I'm so excited." I said, smiling. "Are Rose and Maria meeting us at the school?"

"Yeah, their mom is dropping them off at nine." Emmett said. "I can't wait to show off for my girl." I smiled. That was so cute.

"You'd better focus on your coach, Emmett." Grandpa said, smiling. "She'll be impressed, anyway."

"That's true." I told him. "Rose loves you. And when you're in love, it doesn't matter what the other person is doing. Like, right now, I think Edward is hot eating his waffles, even though he has maple syrup on his chin."

Emmett and Jasper laughed, as Edward reached up to wipe his chin. He looked over at me and smiled so I leaned in to give him a kiss, giggling when my lips stuck to his a little. My boy and his sugar. So cute.

After breakfast, I ran upstairs to brush my teeth, wash my face and put on some makeup. I put a little bit of Edward's gel in my hair to tame the waves and then ran downstairs to meet everyone in the family room.

Edward had Alice on his lap and she was holing the kitten. Emmett was just getting up to leave. He and Jasper were going a little early because Emmett had to change into his practice uniform. I gave him a big hug, and kissed his cheek.

"Have a great time." I said. "The kitten and I will be cheering for you."

Emmett laughed. "Thanks, Bella." He said, kissing his nanny and mom.

"Dad is going to meet us there." Esme said, smiling. I just adored this family so much. I loved that Carlisle took time off work to be there for his kids. He was an amazing dad and I knew that Edward saw him as a perfect role model.

I put Robbie's harness on him, before putting him into the carrier. I was always scared to take him outside of the house. My biggest worry was that he would get away, again. I didn't want him to be lost. So, I was going to keep being an overprotective mom with him.

Edward and I got in his car, following Esme, nanny, grandpa and Alice to the football field. Edward was holding my hand as he drove. "And I know you're going to say that you're happy to do it, and you love my family, but I just wanted to thank you for coming to Em's practice." Edward said, smiling over at me. "I know he jokes around a lot, but I can tell how much it means to him that you want to be there for him."

I brought Edward's hand up to my lips and kissed his palm. "I do love your family and I am happy to be here." I said, making Edward chuckle. "But, you're very welcome. I love your brothers like they are my own. And it just seems natural to want to be there for them."

Edward looked over at me, just beaming. "I love you, baby."


	479. Taken

**A/N - Happy Saturday, and Happy October! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 479 - Taken

We got to the football field and their were low bleachers there, too, but there were a bunch of girls sitting on the grass, to the right of the bleachers. These must be the football groupies, I figured. They were dressed in short shorts and low cut tops, so I figured they were there for attention.

Rose and Maria were sitting in the front row of the bleachers with Jasper and Carlisle. I could hear Maria laughing from the car, and I smiled. I adored that girl. Edward took my hand and we walked over to join them. I sat beside Rose and Edward sat beside me.

"Hi, Bella." Maria said, smiling. "How are you feeling? Jasper mentioned that you had food poisoning. That must have been horrible."

"I'm doing great, thanks." I told her. "Edward took really good care of me."

"Aw. That's so sweet." Maria said, making Jasper chuckle quietly beside her. Carlisle looked amused and I was glad he liked all his son's girlfriends.

"So, Rose, are you going to take pictures of Em, like Maria did of Jasper?" Edward asked her, making her blush.

"I'm way too embarrassed to do that." She admitted, looking really shy.

"It's okay, Rose." Maria said to her big sister. "I brought my camera. I'll get some shots of him."

Jasper laughed. "Em will love the attention." He said, quietly.

Grandpa, nanny, Esme and Alice all walked over to join us. I smiled when I saw that Esme had a picnic basket and grandpa was carrying a cooler. She was literally the best mom ever. So prepared.

Carlisle got up when we saw her, and took the basket from her hand, before leaning down to kiss her lips. It was so sweet and it made me smile. Edward passed me Robbie after taking him out of his carrier.

"What did I miss?" He asked softly in my ear.

"Oh, just your mom and dad. I think they're really sweet." I said, snuggling my kitten. Robbie meowed and looked around. He was a really curious kitten, and his ears perked when he heard the guys come running out of the school, holding their helmets.

They were all dressed in really tight short grey pants with royal blue football jerseys over their huge shoulder pads. "They don't have numbers?" I asked Edward.

"Yeah, they do, but those are on their game jerseys. These are just their smelly practice jerseys." Edward said, making me laugh. "Em is 20. He has his game jersey at home hanging up in closet. I'm sure he'll show you later. He's pretty proud of it."

The guys were all gathered around the coach and he was talking to them. We couldn't hear what the coach was saying, but when Emmett looked over at us and waved, we heard him yell 'Cullen.' It made us all laugh, because it was so Emmett to get in trouble in the first five minutes of practice.

The coach blew his whistle and the guys all got up and started stretching. Em moved as close to us as he could.. I peaked over at Rose and she was actually blushing as she watched him. It was so sweet, and I understood where she was coming from. When I was watching Edward play baseball at the family reunion, I felt the same way.

Maria snapped a picture of him bending over, and Rose nudged her arm. "Maria." She scolded.

Maria giggled. "What? You know this is going to be your favourite picture." She said, smiling. Esme and Carlisle both laughed at them. It was nice that the Cullens could joke around with the kids.

The coach blew the whistle again, and the guys all split off into small groups. "They're running drills." Edward told me. We watched the guys running around, and honestly, I had no idea what they were doing, but since the guys were seniors, it was pretty obvious they knew what they doing.

I could hear Emmett laughing as he played. This was definitely the right sport for him. Emmett was in his pride and joy in his uniform, out in the field running around. It was so nice to see him having so much fun.

Robbie meowed, so I decided to try and walk him around in the grass for a little while. Edward took grandpa into the school to show him where the bathrooms were, so I just slipped off the bench and took the kitten for a walk on the sideline. Robbie took three steps, meowed and rolled over in the grass.

"Hey, pretty lady." I heard someone say. I looked up and saw a big guy standing in front of me, smiling at me, all white teeth. He was in his football uniform and was a good six feet tall, and pretty well built. He had black hair combed back, and a dimple in his left cheek. "You friends with Cullen?" He asked. "You're sitting with his girl."

"Oh, yeah." I said. "He's my baby brother."

"Emmett didn't say anything about having an older sister?" The football guy said, still smiling at me.

"I guess I'm forgettable." I said, laughing, as I bent down to pick up Robbie, so I could walk back to the family. This guy seemed nice, but I was a taken girl.

The guy whistled as I bent down, and I stood up quickly, clutching Robert to my chest. The guy laughed at my reaction. "You are pretty unforgettable, actually." He said, holding out his hand. "My name is Dale Mackensie, by the way. And you are?"

"Taken." I said, smiling up at his face. "I'm marrying Emmett's brother."

"Ouch." Dale said, laughing, as he held his hands over his heart. "He's a lucky guy, huh?"

I laughed, walking back over towards the bleachers. Dale walked with me, and I wasn't sure why. "He thinks so. But, I'm the lucky one actually." I said. "Um, aren't you being missed out on the field?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" He asked, still smiling, and totally not answering the question. "We're on a break right now, actually."

"Hey, Mackensie." I looked up and saw Emmett running over to me and my new sidekick. "What the hell, man?" Emmett said, walking over to me, and wrapping his arm protectively around my shoulders. "This girlie is off limits, buddy."

I smiled up at Emmett's face. I loved my soon to be little brother. "I said that." I added, and Emmett laughed.

"She did, she did." Dale said, turning to me and smiling, again. "It was nice meeting you, Taken." He teased, winking at me, before running back out into the field.

"You okay?" Emmett asked, reaching up to pet Robert's head.

"Yeah, I'm okay. But, thanks for coming over to check up on me. I really appreciate it." I said. "And, he was really nice, actually. But he just didn't know how to take no for an answer."

"Yeah, he's a player for sure." Emmett laughed.

Edward ran over to us and leaned in to kiss my lips. "What's going on?" He asked, looking his usual panicked self. "Are you okay?"

I smiled at my sweet fiancé. "Dale was just hitting on her." Emmett said, patting Edward's back. "She handled it." The coach blew the whistle and Emmett ran back out to the field.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left." Edward said, wrapping his arms around my hips.

I giggled. "Baby. He was just talking to me. I'm fine." I said, reaching up to pat his cheek with my palm. "And Emmett told him that I'm off limits. So, everything is cool."

Edward forced a smile at me, but I could tell his overprotective nature was beating himself up for leaving me. I giggled. "Edward, my sweet, amazing, and deliciously handsome fiancé. Please stop worrying about me." I said, pulling his head down to meet my lips.

"Okay, but did he say anything?" Edward asked quietly as we sat down on the bleachers.

"He said I was unforgettable." I admitted.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Really?" He chuckled.

"Hey. You don't think I'm unforgettable?" I asked, bumping Edward's shoulder with mine. Edward laughed with me, just like I knew he would when I teased him.

"Oh, I know you're unforgettable." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "In fact, we did something pretty unforgettable last night." He whispered, winking at me.

I giggled, blushing, as I thought about our adventurous, bathroom countertop sex the night before. "I'm going to have to agree."


	480. Fantasy

**A/N - Happy Sunday! This is still Monday, August 9, 2010 in the story. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 480 - Fantasy

We all had fun watching the last half of practice. Edward even zipped his hoodie up a little higher over my chest. I guess he didn't want to risk anyone else looking at me. I thought it was cute of Edward. The guys did all sorts of drills and sprints and plays. Emmett did great, and I really liked watching him practice. I was looking forward to this for the rest of the summer.

The guys went into the school to shower and change and we all turned, when Esme opened the cooler. It looked like we were having a little picnic on the bleachers. She passed out sandwiches and cookies.

I packed Robbie in his carrier so I could eat. Within about fifteen minutes, Emmett was over on the bleachers with us. He lifted up Rose and sat down in her place. She sat on his lap and he had his arm around her stomach. It was pretty clear that he had missed his girl.

"Were you impressed?" Emmett asked Rose, making her smile.

"Very." She said, giggling, as Emmett kissed her shoulder.

"So, Mackensie is pretty smitten with you, Bella." Emmett said, laughing.

"Well, tell him to focus his attention on a girl that's interested." I said, before taking a bite of my oatmeal cookie.

"Will do." Emmett said, chuckling.

After our lunch, Carlisle gave Emmett a hug and told him how proud he was of him. It was one of the sweetest things I'd even seen. I loved that even though Emmett was seventeen years old, and going to be a senior in high school, he still had a great bond with his dad, and wasn't afraid to show it.

We took Jasper and Maria with us in Edward's car back to the Cullens' house. Edward suggested it after Emmett whispered in his ear. I was pretty sure that Emmett wanted to be alone with his girlfriend for a while.

It was cute that Edward looked out for his brother like that. I had a feeling, though, that Edward felt like he owed Emmett for looking out for me this morning at practice. I thought it was sweet, but I wished Edward didn't worry about me so much.

On the ride home, my dad called me to let me know that he was getting off work at three o'clock this afternoon. He was going to pick me up at Edward's house after work. He sounded so excited about our father daughter night. I really was, too, as he was getting married in less than three weeks.

When we got back to the house, Edward pulled me downstairs. He laid back on the couch and I laid on his stomach, resting my chin on his chest, so I could look up at his face. Edward was looking back at me, a lazy smile on his face.

"What's up, handsome?" I asked, rubbing my palms over the top of his chest and his shoulders. "Why'd you drag me down here?"

"Because I'm going to miss you this afternoon." He said, pouting out his bottom lip, exaggeratedly, making me laugh. He looked at his watch. "I have less than three hours with you, before you leave."

"Aw. Edward, I'm going to miss you, too." I said, pressing a soft kiss over his heart. "We'll just have to have a fun reunion."

Edward chuckled, reaching down to squeeze my bum cheeks. "Mm." He hummed closing his eyes. "I can picture it now."

I laughed, slapping his shoulder. "Stop it." I said.

He laughed harder. "Why? I'm not allowed to fantasize about you?" He asked, smiling down at me.

"You are, but I want to know what your thinking." I said, batting my lashes at him.

"Well, I was just picturing you laying outside in the grass, in nothing but a pair of black panties." He started, making me smile.

"Are you sure no one is going to see me?" I asked, frowning, and making Edward laugh.

"Bella." He said, squeezing my bum, again. "This is my fantasy and you're topless in the grass. No one is around, okay?"

"Okay. Sorry." I apologized, giggling. "Carry on."

"And I'm laying in the grass with you. I pick a little white flower from the grass and tuck it behind your ear. You look like an angel. You smile at me, and of course, I can't resist that smile, so I lean in press a delicate kiss to your soft lips.

"Because you're so soft and fragile, I kiss you lightly, but you surprise me by biting my lip. Not hard, but enough to show me that you want a little action." He continued, making me laugh.

"That's how you know I want _action_?" I asked, giggling at his choice of words.

"Bella Swan." He warned, lightly tapping my bum. "This is my fantasy, remember." I pressed my lips together, making Edward chuckle.

"Anyway, I can tell that you want, action, so I roll over and gently tug off your panties, leaving you completely naked." He continued. I was actually blushing as he spoke. It was nice getting inside of Edward's mind. He had really, really hot fantasies.

"Then I reach down and gently rub the sides of your legs, making you feel nice and relaxed. But, suddenly, I pull your legs apart and bury my face in your sweet…"

"Hey, guys." We both looked up and saw Emmett, Rose, Jasper and Maria all walking down the stairs. "Wanna watch a movie?" Emmett asked.

I'm sure I was beet red and I know I was panting. I could feel how turned on Edward was against my stomach. And, his cheeks were lightly flushed, too. Listening to him talk about his desires and fantasies was such a turn on for me. We were definitely going to have to do that, again.

"Sure, man." Edward said, because what could he really say. Emmett put in a movie and sat in one of the leather chairs beside the couch. Rose sat on his lap and snuggled close to his chest. Jasper and Maria sat on the bean bag chairs on the floor in front of the couch.

I was glad that no one asked us to move, or I was sure they would have been able to see, Edward's little problem. I laid my head down on Edward's chest and closed my eyes. I really wanted him, but there was no where we could really go in this house to be alone, right now.

Edward started rubbing my back, and I knew he felt the same way. Plus, I was going to be spending the afternoon and evening with my dad, so I knew Edward and I wouldn't get a chance to be together physically until tomorrow. We were going to have to settle for snuggling.

Emmett played another action movie and I smiled when I heard Edward start snoring, softly. He had fallen asleep, his arms still wrapped around me. I think I was dozing in and out, too.

When I woke up, I looked over at Emmett and Rose and they were making out in the chair. I peaked down at Jasper and Maria, and they were laughing together. They were eating liquorice and playing tug of war with it. It was cute.

Esme came downstairs and set her hand on my shoulder. "Sweetheart. Your dad's here to pick you up." She whispered to me.

"Oh, okay. Thank you." I said, sitting up.

When I moved, Edward woke up. "Where are you going?" He asked, stretching his arms over his head.

"My dad's here, baby." I told him, rubbing his chest. "We fell asleep."

"Shoot." Edward chuckled, sitting up with me. "Let me walk you out."

I goodbye to Emmett, Jasper and the girls, before going upstairs, with Edward's hands on my hips. I gave hugs to Esme, nanny and grandpa, before going to the door to meet my dad.

"Hey, kiddo." My dad said, pulling me into a hug. "Hi, Edward." He said, shaking his hand, and patting Edward's shoulder.

Edward was holding my hand as we walked out to the truck. He leaned down and picked a little white daisy from the edge of the driveway. I turned in his arms and he tucked the flower behind my ear, just like he did in his fantasy. I blushed a little as he winked at me.

"I love you." I whispered, before Edward leaned down to kiss my lips.

"I love you, too, baby." Edward whispered, helping me up into the truck. "Have fun, tonight." He said, before shutting the door. He stepped back, and waved at us, as we pulled out.

"So, where are we headed for dinner?" My dad asked, as we drove back onto the main road to town.

I smiled. "I was thinking that maybe would could make dinner together, tonight."


	481. Daddy Daughter Night

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 481 - Daddy Daughter Night

"You're making me cook, Bells?" My dad asked me laughing. I smiled over at him. He was still in his uniform from work, and he looked so excited about our father daughter time.

"I thought it would be fun." I told him. "Plus, maybe if you're a good student, you'll be able to cook for Heidi one night?" I suggested, making him laugh.

"Hey, she knows going into this marriage, that I can't cook, kiddo." He defended, making me laugh.

We pulled up to the grocery store and my dad grabbed a hand basket. It was fun shopping with him, as so many people stopped to say hello. I supposed being the police chief had it's perks.

My dad followed me around, and I added things to his basket; bell peppers, onions and a couple of beef steaks. "That's all, dad." I said, walking towards the cashier.

"This looks easy enough." He said, looking into the basket.

"That's because it is." I told him.

We got home and I cut the steaks into thin strips while my dad went upstairs to change. I was just putting the meat in the pan to brown when he came down to join me. He was wearing jeans and a blue and black flannel shirt, with the sleeves rolled up.

"Okay, Bells. Put me to work." He said, laughing.

"We're making pepper steak on rice." I told him.

"Mm. That sounds great, kiddo." He said, smiling. I was really enjoying our time together, already.

I made him chop the onions, while I sliced the peppers. I put some water on the stove for rice and tossed the meat, again. I sautéed the veggies and added some seasoning, before adding the meat back in. I had my dad plate up the rice and then I scooped some pepper steak on top.

We sat down together to eat. "Mm. This is amazing, Bells." My dad said, smiling at me. "Have you made this recipe for Edward, yet?"

I laughed. "Surprisingly not." I told him. "He's going to be jealous when he finds out. He and the boys are going to Port Angeles tonight for a guys night. Food and pool."

My dad laughed. "Ah, you can make this for him when you go back to school." He said. "So, are you looking forward to it, you know, going back to Seattle?"

"Yes and no." I told him honestly. "I think now that Edward and I are engaged, it's going to be a fun experience to try living together, and have our own space, you know. But, at the same time, I like the busyness and noise of being home. Like there is always something going on."

"Well, you'll have your classes to think about back in Seattle, too." My dad added, still happily eating his dinner.

"Yeah, that's true." I said. "But, don't miss me too much, dad. We'll be home every weekend for football season. We already promised Emmett. You'll probably get sick of me."

My dad chuckled at that. "Never." He said, making me smile.

After dinner, we washed the dishes together. I turned on the radio and we both sang along to the oldies that were playing. I had so much fun. My dad didn't usually sing. Come to think of it, I had never heard him sing in my life. Tonight felt really special to me, and I was so glad we had decided to this.

At around five thirty, we drove over to the bowling alley, Sunset Lanes. I had been just the one time; the first time nanny and grandpa were down in June. As my dad and I sat beside each other, putting on our tacky brown and red bowling shoes, I warned him that I wasn't the best bowler in town.

"I bowled between my legs, with two hands, last time. Just like Alice." I said, making my dad laugh. "It's not pretty."

"Bella, Bella." He mock scolded. "You are still a Swan, and as a Swan you have to know how to bowl."

I laughed. "Then show me what to do, dad." I said. "I'm all yours."

My dad got me a light ball and I put my fingers in the holes, holding the ball up with my left hand. He walked out to the lane with me, taking a hold of the ball in my hand and swinging it back then ahead, so I would get the hang of the momentum.

"Hold your left hand out for balance, keep your hips square to the pins, and follow through with your arm after you let go of the ball." My dad instructed, making me laugh.

"You are such a perfectionist." I told him. "How do you know all this stuff anyway?"

"Because, Bells, there isn't a lot to do around Forks for a bachelor. So I've spent the last fifteen years bowling and shooting with the guys from work." He said.

"You know, dad." I said, smirking a little. "It's a good thing I came home when I did. If I would have went to college somewhere else, you and Heidi still wouldn't have been together."

My dad laughed at me and shook his head. "Throw the ball, Bells," He said, smiling at me, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

I nodded and laughed, before I turned and rolled the ball, trying to think of the million tips my dad gave me. The ball went into the gutter. I sighed and turned around. "Oops." I said, making my dad laugh.

He came and over and gave me a hug, patting my back. "You'll get it." He said, before going over to grab me another ball.

But, he was wrong. I didn't get it. I found the ball to be too heavy, and I was scared of dropping it, so I tensed up before I released the ball, causing it to roll off to the side and into the gutter.

Thankfully, my dad and I found it incredibly amusing, and ended up laughing for the first five frames. But the difference in the score was made even worse by the fact that my dad was hardly missing a pin.

"Just roll it between your legs, kiddo." He finally said. "You need to get some kind of a score up on the board."

I laughed. "I was hoping you would say that." I said, lugging the ball up to the foul line. I rolled the ball down the lane and actually hit three pins. "Woo." I said, holding my arms up in the air, making my dad laugh. "Be afraid, dad. I think you may have some competition."

The truth was, even though I was pretty sure that my dad was going easy on me, he won both games by long shot. But, we didn't care about the score. It was all about having fun. And I was honestly having a blast.

At eight o'clock, we turned in our bowling shoes and my dad took me for ice cream. This was the best night ever. I sat at the table in the diner, waiting for my dad to come back to the table with our ice cream. I pulled out my phone and noticed that I had a text from Edward. 'My brothers are pool sharks. I hope you're having a great night. Love and miss you. XOXO'

I giggled. My Edward was the cutest, and I missed him, too, so I wrote back. 'I can't bowl. But, we're having a great time. I love you, too, sexy. Can't wait to hear the rest of that fantasy.' I hit send, smiling. I really was the luckiest girl to have so much love in my life.

My dad came back to the table with two huge banana splits. It was more ice cream than I'm sure I could ever eat, but I was going to give it an honest try. "How's Edward?" My dad asked, sitting down across from me.

I smiled just at the mention of his name. "He's getting beaten at pool." I said, making my dad laugh.

"That's nice that he's spending time with his brothers." My dad said. "They're all good boys."

"They really are." I agreed. "So, where's the future Mrs. Swan tonight?" I asked him, and he smiled the minute I brought up Heidi. I thought it was pretty cute that my dad and I were so much alike. We were both pretty smitten with our fiancés.

"Oh, she drove up to Sequim to visit her parents." He said. "I guess Randell can't figure out how to use his new microwave, or get his VCR hooked up to the TV. And yes, he still uses a VCR." My dad said, laughing.

"Aw. That's so cute." I said, smiling. "I love Mary and Randell."

"Yeah, they really are great people." He said. "It's easy to see why Heidi is such an amazing person."

I giggled. My dad was adorable when he was talking about Heidi. He got a far off look in his eyes that told me that she was definitely the right woman for him. "She's pretty great." I agreed. "And, daddy, I'm so happy that you're marrying her."


	482. I Missed You

**A/N - Sorry for the delay...I'm sick! This chapter takes place on Tuesday, August 10, 2010. Thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 482 - I Missed You

My dad ended up finishing my banana split before we went home. We found a Clint Eastwood western marathon on TV, and we flopped on the couch together. I was so full from the ice cream, I couldn't move if I wanted to.

I ended up falling asleep on the couch, halfway through 'A Fistful of Dollars.' I woke up in the middle of night on the couch, around 2AM. My dad had shut out all the lights and covered me with the blanket from the back of the couch. He must have gone up to bed already.

I rolled over onto my back and sighed. I missed Edward. This was the first night I had spent apart from him since we were engaged. And it was brutal. I needed his strong arms wrapped securely around me, his warm breath on my neck, and his heartbeat on my back.

I sat up and grabbed my phone out of my purse. I had a missed text from Edward. 'It's after midnight and we just got home. I'm going to sleep at home tonight, because I'm assuming you're asleep. I love you.'

I smiled as I texted him back. 'Hey, baby. Sorry. Fell asleep on the couch. Want to come and snuggle tomorrow before practice? I miss your arms around me. Love you.'

I set my phone back on the coffee table and rolled over, trying to fall asleep, which was nearly impossible without my man. I woke up at around six in the morning and my dad and I had toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast before he left for work.

He gave me a hug at the door. "I had a good time, yesterday, Bells." He said. "We should do that more often."

"Definitely." I said, smiling. I stood at the door and waved at my dad, before going into the living room when I heard phone ringing. I picked it up and smiled when I heard Edward's voice.

"Hey, gorgeous." He said. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too. Get your sexy bum over here." I said, blushing as I walked upstairs for a shower.

"Mm. What are you wearing?" He asked, as I got undressed.

"Not much. I'm just hopping in the shower." I told him, turning on the water.

"I'm on my way, baby. I love you." He said, before hanging up on me. I started laughing, smiling through my whole shower. I loved that Edward missed me and wanted me as much I did him.

I dried off and scrunched my hair, before going in my bedroom, and slipping on my sheer black lace nightie that Edward had given me on our engagement night. I didn't bother with panties. I didn't want to wear the thong, and I thought I'd spice things up a little bit.

I grabbed my black eyeliner and lined my eyes, trying to look even sexier. I swept some tinted lip gloss on my lips, as well. Maybe I was going overboard, making myself up like that, but I had missed my fiancé. We had been apart for sixteen hours, even having slept alone.

I heard the doorbell and ran down to answer it. Edward was standing at the door with a pretty white rose in his hand. He was wearing tan shorts and a black t-shirt. Tight black t-shirts on Edward were my weakness. He was smiling as his eyes met mine, and he stepped in the door. His eyes swept down over my body and he hummed.

"My god, baby." He said, smiling. He passed me the rose before pulling me into his arms. His hands moved down my back to my hips. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips. He hummed. "I've missed these soft and sexy lips." He whispered, before kissing me, again.

"You want to go upstairs?" I asked, biting my bottom lip.

"Absolutely" He said, smiling as he ran his hands over my body. "You look so gorgeous, but you didn't need to try to seduce me."

I giggled, taking his hand and pulling him to the stairs. "I just wanted to look pretty for you and show you how much I missed you." I explained on the way up the stairs. "And I wanted an excuse to wear this nightie, again."

Edward chuckled as he locked my bedroom door. "Well, you look phenomenal, and you don't need an excuse to wear that. I'm just happy that you actually like it." He said, lifting me up and setting me on the bed.

"I love it, and thank you." I said, smiling, as I watched him pull off his t-shirt and then his shorts. He was insanely gorgeous, and my eyes tried to drink him all up. He crawled onto the bed in his grey boxer briefs and pulled me into his arms. We tangled our legs trying to get as close together as we could.

"Where's Robbie?" I asked him. I had left him with Esme and Alice last night while my dad and I went out.

"At home. Jazz is going to bring him to the game. Did you have a good time, yesterday?" He asked, before leaning in to kiss where my neck meets my shoulder.

"Uh." I breathed. His lips felt so good on my body.

"Mm. You make pretty sounds." He said, bringing his kisses lower to my chest. "Bella." He whispered. "It was too hard to be apart from you." He kept up with the kisses. "I need you in my arms to sleep."

I smiled, loving his words and his touch. Edward was rubbing my bare thigh with his big, warm palm and it felt electric. He kissed his way down my stomach, before holding my hips and rolling me onto my back. He got up on his knees and looked down at me.

"Can I live out my fantasy?" He asked, looking a little intense and a lot turned on.

"But, we're not outside in the grass, and I'm not wearing panties." I said, teasingly, winking at him.

Edward set his hands on my knees and spread my legs, looking down at my body with a smirk. "The details don't matter." He said, kissing the inside of my knee. "Let me get to the good part."

I giggled as he kissed the inside of my thigh. He bit the soft, sensitive flesh of my inner thigh and I gasped. It stung, but it turned me on, even more than I already was. Edward started licking and kissing the sore spot. "You like that?" He asked.

I reached down and buried my fingers into his hair, before scratching his scalp. "Yeah." I breathed. "I love everything you do to me."

"Good." He said. I closed my eyes and groaned as he buried his face between my legs. He kept going with his teeth, giving my delicate skin little nips and pinches, before soothing me with his tongue.

I kept trying to close my legs because the sensations were driving me crazy, but Edward held them open. I know I was gasping and moaning; it was almost too much to take. It felt so good and it didn't take long for me to let go.

Edward sat back up on his knees, looking down at me with a smile on his face. My chest was heaving, as I tried to catch my breath. "I loved that." I whispered, smiling at him, before closing my eyes.

I felt Edward's hands on my hips, as they started caressing my body. I felt tingly everywhere, and my nerves felt like livewires. I hummed and opened my eyes. "Lay back on the bed." I breathed. I really wanted to taste Edward, again.

I sat up and smiled down at Edward. I still felt so good, and I wanted to do the same for him. I reached down and rubbed my hand over his body. I started softly with his face, before moving my palm down to caress his chest and shoulders and stomach. I moved my hand down and cupped him between the legs, over his underwear.

"Bella." He whispered. His hand reached up to my body, looking for a place to touch me. He finally settled on my hip. It was like he needed to be connected to me. I kept rubbing him, and he was breathing hard. I loved watching him like this.

I stopped moving my hand and Edward looked up at my face. I smiled at him before pulling on the elastic waistband of his underwear. I wanted my fiancé naked. Edward lifted his hips for me, and I pulled his briefs down to his knees.

I smiled at his face before leaning down to take him in my mouth. Again, I was too nervous to really allow a lot of his length in my mouth, but he groaned as I closed my lips around him, so I knew he liked what I was doing.

"Okay, baby." He said, after a few minutes of licking and sucking. But, I didn't want to stop. I loved that I could please him like this. It made me feel so powerful. "Bella." He said, a little louder, and firmer. I knew he was trying to protect me, but I wanted to be in charge.

At the same time, I didn't want him to feel uncomfortable. So I slid my lips off of his body, and started to sit back up, right as he came, all over my chin, neck and chest. It was warm and I thought it was sexy. But, Edward looked a little panicked.

"Shoot, baby. I'm so sorry." He said, sitting up and wiping my chin with his hand. His cheeks were red and he looked a cross between flushed and embarrassed. "Come on. We'll go clean you up." He said, sliding off the bed, taking my hand, and leading me into the bathroom. He grabbed a face cloth and ran it under warm water, before wiping my skin softly.

I reached up and grabbed his hand to stop him for a minute. "I loved that." I admitted, smiling when his eyes met mine. "Can you stop worrying?"

"Um, no." He said, chuckling a little at himself, before wiping my chest over my nightie. We were definitely going to have to work on that.


	483. Talk To Me

**A/N - I'm still sick, but thank you for the get well wishes! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 483 - Talk To Me

I tossed the towel in the sink and reached my arms up to wrap around Edward's neck. "I didn't want you to hold back, Edward. I love that I can make you feel so good." I told him, making him smile.

"Really?" He asked, and it was strange to see him so insecure. "Because I'm having a hard time with this." He shook his head at himself. "I just love you so much and I respect you, and I don't want to make you feel dirty, or anything." He frowned, like he wasn't explaining it right. "Does that make sense?" He asked.

"I really do understand what you're trying to say." I told him. "But, I only did it, because I love you. It doesn't feel dirty to me at all. Honestly, Edward, I feel incredibly confident when you let me take control like that."

Edward smiled and leaned in to kiss my lips, first softly, then a little harder. "I'm sorry for making an issue about it, then." He said.

I pulled back, smiling up at his face, and took his hand, leading him back to my room. I crawled on the bed and Edward climbed in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Talk to me more." I said, running my fingers along his arms.

"About what?" He asked, even though he knew what.

"Edward. Every time I try to make you feel good, you know, with my mouth, I can tell you want to stop me. Will you tell me why it makes you uncomfortable?" I asked. I really wanted to talk about this with Edward, because I definitely wanted to do it again.

"It's not me that I'm worried about." He said, and I could tell that he was telling the truth. "Look, Bella. In my mind, it just seems degrading. Like men will do anything to get off, and you shouldn't have to do that with me, okay?"

I rolled over in Edward's arms and wrapped my arms around him, tightly, before kissing his chin. "If it bothers you, baby, I won't do it. But, there is a difference between how we're looking at this. I don't feel degraded because you aren't forcing me to do it. You didn't even ask for me to do it. I offered, Edward." I explained.

"I like to make you feel you good, and I like how you taste." I continued, blushing at my admission. "And I feel the exact opposite of degraded. I feel so powerful and strong."

Edward smiled at me and hugged me tightly. "That makes sense." He said, rubbing my back. "I'm sorry for repeatedly making this an issue. I kind of ruined the mood of our reunion, huh?"

I kissed his lips and he smiled. So, I kept kissing him. A bunch of little kisses. I looked up at his eyes and he looked happy. "You didn't ruin a thing, Edward. I love you even more because of what you just said to me." I said, making him smile wider. "You are the most respectful, loving man on earth. You care about my feelings and you love me so much."

"I do love you, Bella. More than I ever thought possible, and that only grows every single time I'm with you." He said, making me smile. He rolled over me to kiss me, hard. I groaned and Edward hummed, still kissing me.

I loved that Edward and I could talk about things like this. It was so grown up and mature of us to deal with things that bothered us. I was grateful that Edward didn't just close off to me. I was happy that he would tell me what was upsetting him, and why. We weren't just two teenagers having sex. We loved each other, we respected each other and we always wanted the other to be happy. We worked together.

Edward pulled back and looked into my eyes, before smiling and kissing me, again. He laid back and pulled me into his arms, so I had my head laying on his chest. "So tell me about your afternoon." He said, rubbing my arm.

I smiled as I told him all about my night with my dad; cooking, bowling, ice cream, and movies. Edward laughed as I told him the bowling story. "That is adorable." He said, rubbing my back. "I can imagine you doing that."

"Yeah. It was a great day, and I'm glad that we spent time together." I told him. "How was your night with the boys?"

"It was fun." He said, and I could hear the smile in his voice as he said it. "We had pizza, talked about girls, played pool, talked about girls, listened to some live band playing on the pier, talked about girls. It was a good night."

I laughed. "Hmm. Any girls I know?" I asked, running my fingers along his bare chest.

"Yeah, there was mention of some cute sisters, but the one that I talked about, I think you might know her, actually." Edward said, teasingly and making me smile. "She's a damn sexy brunette with gorgeous legs and a hold on me that is so strong, it's amazing."

I peaked up at his face. "I love how you see me." I admitted, making him smile.

"It's all true, baby." He said, wriggling around to his side so he could kiss my lips. "I had a good time, but I missed you every waking second, and even in my sleep. I need you, Bella, just to exist."

I smiled against his lips. "I'll always be here." I told him, because I would be. I never wanted to be apart from him, either. Edward kissed me again, this time more passionately, more needy. And it took my breath away.

He pulled back slowly. "We should get dressed." He whispered. "Football practice starts soon."

I giggled. "It's funny how easy it is to forget the rest of the world when I'm with you." I told him sitting up.

We smiled at each other as we got dressed. I pulled on a cute floral skirt and a white tank. It was supposed to be another hot day. Edward wrapped his arms around me from behind as I spritzed on my perfume.

"You are so pretty." He said, before leaning in to kiss my neck. I spayed my wrists and I may have got Edward's arm with my perfume. He just laughed and hugged me tighter. "Ready to go?" He asked, kissing my cheek.

"Yeah." I said, reaching up to take his hand. It was so good to have him back.

We drove down to the football field and joined the family, minus Carlisle, and the Hale sisters on the bleachers. Jasper passed me Robbie in his carrier, and he meowed as I peaked in at him, making me smile. The guys were just running out of the school.

Esme leaned over and kissed my cheek. "How was your night, sweetheart?" She asked me.

"It was amazing." I told her. "My dad and I had a great time together."

"That's nice that you took the time to do that." Nanny said, patting my shoulder. "Are you getting excited for your dad's wedding?"

"I am, actually. He really deserves this." I said. "He's been alone for so long."

"You're a good girl, honey." Nanny said.

"Not in the bedroom." Edward whispered in my ear. I frowned at him, and slapped his leg. "Ow." He whined, rubbing his leg.

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Save the dirty talk for the bedroom." I whispered in his ear. He smirked at me and it seemed that I was forgiven.

Practice went fast today. Dale waved at me from the field, and Edward frowned, but other than that, it was incident free. Emmett did great, and we were all so proud of him. He came over after he had his shower and we all gave him hugs.

"You'd think I'd won the Super Bowl." He said, as we walked over to the cars, making us all laugh.

Today we drove to the diner for burgers and fries for lunch. Edward and I ate off of each other's plates, kept kissing each other, and were acting really lovey dovey this afternoon. It was obvious how hard it was on us to be apart from each other, even just for one night.

When we got back to the house, we just sat around the family room together, watching TV. I was enjoying the company. Nanny was crocheting, again, and I asked her if she would show me how to start another scarf. I wanted to make one for Edward this time. My dad had loved the one I made for him for Father's Day, so I need to make one for the other man in my life.

I leaned over and whispered my idea to nanny. Her face lit up and I could tell how excited she was that I had taken to crocheting with her. I wanted to make Edward a black scarf, because I had seen his beautiful grey wool coat in his closet and I thought he would look phenomenal with a black scarf under it. Just my luck, Esme had a couple of balls of black yarn.

Nanny started me off and I counted my stitches. I felt Edward's eyes on me and I looked up at him when I finished my first row. He was smiling at me, and I instantly smiled back.

"You look so pretty when you're being domestic." He said, making nanny and Esme 'aw' over him. He chuckled. "It's true."

I placed my hand on his cheek and leaned in to kiss his lips. "Thank you. Now, quit distracting me." I said, making him laugh. He gave me one more kiss before he sat back and leaned his head on my shoulder. What a great way to spend an afternoon.


	484. The Best Fiance Ever

**A/N - Thanks, again for all the wishes. Sorry that I haven't been answering reviews...I sleep most of the day, when I'm not writing. This chapter spans from Tuesday, August 10 to Friday, August 13, 2010. Thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 484 - The Best Fiancé Ever

Esme invited Heidi and my dad for dinner. We had a great time, like we always did. Our families fit together perfectly. Edward came home with us that night, and I got to sleep in my man's arms, again. The night apart really showed me how much I truly loved Edward.

The rest of the week passed by the same way. I woke up and made my dad, Heidi and Edward breakfast, and we all ate together. The minute my dad and Heidi left, Edward and I went upstairs to fool around until twenty to nine when we left to watch Emmett's football practice.

After lunch, nanny and I would crochet and Edward would sit beside me, rubbing my thigh, kissing my shoulder, whispering in my ear, really anything to try and distract me. I thought it was cute, because I loved Edward around me, always touching me. We were magnets.

On Thursday, nanny showed me how to make a toque for Edward to match his scarf. I had Edward close his eyes while I tried it on him. He had been sitting beside me the entire time I was crocheting, so he knew his surprise, anyway, but still.

The kids played with Robbie, and once, when I dropped my ball of yarn, Robbie actually chased it, batting at it with his paws. It was adorable, and so clichéd kitten. I snapped a picture of him, before Jasper picked him up.

We had dinner and then would watch a movie. I would braid Alice's hair or we would play dolls until Edward and I left for the night, only to start the same routine, again, the next day.

Friday, however, was different. After breakfast, and my dad and Heidi left, I went to the bathroom and I noticed blood spots on my underwear. It was two days before I supposed to start my period. I sighed. I thought birth control was going to regulate things.

I walked into my room and Edward was already naked on the bed. I came over and sat on the bed. "What's wrong?" He asked, sitting up beside me to wrap his arm around my back.

"It's sort of a girl thing." I said. I hated to talk about this kind of stuff with him, because we both got embarrassed. The only way Edward handled periods was by bringing over heating pads.

"Did you get your period?" He asked, getting up to pull on his green boxer briefs.

"Sort of?" I said, and I sounded as confused as I was feeling. Edward sat back down beside me and took my hand in his. "It's just different."

"Different, how?" He asked, and I knew he was trying to help, but I found it to be too embarrassing to talk about. My face was on fire, and I just shook my head. "Bella, you don't have to tell me, but I'm worried about you, and I want to help."

"Okay, thank you." I said, smiling at his beautiful face. "Um, actually, could you do me a huge favour?"

"Anything." He said seriously, and I knew he meant it.

"Can you run to the store and get me a box of panty liners?" I asked, and his face turned bright red. "I'm sorry, but I can't really go myself right now."

"No, I know." He said. "I understand. I'll go." He pulled on some jeans and a green t-shirt. "Is there any particular kind, or…?"

"Um, no. It doesn't matter." I said. "Edward, I'm really sorry."

"Baby, don't apologize over this. It's not your fault." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "I'll be right back. I love you." He said, before running out the door.

I felt really bad that I had to send Edward to the store for me. I knew he was going to be embarrassed. I'd have to make it up to him later. While he was gone, I wanted to call Carlisle and just check that this was normal. I didn't really want Edward to hear all the details.

I grabbed my phone and dialled his office. His secretary picked up his phone. "Dr. Cullen's office." She said.

"Hi, this is Bella Swan. I was wondering is Dr. Cullen is available." I asked.

"He's just in with a patient, but I'll let him know that you called." She said. "Would you like to leave a message?"

"Um, I have a medical question." I said, not really knowing what to tell the receptionist.

"Alright, he should be back to his office soon." She said. I thanked her before hanging up. I was glad Emmett didn't have football practice today, so we weren't in a hurry. But it was nanny and grandpa's last day in Forks.

Over dinner the night before, we had all decided to head up to Seattle on Saturday morning. And by all, I mean all the Cullens, my dad and Heidi and her parents. We were going to show the grandparents the apartment before taking them to the airport.

In the afternoon, Heidi, Mary, Esme, Alice and myself were going to try and find Heidi a wedding dress, and me a maid of honour dress. Carlisle, Randell, my dad, Edward and his brothers were going to haul in the rest of our furniture, set up the TV and watch the kitten.

Edward and I were getting our bed and dining room set delivered on Sunday, so we were going to stay overnight, but everyone else would be heading back. There was so much going on this weekend, and I was not happy that I had to deal with my period.

With the birth control, I had no idea what to expect. My phone rang and I picked it up right away. "Hi, sweetheart. It's Carlisle. Is everything alright?"

I smiled. I was embarrassed, but Carlisle always helped me when I was sick, or had a question. "Um, I think so. Okay, uh, this is sort of embarrassing." I said, before taking a deep breath.

"Bella. This is what I do. You don't need to be embarrassed. I've heard it all." He said, making me laugh.

"Okay, well, I'm not supposed to get my period until Sunday, but I have a little bit of spotting today. Is that normal?" I asked, feeling my face heat up as I said it out loud.

"Bella, during the first few months of taking birth control, your body is trying to adjust to the hormones, so yes, a little spotting before your period is normal." He explained. "Are you cramping, or in any pain?"

"No." I said.

"Okay, then you don't have anything to worry about." He told me, making me smile.

"Alright. Thank you so much, Carlisle. I'm sorry to bother you at work, but I freaked out a little bit." I told him, laughing nervously.

"Bella, you call me anytime you need to. Never worry about bothering me. You're my patient, and you're going to be my daughter, soon." He said. I was so lucky to have this family. We said our goodbyes, just as Edward walked into the room.

I smiled at him, because his cheeks were still pink. He was so adorable. "Is everything okay?" He asked, sitting beside me and wrapping his arm around my body, making me feel so loved. He passed me a pink carnation, making me smile.

"Thank you, baby. Yeah, your dad said it's normal to get some spotting before my period because of the birth control." I told him, and he nodded his head.

"Does your stomach hurt?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"No. I actually feel fine. Thank goodness." I told him. "How did it go?" I asked, looking down at the shopping bag in his hand.

"Uh, it was challenging." He said, chuckling. "There were about five or six choices and I will admit to calling Paul's girlfriend, Rachel for some help." I burst out laughing at that. Edward laughed with me. "I'm sorry. I was confused, and I knew she would tell me what do without being embarrassed."

"So, how did that call go?" I asked, rubbing my hand on Edward's thigh.

"Um, it was interesting to say the least." Edward laughed. "First she laughed at me, but then she was actually quite helpful. She walked me through each brand. Too long, too thick, too thin, too bunchy. God, Bella. It is very confusing."

I giggled. "I'm fairly confident that you now know more about it than I do." I told him, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"Ah, that's what fiancés are for." He said, kissing me back.

I took the bag from him and pulled out the box. "Thank you, Edward. This is perfect." I told him, before leaning in to kiss his lips. He smiled against my lips, before I deepened the kiss. I pulled back and put my hand on his cheek. "I really appreciate that you did that for me."

"Of course, baby." He said, smiling. He looked relieved that it was over, though. I kissed him once more before taking the box into the bathroom. I had the best fiancé ever.


	485. Crazy and Cake

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you for all the get wells! I'm starting to feel better, so...yay! haha! It is Friday, August 13, 2010 in the story! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 485 - Crazy and Cake

I got cleaned up before going back into my room. Edward had made my bed for me, and was neatening up a little. Robbie was crawling around on the bed, and both my boys looked up at me when I walked in.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, when I came to sit down to the bed. I picked up Robbie and he meowed as I kissed his head.

"I'm okay." I reassured him. "I guess it's just going to take some adjustment, that's all." I said.

"Um, did my dad say this happens all the time?" He asked, sitting beside me, and kissing my cheek.

"I guess my body is getting used to the hormones, so apparently this will only happen for the first couple of months." I told him, lifting Robbie up to Edward's face. Edward kissed the kitten on the nose and I smiled. They were just too cute together.

"So the kitty is going to Seattle for the first time, tomorrow, huh?" Edward said, scratching Robbie behind the ear.

"Yeah." I said, smiling at our baby. "You think he'll be okay in the car?"

"I think so." Edward said, reaching up to run his fingers through my hair. "You take him everywhere is his carrier, so I'm pretty sure he's used to that." He laughed.

I laughed, too. "I'm not crazy, you know." I said, laying back on the bed, and letting Robbie crawl over my chest, where he laid down.

Edward laughed, and laid down beside me. "You are a little bit crazy." He whispered in my ear, before sucking on my earlobe. "It's one of the many things I love about you." He rubbed his hand over my lower stomach, and I knew he was still worried about me.

"I love you, too, baby." I said, kissing his lips. "I'm sorry you missed out on our sexy time this morning."

Edward chuckled. "Bella, stop apologizing." He said, kissing me, again. "I'm not with you for the sex."

I giggled. "Am I not good?" I asked, teasing him.

"What?" Edward laughed. "You are phenomenal. I'm just trying to say that I love you for you. The sex is a perk."

I laughed. "I know what you meant." I said, kissing him, again. "I love you."

I reached between his legs and rubbed his crotch over his jeans, making Edward groan. "Are you sure you don't want me to, you know?" I said, blushing a little.

Edward chuckled. "You don't have to do that, Bella. But, honestly, I wish you hadn't started touching me." He whispered as I kept touching him.

I lifted the kitten off of my chest and set him on the blankets. I sat up and unzipped Edward's jeans, enough that I could fit my hand into the front of his underwear. "You went to the store for me this morning." I said, still caressing his soft skin. "And, I think you are amazing for doing that."

"Uh, Bella." He groaned, closing his eyes.

I was getting turned on by his sounds, and I may moaned a little bit. Edward's eyes opened and he pulled my hand from his pants. He sat up and gently pushed me against the pillows. He picked Robbie up and set him in his bed. Edward pulled my legs apart and laid overtop of me. He started moving his hips against me, even though we were still fully dressed.

"Is this okay?" He asked, his voice strained.

"Yeah." I breathed. "Don't stop." I leaned up and kissed his lips, making him smile.

Edward reached up and pulled the neck of my tank top down, leaning in to suck on my breast. I cried out and Edward responded by moving faster, and sucking harder. My hands were pulling at his hair and he was groaning and humming.

"Come on, sexy." He breathed. "You look so gorgeous right now. Let go with me." I loved when Edward talked to me while we were fooling around. It was a complete turn on for me.

I threw my head back and closed my eyes. Edward dropped down on top of me, leaning in to kiss my neck. "Mm, baby." He sighed. "I'm glad you started that."

I giggled. "Me, too." I turned my head to kiss his lips.

"Are you okay, baby? I didn't hurt your stomach?" Edward asked, rolling off of me.

"I'm fine. I promise." I told him, smiling. "In fact, I feel so much better."

Edward smiled back over at me. "I love you, gorgeous." He said, picking up my hand, and kissing the back of it.

Edward and I got up and changed. We packed the kitten in his carrier, before heading downstairs. I threw in a load of laundry, before we went over to Edward's house.

Esme had packed a picnic for us, and we all went to the park to enjoy nanny and grandpa's last day in Forks. I was so happy to have built such an amazing relationship with Edward's grandparents. They treated me like one of their own grandkids and I appreciated it so much, since I never had grandparents of my own.

Grandpa went to push Alice on the swings, and Edward and I went with them. Alice and I were giggling as we got pushed through the air. She was such a sweet kid, and I loved spending time with her.

We ended up going for a walk on the beach, taking lots of pictures, before going back to the house for dinner. Carlisle came home with Chinese food, and we all shared a great meal together.

It was going to be strange without nanny and grandpa here, as they had been here for about three weeks this time. It was sad, too, because Edward and I didn't have much time left here at home, either.

Edward and I went up to his room so he could pack for the weekend in Seattle. He packed some shorts, t-shirts and underwear. Oh, to be a guy. Life was so easy for them, and they didn't even realize how good they had it.

We kissed everyone good bye, before heading back to my place. My dad and Heidi were sitting at the table playing cards when we walked in. "Hi, kids." My dad said, smiling. "We have cake."

"Oh, cake. Yum. How come?" I asked, sitting down beside my dad. Edward sat beside Heidi with Robbie in his arms. Heidi got up to get a white pastry box.

"Because after work, we went to the bakery to sample cake for the wedding." Heidi said, smiling. "Dig in." She said, smiling. There was about ten little slices of cake in the box, and I immediately picked up the lemon slice.

I took a bite and hummed. This was what I wanted for my wedding. I got up and held the cake in front of Edward's lips. He smiled at me before taking a bite, licking my fingers. "Mm." He said. "This is ours, right?" He asked me.

"Yep." I said, making my dad laugh. "You like it?" I asked, and Edward hummed, smiling at me. "So, we're ahead of you on the wedding cake selection." I giggled.

"Did you choose, today?" Edward asked my dad.

"Yeah. We picked chocolate." My dad smiling like a little boy in a candy shop. It was adorable. I walked over and kissed my dad's cheek.

"I'm so excited." I said, sitting back down. "So, which is the chocolate one you picked?" I asked, looking in the box, as there was three different chocolate samples in the box.

"That one." Heidi said, pointing to the milk chocolate slice. "Your dad loved that one. And he tried it first, and nothing else compared to it."

I bit half, and then passed the other half to Edward. "Oh, my god." I moaned. "Good choice, daddy." I said, making him smile, proudly.

"Love that." Edward said, smiling.

"Go ahead, and eat the rest of it, kids." Heidi said, smiling. "We're stuffed."

I slid my chair over to Edward and we sat together stuffing our faces with wedding cake. I would bite one I liked, then feed Edward the rest of it, and he would do the same for me. I swear the way we were eating, you would think we hadn't seen cake before. But it was all so good.

We hung out and talked to my dad and Heidi for a while before heading up to my room. Edward went to have a shower and I packed my bag for Seattle. I laid out my green plaid shirt dress for tomorrow. I wanted to look cute for dress shopping with Heidi. I packed some black shorts and a flowy purple tank for Sunday in Seattle.

I walked in the bathroom while Edward was shaving and grabbed a bunch of tampons and panty liners. Edward looked down at my hands, before leaning in to kiss my lips. I giggled wiping the shaving cream off of my chin. Despite my period, I was looking forward to our weekend.


	486. Snuggle

**A/N - Happy Saturday! I take back my comment of feeling better! Darn colds! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 486 - Snuggle

I had a quick shower before getting ready for bed. The spotting was very light tonight, so I was hoping it wouldn't be too bad tomorrow. I came into my room and found Edward in bed. He smiled at me as I walked to bed. I was wearing my Texas t-shirt, which had slipped off of one shoulder, and a pair of plain white cotton panties.

I flipped off the lamp and climbed in with him. "You look beautiful." He whispered, as I snuggled up to his bare chest. I don't know how he knew, but he always said sweet things like that when I needed to hear them the most.

"Thank you." I whispered back. "You know what's not fun? I've gotten so used to our physical relationship, that I have no idea how we're going to get through my period."

Edward chuckled, before pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Aw, baby. We're pretty creative. We'll figure something out. I was more than satisfied this afternoon." Edward said, making me laugh.

"So was I." I said, smiling into his chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Bella." He whispered. "Get some sleep." He rubbed my back until I drifted into unconsciousness.

I woke up when Edward rolled over. I snuggled up to his back, wrapping my arms around his body. I ran my palm over his chest and stomach. Mm. He was so toned. I seriously had the most gorgeous fiancé ever. I still felt so lucky to call him mine.

I kissed Edward's right shoulder blade and he hummed. He reached his arm back and set his hand on my hip, giving it a little squeeze. I giggled, and he laughed. "A new ticklish spot, huh?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at me.

"Maybe." I said, smiling at him. I crawled over Edward's legs to lay in front of him, but I almost fell off the bed. I mean, let's face it. My bed was small. Edward wrapped me tightly in his arms and held me, so I wouldn't fall.

"Good morning." He whispered, when our eyes met.

"Good morning, baby." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"It's going to be nice to get our huge bed in Seattle, huh?" Edward asked, leaning in to kiss my shoulder.

"Oh, yeah." I said, laughing. "I think we're going to have lots of fun in that bed."

Edward slid his hand down my back to my bum. He patted it lightly. "We are." He said, smiling. "Um, can I ask you something?" Edward asked.

I looked up at his face. "Of course, baby." I said.

"I know we've been celebrating our anniversary on the day I asked you to be my girlfriend, the sixteenth, for the last three months. Now, it will be four months on Monday, and I was wondering if you want to keep going with that day. Or." He said, smiling at me, before leaning in for a kiss. "Do you want to celebrate on the twenty third of every month, the day I proposed?"

"Hmm." I said, thinking it over.

"Or." Edward said, making us both laugh. "Both days."

I giggled. "You know, you are the most thoughtful man, like, ever." I said, making Edward smile. "Most guys can't remember these things, but you, Edward, are one of a kind."

"I'm glad you think so." He said, winking at me and making me blush. He laughed at my reaction, but it couldn't be helped. That wink was a weapon, for sure.

"Um. The sixteenth is really special to me. It's like the start of us. There would be no Edward and Bella without the sixteenth." I said, making Edward smile. "But, the day you proposed to me was so magical."

Edward laughed. "So, both it is, huh?" He asked, pulling me closer to his chest.

"I'm just really bad at making decisions." I said, kissing Edward's chin.

"Nah, I think you're good at it. You agreed to date me, move in with me, and you said yes to a future with me." He said, making me smile. "Those were the important answers. Nothing else matters."

"Aw. I just love you so much." I said, before kissing his lips over and over and over.

Edward chuckled. "Show me how much." He said, giving my bum a squeeze, his face the perfect picture of smugness.

I laughed. "Let me go to the bathroom, and then I'll show you." I said, smiling.

"Sounds like a plan, gorgeous." He said. "Hurry."

"I'm going." I laughed, getting up and running to my door. I peaked over at Edward in my bed and smiled before leaving the room. I quickly used the bathroom, before walking back to my room. I could hear Heidi and my dad in the kitchen downstairs, so I knew Edward and I had better not fool around too long.

I walked back in my room and smiled when I saw Robbie in bed with Edward. "Someone beat you to it." Edward teased, kissing Robbie's head.

"Aw. My boys." I said, climbing back into bed. Edward set the kitten on my chest, and he walked around before sliding off of my stomach and landing on the bed. He slipped under the covers and Edward laughed.

"He's tickling my legs." Edward said, smiling.

"We've got a little snuggle bug on our hands, don't we?" I asked, leaning over to kiss Edward's lips.

"We do." He said, wrapping his arms around me. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too." I said, leaning in to kiss Edward's lips. He groaned before deepening the kiss. I reached out and ran my hand over Edward's chest. I just loved to touch him and feel connected to him. I pulled back and gave Edward a couple more kisses, before I stood up off of the bed.

Edward flopped back on the pillows, tucking his hands behind his head. "That's all I get?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said, smiling, pulling off my nightshirt.

"Mm." Edward hummed. "A little striptease. This is nice."

I laughed, pulling on a black cotton bra. Edward pouted, making me laugh. "This is a reverse striptease." I teased, putting on some deodorant and perfume, before pulling on my dress.

Edward smiled. "You're so gorgeous." He said, as I slipped on my black flats.

"Thank you. Your turn." I said as I walked over to the bed and pulled the blankets back. Robbie was mad at me, meowing loudly. Clearly, he liked snuggling under the blankets. I scooped him up. "Aw, baby. You boys can't sleep all day." I said, holding him against my chest, petting him.

Edward laughed, as he slipped out of bed. "Robbie's just saying what we're both thinking." He said, pulling off his underwear, before he walked around the room.

"I can't believe you're taking the kitty's side." I laughed, watching Edward pull on white boxer briefs, his faded jeans and a white t-shirt.

Edward walked over to me and kissed my lips. "We just like to snuggle with our girl, that's all." He said.

We fed Robbie, before packing all his things. He was going to stay with us overnight in Seattle. I was so excited to see what he thought of the place. I couldn't wait to watch him run around in all that space.

We went downstairs for breakfast. Heidi had made cranberry muffins for us. I smiled. She was going to take good care of my dad when I went back to school. Honestly, his relationship with Heidi made the fact that summer was ending a lot more bearable for me. I wouldn't be leaving my dad alone.

"Hey, kids." Heidi said, smiling. "My dad called this morning and said they have a bookshelf and a coffee table they don't have room for in their new place. Do you guys want them for the apartment?"

"Oh, wow." Edward said, smiling. "Yeah. That would great, actually." He looked over at me and I nodded. "How much does he want for them?"

Heidi laughed. "My dad is old fashioned. He said, just buy him lunch and they're yours."

We all laughed. I absolutely adored Randell. Edward smiled. "Sounds like we've got a deal."


	487. Furniture and Fun

**A/N - Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! You're making a sick girl smile! It is Saturday. August 14, 2010 in the story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 487 - Furniture and Fun

My dad and Edward loaded our chairs in the back of his truck and covered them with a tarp, and we put the TV in Edward's trunk, with our overnight bags. I gave my dad a kiss, before Edward and I got in the car with the kitten. We were going to meet them in Sequim to pick up Randell and Mary.

Edward and I drove to his house to pick up the boys. Emmett and Jasper were going to ride up with us, but ride home with Esme and Carlisle, as they had to take Nanny, Grandpa and Alice to Seattle. I was looking forward to spending time with the boys. It being halfway through August, I was already getting nostalgic about the summer.

Emmett and Jasper were waiting on the porch, and came running down to the car when they saw us. "Eager to get out of town?" I asked, teasing them.

"For sure." Emmett said, laughing. "After a week of football practice, I'm very much looking forward to some new scenery. I've been looking at guys in tights a little too long."

Edward laughed at his brother, and it made me smile. Jasper took Robbie from me, and was going to play with him in the backseat. I was glad, actually, because if I left him in the front, I would have had to leave him in the carrier.

I waved at Nanny and Alice, before Edward pulled out and turned onto the highway. "Hey, Em, you're going to have to show me where Randell and Mary live in Sequim." Edward said as we drove. "They have a bookshelf and coffee table for us."

"Yeah, no problem." Emmett said. "I'm their favourite, anyway."

"So you guys had a good date night?" I asked the boys and they laughed.

"It's a guys night, Bella. Not a date night." Emmett said, making me laugh. Edward looked over at me and smiled. He set his hand on my thigh, giving it a little squeeze.

"Okay, okay. Guys night." I said, laughing. "I hear you went to a movie?"

"We to 'The Other Guys.'" Jasper said. "It's a comedy with Will Ferrell. It was good."

"Yeah." Emmett said, and started laughing. He starting reciting a bunch of lines from the movie, and all three guys started laughing. It didn't make any sense to me, but their laughter was contagious. I loved that they had a good time together.

We stopped at Sequim, and Emmett gave Edward perfect directions to Mary and Randell's new place. The senior's condo was huge. It was about six storeys, and spread out quite wide. It almost looked like a hotel.

We all got out of the car after Jasper put the harness on Robbie. We walked him around on the grass a little until he peed. My cat was so much like a dog, it wasn't even funny. But, I was glad he peed outside instead of in Edward's car.

We went up to Mary and Randell's condo, on the fourth floor, and Mary gave me, Esme, nanny, Grandpa and Alice a tour, while the guys took the furniture door in the elevator, and then tried to fit it in the back of my dad's truck.

The condo was really nice inside. It had rose coloured walls and a nice white carpet; a really big kitchen, a spacious bathroom and one large bedroom. "It's all we really need." Mary told me during the tour. "It was nice to downsize a little bit."

"It's really beautiful." I told her, honestly. "And you have a great view of the Strait."

"Yes. We really like it. And we have some great neighbours. We play bridge with the couple across the hall on Thursdays." Mary said, making me smile. She took my hand. "Come on. Let's get you kids some brownies from the kitchen for the drive."

She got out the Ziplock bags and packed all of us kids two brownies. I adored having adopted grandparents. I felt like a little kid. It was so nice to be spoiled like this. And it was something as simple as a brownie that completely made my morning.

"Thank you, Mary." I said, pulling her into a hug.

She kissed my forehead. "Of course, sweetheart."

I used the bathroom at the condo, before we went down to see how the guys were doing in the truck. My dad and Edward were standing in the back, and they were using bungee cords to tie everything down.

"You got it to fit?" I asked, and Edward looked up at me and smiled.

"We got it to fit." He said, hopping off the back of the truck and wrapping his arms around my hips. He leaned in to kiss my neck. "Now we've got lots of room for all of your journals."

"Thank you, baby." I said, smiling.

We walked over to Randell. "Okay, sir. Where am I taking you for lunch?" Edward asked, making Randell laugh.

"Oh, I was just teasing Heidi. You don't need to buy me lunch." Randell said, patting Edward's shoulder.

"No, no. A deal is a deal." Edward said. "Do you like sub sandwiches?"

"I love them." Randell said, smiling, before he winked at me.

"Okay." Edward said, reaching out to Randell's hand. "There's a Subway just up the street from the apartment."

I gave Randell a hug. "Thank you so much for the furniture, Randell."

"Oh, you bet, honey bunny." He said, patting my back. "I'm just glad you had room for it at your place."

"Edward, sweetie. We need to get going." Esme said, coming up to wrap her arm around Edward's back. "Nanny and Grandpa have a flight at noon."

"Okay." He said, leaning down to kiss his mom's cheek. "We'll see you guys on the ferry."

We all got back into the car and headed out to Seattle. I passed out Mary's brownies and all the guys seemed pretty excited. I fed Edward his brownie, and he made sure to lick and suck on my fingers.

"God, Edward. I can see your mouth in the rear view mirror." Emmett said, laughing. Edward's ears turned pink, and it made me smile.

I picked up Edward's hand and kissed his palm. "I thought it was sexy." I said, making Edward smile at me.

"That's because you're marrying him. He's my brother." Emmett explained, making me laugh.

"Then quit looking in the rear view mirror." I teased, looking over the seat. Emmett and Jasper were laughing, and I'm glad they saw me as a sister that could joke around with them.

Jasper was snuggling Robbie in the backseat, and the kitty was sleeping in his arms. "Do you think you'd like to get a pet, Jasper?" I asked him.

"I would love a pet." He said. "But, because we travel every Christmas, and go camping in the summer, we never have gotten one." I remembered when Edward had told me the same thing. But it was a shame, considering how much Jasper had truly taken to the kitten.

"Well, you can borrow Robbie whenever you want to." I told him, making him smile. "Plus, we're going to have to find a kitty sitter for Robbie when we go camping next year."

"Maybe some of your cop buddies will watch him." Edward said, winking at me. I rolled my eyes at him, and laughed.

"Actually, Jake probably would watch him for us, because Vanessa wants a pet and can't have one in her and EJ's apartment." I said, making Edward laugh.

"So, you're saying that Jake would take the cat to get his girl over to his house?" Edward said. "Are men that shallow?"

Emmett laughed. "I would totally do that if it would get Rose over to my room."

I giggled. "Looks like it, Edward." I said, reaching over to pat his thigh.

"Hey, I'm not shallow." Emmett laughed. "I'm in love."

We continued teasing each other until we got to the ferry. We got out of the car and went to go hang out with nanny and grandpa. It was so sad that they were leaving this afternoon.

We drove off the ferry, and Edward went through the drive thru at Subway. Edward bought thirteen sandwiches. It cost him a fortune, but he said, it was cheaper than buying the furniture ourselves.

We met everyone at the apartment, and Edward unlocked the door leading everyone in. We gave nanny and grandpa the grand tour that we promised them, and they seemed to love it. Nanny noticed all the little feminine touches I put everywhere, like the lavender soap and candles.

"You're going to take such good care of him." She whispered in my ear, making me smile. I wouldn't let her down.


	488. Teary Eyes and Taffeta Gowns

**A/N - Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian readers! Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 488 - Teary Eyes and Taffeta Gowns

We had our sub sandwiches, and Randell slipped Edward a couple of twenty dollar bills. It made me laugh when I saw it. He handed those twenties out like they were going out of style. Edward tried to refuse, but Randell, being so sweet, wouldn't let him. Edward shook his hand, again, and they laughed.

After lunch, nanny and grandpa gave us all hugs, before Esme and Carlisle left to take them to the airport. Alice, Jasper and I cried when they left. Jasper went into the bathroom, Emmett picked up Alice and Edward wrapped his arms around me, kissing my cheek.

"I'm okay, baby." I told him, wiping my eyes. "I'm going to go check on Jasper." I said, kissing Edward's chin, before walking into my bedroom and knocking on the bathroom door. "Jasper. Are you alright?" I asked, quietly.

He didn't say anything, but a few seconds later, he opened the door. His eyes were red, but he looked composed. I walked up to him and gave him a tight hug. He squeezed me back, and I was so happy that he felt he could trust me.

"I'm not really good with goodbyes." Jasper said, shyly.

"Oh, I know how you feel." I told him, pointing to my own red eyes and making him laugh.

"I'm okay, though." He said, reassuring me, and maybe himself.

"I'm glad." I said, wrapping my arm around him and leading him back into the living room. "Because I'm going to let Robbie go in the living room, I thought you might want to watch him go crazy running around."

Jasper laughed and walked over to the carrier, pulling Robbie out. He set him on the floor and his little paws slid from underneath him, making him fall on his stomach. "Uh oh." I said, as everyone laughed at how adorable the kitty was. I sat on the floor and stood him back up. He just slipped, again.

"Looks like you're going to need to get some area rugs." Heidi suggested, as she peeked out of the kitchen door. Heidi, her parents and my dad were in the kitchen going through the phone book and the map, trying to decide which stores we should go to, to look for wedding dresses.

"Aw. My poor little baby." I said, pouting up at Edward.

Edward chuckled. "He'll figure it out, Bella. He's just used to the carpet in your room." I scooped my baby up and held him to my chest. He meowed at me, and I smiled.

"Here, Bella." Jasper said, sitting down beside me with Robbie's bag. "Maybe if we throw him a toy, he'll try to chase after it."

Jasper threw Robbie's soft ball and I set him down. He pounced and slid and ran over to the ball before batting it with his paw. "It worked." I said, excitedly. Jasper smiled, obviously happy that he helped.

Edward walked over to the futon and picked up Alice off of Emmett's lap. She still had a red face and teary eyes. He kissed her cheek, before setting her on the floor between me and Jasper.

"Are you going to play with Robbie?" I asked her and she smiled at me and nodded her head. I got up off of the floor and went to the bathroom to get a warm towel to wash her face. I came back in the room and leaned over her, wiping her cheeks and nose. "Better?"

"Better." She said, before getting up to pick up the kitten. She brought him back over to Jasper and Jasper set him back down, before rolling the toy along the floor. The kitty went running, again. He was getting used to the hardwood floor.

I went over to sit on Edward's lap. He and Emmett were sitting together on the futon. "If you have time later, do you want to take the Jasper to the pet store and get the kitty a scratching post or something?" I asked. "That might make him feel better."

Edward wrapped his arms around me, kissing my neck. "Yeah. That sounds good." He whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby." I said, laying back against his chest. We watched the kitty running around until Esme and Carlisle knocked on the door. Emmett got up to let them in and they walked back in the room, Emmett with his arm around his mom's shoulder.

"Hi, kids." She said, wiping at her eyes, and it was obvious how hard the goodbye was on her, too. "I'm just going to freshen up, and then we'd better hit the town ladies. We've got dresses to buy."

Alice hopped up and ran over to Esme. "Do I get a dress, too, mom?" She asked, excitedly.

"We have to get Heidi and Bella dresses first, and then if we have time, we'll look, okay?" She said, smoothing Alice's hair.

We all took turns in the bathroom, before all of us girls headed out to get a wedding dress for my soon to be step mom. Edward gave me a nice, long kiss at the door, making me blush. "Have a good time, baby." He said, smiling. "And I'm open to dressing room photos." He teased, winking at me.

"I'll see what I can do." I said, smiling. "And I'm open to some shirtless, sweaty, furniture moving pictures."

Edward laughed. "You've got quite the imagination." He said, spanking me softly. "Get going, gorgeous. They'll leave without you. I'll see you tonight."

I smiled at him, waving as I ran down the stairs to meet the girls. We took Mary's car, and she and Esme sat in the front, with Esme, Alice and I in the backseat. Heidi had a list of dress shops, so we went to the closest one first.

We walked through the shop and everything looked too big and poofy for Heidi. "I just want it simple." She whispered to me.

"Well, let's ask." I told her. We went to an attendant and Heidi explained what she wanted.

"Is this a first wedding?" The woman asked her.

"Yes, it is." Heidi said, smiling. "But it's a small backyard wedding, with friends and family. I want something short and simple, but still white and pretty."

"Alright. Come with me." She said, leading Heidi to the back. Mary, Esme, Alice and I sat down on the couch and waited for her to come out.

"Are you excited to look for your own wedding dress, soon, Bella?" Mary asked me, making me smile.

"I am." I admitted. "With the whole move and everything, I haven't really thought about it much, but once we get settled, I'd love to come look around."

"Well, you're going to be a beautiful bride, no matter what you decide." Esme said, smiling at me. I could tell that she was excited to help me plan mine and Edward's wedding. But, I definitely wanted to take a page out of Heidi's book. I wanted simple.

"Well, ladies?" The attendant said, making us all look up. Heidi walked out in a short taffeta and lace dress. The hemline hit just above her knees and the skirt was tiered lace. She actually had the body for it, but I could tell that she wasn't comfortable in it. It was very body hugging.

"I think it's pretty." I said, in case Heidi liked.

"But." She said, looking at me.

"I think I was picturing something a little longer." I said, and Heidi smiled.

"I agree completely, Bella." She said, before looking at the attendant, as if she'd already told her that. I bit my lip, so I wouldn't laugh. Heidi was a tough cop. She wasn't going to be coerced to wear a dress she didn't like.

She followed the attendant back to the change room. Mary turned to us. "Can you imagine." She said, shaking her head in disgust, and making Esme and I giggle.

Heidi came back out, and I felt the tears burn the back of my eyes. The dress was perfect. It was a tea length, strapless taffeta gown, with a classy, structured bust. But the best part, was the navy blue lace around the waistline. It fit Heidi perfectly, and I couldn't believe how quickly she had found it.

She looked at my face and she started to cry. I got up and went over to her, pulling her into a hug. I loved that we were so close, and had developed this bond already, where we knew what the other was thinking. "You look stunning." I whispered in her ear.

"I'm so glad you like it, Bella." She cried. "Because I think it's perfect."

Mary got up and came over. "She looks like an angel, doesn't she?" She asked, looking over at Esme.

"It is absolutely beautiful." Esme agreed. "It's classic and structured, yet pretty and delicate at the same time. You look gorgeous, Heidi."

With everyone agreed, Heidi went back to change into her clothes. I got out my phone and sent Edward a text. 'Tell my dad his bride is beautiful in her gown.'


	489. Dress and Undress

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 489 - Dress and Undress

We got back in the car, complete with Heidi's perfect wedding gown, and headed to one of the fifty Seattle Nordstrom store locations. Esme had told us that she heard that they had pretty bridesmaid dresses there.

I checked my phone in the car, and smiled. Edward had sent me a text. 'Your dad is smiling, and may even be a little teary.' I smiled. I was so happy for my dad and Heidi. Edward sent a second text. 'It's your turn, now? Waiting for photos.' My man was insatiable.

I just wrote back one word. 'Maybe.' I knew that would drive him crazy. And what fun was being apart from each other if I couldn't tease him. He knew what I wanted. A shirtless, sweaty picture of him.

We got to the department store and went to the bridal section. "Okay, girls. Look for soft pinks." Heidi said, as we all split up to go through the racks of dresses.

"Size six." I added.

"Oh, to be young." Mary said, making me laugh.

We looked through the dresses, and we found about five pink dresses for me to try on. They were all strapless so I took off my bra. I pulled on the first one that had an empire waist and a body hugging silhouette, with raised floral rosettes all over the skirt.

It was pretty, but I thought it was too structured to be a bridesmaid dress. In my mind, I pictured something more flowy. But the sweetheart neckline made my boobs look really good. So, being the awesome fiancé that I was, I snapped a picture of my cleavage for Edward, and sent it off for him.

I showed Heidi and, while Alice loved it, Heidi and Esme agreed with me that it should be a little softer. So, I went back in the change room and tried the next dress. I heard my phone chime, and I looked in my purse.

'Mm, baby. How you tease me. Very sexy.' Edward texted. Oh, how I loved my Edward. He always knew what to say.

I walked out and showed the girls the next dress. This one had ruffled tiered chiffon and was flowy like I wanted, but almost looked like a party dress instead of an elegant bridesmaid dress.

"I like them all." Alice said, smiling.

"I like this one better." Mary said. "But it's still a little flitsy, ditsy." Heidi and I looked at each other and laughed.

"Okay." I said. "I'll try another one." I said, going back into the change room.

I checked my phone first and Edward had sent a picture of himself in the bathroom without his shirt on. He was smirking in the picture and it made me smile. He was gorgeous. I pulled on the next dress, and took a picture of my legs, catching the bottom hem of the dress and sent it back. 'Thank you, hottie.' I wrote back.

I adjusted myself in the dress before looking at it in the mirror. I loved this one. It had a criss-crossed, ruched, sweetheart bodice, and a soft, flowy, gathered chiffon skirt, that hit me just above the knee. But the best part were the three chiffon roses that were placed in line from the top of my left breast, down to the center on my cleavage.

I walked out a did a little twirl. "Oh, Bella. I love it." Heidi said, getting up to give me a hug. "You look so pretty."

I smiled. "I'm glad you like it." I said. "Because this is my favourite one, too. It fits perfectly, and it's so comfortable."

"Alright. We're two for two." Esme said, smiling.

"My turn?" Alice asked, smiling. "I've been really patient."

I laughed. "Just let me change, and I'll take her to go look, so you and Mary can find something." I said to Esme. I knew Mary wanted a mother of the bride dress, so I thought I'd take Alice so she wouldn't get bored.

I went back into the change room, and slipped off the dress, before getting redressed. I checked my phone before I left the room and my face burned. Edward had sent me another text. It was a photo of his crotch in his white boxer briefs.

He just had to outdo me. I smiled, because he was all mine, but I blushed because he had never sent me a picture like that. I fanned my face for a minute trying to get the pink off of my cheeks. I stuffed my phone in my purse and took my dress out of the change room.

Heidi smiled at me when I came out of the room, and took my dress from me. "Oh, I can buy it." I told her.

"No, your dad wants to buy it for you." She said, smiling. "Now, spill it, Bella. Why are you blushing?"

I giggled. "Oh, Edward just sent me a text." I told her, making her giggle.

"You two are so adorable." Heidi laughed.

"Come on, Bella." Alice said, running over to me and grabbing my hand. Saved by the child, I thought. I smiled at Heidi, before following Alice to the little girls' dresses. "What colour dress should I get?" She asked smiling.

"You can get whatever colour you want, Alice." I told her.

"What about this black one?" Alice asked me, walking over with a cute black taffeta dress with little spaghetti straps and a beautiful white sash tied in a bow around the empire waist.

"It's gorgeous, Alice." I told her. "Let's go try it on." I took her hand and led her to the change room. She undressed and I told her to lift her arms over her head so I could slip it on her. It fit her perfectly, and she looked priceless. She really was a beautiful child. "It's perfect, Alice. Do you like it?"

"I love it." She said, smiling proudly.

I took it off of her, and while she got redressed, I pulled out my phone to text Edward back, but he had beaten me too it. 'Was that too much?' I felt bad that I had worried him.

I sent him a quick message. 'God, baby. You're hot. Sorry for the late reply…shopping. Love you.'

We met up with Esme, Heidi and Mary. Esme adored the dress that Alice picked out, and I was so glad, because Alice had her heart set on it. Esme showed me the black sheath dress she found, with a beautiful lace overlay. And Mary had picked out a blue satin dress with a matching jacket.

"Well, I think we're going to blow our guys away." Heidi said, smiling.

We got out dresses before heading back out to the car, and going back to the apartment. I opened the door and smiled as I walked in. I put my hand to my heart because our apartment was really starting to look like a home.

When Edward saw me he came over and took my hand. "So, what do you think?" He asked, leading me into the living room. The boys had put the two blue chairs we got from Carlisle and Esme on either side of the futon, surrounding the new coffee table from Randell. There was even a bouquet of mixed flowers in a small vase on the coffee table.

They had the TV mounted on the wall. And the bookshelf set up on the wall to the right of the balcony doors. Edward had put two of my journals in between the bookends from Rose and Maria. And on the shelf underneath that, he had the photo of us in Arizona in front of the fountain, that I had given him for our three month anniversary.

Then, they had a little area rug set up to the left of the balcony door with a tall, tan scratching post for Robbie, beside a new litter box, and his bed. There was even a pile of toys on the rug for him. And to top it off, Robbie was fast asleep in his bed.

"Oh, Edward." I choked out. "I love it." I said, pulling him into a tight hug. He held me close and rocked us back and forth slowly.

"I'm so glad you like it." He whispered. "I missed you."

I smiled up at his face and he leaned down to kiss my lips. "Thank you, baby." I said, making him smile.

I walked over and gave all the guys hugs and thanks; my dad, Randell, Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper. We were so lucky to have the support of our families like this. I was so touched that they had moved all the furniture in and set it up like this.

"Okay, kiddo." My dad said, coming up to me and setting his hands on my shoulders. "We're going to head out. We've got a long drive ahead of us. Do you need anything before we go?"

"No, we're fine, daddy." I told him, giving him another hug. "Thank you for your help, and thank you for the bridesmaid dress."

"Of course, Bells. It wouldn't be a wedding without you." He said, making me smile. I loved my dad. We said goodbye to everyone, seeing them all out, after hugs and kisses.

Edward closed the door and led me over to the futon, where he sat down and pulled me onto his lap. I laid my head on his shoulder and he wrapped me tightly in his arms. This was just a little taste of what life would be like for us in the fall. Seeing the apartment so close to being furnished, I was getting really excited.


	490. Unfinished Business

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Summer Vacation is on over 1000 Favourites lists! I'm so excited! Enjoy!**

Chapter 490 - Unfinished Business

"It's really starting to feel like a home, isn't it?" Edward said, before kissing my forehead.

I smiled, before sitting up and straddling his legs. Edward set his hands on my hips, rubbing his thumbs back and forth. "It really is." I agreed. "And I love it. But, my hot, sexy fiancé, I believe we have some unfinished business."

He chuckled. "Oh, yeah?" He asked, smirking.

I reached forward and rubbed my hands over his chest and shoulders. "Those were some pretty sexy photos you sent me." I said, moving my hands in circles over his chest.

"You liked that, huh?" Edward asked, sliding his hands down to my bum.

"Oh, I loved it." I told him. I leaned in and traced my tongue around his ear. "You made me blush."

"Mm." Edward hummed. "I love your pretty blush. I'm sorry I missed it."

I giggled. "I'm sure you'll make me blush, again. Don't worry about that." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"I loved your photos, Bella. Your pretty boobs and your sexy legs." Edward said, before kissing down my neck.

"I have pretty boobs?" I asked, giggling.

Edward laughed, reaching up undo the buttons on my dress. "Oh, yeah." He said, pulling the dress off of my shoulders. "They are works of art." He said, leaning his face forward and burying it into my cleavage. I laughed, as he kissed along the tops of them.

"I think they're pretty normal." I said, as he reached behind me to unclasp my bra. "Kind of small."

Edward clicked his tongue at me as he pulled the bra off of my arms. "Bella, Bella." He said, tossing my bra behind the futon. He reached up and set his hands underneath my breasts, light running his thumbs back and forth on my skin giving me goosebumps.

"Your boobs are perfect. Look at them, Bella. You have peaches and cream skin, so soft and perky." He said, making me blush, again. "And they aren't small. They fit perfectly in my hands." He added, turning his hands to hold them softly. "I love you, Bella. You are not just normal. You are extraordinary."

I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around Edward's neck, and pressing my body into his, trapping his hands between us. "I love you, Edward." I whispered. The combination of his hands and the pressure between us felt so good.

I groaned a little and Edward hummed in response. "I want to make love to you." He whispered back.

"Right now?" I asked, leaning back to look into his eyes. "Because, um, you know." I said, looking down at my underwear.

"Did you get your period?" He asked, and I giggled a little because he was finally able to ask me without blushing. He smiled back at me, but raised his eyebrows waiting for an answer.

"Well, no. Not yet, but…" I started, but didn't know how to finish.

"Spotting." He said, remembering what I told him the day before. "I don't really know what that is."

"It's just really light spots of blood." I said, blushing as I said it.

"So, you're uncomfortable with sex right now?" He asked, clearly trying to understand. "Because you both look and sound turned on."

"Well, I'm just embarrassed, that's all." I said, looking down at his hands that were still caressing my breasts.

"Don't be embarrassed with me." He said, smiling up at my face. "If you don't want to, we don't have to. But, I'm not scared of a little spotting."

I giggled. "A tough guy, huh?" I asked, teasing, as I leaned in to kiss his lips. I reached down and roughly grabbed the hem of his t-shirt, yanking it up. Edward lifted his arms and pulled it off for me.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I'm not trying to pressure you, but I want you so much."

"I'm okay, if you are." I said, kissing him, again. He groaned and deepened the kiss, moving his hands behind my back, holding me close to his body. I felt so alive and so turned on. Edward slid his hands back to my bum, slipping his fingers into the back of my panties.

"Wait." I said, pulling back from him. "I just want to use the bathroom, first." I said.

"Okay." He said, running his fingers up and down my sides. I hopped up and ran to the bathroom. Luckily, the spotting was really light. I knew I was going to get my period the next day, so this was probably going to be the last time we could make love until Wednesday.

I walked back into the living room naked with a towel for us to lay on. I smiled when I saw that Edward had the futon reclined into the bed position, and was standing beside it in his boxer briefs. He looked up when he heard me.

"Wow." He said, smiling. "Now this right here is the perk of having our own place." I laughed at him, and he pulled me towards him, wrapping his arms around me, and squeezing my bum with both hands. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It's pretty light." I said, making him smile. "Now, why aren't you naked?"

He started laughing. "I thought you might want to take these off." He said, making me laugh.

"You thought right." I said, stepping back. I slowly peeled his boxer briefs down, before reaching between his legs and lightly rubbing his body. He leaned his head back and groaned. "Baby. Do you have a condom?" I asked.

"Yeah. I set it on the coffee table." He said, taking the towel, and laying in on the bed, before holding my hand and helping me onto the futon. He laid beside me, and started kissing my neck, moving down my body, stopping at my belly button. He reached his hand between my legs and let his fingers work magic on my body.

"Edward." I breathed, and he kissed his way up to my lips. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too, gorgeous." He breathed. "You ready?"

"Yeah." I said, smiling as Edward rolled over to grab the condom. He put it on, before rolling over top of me.

He buried his face into my neck, kissing and sucking on my delicate skin. "I love you." He whispered, aligning our bodies and pushing into me slowly. "Does that feel good?"

"Oh, god, Edward." I breathed, as he started moving, slowly. "It feels so good."

Edward kept up with the slow pace, savouring every second of our bodies moving together. I had my arms wrapped around Edward's back and his skin was sweaty and hot. He leaned in to kiss my lips, and smiled at me. He was so beautiful.

I don't know how long we moved together, but I finally fell over the edge, gripping onto Edward's shoulders. He came right after me, before rolling us over, so I was laying on top of him.

"I will never get tired of doing that." I said, making Edward smile, as his ran his fingertips up and down my spine. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too." He said, lifting his head to kiss my lips. "How about I order us a pizza and then we go have a shower?"

I smiled, kissing him again. "Sounds great. I'm starving." I said, before getting up. "I'll meet you in there. Don't be long." I called on my way to the bathroom. I heard Edward laugh, before I shut the door to our room. I grabbed my bag and brought it into the bathroom.

I got in the shower and let the hot water pour over my back. Edward joined me in minutes, wrapping his arms around my waist. "The food should be here in twenty minutes." He whispered. "Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah, I feel amazing." I told him, smiling. "I'm glad you suggested that."

"Mm. Me, too." He said. "Now, let's get clean." He said, making me laugh. We washed our hair and each other's bodies, before towelling off. We heard a knock at the door and Edward quickly pulled on his flannel sleep pants and kissed my lips, before running out of the bathroom.

I used the bathroom, before pulling on my Beacon Rock State Park t-shirt and some sweat shorts. I brushed out my hair and pulled it back into a bun. I walked out into the living room and Edward was sitting on the futon with the pizza box. He even had two cans of Coke on the coffee table.

I crawled beside him, and leaned over to kiss his lips. "Thanks for dinner." I said, kissing him, again.

He smiled and kissed my bare shoulder, where my t-shirt slipped off. "Anytime, beautiful."


	491. Cocky

**A/N - Firstly, I was having a little trouble getting this uploaded this morning. Sorry it's late. Secondly, Summer Vacation reached 10 000 reviews last night! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I truly appreciate it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 491 - Cocky

After we ate dinner, and Edward put the leftover pizza in the fridge, we turned on the TV and just snuggled together on the futon. Robbie got up and went into his litter box, before meowing. Edward hopped up to help him out. Robbie walked around looking at his toys, while Edward went to get him some supper.

After he was fed, Edward scooped him up and brought him over to me on the futon. The three of us snuggled and watched a vampire movie together. I have no idea why I watched these movies, because I knew I was only going to get scared. But, luckily I had a nice strong shoulder to bury my face into when I got scared.

Robbie fell asleep in my arms, so I got up and laid him back in his bed.

"Are you getting tired, angel?" Edward asked me when the movie was over.

"A little." I said, tilting my face up to kiss his lips. "But I want to check out our balcony at night. Wanna come?" I asked him, smiling.

"Of course, I wanna, my little English major." He said, tickling my side, and teasing me over my lazy vocabulary. I laughed, standing up and taking Edward's hand, leading him to our balcony.

We closed the door behind us so Robbie wouldn't sneak out, and walked along the balcony. The view was great, and looked out into the courtyard. There was a nice little park, with benches and a playground. I loved that. It was perfect for when Alice came to visit. But the best part was the outdoor pool.

I put my hands on the balcony and Edward stood behind me, pressing his bare chest to my back, his arms along mine, as he set his hands over mine on the railing.

"We should have brought our bathing suits." He whispered in my ear before sucking on my earlobe.

"Well, we could go skinny dipping." I teased, making him laugh.

He wrapped his arms around my waist.

"While that's tempting, we live in a complex full of college guys, and no one gets to see your pretty naked body but me."Edward whispered in my ear. He sounded so possessive and it was very sexy.

I hummed, leaning my head back on his shoulder. "I love when you talk like that." I confessed, wanting to be open about feelings on sex and turn ons.

"How's that? Logical?" He asked, making me laugh.

"No, Edward. Protective." I clarified, smiling as he ran his fingers over my stomach. "I like that you see me as yours."

"Well, I love you, and I need you. You are mine, Bella, forever. I'll always protect you." He said, softly, making me smile.

"Mm." I hummed. "And you're romantic, too. Kiss me, baby."

Edward turned me around in his arms and pulled me close to his body. He smiled at me, before leaning down to press a kiss to my lips. He pulled back slowly and I smiled and reached up to wrap my arms around his neck.

"I'm not done, yet." I said, and Edward chuckled.

"You want more kisses?" He asked against my lips, giving me a couple of light pecks.

"Always." I said, sucking his top lip into my mouth. He hummed and took my bottom lip. He pulled back a little, running his tongue lightly over my lips. It made me shiver.

"You liked that?" He whispered, kissing me a couple more times.

"Yeah." I breathed, wishing so much that I was taller, so it would be easier to kiss him. Because he had to lean down to me, it gave him all the control of the kiss. He could pull back or lean in when he wanted, and I had to wait for him to come to me.

I pulled back from him, and turned to walk back inside.

"Bella?" Edward asked from behind me. "Where are you going?"

I smiled and crooked my finger at him, giving him that come hither stare. He smirked at me, and I giggled.

"I want to be on even ground with you. It's too hard to kiss you when we're standing up. You're too tall." I explained, sliding open the balcony door.

Edward laughed, as he followed me in. "Am I too big?" He asked, and winked at me when I looked back at him.

"Edward." I whined, feeling my face heat up. He totally knew how to make me blush.

He laughed harder, and walked up to me, wrapping me tightly in his arms. "I'm just kidding." He said, rocking us back and forth, exaggeratedly. "I selfishly wanted to see you blush."

"Well, it worked." I said, pouting up at his face.

"Aw." Edward said, leaning down to kiss me. He took my hand and led me to the futon. I sat down and Edward sat beside me. "So, what's all this about me being too tall?"

I laughed, pushing his shoulders so he would lay back on the bed. I straddled his waist and leaned forward, putting my hands on either side of his head.

"I want to control these kisses." I said, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. I pulled back and he smiled.

"Come back." He said, lifting his head up to try and reach my lips.

"That's my point. When you're standing, I have to wait for you to kiss me." I said, making Edward laugh.

"So, you're punishing me for being a big boy?" He asked, lifting his eyebrows up and down, and making me laugh.

"I'm not punishing you. I just want to kiss you." I explained.

"Then kiss me." He said, smiling at me. I leaned down and attacked his lips with mine, kissing him passionately, making both of us groan into the kiss. Edward wrapped his arms around me and tried to bring me closer, so I pulled back, straddling him on my hands and knees, again.

"I'm in charge." I breathed, making him smile. Both of us were breathing heavily. Edward's eyes flicked down and then back up to meet my eyes. I looked down and noticed that the neck of my night shirt was gaping, giving him a full view of my boobs. I looked back up at his face and he smirked at me.

"You're so cocky." I said, making him laugh, as a sat down on his stomach.

"I'm very cocky, but I thought you liked that part of my anatomy." He said. I covered my face with both hands to hide my blush. Edward was flirting so much tonight, and I have no idea why I was getting so embarrassed by it.

"Hey, baby." Edward said, reaching up to grab my wrists and pull my hands off of my face. "Bella. I'm sorry. I'm acting stupid."

I giggled a little and he smiled, looking relieved the I wasn't mad. "You're not acting stupid. You're flirting with me. That's allowed." I said, reaching behind me. I caressed his body over his pyjama pants, smiling when I realized how turned on he was, again.

"Shoot, Bella." He breathed, closing his eyes.

"And I really do love this part of your anatomy." I said, feeling more confident, even though my cheeks were still pink.

"Mm, Bella. God, I can't enough of you." Edward said, sitting up quickly and wrapping his arms around my back. He leaned in and started kissing my neck, sucking and biting at my skin. I threw my head and moaned. Edward always knew how to get me turned on.

He reached down and pulled my shirt up, and I wriggled my arms to finish pulling it off. Edward already had his mouth clamped onto my breast. "Ah." I screamed out, as he scraped his teeth over my sensitive skin.

"Stop or keep going?" He asked, moving his hips up and making me groan.

"Keep going." I breathed. "And I want you on top, again."

Edward chuckled, and laid me back on the bed. "I thought I was too tall?" He asked, pulling his pyjama pants down, and rolling on another condom. He pulled his pants back up before laying down on top of me.

"You are tall and big and cocky, and I love all of you, Edward." I whispered, wrapping my arms around his big strong back.

He chuckled, before burying his face into my neck. He started kissing me everywhere, my lips, my neck, my chest, my stomach, my arms and my hands. It was nice, because although he was turned on, he didn't want sex, he just wanted to make me feel good.

"Baby, you taste so good." He said, before licking from my belly button right up to my lips. He smiled at me, and pressed a hot kiss to my lips. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too." I said, kissing him, again. I reached down and grabbed his bum in my hands, pushing his hips into mine, and making us both groan. Edward got the hint of what I wanted, and started rocking into me. It didn't take either of us very long, and in minutes we were both gasping as we laid side by side on the futon, topless, holding hands.

I turned my head to look at Edward, and he was already looking at me. I smiled at him. "I love it when you're cocky."


	492. Talking and Tools

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 492 - Talking and Tools

Edward kissed my lips, before he got up to check that the door and windows were locked. He turned out all the lights and crawled onto the futon with me. He grabbed the afghan nanny made us and covered us up.

I snuggled up to his chest and kissed his shoulder. "Robbie seems to like it here." I said, softly.

"He does. He's sleeping really well." Edward said, kissing my forehead. "Do you like it here?"

"I really do." I told him. "I mean it's different. I'm not really used to sleeping here, yet."

"I know how you feel." He said. "I've actually gotten really used to your little bed at your dad's house." He said, laughing. "I sleep like a baby there."

I laughed at that. "Which is pretty amazing, you know, considering you're such a big boy." I teased, making him chuckle.

"Bella, my angel, if I have you in my arms, I'll be fine wherever I am." He said, reaching under my chin to tip my face up. I smiled before he pressed a kiss to my lips. "I love you, and I love our home."

"Aw." I said, loving how genuinely sweet Edward was. "I love you, too. And, just think how great this place will be when the bed comes tomorrow."

Edward laughed. "Mind in the gutter, huh?" He asked, patting my bum, and making me laugh. He kissed my lips, again. "You're my kind of girl."

"Good." I said, lightly nipping at his bottom lip.

"Bella Swan. Are you getting frisky with me, again?" He asked in a teasing voice. "I only have so much endurance."

I giggled at that, because we knew both knew that wasn't true. "Oh, go to sleep, then, you old man." I said.

Edward laughed, squeezing me to his chest. "I'm three months older than you." He said, correcting me. "My baby girl."

I giggled. "I like that." I said, sounding muffled as I pressed my face into his chest. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight, baby girl." He whispered, kissing my hair, and rubbing my back gently until I fell asleep. I woke up on the futon, with the sun shining through the windows and Robbie curled up against my bare chest. Edward wasn't in bed, but when I sat up, I saw a note on the futon.

'Good morning baby, I ran out to get us some breakfast. I'll be right back. I love you. Your old man, Edward.'

I giggled when I read it. I loved him so much. I got up, and after covering Robbie in the blankets, I went into the bathroom. I had started my period, but it wasn't too heavy, and luckily, I was wearing a panty liner. But, the best part was that I only felt a mild discomfort instead of the severe cramps I was used to feeling.

I smiled. I officially loved birth control. I took my pill, washed my face, bushed my teeth and got dressed. My hair was a disaster, so I just brushed it out, and put it back in a messy bun. While I was putting on my mascara, I heard the front door close. Edward was home.

I walked out in the hallway and peeked in the kitchen. No Edward. I went down the hall and found my boys in the living room. Edward was putting the futon back into the couch position and Robbie was eating his breakfast.

"Hey, handsome." I said, smiling, when Edward looked up.

"Hey, beautiful." He said, walking over for a kiss. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving." I said, walking over to sit on the futon. "What did you get?"

"Well, I went to Safeway and got you some fruit. Oranges, bananas. And then I went to Starbucks and got me coffee and you a strawberry banana smoothie. Oh, and I got us each a slice of lemon poppy seed loaf. It looked really good." Edward said, as he unpacked all the bags onto the coffee table. "How did I do?"

I leaned over to kiss his lips. "You did good." I told him. "It looks delicious."

We watched Robbie pouncing around in his pile of toys while we ate. I laughed at him when he hopped at his ball and slid on the floor. I looked at Edward to check if he had seen him, and smiled when I saw Edward watching me.

"What's up?" I asked him, taking a bite of my banana, and he smiled.

"Nothing." He said. "You just look so happy."

"Why wouldn't I be happy?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Oh, I just meant, um, you don't seem to have any cramps." He said, his ears a little pink.

"Isn't that amazing?" I said, my eyes wide with excitement. "I did start my period this morning, but it's not as heavy, and I only feel a little bit of discomfort right here." I told him, setting my hand low on my stomach. "I will admit that I'm in love with my birth control pills."

Edward chuckled. "I'm so glad, baby. I hated seeing you suffer so much." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I'm sort of in love with birth control, too."

I laughed. "But for other reasons?"

He shook his head at me. "For all of the reasons." He clarified.

We finished our breakfast and I cleaned up while Edward played with the kitten. There was a knock on the door, and I ran to answer it. There was a heavy set man, about forty years old, standing at the door with a clipboard. "Good morning. I have a dining room set for a Miss Isabella Swan."

"That's me." I said, smiling.

"Alright." He said, jotting something down on his clipboard. "We'll go bring it in." He turned to go back down the stairs, and I ran to tell Edward that the table was here.

"Baby. The table's here." I said. "And I have the door opened."

"Oh, awesome." He said, picking up Robbie. The kitten meowed and squirmed a little. He was having a good time with his toys, and now he got taken away. I reached up and took Robbie from Edward.

"I'll go take him into our room." I said. I didn't want my baby escaping out the front door, or getting stepped on. "Will you supervise the guys?"

Edward chuckled. "Of course I will." He said, smiling, leaning down to kiss my lips.

"Come on, baby." I said to Robert, as I took him to our bedroom, and closed the door. I sat down on the floor against the wall and set Robbie on my lap. He still looked mad so I rolled him on his back and tickled his tummy. "You're alright, Robert." I told him. "You were having fun with daddy, weren't you?"

Edward opened the door. "They're gone." He said, walking over to me and sitting down beside me.

"What?" I asked, surprised. "That was super fast."

"Well, that would be because they dropped off five huge boxes and left." Edward said, laying his head on my shoulder. "How are you with tools?" He asked, making me laugh.

"Um, I did build a horseshoe pit with my dad." I said. "Although, my dad my the brains of the operation. Oh, and I can crochet." I added, making Edward laugh.

"I think it might be fun for us to put this together ourselves." Edward said. "I mean, really, we just have to screw the legs on the table. It should be easy enough."

"Do you have a screwdriver?" I asked him, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair.

"No." Edward said, laughing. "I'll go run across the hall and see if Kel and Jax have one. Otherwise, I'll be running to the hardware store." Edward kissed my cheek, before getting up and walking out of the room.

"Okay, kitty." I said, standing up. "Let's go help daddy set up our table." I walked back into the living room and set Robbie on his carpet.

Edward walked back into the house. "We've got tools." He called out, walking into the room. He had a little toolbox in his hand and a huge smile on his face. "The guys offered to help, but I told them that we had it handled."

I laughed. I was excited that he wanted to assemble this table with me "But, they're there if we need them, right?" I asked, making Edward chuckle.

"They are." He said, setting the toolbox down, before coming to set his hands on my hips, and press his forehead to mine. "But we can handle it."


	493. Assembly Required

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 493 - Assembly Required

Edward and I opened all of the cardboard boxes, setting the chairs and long benches aside. We opened the biggest box, with the table in it and took out the legs and screws and all that stuff. Edward took one end of the table top and I took the other, and we lifted it out of the box, setting it on the floor.

"That was heavy." I said, giggling. Edward got up and came over to kiss my lips.

"You're a tough girl." He said, reaching down to squeeze my bum. "Mm." He hummed, leaning in to suck on my earlobe.

"And you're always turned on, aren't you?" I asked, teasing him, and kissing his lips, again.

"You know I am, Bella." He admitted. "You're a very beautiful, sexy and alluring woman, and you let me do naughty things to you."

I laughed, pulling back and pushing his shoulder. "Not for a few days, you." I laughed. "You'll have to control yourself."

"I'll try." He said, chuckling. "Now do you think it matters which leg goes where?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips and looking down at the table.

I laughed. "We're reading the instructions." I said, slapping his bum hard.

"Oh, frisky." He laughed. "We don't need the instructions." He said, as I grabbed the paper from the box, and sat down cross legged on the floor to look them over.

"Edward. We're going to do it right." I said. "Now, get all the diagonal brackets together. Those are A pieces."

Edward laughed, getting on his hands and knees, and gathered all the pieces together for me. "I'm just going to get it out there, and say that you are damn sexy when you're being bossy." He said, winking at me.

I laughed. "Thank you." I said, smiling. "Now, stop flirting and get to work."

"Mm. You're doing it again." He said, making me laugh harder. "What's next? I have four A pieces."

"Well, the legs are B, and then there are eight short screws which are C, eight long bolts which are D, sixteen washers which are E and eight nuts which are F." I said, looking up Edward. "And we need a Phillips screwdriver."

Edward laughed. "Don't look so confused." He said, crawling over for a kiss. And then another one. "This is going to be easy. Let's just sort out all the parts."

So we separated all the pieces, Edward telling me what a washer and a nut were, before he went to the tool box, rummaging around. "This is a Phillips head screwdriver." He said, bringing it over to me. "It's the one that looks like an X."

"How do you know all this stuff?" I asked him.

"Uh, I think this knowledge is attached to the Y chromosome." He teased making me laugh. "You just haven't done this before, sugar. But, you'll be a pro at it in no time." I loved my Edward so much. He was always so encouraging to me. "Okay, what's step one?"

"Um, okay." I said, looking at the instructions, again. "It says we have to attach the wood brackets to each corner of table, with a short screw and a washer." I told him.

"Alright. Easy enough." He said, smiling at me. "Help me put the washers on each screw and then you can hold the bracket while I screw them in."

"Okay." I said, smiling at him. So we worked our way around the table, me holding the bracket, and Edward screwing in the 'C's. He would kiss me after we had attached each bracket.

I sat back down to grab the instructions. "Okay, now we need to attach each leg to the bracket with two of the long bolts, a washer and a nut." I said out loud, as read step two to Edward. "Oh, and we need a socket wrench."

"Now just the legs, huh?" He asked, kneeling at my feet and lifting up one of my legs, by my calf. He pressed a kiss on the top of my bare foot.

I giggled. "I'm not sure these are the legs they had in mind." I said, savouring the feeling of Edward's warm hands on my bare skin.

He kissed a path over my ankle and up my shin to my knee. "But these are the legs that I have in my mind." He whispered, setting my leg down and crawling over top of me. I laid back on the floor and Edward leaned in to kiss my lips. "You are so beautiful." He whispered, kissing me, again.

I smiled, and was just going to say how handsome he was, but before I could say anything, he set his hand on my cheek and leaned in for another kiss, this time, slipping his tongue in my mouth. I hummed as our tongues danced together, and I reached up to slide my fingers in his hair.

I heard a thump and a meow and I quickly turned my head. One of the cardboard boxes that the chairs had come in was moving. Edward chuckled and stood up, walking over to the box, which was laying on its side. He turned it to face me and I giggled. It looked like Robbie had made himself a little fort. He had one of his stuffed animals in the box and he was laying upside down in the corner of the box.

I started laughing and got up, walking over to Edward and the kitty. Edward went to get my camera from my purse and snapped a couple of pictures of Robbie in the box. "What are you doing, baby?" I asked him, and he meowed at me.

"It looks like he's making his own fun." Edward said, making me laugh. "He must have thought we were ignoring him while we put the table together."

"Aw, my sweet baby." I said, smiling.

Edward snapped a picture of me, and I laughed, before getting up and taking Edward's hand, leading him back over to the tool box. "Come on, you. You're slacking on the job." I said, giggling. "Show me what a socket wrench is."

Edward wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek. "Yes, ma'am." He said. He grabbed a wrench from the toolbox and Edward attached the four table legs, while I held them up for him. We had the legs on in no time and Edward set the wrench back in the toolbox.

"Can you lift the table to turn it over?" He asked.

"Um, maybe we should get the boys." I said, making Edward laugh, as I ran to the front door. I ran across the hall and knocked on the door.

"Hey, it's the cute girl from across the hall." Kel said, smiling when he opened the door. He was only wearing a pair of silky blue basketball shorts, and no shirt. He was so tall, I was literally face to chest with him.

"Hey, um, do you think you could help us for a sec?" I asked, trying not to blush. I was a little bit embarrassed by his state of undress.

"Of course." He said, walking out the door in his bare feet. I turned and he followed me back into my apartment. "What do you need?"

"Hey, man." Edward said, walking over to Kel and shaking his hand. "We got it put together, we just need help flipping it over."

"No problem." Kel said, crouching down and holding onto one side of the table. Edward grabbed the other side and the guys lifted it up and turned it over. "Wow. This is pretty classy."

"It was an engagement gift from my mom." I said, smiling as I walked over to the table. I ran my hand over the smooth, surface. The table was truly beautiful. Edward and Kel moved the benches and chairs around the table and I smiled. I loved it. We actually had a place to eat now. I was pretty excited.

"It's great." Kel said, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, are you guys all moved in?" He looked around. "You got a TV, chairs, a coffee table. Looks good."

Edward laughed. "Yeah, it's getting there." He said. "Our bedroom set should be delivered soon, and then we're about set."

"Awesome." Kel said, smiling. "It's going to be cool when you guys actually move in, and we have permanent neighbours."

"Yeah, I think this is it for us until September." Edward said. "We're going home tonight, and then we'll be back just before school starts."

Robbie wandered out of his new hiding spot and meowed. I scooped him up and brought him over to Kel. "And this is Robbie." I told him. "You're other new neighbour."

"What a cutie." He said, chuckling, as he reached over to scratch him between the ears.

There was another knock at the door and I went over to answer it. "Delivery for an Edward Cullen." The man in the blue overalls said.

"This is the place." I said, smiling. I moved out of the way, while the guys brought in box after box and just left them in the hallway. Edward came over and signed the form, before they left.

Edward looked over at me and smiled. "Here we go, again."


	494. Furniture and Cold Pizza

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 494 - Furniture and Cold Pizza

We had a mattress, a box spring, two end tables, a dresser and the bed and headboard, all in the hallway of the apartment. I don't know why the movers wouldn't just put the furniture in the room we wanted it in, but they didn't.

"Bella, you want to go get Jax?" Kel said. "We'll get all this in your room."

"Oh, okay. Thanks." I said, slipping out of the front door, Robbie still in my arms.

I knocked and Jax opened the door. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and his long hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he was wearing a thin black hair band. He was on the phone, and he smiled when he saw me. He waved me in, and then shut the door.

"Yeah, mom. I love you, too. Uh, huh. I've got to go. My neighbour's here. Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye." He said, before hanging up. He laughed. "Moms."

"Who's this little sweetie?" Jax asked, crouching down to look at Robbie. And, of course, Robbie being the little heartbreaker that he was, meowed at Jax making him laugh.

"This is our baby, Robert." I told him, proudly. "We rescued him."

"Aw. He's adorable." Jax said, smiling.

"Yeah, he's spoiled for sure." I said, laughing. "Anyway, your brother sent me over to get you. We got our bedroom set delivered, and the delivery guys just left it all in the hallway."

"Oh, yeah, no problem." He said, opening the front door. "After you." I smiled, and led him back over to our place. "That's a lot of furniture." Jax said, laughing.

"Hey, man." Edward said, walking over to pat his shoulder. "Thanks so much for your help."

"Oh, no problem." Jax said. "What do you need?"

The guys set up the bed frame and put the box spring down. I put the bed skirt on, before they set the mattress over top. While the guys moved in the bedside tables and dresser, I put all the sheets and blankets on the bed. It looked beautiful. I was so impressed with it.

"Looks good, guys." Kel said.

"My parents and grandparents bought it for my birthday." Edward said, wrapping his arm around shoulder, and kissing my cheek.

"Do you want us out of here so you can break it in?" Kel asked, making all the guys laugh. I turned my head and buried my face in Edward's shoulder. So, this was what I had to look forward to in the fall: teasing from college boys.

"Edward wishes." I teased, patting Edward's chest, and making the guys laugh. Hey, a girl had to do what she could to fit in.

"Ouch, Edward. And you're not even married, yet. She's already wearing the pants." Kel said. I shook my head. I couldn't win with these guys.

"No complaints from this guy." Edward said, squeezing my hand. He was so sweet to defend me. I loved that Edward wasn't the kind of guy that made dirty jokes just to get laughs. He respected me, and I adored that about him.

"Come on, Jax. You haven't seen the new dining room set." I said, walking out of our bedroom and into the living room.

Jax walked up beside me. "Just tell him to piss off if he gets too vulgar." He said, quietly. "He's not used to being around women, except our mom, and he knows he'll get whacked with a wooden spoon if he talks like that around her."

"I don't mind." I said, because I really didn't. I could take a few jokes as long as they weren't really obscene. "But, I'll keep the wooden spoon in mind." I said, making Jax laugh.

I smiled when I saw Robbie in his litter box, when we walked into the living room. He meowed at me, and I lifted him out. The second his feet hit the ground, he went running into his cardboard box. Yes, we had a bunch of nice furniture, but it looked like we were going to have to keep one cardboard box for the kitten.

"Yeah, the place looks great." Jax said, smiling.

"Isn't it funny how we have the exact same apartment, but they both look completely different?" Kel said, sitting down on the bench at the dinning room table.

"Yeah, that is cool." Edward said.

"Hey, do you guys want some cold pizza?" I asked. "We have a lot left from last night."

"Yeah, for sure. Thanks." Jax said, smiling, sitting down beside his brother.

"Honey, you never need to ask us if we want food. The answer will always be yes." Kel added, making me laugh as I walked into the kitchen to get the box from the fridge. I smiled when I saw a case of coke and a case of orange juice in the fridge. My sweet Edward must have picked it up this morning when he went for breakfast.

I set three cans of coke and a can of OJ on top of the pizza box and carried it into the living room. Edward jumped up to take it from me, and then set it on the table. He leaned in and kissed my lips. "Thank you, baby." He whispered, making me smile.

"I don't have anything in the fridge, or pantry, yet, but when we get back, I'll make you guys some cookies for all your help." I told them, making them smile.

"You don't have to do that." Jax said, and Kel elbowed him in the arm, making Edward laugh.

"She's a phenomenal cook." Edward said, smiling. "I am being taught, but I think you just have to be a natural." I reached over and squeezed Edward's thigh. He was so cute.

"Any cookie preference?" I asked, taking a bite of my pizza.

"Oatmeal." Jax said, at the same time Kel yelled, "Chocolate chip."

I laughed at them. They may have been brothers, but you tell that they had very different personalities. Kel was a lot more vocal and very funny, and Jax was just as funny, but he was a sweetheart.

"I'll make both kinds. It's not like I'll get any complaints out of Edward." I said, patting Edward's stomach.

"Never." He said, kissing my lips.

"So what are you guys studying at U dub?" Kel asked, as we ate.

"I'm in English and Education and Edward is in Chemistry." I told them.

"Chemistry?" Jax asked. "That sounds brutal."

Edward laughed. "Yeah." He agreed. "But I need it to get into the Pharmacy program."

"Wow." Kel said, smiling. "So we're across the hall from a couple of real smarty pants, huh? No parties over here?"

"No way, man." Edward laughed. "We have a kitten to look after, now." He said, making me smile.

"But, we'll come to yours." I added. Kel lifted his hand in the air for a high five. I high fived him, and he laughed.

We found out that Jax was studying fine art, as he was an aspiring photographer, and Kel was studying business. "Do either of you guys have girlfriends?" Edward them, and Kel laughed.

"I'm one hundred percent single." Kel said, smiling proudly.

Jax rolled his eyes. "Well, I have a girl back home, Ashley." He said, smiling sweetly. "She's only a senior in high school this year, so we'll see how it goes with the whole long distance thing."

"She's pissed that he left Montana." Kel added, and Jax just shrugged.

"Is she going to apply out here next year?" I asked Jax.

"Yeah, but she's applying other places, too, so I guess it all depends on how things go this year." He said. "She amazing, so I hope things work out."

"I really hope so for you, too." I told him.

"Thanks." He said, smiling.

We finished the pizza before the guys got up to leave. We thanked them again for their help, and walked them to the door. Edward shut the door, and then took my hand, jogging into our room. I laughed behind him, as he pulled me into our bedroom.

"Our bed." He said, lifting his eyebrows up and down at me. He lifted me up by the hips and set me on the bed, before crawling on after me. He wrapped his arms around me and sighed in contentment. "This is the life, huh?"

I giggled at how cute he was. "Being in bed with you? I can't think of anything better."


	495. In Our Home

**A/N - Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend! It is Sunday, August 15, 2010 in the story. Thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 495 - In Our Home

Edward and I were laying on our new bed in our very own bedroom. To say I was thrilled was an understatement. "This is a great mattress." I said, smiling at his face. "It's just as comfortable as yours back at home."

"Mm." Edward hummed, pulling me into his arms. "I'm more interested in the soft girl in my arms." I smiled as he leaned in to kiss my lips.

I kissed him back, before leaning back to meet his eyes. "Thank you for this." I said, reaching up to run my hand over his shoulder and then on his back.

"For what, baby?" He asked, kissing me softly.

"Just everything. For asking me to move in with you, for taking care of me, for loving me." I said, smiling when he did. "I love everything we have."

"Well, you're welcome, Bella, but I should be the one thanking you. I wouldn't have any of this without you." Edward whispered against my lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I said, before kissing him.

"Bella?" Edward asked, running his fingers up and down the back of my thigh, and I hummed. "Kel and Jax don't make you uncomfortable, do they?"

"What? No." I told him, honestly. "I think they're great guys."

"Okay, good." He said, leaning to kiss my shoulder. "You would tell me if they did, though, right?"

"Yes, Edward. I tell you everything." I said, smiling at his protective side that I adored.

"Because, I was just worried about Kel's jokes earlier. You know about breaking in the bed." He admitted. "I should have said something to him. You looked embarrassed. Shit." He was beating himself up.

I covered his mouth with my hand. He kissed my palm and I moved my hand. "Edward, listen to me. I'm fine. I can take jokes and teasing, okay?" I said, hoping to reassure him. "I'll let you know if I'm upset, but I'm not. And I wish I didn't have my period, because we would be breaking in this bed."

Edward chuckled and I wrapped my arms around his body and hugged him, tightly. "I love you so much." He whispered in my ear, before kissing my temple.

"I know you do." I said. "You show it to me in everything you do, everything you say. You are the perfect man, Edward. Never change."

He chuckled. "Deal. I wouldn't do anything to lose you." He said, moving so his face was right in front of mine, and he was looking in my eyes.

"You'll never lose me." I said. "I love you too much."

"Good." He said, kissing my lips, again. "So, angel. Should we head back to Forks?"

"But, I'm comfy and could totally fall asleep here." I said, nestling my face into his neck.

He chuckled, rubbing my back. "You can sleep, baby." He said. "We have time. There is absolutely no rush to get home."

"Are you sure?" I asked him.

"I'm sure, Bella. Does your stomach hurt?" He asked.

"A little bit." I admitted. "I'm mostly just tired, though." This happened every time I got my period. I felt exhausted. But, I had to say, that I felt one percent better than I did last month, thanks to the birth control.

"Okay, gorgeous. Get some sleep." Edward whispered, kissing my lips. "I'm just going to check on Robbie. Do you need anything?"

"I need you." I said, smiling.

"Well, I'll be right back. But, do you want a painkiller, or some juice?" He asked.

"No, baby. I'm fine." I told him. "Just hurry back."

He chuckled. "Deal." He said, before he walked out of our room. I closed my eyes and drifted off. It felt amazing to sleep in a bed that was ours, in a home that was ours.

I woke up to Edward's lips on my forehead. "Baby." Edward whispered. I opened my eyes and smiled at his gorgeous face. "It's three o'clock, honey. You've been sleeping for two hours." He said.

"Oh, no. Did you want to go home?" I asked, sitting up, quickly. I reached my hand up to my head, feeling a little dizzy.

"Bella, what's wrong?" He asked, sitting up with me, and putting his hand on my forehead. "Do you have a headache?"

"No, I just sat up too fast." I said.

"Bella, it's your anaemia." He said, sliding off the bed. "I'm going to go get you some juice and a banana."

"Babe." I called, and Edward turned around. "I can come eat it in the living room." I told him. "I'm fine."

Edward smiled, and it made me smile. "Okay. I love you." He said. He was still going to go get me the juice. I got up and used the bathroom, before walking out into the living room. Edward was sitting at the table and he had a can of orange juice, a banana, and a peeled orange set up on a napkin for me.

"Edward, you are amazing." I said, sitting down and picking of a section of the orange and slipping it in my mouth. "We should probably head back, huh?"

"Take your time." He said, reaching over to rub my thigh. "I really like being here. It's starting to feel like home."

"It really is." I agreed. "But, what's going to do it for me, is being able to cook in that kitchen."

Edward laughed. "I can picture you wearing some pretty black lace panties, a thin white tank top and a little apron, standing at the counter and working your magic." He said, making me laugh. "Yeah, I think that will do it for me, too."

I laughed harder. "Doesn't take much, huh?" I teased, making him smile. He winked at me and I blushed.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered, leaning in to kiss my lips. He peeled the banana and took a bite, before holding it over to my mouth. I took a bite and Edward smiled. "Do you want to go out to eat before we go home, or do you want to stop along the way?" He asked, taking another bite of the banana.

"Um, we can stop on the way home." I said. "Eat in the car?"

"Okay, sounds good." He said, giving me the last of the banana. He stood up and kissed my forehead. "I'm going to go take all this cardboard down to the garbage bins."

"Oh, leave Robbie's box." I said, smiling. I looked over and sure enough, the kitty was walking around in his little fort.

"How long is he keeping that?" Edward asked, laughing.

"Baby, just think of it as practice for when we have kids. There is going to be little plastic kitchen sets, dolls and toys laying everywhere." I told him, laughing. "You're lucky that Robbie only wants one box.

Edward's face lit up and he smiled. "You're right. I can't wait for that." He said. "The kitty can keep his box. But, only until he pees in it." He laughed. "Then, I'm throwing it out."

I giggled. "Deal." I called out, as Edward walked out the door.

I finished my orange, and then got up to gather all the garbage from the bathroom and kitchen, so Edward could take it outside. I packed up our overnight bags and all of Robbie's toys. I took his water and food dishes to the kitchen and washed and dried them. I locked the balcony door, straightened the blankets on our bed and washed down the table and countertop.

Edward walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, making me jump. He chuckled. "Sorry, baby." He whispered. "Stop working so hard. You're supposed to be sitting down and drinking your juice."

I giggled. As much as I loved Edward, some things just needed a woman's touch. "I'm fine, baby." I said, smiling when he kissed my cheek.

"You ready to go?" He asked, and I nodded. "I have one more load to the garbage, then let's hit the road."

"Okay." I said, turning in his arms to kiss his chin. He leaned in to kiss my lips, before going back outside. I quickly used the bathroom, before packing Robert in his carrier. He was pretty mad at first, but settled down quickly, and was almost asleep by the time Edward came back up.

After a quick bathroom break, Edward grabbed our bags and took my hand, and we were out the door until school started. I had a great time at the apartment, but I was excited to get home and see our families. We still had so much more summer left.


	496. Pull Over

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 496 - Pull Over

Edward and I got back in the car and headed back to Forks. We stopped for hotdogs on the way home and ate at an outdoor picnic table outside the restaurant. We walked Robbie around on his leash to pee. I was so proud of him. He was doing so much better on his harness.

Edward picked me a little yellow flower and tucked it behind my ear. It made me smile, as it seemed that he loved flowers in my hair. Maybe I would have to have flowers in my hair for our wedding.

"So, my gorgeous, sexy roommate." I said, making Edward laugh, once we were back in the car. "Let's make a list of the things we need for our place that we don't have yet."

"I like the idea of being your roommate." Edward said, smiling. "With benefits."

I laughed. "You're cute, Edward." I reached over and slid my hand into the front pocket of his shorts.

He groaned and glanced over to me. "God, babe. What are you doing?" He asked, as I rummaged in his pocket, possibly rubbing his body more then necessary.

I pulled my hand out with his receipt from the restaurant and held it up. "I was looking for paper." I said, innocently biting my lip.

"Don't look so sweet over there." He said, smiling at me. "You're a tease."

I laughed. "I honestly just wanted the receipt." I said. "My fingers may have had a mind of their own, though."

Edward chuckled. "You are seriously the best fiancé, ever." He said, making me smile. "I love how fun you are."

"Aw." I said, turning in my seat to face him. "I'm glad you think so."

"I know so, Bella." He said, smiling. "So, what do you want for the apartment?"

"A microwave." I said. "Definitely."

"Oh, so you want me to cook, now?" He asked.

I laughed. "I wouldn't be opposed to a burrito every now and then." I teased, making Edward smile. "If you stand at the counter in nothing but white boxer briefs and a little apron." I said, laughing as I said it.

Edward shook his head at me, and I started laughing. I don't know why, but I couldn't stop, and I could tell Edward was trying not to laugh too hard because he was driving. I finally settled down a little, and Edward smiled at me.

"Do you know how sexy you are when you laugh?" Edward asked me.

"No." I said. "But, you are pretty darn sexy when you're trying to change the subject." I said, still teasing him. "You won't wear an apron for me?"

Edward laughed. "You know I'll wear anything for you." He said, smiling over at me. "Even if I look crazy, and you can use it for blackmail the rest of my life."

"I love you, baby." I said, smiling. "Is it weird that I want to turn back around to Seattle so we can fool around a little?" I asked him, reaching over to rub his thigh.

"It's not weird." He said, setting his hand over mine. "But, we can still fool around in Forks."

"I don't why, but I'm really turned on right now." I admitted, blushing.

Edward looked over at my face, and then his eyes dropped down to look at my body, before he looked back a the road. "Bella." He breathed, his voice sounding strained. "What do you want me to do?"

I bit my lip. I really wanted him, but we were driving. "I don't know. Can you pull over?" I asked, my hands sweating. I felt this undeniable urge to have my body pressed against him, his lips on mine.

"Uh, yeah. Actually, there's a little turnoff up here." He said. "It's a picnic site at the national park." I smiled, loving that Edward knew all the little hiding spots on the way home from Seattle. I think the drive to and from home, come fall, was going to be a lot more fun, now.

Edward set his hand on my thigh and was squeezing it gently. There was so much sexual tension in the car, that it was actually hard to breath. Edward slowed down and turned off the highway. We drove down a small gravel road, through the trees. There were about ten parking spots with a picnic table beside each one.

Luckily, there was no one else parked here, but Edward drove all the way to the last spot, just in case. He put the car in park and looked over at me. "Um, do you want to get in the backseat?" He asked, and I smiled, as I nodded my head.

We both got out of the car and I set Robbie on the front seat, before crawling into the back seat. Edward put his hands on my cheeks and leaned in to kiss my lips. I got up and straddled his lap so I could deepen the kiss. Edward groaned and slid his hands under my tank and over my back.

I pulled back for a breath and Edward smiled at me, before pulling my tank top off. "You are so sexy." He breathed, pulling the cups of my bra down, making my boobs pop out. Edward smiled, setting his hands on my bum, before leaning in to suck on my breast.

I moaned and threw my head back. The feelings Edward stirred in me were indescribable. I moved my hips in a circle, and Edward gasped, looking up at my face. I leaned in and kissed him, still moving my hips, revelling in the fact that Edward kept groaning.

He pulled back from the kiss. "Are you sure you feel okay?" He asked, breathless. Oh, my sweet Edward. Always checking to see that I was comfortable.

"All I want to feel is this." I said, reaching in between us to grab his crotch. Edward hissed and his head fell back.

"God, Bella." He sighed.

"Take your shorts off." I said, sliding off of his lap. "I want to see it?"

Edward's eyebrows shot up and he chuckled. I had obviously caught him off guard. He lifted his hips, undoing his shorts and pulling them down with his boxer briefs. I blushed, and bit my lip, before reaching forward to touch him. "Mm." He hummed.

I let him go, and quickly took off my shorts, kicking them off of my legs. Unfortunately, I had to leave my panties on, but I got back on Edward's lap and started rubbing myself on him.

"Baby, wait." Edward said, holding onto my back with one hand and reaching down for his shorts with the other hand.

"What are you doing?" I asked, giggling.

"You'll see." He said, opening his wallet, and pulling out a condom. I giggled. Of course he didn't want to make a mess in his car. I snatched it out of his hand and tore it open. I leaned back a little and rolled it on him.

"How's that?" I asked, leaning back in to resume my hip circles.

"Ugh, Bella." He breathed, closing his eyes. "Don't stop, lover." He slid his hands up my back and unclasped my bra, pulling it off of my arms, before lightly massaging my boobs. We were both groaning like crazy, and I had leaned in to start sucking on his neck.

Edward suddenly pinched my nipples and I cried out in surprise. It hurt, but felt so good. I was honestly surprised that Edward did it, because he was usually so gentle, but I was so glad that he felt comfortable enough to do it.

Edward held onto my back and lifted me up, turning us so I laying on my back across the seats. Edward got on top of me, moving his hips against me, a lot harder than I was able to do on his lap. I know I was mumbling unintelligibly, and Edward was grunting. Just the sound of him completely losing control was only turning me on more, and I let go, screaming my release. Edward kept moving for a little longer, before he dropped on top on me.

He was breathing heavy, his face buried in my neck. Edward lifted his head up looked in my eyes. He smiled and I started giggling. "I love your laugh." He said, before kissing my lips. "Are you okay?" He asked, leaning down to kiss over my chest, and softly over my nipples.

"I feel amazing." I whispered, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "It keeps getting better."

Edward smiled proudly. "I agree." He sat up I watched him take the condom off and clean himself up with tissues. "We'd better get dressed before a ranger drives by." He said, chuckling.

My eyes widened in panic. "There are rangers out here?" I asked. "Edward." I whined, pulling my bra and shirt back on, quickly. Edward just laughed, as he got redressed.

"Hey, you're the one that wanted to pull over." He said, teasingly, making me blush. "Not that I'm complaining."


	497. I Really Love You

**A/N - It is still Sunday, August 15 in the story. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Your reviews are truly amazing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 497 - I Really Love You

Edward and I stopped at gas station up the road so I could use the bathroom. When I came out, Edward was walking Robbie around on the grass. I walked up to Edward and kissed his shoulder.

"You doing okay?" He asked, leaning down to kiss my lips.

I smiled up at his face. "I'm doing really, really good." I told him. "My body is still tingling."

"You look gorgeous when you're satisfied. Your cheeks are flushed, your eyes are sparkling." Edward said, smiling. "You are just beautiful, and it makes me want to do more dirty things to you."

I giggled. "Mm. I like the way you think." I said. "Let's get home to a bed."

"You just love to tease me, huh?" Edward said, reaching down to squeeze my bum cheek.

I giggled, squirming away from him. "I do."

We got back in the car, and I set my feet up on the dash. Edward looked over at me, and smiled. "You want to work on our list?"

"Which list is that?" I asked, holding Edward's hand on my legs, and tracing patterns on his palm with my fingertips.

"The list for our apartment." He said, chuckling. "You know, the list you needed the paper from my pocket for. The sexy little move that started the whole forest rendezvous."

I giggled. "The forest rendezvous." I repeated, biting my lip. "I am never going to forget that."

"Neither am I." He said, smiling at me.

"Okay." I said. "So, we have microwave." We worked on our list for a while, and besides the microwave, we ended up coming up with pots and pans, cookie sheets, mixing bowls, and beds for the guestroom.

We pulled up to my house at about seven o'clock at night. I was tired, and I could tell Edward was, too. Edward carried our bags in the house, and I brought in Robert. I let him out of his carrier and he went running through the kitchen.

"Daddy. We're home." I called out. My dad and Heidi came down the stairs, and I smiled when I saw Heidi adjusting her blouse. My dad and Heidi were so cute; they were like teenagers.

"Hey, kiddo." My dad said, coming over to give me a hug. "Did you have a good weekend?"

"It was great. We got our bedroom furniture and our dining room table." I said, smiling, as Heidi came to give me a hug, too. "You would have been proud, dad. We put the table together by ourselves."

My dad chuckled. "I would have liked to have seen that." He said, making Edward laugh.

"She made us follow the instructions." Edward said, wrapping his arm around my hips, and rubbing his hand slowly on it.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" I defended.

"It did, baby." Edward said, leaning down to kiss my forehead.

As much as I wanted to hang out with my dad and Heidi, I was really tired, so Edward and I ended up heading to my bedroom. Heidi offered to make us dinner tomorrow night. I was excited to spend time with them, so I agreed.

Edward fed the kitten and then put him to bed. We both got ready for bed, before laying down in my bed together. Edward held me close and rubbed my back. "So, gorgeous, it's our four month anniversary tomorrow." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Oh, no. I didn't get you a present." I said, feeling a little panicked.

"Bella, I don't need anything. Let's just go hang out on our rock at the beach for a while." Edward said. "We can pack a picnic and just spend some time together."

"That sounds nice, actually." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"Good." He said, hugging me closer. "I mean, we're going to Em's football practice in morning, and having dinner with your dad and Heidi tomorrow night, so that just leaves the afternoon, anyway, right?"

"Right." I said, reaching around Edward's body and setting my hand on his bum. "Don't buy me anything."

"Why not?" He whispered in my ear, before sucking on my earlobe.

"Mm." I hummed. "Because it's going to make me feel bad if you buy me something and I don't have anything for you."

"But you're all I want." He whispered, as he started kissing down my neck.

"Edward, promise me." I said, slipping my hand into his underwear, and rubbing my hand over his bum cheek.

"No." He chuckled and I sat up, pulling out of his arms, crossing my own over my chest. "Bella." He sighed. "Come here."

"No." I said, seriously, sitting at the end of the bed. "That's not fair."

"So, you're going to get mad at me if I give you a gift?" He asked, sitting up so he was in front of me.

"Yes." I said, and I truly meant it. "It feels like you given me too much, Edward. And I'll feel like a horrible fiance if you keep showering me with gifts, and I don't have anything for you." I felt tears forming in my eyes as I spoke. "I mean, I haven't even had a chance to get to a store."

"Bella." Edward whispered. "Will you please come here?" He asked, holding his arms open. I wiped my eyes and came to sit on his lap. Edward wrapped his arms around me, and reached up to run his hand over my hair. "Don't cry." He said, softly, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"I'm sorry." I said, but I really couldn't stop the tears.

"I don't know how else to tell you, angel, but I honestly don't want gifts from you. I adore you, and just being with you is all I could ever ask for, okay?" Edward said, making more tears escape from the corners of my eyes.

"You cook for me everyday, you wash my laundry, you take care of me. But more than that, you make me laugh, you listen to me, you support me and you make me so damn happy." He continued. "So don't you ever say that you don't give me enough, because you honestly give me your whole heart and soul, Bella."

I hiccupped a little, and couldn't really stop crying. Edward lifted me up and set me on the bed. He went to his overnight bag and pulled out a small white box. "I bought you these this morning in Seattle." He said, passing me the box. "I was going to give them to you tomorrow, but if you don't want anything for our anniversary, then you can just have them now. I don't know, just because."

I felt horrible. I didn't mean to upset him, and I honestly didn't know that he had already bought me something. I just wanted to stop him from running out and buying me something the next day. I put my hands over my face and started sobbing. "Bella." Edward pleaded. "I don't know what you want. Will you just say something?"

"Edward." I said, rubbing at my eyes. "Take this back." I told him, passing him the box. "You can give it to me, tomorrow. I'm sorry for ruining your surprise."

"Bella, I don't care about the surprise. I just want to make you happy, but you look so sad, right now." Edward said, sitting beside me, and taking my hand in both of his.

"I feel bad." I admitted. "I just made a big deal about nothing, and now I know that I hurt your feelings. You always do nice things for me, and I just sounded ungrateful. But, I'm not Edward. I love that you're so sweet to me."

"Then why are you upset?" He asked, looking over at me. He looked so confused.

"Because even though you say I do a lot for you, it doesn't seem like it to me. You're always planning things and trying to do nice things for me, and I never plan anything for you. I could have slipped out and bought you something, but I didn't." I said.

"Bella, this isn't a competition." He said, reaching over to wipe my tear stained cheeks. "I'm not trying to outdo you, here. I just like to do nice things for you. You deal with so much. I mean, you're taking birth control pills, and dealing with the side effects, so I can make love to you. Buying you presents is just my way of showing you that I appreciate that."

"Thank you." I said, smiling up at his face and he smiled back in relief. "I really love you." I whispered.

"I know you do, Bella. You show me everyday." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "And I really love you, too."


	498. Play With Me

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! I was so touched by your response to the last chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 498 - Play With Me

Edward pulled me into his arms and laid us back on the pillows. He softly rubbed my back, and we just looked into each other's eyes. I still felt bad about making a big deal about anniversary gifts. I just wanted Edward to realize that I didn't need gifts to make me happy. I just wanted to spend time with him.

That didn't mean that I didn't love every single gift he ever gave me. I truly did adore it all. I mean, I had pressed and kept every single flower he had given me in the last four months. His romantic gestures were a part of who he was, and I was worried that he was going to think I didn't love that about him.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked me, quietly.

"Just that I hope you know how much I appreciate your gifts." I said, closing my eyes so I wouldn't start crying, again. "And that I'm truly sorry for starting a fight with you."

"Aw, Bella." He said, rubbing my back. "It wasn't a fight. And I love that you were honest with me about your feelings. Honey, I know you love everything I've given you, because I can see it in your face. That's why I keep doing it. I love to see you smile."

"It's you that makes me smile, Edward." I said, meeting his eyes, again.

"I know." He said, winking at me. "I'm pretty amazing." I laughed and he smiled, before leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Are you upset with me?" I asked him.

"No, Bella. Never." He said, kissing me, again. "We're just going to chalk this all up to your period."

I laughed, again. "Really?" I asked, smiling at him.

"Yes." He said, seriously, even though he was smiling, too. "That and the birth control. Your emotions are out of whack. It's making you cry, and it's making you sad. You're not like this. You're a happy, sexy, fun, horny little girl, and you're my fiancé."

I blushed, and Edward chuckled, before he continued his little rant. "I'm going to keep spoiling you, and you're going to keep feeding me, and we'll have lots of sex, and laugh all the time. Nothing is going to change, because I love you, and you love me. Deal?"

"Deal." I laughed, leaning for a kiss.

"Good girl." He said. "Now, do you want to get some sleep?" I don't know why, but when he said 'good girl' I got turned on, and may have moaned a little bit.

Edward smiled at me, and lifted his eyebrows. "What made you moan?" He asked, sliding his hand down from my back to my bum. "Good girl?"

"Yeah." I said, moving closer to Edward, my face heating up at my admission.

"Hmm." He said, squeezing my bum cheek. "You're blushing. Maybe that's because you're really a bad little girl."

"Maybe." I answered, loving that Edward was playing with me. It was nice that we could go back to being ourselves, even though I had just gotten upset.

"Well, then maybe you need to go straight to bed. No kisses, nothing." Edward said. I inched closer trying to rub my body against his.

"Uh, uh, uh, Bella." He said, moving his hips back. "Bad girls don't get to feel good."

"Edward." I whined.

"That's Mr. Cullen to you, little girl." He said, and I closed my eyes, trying to control my breathing. I had loved when Edward and I had played teacher a couple of weeks ago. It was such a turn on to me. So, I was definitely thrilled that he was doing this.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen." I said, trying to reach forward to his body.

He grabbed my hand and lightly slapped the back of it. "No." He said, and I was going crazy with out touching him. "You close your pretty little eyes and go to sleep."

"But I'm not tired." I whined. "And I'm cold. I want to snuggle with you."

"But, you're a bad girl, Bella. Why should I give you want you want?" Edward asked, bringing my hand up to his lips and kissing the back of it.

"Because I love you, Mr. Cullen." I said, smiling at his handsome face. He smiled back at me, and I could see how hard it was for him to hold character. Mr. Cullen was gone.

"Well, in that case." He said, pulling me close. "Kiss me." He rolled over on top of me and licked my lips, making me smile. He pressed a kiss to my chin, then each of my cheeks, before I got one on the mouth. "I love you, too, baby." He whispered, before kissing me hard.

I groaned and kissed him back, wrapping my arms tightly around his back. I tried to move my hips under him, but he was laying on me, so I couldn't really move. But, Edward knew me well, and started slowly moving his hips on me. He kissed a path to my ear.

"Are you sure you feel okay?" He whispered, and I nodded. "I mean, you're not upset, anymore?" He asked.

I smiled. "I'm happy and I love you and I'm so turned on right now." I whispered back.

Edward chuckled, and kept moving his hips over me, until we both let go. He rolled over and pulled me close to his chest, rubbing my back. "Just make me lunch, tomorrow." He said, out of the blue.

"What?" I asked, looking up his face. He smiled at me.

"I love you, and I want you to be happy. I don't ever want you to feel inadequate. I bought you a gift, and I don't want to feel bad that you don't have anything for me." Edward explained. "So, that's what I want. I want you to make me an anniversary lunch, and we'll take it to the beach."

I smiled at him, and leaned in to kiss his lips. "Thank you." I said, making him smile back.

"And that's a standing request. That's all I ever want from you. So, every anniversary, just cook for me. And let me watch you cook." He added, chuckling. "I don't want you to worry about this every month, okay?"

"What about you?" I asked him, scratching his back.

"Well, I live for buying you presents, Bella. It makes me feel good to spoil you. So, like I said before, I'm going to keep doing it." He said, making me laugh. "So, is that all settled?"

"I guess." I said. "It just still doesn't seem fair."

"Okay, then add in a back rub." He added, making me laugh harder. "If you want me to keep going, I could add a striptease to my list."

I giggled, and kissed his lips. "A striptease, huh?" I asked.

"Hey, I'm just trying to make you feel better." He teased.

"And you think taking up stripping is going to help my self esteem?" I asked him.

"Mm hmm." Edward said, leaning in down to kiss my shoulder. "You have such a beautiful body."

"Well, I'm glad you think so." I said, smiling.

"I know so. I'm turned on just looking at you." He whispered. "I should just start buying you underwear for our anniversaries, and you can model it for me."

I giggled. "Well that sounds fun." I agreed.

"Okay, deal." Edward said. "But, not this anniversary, because I already got you something else."

"I'm sorry about before." I said, again, because I still felt bad. "You know, about what I said."

"Bella, stop it." He said. "You didn't know I had the gift already. I understand what you were trying to say, baby. Don't worry about it."

"I love you." I said, snuggling up to his chest.

"Hold that thought." He said, sliding out of bed. "I just need to change quickly." I giggled, as I watched him pull off his underwear. He went to my drawer and pulled on a clean pair. He climbed back into bed and pulled me into his arms.

Edward and I laid quietly in each other arms. "What was that?" Edward asked. I listened, and I couldn't hear anything. "Oh, there it is again."

We both laid still, and I stained my ears to listen. I heard a moan, and looked over at Edward, trying not to laugh. Edward chuckled. "You're dad is getting lucky." He said.

"Ew. Edward." I whined, and he kept laughing. "Turn on some music or something."

Edward pulled me closer, kissing the top of my head, before he started humming in my ear. I smiled, and fell asleep in his arms.


	499. Four Months

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all for reading! It is Monday, August 16, 2010 in the story. Yesterday, I was informed that both this story, and my other work, College and Cowboys have been plagiarized, again, along with the work of another author. It's being handled, but it is still heartbreaking. On a brighter note, I'd like to wish my amazing friend toocute24 a fabulous birthday! Enjoy!**

Chapter 499 - Four Months

I woke up to a bunch of kisses on my face, all over: the tip of my nose, my temple, my chin, the little divot between my nose and lips. I smiled, and opened my eyes. "Happy four month anniversary, Bella." Edward said, smiling back at me. "I love you."

I reached up and pulled his head down so I could kiss his lips. "I love you, too, handsome." I said, making him smile. "Happy anniversary."

I got up and pulled on some yoga pants under my nightshirt. "Get dressed, babe." I said, smiling as I looked at his sexy body, in just his underwear. It almost felt like a crime to ask him to cover up, but I was going to make breakfast for my dad and Heidi, so unfortunately, we couldn't eat in our underwear.

I ran to the bathroom, and smiled when Edward met me in the hallway. He was wearing his red and white flannel sleep pants and a black t-shirt. He hair was messy and he looked so amazing. He had Robbie in his arms, only adding to his overall cuteness factor.

Edward took my hand and we went down to the kitchen. "Any requests, handsome?" I asked Edward, as he set Robbie down on the floor. He scurried into the living room, where he must have had a toy.

"Um, I love your French toast." He said, going over to the cupboard to get out the dishes.

"Well, then that's what you shall have." I said, giggling when he kissed my cheek on his way to the table.

I was just sprinkling the icing sugar in the toast when my dad and Heidi came downstairs, both dressed for work in their uniforms. "Good morning, kiddo." My dad, smiling widely. He looked happy and I suppressed my shivers thinking about why he was so happy today. Overhearing your dad and future step mom in bed is not a pleasant experience.

"Good morning." I said, setting their plates down in front of them.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" Heidi asked us, smiling just as much, if not more than my dad.

"It's our anniversary." Edward said, smiling over at me, and squeezing my thigh under the table. "We're going to hang out at the beach this afternoon." I looked over at Edward, really studying at his face. He seemed genuinely excited to spend time with me, and I was glad that he wasn't upset about last night.

"Sounds like fun." My dad said. And he was right. I couldn't wait to sit in Edward's arms, just cuddled against his chest and bask in the late summer sun.

After breakfast, my dad and Heidi left for work, leaving Edward and I alone. Edward turned to me and smirked. "We've got a couple of hours before football practice." He said, lifting his eyebrows up and down at me.

"Well, I still need to take a shower." I said, making his smile widen. I giggled. "Want to join me?"

"I thought you'd never ask." He said, jumping up from his chair. He kissed my lips before going to get Robbie. We went upstairs, and Edward went to feed the kitty.

"Meet me in the shower." I said, before slipping into the bathroom. I hated having my period when it was our anniversary, but luckily, it seemed to be fairly light. I was still loving the birth control. I started the shower and got under the hot spray.

Edward knocked on the door, coming in when I called him. He opened the shower curtain and slipped in the shower with me. He leaned down to kiss my lips. "You look pretty when you're wet." He said, making me smile.

"You always look pretty." I told him, making him laugh, as I set my palms on his pecs, before sliding them down his body to his narrow hips. Edward set his hands on my bum, before leaning in for a kiss.

"I love you, baby." He whispered, before kissing me, again. "Can I touch you?" He asked, moving one hand around my hip, and setting his palm just below my belly button. I knew that these last couple of days had been hard for him, having to keep his hands out of my panties, so I was going to give him want he wanted.

"Yes, baby." I said, looking into his pretty green eyes. He smiled at me, as his fingers trailed down between my legs. I gasped, and grabbed a hold of his biceps, as he moved a finger inside of me.

"Is that okay?" He whispered, leaning in to lick the water off of my shoulder.

"Uh, huh." I said, pressing my forehead into his chest as he moved his finger. I was holding my breath, because Edward's hand was magic. But, I finally couldn't take it anymore and screamed out as I came.

"Wow." I said, as I looked up at Edward's face and he was smiling down at me.

"That good, huh?" He asked, smirking.

"It's always that good with you." I said, making him laugh.

"I'm glad I can make you happy." He said. "Now, let me wash your hair." So, Edward washed and conditioned my hair for me, before gently, and sweetly washing my body. He leaned in to kiss my lips. "You are gorgeous." He said, smiling at me.

I looked down at his body, and it was pretty clear the my fiancé was turned on. I looked up at his eyes and he shrugged and laughed. "Enjoying yourself?" I teased, pouring a handful of body wash into my hands.

"I can't deny it." He said. I set my hands on his shoulders and started washing his sexy body. I grabbed a hold of him, and had him groaning in no time. "Baby." He groaned, resting his head on my shoulder. He let out a deep breath and looked up at me, smiling.

"Wow, right?" I asked, making him laugh.

"Yeah. That is an understatement." He said, leaning in for a kiss. Edward washed his hair while I shaved my legs. We had this whole showering together thing down to science. I kicked Edward out of the bathroom, and he reluctantly left, but only after another kiss.

We both got ready for Emmett's practice, and still had about a half hour until we had to leave. Edward pulled me over to my bed and I sat on the side. He got up and grabbed the little white box that he had tried to give me last night.

"Happy anniversary." He said, passing it to me. I opened it and smiled.

"Oh, baby. They're beautiful." I said, feeling my eyes tear up. He had bought me earrings. They were yellow gold hoops with diamond accents.

"Please don't cry, Bella." He said, rubbing my leg. I didn't blame him for saying that, given last night, but these were happy tears.

"I love them." I said, reaching up to wipe my cheeks. "Thank you, Edward."

"Well, I just realized that I have never bought you earrings, and you have such pretty earlobes, it would have been shame not to get them for you." He explained, making me smile at his logic.

I took them out of the box walked over to the mirror to put them in my ears. They were small and delicate, and really looked perfect on me. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail to show them off. Edward walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "You are just breathtaking." He said, leaning in to kiss right under my ear.

"Thank you so much, Edward. I think they are absolutely gorgeous." I said, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

"Thank you for letting me spoil you." He said, smiling back at my reflection. "I love you so much, Bella."

"I love you, too." I said. "And after practice, I'm going to spoil you."

He chuckled, spinning me around. "I can't wait." He whispered, before pressing a kiss to my lips.

We packed up the kitten and headed out of the football field, meeting Rose, Jasper and Maria on the bleachers. Jasper took Robbie out of the carrier and held him while we watched the practice. He hadn't seen Robbie in a couple of days, and it was clear that he missed the kitten.

"Did you get new earrings?" Rose asked me. "They're so pretty."

"Yeah, thanks. They're from Edward for our four month anniversary." I said, proudly, giggling as Edward leaned in to kiss my cheek. "Where's your mom and Alice?" I asked Jasper.

"Mom had to take Alice to Port Angeles to register for dance class." Jasper told us.

"And Emmett is taking me after practice, today." Rose added, smiling. I knew how much she loved dancing, and you could see it on her face.

"Jasper and I are going to watch movies this afternoon." Maria said, excitedly. "Do you guys want to watch with us?"

"Sorry, sweetheart." Edward said, wrapping his arms around me. "I'm kidnapping my girl for the afternoon." I giggled at him, as he kissed my cheek. I was really looking forward to today.


	500. Apron

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and for your support! It means a lot to me. So, Chapter 500 is a little early. Hope you like it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 500 - Apron

Maria looked a little bit disappointed that we weren't going to hang out with her and Jasper this afternoon. I really liked the boys' girlfriends, and I think I promised the girls we'd get manicures together this summer.

"So, do you girls want to go get manicures tomorrow?" I asked. Maria's face lit up and she started bouncing on the seat.

"I would love that." She said, looking over at Rose.

Rose smiled. "Yeah, that would be fun." She said.

"So, you're leaving the Cullen boys home with the cat?" Edward asked, kissing my cheek. Jasper laughed at Edward.

"Well, what if we all went up to Port Angeles for the day, and after our manicures, we could just hang out and maybe go back to school shopping." I suggested. I mean, let's face it, I didn't want to ever leave Edward longer than I had to.

"Mm. I like the sound of that." Edward said.

"Yeah, that's awesome." Rose said. "I can't wait to tell Emmett."

I was excited to spend the day with the Emmett and Jasper and their girlfriends. After practice, Emmett ran over for hugs. Rose told him the plan for the next day, and he seemed thrilled.

We drove Jasper and Maria to the Cullen's place, and they offered to watch the kitten for us this afternoon. I was glad, so I could turn all my attention to my sexy fiancé. Edward and I drove to the grocery store so I could get supplies for lunch for our picnic.

As I was walking up and down the aisles, trying to decide what to make, Edward kissed my cheek. "I'll be right back." He whispered. "Take your time."

"Baby." I said, knowing he was up to something.

"Never mind." He said, chuckling. "Finish your shopping." He reached down and spanked me, right in the middle of the grocery store. I quickly looked around, and luckily no one saw that. He laughed, and I watched him walk out of the store.

I kept walking, and decided to make grilled tomato, cheese and ham sandwiches, and a butter pecan mousse for dessert. I got all of my ingredients and I was just standing behind an elderly woman at the cash register, waiting my turn, when Edward walked back into the store.

"Hey, beautiful." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. The woman in front of me, turned around and smiled at us.

"Isn't he a sweetheart?" She said, patting Edward's arm. "Is this your boyfriend?"

"We're engaged." I told her, smiling. "And he is the sweetest man I know."

"Lucky girl." She said.

Edward chuckled and I looked up at his face. He was blushing a little bit, and I thought it was adorable. "I'm a very lucky girl." I agreed.

Edward bought my groceries for me, and then carried them to the car, putting them in the trunk. We drove back to my house, and I smiled at Edward the whole way back. He glanced over and smiled back.

"What's got that pretty smile on your face?" He asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking about how cute you were in the grocery store." I said, making him chuckle. "And I'm really excited to cook for you."

"I'm excited to eat your masterpiece." He said, pulling up to the house. I walked to the trunk with Edward and when he opened it, I gasped. He had a huge bouquet of white lilies wrapped in red cellophane paper sitting beside the grocery bags.

"Oh, baby." I said, smiling as he passed me the bouquet. "Thank you. They're just gorgeous." I said, bringing them up to my nose. "I love you." I whispered, smiling as Edward leaned in to kiss my lips.

"I love you so much, baby." He said.

Edward grabbed my grocery bags and carried them into the kitchen for me. "Babe. Will you put my flowers in water for me?" I asked him. "I just need to run to the bathroom." I told him.

"Of course, angel." He said, smiling at me. I ran up the stairs, quickly using the bathroom, but then running into my room and locking the door. While I was shopping, I thought of an idea to make Edward's anniversary lunch even better.

I stripped off all my clothes and rummaged around in my drawer. I found my black lace boy shorts and a thin, see through, white tank top, and pulled them on. Then, I went into my closet and pulled out a box from the back corner. In it, I had some of the things I brought with me from Arizona.

In the eighth grade, Angie and I had taken Home Economics, where we learned to cook, and sew. It was in that class that I had really developed an interest in cooking. Anyway, one of my first sewing projects was an apron.

I pulled it out of the box and hoped it still fit. It was a half apron, that tied at the waist. It was white with cherries printed all over it. The waistband was a two inch wide red band that tied in a big bow on my back. It had red lace on the bottom.

I hoped it wasn't too childish, but I wanted to try and live out Edward's fantasy. He had told me, when we were in Seattle, that this was how he pictured me cooking. And if all he wanted for our anniversary was a meal, then I was going to make it the best meal possible, complete with a little show.

Hoping I didn't look too ridiculous, I slipped on a pair of black high heels, opened my bedroom door and walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. I held back a giggle. Edward was standing at the counter, trying to arrange the flowers in the vase. He let out a deep breath and I pretty sure he swore under his breath. He seemed to be having a little trouble.

I cleared my throat and he turned around, a huge smile spreading over his face when he saw me. His eyes trailed slowly down my body to my feet, before moving back up. I did a little turn, so he could see the panties and get the full effect of the fantasy.

"Wow." He whispered, before walking over to me, and taking my hands, looking down at my outfit, again. "You look amazing, baby." He said, smiling as his eyes met mine.

"Did I get it right?" I asked. I could feel my cheeks burning, as I was a little bit embarrassed with the apron on. Plus, I had never cooked wearing just my underwear before.

"Bella, you look incredible." He said, leaning in to capture my lips in hot kiss. "I can't believe you did this for me." He whispered.

He sat down at the kitchen table and pulled me onto his lap. "See, Bella. This was exactly what I was talking about last night. You are incredibly thoughtful. I mentioned a fantasy to you while we were in Seattle, and not only did you listen, you memorized every detail, down to the colour of your underwear." He said, making me smile. "And then for you to wear this for me, today. Just, wow, baby. This is the best anniversary present I could ever get."

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and gave him a hug. "I'm so glad you like it." I said. "I wanted to make it special."

"I love it, babe." He said, leaning back so he could look in my eyes. "And where did you get that sexy little apron?" He asked, making us both laugh.

"I made it in middle school." I admitted. "Sewing class in Home Ec."

He smiled. "Another thing you do well, huh?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my bare shoulder. "You are just the perfect woman."

"Well, thank you, handsome." I said, getting off his lap. "But your woman owes you a lunch. So quit distracting me." I teased, walking over to the counter, but smiled at him over my shoulder.

"Well, don't let me stop you." He said, chuckling. So, I walked around the kitchen in my high heels and panties, and cooked up an amazing lunch and a great dessert, which I packed up in Tupperware for our picnic. I made so much dessert that I put the leftovers in four bowls in the fridge for our dessert tonight with my dad and Heidi.

Edward just sat in the kitchen chair and watched me. I thought I would be embarrassed, but I felt incredibly confident, and Edward made me feel that way. "I think aprons might just be the new lingerie." He said, making me laugh, while I packed our food in the cooler with some cans of coke.

"Really?" I asked, smiling, as Edward got up and wrapped his arms around me.

"Really." He said, sliding his hands down my back to my bum. I moaned as he leaned in to kiss and suck on my neck.

"What are you doing? Don't you want to go eat?" I asked as he lifted me up. I quickly wrapped my arms around his shoulders so I wouldn't fall.

"I think I want an appetizer." He said, before running to the stairs. I giggled. Today was turning out to be an amazing day.


	501. On Our Rock

**A/N - I've been working on this story for over 500 days. It's a huge part of my life, and even when I'm not writing, I'm planning it, and thinking about it. To have someone plagiarize my work is so incredibly hard on me, and I'm noticing over the last few days, that I'm having trouble writing. I don't know what to do, as I've reported this issue to Fanfiction, and nothing is being done about it, yet. I would truly appreciate it if you could help me by letting Fanfiction know that this going on, on their site. I will post the contact e-mail address on my profile page, if you have a minute or two to help me. I'll be looking into other writing websites and blogs if nothing will be done about this. This site should be supporting it's writers from these offenses.**

**I will continue to post this story, as it's mine. It is my hobbie, and it makes me happy. I'm not going to let anyone take that from me. It's not fair. I truly appreciate all the reviews for yesterday's chapter. You are all so amazing to me, and I love that I've had this opportunity to get to know you all. So, on that note, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 501 - On Our Rock

Edward walked up into my bedroom, and set me down on my bed. "Lay back." He said, so I did. He reached over and picked up my right foot, pulling off my shoe. He rubbed my foot, and leaned in to kiss the top of my toes. I laughed and he smiled as he gently set my foot back down. He picked up my left foot, took off my shoe and kissed the bottom of my foot.

He crawled onto the bed and straddled my legs, looking down at me. "You are so beautiful." He said, running his fingertips up and down the outside of my bare thighs. It gave me goosebumps all over my body. "Thank you for wearing this outfit, today."

"Well, I just wanted to make you as happy as you make me." I explained, before groaning as Edward reached forward to gently squeeze my breasts. He rubbed his thumbs over my nipples and I shut my eyes.

The feeling of his hands on my body, even over the tank top I was wearing, was phenomenal. I wriggled around a little and Edward chuckled. "That feel good?" He asked, even though he knew it did.

"God, yes." I sighed, looking up at his face. "But, wasn't I supposed to me giving you a back rub?"

Edward chuckled. "But, I'm having fun giving you a boob massage." He said, and I blushed and giggled.

"Well, I guess who am I to stop you?" I asked, biting my bottom lip.

"Mm. You're so delicious." Edward said, laying down beside me and wrapping his arm across my stomach.

"I wish I didn't have my period." I said, turning my head to meet Edward's eyes. "I miss making love with you."

Edward smiled, and leaned in to kiss my lips. "A wise woman once told me that periods were all part of being a girl." He whispered, before kissing my lips. I laughed and shook my head. Edward reached over to rub his hand over my lower stomach. "We can wait a couple of days, Bella." He said against my lips.

"You're perfect, baby." I said, kissing his lips.

He smiled. "You are." He said. "Let's go eat. I'm starving."

"Me, too." I said, sitting up. "I suppose I'd better change, huh?" I asked, taking off my apron.

Edward smiled. "If you must." He teased. I pulled off my tank top and Edward smiled. "Ah, I'm getting my striptease after all, huh?"

I laughed. "I guess so." I did a little turn in nothing but my lace boy shorts.

"Nice." He said, smiling. I giggled, walking to my dresser. I pulled on some jean cut-offs, a white lace bra and a cute white cotton blouse. I left the bottom buttons undone, and tied it up in a little knot, a la early Brittney Spears.

Edward smirked at me, getting up off the bed. "Very sexy." He said, leaning in to lick the side of my neck. I giggled, pushing his chest.

"Come on, sexy boy. Let's go eat." I said, grabbing my purse and running out of my bedroom. Edward laughed and he ran behind me down the stairs. He grabbed the cooler and we went out to the car.

Edward drove us to the beach and we held hands as we walked down to our rock, Edward with the cooler, and me with the blanket. "I'm going to miss coming here." I said, looking over at Edward.

"I know. Me, too." He said. "But, even if we were here in the winter, it would be way too cold and wet out here, anyway."

I pouted out my bottom lip, and Edward chuckled. "Aw, Bella. I'll get you a rain slicker and we can come out here in the icy rain in the winter if it will make you happy."

I giggled. "I love you." I said, smiling at him.

"I love you, too, angel." He said, smiling back. "Plus, stop it with the end of summer stuff. We still have lots of time here, and you're going to make me cry." He chuckled.

"Aw, baby. I'm sorry." I said. I knew the end of summer was going to be hard for both of us, so it was best that we didn't think about it now. We had lots of time left, and we had to make the most of it.

"It's okay." He said, squeezing my hand, and smiling at me.

We got to our rock and Edward lifted me up, letting his hands linger longer than necessary on my bum. I spread out the blanket and after he passed me the cooler, he pulled himself up. I loved watching his arms flex. He was so sexy.

I opened the cooler and unpacked our lunch. Edward took a big bite of his sandwich, humming, and even closing his eyes as he chewed. I was fixated on his strong, masculine jaw. My fiancé was gorgeous.

"Bella, you are an incredible cook." He said, before taking another bite.

"It would probably taste better if it was warmer." I said, shrugging one shoulder, before taking a bite of my sandwich.

"It's amazing, gorgeous." He said, winking at me. And by the way he was scarfing down that sandwich, and looking at the amount of crumbs that had dropped on his shirt, I could tell that he was truly enjoying his anniversary lunch. Luckily, I made him two.

I giggled at him as I ate. He was absolutely adorable, and it made me really happy that he was enjoying his anniversary gift. He smiled at me, as he ate and I loved the carefree feeling of our afternoon together. He was right. It was the time we spent together that important.

"Oh, Bella. That was delicious." He said when he was finished both sandwiches. I reached up to his chest and brushed the crumbs off of his grey t-shirt, making him laugh. "Thank you." He took the can of coke from my hand and took a huge swallow.

"You are very welcome." I said, smiling as pulled my butter pecan mousse out of the cooler, and took off the lid. "Ready for dessert, handsome?"

"I'm going to need to buy bigger clothes tomorrow, but yes, I'm ready." He said, winking at me. I pulled out the single spoon that I packed, and scooped some up. I brought the spoon up to his lips and he opened his mouth. I watched his lips as he closed them around the spoon.

"Mm." Edward hummed. "That is almost as good as sex." He said, making me laugh. I covered my reddening face with one hand, and Edward chuckled. "I'm sorry." He said, running his fingers up and down on my arm.

I brought my hand back down and laughed, shaking my head at myself. I got another spoonful and brought up to his lips. He ate it, and hummed, again, before taking the spoon from my hand. He brought some of the mousse up to my lips and fed it to me.

"Mm." I said, making Edward chuckle.

"It's good, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I haven't it in a long time." I said, smiling as he fed me more.

"How good is it?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my sticky lips with his.

"Um, it's almost as good as that kiss." I said, making him laugh, before he kissed me, again. Edward hummed against my lips.

We heard someone scream, and then laugh, and Edward and I pulled apart. There were some kids running around on the beach, chasing each other. I was so lost in Edward, that it had scared me a little. "It's easy to forget that the rest of that world is around us, isn't it?" Edward asked, making me smile.

"You read my mind." I said.

We finished our dessert, taking turns feeding each other. I packed everything back up in the cooler before Edward pulled me into his arms. We laid down in the blanket and just basked in the warm sun on our bodies.

We talked a little bit, but not about anything serious. Just what we were going to get in Port Angeles the next day. I wanted to get more sweaters, as I still didn't have a lot of cold weather clothes. Edward teased that he just wanted to be there to carry my shopping bags.

Eventually, Edward fell asleep and I took the time to just look at him. I loved that this beautiful, sensitive, loving, caring and thoughtful man was all mine. I got to keep him forever. I had no idea how I ever got so lucky.

I let Edward sleep for about a half hour, before I reached up to run my fingers through his hair. He hummed and opened his eyes, smiling at me when our eyes met. "Did I pass out?" He asked, reaching his arms over his head to stretch.

"Yeah." I said, smiling. "But you looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you."

He chuckled, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me close. "Then why did you?" He asked, laughing.

"Because I need to pee." I admitted, making Edward laugh harder.

"Some things never change." He said, leaning to kiss my lips. "I love you."


	502. Innocent Ears

**A/N - Thank you all so much for your support with the plagiarism ordeal! I really love you all for your help! Still, nothing has been done. I guess we'll keep trying! Just a reminder, it is Monday, August 16, 2010 in the story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 502 - Innocent Ears

Edward helped me off of our rock, and we walked down the beach to the board shop, so I could use the bathroom. Edward went after me, before we headed back to the car. "Today had been great so far." Edward said, smiling at me. "I love our anniversaries."

I smiled back and him. "They're special, aren't they?" I asked. "I mean, everyday with you is. But I like that we always make time to just be us, and to spend time alone together celebrating how much we love each other."

"Let's do this forever." He said, as we got back to the car. He leaned against the back of the car, and I leaned beside him. "Like no matter how busy we get, with school, or just life, I want us to always make sure we have that day, or two, every month to just be together."

I turned my head and kissed his shoulder. "I love that idea." I said, making Edward smile. "But, let's try not to let it get to the point. I want us to be those people that eat dinner together every evening, and study in the same room."

Edward chuckled. "And sleep together every night?" He asked, making me laugh.

"That, too." I agreed.

"Yeah, no problem there. I never want to leave your side, angel." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "But, speaking of sleeping together, what do you think about staying in my room tonight? You know, give your dad and Heidi the house to themselves."

I started laughing. "And to protect my innocent ears?" I asked, wrapping my arm around Edward's back.

"Definitely." He said, laughing with me. "Luckily for me, my parents' bedroom is at the opposite end of the hallway from my room, and I have a pretty thick door."

I hummed. "Are we going to put that thick door to good use, tonight?" I asked.

"Mm. I love the way you think." He said, setting his hand on my cheek and leaning in to press a kiss to my lips. "I think I might also whisper dirty things in those innocent little ears of yours."

I giggled. "Well, I once hundred percent accept your invitation to sleep over, now." I teased.

Edward packed the cooler in the trunk and we got in the car to go back to his place and get the kitten. As we drove, I looked over at Edward. "So, you've never heard your parents, well, you know, having sex?" I asked him.

He chuckled. "Nope." He said, smiling. "In my mind, I like to pretend that they've only done it four times, to have their four kids."

I started laughing when he said that. He was adorable. "Good idea." I said. "Even I've heard them, so you know it's going on." I said, laughing when Edward frowned at me.

"Bella." He whined, making me laugh harder. "Didn't I just say that I wanted to pretend it wasn't going on?"

"I'm sorry." I giggled, reaching over to squeeze his leg. "I'll make it up to you, tonight. I promise." I said, smiling when Edward looked over at me. He was smirking, and I took that sexy expression to mean that I was forgiven for grossing him out.

We got to Edward's house and I smiled when we walked in the family room. Emmett and Rose were snuggled on the couch, and Jasper, Maria and Alice were all sitting on the floor in the family room playing with the kitten.

We walked over and sat on the couch. "Hey, guys." Emmett said, smiling. "How was the anniversary? But, just remember, kids in the room."

I shook my head, and Edward laughed. "Bella made us lunch and we had a picnic at the beach. Then, we came here. All completely innocent." Edward said, looking at me and winking. Emmett saw the wink, and he and Rose started laughing. They were so much fun, and I loved them, both.

Esme walked out into the family room from the kitchen, drying her hands. "Happy anniversary, kids." She said, coming over to kiss both of us on the cheek. "Are you staying here for dinner?"

"No. Heidi is cooking for us, tonight?" I told her. "We just came to get the kitten." I leaned down and scooped up Robbie when he walked over to us. I held him to my chest and Edward leaned down to kiss him between the ears, before turning his head to kiss my neck.

"Aw." Alice said, looking over at us with a pout on her face. "Can't we keep him here?"

"I guess so. Why not." Edward agreed, holding open his arms. Alice came over and climbed on his lap, snuggling up to his chest.

"Thanks, Edward." She said, kissing his cheek. "Are you coming home, yet?" She asked. I didn't blame her for asking, as Edward had been sleeping at my place for weeks, because his grandparents needed his bed. He was still home a lot, but I could understand where she was coming from.

"Yes, I'm coming home after dinner, tonight." He said, smiling at her.

"Yay." She said, smiling.

"I've already changed the linens in your bedroom, Edward." Esme said, making me smile.

"Sounds like everyone wants me home." Edward teased, making me laugh.

"Of course we do, sweetheart." Esme said, rubbing his shoulder.

I heard the front door close and turned to see Carlisle walk in the room. Esme walked over to him and set her hand lightly on his chest, and Carlisle set his hand on her hip. She leaned in to press a soft kiss to his lips, before pulling back. They smiled at each other, and Esme lightly caressed his chest.

The whole moment only lasted about five seconds, but it was so romantic. I didn't care if Edward wanted to deny that his parents had sex. The look in Carlisle's eyes when he looked at his wife was one of pure desire.

I hoped when Edward and I had been married for twenty years, he still looked at me like that. I looked over at Edward, who had his arms wrapped around little sister. He looked up at me, and a smile spread across his face, before he winked. I smiled back. Yeah, Edward was definitely going to look at me like that in twenty years. I had no doubt.

"We'd better go." He said to me, before sliding forward on the couch, and setting Alice back on the floor. "We'll be back in a couple hours." He told her, kissing her cheek. "I love you, princess."

I passed Robbie to Alice and she gave him a hug, making him meow, and me laugh. Robert was the most spoiled cat alive. I was sure of it. "Bye, guys." I said to everyone, and followed Edward to the front door.

Esme gave us hugs, and I could tell that she was excited about having us home. Edward opened my car door for me, and then kissed my lips, before shutting the door and going around to the driver's side.

He started the car and pulled out on the road. "So, what were you thinking about in there?" Edward asked me, reaching over and taking my hand after he turned onto the highway.

I smiled. "Oh, just how your parents look at each other." I said, making Edward chuckle.

"And how's that?" He asked.

I giggled at my opportunity to tease Edward. "With passion." I answered.

"Bella." Edward shook his head and chuckled. "You're really trying to turn me off, today, aren't you?" He asked, making me laugh.

"No." I said, honestly. "I'm really not. It just made me think of us in twenty years, that's all." I explained. "And how you are going to look at me when you walk in the door after work."

Edward smiled, and he squeezed my hand. "I love you, Bella, and I always will." He said, making me smile. "I'll look at you with passion and want and desire. But, more than that, I'll look at you with happiness and love and contentment."

I felt my eyes start to well up with tears. Edward was a through and through romantic and I loved that about him. "Baby, don't cry." He whispered. "I just love you, that's all."

I wiped my eyes, and squeezed his hand. "That's everything." I replied, making Edward smile, as he parked in front of my dad's truck on the street. Edward came around the car, and helped me out, holding my hand in his as we walked up to the house.

The moment that we had just shared in the car was the kind you didn't too soon forget. I loved when Edward spoke about his true feelings with me. He never held back, and I felt truly adored.

But, this was also the kind of moment that I wanted to be held in his arms, snuggled against his strong, warm chest. I wanted us to be alone and I want to bask in his affections. But, I supposed that was what I had to look forward to tonight.


	503. Daughter I Never Had

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I appreciate your support! Enjoy!**

Chapter 503 - Daughter I Never Had

When we walked in the house, I smiled. It smelled so good, but even better than that, I could hear my dad and Heidi laughing in the kitchen. I was so thrilled that my dad had a second chance at love. And, Heidi was the perfect woman for him.

We stood in the kitchen door, and Edward and I started laughing. Heidi was chasing my dad around the kitchen table, whipping at him with a kitchen towel. I had never seen my dad so carefree and happy. But the best part was when they looked up and saw us, they kept laughing, they didn't look embarrassed at all.

"Hey guys. Dinner is almost ready." Heidi said, coming over to give me, and then Edward, a hug. "How's your anniversary going so far?" She asked, as Edward and I walked into the kitchen and sat at the table.

"Awesome." Edward said, making me smile.

"I see someone got lilies." Heidi said, going over to the stove to stir her saucepan.

"I did." I said. "Aren't they beautiful?"

"They're gorgeous." She agreed.

"And, I got these earrings." I said, getting up to show her.

"Oh, wow. Those are just stunning, Edward." She said, looking over at Edward, who was smiling at me.

"Well, I like to spoil her." He said, shrugging his shoulders. I smiled at him. So modest.

"Good man." My dad said, patting Edward's shoulder and making him laugh.

Heidi brought over a big pot of spiral pasta, a dish of meatballs and the little saucepan of homemade pasta sauce. I loved that she served us out of the pots, and didn't pour everything into serving bowls. She didn't need to try and impress us with presentation, because we were family, now, or would be really soon.

As we ate, my dad asked us where the cat was. Edward chuckled. "My sister wanted to keep him, tonight." He said. "Those kids just love that kitten. I don't think they're going to let us take him to Seattle."

"Aw, they will." Heidi said. "You'll just have to bring him home a lot."

"Oh, we will." Edward agreed. "You won't even notice we're gone." Edward reached over and squeezed my hand. "Right, baby?"

"Right." I agreed, smiling.

After dinner, we all went out on the back porch and ate our dessert. I sat on Edward's lap, and Heidi and my dad sat beside each other. My dad loved the mousse, and kept raving over it the whole time he ate. "Can we have this at the wedding?" He asked Heidi, making me laugh.

"If you want it, you can have it, chief." Heidi told him, reaching over to squeeze his leg. "If Bella will make it for you."

"What do you say, kiddo?" My dad asked, smiling at me. "Will you make this for your old man?"

I smiled, and got up to give my dad my hug. "Of course I will, daddy." I said, kissing his cheek. "I'm glad you like it."

"I love it, Bells. Thank you." He said, kissing my forehead. I wiped my cheeks, as a couple of tears fell from my eyes. I loved my dad so much, and I was excited for both his wedding day, and his marriage to Heidi. He finally had someone that loved him, as much as he loved her.

Edward got up and hugged me, kissing the top of my head. "I'll go wash the dishes." He said, rubbing my back. He always knew when I needed him, even just for a second.

"Thank you, Edward. Go help him, Charlie." Heidi said, making us all laugh.

"Yes, Heidi." My dad said, leaning in to kiss her lips. He rubbed my arm before following Edward into the house. I could hear them laughing, and it made me smile. I went over to sit beside my future step mom and leaned my head on her shoulder.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm just so happy for you and my dad, that's all." I said.

"Feeling a little sentimental?" She asked, making me laugh, as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

"I guess." I told her. "That and Edward has been nothing but sweet to me." I told her how sweet he was about the anniversary gifts and how he only wanted me to cook for him. I also shared the sweet words he said to me in the car, about how he loves me, and always will.

"He's so good for you, Bella." Heidi said. "Every girl deserves a man like him."

"Yeah, I just always feel so happy around him. He's everything to me." I agreed, smiling. "And I love that you and my dad have each other."

Heidi smiled at me. "Oh, I know. We're amazing together." She said, making me giggle.

"So, I've heard." I said, smiling at her, referring to the sounds coming from her and my dad's little love nest the night before.

"What?" She asked, looked a little confused, before she opened her mouth and then brought her hands up to cover her face. "Oh, my goodness, Bella. I'm so sorry." She apologized, looking frantic.

I laughed, and took her hand in mine. "Don't apologize. Edward hummed to me. I didn't hear a thing." I told her, making her laugh. "Plus, you're getting married next Saturday, and you're in love. It would be sweet if it wasn't my dad." I said, laughing with her.

"I promise, I'll be quiet tonight." She said, making me laugh, harder.

"Don't worry about it. Edward and I are staying at his place tonight." I said.

"Oh?" She said, winking at me. "Having a little fun of your own?"

"Nah." I said. "Unfortunately, I have my period right now. Which, by the way, is horrible timing for an anniversary."

"You can still have sex, Bella." She said, making me both blush and cringe.

"Oh, I would be way too uncomfortable with that." I told her. Honestly, the thought had never even crossed my mind.

"Have you and Edward talked about it?" She asked.

"No." I said, shaking my head. "This is my first period since we starting being intimate with each other. I mean, we did it when I was spotting. You know, because of the birth control pills, but, um, really?" I couldn't wrap my mind around the concept. I didn't think that I would want to make love to Edward when I had my period.

"Really." She said, squeezing my hand. Heidi was the most amazing step mom a girl could ever ask for. I felt so comfortable with her, and she was always there for me. This wasn't the kind of thing I would ever call my mom for. It would be too awkward over the phone.

I leaned in and gave her a hug. "Thank you so much." I whispered.

"Aw, sweetie. Of course." She said, patting my back. "You know you can come to me anytime, for absolutely anything. I'll always be here for you. You're the daughter I never had." I smiled widely at that thought. I was so glad that I could fill that role for her, too.

Edward and my dad came back outside. "Hey, Bella. Are you ready to head over to my place?" Edward asked.

"Yeah." I said, standing up and giving Heidi another hug, before turning to my dad. "Goodnight, daddy. I love you." I said, smiling when he kissed my cheek.

"I love you, too, Bells." He said. "Have a good day and a safe drive to Port Angeles, tomorrow."

"Edward will take good care of me." I said, reassuring him.

I ran upstairs to get an outfit for tomorrow. I picked up the sex book we bought in Seattle, and hadn't read yet. I figured, maybe Edward and I could look at it. After we said our goodnights, Edward and I headed back to the Cullen's house.

"So, what did you and my dad talk about?" I asked Edward, making him smile, as he drove.

"Honestly, we talked about the apartment in Seattle. Your dad wanted to make sure that I thought it was safe, and that we were happy with the place." He said, making smile. My dad was so protective. "And then, we talked about baseball."

I giggled. "That sounds about right."


	504. Conversations and Confessions

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 504 - Conversations and Confessions

Edward and I went in the house and after saying all of our goodnights to the Cullens, we went upstairs with the kitten and into Edward's room. It had been so long since we'd slept on this bed, and I honestly couldn't wait to get back into it. Edward got a big fluffy towel from the bathroom for Robbie to sleep on, and he seemed pretty happy with it.

We brushed our teeth together and changed into our PJs, before crawling into bed. Edward pulled me close to his chest, and I wrapped my arms around his waist. "What's on your mind, Bella?" He asked, softly, rubbing my back.

"Oh, um, it's just something that Heidi said." I told him, feeling my face heat up. I laid my head on Edward's chest, trying to hide my blush.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, sweetly.

"Okay, um, she just said that I could still have sex with my period." I said, really fast, because I was embarrassed. "I mean, I didn't know that. That's all. Did you know that?"

"Yeah." He said, still rubbing soft circles onto my back.

"What?" I asked, turning so I could look at his face. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Edward chuckled and leaned in to kiss my face. "I'm sorry. I'm not one percent comfortable talking about the whole period thing, yet, either." He explained, making me smile. "Sex is a different story, and if you want to try it, then I'm more than willing. But because you never brought it up, I just assumed that you didn't want to do it. Which, by the way, is fine with me, too."

I giggled. "You are adorable." I said, kissing his bare chest. Edward always tried to make feel comfortable, and would never pressure me into doing anything I wasn't sure about. "I don't think I want to try it." I told him, honestly. "Not yet, anyway."

"That's okay, angel." He said. "We only have two more days to wait, anyway." I wriggled up so I could kiss his lips. He hummed and smiled, before kissing me, again. "Plus, there is so much more I can do to you." He whispered against my lips.

I smiled, and he smirked back at me. It looked like Edward was going to whisper dirty things in my innocent ears like he promised earlier. "Tell me." I said, licking my lips in anticipation.

"Mm, Bella." He hummed rolling me onto my back. He laid beside me on his side and brought his finger up to my lips and traced the very tip over my bottom lip. It tickled so I scraped my teeth over my lip, and Edward chuckled.

"This lip takes so much abuse from you." He whispered, leaning in to lick my lip. "You're always biting it." He pressed an open mouth kiss to my lips, and I smiled up at him. "But, as much as I don't want you to hurt yourself, when I see that lip in your mouth, sexy, my body reacts. Feel."

Edward reached up to take my hand in his, which I had resting on my stomach. He brought my hand down and set it on his body between his legs. We both groaned at the same time, and it made Edward laugh.

"You like touching me?" He whispered, and I nodded slowly. "Good girl." He said, making me close my eyes. I was thoroughly enjoying this. "Mm. Bella. I think your body is reacting to this, too."

He brought his fingertip up to my bare collarbone, and lightly moved it back and forth along the wide neck of my t-shirt. He slid his finger down over my shirt to my breast and delicately moved it around. I whimpered because I wanted more pressure, but he was being so gentle. Too gentle.

He swirled his finger around my nipple over my shirt, and I moaned. "Does that feel good, Bella? Mm, you are so sexy. You're body is so responsive to my touch. And my words. Isn't it?"

I squeezed him between the legs a little and he closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. He looked like he was trying to stay in control. "Take my shirt off." I breathed. "I want your mouth on me. Your hands. Something. Edward, hurry." I was squirming around on the bed. He was right. Whenever he talked like that, I felt like I lost control.

"Sit up, pretty girl." He said, and I did. He reached down and pulled my nightshirt off of my body. "Mm. You look good enough to eat." He said, making me moan. He sat up cross legged on the bed. "Come here, and sit on my lap." I crawled over and sat sideways on his legs.

"Uh, uh, uh, Bella." He said. "I want you to face me, and press your body to mine."

I smiled, and did as I was told, wrapping my legs around Edward's hips. Edward put his hands on my back and leaned into my body, kissing my chest and neck. "Mm. I love you, gorgeous." He whispered.

I reached up, holding onto his strong shoulders, before sliding my fingers up his neck and burying them into his hair. I pulled his head back so I could see his face. "I love you, too, Edward." I said, making him smile.

I leaned in and kissed him. He groaned, sliding his hands down to my bum, as he deepened the kiss. I started rocking my hips against him, and Edward pulled back to breathe. "Wow, baby. That feels so good." He breathed.

I smiled, and threw my head back. We moved together until we both let go. I dropped my head forward and rested it on Edward's shoulder. "Mm." I hummed, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck, and wrapping my arms around his body.

"You feel okay?" He whispered, running his fingers through my hair.

"I feel so content and loved." I told him, truthfully. "I love you."

"Oh, you are so loved, beautiful." Edward said, kissing my cheek. He leaned forward and laid me on the bed, before getting off the bed. "Let me just get cleaned up. I'll be right back." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

I smiled and stretched, and Edward groaned and winked at me, making me laugh. Edward went into the bathroom, and walked back out in two minutes, completely naked. I giggled, and he smiled as he walked to the drawer, and pulled on some black boxers, before coming to bed.

I kissed his lips, again, before getting up to go to the bathroom. When I came back into his room, I turned on the lamp on the bedside table and shut out the main lights. I went into my bag and pulled out our book, before crawling into bed with Edward.

"Ah, the sex book." He said, smiling. "Come here." Edward spread his legs and I sat between them, leaning back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, just under my bare breasts. He leaned down and kissed my shoulder. "Are we looking up anything in particular?"

"No. We just haven't had a chance to read this one, yet." I said, flipping to the first chapter. It was called, 'Communication and Sharing Fantasies.' This was embarrassment waiting to happen for me, so I started to flip ahead in the book, but Edward reached over and stopped my hand.

"You don't want to talk about fantasies?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"I guess." I said, blushing just at the thought. "Why? Do you have one?"

"I have lots." He chuckled. "But let's start at the beginning. It says that we should share secrets with each other." He started reading out loud. "Becoming intimate with someone is more than the physical. We need to trust our partners, understand them, as the best sex can stem from shared goals and desires."

"So, how do we do this?" I asked him, closing the book and setting it on the bed. "Like what kind of secret?"

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Edward asked me, leaning in to kiss my cheek after I nodded. "Have you ever touched yourself?" I flushed bright red as I nodded, again. "Don't be embarrassed, Bella. That's perfectly normal. I think that's one of my fantasies, actually. I'd like to watch you touch your beautiful body, but only if you'd be comfortable with it."

"Um, okay." I agreed. That was actually not a very scary fantasy. I really didn't know what he was going to say, but this one seemed doable. I trusted Edward, and I knew he would make me feel safe and loved.

"Thank you." He whispered. I turned a little in his arms so I could kiss his lips, and it made him smile. "Okay, baby. It's your turn. Ask me anything?" He chuckled. He looked like he was preparing himself for my question and it made me giggle.

"Hmm. Alright. Have you ever watched a dirty movie?" I asked, biting my lip.

Edward chuckled. "Yes." He answered immediately.

"Oh. Did it, um, turn you on?" I asked, because I honestly had never seen pornography.

"It did, but honestly, it doesn't take much for a teenaged boy." He said. "But, Bella. I can tell you, that I have not watched anything like that since we've been together. You are all I need, angel."

"Thank you." I said, smiling. "But, would you watch one with me?" I asked, blushing even darker. I had always been curious about it, but didn't wanted to watch one alone.

"Of course. We can do that together. Is that your fantasy?" He asked, running his fingers up and down my side.

"Well, more of a curiosity, I guess." I admitted. Edward leaned in to kiss my cheek. I guess talking about secrets and desires wasn't so bad after all.


	505. Back Rubs, Bums and Blushes

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! This chapter covers the end of Monday, August 16, and the start of Tuesday, August 17, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 505 - Back Rubs, Bums and Blushes

Edward leaned over and shut off the lamp, after setting the book on the bedside table. I snuggled up close to Edward's chest, and closed my eyes. I could feel his heartbeat on the palm of my hand, and it was beating fairly fast. Usually, when we had the lights out, and were about to fall asleep, his heartbeat was slow and steady.

I placed a kiss over his heart, and moved my hand up to rub his shoulder. "Edward?" I asked, and he hummed in response. I think I caught him thinking. "Are you worried about something?" I asked. Edward could read me like a book, and I was definitely getting pretty good at figuring him out, as well.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. "Actually, yeah." He admitted, rubbing my back. And while it felt good, I was fairly sure he was doing it to relax himself.

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked. "I mean, we don't have to watch that stuff, Edward." If he didn't want to watch an X-rated video with me, I honestly wouldn't care. I was just curious, like I told him.

Edward kissed my forehead. "Baby, you didn't say anything wrong. In fact, I was thinking the same thing about myself. I don't want to pressure you, or freak you out, or make you uncomfortable around me. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, okay?"

He sounded really quite worried, actually, more so than his usual over protectiveness that I adored about him. I wriggled out of his arms, and leaned over to turn on the lamp. If he was that upset, then I wanted to see his face, his eyes, and make sure he was okay.

"Edward Anthony Cullen." I started, making him laugh a little. I thought that would help relax him a little bit. "You have never made me feel uncomfortable in the four months that we've been together."

"I know that, Bella." He sighed. "But, this whole secret and fantasy thing is a little crazy."

I giggled. "No, it's not. If you're thinking about it, then I want to know. I don't like secrets." I told him.

"I know that Bella, but I've spent four months showing you that I was a gentleman. I just don't want you to think I'm dirty or a pervert." He said, sounding completely serious.

"Edward, sex isn't dirty. We're engaged and I love and trust you, one hundred percent." I said, making the corner of his mouth turn up into the start of a smile. "And I like to know what turns you on."

"You turn me on." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips softly.

"You know what I mean." I said. "Like, you like it when I bite and scratch you and I like when you talk dirty to me. Everyone has something that turns them on."

"So, I didn't creep you out?" He asked, kissing along my jaw, softly.

I giggled. "Of course not, Edward." I rolled over to reach into his bedside table, and pulled out his massage oil. "Now lay on your stomach. I want to rub your back."

"You don't have to do that, Bella. I'm fine." He said, reaching forward to grab the oil from my hand.

I snatched it back. "Edward." I warned. He chuckled at how serious I had become.

"God, you are sexy when you're mad." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. I laughed at his method of distraction.

"I'm not mad." I said, kissing him. "I just want to rub oil all over your body."

He laughed. "Fine. If you must." He teased, rolling over onto his stomach.

"Thank you." I said, straddling his legs. I spanked his bum, and he laughed. I reached up and pulled on his boxers. Edward lifted his hips for me and I pulled them down to his thighs.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at me.

"I'm staring at your bum." I said, giggling as I poured some oil onto my hands. I slapped my hands down on my bum, before I started kneading his cheeks. "You know I'm in love with this bum."

"Why?" He asked, resting his head on his folded arms. "What's so great about it?"

I laughed. "Well, for one thing, your bum looks phenomenal in jeans and especially those camo shorts." I said, making him laugh. "I don't know. It's just so toned, and muscular. I seriously can't keep my hands off of it."

"I'm definitely not complaining." He said. I moved up and straddled his hips, pouring more oil on my hands and started really rubbing his shoulders deeply. Edward started groaning, and I was glad that I could help relax him a little bit.

"Baby. You're going to get oil on your panties." Edward said, wriggling his bum under me, where I was sitting, making me laugh.

"Oh, well." I said. "They're black lace. It won't show."

I kept rubbing Edward's back, loving the opportunity to just touch his body. "Bella. What kind of porn do you want to watch?" Edward asked, after a few minutes of silence.

I felt my cheeks blush, and I was glad that Edward wasn't looking at me. "I have no idea. Is there more than one kind? Isn't it just people having sex?" I asked, giggling at the idea of even watching something so taboo.

"Um, well, it depends what you're into I guess." He said. "There is all kinds, like domination, same sex."

"Oh. Probably just something normal. Like a guy and a girl. Nothing scary." I said, and Edward nodded in agreement. "Plus, where are we even going to get it?"

Edward chuckled. "You are so adorable, you know that?" He asked. "Get up on your knees." He said, rolling over onto his back. I sat back down on his stomach, and started rubbing his sexy chest and shoulders.

"Well, Edward. I don't know about this stuff, okay?" I said, looking into his eyes.

He reached up, holding onto my hips. "Don't get upset about it. We'll figure it out. Our options are adult video store, we could order a DVD online, or just search the internet." He said.

"Well, I'm not going into an adult video store, Edward." I said, seriously. He started to laugh at me, so I stuck my finger in his belly button, knowing he hated that. He reached up and grabbed my hand, making me giggle.

"Bella Marie Swan." He scolded, sitting up and wrapping his arms around me, as I slid down onto his thighs. "Keep your fingers out of there." I laughed harder, as Edward leaned in to kiss my neck. "I'm sorry for laughing, Bella." He said, smiling. "Do you want me to order you some porn?"

I slapped his shoulder, and he leaned in to kiss my lips, still chuckling. "I don't even want to watch it anymore." I said, being stubborn, but only because I was embarrassed.

"Bella, baby. We're going to watch it." He said, still giving me kisses. "I was just trying to make you laugh, so you'd be less nervous. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"I know." I said. "But I am."

"I'm sorry." He said, hugging me closer to his chest. "Why don't we look through some titles online and we'll order it, and then we can watch it whenever you feel comfortable?"

"Okay." I whispered, resting my head on his shoulder. He ran his fingertips up and down my bare back. I leaned in and kissed his neck. "I love you." I whispered.

"I love you, too, angel." He said. "Ready for bed?"

"Yeah." I agreed. Edward leaned over and flicked off the light, and we laid together, snuggled up close. "My eyelids are heavy." I whispered.

"Then, go to sleep, my sweet girl." Edward whispered. "We've had a long and busy day. But, I've had an amazing day, Bella. Happy anniversary." He said, softly, before kissing my forehead.

"Happy anniversary." I whispered, falling asleep seconds later.

I woke up on my stomach to the feeling of Edward's hands on my shoulders. I moaned. It felt so good. I looked over my shoulder and smiled when I saw Edward straddling my thighs. "Good morning, gorgeous." He said, smiling. "I thought you might like a massage."

"Mm." I hummed. "That feels amazing."

"Good. You deserve it." He said, reaching around my sides and tracing his fingers over the sides of my breasts.

"An erotic massage?" I asked, making Edward chuckle.

"Is that what you want?" He asked.

"Well, when my period is finished, you can go nuts." I said, laughing, not quite sure what I was getting myself into.

"Mm. Is that a guarantee?" He asked, running his hands down my arms.

"Uh, I guess." I giggled, squeezing his hands.

"I'll make it worth your while." He said, making me shiver. I had the sexiest fiancé, ever.


	506. Excitement and Energy

**A/N - An early Happy Friday to you all. Again, I'll be busy all day, so you can have the chapter early! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 506 - Excitement and Energy

I had a shower, while Edward got dressed. Apparently he had already showered. Without me. He apologized, and then kissed me, promising he would make it up to me tonight in bed. But, the best news of the day, was that my period was so light, I was fairly sure, that thanks to the birth control pills, I was down to a three day period, making today the last day. If I was right, then we would have lots of fun tonight.

I scrunched my hair and put on my makeup, before getting dressed in a black lace bra, my butterfly panties, my black Capris and a purple, ribbed tank. I loved putting on nice surprises for Edward under my clothes.

I walked back into Edward's room and smiled when I saw Robbie sleeping on Edward's bed. He looked pretty comfy. Edward was sitting at his desk on his laptop. He was wearing his camo shorts and a white t-shirt. I smiled at the fact that he remembered what I said last night; that I loved his bum in these shorts.

I walked up behind him, and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, kissing his cheek. "What are you looking at?" I asked, looking at the screen. My eyes widened and I blushed. Edward was on a porn site. "What is this?" I asked.

He chuckled. "I'm trying to find a video for you." He explained. "Mm. You smell good." He said, making me giggle.

I stood up and turned Edward's chair, before sitting on his knee. "Thanks, but stop trying to change the subject. Did you find anything good?" I asked, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips.

"I think so. What about a this one?" He asked, clicking on the video description. 'Once the kids are put to bed, babysitter Tori calls her boyfriend over for some real playtime.' I burst out laughing after I read it. I still couldn't believe we were doing this.

"What?" Edward chuckled. "No good? It looked like our safest bet. The other stuff looks a little kinky."

"I'm just nervous." I explained. "That sounds fine." I turned and wrapped my arms around Edward's shoulders, leaning in to kiss him, hard. He groaned, pulling me closer, and kissing me harder. When he pulled back, we were both panting.

"Wow." Edward breathed. "And that was just your reaction to ordering the video." He teased, making me laugh.

"Thank you for doing this." I said, running my fingers through his hair.

"You know I will do anything for you, Bella. All you ever have to do is ask." He said, kissing me, again. Edward reached around me and ordered the video. Luckily, it would be delivered under the studio name, so no one would know it was an adult video. "Okay, my sexy girl, it should be here in a few days, a week at the latest."

"I'm kind of excited." I admitted. What I was really looking forward to, was how turned on Edward was going to get. I was sure that we were going to have some fun that night.

"So am I." He agreed, kissing me once more. "We'd better go downstairs for breakfast." He stood us up, and took my hand. I grabbed my purse, and the kitten, and we started downstairs.

I smiled when I saw Esme at work in the kitchen and Alice sitting with her daddy. I missed hanging out with the Cullens. "Good morning, kids." Esme said, smiling, as she came over to give us hugs.

"Good morning, Esme. It smells amazing in here." I told her, sitting down at the table with Alice and Carlisle. Edward took Robbie from me and got him his breakfast, leaving him on the floor to eat.

"Hi, Bella." Alice said, smiling. "Mom and me made apple cinnamon muffins this morning." She always looked so proud when she helped her mom. It was adorable.

"You're quite the little chef in the making, aren't you?" I asked, making her smile.

"Mom said so, too." She told me. Jasper walked into the kitchen, dressed in tan cargo shorts and a brown and white short sleeved plaid shirt. He looked nice for our day in Port Angeles. He gave Edward a hug before sitting at the island. The relationship between the Cullen boys was so sweet.

Emmett came running into the kitchen in his sweatpants. Just sweatpants. He leaned in and kissed my cheek, Alice's and then his mom's before sitting down at the island with the boys. I giggled at him. "How do you have this much energy in the morning?" I asked him, making him laugh.

"Bella, I always have this much energy." He chuckled. "Edward, Jasper and I already went for a run this morning."

I looked at Edward and he smiled back at me, shrugging his shoulders. So, that was why he had already showered before I woke up. I guess with all the massaging and triple-x video buying going on this morning, he hadn't thought to bring it up.

Esme came to sit at the table, and we all shared a great breakfast. Carlisle gave all his kids hugs before he left for work, including me. Alice and Esme were joining us at Emmett's football practice, before heading over to the park to meet up with Bree and her mom. I was excited for Alice, as it had been weeks since she had seen her friend from out of town. Apparently, Bree was going sleep over with Alice, tonight, too.

Edward and I got in the car to drive to the field. "So, running, huh?" I asked him, reaching over to rub his thigh as he drove.

He chuckled. "Yeah, Emmett came banging on my door at four in the morning." Edward said. "I'm surprised he didn't wake you."

"I'm not surprised. I sleep like a baby in your arms." I said, smiling at him. "But, I have to say that I'm a little upset that I didn't get to see you post run."

Edward laughed and shook his head. "Bella, I was drenched in sweat, my shirt was sticking to me." He explained, as if that was a bad thing.

I could only imagine how hot he would have looked. Beads of sweat would have been rolling down his arms, chest and neck. His chest would have been rising and falling, and his hair would have been slicked back. I bit my lip just thinking about it.

I was snapped from my fantasy by Edward chuckling, as he parked the car. "What are you thinking?" He asked. "Your cheeks are flushed."

I smiled up him, meeting his gaze. He looked as turned on as I was in that moment. "I was thinking about how gorgeous you would have looked after your run, that's all." I admitted. I was getting a lot more comfortable telling Edward what was on my mind. A few months ago, I would have been beet red.

"Well, if I'm getting this kind of reaction out of you just from telling you about it, then I'm definitely going to wake you up, next time." He said, chuckling before he got out the car. He came around to my side and took the kitty carrier from my lap, before taking my hand.

"I hope you do." I said, winking at him, as we walked over to the bleachers. I had the feeling that I was going to get my wish tomorrow morning. Jasper took Robbie from me, again, and I sat next to Edward.

He had his arm securely, and possessively wrapped around my shoulders. Emmett's team mate Dale still said hi to me every practice, but that was all. I thought he was a nice kid, but what I liked the most about it, was that Edward held me closer. There was something about Edward's jealous streak that I loved. To know that he cared about me that much, made me feel so loved.

About halfway through practice, the guys were working on some kind of game strategy that I didn't understand. Emmett was face to face with another guy and he was tackled. Emmett fell on the ground on his shoulder and we could hear him swear from where we were sitting.

"Oh, my god." Rose said, standing up. "Is he hurt?" She looked panicked, and rightly so, as Emmett didn't stand up right away. We all watched him closely, as there was nothing else we could do. The coach came over and checked him out. Emmett took off his practice jersey and padding, and they checked his shoulder.

We couldn't hear what they were saying, but Emmett turned to the school and ran back inside. We were all concerned, so Edward got up. "I'm going to check on him." He said, squeezing my hand, before running into the school.

"I really hate these contact sports." Esme, said, wringing her hands. Alice looked on the verge of tears, likely because you could almost feel the concern everyone had for Emmett. I got up and went to sit beside Alice, wrapping my arm around her.

"He's going to be okay, Alice." I whispered, reaching up to wipe an escaped tear from her cheek. "Emmett is the biggest, strongest guy we know, right?"

"I know." She said, wrapping her arms around my waist. I stroked her hair, waiting for Edward and Emmett to come back out of the school. About twenty minutes later, Edward and Emmett came walking out of the school together. Emmett was dressed and looked freshly showered, and Edward was carrying his bag. He was moving his arm and shoulder, and looking at his face, you could see that he was uncomfortable.

The coach went over to talk to him, before he walked over to the bleachers. Rose jumped up and wrapped her arms around his hips. "Are you okay, monkey?" She asked. If I hadn't been so worried about him, I would have laughed at how adorable her nickname was for him.

"Yeah, we think it's just a sprain." Emmett said. "No practice for me tomorrow, but I'll live."


	507. Nuggets and Nicknames

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you all so much for reading, and for the nice reviews! It's still Tuesday, August 17, 2010 in the story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 507 - Nuggets and Nicknames

As we walked back to the cars, Emmett holding Alice's hand, Esme kept doting on her middle son. "Honey, I think you should go see dad at work and get him to check your shoulder." She said, her perfect eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"He can look at it tonight, mom." Emmett said, playing off the pain he must have been in. "It's not that big of a deal. This stuff happens."

"I know, but I'm your mom, and I worry." She said, making me smile. She was so sweet.

Emmett set his hands on Esme's shoulders and crouched down to look at her face. "I'm fine." He said, before leaning in to kiss her forehead. She wrapped her arms around him and patted his back.

She turned around to look at us. "You guys keep an eye on him." She said, making Emmett laugh.

"Will do mom." Edward said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "And you're sure you want to keep an eye on my baby?" He asked, passing his mom the kitty carrier. Over breakfast, Alice and Esme offered to watch the kitten today. Alice was really excited to show him to Bree, and I was fairly certain the kitten wouldn't be put down the entire day.

"Of course." Esme said, smiling. "You kids have a good time."

Jasper and Maria got in the backseat of Edward's car and Emmett and Rose got in his truck and we headed out to Port Angeles. "Do you think Emmett's really okay?" I asked Edward as we drove.

"I looked it over in the locker room and he took some ibuprofin. We also iced it for about ten minutes, so it should be feeling pretty good right now." Edward said. "Luckily it was his left shoulder, and not his throwing arm. But, I'm glad he's got tomorrow off of practice. He's got a good coach."

I smiled at Edward. He was such an amazing brother. I loved how he took care of Emmett when he needed him. It was sweet. But, I guess with all of the boys being athletic, Edward knew what to do for him.

I peeked into the backseat and Jasper was playing with Maria's fingers. It was the cutest thing ever. I just adored their relationship. Edward grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of my hand. It was hard not to flirt with Edward when we were driving, but with Jasper and Maria in the car, these little kisses would have to do.

When we got to Port Angeles, Edward followed Emmett into the McDonalds parking lot, chuckling. "I guess we're having McDonalds." Edward said. We got out of the car and joined Emmett and Rose at the door.

"How's your shoulder?" I asked Emmett, as we walked in to stand in line.

"It hurts a little to move, but I think it'll be okay." He said, smiling at me. "Now quit worrying about me."

I laughed. "Hey, I'm filling in for your mom right now in the worry department." I told him, making him laugh.

"Oh, she's still worrying." Emmett said. "And she's probably already phoned dad, too."

"I think it's cute." Rose said, rubbing Emmett's back. "And you're getting it checked out when we get home." Edward laughed at his brother, and Emmett blushed a little. It was priceless.

I grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him down so I could whisper in his ear. "I'm going to the bathroom." I said.

Edward smiled and kissed my lips. "Okay. You want the usual?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you." I said, kissing him, again. "I'll be right back." I turned to go to the bathroom, and Maria run up beside me, going in with me.

I was just washing my hands and Maria was still in the bathroom stall. "Um, Bella." She called out. "Do you have a tampon or pad, or something?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course." I said, passing it under the bathroom door.

"Thank you." She said, sounding really embarrassed. I waited for her at the sink and when she came out, her face was bright red.

"Are you okay?" I asked her as she washed her hands. I understood how she felt, completely. Periods were the worst.

"Yeah, I just didn't think I'd get it until tomorrow, that's all." She said.

"Do you feel okay?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I never get any cramps or anything." She said. "Um, you don't think Jasper can tell that I have my period, or anything, right? Because he'd probably be really embarrassed."

I smiled at how sweet and innocent she was. "No, he won't be able to tell. Guys are pretty clueless when it comes to this stuff." I told her. "Trust me on that. So, unless you tell him, he won't know." I gave her a couple of extra tampons for her purse, because everyone knew with my giant purse, I had everything in it.

Maria and I went back out to the restaurant and joined everyone at the tables. Edward had my McNuggets and fries on the tray, and he was just filling up a giant cup with coke. He came back and sat beside me, leaning over to kiss my lips. I noticed that he put two straws in the coke. What a sweetie.

"So, we should do something fun tomorrow because I don't have practice." Emmett suggested, before taking a huge bite of his Big Mac.

"Like what?" Rose asked, eating her fries.

"Maybe we could do another hike, or something." Jasper said. "That was fun the last time we went to Ruby Beach trail."

"What about Lake Ozette?" Edward asked. "There's about a three and a half mile hike up by the lake, and we could see the petroglyphs from the Makah Indians." Wow, my fiancé was sexy. I swear he knew something about everything. It was hot.

"Sounds good, bro." Emmett said.

We finished our lunch and the boys dropped us off a the salon. It was time for our manicures. I was excited to spend more time with the Hale girls. They were really sweet, and I was so happy that we all got along. I was marrying Edward, probably next year, and he had such a close relationship with his brothers. So, it was important to me that I had a bond with their girlfriends.

Edward gave me a real long, hard kiss in the car before I got out. He winked at me, as I waved at him, before going in the salon. My boy hated to leave my side, and I felt the exact same way.

Rose, Maria and I went into the salon. Maria looked so excited. I knew she had never had her nails done before, so she was thrilled. "So, what colors are you girls going to get?" I asked them, while we sat by the window, waiting for our turn with the manicurists.

"Emmett wants something sexy, so I'm thinking maybe burgundy or red?" Rose said, smiling.

"Your monkey?" I asked her, making her laugh and blush.

"Um, yeah." She said. "Well, don't you have nicknames for Edward?"

"I just call him babe or baby." I told her, honestly. "What about you Maria? Do you have any nicknames for Jasper?"

"Um, no. Not yet." She said, smiling. I could tell she was thinking about something, but wasn't willing to share it just, yet.

We got called over to the manicure tables, and while the women were filing our nails, Maria looked over at me. "Do you think I should get bubble gum pink, or sky blue?" She asked me.

"Blue." Rose said, from her other side. "It's different, and a little quirky like you." Maria laughed, still looking at me.

"I like the blue, too." I told her. "I'm going to get navy blue." I knew my dad's wedding was a week and a half away, but I wanted to see what this color would look like with the pink bridesmaid dress. The colours were pink and navy, and I thought it might look cute.

"Is it crazy that we're getting our nails done today, and then going hiking tomorrow?" Rose asked, making us laugh.

"This is what happens when you hang out with athletic guys." I told her. "But, don't worry, the Cullen boys aren't going to let us get dirty."

"I think I'm going to marry Emmett one day." Rose said out of the blue, looking over at me. "He is the perfect man for me. I mean, I know we're still young, but he just makes me so happy. Like, you met Edward when you were eighteen, and you guys are already engaged. I'm not crazy to know that he's the one, right?"

I smiled. I knew Emmett loved Rose so much, so it was nice to know that she felt the same way about him. I knew that lots of people might say that teenagers didn't know anything about love, but sometimes, a girl just knows. It was like I just knew that Edward was my soul mate.

"You're not crazy at all, Rose." I told her, smiling. "You're in love."


	508. Cuter Every Second

**A/N - Happy Sunday! Thank you all for reading and for the great reviews! Enjoy!**

Chapter 508 - Cuter Every Second

When our manicures were done and dried, I called Edward and the guys came back to pick us up. "Beautiful." Edward said, kissing my lips, as I got in the car and showed him my fingernails. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I can't wait to be scratched with those nails."

I blushed and laughed. My boy was so insatiable. But, honestly, I couldn't wait to scratch his back either. I knew what he liked and I was happy to do it for him. I was getting hot and bothered as I closed my eyes and imagined Edward laying on top of me, moving inside of my body, as I held onto his back keeping him as close to me as possible.

I looked over at Edward and he was watching me closely. He was breathing heavily, as his eyes traced over my face and chest. I swore that Edward and I couldn't even handle leaving the bedroom for the day.

I looked back at Jasper and Maria. Jasper was holding one of Maria's hands as she told him all about the manicure experience. And of course, Jasper was captivated. I was glad that they were distracted with each other and didn't notice mine and Edward's little sexually tense exchange.

Edward leaned in and kissed me, again, before driving us over to the mall. I thought it was going to be fun to go back to school shopping with our group. Edward had his arm around my shoulder, and I had my hand slipped into the back pocket of his shorts. I couldn't resist his bum, at all.

We walked up the mall, and Rose saw a shop she wanted to check out. Edward held up a pretty tan sweater with short sleeves and a crisscross front. "What about this, gorgeous?" Edward asked, smiling at me.

"Do you like it?" I asked him, and he smiled.

"I think it would look really good on your body." He said, winking at me.

"Okay. I'll try it on." I said. I loved that Edward was picking out clothes that he wanted to see on me. He wasn't just following me around, looking bored, or in the electronics shop. He definitely made shopping fun.

I found a black cardigan, and a couple of tank tops to wear underneath, before I walked over the change room. We passed Jasper and Maria, and I giggled, as Maria was using Jasper to get down shirts off the really high racks.

When we got to the change room, Emmett was already sitting in a chair waiting for Rose. I kissed Edward before going into the change room. I slipped on the sweater that Edward picked out, and smiled as I looked at it. It did fit me very well, and the crisscross made a low 'v' in the front. I could see why Edward picked it out, as it was pretty sexy. I opened the door to show Edward, and Emmett whistled at me, making me laugh.

"Beautiful." Edward said, smiling, elbowing his brother in the arm. "Get that one for sure."

Emmett rubbed his arm. "You're lucky that was my good arm." He said to Edward.

"Then, stop whistling at my fiancé and we won't have a problem." Edward said, making both guys laugh. Jasper sat up straight when Maria opened the change room door. I watched him, and I smiled when his cheeks turned pink and a smile spread across his face. Maria was wearing a navy blue, boat neck sweater, and it was very flattering on her.

"Do you think it looks too tight?" Maria asked me, setting her hands on her stomach. She looked so serious.

"It looks great, Maria." I told her, honestly. But, I was fairly certain that it wasn't my opinion that Maria really wanted. Jasper got up and walked over to her. He took her hand in his, and leaned down to whisper in her ear. She giggled, and he kissed her cheek, before she turned around and went back in the room. They had such a sweet and pure relationship, and I just couldn't enough of them.

I went back in my change room, to try on the cardigan, but I didn't like it. It was too long on me, so I decided to just go with Edward's pick. I was going to have to make him my personal stylist. He had really good taste in clothes. I came out and went to sit on Edward's lap while we waited for Rose and Maria.

Edward was rubbing his hand back and forth on my thigh, while we waited. "Bunny, you got anything to show me?" Emmett called out to Rose. I buried my face into Edward's shoulder and started laughing. Edward and Jasper didn't even try to hide their laughter. I loved that the boys teased each other. It was so cute.

Rose came out in a gorgeous white sweater, and it made her look phenomenal. She definitely had the body to show it off. "Holy shit." Emmett said. "You look so smoking hot." Rose covered her face, and laughed.

"You don't think it's too clingy?" She asked.

"Um, I'm pretty sure there is no such thing." Emmett said, laughing. "I'm buying you that sweater, Rose."

"But can I wear it to school?" She asked. "I sort of doubt my dad's going to let me out of the house in this."

Emmett smiled. "Well, then don't wear it to school. Just wear it when I take you out." He said, looking pretty smug.

Rose smiled and slipped back into the change room, just as Maria came out. She was wearing a cute pink and white striped pullover hoodie. It was really cute on her, and by the smile on her face, I could tell that she liked it.

"I'm going to get this one, too." She said.

"I like it. You look really pretty." Jasper said, making her smile even wider. She ducked back in the change room, and I smiled. Those two just got cuter and cuter every second. We bought our shirts, and headed back into the mall.

We stopped in a couple more stores, and I found a pair of skinny jeans, which Edward was in love with. I wanted them so I could wear big fuzzy boots when it got colder, but Edward loved them because they were tight. Edward found a couple of band t-shirts at the music store, and said that was all he wanted. Guys were so easy to please.

We decided to get dinner while we were out, and stopped for pizza. "So, Bella are you make us a picnic for our hike?" Emmett asked as we ate.

"Fine with me." I said, taking a huge bite of my pizza.

"I could make the dessert." Maria said. "I make really good apple tarts."

"Oh, she so does." Rose added, making us laugh. "What? They're like heaven."

"I can't wait to try them." Jasper said, looking at Maria. He was so encouraging to her, and so sweet. They were absolutely perfect for each other, both reassuring one another, and just being a best friend. I loved that Jasper had her in his life. He was getting more and more comfortable around her, too.

After we finished dinner, we got back in the vehicles to head home. Emmett was starting to wince when he moved his shoulder, so I was happy we were going home, and Carlisle could look at it. I agreed with Esme, in that he probably should have gotten it looked at right away, but there was no telling Emmett.

I was excited to get back into bed with my boy, tonight. My period was finished, as of my last bathroom break, and I was really looking forward to celebrating that with Edward. We dropped Maria off at home, and after Jasper walked her to the door, even carrying her bags, he waved at us and got in the truck with Emmett.

Edward pulled away and started heading back to his place. "We're finally alone, huh?" Edward asked, reaching over to rub his hand on my thigh.

"We are." I agreed, smiling. "And I have some exciting news for you."

Edward smiled and glanced over at my face. "Oh, yeah?" He asked. "What's that?"

"I'm going to make love to you, tonight." I said, biting my lip in excitement.

Edward pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park. He took off his seatbelt and turned to face me, taking my hands in his. "Honey, I'm as eager as you are, but we can wait. I don't want you to be uncomfortable." He said, making me smile at how sweet and caring he was.

"You're sweet, but, baby, my period is finished." I told him, smiling excitedly. "A whole day early. Can you believe that?"

Edward leaned in and kissed my lips a couple of times. Just sweet touches to my lips. He was smiling too much to kiss me harder. "You're sure?" He asked, against my lips, before sucking on my bottom lip.

"Oh, baby. I'm so sure." I whispered, back. "Can I make a confession?"

Edward smiled, leaning back, and caressing my cheek with the back of his fingers. "You can tell me anything, Bella. You know that."

"I can't wait to be naked with you." I said, making Edward chuckle.

"Well, I have to agree with you there." He said, making me smile. "And as much as I love all your pretty little panties, they look the best on the floor." I burst out laughing at that and Edward blushed. "What's so funny? That wasn't sexy?" He asked, making me laugh even more. "It sounded sexy in my head."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his lips. "It just sounded like something from a movie or something." I said, making him laugh. "But, I love you, anyway."

He kissed me, again. "Well, that's all that matters, then. I love you, too."


	509. Costumes and Calories

**A/N - Happy Halloween! I've included a little ode to Halloween in this chapter, even though it August 17 in the story! Hope you like it! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 509 - Costumes and Calories

Edward and I drove home, and I couldn't wait to get upstairs with my man. We walked in the door, and Alice and Bree came running over to us. Alice was carrying the kitten and she had the biggest smile on her face. But, my poor little Robbie had a pink doll dress on.

"Hi, guys." Alice said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Princess, what did you do to my son?" Edward asked, taking the kitten from her. Robbie meowed at Edward, and it sounded like a cry for help. I felt bad for him, but I had to admit that he looked adorable.

"He was playing dress up with us, and we thought he looked cute." Alice explained.

Edward walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling the dress off of Robbie, before cuddling the kitten up to his chest, and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "What happened, Robbie?" Edward asked, softly, and Robert meowed at his daddy.

Alice climbed on the couch beside Edward and pouted out her bottom lip. "Are you mad at me, Edward?" She asked, reaching over to pet the kitten.

Edward smiled at Alice, and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "Of course I'm not mad." He said. "I love you. Just find him a boy's t-shirt, next time." He said, making Alice laugh.

"That's what I told her." Bree said to me. I giggled, and sat down beside Bree.

"Did you get a picture of him in the dress?" I asked her, and she nodded her head.

"Alice's mom took some pictures of us." Bree told me.

"Mom." Edward called out, and Esme and Carlisle came into the family room. "How could you betray your grandcat like that?" Edward asked, smiling up his mom. Carlisle and Esme laughed.

"Hey, you left your kitten with two little girls." Carlisle said, coming over to the couch. He picked up Alice and sat down with his daughter on his lap. "You had to know this was going to happen."

Edward laughed and shook his head. "I honestly had no idea." He said, kissing Robbie's head before passing me my baby. I set him on my knee and he walked over to Bree's lap. She started petting him, and he laid down.

Emmett and Jasper walked in the front door and Carlisle passed Alice over to Edward, before getting up and walking over to his boys. "How's it feeling?" Carlisle said, immediately starting to look over Emmett's shoulder.

"It hurts like hell." He said, pulling his shirt off, and wincing.

"Emmett, language." Esme said, walking up to Jasper and wrapping her arm around his waist.

"Well, you sprained it for sure." Carlisle told him. "I'm going to say a Grade I sternoclavicular joint sprain. If it was any worse, you'd be crying." Emmett laughed at that. "What did you do? How did you fall?"

Emmett gave his dad all the details, and Carlisle told him to keep icing it, and taking ibuprofen. "You know you should be wearing a sling this week, too." Carlisle told him, making him groan.

"I have tomorrow off practice, but I have to go back on Thursday." Emmett told his dad, and Carlisle shook his head.

"I'd like you to sit out for the rest of the week, son." He said. "You can keep running, but I don't want you doing anything where you're going to get hit, fall, or aggravate it any further. We'll call your coach in the morning."

"But I like practice." Emmett said, pulling his shirt back on.

"I know you do, but I also know you don't want to be sitting out for the beginning of the season in your senior year." Carlisle said. "Now, let's go to my office and get you a sling."

"Did you kids eat dinner?" Esme asked us.

"Yeah, we had pizza." Edward said, kissing Alice on the top of the head.

"Well, the girls were just going to make their own ice cream sundaes. Do you have room for dessert?" She asked, making me smile. I would never get over how awesome Esme was. I would have loved to have grown up with her. She had so many fun ideas and activities for her kids and their friends.

"I always have room." Edward said, making us laugh. I took the kitten from Bree and the girls ran into the kitchen. Jasper and Esme followed them, and Edward came over to sit beside me. He leaned over and kissed my lips, making me smile. "So much for getting upstairs, huh?" He teased, chuckling.

"Well, let's get some ice cream calories in us, and then we'll wear it off." I said, making him laugh.

"Mm. That sounds really, really good." He said, leaning in for another kiss, a little deeper this time. "Even though you're the only dessert I'll ever need."

I giggled, again, at how sweet Edward was, and he laughed. "What? Do I sound like I'm in a movie, again?" He asked me, winking at me to show me he was just teasing.

"Um. Maybe a romance novel, this time." I teased, making him laugh.

"Mm. I'm moving up." He said, setting his hand on my side, and moving it up to caress the side of my breast.

I smiled at him before standing up. "Don't get too frisky on me, yet." I said, passing him the kitten, before running into the kitchen. Esme had the table set up with chocolate sauce, caramel, strawberry syrup and bowls of sliced bananas, sprinkles, chocolate chips and peanuts.

Alice, Jasper and little Bree were all sitting at the table with bowls of vanilla ice cream, all going crazy with the toppings. Edward sat down at the island with Robbie. "Will you make me one, Bella?" He asked.

"Of course." I said, taking two bowls of ice cream that Esme had ready for us. "What do you want on it, baby?"

"Everything." He said, winking at me. "Apparently, I need the calories." I laughed, and blushed, before going over to the table to sit between Alice and Jasper. I dressed Edward's sundae in a little bit of everything, before getting up and standing in front of him. "Thank you, angel." He said, smiling.

I took out a scoop with his spoon and brought it up to his lips. "Open." I said, smiling when he licked his lips before opening his mouth. I slipped the spoon in his mouth and I smiled as he closed his lips around it. He hummed as I slid the spoon from between his lips. I leaned in and kissed his lips. "Good boy." I said, setting his bowl on the island beside him.

Edward chuckled at me as I walked back to the table to make my sundae. I poured strawberry syrup over my ice cream, before going to sit with Edward at the island. Emmett and Carlisle walked into the kitchen, Emmett with his arm in a sling and a pout on his face.

"Aw, sweetie." Esme said, going over to give him a hug. "Come sit down and I'll make you a chocolate and banana sundae." These kids were very spoiled, but it was cute. Carlisle got himself a caramel and peanut sundae and came to sit with Edward and I at the island.

"So how are you two doing?" He asked us, making us both smile.

"Amazing." I said, and Carlisle chuckled.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." He said. "Your dad and Heidi are coming over for dinner tomorrow night." He told me, making me smile even wider. "So, are you getting excited for your dad's wedding?"

"I'm very excited." I told him. "Heidi and I picked out some cute things for the wedding, and I think it will be fun to have everyone there." I was friends with almost everyone on the police force, so it would be a nice little reunion. Plus, I would get to see Edward in a suit.

"Oh, Bella, sweetheart. That reminds me." Esme said, walking over to us. "I want to have a little bridal shower for Heidi on Sunday. I figured, we could send the boys out fishing, and have some ladies over for desserts and tea."

"Oh, that is so sweet, Esme. Thank you for thinking of that." I said, giving her a hug.

"I was trying to think of a guest list. I've got you, me and Alice. And, course, Heidi's mom, Mary." She said, grabbing her magnetic fridge pad and a pen and walking back over to me. "Seriously, Bella. The more the merrier. Lots of ladies makes for a good time."

"Well, she's very close to everyone on the force, so maybe the cop wives and girlfriends. Oh, and the receptionist Sue, and maybe her daughter, Emily." I suggested.

Esme smiled. "This is going to be so much fun."

**A/N - Hope you liked Robbie's costume! Have a great Halloween!**


	510. Confidence

**A/N - Well, Happy November! It's getting cold here, so I'm glad I can always escape to summer in this story! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 510 - Confidence

Esme and I worked on the guest list a little more, before Edward started yawning and stretching. And not just a little bit, but over exaggeratedly. It was so obvious that he wanted us to go up to his room, so of course, I started laughing. We were definitely not stealth.

"God, Edward." Emmett said, laughing, as he ate the extra banana slices out of the bowl. "Just go to bed."

"Good idea, Em." Edward said, laughing. He hoped off the stool and kissed his mom's cheek before taking my hand and pulling me to the kitchen door. I was giggling and as I looked back, Carlisle and Esme were smiling at us.

I quickly kissed Alice and Bree on the top of the head, on my way by. "Goodnight." I called out, as Edward and I ran to the stairs. He passed me Robbie, before lifting me up bridal style and carrying us both upstairs.

"You're crazy, Edward." I said, as he carried us into his room, set me down on his bed, and turned on the lamp.

He went over to close and lock his door and shut out the light, before pulling off his t-shirt. "No, I'm smart." He said, scooping Robbie out of my arms and setting him on his towel. "If I would have left you and my mom any longer, she would have went into full fledged party planning mode, and I never would have got you alone."

I giggled, as I watched Edward unzip his shorts, and climb onto the bed with me. "Well, in that case, you are very smart." I said, rolling over to face my man. I leaned in and kissed his lips, and Edward smiled, before deepening the kiss. I hummed, and wrapped my arms around his body, before lightly scratching his bare back with my fingernails.

"Uh, Bella." He groaned, pulling back from my lips. "Yeah, that feels so good." I smiled as he leaned in to start kissing my neck and shoulder. "Baby, why are you still dressed?" He asked, rubbing my back.

"Because you haven't undressed me." I said, bringing my hand down to squeeze his bum cheek. "Get busy."

Edward kissed my lips before pulling my tank top off. "Mm. Black lace." He said, looking at my bra. "I adore how you look in black lace, Bella. It looks so good over your creamy skin." He reached up and cupped my breasts in his hands, giving them a light squeeze, that made me hum.

He wrapped his arms around me to undo my bra, but while he was leaned in, I captured his lips in a kiss. I just kept kissing him, until he pulled back, chuckling. "I can't concentrate on this clasp with your tongue in my mouth." He said, smiling.

"Are you complaining?" I asked, reaching behind me, to take my bra off for him.

"Never." He laughed, making me smile. "Now, lay back. I want to see those sexy legs." I laughed, following his instructions and laying back. He popped open the button on my capris before sliding down the zipper.

"Lift up." He said, so I raised my hips. Edward slid my pants down my legs and smiled when he saw the butterfly panties I had picked out for him this morning. "Very pretty." He whispered, as he traced his finger over the waistband of my panties. I gasped when he got braver, moving his finger down over my panties.

I groaned as he started putting a little more pressure on my body, sliding his finger up and down, up and down. My legs pulled apart a little wider on their own, and Edward used that as his cue to push a little harder.

"Uh, Ed, uh, yeah." I was mumbling almost incoherently, closing my eyes, and just letting the sensations of Edward's touch overtake my body. I sighed as he took me over the edge. I felt Edward lay beside me and pull me into his arms. I opened my eyes and he was smiling at me.

"You are so incredibly beautiful, Bella Swan." He whispered, before leaning in to kiss my lips. "Are you tired?"

I giggled. "Well, you sure know how to wear a girl out." I said. "But, I really, really want to feel you inside of me, Edward."

"Mm, Bella. I think that is the sexiest thing you've ever said to me." Edward said, smiling. "And you didn't even blush."

Edward was right. At the moment, my words and actions were being led entirely by my desire for my fiancé. I wasn't embarrassed to tell him that I wanted him, needed his body and craved his touch.

I think this new found feeling of comfort in the bedroom, had a lot to do with my own confidence. The more practice we got, the more relaxed I felt. And the fact that Edward was so encouraging really helped.

"I'm glad you liked that." I breathed, reaching over to tug his boxer briefs down. "But, I was serious. I need you baby."

"Okay." He chucked, but got off of the bed.

"Edward, seriously. Where are you going?" I asked, lifting my hips and pulling my panties down, kicking them off of my feet.

Edward laughed, as he opened his closet door and brought down his shoebox full of condoms. "Baby, we haven't had a chance to set up my room like yours." He said, grabbing a handful of condoms and setting them on the nightstand.

He set the box on the floor, before yanking his underwear down. I groaned when I saw him. He was truly so beautiful. I turned to sit on the side of the bed, reaching for a condom. "Come here." I said, and Edward walked forward, smiling at me. He definitely liked me taking charge.

I rolled the condom on his body, before Edward leaned down to kiss my lips. He pushed my shoulders back so I was laying on the bed. He kissed my shoulder, collarbone, and then moved down to my breast. I hummed, getting caught up in the moment, but snapped myself out of it.

"Edward." I said, pulling his hair, making him look up at me. "Stop stalling." I whispered, making him laugh.

"Mm. My Bella is a horny little girl tonight, huh?" He asked, leaning in to bite my earlobe and give it a little tug.

I moaned and moved backwards on the bed. I loved the dirty talk. I watched as Edward crawled on the bed towards me. He looked predatory and so darn sexy, but he was still taking his time.

"Stop torturing me." I breathed. I was so turned on, but Edward was stalling, just like I accused him of doing.

Edward smiled and sat back on the bed. He held my ankles and pulled my legs apart. "Show me what you want me to do." He said, winking at me.

"Right now?" I asked, suddenly feeling a little shy.

"If you want to." He said, giving me an out if I was uncomfortable.

I let out a breath, but immediately brought my hands up to my breasts. I let my hands explore my body, sliding over my skin, before I dipped them between my legs. Edward was panting and his eyes were wide. He was loving the little show.

"God, Bella." He whispered, reaching over to rub his hands up and down my shins. He shifted a little on the bed, and it looked like Edward was having a little trouble keeping his hands to himself. I bit my lip, and tried to hold back the smile that was threatening to show up on my face.

I was in a position where I was completely exposed and vulnerable, but, yet I felt so incredibly powerful. I loved that I could turn Edward on so much. I was giving him his fantasy, and I was so happy that he was enjoying it.

"That's it." Edward said, taking my hands and raising them above my head. He crawled in between my legs and I wrapped them around his hips, pulling him down to meet my body. We both groaned and Edward started moving.

"Yes." I breathed, because this was the sensation I had been waiting for, for three days. Edward moved quickly in me and it didn't take long for me let go. I held him close until he groaned, and dropped down on me.

"Wow." He said, leaning in and kissing my cheek. "You feel really, really good."

I giggled. "Well, it took you long enough." I said, scratching his back, lightly.

"Well, maybe my plan was to get you all worked up." He admitted, making me laugh.

"I knew it." I said. "You just wanted to watch me touch myself, didn't you?"

Edward smirked at me, before kissing my lips. "I didn't know if you would or not. But, Bella, that was phenomenal." He said, kissing me, again. "Thank you for trusting me."

I smiled at his sweet words. "I really do trust you." I told him. "But, baby, I'm going to have to get you back for teasing me like that."


	511. Plans

**A/N - Happy Wednesday! It is Tuesday, August, 17 and Wednesday, August 18, 2010 in the story. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 511 - Plans

"You're going to get me back, huh?" Edward asked, standing up and walking into the bathroom. I giggled to myself and pulled Edward's blanket up and over my naked body. I snuggled into his pillows and let out a sigh of contentment.

I liked this bed, I adored my fiancé and I loved the fact that I had an idea to tease Edward. I wasn't kidding when I said that I was going get even. I had visions of my sexy boy tied to the bed.

I knew that Edward liked to touch me, so I figured if I didn't let him, that might be torture, enough. He deserved it, anyway, making me wait before he made love to me. I liked this new found confidence I was feeling, lately, and I wanted to explore it a little more with Edward. I think we could have a lot of fun without all the nerves.

Edward came back into his room, and smiled at me, before turning off his lamp. He crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me back to his chest. I loved sleeping this way with him. I felt so loved and safe.

"What are you going to do to me, angel?" Edward whispered in my ear, making me giggle, again. He couldn't get it out of his head. I was loving this.

"I have plans." I said, vaguely, just to drive him crazy. He moved his hand up, ever so lightly caressing my breast.

"Already?" He laughed. "I was gone all of two minutes."

"Hey, when it comes to you and me and making love, I'm always thinking." I said, making him chuckle.

"So, you're worse than me?" He asked. "Are you admitting it? Can I get that in writing?"

"No you can't." I laughed. "I will deny having ever said it."

"I love you so much, Bella." He said, leaning over me and kissing my cheek. "You are so perfect, and I feel so lucky to have you."

"Aw, baby." I said, basking in the arms of the only man I would ever love. "I love you, too. You are so sweet to me."

"I'll always treat you this way." He whispered, making me smile into the darkness. He ran his fingertips up and down my stomach. "You are my dream girl, Bella. But the most amazing thing is that you're real, and I have you in my arms."

"Naked." I said, making him laugh.

"And you're naked." He repeated, rubbing my hip.

"Thank you so much, baby." I said. "You always say the most beautiful things to me."

"I'm inspired by the beauty in my arms." He whispered. "Now, get some sleep, baby. We have a hike tomorrow, and then I'm looking forward to some payback."

I laughed. "Oh, I can't schedule payback, Edward." I said, in mock seriousness. "It has to come when you least expect it."

"Ah, the element of surprise." Edward said, moving my hair over my shoulder before kissing the back of my neck. "Just know that I am looking forward to this payback, very, very much."

I giggled. "I'll make it worth your while, babe." I said, before yawning.

"I can't wait. Good night, angel." He whispered.

"Night." I said, before falling asleep.

I woke up before Edward the next morning. And I loved it. He had his back to me, and we had kicked off the blankets, so I was getting a pretty good view of Edward's perfect bum. Oh, how I loved it.

We rarely slept completely naked together. One of us was usually wearing underwear. I thought it was the safest thing, considering the birth control wasn't a hundred percent, yet. But just seeing his sexy bum this morning made me incredibly happy that he was naked.

I rubbed my hand over Edward's back and shoulder. He groaned a little. He was very difficult to wake up. I had no idea how he ever got up on his own, but nine times out of ten, he was up before me.

I moved my hand down his back until I reached his bum. I gave it a good hard squeeze, and Edward chuckled. He rolled over part way onto his back and looked over his shoulder at me. "Good morning, bum grabber." He said, making me laugh.

"Good morning, man with the gorgeous bum." I answered, giving said bum another squeeze. I slid my hand up over his hip and then around to the front of his body, making Edward groan.

"What are you doing?" He breathed out, as I wrapped my hand around him and started rubbing him. "God, baby."

I buried my face into Edward's back, kissing his soft skin, as I kept working over his body. Edward was humming, as he reached back to hold onto my hip. I felt Edward's body tighten up, before he sighed, and relaxed completely.

"Wow, Bella." Edward said, sitting up, and turning to face me. He was smiling, his cheeks were flushed, his hair was messy and he looked adorable.

I giggled, and Edward leaned in to kiss my lips. "What a way to wake up." Edward said, still smiling.

"Well, I love you, and I wanted to make you feel good." I said, gasping when his kisses moved down my chest. "Let's go have a shower." I suggested, making Edward smile at me.

"Sounds good, beautiful." Edward said, getting up and taking my hand, helping me off of the bed. We got into the shower, where Edward couldn't his lips or hands off of me. Somehow, we managed to get cleaned up, but it was no thanks to Edward. Thank goodness I had some will power, or we would have used all the hot water in the Cullen house this morning.

Edward and I brushed our teeth together and got ready for our hiking trip. One more kiss from Edward and we were out the bedroom door and down the stairs, with the kitten in Edward's arms. When we walked into the kitchen, Emmett was sitting at the table with his arm in a sling, and he was only wearing his sweatpants. Jasper was wearing his red and white flannel PJ pants and a white t-shirt.

"Why aren't you guys dressed?" Edward asked, walking over to his mom to give her a kiss on the cheek. "We're going hiking, remember."

Emmett started laughing. "Edward. It's pouring rain outside." He said, and I laughed as I watched Edward's eyebrows furrow. He walked over to the kitchen window and pulled open the curtain.

"Huh. So it is." He said, turning around to smile at me. "How did I not notice that?" He asked, winking at me.

"You must be deaf, because the thunder actually woke me up." Emmett said, making me laugh. I honestly hadn't heard the storm, either, but I wasn't about to admit it. I had a very sexy distraction this morning.

"So, what are we going to do today, then?" Edward asked his brothers. "Are your girlfriends coming over?"

"No, they're scrapbooking." Jasper said, looking pretty disappointed.

"I vote we have a movie day." Emmett said. "Wanna just hang out downstairs and eat snacks?"

Edward laughed, pulling his shirt off. "Sounds good to me." He said, making me laugh.

I shook my head. "I'll be down in a little while." I said, giving Edward a kiss after he poured himself a bowl of cereal.

"Okay." He said. "I'll miss you."

The boys went downstairs, and I sat at the table with Esme, peeling a banana. "So, I want to help you with Heidi's bridal shower." I said. "Did you need me to phone everyone on the guest list?"

Esme smiled. "Thanks so much, sweetie. Why don't we divide the list?" So after I had my banana, Esme and I worked through the list and invited all the girls. A few of the women that were married to some of the cops couldn't make it, because it was such short notice. But we had a great group of girls that could come, and I was thrilled for Heidi.

"So, do you like the idea of tea and dessert, Bella?" Esme asked me.

"I love it." I told her, honestly, making her smile. We decided to take Bree and Alice, and face the rain, going out to pick up party favours and prizes for games. As much I had been looking forward to the hike, I was thrilled that Esme and I were getting to spend some time together. And she seemed just as excited.


	512. Perfection and Puddles

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 512 - Perfection and Puddles

Esme went upstairs to get the girls ready, and I ran downstairs to let the boys know that we were going out. Jasper and Emmett were in the two recliners, their eyes locked on the TV and Robbie was sleeping on Jasper's lap. Edward was laying on the couch covered in a blanket, and a huge part of me wanted to just climb in beside him and snuggle away the day.

But, I was the maid of honour for Heidi, my future step mom, and I loved her with all of my heart. I was so grateful to Esme for planning this party, and I wanted to be a part of it. She knew I loved her, and I approved of this wedding, but I wanted to show it.

I came and sat down in front of Edward's stomach and he wrapped his arms around my waist. "Hey, baby." He whispered, sitting up to kiss my lips. He started to pull me back down to lay beside him, but I pulled away, making him pout.

"Unfortunately, I'm not here to snuggle." I whispered back. "Your mom, the girls and I are going out to pick up some things for the bridal shower."

"Okay. Have fun, baby." He said, leaning back up to kiss me, again.

"Oh, can I borrow your hoodie?" I asked, reaching up to run my fingers through Edward's soft hair, making him smile. "I don't have a coat here."

"Of course you can." He said, kissing me, again. "You don't have to ask me. Do you want me to go upstairs and get it for you?" My boy: so darn sweet.

"No, baby." I said, giving him one more kiss. "I have to get my purse, anyway."

"I can grab that." He said, getting up and taking my hand. "Come on."

"Bye, boys." I said to Jasper and Emmett, as Edward walked me to the stairs. He led my hand all the way up the stairs to the front door where Esme, Alice and Bree were just getting their shoes and coats on.

"Be right back." Edward said, kissing my cheek, before running upstairs to his room. I would never, ever get over how perfect this man was. He got up from his movie just to run up the stairs for a sweater for me.

Esme was just zipping one of Alice's jackets on Bree when Edward came back downstairs with my purse and two hoodies. "Grey or black?" He asked me, making me laugh.

"Black." I said, thinking it would show less raindrops.

"Then black you shall have." He said, throwing the grey on the banister, and holding open the sweater for me to slide into. I went to zip it up, but Edward set his hands over mine. "Let me." He whispered. I smiled as Edward zipped up the hoodie, and then leaned in to kiss me a couple of times.

He hummed as he pulled back from my lips, and the sound made me want to drag him up the stairs into his bedroom and lock the door. It didn't help my resolve that he was only wearing a pair of tan shorts. I reached up and ran my hand over his left pec, scratching his skin a little.

He looked at me and winked. I think he could see how much I wanted him in my eyes, on my face. Oh, we were going to have some fun tonight. I didn't think I'd be able to wait for the payback.

"Come on, Bella." Alice said. I turned around to look at her and giggled. She had on pink rubber boots and a yellow rain coat with the hood on, and cinched tightly around her adorable face. "I feel stupid in this outfit, so let's get this over with."

Edward chuckled and crouched down to Alice's eye level. "You look beautiful, princess." He said, kissing her nose. "And you live in Washington. You're used to the rain."

"I know." She giggled.

"I'll tell you what. When you get home, you and me will go jump in some puddles, okay?" Edward asked, smiling at his baby sister.

"Yeah. That's going to be fun." She said, smiling from ear to ear. She was so excited. Alice was a lucky little girl to have big brothers that loved her this much, and spoiled her so much.

Edward kissed the top of her head, before standing up to kiss my lips. "I love you, honey. Have a good time." He whispered, kissing me, again.

"Thank you, baby." I whispered. "I love you, too."

I pulled up my hood, took Alice's hand, and we ran out into the pouring rain to Esme's car. I helped Alice in the backseat with Bree, before getting in the front with Esme. "You girls ready for some fun?" She asked, making us all smile.

We drove to downtown Forks, and Esme pulled up to Mocha Motion. It was a nice little coffee place, but they also sold those cute little tea bags in the fancy triangle boxes. On the drive, Esme told me that it was her favourite tea. We got the girls each a cookie and sat them at a table, so Esme and I could look at the giftware.

We were going to have fifteen guests, so we figured we'd make up little organza bags and fill them with little goodies, like tea bags and chocolates. We picked out thirty tea bags, and fifteen mini boxes of chocolate.

While we were there, Esme spotted some cute, little ceramic honey pots with wooden dippers. They looked like little bee hives, and in black script on the bottom, they read 'Meant to Bee.'

"I love these." I said, smiling.

"Let's get them as prizes for the games." Esme said. "We'll get five of them." The more we shopped for this shower, the more excited I was getting.

After we made our purchase and gathered up the girls, we headed back out in the rain to the car. We drove to Leppell's Flower's and Gifts, and found some pretty pink organza bags. We found some thin navy blue ribbon, and little tags that we were going to write 'Heidi and Charlie' on.

Esme ordered three bouquets of pink tulips, tied with navy blue ribbon, to be delivered to her house on Sunday. I found a tiara that had a little veil on it. I thought it would be cute for Heidi to wear for the shower.

We were all set, except for the desserts and finger sandwiches. Esme and I decided that we go out on Saturday afternoon and get all the supplies, then. But for now, we were excited to get home and start packing up the party favours.

When we got back to the house, I noticed Emmett's truck was gone, but Edward's car was here. We popped open the truck and got all of our bags. Edward met us at the door, wearing the grey hoodie, and holding Robbie. He had four white daisies in his hand and passed us each one, before leaning in to kiss my lips. "Welcome home." He said, smiling.

"Thank you, babe." I said, standing up on my toes to kiss his chin.

"Of course, lover." He whispered in my ear, before quickly sucking on my earlobe. "Okay, little munchkins." He said to Alice and Bree. "Let's go puddle jumping." I took the kitten from Edward, snuggling him to my chest.

The girls cheered and ran back out the front door, with Edward on their heels. Esme and I stood at the front door and watched them for a minute. They all looked so happy and carefree. Edward was amazing.

Esme and I went into the kitchen and decided to make lunch before we packed the gift bags. We just went with tomato soup. It was something hot on a cold day. So, after feeding Robbie and setting him in his litter box, I cut up cheese and crackers, and set the table.

I heard the front door open and I smiled when I heard Edward's laughter. In five minutes, Edward, now in a black t-shirt and blue flannel pants, and the girls in their PJs, came into the kitchen for lunch. It was cute. Rainy days were fun over at the Cullen house.

"Where are your brothers?" Esme asked, pouring us all a bowl of soup.

"Oh, they went to Rose and Maria's house for lunch." Edward said, reaching over to rub my thigh under the table. "Apparently, Maria made stir fry."

"So, they'll be gone until dinner?" Esme asked. I couldn't tell how she felt about that. She was smiling, but it seemed strained. I could only imagine how much a mother worried about her teenaged sons.

"Probably." Edward said, shrugging his shoulder. "Don't worry, though, mom." He added, obviously being able to sense the same change in mood that I had. "I gave them a little talk about _behaving themselves_."

Esme smiled at him, and laughed under her breath. "Thank you, sweetie." She said.

"Why wouldn't they behave?" Alice asked Edward, a frown on her cute little face.

Edward chuckled. "Oh, they will. I just reminded them of their manners around ladies." He explained. Alice and Bree looked at each other, shrugged and then giggled.

"They're not supposed to kiss." Bree added, making us all laugh. She was a smart little girl.


	513. Party Favours

**A/N - Happy Friday! It is still Wednesday, August 18, 2010 in the story! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 513 - Party Favours

After lunch, the girls went upstairs to play with their dolls. Edward loaded the dishwasher and Esme and I set up shop on the kitchen table. She wrote on the labels and I cut the ribbons.

Edward came over and sat at the table with us. "Need help?" He asked. Esme and I giggled at him, and he blushed a little. It was priceless.

"Of course, sweetheart." Esme said, smiling at her oldest son. "Why don't you and Bella pack up the organza bags." She suggested. "And I'll tie on the labels."

"Sounds like a plan, mom." Edward said, looking excited that he was being included. I pulled my chair over beside him, and he leaned in to kiss my cheek. I laughed, but looked over at him, raising my eyebrow. He chuckled. "Sorry. I'll be good. What do I do?"

"Each bag gets a little box of chocolates." I said, sliding one to the bottom of the bag. "And two little boxes of tea. One of the White Ginger Pear and one of the Sweet Orange Spice." I said, putting one either side of the chocolate. "Then, we cinch the bag and pass it to your mom."

Edward chuckled. "Sounds good." He said. "One question."

"Okay." I asked, smiling at his pretty face.

"May I please have a kiss when we're done?" He asked, and Esme and I started laughing, again.

"Of course you can, baby." I told him. "Now, get to work."

We sat at the table, filling our party favour bags, and just talking and laughing. "So I've never been to a bridal shower before." I told Esme. "When my mom got married, she didn't have one, except with the girls from work. What kind of games do we play?"

"Well, one of them, I'm going to need your help for." Esme said. "It is called the Groom Quiz. We need to come up with twenty questions about Heidi. We'll have your dad answer them before the shower. Then, we'll read out the questions, and have all the girls guess what your dad's answer was. The girl with the most correct answers, wins the prize."

Edward laughed. "I can't wait to do this for your bridal shower." He said, smiling. "Mom, make us play this game."

I giggled. I just adored when Edward talked about our wedding. I was so in love with him. I turned and pressed a kiss to his lips, making him smile. "You get a bonus kiss for being cute." I told him.

Esme told us about another game she had planned. The second game had all the girls clipping five clothespins to their shirt at the start of the party. The rules are that no one can say the words bride, groom or wedding. If you catch someone saying one of the words, you get one of their pins. The girl with the most pins at the end of the party gets a prize.

"I like that one, Esme." I said, laughing when Edward and I grabbed the same box of chocolates. He passed the chocolate to me, and he got another kiss.

When finished the gift bags, and Edward got his real kiss, he went to get Robbie, and came back with the kitten snuggled into his neck. Esme got a pad of paper for us to come up with twenty question to ask my dad about Heidi. With the three of us brainstorming, we were able to have the quiz written up in no time.

Edward actually came up with some really creative questions. What was the first concert that Heidi went to? What is the song that Heidi always sings to when she hears it on the radio? Edward was really good at planning bridal showers.

"So, Bella. When you get few minutes alone with your dad, you can give him the quiz." Esme said, making me smile.

"Actually, maybe I'll go have lunch with him at work tomorrow." I said, smiling at my own idea. It would be nice to just spend some time alone with him.

"That sounds nice, baby." Edward said. He was so supportive of my decisions, and with my relationship with my dad. I was sure that he would even drive me to the police station, too.

The phone rang and Esme got up to answer it. I leaned my head over and rested it on Edward's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and leaned in to kiss the top of my head. "You still doing okay with your dad's wedding coming up?" He asked me softly.

"I really am, babe." I said, smiling to myself. "But thank you for checking."

"Of course, Bella." He said, rubbing his hand up and down on my arm. "You want to go out with me tomorrow night?"

"Like a date?" I asked him, looking up at his face. I smiled, when I saw how excited he looked.

"Yes, babe. A date." He answered. "With us sort of living together now, and making love like the bunny rabbits we are, I was thinking that it would be nice to go out, and do something fun. You know, just the two of us."

"Yes, Edward." I said, grinning from ear to ear. "I will go on a date with you." Edward chuckled, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Thank you." He said, making me laugh.

"What are we going to do?" I asked him, and he shook his head at me.

"Bella, Bella, Bella." Edward said. "We're engaged and you don't know by now that I'm not going to tell you the plan."

I giggled, loving his playful nature. Every minute with Edward was fun. "I know that, but you should know by now that I'm never going to stop asking."

He laughed. "Very true." He agreed, leaning in for another kiss. This time, the kiss got a little more passionate, and I really got caught up in it. Edward was humming, again, and it was making me lose control.

"Mom. Edward's not behaving himself." I pulled back from Edward and we both started laughing, when we heard Alice's voice.

Esme laughed, walking over to kiss Alice on the top of the head. "Sweetie, Edward is a grown up, now." She reminded her. "And so is Bella. So, kisses are allowed."

Alice looked sceptical. "If you say so, mom." She said, making us all laugh, again.

"Bree, honey." Esme said. "Your mom just called and asked if you would be alright staying over here one more night with Alice. The highways are really bad in the rain, so it's best if we wait for the sun."

"Um, yeah." Bree agreed. "But, I don't have any extra clothes." She looked a little bit embarrassed and shy.

Esme crouched down in front of her and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Why don't you girls go upstairs and get me your wet clothes. I can wash and dry them and they'll be ready for you to wear tomorrow." Esme suggested. "Would that be okay?"

I was always amazing by how phenomenal Esme was with children. I mean, I shouldn't have been, considering she was a mother to four amazing kids, but she blew me away with her kindness, compassion and sensitivity.

Edward and the girls went in the living room to play with the kitten, and Esme and I got started on dinner. "Thank you so much for today, Esme." I said, smiling, as I started on the salad. "I had such a good time, and I'm really looking forward to Sunday."

"Oh, I'm so glad, Bella." Esme said, coming over to kiss my cheek. "I know that I tell you all the time, but I truly see you as a daughter. And spending time with you means so much to me, too.

"Your dad is a very important person to our family, and I adore Heidi. She is good for him. And I'm so glad that you feel the same way. So many kids would feel jealous, or upset. But, you, sweetheart, are behind your dad a hundred percent." She continued.

"I wanted to throw this bridal shower for Heidi, but in many ways, it's as much for you as it is for her." Esme said.

"How so?" I asked her.

"Well, for one thing, I greedily wanted to spend some time with you." She admitted, making me laugh. "And I just wanted to give you a chance to truly celebrate your new step mom."

I teared up a little, turning to give Esme a hug. "I love you so much, Esme." I told her. "This really means a lot to me. And I have to say, I've loved working on the shower with you. Thank you."

"Oh, sweetie." Esme said, wiping under my eyes. "You're welcome." She giggled. "Just think how much fun we're going to have planning your wedding." I smiled at the thought of it. Honestly, I couldn't wait.


	514. Here For You

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you all for reading! I know I say it all the time, but I literally get excited every time I get an e-mail for a new review, story alert or favourite for this story! Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 514 - Here For You

As Esme and I finished dinner, Emmett and Jasper came into the kitchen. Jasper walked up to his mom for a hug, and Emmett plopped down at the island. "Hey, mom. Hi, Bella." He said, smiling.

"Did you boys have a good time?" Esme asked them, putting all the food in serving dishes.

"Oh, yeah." Emmett said, chuckling to himself.

"Emmett, honey, I know your seventeen years old, but please be careful, okay?" She told him.

"Rose and I aren't having sex, mom." He said, bluntly. "Please, don't worry about it, 'kay?" Esme came over to Emmett and gave him a quick hug. "Plus, Edward already beat you to that lecture." He added, laughing, making me smile. It was nice that Edward was so close to his brothers.

I looked over to Jasper and his face was bright red, and I knew he wasn't comfortable with this topic, at all. He walked out of the kitchen and into the family room. I thought it was cute.

My dad, Heidi and Carlisle arrived within a couple of minutes, and I went over to give Heidi a hug, before she walked into the kitchen to help Esme. The bridal shower was a surprise, so I had to talk to my dad in private.

I gave my dad a tight hug and he kissed my cheek. "Want to have a lunch date with me tomorrow, dad?" I asked him, quietly.

"Of course I do." He said, smiling. "My daughter and food. Two of my favourite things." I laughed, because I loved him so much.

"Do you want me to meet you at the station?" I asked him.

"Why don't I pick you up and we'll go to the diner?" He said. "We'll splurge."

"Sounds good, daddy." I said, taking his arm, and leading him to the dining room. "Did you have a good day at work?"

"I did." He said, squeezing Edward's shoulder when we walked past him. "We had a pretty slow day, actually."

"No crime in Forks, today?" Edward asked, as we sat down at the table. I was sitting between my fiancé and my dad at the table, and I always felt the happiest when everyone was together.

Heidi laughed. "Surprisingly, no. I think the rain kept everyone inside." She answered. "But we like it that way." We all shared a great dinner together, and it killed me not to talk about the bridal shower that we had worked on for most of the day.

After dinner, the guys and little girls went to the living room, and Heidi, Esme and I stayed in the kitchen to clean up. "So, ladies, with the wedding coming up, I was wondering if either of you would like to go lingerie shopping with me this Saturday morning in Port Angeles?"

I started giggling, because, as usual, I got embarrassed about that kind of stuff. It was funny, with Edward, and with my best friend, Angie, I was completely comfortable talking about, and wearing lingerie. But, with Heidi and Esme, I always got a little embarrassed.

"Too weird?" Heidi asked me. "Because I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"No, it's not too weird." I said, smiling. "I'll go with you, for sure."

Heidi came over and gave me a hug. "I love you, Bella." She whispered, making me cry, again. With the wedding coming up in a week and a half, I could see myself being pretty emotional.

I went upstairs to Edward's room to freshen up my face. I figured I'd better pick up some waterproof mascara. I also wanted to get Heidi a gift for the shower. Maybe I'd run out to the store tomorrow after my lunch with my dad.

I splashed some cold water on my face and took a deep calming breath. I walked out into Edward's room, and smiled when I saw him sitting on the bed, waiting for me. He always knew when I needed him.

"Hey, baby." I said, walking over to him and sitting on his lap. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and buried my face into his neck. I breathed in his spicy, warm scent and it completely relaxed me.

Edward wrapped his strong arms around me, and pulled me to his chest. "Are you okay, honey?" He whispered, rubbing my back. "I saw you run upstairs, and I wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"I'm fine, Edward." I said, honestly. "I'm just really happy for my dad and Heidi, and it's making me emotional. That's all."

"Okay." He said, leaning back so he look into my eyes. "Just let me be here for you, angel. You can cry on my shoulder."

I smiled as he said that. "But, they're just happy tears." I said, leaning in to kiss his soft lips.

"Well, those are even easier to deal with." He said, leaning in to kiss me, again. "If you need me, I'm here, babe. Always."

"Have I told you today that I love you?" I asked him, rubbing his back.

"Yes, you have. I think about three times, actually." He said, making me laugh.

"That's it?" I asked him, making him smile. "I should be ashamed of myself. I love you. I love you. I love you." I whispered, kissing him after each time I said it.

"Mm. I could get used to that." He said, smirking at me. "I love you, too, gorgeous."

I snuggled my face back into his neck and just enjoyed being in his arms for a minute. Just the two of us. Edward rubbed my back, and I smiled into his neck. "Will you take me to the store tomorrow afternoon?" I asked him quietly.

"Of course, babe." He said. "Need something for your hot date?"

I started laughing, and sat up to kiss to his cheek. "I need a gift for the bridal shower, and I want some waterproof mascara."

Edward laughed. "That is probably a good idea, huh?" He said, sliding his hand down my back to my bum, and giving it a squeeze. "Oh, and Em and I were talking and we thought we'd try the hike on Friday. The rain is breaking up and that will give us a day for the ground to dry up a bit."

"Okay, sounds good." I said. "I like hiking with you guys."

"Awesome." He said, smiling. "Are you going to wear some short shorts for me with your hiking boots?"

I giggled. "Sure. Why not?" I agreed. "Oh, I'm going to Port Angeles on Saturday morning with your mom and Heidi."

"Shopping?" He asked, making me smile. I bit my lip and nodded at him. His eyebrows went up. "Bella Swan. Are you shopping for lingerie?" He asked, making me laugh.

"How in the world did you figure that out?" I asked, making him chuckle.

"Well, you get this cute look on your face. Like it's kind of shy, but kind of seductive at the same time." He said, making me smile. "But, I'm excited about the results of this shopping trip."

"I'll bet you are." I said. "But, I'm going with two moms, so I'll probably come home with big, white satin panties."

Edward laughed. "Well, you'll be pretty in anything, I'm sure." He said.

"I'll find you something nice." I said, kissing his lips. I stood up off of his leg and took his hand. "We'd better get downstairs."

"You're right. But in a few short hours, we'll be back in this bed." He said, as we walked back downstairs. I smiled at him, and he winked at me. Oh, if he thought he was going to have all the control tonight, he was mistaken. I was going to have fun with my boy.

I sat on the couch with my dad and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "You okay?" He asked, quietly.

"I'm fine, daddy." I said. "You're soon to be wife made me cry. That's all." I told him, loud enough for Heidi to hear me. She started laughing, and smiled at me.

"I'm going to work really hard to keep you laughing." Heidi said, making me smile. "No more tears, Bella."

"Good luck with that." I said. Edward chuckled and squeezed my knee. I would always have his shoulder to cry on.


	515. Control

**A/N - Happy Sunday! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 315 - Control

When my dad and Heidi left for the night, after a fun family board game, Edward, Emmett, Jasper and the kitten went downstairs to watch the rest of their movie that they had started this morning.

I braided Alice and Bree's hair for them, before they went to bed. They seemed to be having a good time together, and I was so thrilled for Alice that she had little girl her age to play with for the last couple of days.

Esme went upstairs with the girls to tuck them in, and I went to sit with Carlisle at the kitchen table for a minute. "I hear you're having a good time planning the bridal shower." He said, making me smile.

"I'm having a great time." I agreed. "A little emotional, but I'm happy about the wedding."

"Yes. It's an exciting time for sure." Carlisle said, smiling. "I'm trying to write a speech for the back yard reception, and I'm not sure if I should go with funny or sweet."

I loved that Carlisle was my dad's best man. He was perfect for the job. "Um, maybe a little of both." I suggested, making us both laugh. "Do I need to write a speech, too?" I asked him, suddenly feeling a little panicked.

Carlisle reached over and patted my hand. "All your dad wants is your approval, Bella." He said. "And you've given him that, and so much more." He said. "If you'd like to say something, then by all means, you may."

I decided in that moment that I was definitely going to say a few words of congratulations for my dad and Heidi. I was sure that it would mean a lot to my dad. "Yeah." I said. "I think I'll do it."

"You want to go first?" He asked me, chuckling as my eyebrows shot up. "You'll be fine. I'll be standing right beside you. And Bella, these are your friends and family. They love you and support you."

"Thank you, Carlisle."

"Of course." He said. "And you know Edward will be right there in front of you with a big goofy smile on his face." I laughed at that, because it was true. Well, all but the goofy part. Edward had a beautiful smile.

"Would it be uncomfortable for you if I asked how the birth control pills were working out?" Carlisle asked, furrowing his eyebrows softly.

"Oh, no, that's fine." I said, smiling. "Actually, I owe you for prescribing them. I love them. I only had mild discomfort on the first day of my period, instead of the intense cramping, and it was a day shorter." I told him, blushing as soon as I was finished talking. I couldn't believe I was just raving to Edward's dad about my birth control pills.

"Bella, don't be embarrassed." He said, obviously trying not to laugh at my enthusiasm. "Remember that I'm your doctor, too."

"I know." I said, running my fingers through my hair, nervously.

"And, I'm glad the pills are working out for you. This was exactly the result we were hoping for." He said, smiling at me. I nodded my head, still feeling really stupid for being embarrassed.

"Thank you, again." I said.

Carlisle stood up and squeezed my shoulder. "You are very welcome." He said. "Have a good night." I sat in the chair for a minute after Carlisle went upstairs. I didn't care if Edward said that he loved my blush. I hated it.

I let out a deep breath and got a glass of water, before I went downstairs to watch the end of the movie with the guys. Edward was sitting in one of the leather chairs, so I crawled onto his lap and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Hi, baby." He whispered, wrapping his arms around me and holding me close. "How did the hairstyling go?"

"Good." I whispered, not wanted to disturb the movie. We ended up sitting together for about a half hour until the movie was over. Again, I didn't have any idea what I was watching, but there was a shootout and a couple of explosions. It seemed to be a trend with the Cullen brothers. They liked their action movies.

At around ten o'clock, we all went upstairs to bed. But the last thing Edward and I were going to be doing was sleeping. I had some getting even to do. When Edward and I made love last night, Edward had really made me wait, and I promised him that I would get my payback.

We both got ready for bed, together, brushing our teeth. I washed my face and pulled my hair back in a messy bun. We both stripped down to our underwear, and I kicked Edward out so I could used the bathroom. I walked back into his bedroom and he had the lights out, except for the lamps, and he had some nice blues music on. And the kitten was already asleep. It looked great.

Edward kissed my lips before going into the bathroom. The minute he shut the door, I ran to his closet and found the hanger he hung his ties on in the closet. He had about six, so I pulled three of them off. I just shut the closet door when I heard Edward behind me.

"Whatcha doing?" He asked, in a sneaky, playful voice. Darn it. He caught me. I turned around, but hid the ties behind my back.

"Will you go sit on the bed and shut and your eyes?" I asked, biting my lip. I had a plan, but I hoped I could pull it off. Honestly, having all the control like this made me a little nervous.

Edward smiled at me, before going to sit on the side of the bed. He shut his eyes and I smiled. I loved that he always wanted to play along with me. I walked over to him, and stood in between his legs. He brought his hands up and set them on my hips. I decided that I would let him get away with that for now.

I wrapped one of the ties around his eyes and tied it behind his head. "Mm. Are we getting kinky?" Edward asked me, moving his hands down to my bum cheeks and giving them a squeeze.

"Uh, uh, uh, Edward." I said, stepping back out of his reach. "No more touching. Lay back on the bed, with your head on the pillows."

Edward smiled widely, and I loved that he was into this. He did what he was told, and laid back on the bed. I walked over to his right hand, and picked it up. I kissed his palm before tying the tie around his wrist, and then to the bed post.

I looked at Edward as I walked around to the other side of the bed. He was still smiling, but he was breathing a little faster, and his boxer briefs weren't leaving much to the imagination. He was turned on. I was going to have a lot of fun with him.

I picked up his left hand and instead of kissing it, like I knew he was expecting, I sucked his finger into my mouth. He actually groaned, and I bit my lip. I think we were both getting turned on. I tied his other wrist to the bed, before stepping back and just taking a minute to look at him.

The goal of the night was to tease him, and it seemed I was doing well so far. I crawled onto the bed, and, starting at his feet, I gently caressed his skin with my fingertips. I worked my way up his shins, over his knees and along his thighs. I reached up and pulled Edward's underwear down. He lifted his hips for me, and it made me smile.

I thought about just teasing him, but I had my man naked and I wanted to play with him. I grabbed a hold of him, and leaned in to take his length into my mouth. Edward jumped and swore, and I sat back.

"Are you okay?" I asked, softly.

"God, yes, baby." He said, smiling at me. "I just wasn't expecting that."

I decided to go back to teasing, and I got up on my knees to straddle Edward's stomach. I leaned forward and rubbed his chest and shoulders in big circles. "It's so hard not to be able to hold you." He whispered. And as much as this was my payback, I really missed his hands on my body. Edward made me feel safe and loved when he touched me.

I leaned in and pressed a kiss to Edward's lips. He hummed and I deepened the kiss. I loved kissing Edward. He had talented lips. I reached up and slid the blindfold up and off of his eyes. "I missed your eyes." I whispered, making him smile.

"Well, I missed looking at you, too." He said. "You look so pretty right now. You're cheeks are flushed and you're not wearing any makeup."

"Thank you." I said, getting up on my knees and leaning over to untie his hand. I moved to his other hand and set him free. I had wanted to tease him, and I accomplished that, but I honestly wasn't one that liked too much power.

Edward was strong and masculine and I liked him taking control in the bedroom. This was fun for the ten minutes that it lasted, but I wanted Edward to hold me and touch me and make love to me. And that couldn't happen if he was tied down.

Edward immediately wrapped me in his strong arms and pulled me to his chest. "You okay?" He whispered. It was funny that he was asking me that, considering he was the one that was tied up, but he knew me so well. I had untied him so quickly that he knew I was getting uncomfortable with being control.

"I'm fine now that you're holding me." I whispered, leaning in to kiss his lips and make him smile. "Make love to me, Edward."


	516. Insecurities and Encouragement

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! It is Wednesday, August 18 and Thursday, August 19, 2010 in the story. Have a great day! Enjoy!**

Chapter 516 - Insecurities and Encouragement

I had asked Edward to make love to me, but instead, he just kept holding me. He leaned in to kiss my lips. "Honey, I just want to make sure you're okay." He whispered and I nodded. "And thank you so much for stopping that when you felt uncomfortable."

"I'm fine." I sighed, a little disappointed in myself. "Edward, I'm sorry. I thought that tying you to the bed would be a fun way for me to tease you."

"Why are you apologizing to me?" He asked, softly.

"Because you seemed to be enjoying yourself." I said, pressing my face into his chest, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"Bella. Look at me." He said, and I lifted my head. "I'm only ever going to have fun when I know you feel the same way."

"I love you." I whispered, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. Edward took my bottom lip and started lightly sucking on it. I hummed and rolled onto my back, pulling Edward with me. He kept kissing me, over and over again, and I was loving this: his weight on my body, his arms holding me tightly, and his lips on mine. This was how I felt the most comfortable.

I rubbed my hands over Edward's back, before lightly scraping my nails over his skin. Edward started kissing his way down my body, sucking, and licking. I loved how this felt, and I would gladly take Edward's teasing any day.

Edward moved his hands down to my bum. "You still have panties on?" He asked me, smiling, as he pulled them down.

"Oops." I said, making him laugh.

Edward kissed my lips again, before kissing all the way down my body. I gasped as he moved between my legs. Edward had his hand wrapped around my leg and was rubbing the top of my the thigh. He had me writhing around on the bed in no time. I was panting as he kissed his way back up my body.

"You like that, lover?" He whispered, before kissing my lips, and making me smile.

"I loved that." I breathed, still a little shaky.

"Mm. That's my girl." He hummed against my lips. "Do you want more?" He asked, and I nodded my head. I loved that he was doing this. He was taking complete control, and I adored him for it. I needed this right now. "Tell me, Bella."

"I want you, Edward." I said, kissing his lips.

"How do you want me, sexy?" He asked, pushing me a little.

"Make love to me, baby. Hurry." I said, reaching down between us to touch him.

"Good girl." Edward said, making me shiver. He chuckled, and leaned over to the bedside table to get a condom. I rubbed Edward's chest while he put it on, and he smiled as he rolled back over top of me. "Ready?" He asked, and I nodded.

I groaned, probably way too loud, as he slid into me. "Oh, god, Edward." I cried, gripping onto his shoulders, as he started to move. He was breathing hard, as he looked into my eyes. I let go and closed my eyes.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered, before dropping his head on my shoulder. He groaned before slipping out of bed and running into the bathroom. He came back, and pulled me into his arms, pressing kisses to my lips.

"That was amazing." I whispered, making Edward smile.

"It was." He said. "Now, do you want to talk about it? You know, about earlier?"

"Not really." I told him, honestly.

"Okay." He said, kissing my forehead.

"I just felt a little insecure, that's all." I said, knowing that Edward hated secrets. "I mean, I just don't think I was ready to try that."

"That's okay, Bella." He said, stroking my hair. "I don't except you to do things like that."

"I think I just need your encouragement, right now." I admitted. "You know, while we're making love."

"You have that, Bella." He said. "I'm behind you a hundred percent. And, baby, we're young. This is all still pretty new to us. I think with time, you'll start to feel a lot more comfortable."

"Thank you, baby." I said, kissing his lips, before snuggling into his chest.

"I love you, so much, Bella." He whispered, rubbing my back.

"I love you, too." I said, kissing his chest.

I loved that Edward and I always resolved things before we went to sleep. Edward never let me doubt myself. He always made sure to tell me how much he loved me, and more than that, he showed me.

I woke up to the cutest site ever. Edward was laying beside me, with Robbie cuddled up on his chest. Edward was reading the sex book, and didn't even notice that I was awake. So, I just laid there, watching him.

He was so beautiful. His lips were moving, as he read along with the words, and his hair was really messy. He hadn't had his shower, yet, and I was pretty excited about the prospect of showering with him.

Edward reached up to run his fingers through his hair, before he glanced over at me. He smiled when he noticed that I was awake. "Good morning, gorgeous." He said.

"Good morning." I said, sitting up. I leaned over to kiss Edward's lips, and he smiled. I slid out of bad and ran into the bathroom, naked. Edward was laughing at me, probably because I was running. I shut the door and quickly used the bathroom and brushed my teeth. I slipped on Edward's t-shirt that he left in the bathroom yesterday.

I walked out of the bathroom and Edward was still reading the book. I got on the bed beside him, and leaned against his chest, trying to look at what he was reading. Edward looked down at me, and smiled as he shut the book, and set it on the bedside table.

"How are you doing this morning?" He asked me, leaning down to kiss the top of head. "Get up here." He said. "I want to kiss you."

I giggled and inched up to press my lips on his, making him hum. "I'm fine." I told him, smiling. "What were you reading?"

"I was reading about insecurities." He told me, and my smile dropped. I was worried that Edward was unhappy with me, and my shyness. "Bella, don't even think it." He said, making me laugh, because he knew me so well.

"Sorry." I said. "Did you learn anything?"

"Baby, you know I think you're perfect the way you are." He said, reaching over to hold my hand. "I am more than satisfied with our sex life. But, you seem to want to try new things with me in bed and that's great, honey.

"I know you're shy, and I think that's holding you back from being able to do what you want. You get really nervous, and I think that's natural. I was just reading the book to see if there was something I could do to make you feel comfortable." He said.

"Edward, no." I said, shaking my head. "You do make me feel comfortable."

"I'm glad, Bella." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "But, the book was just talking about taking our time, and exploring each other. By trying things, we'll learn, okay? That's all. I think the trick is to just not rush."

I nodded my head and smiled at him. "Why is sex so confusing?" I asked him, sitting up to run my hands over his legs.

"Well, having sex is pretty easy, and pretty damn fun. It's the emotions attached to it that are hard." Edward said. "But it doesn't have to be like that with us, Bella. If we just keep talking things out, then we'll be okay."

I smiled and lifted Robbie off of Edward's chest. He looked half asleep and hardly minded when I set him on the other side of the bed. I crawled over to Edward and straddled his hips. He was wearing grey boxer briefs and he looked delicious. "Can I talk about something with you, right now?" I asked, smiling at him.

"Of course you can." He said, setting his hands on my hips.

"I really want to make love to you." I said. "I happen to really like sex in the morning."

Edward smiled so widely, I actually giggled. It was cute. "It's a nice way to start the day, isn't it?" Edward said, pulling my t-shirt up. He pulled me towards him, so my breasts were right in front of his face. The feeling of his mouth on me, caused me to start moving my hips over him. Edward groaned and flipped us over so I was on my back.

He pulled the shirt off my arms, before getting up to pull of his underwear. He had the condom on in no time, and was back on top of me, moving his body over mine. As our bodies connected, Edward leaned in to kiss my lips. "I love you, Bella." He whispered. Yes, sex in the morning was amazing.


	517. Laughter and Lunch

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 517 - Laughter and Lunch

Edward made love to me, making me see stars more than once that morning. We showered together and Edward couldn't keep his hands off of me. He was massaging and squeezing and rubbing me, everywhere, and I know that I could hardly stand up.

I wrapped my arms around Edward's shoulders and let him hold me up. "Did your legs stop working?" He asked me, making me laugh.

"They did." I agreed. "You've turned me into jelly."

"Well, you are very welcome." He said, looking smug, and making me laugh even harder.

"You're really hot when you're cocky, you know that?" I told him.

"And I'm very cocky when you make me hot." He said, looking down at his turned on body. I covered my red face with hand and laughed. Edward chuckled and kissed my forehead. "Sorry. You bring out the dirty jokes in me."

"It's okay, babe." I said, reaching down to squeeze his bum cheek. "Um, I think I thought of my fantasy."

Edward smiled. "Something more than the sexy babysitter porn we ordered?" He asked, making me laugh.

"Watching the x-rated video was just a curiosity, not my fantasy." I explained. Edward laughed, and leaned in to suck on my neck, making me groan.

"Mm. I'm intrigued about this fantasy, then." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Have you ever thought about having sex in the shower?" I asked him, biting my lip.

"I have." Edward answered immediately and so seriously, that is made us both laugh.

"Do you think we could try it?" I asked him, looking up at his pretty face.

"I would love to try that with you." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my lips, again. "Like right now?" He asked.

"No." I giggled. "Edward, I hardly stand up."

He laughed. "That's what all my years of working out and playing sports were for. I can hold you up." He said, reaching down to lift me up by my bum. I squealed and laughed, because I didn't expect him to pick me up.

He set me down when he started laughing. "I'm a little worried for our safety, you know." I said, smiling. "If you start laughing at all, you might drop me. And, baby, the last thing I ever want to do is to explain to your dad, and my dad, how we both broke our arms in the shower, at the same time."

Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to his chest for a hug. "You have a crazy imagination, babe." He said, still laughing. "I will never drop you, Bella. Plus, it is your fantasy."

I peeked up at his face and he leaned down to kiss my lips. We got out of the shower and dried off. I had a black skirt here, and I pulled on a white t-shirt. Edward wore a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. I just French braided my hair because I didn't feel like drying it.

Edward grabbed Robbie, and we went downstairs for breakfast. When we got downstairs, however, we realized that we had missed breakfast. It was ten o'clock. Apparently a naked Edward was a distracting Edward. No one was in the house. At all. While I fed Robbie, Edward looked on the counter for a note.

"Here it is." He said, holding up a piece of flowered stationary, before reading it. "Edward and Bella. Drove Bree home to Port Angeles with Alice. Will be home in the afternoon. Love you, Mom."

"Well, that explains half of the empty house. What about your brothers?" I asked him.

"No idea." Edward said, walking out of the kitchen. "The truck is here." A huge smile spread across Edward's face, and he walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me and leaning in to kiss my cheek. "But, you know what that means." He whispered, before sticking his tongue in my ear.

"Mm." I hummed. "It means we have this big house all to ourselves."

Edward slid his hands down my sides to my hips and lifted me up on the kitchen counter. I giggled as he stepped in between my legs and started sucking my neck. I moaned, and Edward moved his hands all over my chest and sides.

"The bunnies are back at it." Emmett was home. I jumped back and hit my head on the cupboard, making a loud thumping sound.

"Ow." I said, reaching up behind my head.

"Shoot, sorry, Bella." Emmett said, walking over to us. He was wearing basketball shorts and a white tank and he was soaking in sweat. "Jazz and I just got back from a run. We didn't ask you to come with us, 'cause you know, you sounded busy."

I started laughing as Edward lifted me off of the counter and set me down, looking down at the back of my head. "Are you okay?" He asked, sounding worried about me, and not about Emmett hearing us this morning.

"I'm fine, guys." I said, reaching up to hold the back of my head. It hurt a little, but not enough for them to make a big deal about it. I walked to the kitchen table and sat down. "But I can't make breakfast, now."

"Good thing I already ate." Emmett said, chuckling. He kissed my forehead, before running out of the room, and up the stairs.

"So, you want cereal?" Edward asked me, making me smile.

"It is your specialty." I said and Edward chuckled. He brought us each a bowl of Fruit Loops and I smiled at him. "Thank you, baby." I said. I think cereal was a good decision, anyway, considering my dad would be picking me up in less than two hours for lunch.

And those two hours went fast. The boys and I just had a lazy morning, laying on the couches in the family room watching TV. It was nice to just do nothing sometimes. I made the boys grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch and just set them out on the table when the doorbell rang. Edward walked me to the door and gave me a nice kiss before opening the door for my dad.

"Hey, daddy." I said, giving him a tight hug, before grabbing my purse, and turning to Edward. "Baby, can you pick me up at one?" I asked Edward. He was going to take me shopping this afternoon.

"Of course I will." He said, kissing me on the top of the head. "I love you. Have a good time."

"Thank you. Love you, too." I said, kissing his chin, before following my dad out to the truck. I waved at Edward as we drove away from the house. My dad told me about his morning and arresting a shoplifter on the way to the diner. I loved listening to him talk about his day. To me, it was something I had missed my whole life, so I cherished every detail.

When we got to the diner, my dad and I each ordered a hamburger and we shared a plate of fries. They were my dad's fries, but I kept sneaking them off his plate, so he ended up just pushing them over to me. I loved my dad. Over lunch we talked about the wedding, and he couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

"It just seems like we've always been together." He told me, making me smile. "She seems to fit right in, doesn't she?"

"She does." I agreed. "And I'm so happy for you, daddy." I wiped my hands and pulled out the questionnaire for the bridal shower. "Okay, dad. I had an ulterior motive for asking you to lunch."

"Uh, oh." He said, laughing. "We'd better get dessert." My dad waved over the waitress, and ordered us a berry cobbler. "Okay, Bells. Lay it on me."

I laughed. "It's not scary. It's a quiz for Heidi's bridal shower." I told him. I explained all the rules to him, and he chuckled.

"I like that." He said, as our dessert was delivered with two forks. So, I worked through the list of questions and my dad and I laughed while I filled in the answers. Apparently, my dad thought Heidi's first concert was the Grateful Dead, and the song she always sang along to on the radio was 'Keep On Loving You' by REO Speedwagon.

I thought it was so cute that my dad knew all these little things about her, that someone else might not have noticed. Honestly, I didn't think that my dad paid attention that closely, but I loved that he did. It was clear that although he hadn't admitted to having feeling for Heidi until this summer, he had been falling in love with her for years.

Seeing that, and the sparkle in my dad's eyes when he talked about Heidi, made me so happy. I knew, without a doubt, that my dad was marrying a woman that he loved and would stay with for the rest of his life. He deserved this kind of companionship.

My dad and I finished our dessert, and he waited with me until Edward came in the restaurant to pick me up. "How'd you do on your love quiz?" Edward asked my dad, as he sat down at the table with us.

"I aced it." My dad said, making us both laugh. We got up from the table, and my dad gave me a tight hug. "Love you, kiddo. Dinner tomorrow night?"

"Wouldn't miss it, daddy." I said. "I love you."


	518. Presents and a Pink Dress

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! It is still Thursday, August 18, 2010 in the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 518 - Presents and a Pink Dress

Edward and I went to the drug store first to get my waterproof mascara. I hated that I cried so much, but the combination of the birth control, me being a sensitive person, and all the happiness in my life right now, it couldn't be helped.

Edward leaned down and kissed my cheek. "You know you don't need makeup, Bella." He whispered, making me smile. "You are so naturally beautiful."

"Well, thank you, baby." I said. "But, I need it for the wedding, at least."

"I know." He said. "And you can wear whatever you want, I just don't want you think that you need to wear it for me. That's all."

"I'll keep that in mind." I said, patting his chest, and making him chuckle. We were about to leave, when I saw a pretty black cosmetic case with pink trim. They were monogrammed cases, and they had an 'H' for Heidi.

"Hmm." I said, picking it up. "What if I get this for Heidi for her honeymoon, but instead of filling it with makeup, I fill it with fishing lures, hooks and bait?"

Edward chuckled. "You are awesome, you know that?" He said, making me smile. "I think she will definitely get a kick out of it."

"And it's practical. They're going on a fishing honeymoon to Vancouver." I said, as we walked to the checkout. "So, next stop, the sporting goods store."

I was excited about my gift for the bridal shower. Because Heidi was going to be my step mom, I didn't want to get her anything 'sexy' like I was sure lots of girls were going to do, especially Paul's girlfriend Rachel. I was actually really looking forward to hanging out with all the ladies on Sunday.

Edward picked up a hand basket when we got to the store, and took my hand in his, as we walked to the fishing aisle. I didn't really know a lot about fishing stuff, but luckily for us, Jasper's friend Mike was here. "Hi, Bella." He said, walking over to us. "Going fishing?" He asked, with a big smile on his face.

"Hi, Mike." I said. I thought he was so adorable, and he was actually pretty knowledgeable for being fifteen. "Actually, I'm looking for some fishing accessories for a woman, as a gift."

"Well, fishing is pretty unisex." He said, making us both laugh. "But we have this marshmallow bait that comes in bright pink, if that's what you mean?"

"Actually, that's really cute." I said, putting two jars in Edward's basket. "Okay, Mike, thanks. We'll just look around."

"Okay, for sure. Just gimme a call if you need any help." He said, smiling at me, before walking out of the aisle.

"That kid is so in love with you." Edward said, letting go of my hand, so he could wrap his arm around me and rub my hip.

"I think it's cute, Edward." I said, making him chuckle. "He's a nice boy."

Edward and I looked up and down the aisle and picked out every lure and bait that was pink, or had pink on it. "Well, baby, that should fill your make up bag." Edward said, making me smile. "Do you want to get her anything else?"

"I was thinking of looking in that pretty antique shop where I found that earring tree for your mom's Mother's Day gift." I said. "Do you mind?"

"Of course I don't mind." He said, as we walked to the checkout. "You know I would follow you anywhere."

Edward drove us over to the antique shop. "Is Jasper watching Robbie?" I asked him, rubbing his thigh, as he drove.

"Yeah. Emmett is, too." He said, smiling. "Actually, they're working on a theory where they teach the kitten to do tricks like a dog." I laughed. I seriously adored the Cullen kids. "Crazy, right? I guess Rose and Maria are coming over for dinner tonight and they want to show off."

"That's adorable." I said, getting out of the car, and taking Edward's hand as walked into the shop.

We walked around the store and looked at all the little trinkets. I truly loved antiques, and I when I would smile at something, I noticed that Edward would squeeze my hand. He always watched me. He was truly amazing. "Oh, look at how cute that is." I said, pointing a little bronze cat ornament. It kind of looked like Robert.

Edward smiled. "It's really nice." Edward said, picking it up. "The tag said it's a candle holder from the 1920s."

I laughed. "I guess I should stop looking for myself, right?" I said, as Edward set it back on the counter. "Oh, look at that gorgeous frame." I said, looking at the next shelf. I picked up the large square frame, that had wide scalloped borders and was finished with silver leaf. It had an opening for a five by five photograph, and it was beautiful.

"I like that." Edward said, from over my shoulder. "Do you know which picture you'd put in it?"

"What about the one of Heidi and my dad at the top of the mountain when we went camping?" I asked. "They looked so happy that day. It was the first moment that I knew my dad was going to marry Heidi."

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close to his chest. "I think that is an excellent idea." He said, kissing me cheek. "Heidi is going to love it, baby."

Edward and I stopped at a stationary shop, and I got a card and some floral wrapping paper. We went back to my place and Edward helped me fill the cosmetic case with the fishing supplies, cut the photo down for the frame, and then he sat with me while I wrapped the gifts.

I got a black pen and sat down with the card. I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder. "Do you know what you're going to write?" He asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"I think so." I said, as I sar back up and began writing in the card. 'Heidi. This summer has been amazing. Not only have I gotten my dad back, but I've met you. You have become so special to me. You are going to be my step mom, but you are so much more. You are like a best friend to me, and you always give me so much love and unconditional support. You make my dad so happy. He's always smiling when you're around, or even if he's just talking about you. I can't wait for the future. Congratulations. I love you. ~Bella.'

"You are an incredible writer, Bella." Edward said, after reading the card. "You are always able to capture your emotions perfectly."

I smiled up at him. "Thank you, Edward." I said, leaning in for a kiss. "Can you believe I didn't cry when I was writing it?"

Edward laughed, as he stood up. "And I'm so proud of you." He said. We carried my gifts upstairs to hide them in the closet, before Edward flopped on the bed. "I missed this bed. I seriously love it." He said, making me giggle.

"We lost our virginities in that bed." I said, sitting beside him and rubbing my hand over his stomach.

"I'll never forget it, angel." He said, smiling up at my face. "We have a little time before our date. Can I see your Maid of Honour dress?"

"Mm. You want a fashion show?" I asked, moving my hand from Edward's stomach to between his legs. Edward groaned and I giggled as I stood up to get my dress from my closet.

"Baby, now I want more." He said, rolling onto his side to watch me.

I laughed. "Well, you can watch me get changed if you want." I said, pulling my t-shirt off.

"Of course I want." He said, winking at me. I took off my bra and did a little spin for him. I blushed and Edward applauded. "You are so beautiful." He whispered as I pulled off my skirt leaving me in green checkered panties.

I pulled the pink dress on, and Edward smiled, sitting up on the bed. "Wow." He said, standing up and walking behind me to zip it up. I turned around to face him and smiled when I looked at his face. He really loved it. "You look so sexy." He whispered in my ear. "I'm going to so some naughty things to you in this dress, next Saturday."

I giggled. "Will you show me?" I asked him, making his smirk appear. "Right now?" When Edward whispered like that, and said sexy things to me, I was easily turned on. Edward leaned down and pressed a hard kiss to my lips, making me gasp for air when he pulled back. He lifted me up, quickly, and laid me back on the bed.

Edward reached under my dress and pulled my panties off my legs, before burying his face between my legs. I cried out in surprise, and Edward hummed against my body. I could barely keep still, but Edward hands on my bare hips kept me on earth until I let go. Edward sat back on his knees and smiled at my face.

I was definitely looking forward to next Saturday.


	519. Just Because

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 519 - Just Because

Edward moved to lay down beside me, pulling me into his arms. "How was that?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my lips. "Naughty enough?"

I giggled, still a little breathless. "I love that you know exactly how to touch me." I whispered, making Edward smile. "And I'm so turned on, but we still have a date."

"We do." He said, smiling. "And I believe I get to watch you change, again. We don't want to wrinkle this pretty pink dress."

I stood up on wobbly legs and Edward unzipped the dress. I slipped it off, leaving me completely naked. I took my time hanging the dress back up. I saw my black and olive chiffon dress that Edward had bought me in Port Angeles the day after we were engaged. It was short and had a crisscross bodice that Edward loved, and I decided to wear that tonight for our date.

I felt Edward's hand slip around me, coming to rest low on my stomach, his chest pressed to my back. "You're teasing me." He whispered. "Do you think the restaurant would mind if we were a little late?"

I giggled. "What do you have in mind?" I asked him, as I turned my head kiss his lips.

"I was thinking of making love to you, right against the wall." He whispered against my lips, making my eyes close immediately. "I don't think I can take the anticipation all night."

"The wall?" I asked, turning in his arms.

"Yeah. I may have been peeking ahead in the Kama Sutra." He admitted making me giggle.

"What do we need to do?" I asked him, knowing that these positions took a little thought and concentration.

Edward pulled off his t-shirt, and unzipped his shorts, leaving him in just his green boxer briefs. "We need to relax and just have fun. This is an easy one." He whispered pulling me to the bed.

"I thought is was against the wall?" I asked, as we laid back on the bed.

Edward's mouth was immediately on my chest and neck. "Let's get a little warmed up first." He breathed before getting back to work. I was moaning and squirming in no time. I pushed Edward's shoulder so he rolled on his back, and he chuckled.

"My turn." I said. I started licking his chest, as I scratched his sides. Edward had his hands on my sides, like he just needed to be touching me.

"God, Bella." He hummed, making me smile. I loved that I could make him feel so good. He sat up and leaned in to press a kiss to my lips. "I'm warmed up. Are you?"

I giggled. "I'm very warm." I said, making him chuckle. Edward got up and pulled his underwear off. "Okay, now I'm hot." I added, biting my lip. A smile spread across Edward's face as he went into my nightstand for a condom. I took it from his hand and put it on his body.

Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders and leaned down to kiss me deeply. "You ready?" He whispered, slowly walking me backwards to the wall, all while still pressing soft kisses to my lips.

"Mmhmm." I hummed, reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck.

"That's my good girl." He said, lifting me up and leaning his back to the wall. "Wrap your legs around my thighs, and set your feet just behind my knees."

I followed his instructions, and smiled at his sexy face. His eyes met mine as he slid into me. I couldn't take my eyes off of his face as he moved inside me. He was sweating, his mouth was open, and I knew he was working hard to hold me up and make love to me at the same time. He was so incredibly gorgeous and very, very talented.

I really loved the Kama Sutra. I wasn't sure what this position was called, but I loved it. It felt very primal, and watching Edward use his strength was an incredibly erotic. But more than that, it felt amazing. It didn't take me long before I screamed out.

I leaned forward, pressing my chest to Edward's and burying my face into the crook of his neck. Edward groaned and leaned his head back into the wall. He was breathing so heavy. He looked up at my face and smiled.

"How was that?" He asked, setting his hands under my thighs and walking us back to the bed.

"That was amazing, Edward." I breathed, as he set me down, and then turned around to take the condom off. He crawled onto the bed beside me and pulled me close to his chest.

"That was called 'The Swing.' He said, making me laugh.

"I love you so much, baby." I said, running my hand through his sweaty hair.

"I love you, too, sexy girl." He said, running his fingers softly up and down my side. "I'm going to go have a quick shower, okay? I'm probably not very presentable for the public."

I laughed. "Well, I think you're gorgeous." I said, leaning back in to kiss his lips. "Maybe I'll come with you for a quick rinse." I said, making him smile.

We got up and walked to the bathroom, before getting in the shower. I was in and out in two minutes, and much to Edward's disappointment, I slipped out of the shower to get ready for our date. I washed my face in the sink, and put on a little eyeliner and lip gloss to keep it simple.

I went back to my room to slip on my dress and a pair of black and white polka dot panties. I took my hair out of the braid and ran my fingers through the waves. I pulled the front of my hair back into a twist, and went in my closet for a pair of low black heels.

I felt Edward's hands on my hips, and I smiled as I turned around. He was standing in just a towel, but his hair was gelled, and he smelled amazing. "You look beautiful, Bella." He said, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"Thank you. You look pretty sexy yourself there." I said, making Edward chuckle. I sat at my desk and watched Edward change into his dark wash jeans and a black polo. He looked amazing.

Edward took a flannel blanket from the top shelf of my closet, before taking my hand and leading me out to the car. Edward drove to the florists, and ran in, making me laugh. He would never forget the flowers. He came back out with a half dozen white roses. Edward leaned in for a kiss and I put my hand on his cheek, holding him close.

"I love you, Edward." I whispered, before kissing him, again.

We drove north out of town and I figured we were going to Port Angeles, but we didn't turn east, and kept going north. "Where are we going, babe?" I asked him, bringing his hand up to my lips to kiss his palm.

"We're going somewhere almost as beautiful as you are." He said, making me smile. "The Breakwater Inn in Clallum Bay. The view is incredible. I reserved us a window seat and it looks right out onto the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There are pretty boats on the water. You'll love it."

I was so touched that Edward went to all this trouble to take me out on a date. "Thank you for doing this for me, baby." I said, smiling over at him.

"Well, I wanted to whisk you away for the evening." He started. "We're hiking with the boys tomorrow, you're going shopping on Saturday, and then you have the shower on Sunday, and your dad's wedding is coming up. It's going to be a busy couple of weeks, and I wanted to make time for just the two of us."

"I like that." I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "But, don't forget, our one month engagement anniversary is on Monday."

Edward smiled. "I would never forget that." He said, smiling over at me.

We parked in the lot at the Inn, and Edward came around, linking my arm with his, and leading me into the restaurant. We were five minutes late for our reservation, but with it being a weeknight, they were able to hold it for us.

Edward was right: the view from the restaurant was incredible. But the view that I had, straight across the table was even better. Edward had a gorgeous smile on his face, and it made me happy.

"So, what are you going to do all weekend while I'm with the ladies?" I asked him, as we ate.

"I guess I'm going fishing on Sunday with our dads, and Saturday, I have no idea." He said, making me laugh. "Maybe I'll lay on my bed and wait for sexy lingerie texts from you all day."

I laughed. "You are crazy." I said, blushing a little.

"I just love you, Bella." He said, reaching over to take my hand, and rubbing it softly with his thumb. "Thank you for getting all dressed up to come out here with me tonight, just because."

I smiled back at him, and repeated what he had said to me this afternoon. "You know I would follow you anywhere."


	520. Means Everything

**A/N - Happy Friday, and Remebrance Day. As a student of ancient military history, I have spent a lot of time studying war and soldiers. The role of the military is invaluable to the safety of a nation. Please take a few moments today to think about, and appreciate, what these selfless men and women do for us. ****Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 520 - Means Everything

After dinner, in which I ate way, way too much food, Edward and I got back in the car. It wasn't even eight o'clock, but I thought were going to head back home. The drive home from Clallum Bay was just over a half hour.

"Thank you for dinner, Edward." I said, smiling over at him, as he backed out of his parking space. "I had a great time."

"I am so glad." Edward smiled as he made a right and drove up the road, before making another right and parking at the beach. "But you know me better than that, right?" He asked, making me laugh. "Our dates have never just been dinner."

"You're sexy and sweet, huh?" I asked, getting out of the car with Edward and going to the trunk. When I saw Edward's guitar case I squealed and wrapped my arms around his waist. I so excited that I actually had tears in my eyes. I adored when Edward played for me, and with everything going on, he hadn't played since our engagement party.

I sniffled into Edward's chest, he pulled back to look at my face. "What's wrong, honey?" He asked, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "Not a good idea?" He asked, winking, as he teased me.

"I just love you so much." I said, sliding my hands into his back pockets. "It truly means everything to me when you play your guitar and sing for me."

"Yeah?" He asked, smiling.

"Yeah." I said. "Like, honestly, Edward, until we made love, I have never felt so close to you, than when you sing. It's like you truly let me see your soul, and baby, it's so beautiful. So, I'm sorry for crying, but this means so much."

Edward nodded his head, and quickly reached up to wipe at his own eyes with the back of his hand. He chuckled, looking a little embarrassed, before he leaned in to kiss my lips. I looked up at his eyes and his lashes were wet, but he seemed composed.

"Thank you, Bella." He said, smiling at me. "I love you, baby." He reached in the trunk and passed me the blanket from my room, and the blanket from his car, and he picked up his guitar, before locking the car. "We've got less than an hour of twilight before we're in complete darkness."

He took my hand and led me down to the beach. Clallum Bay was gorgeous. The sand was soft, the waves were crashing, and the sun was setting. This was a phenomenal place to end our date. Edward never ceased to amaze me with the hidden gems of Washington that he continuously shared with me.

I laid out one of the blankets and we both sat down on it, after kicking off our shoes. Edward opened the other blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders. With the sea breeze and the sun setting, it was getting brisk out here.

Edward reached over and rubbed my bare foot that was peeking out of the blanket. "Thank you, Bella, for what you said back at the car." He said, making me smile. "Music is incredibly important to me, and for you to see that and want to share it with me, I don't know, it's just really cool."

"Well, you are marrying me for a reason." I said, making Edward laugh.

"God, you're amazing." He said, before turning to take his gorgeous guitar out of the case, and resting it on his crossed legs. He strummed it a little, before making some adjustments to the strings. He looked up at my face and smiled. "Ready?" He asked, and I nodded, already unable to take my eyes off of his face.

Edward played and sang for me as the sky evolved from orange to deep pink to purple and finally navy blue. Listening to his voice and guitar, accompanied by the crashing waves was a spiritual experience. I couldn't get over how lucky I was to have the heart of this incredible man.

Unfortunately, Edward had to put his guitar away when it got dark. I could see the goosebumps on his arms, so I got up and wrapped my blanket around his shoulders. "Come here." He said, patting his lap, and I eagerly sat down. Edward wrapped me in the blanket with him, holding me close and using me for body heat.

"You're freezing." I said, giggling as he set his ice cold hands on my leg. I thought back to the very first time Edward had played for me out on his porch, and we had snuggled just like this.

Edward laughed, ducking his head to bury his face and frozen nose into my neck. I screamed and he laughed harder. "Warm me up." He said, his voice muffled against my skin. I reached around him and rubbed his back, just to be touching him. This man was my world.

"Kiss me." I said quietly, but obviously loud enough for Edward to hear me. Edward lifted his head and smiled at me as his eyes met mine. So much love was passed in between us in that one glance. He leaned in and delicately traced my bottom lip with the tip of his nose. He shut his eyes before bringing his lips to mine.

I followed his lead and shut my eyes, just letting all my senses get sucked into the moment. I cherished the softness of his lips, but also their strength as he dominated the kiss. I savoured his flavour. He tasted so sweet like the after dinner mints we were eating at the table while we waited for the bill.

And his smell was an aphrodisiac. His cologne was so masculine, and just mixed with Edward's warm, spicy scent, I was in sensation overload. The warmth of his body and the sound of the waves only added to the experience, and I was fairly certain that this was what heaven must be like.

Edward pulled back slowly, his eyes opening and meeting mine. We looked at each other for a minute, both relishing in the feelings we just experienced. It seemed like neither of us wanted the moment to end. A smile spread slowly across Edward's lips.

"I think that was the best kiss of my entire life." Edward said, making me smile.

"For me, too." I whispered. I had felt that kiss everywhere. My body was tingling with desire. I leaned back in to touch his lips with mine. Edward placed a couple more soft kisses against my lips.

"As much as I don't want to say this, we should head back to Forks." He whispered. I knew he was right, but I was sad this moment had to end.

"I know." I said, but didn't move. Edward chuckled, sliding his hand up my leg and under my dress until he reached my bum. He gave it a squeeze and I laughed. Reluctantly, we stood up. Edward was still wrapped in the one blanket, so I folded up the blanket we were sitting on after shaking the sand from it.

Edward wrapped me in his blanket, holding me close to his body, and picked up his guitar. We walked slowly and clumsily back to the car, laughing the whole way, our cocoon making it hard for us to walk.

We got back to the car and Edward put the blanket and his guitar in the trunk. He opened my car door for me, and helped me in, considering I was still wrapped in the blanket. He pulled the seatbelt across my chest and buckled me in, before leaning in for a kiss.

Edward went around and got in the driver's seat before turning the car to head back to Forks. He reached for the heat, and cranked it up to full. "Edward." I said, making him glance over at me, before looking back at the road. "Thank you for today."

Edward smiled, and reached over to rub my blanket covered knee. "I had a really great time, too." He said. "Like, really, Bella. The entire day was perfect."

"Let's see." I said, going over the highlights of our day together. "Morning sex, a shower, shopping, a fashion show, Kama Sutra sex, another shower, an incredible dinner and music on the beach. Yeah, I would say it was a perfect day."

Edward chuckled. "You know, every day with you is perfect. It doesn't matter what we do. I just love being around you." He said, making me smile.

"I feel the same way, babe." I said.

We drove back to Edward's house and found everyone in the living room watching TV, Alice asleep on her daddy's lap. "Hey, kids." Esme said, making me smile. "How was the date?"

"Amazing." I said, looking up at Edward's face.

"What did you do?" Emmett asked. "PG version, please."

Edward laughed. "Oh, it was very PG, actually." He said, as we walked over to sit on the couch. "We just went up to Clallum Bay for dinner."

Jasper got up and passed me a sleeping a Robbie. I kissed Jasper's cheek. "Thank you." I whispered. I set the kitten on my chest and he curled up. I think he liked my heartbeat.

"What did you think of the bay, Bella?" Carlisle asked me.

"It is absolutely stunning." I said, smiling. "We ate at the Inn, and looked out at the water while we ate. But the best part of the date, was when Edward took me to the beach. The sun was setting, and Edward sang to me. It was so romantic."

I had to gush to someone about that date. I was still over the moon about it. Esme had the biggest smile on her face and I looked over at Edward and his ears were red. I didn't mean to embarrass him, I was just so in love with him.

"A real Casanova, huh?" Carlisle said, making Edward chuckle.

Edward leaned and in and kissed me temple. "Well, I love her. What else can I say?"


	521. Predator

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I truly love reading your reviews! This chapter takes place at the end of Thursday, August 19 and the start of Friday, August 20, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 521 - Predator

Edward had his arm around my shoulder, holding me close, while we hung out with the Cullens. "So, how did the kitten training go this afternoon?" I asked the boys, making them laugh.

"We got him to sit." Jasper said. "We looked it up online and if you hold a treat above his head, and then move it behind him, he's supposed to sit down. He fell over a few times, but we eventually got it to work."

"We'll show you tomorrow morning." Emmett said. "It was pretty cute, actually."

"Aw." I said, stroking Robert's soft fur. "I can't wait to see it." I was glad the boys were having fun with the kitten. He seemed to fit right in to the family, nicely.

I was really tired, and I think even Edward was nodding off a little, so we decided to go up to bed. We tucked Robbie in on his pile of towels and blankets, before we slowly undressed each other. Edward leaned down and kissed along the top of my shoulder, as his hands softly moved over my body.

Edward shut out the light, before taking my hand and leading me to bed. We climbed under the covers and laid on our sides, chest to chest. I leaned in to kiss Edward's lips, and he smiled against mine, as he rubbed my hip.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too, Edward." I said, closing my eyes. I felt myself falling asleep, but I forced myself to stay up. "Baby, don't let me sleep in tomorrow. I have to cook." I mumbled. I heard Edward chuckling, and felt his fingers run through my hair.

"Okay." He agreed. "Go to sleep, honey." I smiled and snuggled up to his warm body, before letting myself drift off to sleep.

I woke up in the morning to a back rub, and I smiled into my pillow. "Why are you so perfect?" I asked, my voice sounding raspy.

Edward laughed. "I'm not perfect. I just wanted an excuse to touch your body." He said, making me laugh.

"You don't need an excuse." I told him, rolling over onto my back. Edward smiled at me and leaned in to squeeze my boobs. It was such a guy thing to do, and it made me laugh.

"Did that tickle?" He asked, sliding his hands down my sides.

"No. You're just such a guy." I said, still giggling.

Edward laughed, and laid down beside me, rubbing my back. "I am very much a guy, sexy girl." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Edward it's still dark." I said. "What time is it?"

"It's five in the morning." He said, making me groan. I flopped over onto my stomach and closed my eyes. Edward started laughing, as he rubbed my back. "Too early?" He asked. "You mumbled something about cooking last night, and you told me not to let you sleep in."

"How are you awake this early?" I asked.

"I don't know. I'm just excited to be around you, so I always just wake up. It gives me time to watch you sleep." He said. "Wait, that sounded creepy." He laughed. I giggled and opened my eyes to look at Edward.

"It didn't sound creepy. It was romantic." I told him, making him smile. "But can we sleep for just a little longer?"

"Of course, Bella." He said, snuggling up close to me. He hummed, and I smiled, before passing out, again.

I woke up on my own. It was still dark in the room, and Edward was asleep this time. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. He was so handsome. I picked Robbie up from his blankets on the floor and gave him a kiss, before I set him in bed with Edward. The kitten curled up with his daddy, and I smiled at how priceless they were.

I went into the bathroom to have a shower. I skipped the make up, dried my hair and brushed my teeth, before walking into Edward's room in just my towel. I slipped on some black cotton panties, and a white cotton bra before pulling on my purple ribbed tank and a pair of jean cut-offs. We were hiking. I wasn't going to go overboard.

I walked over to the bed and straddled Edward's hips. He was laying on his stomach and I decided that he needed a back rub, too. He groaned as he woke up. "That feels so good, babe." He said, making me smile.

"That was the plan." I said, leaning in to kiss him between his shoulder blades. "I'm going down to make the picnic for the hike."

"No more snuggles?" He asked and I giggled.

"No more snuggles." I said, getting off the bed. I slapped Edward's sexy bum, before picking up my kitten and walking to the door.

"I'll be right down." He groaned, closing his eyes, again. He was so not going to be right down. I laughed. I loved this man.

I went into the kitchen and after feeding Robbie, I found the ingredients for a cold pasta salad and sandwiches. I quickly got to work, and was singing to myself, as no one else was downstairs yet. I was just finishing up when I turned around and saw Esme and Carlisle. I jumped, holding my hand to my heart.

"Good morning, Bella." Carlisle said, smiling, as he sat down at the table with the newspaper. "You're up early."

Esme came over to me and pulled me into a hug, kissing my cheek. "What did you make?"

"Yeah, I had Edward get me up early. I promised Emmett I would make a picnic lunch for our hike." I explained. "It's just pasta salad and sandwiches."

"Sounds like Em. So, where's Edward?" Carlisle asked, smiling. "He's usually everywhere you are."

I smiled. "Yeah, I think he fell asleep, again." I said, laughing softly. "I was going to get him when I finished cooking." I looked up and my handsome fiancé wandered into the kitchen in some khaki cargo shorts, a tight black shirt and he was wearing the sexiest smile as he looked right at me. If his parents weren't in the room, I would have been all over him. He was drop dead gorgeous.

Edward patted his dad on the shoulder and gave his mom a soft kiss on the cheek, before walking right over to me. He looked predatory and hungry, but definitely not for food. He leaned down and pressed a kiss on my lips, before taking my hand and leading me to the back door.

"We'll be right back." Edward said to his parents as we slipped out the back door. I heard them laughing before Edward shut the door. He reached down, setting his hands on my bum, and lifted me up, leaning my back against the house. I set my hands on his shoulders, and he smirked at me, before leaning in to kiss me.

The kiss was hard, deep and needy. I had no idea what had gotten into him this morning, but whatever it was, I loved it. I pulled back to breathe, and Edward started kissing and biting at my neck.

"Ah, baby." I whispered, running my fingers through the hair on the back of his head. "What is this about?"

He looked up at my face and smiled, before leaning in to kiss me. "I just love you, and you looked so sexy standing in the kitchen this morning. You're wearing short shorts, and no make up, and Bella, you look incredible." He explained, making me smile. "Plus you left me alone in bed this morning. I'm feeling a little needy."

I giggled. "I can feel that, actually." I said, looking down to where my legs were wrapped around his hips. Edward laughed, grinding into me a little, and making us both groan.

The back door opened, and Esme peeked out. "Breakfast." She called, before closing the door.

I blushed, leaning forward and resting my head on Edward's shoulder. "I love you, but any teasing we get is all on you." I said, as he set me down.

He laughed. "Understood." He said, as we walked to the door. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and stood behind me.

"Then, why are you using me for a shield?" I asked, teasing him. I would honestly never complain about being held closely to Edward's body.

"Well, let's just say that my body still wants you." He whispered in my ear, before kissing my cheek. I laughed, shaking my head. My Edward was insatiable. And with the way he was acting this morning, I wasn't sure taking him in the woods was such a good idea. Or maybe, it was an amazing idea.


	522. Tricks and Trails

**A/N - Happy Sunday! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 522 - Tricks and Trails

Edward and I went back in the kitchen, and thankfully no one else was downstairs, yet, except Esme and Carlisle. In all likelihood, Emmett would have noticed Edward hiding behind me, and teased us. We definitely lucked out this morning.

"Everything alright there, Edward?" Carlisle asked, looking up from the paper.

"Uh, yeah." He said, looking over at me, and shrugging. He always wanted me to get him out of these embarrassing situations. I just laughed, because I had warned him that he had to take the blame for the teasing. Edward smirked at me. He was so going to get me back. "Yeah, you know how it is, right dad?"

Carlisle chuckled. "I understand." He said. "I was young once, too." I smiled. Carlisle was a really cool dad.

Esme made us blueberry pancakes, which I was enjoying immensely. I looked over at Edward and he was watching my lips as I licked the butter from them. I looked down at my plate and giggled. I had this boy wrapped around my finger so tightly. And I loved it.

The more things we tried in the bedroom, the more comfortable I was becoming. And not just where sex was concerned, but with myself in general. I was gaining confidence as a woman.

I was feeling empowered, lately, and Edward was a huge part of that. He constantly reassured me, he told me how smart and pretty I was. But, more than that, he supported me. He never questioned me, so I was learning not to doubt myself. Because of Edward, I was a better person, and I loved him for it.

So, what did all that mean? It meant that I had the courage to flirt with Edward, or tease him. It meant that I felt comfortable to initiate sex. I meant that I felt comfortable to talk to him about anything and everything. And all of that made me feel like an equal partner in our relationship. I was the happiest I had ever been, and I was glad that I could share that with Edward.

Emmett and Jasper came downstairs, all dressed and ready for our hike. Poor Emmett still had his sling on. "How's the shoulder, son." Carlisle asked him, seemingly reading my mind. I bit my lip, seriously hoping that Edward's dad wasn't psychic.

"It feels good." Emmett said, sitting at the island. "Do I still need to wear the sling? I'm feeling a little lame."

Carlisle chuckled. "It's not lame, Emmett. I'm just going to keep reminding you that if you want to play football this season, you'll wear the sling until practice on Monday."

Emmett sighed. "Fine."

Edward laughed at his brother. "Don't be a baby about it. You know Rose is spoiling you this week." Edward said, making Emmett chuckle.

"Yeah, good point." Emmett said, smiling to himself.

We all finished breakfast and went into the family room. Alice still hadn't came downstairs, so Esme went up to check on her. Jasper wanted to show me the tricks he taught Robert.

We all sat on the floor and Jasper had a small handful of kitty treats in his hand. Robbie kept trying to walk over to me, and Jasper kept picking him up and moving the kitten in front of him.

Jasper laughed. "He's distracted." He said, looking up at us.

"Set him on the coffee table, Jazz." Edward suggested. Emmett picked him up and put him on the table. Robbie meowed but stood still.

"Okay, get ready for this." Emmett said, smiling. The boys looked so cute. Jasper brought his hand over Robert's head. He looked up at the treat and when he couldn't tip his head back any farther, he sat down.

"Aw, Robbie. Good boy." I said, scooping Robbie up and giving him a hug. He meowed at me, and I kissed his nose.

"Very impressive." Edward said, smiling. "What did the girls think, last night?"

"Oh, they were impressed." Emmett said, lifting his eyebrows up and down. "Girls go crazy for baby animals." I giggled as I snuggled my baby. The boys were right with that assessment. It was something about those little eyes and button nose.

Esme ran downstairs. "Carlisle, Alice is sick." She said frantically. Carlisle jumped up and ran upstairs, and Edward was right behind him.

The doorbell rang and Emmett jumped up to get the door. Rose and Maria followed him in to the family room. The girls looked so excited, and were dressed in shorts and hiking boots. Maria had a cute sun visor on. She sat beside Jasper on the couch, and he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Alice is sick. Do you think we should still go for our hike?" Jasper asked me, looking upset.

"Oh, no. Is she okay?" Maria asked, reaching over to hold Jasper's hand.

"We don't know, yet." I said. "We'll see what Edward says when he come's down."

Edward came back down the stairs, and sat beside me on the couch. "Alice has the flu." Edward told us. "My dad thinks it's a twenty four hour bug, and that she should be feeling better by tomorrow."

"Aw, poor girl." I said, leaning into Edward's shoulder. "Does she need anything?"

"Actually, she wants to snuggle with Robbie." Edward said. "I'll just take the kitten up to her, and then we can go for our hike. She just needs to sleep today." Edward took Robbie from me, and jogged back up the stairs.

I felt back for Alice, but I was glad that she would be feeling better for Heidi's shower on Sunday. I knew she would hate to miss it. When Edward came back downstairs, we all went out to the cars and started the drive up to Lake Ozette.

We had to take some secondary roads to get there, as this hike was way more isolated than the usual hikes we took. But fortunately for us, there were bathrooms up there. It was only an hour drive, too, so that was a perk.

Jasper and Maria were talking in the back seat on the drive up, and Edward was holding my hand. I could tell he was worried about his baby sister, but he was doing his best to smile.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly, interlocking our fingers as we drove. There were trees on both sides of the road, and we were literally driving through the forest.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Bella. I just worry about her, that's all." He said. "But, she looked really happy with the kitten in her arms."

"She'll be alright, Edward. She's got her mommy and daddy, and that's all a little girl needs when she's sick." I told him. And that made him smile. I knew instantly that he was thinking of being a daddy himself. My Edward was such a family man. Edward glanced over at me, and I smiled back at him. We would be parents, but not for a few years.

Edward parked at the lake and Maria and I ran to the outhouses. I had thankfully brought hand sanitizer. Emmett waited with us girls while the guys used the bathrooms before we started the hike. We put on our backpacks with our water and food and cameras, and took the south boardwalk trail which lead to Sand Point, so we could see the petroglyphs.

It took us about an hour and a half to hike to the Wedding Rock, the site of the petroglyphs. The whole path was made of wood and we had a rocky beach to the left of us, and a forest to the right. It was a fairly easy hike, and while we walked as a group when we started out, we eventually paired off with Edward and I trailing the group.

We had fallen a little behind when Edward stopped me, and pulled me into his arms, leaning in for a deep kiss. I smiled at him when he pulled back. "Love you, baby." He whispered. He reached his hand down and rubbed my bum cheek.

"I love you, too, handsome." I said, giggling at how handsy he was. "And I have to tell you, Edward, you look so hot in this outfit." Edward smirked at me, and I bit my lip. I loved that look. It was entirely too sexy to handle.

I pushed Edward backward until his back was against a tree. I grabbed his hands and brought them up to my chest. Edward smiled, and followed my lead, letting his hands roam and caress my chest. "God, baby. I wish we were in our bedroom." He breathed.

I smiled as I reached between his legs and gave him a little squeeze, which made him groan. "Don't you think it's more fun like this? We could get caught at anytime." I said, making Edward smile.

"You like the crazy stuff, huh?" Edward asked, turning us around so my back was against the tree.

"I do, Edward, but you're going to squish the sandwiches, and then you'll have to answer to your brothers." I said, running up the path. I heard Edward laugh, as he jogged up behind me.

"Well, after we eat lunch, and you have nothing in your backpack to squish, we'll have some fun on the way back to the car." Edward suggested, smiling. I loved that plan.


	523. Petroglyphs and Perfection

**A/N - The date in the story is Friday, August 20, 2010. Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 523 - Petroglyphs and Perfection

Edward and I caught up to his brothers and the girls. The view of the lake was incredible and luckily for us, no one else was up here. It was nice and isolated and it made the lake seem so beautiful. There were huge waves on the lake, and the wind was picking up. But, luckily, the breeze was warm. I took a few pictures of the scenery, and a couple of my sexy fiancé, making him laugh.

Edward took my hand and led me over to the petroglyphs to join the group. And being as amazing and smart and passionate about Washington as he was, Edward told us all about the Makah and Ozette tribes that carved the petroglyphs. Apparently, they were over three hundred years old, and they depicted whale hunts, fishing, ships and even masks. They were so beautiful and I felt incredibly lucky to have got to see them.

We all took turns taking each other's pictures in front of the rock, and the lake. "Okay, I'm hungry." Emmett said, making us laugh.

We all walked down to the shore, where the beach was sandy and comfortable to sit on. Edward took off his backpack and pulled out a couple of blankets for us. We all sat down and I pulled out the sandwiches and pasta salad containers from my bag, and Maria brought out the container of apple tarts she made.

I knew how excited she was to cook something for Jasper. And he did not disappoint her. He had an apple tart before he ate lunch, and Maria couldn't get the smile off of her face. She was thrilled, and, again, I couldn't get over their adorableness.

We all had a great lunch, laughing and joking around. Emmett was excited to start back to football practice on Monday, and honestly, I had missed going while he was injured. Seeing the boys excel in their athletics had been a definite highlight for me this summer.

Edward and I only had about two weeks left of summer vacation, and I was starting to get that feeling of time running out. I really wanted to enjoy every last opportunity we had with Edward's family, as well as with my dad and Heidi.

Jasper, Maria, Emmett and Rose all got up to play in the lake, and Edward and I loaded all the containers back into the backpacks. Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled us both down on the blanket so we were laying beside each other.

"We've got ourselves a little alone time." He whispered in my ear, making me laugh. He started to nibble on my earlobe and I pushed his chest back.

"No, we don't, Edward." I said. "You're brothers are about twenty feet away from us."

Edward pulled me back to his chest, looking so happy and amused. "Bella, they have their own girlfriends. They're not going to looking over here at us." He said. "I could probably take this pretty tank top off and see which lovely bra you're wearing, and no one would even notice."

I laughed really hard at that. I had my back to the water, so I pulled down the front of my tank top, uncovering my boobs, so Edward could see my boring, white cotton bra. "Not very exciting, right?" I said, looking up at Edward's eyes.

He smiled and brought his finger up to run back and forth along my collarbone. "Bella, everything about you excites me." He said, making me smile at his continual sweetness. He brought his finger down and started tracing circles over the cups of my bra. "And I can see your nipples through this bra, baby." He whispered, making my cheeks flush.

I was so incredibly turned on in that moment. I had no idea how he did it, but Edward always knew the exact right thing to say. Edward ducked his head down and pressed an open mouth kiss on my breast over my bra, before he pulled my tank top back up.

I groaned and leaned in to Edward's lips, giving him a nice hard kiss. "I'm glad you approve of my outfit." I breathed when I pulled back from his lips. "And, Edward. We're going to have to find somewhere private, soon."

Edward chuckled, leaning in to lick my lips, before sitting up. "Sounds like my little girl is a little turned on." He said, making me shut my eyes. He just had to add in the dirty talk. "Come on." He said, standing up and taking my hands to help me up. "Let's get you in the cold water."

I laughed. "You're mean, you know that?" I said, bending over to take off my hiking boots. Edward grabbed my bum with both hands from behind me.

"I'm not mean." He laughed. "I think we could both use a little cooling off. At least until we get home."

I stood up and smiled at him. "I agree." I said, running my hands over his chest. "As long as I get a rain check."

Edward and I ran into the lake to join Emmett, Rose, Jasper and Maria. The water was cold, but it felt great as the waves lapped at our legs. Rose and I stood together and moved our toes back and forth in the sand, trying to bury our feet. It felt really cool, and we were laughing because we had to hang onto each other so the waves didn't push us over.

I was having an amazing time, and I didn't want the day to end. But, unfortunately, we still had an hour and a half hike through the woods, and most importantly, to the bathrooms. That was the one downfall of hiking in more isolated areas, but the beauty of this park was something that I would never forget.

As we hiked back, Emmett kept telling us jokes. We were all laughing so hard at him, and I wouldn't have minded if my bladder wasn't about to burst. Emmett thought it was hilarious, and Edward suggested that I pee in the bushes off the path.

"Edward, eww. No." I said, looping my arm with his, and pulling him along the path.

"I'm serious, Bella." He said. "Just squat down. No one else is out here."

"It would be my luck that a bear would show up and eat me, because I couldn't run away fast enough with my shorts around my ankles." I said, making Edward laugh. "I can hold it."

"I wouldn't send you out in the woods alone, Bella." Edward said. "I'd keep watch for you."

I shook my head. "Well, that seals the deal." I said. "I'm not peeing in front of you."

"Oh, Bella." He said, chuckling. "We've peed beside each other, before. When we were camping. Remember when the power was out and you made me come in the girls' bathroom with you?"

I smiled. "Of course I remember that, Edward." I said. "That was one the most embarrassing moments of my life. Plus, we were in separate stalls."

Edward leaned down and kissed my cheek. "I love you." He said, making me smile.

Fifteen excruciating minutes later, we approached the outhouses. Edward pulled the backpack off of my shoulders, and I ran as fast as I could to use the bathroom. I knew I was going to get teased, but I didn't care.

I was just glad I didn't have to pee in the woods. With as much hiking as the Cullens did, I was sure that one day I would have to suck it up and squat behind a bush, but I had avoided it this time, and I was definitely relieved.

When I came out of the bathroom, Edward was standing there waiting for me, with a pretty blue wildflower, which he held while I used my hand sanitizer. "Thank you, Edward." I said, when he passed it to me, and kissed my lips, softly.

"You're welcome." He said, smiling. "Feel better?"

I giggled, blushing a little. "Way better." I said. "I'm sorry we didn't get to fool around on the hike back like we'd planned." I whispered.

Edward chuckled, taking my hand and leading me over to the car. "Baby, I had fun with you on the hike back." He said. "Plus we had some alone time on the beach." He whispered, winking at me, and making me giggle.

We all got back in the car, and Emmett and Rose got back in the truck. Maria rested her head on Jasper's shoulder, and shut her eyes. Jasper wrapped his arm around her shoulders and leaned his head on top of hers. It was so sweet.

We got back to Forks at about three thirty in the afternoon. My dad had invited us over for dinner tonight, but I think Edward wanted to check on Alice. Edward stopped at the florist and I went in with him. We picked Alice out a bright pink and yellow bunch of gerbera daisies. Edward was the best brother in the world the way he spoiled her.

We got back home and Jasper, Emmett and the girls went downstairs to watch movies, and Edward and I went upstairs to check on Alice. She was laying in her bed in her pyjamas with a wet face cloth on her forehead. Robbie was curled up on her stomach, fast asleep. She smiled when Edward passed her the flowers.

"Hi, guys." She said, batting her eyelashes. "Thanks."

"How's my little princess?" Edward asked, leaning over to kiss her cheek. Robbie wandered over to me, and I picked him up, before sitting at the end of the bed.

"My tummy hurts." She said, pouting.

"Aw, come here." Edward said, sitting on her bed, and picking her up to sit on his lap. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and Edward rubbed her back for her. He started singing her a soft lullaby. I smiled over at him. The perfect brother.


	524. Time

**A/N - This chapter covers the end of Friday, August 20, 2010. Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 524 - Time

Alice was sleeping on Edward's chest, and he kept rubbing her back for her. "I'm going to go feed Robbie." I whispered, and he nodded, winking at me. It made me smile, just watching Edward with her. His family was his whole world, and I knew it bothered him that Alice was sick. He always wanted her to be happy, and I loved that about him.

I walked downstairs and found Esme and Carlisle in the kitchen. Carlisle was working on some paperwork, and Esme was making soup. "Hi, sweetheart." Esme said, when I walked in the room and set Robbie in his litter box. "How was the hike?"

"It was a lot of fun." I said. "I love that Edward knows so much about Washington. The petroglyphs on the rocks are amazing."

"He's a good kid." Carlisle said, smiling. "Is he upstairs with Alice?"

"Yeah, I think he wanted to spend some time her before we go have dinner with my dad tonight." I said, scooping some kitty food on a plate for Robbie. "She's sleeping on his lap."

"I'm glad she's sleeping. Hopefully she'll be all better for her daddy to watch her tomorrow." Esme said, smiling, and making Carlisle chuckle. It was obvious how excited Esme was for a girls day. "What time are we leaving for Port Angeles tomorrow morning, Bella?"

I held back a smile. "Um, I'll have to have Heidi call you. But I'm guessing around nine." I told her. I still couldn't believe I had agreed to go lingerie shopping with my future step mom and my future mother in law. It was going to be an interesting morning for sure.

"So, when we get back, are we going to make the desserts and sandwiches for the shower together?" Esme asked. I smiled. I loved that she wanted to include me in this bridal shower so much.

"Absolutely." I said, smiling.

Esme and I sat at the island, flipping through her recipe books, and picked out a couple of ideas for the shower. We decided on vanilla cupcakes, lemon scones, cucumber finger sandwiches and chicken salad in tart shells. And of course, lots of tea. We wanted to make it an authentic tea party.

Edward came downstairs at around five o'clock. He looked like he just woke up, as his hair was standing up on one side. "How's the little patient?" Carlisle asked Edward.

"Oh, she's sound asleep." He said, stretching his arms above his head. "I must have passed out." He chuckled, making me smile. He walked over to wrap his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder.

I set my hands on his arms, lightly rubbing my hands over them. "You ready to go back to your place?" He asked, before kissing my cheek.

"Yeah, we should probably head out." I said, getting up. I gave Esme a hug and we said our goodbyes before packing up Robbie and heading back to my place. I was excited to hang out with my dad and Heidi.

We got back home and found my dad and Heidi in the kitchen, cooking together. It was so cute to see my dad actually trying to cook. Heidi was so good for him. And, as usual, they were laughing together.

"Hey, daddy." I said, walking into the kitchen and giving him a big hug.

"Hey, kiddo." He said, kissing the top of my head. "How was the hike?"

"It was great." I said, going over to give Heidi a hug, before sitting at the table beside Edward.

"You should have seen Bella sprint on the way back to the car. I've never seen her run that fast." Edward said, smiling. I looked over at him, and smacked his shoulder, making him laugh. I should have known the teasing wouldn't stop.

"Well, it's not my fault that the park didn't think to put bathrooms along the trail." I defended, making my dad and Edward laugh. "What? That would be a genius idea." I said.

"You're right, Bella." Heidi said, bringing a salad over to the table. "Men must have designed these parks. They just don't get it."

"Have I told you how nice it is to have another girl around here?" I said to Heidi, making her smile.

Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "Oh, you love me." He said, making me giggle.

We all shared a great dinner of pork chops, fried potatoes and salad before going outside to play horseshoes. I was actually getting better at it, and my dad seemed pretty proud of me. The four of us truly felt like a family.

Before bed, Heidi said that she wanted to head out to Port Angeles at eight thirty. She was going to call Esme and let her know. I was in for a long and embarrassing morning, I was sure. My dad asked Edward to go shooting with him the next morning, and I was so touched. It was nice that my fiancé and dad could spend time together. I guess Edward wouldn't be missing me too much while I was gone.

Edward and I went upstairs, and after putting Robbie to bed, we stripped out of our clothes before crawling into bed together. It felt good to be back in his arms like this. I ran my fingers through his hair and he hummed. "So, you're going shooting tomorrow, huh?" I said, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. "I'm sorry I'm going to miss it. You look so sexy with a gun in your hands."

Edward chuckled. "You're so cute, baby." He said, rubbing his hands up and down my back, from my shoulders to my bum. "I'm the one that's going to be missing out. You're going to be trying on lacy little numbers, and I won't get to see it."

I giggled. "Well, if I survive the embarrassment of tomorrow morning, I'll give you a little fashion show when I get home." I promised him, making him smile.

"Mm. You know my weakness for fashion shows. Especially those that involve my sexy fiancé in lingerie." Edward said, snuggling his face into my neck. He lightly bit my skin, before licking it. I hummed, which encouraged Edward to keep kissing lower and lower until he disappeared under the covers.

I giggled as he circled my belly button with his tongue, but moaned when he moved back up to my breasts. I lifted the covers up off of his head so I could see him. He looked up at me and winked before disappearing back under the blankets. I felt so good when he touched me like this.

Surprisingly, for us, Edward and I hadn't had made love today, and the only fooling around we did today was on the hike. I was honestly surprised that Edward had behaved himself all day.

Edward crawled up my body, and kissed my lips. "I want to make love to you." He whispered, biting lightly at my lips.

I hummed. "Mm. What are you waiting for?" I asked, making Edward smile. He leaned over to the drawer and grabbed a condom, before pulling me into his arms. He hummed and just held me close to his chest.

"I want to take my time, gorgeous." He whispered, capturing my lips in hot kiss. My Edward was so romantic. He made love to me soft and slow, constantly kissing me, and touching me and just breathing me in.

Edward and I were getting a little more experienced at this, but yet, every time felt different and better. I loved being with Edward. Making love to each other gave us that chance to express those deeper feelings that you just couldn't say with words.

After we cleaned up, we snuggled back together to go to sleep. The only problem was that I couldn't. I just wanted to soak up as much time with Edward as possible, because I knew the next couple of days were going to busy, and we wouldn't get much time to be alone together.

On paper, one could argue that we were moving to Seattle and would be alone then, but I felt like I couldn't go a day without him. I needed him now. I always needed him. And when we got back to school, I was worried that with our homework, we wouldn't get this chance to just be us.

Edward reached up and ran his fingers through my hair. "Why aren't you sleeping, honey?" He asked me, leaning in to kiss my forehead.

"I'm just trying to enjoy the moment." I told him. "And you're not sleeping either." I said, making him chuckle, softly.

"Well, maybe I wanted to enjoy the moment, too." He said, making me giggle. "What are you thinking about?" He asked, before kissing my lips.

"Oh, just that I hope we get time to relax like this once we're back in Seattle." I confessed.

Edward nodded. "We will, Bella." He said, sounding serious, but honest. "School's going to be a lot of work, but you are my world. We'll make time." I smiled, which made Edward smile back. That reassurance must have done the trick, because in a minutes, I was out like a light.


	525. Morning in Bed

**A/N - Happy Wednesday! Today's chapter takes place on Saturday, August 21, 2010. Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 525 - Morning in Bed

I woke up on Saturday morning to the alarm. I had set it to go off at six thirty, which, to be honest, was just wrong on a Saturday. Edward was wrapped around my body from behind and was holding me so tightly, I couldn't move to reach the alarm.

I leaned over and my fingers were about six inches from the snooze button. I tried to wriggle forward but Edward wouldn't let go. I looked over my shoulder and he was still asleep. I loved that he wanted to hold me, even in unconsciousness, but the beeping was driving me crazy.

I reached back and pinched his bum cheek making him groan. "Edward. Wake up." I said. "Let me go for a minute."

He smiled, and opened one eye. "I'll give you ten seconds." He said, letting me go. I smiled as I leaned over and shut off my alarm before flicking on the lamp. I snuggled back in Edward's arms, this time, facing him.

"Is that how we're going to wake up everyday when we go back to school?" Edward groaned. "An annoying alarm and a bum pinch? Because with the exception of your hands on my ass, I don't like it."

I giggled, and Edward smiled. "We can have the alarm set to radio, if you'll wake up to it. Because I'll sleep through music. I need to be jolted out of sleep." I explained. "But apparently, you can't even wake up to the beeping."

"I was awake." He said with a smirk. "I just didn't want to move. You're so soft and warm and comfortable. And you smell so good."

"How could I possibly smell good?" I asked, smiling at him. "I haven't had a shower yet."

"I don't know how you do it, but you smell like flowers and fresh fruit, all the time." Edward said, leaning in to press a kiss to my lips. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the moment, even though it was way too short. I opened my eyes and Edward was looking at me.

I smiled at him, and he winked at me, making me giggle. "Are you putting the moves on me?" I asked, making him laugh.

"The moves? I have moves?" Edward asked, still laughing, and I nodded my head in agreement. "Do I still need moves?"

That got me laughing. "You're just a natural at flirting." I told him. "You smirk or wink at me and it gives me butterflies."

"I still give you butterflies?" He asked, lightly tracing his fingertips up and down my spine as he looked into my eyes.

"Everyday, Edward." I told him, honestly. "I'm just that smitten with you."

Edward chuckled, and kissed my lips again. "I love that, Bella." He said, smiling. "And I know what you're saying. Every time I look at you, I still can't believe you're mine."

"Aw." I said, running my fingers though his hair. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby." He said, before sighing. "I don't want to have a shower without you this morning."

I laughed. "Well, you're going to have to. My dad is home and we're not crossing that line." I said, making Edward nod in agreement.

"Can we snuggle for a minute more, then?" He asked, and I smiled.

"I would love that." I said, leaning in to kiss his chin. I kissed a path along his sexy jaw line, before nipping at his earlobe. Edward groaned, encouraging me to continue. I kissed down his neck to his chest and bit him again. I started sucking and licking at the same place.

Edward was moaning and I could tell he liked what I was doing, because his hand traveled down my back to my bum, and he getting a little adventurous with his touches. I pulled back and looked at my handy work. Edward had a nice little hickey on his sexy pec.

"Mm, baby." Edward said, looking down at his chest. "A Bella bite. It's been too long since I've gotten one of those."

I giggled, loving his playful side. "Well, we're going to have change that, aren't we?" I said, biting my bottom lip.

Edward groaned. "You look so sexy right now." He breathed, bringing his hand up to pull my lip from my teeth. He brought his hand up to cradle my cheek, before leaning in to kiss me passionately.

This was my favourite part of waking up with Edward. He always wanted to snuggle or talk or kiss. We had these moments where we could bond with each other, and reconnect and I lived for this. It was just us, no interruptions.

Edward pulled back looking into my eyes and I smiled because his were gleaming. He brought his head down to kiss my chest. He started sucking on the top of my boob, right where my cleavage was, and I stopped him, pulling on his hair. "No, baby. Lower." I breathed. "The wedding. I can't have any marks."

Edward chuckled against my skin, moving his way down to the underside of my breast. He licked my skin, and I giggled. It tickled, and I felt Edward laugh. He was enjoying this way too much. He kept moving lower and finally settled on a spot just inside my hip bone.

He started sucking at my skin, and I was humming as his hand caressed my inner thigh while he worked away at my love bite. I loved that Edward and I were doing this, again. It was fun and innocent, and such a teenager thing for us to do.

Edward kissed his way back up to my lips, but left his fingers down between my legs to work their magic. "You are so gorgeous, baby." He breathed into my ear. I turned my face and buried it into his shoulder, trying to keep quiet. "Mm. I love touching you, Bella. You're body is so soft, and you respond so easily to my touch."

I hummed, loving the dirty talk. I turned my head up and kissed his lips as I let go. I dropped my head back, breathing heavily. "Mm, Edward." I said, fighting to keep my eyes open. "That was incredible."

Edward chuckled. "And that was just my fingers." He said, making me blush.

"Mm. Don't tease, Edward. We don't have much time." I said, smiling. "Plus, I need to give you something to remember me by today."

Edward laughed. "Oh, yeah? What's that?" He asked.

"A little satisfaction." I said, blushing as I said it. I pulled the covers back, enjoying the beautiful view that was Edward's naked, turned on body.

I hopped up off the bed and ran to my dresser to grab the massage oil. I looked over at Edward laying in bed with his arms tucked under his head. He looked entirely too comfortable.

"Bella, you look so sexy walking around naked." He said, making me smile as I climbed back onto the bed.. "Are you going to do this in our apartment?"

I giggled. "Maybe if you're lucky." I said, making him smile. "And only if you do it, too." I added, giggling.

"I'd do it in a heartbeat." He said. "But, with this body," he said, moving his hand in the air over his body, "you'd never get your homework done."

I started laughing at his craziness. "You're right, sexy boy." I said, pouring some oil on my hand. I rubbed my hands together, and started caressing his hips, lower abs, and everywhere but where he wanted my hands.

Edward's breathing picked up and he ran his hand along my leg. I took him in my hands, hoping to make him feel as good as he did for me. I was getting a lot more comfortable touching him, and just watching Edward's face, I couldn't help but feel confident. Edward and I held each other's gaze until I brought him over the edge.

He dropped his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes, a smile pulling at his lips. I leaned over to grab Edward's t-shirt from the floor and wiped up his chest and abs for him. I got up on my knees and leaned over his face, before pressing a kiss to his open lips.

"Wow, Bella." He breathed, smiling. "That was incredible." I tossed the t-shirt on the floor and wrapped my arms around him, kissing his cheek. "I love you, beautiful."

I smiled, kissing him again. "I love you, too, babe." I said. "Now, have you had your Bella fix to get you through the morning while I'm gone?"

Edward chuckled. "I'll never get enough of you, sexy." He said and I smiled. "But, I want you to go and have an amazing time this morning. Just know that I'll be thinking about you, okay?"

"Aw. You're all I'm going to be thinking about, too." I said. "Like which pieces of lingerie are going to turn you on."

Edward laughed. "Baby, you know I'll love it all."


	526. Girls and Giggles

**A/N - Happy Thursday! I know some of you are lucky enough to see Breaking Dawn: Part 1 tonight...but I don't get to see it until Sunday! So, I have to put it out there...no spoilers, please...I've been avoiding previews and trailers, too, for the full experience. But, anyway, back to fan fiction, and lingerie shopping. And, Edward's little story is based on my mom. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 526 - Girls and Giggles

Edward and I finally forced ourselves to get out of bed. Edward had an amazingly fast five minute shower while I fed the kitten and cleaned up his litter box. Edward came back into my room, and dropped his towel, making me giggle.

I watched him get dressed in a pair of black boxer briefs, his comfy jeans and a grey t-shirt. He looked so sexy. I loved this outfit, because even though he wasn't trying to look hot, he just was.

Edward picked up the kitten and pulled me into a hug. "You'd better get in that shower, gorgeous. You don't want to be late for lingerie shopping." He said, kissing the top of my head.

"I'm pretty sure you are way more excited about this than I am." I said, as he walked me across the hall to the bathroom. "Just imagine going shopping for underwear with my dad." I laughed.

Edward chuckled, sitting the toilet lid while I got in the shower. "Bella. I have horrible memories as a kid standing in the underwear aisle with my mom. She used to take them out of the plastic packages and stretch the elastic to see if they would fit me." Edward said, making laugh.

"Oh, my god, Edward." I said, still giggling. "She did not."

"She did, Bella." He sighed. "She would make grown men turn the other way in embarrassment. So, trust me when I say that no matter what happens to you today, I can truly relate."

"Aw, you must have been so cute with your little ears all red." I said, peeking out at him from behind the shower curtain.

He laughed and shook his head. "I was too embarrassed to be cute." He said.

"Well, I'll be happy to commiserate with you tonight." I said, as I rinsed the conditioner from my hair. "Maybe she'll stretch a thong in front of me." I heard Edward laugh and it made me smile.

"Bella, just so you know, you can stretch panties in front of me anytime." He said, and I laughed.

"You, Edward Anthony Cullen, are such a guy." I said, stepping out of the shower.

I grabbed a towel and dried off, and Edward seemed to be enjoying the show, as he snuggled with Robbie. I wrapped my towel around my body and went to stand by the mirror to scrunch my hair with gel. I put on a little make up and brushed my teeth, before I walked back to my room with Edward on my heels. I slipped on a pair of black shorts and my dressy, flowy purple tank.

"Stunning." Edward said, making me smile.

"Thank you." I said, going to my dresser, and picking up a necklace to put on. It was the stone heart necklace that Edward made me for our third anniversary. I loved it, and I wanted to take a piece of him with me today.

Edward smiled and leaned into kiss me. We went downstairs and I smiled when I caught my dad and Heidi kissing against the kitchen counter. It was cute, but I could have done without seeing his hand on her bum.

"Good morning." I said, making them break apart.

"Good morning, kiddo, Edward." My dad said, smiling at us. "You ready to head down to the range, Edward?" He asked, as we sat down to a breakfast of hash browns and bacon. "I was thinking we could try out the shotgun."

Edward smiled. "Sounds great, Charlie." I smiled because I could tell that Edward really meant it. We finished breakfast just as the doorbell rang.

"Oh, it's probably Esme" Heidi said, jumping up to run to the door. She looked so excited about our little trip this morning. Esme came in the kitchen with Heidi, and they were already giggling. "Come on, Bella. Let's get on the road." I bit my lip. I was honestly a little nervous for this trip, now.

I heard Edward chuckle under his breath, before he leaned over to kiss my cheek. "Text me if you need me." He whispered, making me giggle. "I love you."

I got up and rubbed his shoulder, leaning down to kiss his lips. "I love you, too, baby." I said. I gave my dad a tight hug. "I love you, daddy. You boys have fun."

"Love you, too, Bells. And, we'll be at the shooting range. It's impossible not to have fun, right Edward?" My dad said, making me smile.

"That's right, sir." Edward said, before getting up to give his mom a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Have a good time, girls." He added making Esme and Heidi giggle, again. My dad chuckled, before kissing Heidi.

Heidi got in the front seat with Esme, and I sat in the backseat. I looked back at the house and Edward and my dad waved at us from the front door. I smiled at them and waved. I had the best dad and the best fiancé a girl could ever ask for.

"Okay, ladies." Esme said as we turned onto the highway to Port Angeles. "It's time for girl talk." Heidi giggled and I tried to disappear into the seat.

I loved both Heidi and Esme, and they were amazing confidants when I needed someone to talk to. But, now that Edward and I were physically intimate, I prided myself on keeping that part of my relationship private, except with Angie, but best friends don't count.

Heidi and Esme started talking about erogenous zones, and I immediately pulled out my cell phone to send Edward a text. 'Help me,' was all I wrote and I had to hold back a giggle when Edward sent me a message right back. 'Already?' I knew without a doubt that my dad would never talk to Edward about sex or underwear. They were probably talking about sports and shooting. Lucky guy.

By the time we arrived in Port Angeles, I had been forced to contribute to the conversation. But, I kept it sweet and told them that Edward had said I was beautiful without makeup. That little piece of information earned some 'aw's from the front seat, and made me smile over how much I loved my Edward.

Unfortunately, I had accidentally found out that my dad gave amazing foot rubs, and that Carlisle left a pair of scrubs in the bedroom. I tried to hold back the shivers, but they seemed to be involuntary.

I was actually relieved when we got to the lingerie shop. The saleswomen led us over to the honeymoon section of the store. I was surprised that there was a honeymoon section, but it was nice for Heidi.

Esme and Heidi flipped through the racks of white satins and lace. Esme held up a white lace body suit. It basically looked like a see through bathing suit with spaghetti straps. Heidi's face lit up. "I love that." She said, flipping through the rack to find her size.

I smiled. It was nice to see her so excited. "What about this one?" I asked. It was a white lace chemise, but had solid triangle cups, like a bra built in. It had little satin panties that went with it. I thought it was pretty, but really elegant at the same time.

"Oh, that's beautiful, Bella." Heidi said, walking over to me and giving me a hug. "I'm so happy that you're here." She whispered, kissing my cheek.

"Me, too." I said. I was glad that I had faced my embarrassment and came with Heidi and Esme. Yes, the situation was a little awkward, but these women were two of the closest in my life, and I was incredibly lucky to have them.

"Go try them on." Esme said. She looked so excited. I think it was good for her to have Heidi as a close friend like this. She needed the female companionship. And with Carlisle and my dad being best friends, I was thrilled that Esme and Heidi got along so well.

We followed Heidi to the dressing room area and Esme and I sat on a fancy pink love seat. Esme took my hand while we waited. "Thank you so much for coming, Bella." She said. "I know this situation is a little awkward, but Heidi wants so much to be close to you."

I actually felt myself getting a little teary when she said that. I nodded. "I feel the same way about her." I said, smiling. "And she's really lucky to have you as a friend, too." Esme giggled, squeezing my hand.

Heidi opened the door and did a little spin. She was wearing the set I picked out for her, and she looked incredible. She actually had an amazing body, and her legs were really toned.

"Wow." I said, making her smile. "My dad is a very lucky man."

"I think it's perfect." Esme said. "Charlie isn't going to know what hit him."

Heidi was absolutely glowing. She was so in love with my dad, and it was an amazing thing to see. It made me feel confident in their wedding; their marriage. My dad had been literally heartbroken when my mom left him. I knew without a doubt that Heidi would never do that do him. She loved him, and she wanted forever with him. My dad deserved that kind of love. And his bride to be was perfect for him, and looked very sexy in her lingerie.


	527. Blushing and Laughing

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all for reading! These last couple chapters are just meant for a good laugh, and not meant to be taken too seriously. Thanks, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 527 - Blushing and Laughing

Heidi tried on a few more pieces and decided on the body suit and a white satin nightgown accented with nave blue lace, just like her wedding dress. She seemed really excited and I was thrilled for her.

"Okay, ladies. Your turn." Heidi said, smiling. "Everyone knows weddings are a turn on for all woman." Esme giggled and the image of Carlisle in his scrubs in his bedroom flashed before my eyes. I let out a deep breath, hoping to cleanse that image from my mind.

Esme found a cute red slip with black lace trim. "Carlisle goes crazy for red." She added, making me laugh. I decided that I was just going to have fun instead of being embarrassed, so, naturally I was near hysterical laughter.

We went to another shop and as soon as I walked in, I saw what I was getting Edward for our engagement anniversary on Monday. It was an apron. But it was black transparent lace. The cool thing about it, was that from the front, it fit like lingerie, having lace cups, but came down to a skirt with satin pockets. It had a satin belt, and the back was completely open, like an apron.

Edward had told me that all he ever wanted from me for our anniversaries was for me to cook for him. And he had mentioned loving the apron I wore last time, even saying that aprons were the new lingerie.

I wanted it so much, but Esme was standing right next me looking at the five panties for twenty five dollars sale. Heidi came up beside me and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "Do you want to try that on?" She whispered, making me flush bright red.

"Um, maybe, yeah." I said, biting my lip. "Edward loves when I cook for him." I added, lamely.

"That's sweet, Bella." She said, making me smile. I walked over and grabbed a medium, and then ran to the dressing room, before Esme saw me. She didn't need to know that her oldest son got turned on when I wore aprons.

I let out a deep breath once I closed the door. I stripped out of my clothes but left my black cotton panties on. I slipped the apron on and tied it in a bow at the small of my back. I smiled as I looked it over. I thought it was very sexy, and I was sure that Edward would go crazy for it.

"Do we get to see it?" Heidi asked me through the door. 'We' meaning Esme was right there. I let out another deep breath, and decided, why not? It was a girls day after all. I opened the door, and both ladies smiled at me.

"Well, that is just gorgeous, Bella." Esme said. "I've never seen anything like it."

"You definitely have the body for it." Heidi said, smiling. "Now, Edward is a very lucky man."

I giggled, nervously. "Thanks. Um, I think I'm going to get this for him." I said, slipping back into the change room and shutting the door. I smiled. My boy was going to love this. Now I couldn't wait until Monday.

I got redressed and stepped out of the change room. Just when I thought the embarrassment was over, I saw Heidi and Esme standing together, each holding a small tub of chocolate body paint.

"I've never actually licked food off of someone." Heidi said, and I must have smiled, thinking about the many things, such as syrup, pudding, whipped cream and even milkshakes, that Edward and I had licked off of each other's bodies.

"You're smiling and blushing." Esme said, making me laugh.

"All I'm going to say is that you will have some fun with that." I said, giggling as I walked to the cashier to buy my sexy apron. I had the sales woman gift wrap it for Edward, so he couldn't peek before Monday.

I felt really good about this purchase. Edward always bought me gifts, and while he told me not to buy him anything, I think this piece was something that we could both have some fun with. Plus it was our one month engagement anniversary. It was a special day for us.

We decided that we were going to get some coffee and a snack before we checked the last two shops. I loved that Port Angeles had so many lingerie shops. It was like the panty capital of Washington. I loved it.

We stopped for pastries and coffee, though I had orange juice. As we were sitting there, Heidi reached in her bag and passed me a tub of the body paint from the lingerie shop. I looked at the label and it read 'Edible Chocolate Banana Body Paint.'

I started laughing at her, and she smiled at me. "That's my thank you for coming with me today." She said.

"Oh, this is for me?" I asked, assuming she was just showing me what she bought.

Esme and Heidi giggled, again. "Just pretend I'm not going to be your step mom next Saturday." Heidi said, making me smile. "Like, I'm giving you this a girlfriend. Don't tell your dad."

I laughed. "Yeah, that would never happen." I told her. "Dad will never find out about this." I said, holding up the paint. "But, thank you." I slipped the paint in my bag, smiling, because I knew that Edward would have so much fun with that gift. He definitely had a thing for licking.

"Can I ask you something?" Heidi asked quietly.

"Okay." I said, unsure of where this was going.

"Do you just slap the chocolate on with your fingers?" She asked, and I giggled.

"Okay, I'm going to share something, but Esme you have to pretend that Edward isn't your son." I said, and she nodded her head, clearly just as interested as Heidi was. "We've used pudding before. Edward drew a heart on my stomach with his fingers."

"Aw." Heidi said, making me smile. "And then he just licked it off?"

"Yeah." I agreed. "And I'm going to tell you one more thing that seems to be a turn on for guys, if we're still pretending to just be best friends." Esme and Heidi both nodded, listening eagerly. I had to hold back a giggle. It seemed that Edward and I were the kinky ones out of the group. "Suck the extra chocolate or pudding off of his fingers. That's all I'm saying."

The girls giggled and I smiled at them. Who would have thought that an eighteen year old would be giving sex tips to two women in their forties? It was a bit of a confidence boost to me. Edward and I worked hard on our physical relationship, always talking, reading, researching, communicating about what we enjoyed, what turned us on. And it was paying off for us.

I ran to the bathroom and after I washed my hands, I checked my phone. I had missed a text from my boy. 'Having fun, gorgeous? Can't wait for my fashion show. I love you.' I smiled. Edward was amazing. I wrote back. 'Blushing, but still laughing. I miss your hands on my body. Love you.'

I couldn't really promise him a fashion show, yet, as all I bought was his anniversary present, but we still had a couple of shops to look in. I had to get a new pair of panties, at least, to model for him.

We went in the third shop and I didn't see anything I liked. There was lots of red leather and metal studs. I had to laugh, as Esme and Heidi looked very uncomfortable in the store, even more than I was. Apparently, there was no leather in doctor dress up. And I didn't think that Edward and I were quite at that stage in our intimate adventures.

The last shop was cute, mostly colourful bras and panties. It was the perfect shop for me, and I felt the most comfortable here. I saw what I was going to buy for Edward's fashion show tonight. There was a cute red plaid push up bra and panty and set, with black lace trim.

I didn't really have a lot to lift in the boob department, but Edward had told me, just last week when I had said that my boobs were small, that he thought my body was extraordinary. Edward was an amazing man.

I took the set and went in the change room. I put it on and smiled. This was it. It was fun, and young and I knew Edward was going to love it. But the best part was that this bra was so comfortable. It was hard to find a good bra, and figured this one was a keeper.

I bought my bra and we all decided to head back to Forks. My dad and Heidi were going to spend the afternoon together, going for a walk and then out to dinner. I was glad that Esme and I didn't have to make excuses to keep Heidi out of the house. We had last minute surprise bridal shower preparations to work on this afternoon.

We dropped Heidi off at home, and my dad came out to give me a hug, before Esme and I went back to the Cullen house. I smiled when I saw Edward and Carlisle sitting on the porch swing together, each holding a red rose.

Esme was giggling as she parked. I had never seen her so carefree and happy as I had today, and I was glad that I was a part of it. Edward and his dad got up and walked over to the car to get our bags for us. Edward wrapped me in his arms and gave me a hard kiss. "Mm. I missed you." He said, passing me the rose.

"Thank you. I missed you, too." I whispered. "But we both know you just came over here to peek in my shopping bags."

Edward laughed and winked at me. "You caught me." I couldn't wait to show him what I'd found.


	528. Confident Side

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thanks for reading! Let's have some fun with Edward, shall we? Enjoy!**

Chapter 528 - Confident Side

Edward and I went up to his room for a while, as Esme and I had agreed to work on our bridal shower snacks later in the afternoon. I think we both wanted to show our guys our new purchases. I seriously couldn't wait.

The minute Edward closed his door, I pulled his t-shirt off so could see his sexy chest. I gasped when I looked him. He had a huge red mark on the front of his right shoulder down to his armpit, and it was already turning into a bruise. I reached up and gently ran my fingers over it.

"Baby, what happened?" I asked, looking up at his face.

He chuckled. "Oh, the shotgun has quite a kick to it." He explained, looking down at his shoulder. "It hurts, but not too bad."

I rubbed my hand up and down on his side. "I leave you alone for four hours and my dad brings you back wounded?" I asked, making him laugh.

Edward wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me closed to his body. "See. I need you to take care of me." He said, rubbing my back and making me smile.

I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his chest. "I always will." I told him. "But, besides the injury, did you have a good time?"

"Oh, yeah." Edward said, smiling. "Your dad is a funny guy."

I laughed. "Really?" I asked, happy that they had a good time together.

"We were joking about how we're both getting married, stuff like that." He said. "It was a good time. But, what I really want to know is how your morning went?"

I bit my lip. "Why don't I just show you?" I asked in my sexiest voice. I noticed Edward's eyes close for a couple seconds, before he looked into my eyes.

"Yes, please, baby. You are so sexy, Bella." He said, before leaning down to capture my lips in a hot kiss. He pulled back slowly, with a smirk on his face. He was so unbelievably attractive. I couldn't wait to show him his present.

"Wait for me on the bed." I said, taking my pretty pink and black striped shopping bag into his bathroom.

"Yes, ma'am." He said, still with that darn sexy smirk on his face. I was going to have to kiss that off of his face. I stripped out of my clothes and put on my new plaid bra and panty set. I smiled at my reflection. I loved this. I could see my love bite on my hip, just above my panties. I pulled my hair back into a messy bun, hoping to encourage Edward to kiss my neck, and opened the bathroom door.

I stepped out into his room, smiling when I saw Edward sitting on the edge of his bed in just his underwear, and did a little twirl for him. He smiled widely as his eyes roamed all over my body. "Wow, baby." He said, getting up to walk over to me.

"You like it?" I asked, smiling as he took my hands in his and held our arms out.

"I love it, Bella." He said, leaning in for a kiss. "But my favourite part is how confident you look right now." I loved that Edward could see that in me. I was truly beginning to feel secure, especially in showing my body off to him.

"I am." I told him. "You make me feel that way."

"Thank you." He said, letting go of my hands, and stepping close to put his hands on my hips. I reached up to wrap my arms around his shoulders and he lifted me up, carrying me to his bed. I giggled as he set me down and crawled in beside me, laying on his side. "Now, let me get a good look at this pretty bra." He said, smiling at me.

I laughed, and he brought his hands up to caress my cleavage with his fingers. "You need to look with your hands, huh?" I asked and he laughed.

"With this gorgeous body right in front of me, yes. I have to look with my hands." He said, making me giggle.

"Okay. What do you like about it?" I asked him, grinning up at his face.

"Well, besides the girl wearing it, I love that it's sweet and innocent, but it's sexy at the same time, because of the black lace." He explained. I opened my mouth to say that I liked the same thing about it, but Edward continued. "And I like that it pushes your boobs up, too."

I giggled. "And it's really comfortable." I added, making him smirk.

"Mm. Does that mean I'll get to see this bra fairly often?" He asked, sliding his hand down over my bare stomach to my hip, where he started rubbing his thumb back and forth.

"That's exactly what it means." I said, smiling as Edward leaned in to start kissing my neck. I giggled, and Edward pulled back to look at my face, with a huge smile on his face.

"What?" He asked, making me smile wider.

"Oh, I was just thinking about how you stripped down to your underwear to watch my fashion show." I said, making him chuckle and bury his face into my shoulder.

He peeked up at my face, and I noticed his cheeks were a little pink. "Would you believe that my jeans were uncomfortable?" He asked, making me giggle.

"Nope." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "Those were your comfy jeans."

He laughed. "Okay. Would you believe that I wanted you to feel comfortable in your underwear. And, I figured that it would help if I was in mine?"

"Actually, Edward. I would believe that story." I said. "Because you are the sweetest man in the world. But, you offered it as the second excuse after a phoney one, so I know that's not why."

"Alright, alright." He laughed. "The truth is that I missed how your pretty little body felt against mine and I wanted as few obstacles between us as possible once we got in bed."

"Mm." I said, pushing his shoulder so he rolled onto his back. "I like how you think." I straddled his hips and moved mine in a circle over his. We both groaned at the sensation. Nothing felt better than reconnecting with Edward. I rubbed my hands over his toned and gorgeous chest and I suddenly remembered the body paint.

I hopped off the bed and ran back into the bathroom to get it out of the bag. I came back into Edward's room and he was sitting up on the bed, looking confused. "Bella. Are you alright? He asked.

I held up the little tub of body paint and smiled as I walked over to him. "I'm perfect. I just remembered the other surprise." I said, smirking myself, this time. "Lay back down." I said, crawling onto the bed and straddling his hips, again.

Edward did what he was told, and smiled at me. "Okay, but just warn me before you fly out bed when we're fooling around." He said. "You freaked me out."

"I'm sorry." I said, reaching up to twirl a loose piece of hair around my fingers, as I batted my eyelashes at him. "Will you let me make it up to you?"

Edward shook his head at me, but laughed, so I knew I was forgiven. "You're such a little sex kitten." He said, making me smile. "You don't need to make anything up to me, Bella."

"But I want to." I said, opening the little tub of yellow body paint. It smelled like banana candy and white chocolate. I couldn't wait to taste it off of Edward's skin. I dipped my fingers in the tub and traced the lines of Edward's abs. Edward had put his hands behind his head and was looking down, watching my fingers. When I was done, I put the lid back on and licked my fingers off, one by one. Edward groaned, and I smiled.

I got up on my hands and knees and leaned in to lick the body paint off of Edward's body. I hummed. He tasted so good. I went back to work until Edward was free of body paint. I was almost sorry when he was all clean.

"God, Bella." Edward said, sitting up and rolling me onto my back. "You are one sexy girl." I smiled, thrilled that Edward was enjoying this as much as I was. "Your confident side is blowing my mind right now."

Edward straddled my thighs and leaned forward on his arms to press kisses to my face, neck and chest. There was no greater feeling in the world than Edward's lips on my skin. He smiled at me, before moving down to my stomach. He started licking my skin, and I hummed.

"Aren't you going to use the body paint?" I asked him.

"No." He said, blowing cool air across my wet skin, giving me goosebumps. "I like how you taste." I closed my eyes and let his words soak in. He was seriously the sexiest man on earth, there was no doubt about it. I had never felt more desirable in my entire life.

Edward smiled as he ran his hands up and down my sides. I sat up and reached behind my back, undoing my new bra and tossing it to the end of the bed, never taking my eyes off of Edward. I wanted to celebrate my confidence with him.


	529. Super Powers

**A/N - Happy Sunday! I'm seeing Breaking Dawn: Part 1 today! SO excited! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 529 - Super Powers

Edward and I made love, taking our time, and really connecting. We looked into each others eyes, held hands, and touched skin. It was beautiful, and so romantic. Especially for middle of the day sex in a house full of people.

Normally I would have been embarrassed, thinking about what everyone thought we were doing, but I was learning not to worry. We were in love and we weren't hurting anyone, so really, what was the big deal?

"I love when you come home from lingerie shopping." Edward mused, making me laugh. "What? It's true."

"Oh, I believe you, completely." I said, kissing his lips. "I really missed you, though."

"I know." He said, rubbing my back. "Like, I had fun with your dad, but I couldn't help but think how much more fun we both would have had if you were there with us. You just have this certain way about you. You make everyone around you happy. It's like a super power."

I giggled as I ran my fingernails up and down Edward's arm. "I have super powers?" I asked.

"You do, Bella. Seriously." He said, smiling at me. "You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. You're loving and giving and happy and warm and snuggly." He said, burying his face in my neck and making me laugh.

"Aw." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair and hold his head to my neck. "You're cuddly, too." I kissed his head and he hummed, wrapping me in his arms. "And your super power is that you are a walking, talking, dancing, singing, guitar playing turn on."

"A turn on, huh?" Edward asked, looking up into my eyes.

"Oh, very much so." I whispered.

"I'm glad." He said, kissing my lips. "Baby, what else was in the bag?"

"What bag?" I asked, a little distracted by Edward's sexy lips. I pressed another kiss to them and he chuckled.

"The lingerie bag." He clarified. "I peeked back at the car and I saw a box with a bow on it. Can I see what's in the box?"

I laughed. "I can't believe you actually looked in the bag." I said, squeezing his bum.

"Do I get points for being honest?" He asked, pouting out his bottom lip.

"No." I giggled. "That box, if you must know, is a present for you."

"Mm. More presents." He said, looking smug, again. "When do I get it?"

"On Monday." I said, patting his bum. "For our anniversary."

"Bella." He sighed. "I told you I don't want anything for our anniversaries." We had talked about it, and I promised to just cook for Edward for our anniversaries, but I thought the sexy apron might be a nice touch.

I kissed his lips. "I know, but you're going to like this, okay?" I said, scratching his back. "I promise. So, don't make a big deal about it."

"Okay." He said, lightly slapping my bum.

"My dad and Heidi are on the night shift on Monday, so I was thinking that we could go over to my place and I'll cook dinner for you." I suggested, making Edward smile. "We'll have the whole place to ourselves until close to midnight."

"Well, I like the sound of that, Bella." He said, smiling excitedly. "Maybe we'll have to play some more with the body paint."

"Sounds good, handsome." I said, sitting up. "But right now, I've got bridal shower cooking to do."

"But, you're naked, and so, so sexy." He said, making me laugh as I got up, and pulled my new bra and panties back on. I went over to his drawer and put on one of his grey tank tops to cook in, and then went into the bathroom to get my black shorts.

I walked back into the bedroom and Edward was still laying on the bed naked. I walked over to him, and leaned over to kiss his lips. "I love that you're wearing my shirt." He whispered against my lips.

"I thought you might like that." I said, smiling, as I reluctantly pulled away from his sweet lips.

Edward reached up and pulled the wide neck of his tank down to reveal my bra. "I really like your new bra." He said, making me giggle, as I slapped at his hands. "Thank you for thinking of me, today."

"I'm glad you like it, because I got it for you." I said, rubbing his abs, still a little sticky from the body paint. "And I'm always thinking about you." I readjusted the neckline of the shirt, and walked to the door. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." I said, and he nodded, winking at me. "Love you, baby."

"Love you, too, sexy." He said. "I'll be down, soon."

I slipped out the door, and walked downstairs. Esme was standing in the kitchen washing down the counters. Her cheeks were as flushed, as I was sure mine were. She smiled at me when she saw me, and I giggled. It seemed that her and Carlisle had a little fun, too.

"He still likes red, huh?" I asked her, making her laugh.

"He does." She said. "And, Carlisle is an angel. He went and picked up everything on our shopping list for the bridal shower."

"Oh, that's so sweet." I said, smiling. "And, how's Alice doing today?" I asked her, as we got all the ingredients out of the fridge.

"She's downstairs playing video games with her brothers." Esme said, smiling. "All of my boys took good care of our little Alice this morning. And she's doing so much better. I think her flu is all but gone."

"Aw. I'm glad." I said. I loved little Alice, and I was thrilled that she was feeling well, as I really wanted her at Heidi's shower. I knew she'd have a blast.

Esme and I got to work, making our scones, vanilla cupcakes and the chicken salad. We must have been working for an hour, just taking our lemon scones from the oven, when Edward walked into the kitchen. He came to kiss his mom's cheek and my lips.

He smelled delicious and his hair was damp, so I knew he'd had a shower. "How's the cooking going, girls?" He asked, making Esme smile.

"Really good, sweetie." She said, patting Edward's cheek. "Are you here snooping for what you can eat?" She asked, making him laugh. He was so busted. "Let me make you a sandwich." I giggled, shaking my head.

"Don't laugh at me." Edward said, taking my hand, sitting down at the table and pulling me onto his lap. "My mom likes to spoil me." He whispered, wrapping me tightly in his arms.

"And you like to be spoiled." I said, kissing his lips. "I think it's adorable."

"And maybe I wanted to steal you away for a minute." He said, kissing me again. "Is my super power of turning you on, working?" I nodded and giggled. I couldn't help but smile when he held me like this. I felt so loved.

Esme came over and set a huge sandwich in front of Edward on the table. "There you go, sweetheart." She said, kissing the top of his head. "Now give me back my future daughter in law."

Edward and I both laughed as he let go of me, spanking my bum as I walked away from him. My boy was feeling very frisky this afternoon. Esme and I got back to work, this time with Edward keeping us company. He even got to lick the beaters after we had blended the cupcake batter. So spoiled.

As we started grilling the chicken for the salad, Edward got up and winked at me, before running out of the room. I knew he was up to something. Esme and I were both chopping, when Edward walked into the kitchen with his guitar. I looked over at Esme and she was beaming. I knew how much she loved when he played his guitar: almost as much as I loved it.

Edward sat there strumming his guitar, each song running into the next, as we finished cooking. I loved have live entertainment while we worked in the kitchen. I hoped that when Edward and I moved back to Seattle, he wasn't too busy to play for me from time to time.

Esme and I finished our cooking, and then made dinner together; just a ton of spaghetti and meatballs. Edward ran downstairs to get the kids and our kitten and Esme went to get Carlisle from his office. It was nice to eat together, and with the Cullens, I truly felt like a welcomed member of the family.


	530. Delivery and Dresses

**A/N - Well, I've seen Breaking Dawn and I'm in love with it! I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat! And a big thank you goes out to Sarah for thinking of 'Summer Vacation' during the lingerie scene. Very cool! Thank you all for reading and for reviewing! This chapter takes place at the end of Saturday, August 21, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 360 - Delivery and Dresses

The Cullens and I shared a fabulous dinner, where Alice told me all the details of her day. She was priceless and I had truly missed her bubbly personality. It seemed to me that she was back to her fun, perky, pre-flu self.

Just as we were finishing dinner, the doorbell rang, and Carlisle got up to answer the door. He peeked his head in the dining room and called Edward. Edward frowned and got up, going to the door. I wondered who was at the door late on Saturday afternoon for Edward.

Carlisle came back in the dining room with a bit of a smile on his face. And I heard Edward running up the stairs, presumably to his room, and then not ten seconds later, his footsteps coming back down. Edward came back into the dining room with a smile on his face, and bright red ears. His cheeks were a little flushed, too. He sat down beside me, and set his hand on my leg, giving it a little squeeze.

"Well?" Emmett asked. "Are you going to keep us in suspense? Who was at that door, and why do you look so guilty?"

Edward chuckled, and glanced over at me. "It was just a package delivery." He told his brother. It took me a minute, but then it suddenly clicked in my mind. A delivery, Edward's blush…It was our x-rated video.

I was sure my face turned bright red just at the thought of it. I still couldn't believe we had ordered something so scandalous. "Okay, never mind." Emmett said, chuckling. "Bella's blushing, so I'm pretty sure we don't want to know."

I covered my face and giggled. This was definitely not family dinner table conversation. "Did you buy Bella a present?" Alice asked Edward.

Edward chuckled and leaned over to kiss on the top of her head. "That's right, princess." He said, and thankfully, everyone let it go.

After dinner, the boys left to take their girlfriends out for ice cream, and Edward took me home to pick out a dress for Heidi's shower. I was staying at Edward's tonight so I could be up bright and early to help Esme ice the cupcakes, drizzle the scones, fill the tart shells with chicken salad, and make the cucumber sandwiches. We had a lot of work to do, and we wanted everything to be as fresh as possible.

The minute we got in the car, Edward started laughing. "Can you believe our porn showed up right in the middle of a family dinner?" He asked me, making me blush, again.

"No, I can't." I said, reaching over to hold Edward's hand. "I was so embarrassed."

Edward chuckled. "Me, too." He agreed. "And my dad totally guessed what it was, too."

"Edward." I whined. "I thought it was supposed to be confidential." I didn't like the thought of anyone knowing that we had that video.

"I think it was because it was confidential that it tipped him off." Edward said, smiling at me. "He doesn't care, Bella. He's a very good dad, in that he accepts that I'm adult and treats me that way."

"I know, but still." I said, feeling my cheeks flush, again.

"Baby, don't worry so much. What we do in that bedroom is our business." He said, trying to reassure me. I smiled at him, loving that he was sweet to me. He started the car and started driving over to my place.

"So, um, when do you want to watch it? The movie, I mean." I mumbled.

Edward squeezed my hand. "What about on Monday, when we have your house to ourselves?" He suggested. "I mean, my house is rarely empty, and I don't want to play that with Alice in the house."

I smiled at him because he was the best brother ever and the best fiancé in the world. "You're perfect, Edward." I whispered, smiling when he looked over at me with a huge smile on his face. "Yeah, um, we'll have a movie after dinner, then."

I was excited to watch our x-rated movie. I knew I would blushing bright red while we watched it, though. But, I was so curious to see what they were like. And I also hoped it would turn us on, not that we really needed any help in that department.

We pulled up to my house and Edward leaned in to kiss my lips. "You look so sexy." He said, making me smile. I was still wearing his tank top and he couldn't seem to get enough of it. I was definitely going to have to start wearing his clothes more often if I was going to get this reaction out of him.

"Don't start that, handsome." I said, making him laugh, as we got out of the car and walked up to the door. "I want to be in and out of the house before my dad and Heidi get home."

"Why, baby?" He asked, smirking at me as we walked up the stairs to my room. "They already know we're dating." He teased.

I laughed, walking into in my room and pushing Edward onto my bed. "Well, firstly, I don't want Heidi to know that I'm picking up a dress. It might make her suspicious" I explained, going to the closet and flipping through my dresses. "And secondly, I want to be out of here before they get home from their date. They'll probably be all smoochy and I don't want to see that."

Edward laughed. "Makes sense." He said. "Although it's a shame to waste an empty house with a bed."

"Well, there's a bed at your house that we can play in later." I said, smiling as he laid back on my pillows.

"Mm. Is that a promise?" He asked, smiling.

"Definitely." I said. "Now, which dress should I wear to the bridal shower?"

"What about that sexy white one you wore in Arizona?" He suggested. "You look gorgeous in that dress."

"Well, thank you, babe." I said, smiling. "But, I don't want to take away from the bride. You know, with the white and all."

You're so smart." He said. "What about the blue one you wore in Florida. That was sexy. You know, with the top like this." He moved his hands over his chest and up to his neck, and I knew he meant my dress with the halter top.

I giggled, pulling the dress out of the closet. "This one?" I asked and Edward smiled.

"That's the one." He said. I laid the dress on my desk chair and crawled into bed with Edward. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my lips. "I wish I was invited to the bridal shower."

"Really?" I laughed. "For the food? The tea?"

"No, for the pretty maid of honour." He said. "Don't tell anyone, but I've got my eye on her."

"Well, she's got her eye on you, too." I said, kissing him. "I love you, baby. Let's go back to your place and snuggle."

"Sounds good, gorgeous." We got up and Edward picked up my dress, while I filled an overnight bag with a clean nightshirt and panties. We drove back to his house, and slipped up to his room. The boys were still gone and it seemed that Esme and Carlisle had already went to bed. I had to hold back my giggles. They were like teenagers, lately.

I hung up my dress in Edward's closet and undressed before pulling on my Colorado nightshirt. With my dad getting remarried in a week, I had been thinking about my mom a lot. It was weird, but I couldn't help it.

After using the bathroom and brushing our teeth, Edward and I climbed into bed, and I rested my head on his chest. I could feel him twirling my hair around his fingers. "What's on your mind, Bella?" He asked softly. "Is it your dad's wedding?"

"Yeah." I said, peeking up at his face. He smiled at me in that supportive, loving way that made me adore him even more. "The weird thing is that I've been thinking about my mom. It's sort of like she should be here."

"For the ceremony?" He clarified.

"Uh huh. I know. That's stupid, right?" I asked, shaking my head for even thinking it. "I mean, my mom and dad barely got along when they were here for our engagement party."

"It's not stupid, Bella. Nothing you ever think or feel is." He said, reaching up caress my cheek. "Your dad's wedding is big life changing event. Maybe you just feel like your mom should be here, not for the wedding, but for you." I smiled, and he smiled back, clearly happy that I was. "Why don't you give her a call tomorrow?"

I should have never hesitated in talking to Edward about my concerns. He always made me feel better. "I think I will." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "Thank you, baby." I whispered.

"Of course, honey." He said, as he started rubbing my back. "I'm always here for you. Now, you'd better get some sleep. You've got a bridal shower to throw tomorrow." He kissed my forehead. "I love you."


	531. Butterflies and Blueberries

**A/N - It is Sunday, August 22, 2010 in the story! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 531 - Butterflies and Blueberries

I woke up early on Sunday morning, before Edward, even. I looked at the clock and it was only six. I kissed his cheek, before getting out of bed and going to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. I slipped on a white t-shirt and my black shorts that I had worn the day before.

I put Robbie in bed with Edward, grabbed my phone and walked downstairs, glad that no one else was up yet. I went outside to sit on the porch swing, happy that the sky seemed clear for the boys' fishing trip today. The air was still a little cool, but I felt refreshed, taking in a deep breath.

I looked down at my phone in my hand and let out the air from my lungs. I still didn't really know what to say to my mom, but I needed to hear her voice. I dialled her number and smiled when she picked up.

"Good morning, Bella." She said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "What are you doing up so early on a Sunday?"

"Hi, mom. I couldn't sleep." I told her, honestly.

"Oh, honey. Is everything alright?" She said, sounding worried.

"Yeah. You know that dad is getting married on Saturday, right?" I asked, looking out at the yard.

"I know." She said. "Are you upset about it?"

"I'm honestly not. I am so, so happy for dad. I think he deserves this. And Heidi loves him so much." I told her. "I'm the maid of honour, too. Heidi and I have a great relationship. She's like a friend to me."

"I'm glad to hear that, honey." She said. "And don't get me wrong, I'm happy to that you did, but why did you call me?"

"I don't know." I laughed. "Just with one of my parent's weddings coming up, I guess I naturally thought of the other parent."

My mom laughed with me. "Well, if you're worried about me, don't be. I moved on a long time ago, and Aro and I are very happy together. I'd like to tell you that there is a wedding in the works for us, but we're still taking things slow." She told me. "We have talked about the future, and Aro even mentioned that he'd like to be married in Italy, but that will happen when it does."

I smiled. "I'm really happy for you, mom." I told her, honestly. She had always been restless, never content in one place, or with one person, but Aro seemed to be bringing out love and patience in her. He was a great man, and I think that both of my parents finally got it right.

I heard the doorbell in the background. "Oh, Aro's here. He's taking me out for breakfast." She said, excitedly. "But he can wait if you need to talk some more."

"No, mom. I'm fine." I told her. "I love you. Have a great day. And tell Aro I say hi."

"Okay, baby. It was good to hear from you. I love you, too." She said. "I'll call you soon. Bye."

I smiled as I closed my phone, still rocking on the porch swing. It was nice to hear my mom's voice. I heard the front door open and Edward peeked out, the kitten in his arms, smiling when he met my eyes.

"I was a little worried when I woke up and you weren't in bed. Is everything okay?" He asked, walking over to sit beside me. He was showered and dressed in his black board shorts and a white t-shirt. He leaned in to kiss my temple and passed me the kitten.

"Everything is great." I said, pressing a kiss to the top of Robbie's head. I smiled as he meowed. "I called my mom."

"I'm glad to hear that." He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "How's she doing?"

"Oh, Aro came by to take her out to breakfast." I told him. "I love that they're not living together, yet. My mom is, or was, I guess, the type to make snap decisions. She always moved fast with people, and it never worked out for her. I like that she's taking her time with Aro and doing things right."

"So, do you feel better, now that you called her?" He asked.

"I really do, actually." I said. "I didn't think I needed to hear her say it, but when my mom said that she had moved on, and was okay with my dad getting remarried, it made me feel relieved."

"Well, then I'm glad you talked to her, Bella." He said, giving my arm a little squeeze. "And I'm happy that you talked to me about how you felt last night, too. You know I'm here to listen, and that I'll never judge you."

"I know." I said, laying my head on his shoulder, just basking in the peacefulness of our time alone, together. "And I love you so much."

Edward chuckled. "I will never get tired of hearing you say that to me." He said. "Like I actually feel a flutter in my stomach, or my heart beat faster every time you tell me that you love me."

I looked up at his face and smiled. "So, you get the butterflies, too." I said, reaching over to rub my hand on his thigh.

"I do." He admitted. "And when you touch me, it's even more intense." He reached over to lift my chin, so he could press a soft kiss on my lips. "I love you, too, Bella."

I smiled. "I should probably get inside and help your mom finish the food, huh?" I asked, passing Robbie back to Edward. "All of our guests will be here at around ten thirty this morning, and my dad's supposed to bring Heidi at eleven."

"Have you eaten, Bella?" He asked.

"No." I said, smiling because Edward always looked out for me.

"Well, let's get some food in that sexy body of yours." He said, standing up and taking my hand. I giggled all the way to the kitchen, because Edward was tickling my side. I smiled when I saw everyone in the kitchen.

"Hey, Bella." Jasper said, when I sat at the island beside him.

"Hi, Jasper. Hey, Emmett. Excited for fishing?" I asked the boys, before thanking Esme when she passed me a plate of French toast covered in blueberries.

"Yeah, should be a fun time." Emmett said, smiling.

"Did you kids take the kitten for a walk?" Esme asked, setting a plate down in front of Edward, and leanin over to kiss his cheek.

"No, we were just on the front porch." Edward said, smiling over at me.

"Oh, that's sweet." Esme said, sitting down with Carlisle and Alice at the kitchen table. And Edward was sweet. He came to check on me, and hold me, and make sure I was happy. He was a dream come true, every single day.

We finished our breakfast, and Esme shooed the boys out of the kitchen, after giving each one a kiss on the cheek, so we could get our appetizers together for the tea party. Edward set his hands on my hips and gave me probably too passionate of a kiss, but he tasted like sugar and blueberries, so I didn't have he will power to stop him. He winked at me, before going downstairs with his dad and brothers. So, sexy.

Esme and I got to work and had everything finished, including hot teas and iced teas, set out on the dining room table by ten o'clock. The tulips were delivered, and set out around the house and Esme set out all the games on the coffee table in the family room.

We ran upstairs to change, after Esme called Alice upstairs, and I went in Edward's room to slip on my dress, and fix my makeup. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. I was so excited for this shower. I would be welcoming Heidi as a step mom, and showing her how happy I was that she was marrying my dad. I supported this marriage one hundred percent.

I heard the doorbell and I knew our first guest was here. That's when it hit me. I had forgotten Heidi's gifts in my bedroom closet. I flew down the stairs and gave Vanessa a quick hug as Esme let her in, before I ran down the basement stairs.

The guys were all watching a movie but paused it when they heard me. "What's wrong, Bella?" Edward asked, getting up as soon as he saw me.

"I forgot Heidi's gifts in my closet." I told him, sounding panicked. Edward chuckled as he wrapped me in his arms and kissed the top of my head.

"I'll go pick them up for you as soon as she gets here, so she doesn't suspect anything." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "Don't worry, okay? Just get up there and have a good time."

"Thank you, Edward." I said, giving him a quick hug before walking to the stairs. "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you, too." He said. "Oh, and Bella. You look beautiful."


	532. Surprise Shower

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing. The review reply function is giving an error message, but just know that I love and read them all. Enjoy!**

Chapter 532 - Surprise Shower

I came upstairs and Esme walked over to me. "Is everything alright?" She whispered. I had clearly worried her when I ran past her a minute ago.

I smiled. "Perfect." I said, giving her a quick hug. The doorbell rang again, and I smiled when I saw Alice open it. Esme went to join her and Vanessa came over to me.

"Hey, Bella." She said, smiling. She looked so cute in a hot pink skirt and a black shirt that had slipped off of her shoulder revealing a pink bra strap. "Can you believe I have to start work as a receptionist in a week and a half?" She asked. "Like, I've never had a job in my life."

"Aw. I think you'll be fine, Ness." I said. "Plus, with Jake back at work, it will give you something to do."

She giggled. "Yeah, I know. I miss him like crazy when he's not around."

"Is someone in love?" I asked, making her laugh.

"Honestly, I have no idea how to know." She said, shrugging.

"Is he the first person you think about when you wake up, and the last before you go to sleep at night?" I asked her and she nodded. "And he makes you happy and feel like the only woman in the world?" She nodded, again. "Have you started making imaginary plans for the future that include Jake?"

"Wow." She said, smiling. "I think I might be in love with him."

"I'm so happy for you." I said, pulling her into a tight hug. "Jake's a great guy."

"Hey, ladies." I looked up and smiled when I saw Rachel. It was so great that most of my friends were dating cops that worked with Heidi. "What are we talking about? Sex?" Vanessa and I started laughing. She never changed.

"Close." I said. "Love."

Rachel laughed, adjusting her red tube top. "Girls, girls. You clearly haven't been hanging around me long enough. This is bridal shower. It's all about sex."

I laughed. "It's not a bachelorette party." I said. "There will not be strippers."

"I figured. But just so you know, I'm throwing you a bachelorette party next summer." She said, making me laugh. "And there will be strippers."

She walked into the dining room to get a drink and I turned to look at Vanessa. "I'm actually terrified." I said, making Vanessa giggle. "The only man I ever want to see naked is my fiancé."

"About that. Um, do you think we could get together some time this week to talk. I don't really have anyone to talk to about sex. I can't go to EJ. He would freak out." Vanessa said, making me smile.

"He's a big brother." I told her. "I'm learning from Edward that they are very protective."

"I know, and I get that." She explained. "But let's just say that's pretty hypocritical. I mean, Gianna has joined us for breakfast quite a few times, wearing EJ's t-shirts from the day before."

We giggled. "Of course. What about lunch on Tuesday?"

"Awesome." She said, smiling and looking really relieved. "Meet me at the diner at noon?"

"Sounds great." I told her. Vanessa had only just turned eighteen and from what EJ had said, they didn't have a great life with their aunt before they moved from California, so I was assuming that Vanessa didn't have a lot of experience with guys. I was happy that she felt comfortable enough to come talk to me. And I actually had a little bit of experience with sex, so I had advice to give.

The doorbell rang again, and I saw Mary and Randell, Heidi's parents. Mary came over to give me a hug, before following Esme to the dining room for snacks, and Randell passed me a twenty dollar bill. I loved that he did that for me. He was my adopted grandpa, and I loved him. "Thank you, Randell." I said, giving him a hug.

He chuckled. "It's going to be Gramps on Saturday." He said, patting my shoulder. "I'm getting myself a beautiful granddaughter."

"Aw, I would love that." I said, blinking back the tears. "Thank you."

"Randell, don't make her cry." Mary said, coming over to spank her husband with her handbag. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "Now, all the boys are in the basement waiting for Charlie. You get down there." I giggled. They were so cute together.

The doorbell rang again, and Esme let in Sue, her daughter, Emily and baby Seth. I made the introductions to everyone, and Emily passed me little Seth. "He's just over three months old." Emily said, proudly. "He's sleeping so much better, and he laughs all the time now."

I looked down at little Seth and rubbed his chubby cheek with the back of my fingers. "Look you, Seth. You're getting so big." I said to him and he smiled widely at me, before hitting my shoulder with his little fist.

"Sorry, Bella." She said. "He's been hitting and grabbing, lately, but the doctor said it's normal."

"Oh, that's okay." I said, patting his little back. "Come on in and get something to eat. I'll hold him for a minute."

"Thanks, Bella." She said, following her mom into the dining room.

We welcomed the rest of the guests over, Alec's girlfriend, Siobhan; Officer Felix Robertson's wife Beth and his teenaged daughter, Sarah; and Rose, Maria and their mom, Charlotte. There were fourteen of us all gathered in the family room, and now that everyone was here, Esme explained the clothespin game.

I heard the front door, and we all got up to watch Heidi walk in. My dad was holding her hand and she was dressed in a pretty white sundress. My dad had told her that he was taking her out for brunch, and they were coming here to pick me up so Edward and I could join them.

She saw us all and brought her hand up to cover her mouth. "Surprise." I called out, and we all applauded.

She looked at my dad and he chuckled. "Have a good time at your bridal shower." He said, and she giggled, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Oh, my gosh. I can't believe you all did this for me." She said, coming over to give us all hugs. My dad gave me a hug, before going downstairs to get the guys. "I love you, sweetheart." Heidi whispered in my ear, before kissing my cheek.

Esme set the wedding tiara on Heidi's head, and clipped five clothespins to her dress, as she explained the rules: you can't say bride, groom or wedding. The girls already seemed to be having fun with that game, and I noticed Maria had seven clothespins already.

I was still bouncing Seth on my hip, smiling as I watched all the ladies laughing and having fun. I felt Edward's hands on my hips and smiled when he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. I turned around, and Edward reached over to hold little Seth's hand. "I'm going to run get your gifts, then we're leaving to go fishing." He said.

"Okay. I'll miss you." I said, making him smile.

"Don't." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "Just have fun." He spanked my bum softly before running to the front door. I walked back over to the group and sat down on the couch beside Siobhan, who had Alice sitting right beside her. She looked so excited to have her favourite teacher here.

Everyone seemed to love the food and teas that Esme and I had prepared, and Esme seemed thrilled that everyone was having fun. Heidi brought over a plate of goodies and sat beside me. Siobhan took Seth from me so I could eat. "This is amazing, Bella." Heidi said, squeezing my hand. "Esme told me how much work you did."

"Oh, I loved every second of it." I told her honestly. "I love you, step mommy." I said, making Heidi giggle, as well as Rose and Maria's mom. "I can't wait for the wedding."

"You said wedding." Maria called out. I passed her one of my clothespins. Darn. That girl was up to eight. She was really good at bridal shower games. I smiled when I saw Edward sneak in the family room and set my presents on the table by the door. He looked over at me and winked, before going back to the basement. I owed my boy for that.

Two minutes later all the guys walked into the room. "Have a good time, ladies." My dad said. "Spoil her."

Everyone awed at how sweet my dad was. Edward came and leaned over the couch to kiss my lips. "Do you want the kitty in my room, or is he okay down here?" He whispered.

"I'll take him." I said, reaching for my baby, and Edward passed him to me. Edward kissed Heidi's cheek, making her giggle, before he followed all the guys out the front door.

"He's smooth, isn't he?" Heidi said, as she reaching over to pet Robbie. I laughed and nodded my head. My Edward always made an impression.


	533. Gifts and Games

**A/N - Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers. Us Canadians had our Thanksgiving 6 weeks ago, but I do love a good Macy's Parade! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 533 - Gifts and Games

"Okay, ladies. The boys are gone." Esme said, and Rachel raised her arms and cheered, making us all laugh. "Should we do gifts?"

"Aw. I don't need gifts." Heidi said as she set her hand over her heart. Her eyes were tearing up and I could tell how touched she was over the shower. I wrapped my arm around her and gave her a hug.

"Oh, that's the best part, Heidi." Sue told her, making us all smile.

Esme brought over my gift first. Heidi opened the card and I felt myself tear up just watching the tears stream down her cheeks. I noticed Esme and Mary were crying, too. She turned and hugged me, again. "I love you, Bella." She whispered before turning to everyone. "Who would have thought I would be getting a daughter at my age?"

She tore open the wrapping paper on the antique frame and I smiled as I watched her face when she looked at the photo of herself and my dad when we were camping. "That was the moment that I realized you and dad were going to be together forever." I told her, and she smiled. Esme ran out of the room and came back with a box of tissues.

"I love it, Bella." She said, wiping her eyes. "It's perfect." I was so excited that she was touched by gift. I wanted to show her how important she was to me, but more importantly, how much I approved of her and my dad's marriage.

"This next one better not be another sentimental gift, or my make up is shot." Rachel said, reaching over to the coffee table to grab a tissue.

I laughed. "It's not. I promise." I told her. Heidi opened my second gift and smiled when she saw the makeup bag. Everyone commented on how pretty it was. "Open it." I told her. I was excited to see what she thought.

She unzipped the case and started laughing. "Oh, Bella. This is great." She said, smiling. "It's filled with all sorts of fishing bait." She told everyone. "And it's all pink."

"Well, isn't that perfect for you, Heidi?" Mary said, patting her daughter's leg. "What a thoughtful gift, sweetheart."

We were all having a great time watching Heidi open her gifts. I had to laugh when Felix's wife gave Heidi a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs and a bottle of massage oil. "From one cop's wife to another." She said.

I tried not to think about my dad and Heidi using those, and I had to laugh at Felix's daughter's face. She looked pretty disgusted thinking about her parents' sex life. It was hilarious, because I could totally relate.

Rose, Maria and Charlotte got Heidi a beautiful white hoodie with the word bride in silver across the front, as well as cute little white bride flip flops. Siobhan gave her a gorgeous pair of blue wine glasses and a bottle of wine. "The wine is from Alec." She said, making me smile. It was such a classy gift.

Sue and Emily got Heidi a spa at home set, with bath oils and candles. It was really pretty, and smelled like rose petals. Vanessa got her a journal for the first year of marriage. I thought it was really sweet, and Heidi seemed to love it. Rachel bought a pair of sexy dice that suggested actions and places to do them, as well as a pocket sized sex guide. I passed Robbie to Alice, so she would be distracted and not listen to the sex stuff.

Esme and Alice bought Heidi a spa day, which I thought was sweet. "I think I'll do this the day before the wedding." Heidi said. "It'll be nice to just get away for a few hours." I thought it was a great idea.

Esme brought over last present: Mary's gift for her daughter. It was a thick pink terry cloth bathrobe that would cover Heidi from neck to ankles and a pair of fuzzy pink slippers. "You know, once you're married, and you've snagged your man, you don't need all that risqué stuff." Mary explained, making us all laugh.

I was going to have to tell that little tidbit to Edward. I was sure he would get a kick out of it. Actually, he might even panic. That boy loved lingerie. A lot. Especially fashion shows. I smiled thinking of the plaid set I modelled for him the day before, and the sexy apron I would be showing off for him tomorrow.

"Well, thank you all." Heidi said. "I feel spoiled."

"That's how it should be, honey." Mary said, leaning in to kiss her daughter's cheek. "We all love you so much."

"Okay, who's up for some games for the bride to be?" Esme asked.

"You said bride." I told her, laughing as I got my missing clothespin back.

Esme started the game, which was the newlywed advice game. She passed out numbered slips of paper and explained that we were all to write out our best piece of advice for Heidi. Then Esme would read them out and whoever's advice got the most votes, won the prize. It was anonymous, as Esme had a assigned a number to each person.

I wrote: Never go to bed angry, and passed it to Esme. I felt very strongly in that piece of advice. Edward and I always talked things out. We rarely fought, but when we did have misunderstandings, we didn't leave things to fester. We worked it out, and ended up kissing and snuggling in bed.

Esme read all the pieces of advice, and they were amazing. I laughed when I heard 'have sex everyday,' because I knew it was Rachel's answer. She looked at me and winked. 'Tell each other that they are pretty or handsome' made me smile, because I knew it was Alice's. She was so adorable.

My favourite piece of advice was 'Say I love you every time you part ways.' I thought it was a beautiful sentiment, especially for police officers, and considering the shooting back in May.

And everyone agreed. Esme revealed that it was Felix's wife, Beth's answer. "I've always been able to sleep better when Felix is at work after we've told each other, I love you." She explained.

Esme gave her one of the little 'Meant to Bee' honey pots that we had picked out for prizes. Everyone seemed to love it, and I was glad that Esme and I had pulled off the bridal shower so far.

We decided to play the Groom Quiz game, next. "Okay, ladies. For this game, Bella asked her dad some questions about Heidi. The object of this game is to guess how Charlie would answer them." Esme told everyone, as she passed out the question sheets.

"Dad claims he aced this quiz." I whispered to Heidi, making her laugh.

"I'm sure he did." She told me, smiling. Everyone got to work, answering the questions. "These are great questions." Heidi said, as she read through the list.

"Yeah, Edward is really good at bridal shower games. So creative." I told her, making her laugh. "He wanted to come, I swear."

"That's so sweet, Bella." She said. "I suppose he could have been here."

"Yeah, his brothers would have never let him hear the end of that." I laughed. And it was true. Emmett was a teaser, for sure.

Esme called me over to read out my dad's answers when the ladies were finished with their quizzes. "Okay, number one. What did my dad think is Heidi's best feature?" I said, reading out the first question.

"Her boobs." Rachel said, making everyone laugh. "What? She's got a nice rack."

"He would have said my eyes. He tells me that all the time." Heidi said, making me smile. She was right. So everyone that picked eyes, got a point.

"Okay, who did my dad say is your Hollywood crush?" I asked.

"Denzel Washington." Heidi said. She was right, again. I loved this game. It proved how much my dad and Heidi knew each other. It was amazing, actually.

"Really?" Siobhan asked, giggling.

"He doesn't know about my Brad Pitt obsession." Heidi said, laughing.

"But he knows about Denzel? Esme asked, smiling, as Heidi nodded her head. "That is hilarious."

We had a great time working through the game. Heidi counted herself out of the prize running, considering she knew what all of my dad's answers would be. Sue had the next highest score, and seemed thrilled to get a prize.

We counted up the clothespins next and of course, Maria won, having the most pins at twelve. She hopped up and down, as Esme gave her the prize. I gave her a big hug. "I can't wait to tell Jasper that I won a game. I hardly ever win anything." She said.

It was two o'clock and everyone started to head out. Alice helped Esme pass out all of the gift bags, which seemed to be a hit with everyone. Heidi and I gave everyone hugs and thanked them for coming. We would see them all at the wedding on Saturday, and considering how much fun we'd had with them today, I knew the wedding would be a blast.

Heidi, Mary, Esme, Alice and I all plopped down on the couches. I was tired. "That was fun." Alice said, picking up Robbie, who was pouncing in the wrapping paper.

"It was amazing." Heidi said. "Thank you, girls. I had an incredible afternoon."


	534. Two Weeks

**A/N - Happy Friday! I still can't reply to reviews for some crazy reason, but I loving hearing your favourite parts of the chapters. Thanks so much for reading! It is still Sunday, August 22, 2010 in the story. Enjoy! **

Chapter 534 - Two Weeks

Esme and I cleaned up and washed the dishes, leaving Heidi and her mom in the family room to talk about the wedding. Alice bounced around the room, eating her chocolates from her goodie bags. "Mom, do I like tea?" She asked, making me smile.

"No, Alice. But we can make you iced tea with your tea bags. They'll taste fruity." Esme explained, making Alice cheer. I don't know why, but it just hit me that this was going be the second last Sunday I was going to be in Forks. We had less than two weeks here, and I quickly excused myself because that thought made me really sad.

I went upstairs to Edward's bathroom, wiping the tears off of my cheeks as I walked up the stairs. I was really mad at myself, because this was supposed to be a fun day, and I felt like I was ruining it.

Instead of going in the bathroom, I just flopped on Edward's bed and started crying. I think just watching happy little Alice in the kitchen made me realize how much I was going to miss hanging out here.

I heard a knock on the door and I quickly sat up, hastily wiping at my cheeks. "Yeah." I called out, and was surprised when Edward walked into the room. He was holding a bouquet of what looked like freshly picked wildflowers.

He was smiling, but when he saw my face, his smile fell. "Baby, what's wrong?" He asked, setting the flowers at the end of the bed, and coming to sit beside me. "Did you not have a good time?"

"I had an amazing time, which is making me feel worse about this." I started. "But, I was just watching Alice downstairs and it made me realize that we don't have much time left in Forks."

I wrapped my arms around him and cried into his shoulder. Edward kicked his shoes off and slid further onto the bed, lifting me up to sit on his legs. "Shh, Bella." He whispered as he started to rub my back.

I finally stopped crying, enough to look at his face. He had tears streaked down his cheeks, and just seeing him that sad broke my heart even more. I reached up and wiped his cheeks with my clammy hands. "I'm sorry." I whispered, and he nodded his head.

Edward wrapped me tightly in his arms, like he was holding onto me for some kind of control. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, before pulling back to look into my eyes. "Bella, baby. I know how hard it's going to be to say goodbye." He whispered. "But we have to try not to think about it, yet. We still have a long time at home, okay? And we still have a lot of memories to make."

I leaned in to kiss his lips and he smiled at me. "And I know all that." I said. "I don't know why I reacted the way that I did."

"It's okay, honey. It happens." He said, reaching up to wipe under my eyes. "Honestly, I was just thinking about it this afternoon, too, while we were fishing." He admitted. "But, I didn't want to upset Jasper, so I made myself think about something else."

I giggled, as Edward smiled at me, before winking. "What did you think about?" I asked, reaching up to run my fingers though his damp hair. He was sweating at bit so I figured it must have been hot outside.

He closed his eyes and hummed a little. "I thought about you in that little plaid bra and panty set you modelled for me yesterday." He admitted. "And I thought about how it's our anniversary tomorrow."

I smiled, before kissing him, again, softly at first before I licked his bottom lip. He pulled back looking at my face, reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ear. "Are you okay?" He asked softly and I nodded, leaning back in to suck on his top lip.

Edward groaned, taking my bottom lip into his mouth and lightly scraping his teeth on my skin. I hummed. Edward had never done that before, and I loved how it felt. Edward pressed his forehead to mine, but pulled his lips back.

"Baby. I just came up here to get you for dinner." He chuckled. "Don't get too frisky on me, yet." I giggled and he smiled. "I'm just happy to see a smile on your pretty face." He rubbed his hands up and down my bare arms. "Please don't be sad, baby, okay?"

"I know. I'm sorry." I said, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"You don't have to apologize." He said, picking up my left hand and kissing my engagement ring. "But, just think of our time left like a two week vacation. It seems like a long time when you think of it that way, right?"

I got up on my knees and wrapped Edward in a tight hug. "Right." I agreed. "You're a genius and I love you."

"I love you, too, angel." He said. "You wanna go grab some pizza? Or, if you're not up for it, I can bring you a couple slices up here. It's up to you."

"I'll just go wash my face, and we can go down." I said, climbing off the bed and running into the bathroom.

My eyes were a little red, but for the most part, Edward had successfully cheered me up. I still felt bad for upsetting him, but I wanted to honest with him and talk about what was bothering me.

Edward was right. I had my dad's wedding coming up to focus on, and two wonderful weeks with our families. Plus, it wasn't like we were moving across the country. We were only a few hours away, so I knew we'd able to handle the move.

I walked out and Edward smiled at me. "Let's try this, again." He said, as he passed me the wildflower bouquet. "I missed you. How was the bridal shower?"

I giggled. "It was wonderful. We had a lot of fun, lots of laughs and Heidi got some great gifts." I told him, making him smile.

"That's what I wanted to hear." He said, leaning down to kiss me. "Should we go eat?" He asked, holding out his arm. I laughed as I looped my arm with his, and he led us downstairs.

Everyone was sitting in the family room, eating pizza off the leftover floral paper plates from the bridal shower, and watching baseball. It was so casual, but everyone looked like they were having fun.

Edward and I sat down between Esme and my dad. My dad looked over at my face and immediately wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to his side. He didn't say anything, and I actually really appreciated it. He knew when I needed him, though. My dad was amazing.

I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes for a few minutes, just soaking up this daddy/daughter moment. I figured a girl couldn't get enough of these. Especially, a girl like me, who didn't have her dad growing up.

I heard Esme whispering to Edward, and I figured that she was probably concerned about me. I hated that I worried her, but sometimes, tears couldn't be helped.

My dad finally leaned down and kissed the top of my head. "You'd better get something to eat, kiddo." He said, and I agreed. I leaned forward and grabbed a slice of pizza.

After we ate, Mary and Randell left to drive back to Sequim. They would be coming back on Friday to help set up for the wedding. They both gave me big hugs, and Randell laughed when I called him gramps.

Edward went upstairs to get his things, as he was going to spend the night at my house. Esme pulled me aside and wrapped her arms around me. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" She said. "I'm worried about you."

I smiled, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "I'm fine. I'm just little emotional with the wedding and school and Seattle coming up." I explained. "But I'm okay, I promise, Esme. I had a wonderful day and I can't thank you enough for throwing this amazing shower for Heidi."

"You are very welcome." She said, reaching out to squeeze my hand. "And if you ever need to talk, sweetheart, I'm always here to listen. Or even to cry with." We both laughed. I loved Esme. "Oh, here, Bella." She said, passing me one of the little honey pots that we had bought as prizes. "I got two extras. One for you and one for Heidi."

"Oh, I love it." I said, smiling. "Thank you so much."

"Of course, Bella." She said, before leaning in to my ear. "You have a great anniversary tomorrow." She whispered making me laugh and blush. She had seen the apron that I was going to wear for Edward, which was a little embarrassing, but I just had to think of Esme as a friend, instead of a mother in law, and it was easy to get over.

Edward came down the stairs with a huge duffle bag. What had he packed for our anniversary? I looked at him and he shrugged, making me giggle. I picked up Robbie's carrier and after our goodbyes, Edward and I headed out to his car.

"What's in the duffle bag?" I asked him as we drove back to my house behind my dad's truck.

Edward laughed. "Well, for one thing, I packed that box you wouldn't let me open on Saturday. And our x-rated video." He said. I bit my lip nervously, just thinking about it. "And I may have something for you in that bag. All that and my clothes for tomorrow."

I giggled. "Well, I'll just say, I'm really looking forward to opening that duffle bag, tomorrow."


	535. Our Very Own

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 535 - Our Very Own

When we got home, and after we had brought in Heidi's gifts, my dad pulled me aside in the kitchen. "Do you want to talk about anything, Bells?" He asked, leaning against the counter.

I smiled at him, because he was the best dad in the world. "Actually, I'm alright." I told him, honestly.

"Explain the red eyes to me." He said, crossing his arms, as if he wasn't letting me get out of talking that easily.

"I had a moment of weakness." I said. "I was thinking about how the summer is almost over."

My dad nodded his head, before coming over to give me a hug. "It's going to work out, kiddo." He said, reassuring me. "There will be so many visits, you'll get sick of me."

I laughed. "I doubt that, daddy." I said, standing on my toes to kiss his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Bells." He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and leading me into the living room.

I had to laugh. Heidi and Edward were sitting on the couch going through all her bridal shower gifts. I bit my lip when I saw Edward playing with the sexy dice. He looked up and smiled at me, but closed his hand around the dice when he saw my dad.

"Those are from Rachel." I told him, as he set them on the coffee table.

"What are they?" My dad asked, making us all laugh.

"They're sex dice, Charlie." Heidi said, winking at my dad.

"Oh." He said, looking a little embarrassed. "Uh, what else did you get?"

"Did you see what Bella got me?" She asked, and I was grateful to her for changing the subject. She picked up the makeup bag and passed it to my dad. "Open it up."

I went to sit on Edward's lap, and he wrapped his arms around me tightly, kissing my cheek, as we watched my dad unzip the makeup bag. "Oh, fishing lures." He said, excitedly. "That's great, Bella." I smiled as I watched him looking through the bag. "I thought I was going to find a bunch girly things in here."

Heidi and I laughed. "Girly things?" I asked, teasing him.

"Yeah, you know, like lipstick and stuff." He said, defending himself.

Heidi leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You're cute, Charlie. And you know I don't wear lipstick." She said, running her fingers through his hair. "Look at this photo that Bella got us." She passed him the frame and my dad smiled.

"That on Beacon Rock?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Bella said it was when she first realized we were going to get married." Heidi told him, and my dad smiled, again.

"It was the first time I thought about it, too." My dad admitted.

"Really?" Heidi asked, laughing. "I've been dreaming about marrying you for years, Chief Swan. Can you believe I had a crush on my boss?"

Edward and I laughed. "I think it's cute." I said. "And, hey, it worked out, right?"

"It did." Heidi said, leaning over to kiss my dad's lips. My dad seemed so happy as he looked at his bride to be.

I got up off of Edward's lap and reached out for his hand. "I think we're going to head up to bed." I said. "Maybe leave you two lovebirds alone."

Heidi and my dad laughed, as I gave them both hugs and we said our goodnights. Edward picked up his duffle bag, which he had sitting by the stairs. "Oh, since you're on nightshift this week, do you guys want to come check out Em's football practice with us tomorrow?" I asked, peeking my head back in the living room.

"Yeah, that would be great." Heidi said, smiling.

"This one here is a real football nut." My dad said, making us laugh. "She out bets all the guys at work ever year on the Super Bowl."

"That's awesome." Edward said, smiling. "Good for you." I told them it was at nine in the morning, before Edward, Robbie and I headed up the stairs. I used the bathroom and then walked into my room, smiling when I saw Edward sitting on the bed in his underwear, playing with the kitten.

"You undressed without me?" I asked, pouting out my lip.

Edward laughed. "I'm not completely undressed." He said, reaching down to snap the elastic waistband of his briefs. "Feel free to take these off for me."

"Oh, I plan on it." I said, smirking at him. I untied my dress and let it fall to my feet. I took off my bra and crawled into bed with my boys.

I leaned over and gave the kitten a kiss and he meowed. "Should I put him to bed?" Edward asked, leaning over to kiss my shoulder.

"Yeah." I agreed. I had been apart from my man for way too long today. We needed some time to be together to reconnect. Edward got up and set Robbie in his litter box, and after he peed, Edward lifted him up and set him in his bed. He cleaned the litter box, and then walked across the hall to wash his hands.

I could hear Edward laughing in the hallway, before he slipped back into my room and shut out the light. He climbed into bed with me, and I snuggled up to his chest. "What was so funny in the hallway?" I asked him.

"Oh, your dad and Heidi were just coming upstairs, and I was standing there in my underwear." Edward said, before leaning in to kiss me. "But the good news is that your dad didn't shoot me."

"He would never shoot you, handsome." I said, reaching up to tangle my fingers into his hair. "Kiss me." Edward smiled against my lips, before he started kissing me. I groaned, rolling closer towards his body. I started moving my hips against him, and Edward slid his hand down my back, holding onto my bum.

He pulled back. "Are you sure you're alright?" He whispered. "I mean, you don't need to talk or anything? You know, about before, and Seattle."

"I love you for caring about me, but we haven't a chance to be together like this since yesterday afternoon." I breathed. "The only thing I need is for you to make love to me. Right now."

Edward smiled, before leaning in to kiss my lips. "You know I love it when you get bossy." He said, slipping his hand into my panties. He pulled them down my legs and I kicked them off the rest of the way. I reached forward to rub Edward over his underwear, as he slipped his hand between my legs. "You feel so good, Bella." He whispered, before sneaking under the covers.

He kissed me, all over my body, before peeking back out from under the covers at me, and smiled. "I love you." He whispered, reaching into the drawer for a condom.

"I love you, too, baby." I said, reaching up to run my hands through his hair. I pulled his face over to mine and kissed him hard. Edward snuggled up close to my body, holding my thighs on either side of his hips, before he began moving.

I shut my eyes, just savouring the feeling of his body moving with mine. Everything felt right when we were connected like this. I hummed as Edward started kissing my neck. He threaded his fingers with mine, always remembering that I felt the best when we were holding hands.

"Uh, baby." I cried out, making Edward chuckle into my skin.

"You feel so amazing, Bella." He whispered, pressing a kiss to my lips. He kept moving, and I let go of his hands to hold onto his shoulders. He groaned as my nails dug into his back. But, no matter how tightly I held on, I still felt like I was losing control.

I was breathless and Edward had rolled us onto our sides, clutching me tightly to his chest as he peppered my face with gentle kisses. I smiled, because I loved when Edward acted extra sweet after we made love.

"I love you, Edward." I whispered, pressing my lips to his.

"Mm. I love you so much, angel." He answered. "And baby, we're going to have so much fun these next couple of weeks."

I smiled as I looked into his gorgeous green eyes. "I know we will." I told him. "And we're going to have just as much fun when we get to Seattle. We're going to be living together. You can play your guitar in our very own living room, while I cook in our very own kitchen. And we can make love in our own bed, in our own room, and study together at our own dining room table."

Edward seemed happy with my new outlook on back to school. Talking things out with Edward, my dad and Esme helped me to realize that although it would be a change, we would be fine. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "And when we're not doing all of that, we can plan our very own wedding."


	536. Favourite Topic

**A/N - Happy Sunday! I still can't reply to reviews, but I want to just send out a big group hug! You are all amazing to me. Yes, there will be a sequel...two if people are still reading. I have endless plans and ideas for these two. I love them like they are real. I may take a week off in between, but I'll let you know more details when we get closer. It is Monday, August 23, 2010 in this chapter. The anniversary begins! Enjoy!**

Chapter 536 - Favourite Topic

I woke up on Monday to a great back rub. I could smell our massage oil, and feel Edward's hairy legs against my hips. It tickled so I laughed.

"Ah, my sleeping beauty awakes." Edward said, making me laugh harder. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my cheek. He smelled minty and fresh and clean, and I had no idea how he always got up so early. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Mr. Perfect." I said, making him laugh. "Don't laugh. It's true."

"If you say so." He said, moving to sit on my legs. I felt his teeth on my bum cheek, as his hands rubbed up and down my sides.

"Biting, huh?" I asked, sitting up to look over my shoulder.

"I can't help it that you're so delicious." He said, laying beside me. He pulled me close to his chest and brought his lips to mine. "I can't believe it's been a month since you made me the happiest man in the world and agreed to be my wife."

"I know." I said, smiling as I pictured Edward standing in the heart drawn in the sand. "That was a magical day."

Edward picked up my hand and placed a kiss on my engagement ring. "We should pick a wedding date." He said as he kissed his way up my arm, burying his face into my neck.

"Mm." I hummed as he started licking my skin. "Let me up, so I can get my day planner."

"No." He said and I laughed. "I have my sexy fiancé in bed, naked and covered in oil. I'd be a very stupid man to let you go."

"You want to just pick a date at the drop of a hat?" I asked. "No planning?"

"Okay. So what about July twenty seventh, next summer." He asked, making me giggle.

"That's random." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "Why the twenty seventh?"

"No idea, it just popped into my head." He said, leaning down to kiss my breasts. "Mm, Bella. You are so irresistible." He hummed.

"Uh, Edward." I gasped, threading my fingers into his hair. "That feels good."

"Yeah?" He asked, moving his hands over my body, caressing and squeezing, and basically just trying to turn me on. It was working. He leaned in to my ear. "You up for some of that morning sex you like so much?"

"But we haven't picked a wedding date." I breathed, rubbing Edward's shoulders.

"We'll figure it out, baby." He said, before sucking on my ear lobe. "But I need to be inside of you, lover."

I could have burst, just from the dirty talk alone. "Yes, baby." I whispered. "Hurry." Edward pressed a kiss to my lips, before getting a condom. He was getting so, so fast at putting them on.

We made love hard and fast, and I was trying my hardest to be quiet. Edward helped by kissing me, keeping his lips on mine the whole time we made love. He dropped his head on my shoulder, and chuckled quietly to himself. "What?" I asked, lightly scratching his back.

"Oh, I was just thinking about how damn lucky I am." He said, lifting his head to smile at me, and then press a kiss to my lips. "I love you."

"Aw. I love you, too." I said, before looking over at the clock. It was seven in the morning. "Baby, I need to have a shower and get ready."

"But I want to bask in our post sex bliss." He said, rubbing my back.

I giggled. "Well, it's our anniversary, Edward. There will be more sex. Oh, and we have porn." I said, making him laugh. "There will be lots of bliss and lots of basking."

"And maybe some experimenting?" He asked, making me blush.

"No." I said, teasing him. He opened his mouth, looking shocked, and I laughed. "Okay, maybe." I said, pushing his shoulder. I slipped on a t-shirt and ran across the room to go have my shower.

I was just about done my shower, just rinsing my body wash off, when the shower curtain pulled opened and Edward jumped in with me. I laughed. "What are you doing in here?' I laughed. "My dad is home."

"I know, but I thought I'd take a chance. I just needed to rinse off really quick." He said, winking at me. "I'm covered in massage oil."

I laughed, squeezing his bare bum. "It's your fault." I said, before Edward kissed me.

We got dressed quickly, and I just slipped on a pair of cut offs and a black tank for Emmett's practice, and French braided my hair. I figured that once Edward and I got home, I wouldn't be wearing anything but a lace apron, so I didn't want to put too much effort into my clothes today.

Edward and I went downstairs with Robbie to join my dad and Heidi for breakfast. Heidi had made hash browns and sausages, and my dad and Edward ate like pigs. Heidi and I laughed together as we watched them. I loved having a mother figure in the house. Everything just felt more fun with her here.

After breakfast, we all walked out to the cars, and Heidi took my hand. "I'm stealing Bella for the ride over." She said. Edward kissed my cheek before going over to his car with my dad. I got in Heidi's car with her, and we drove out to the football field.

"So why did you kidnap me this morning?" I asked her. "Not that I mind."

She laughed. "I just wanted to know if you wanted a bird and bees talk?" She asked, making me crack up.

"Um, you are way too late for that." I said. "Edward and I like to say that we are like bunnies. We make love a lot. Like, a lot." I admitted to her, blushing.

"I think that's all a part of being young, Bella. You are in love and you're both learning. Plus you have the hormones on your side." She said, making me laugh. "Do you have enough protection?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah." I said. "Edward's dad has us covered, there." I told her. We had about fifteen condoms left in my bedside table, so we might have to restock soon. Especially after today.

"Your dad said you were upset about moving?" She asked.

"I'm not upset, really." I said. "I'm truly excited for Edward and I to live together, and have our own space. I'm just going to miss you guys, and Edward's family."

"I'm going to miss you, too, Bella. But you're an adult, and you need your own space, too. Privacy. This is a good thing for you guys. And with all the bunny like behaviour going on, I think you'll really enjoy it." She said, making me smile.

"You are both really independent people, already. You cook and clean and do your own laundry, so that's not going to be a concern. But, you'll both face new issues, and learn and grow. Your relationship will get stronger." She continued.

"Now, you're freaking me out." I said, laughing. "What kind of new issues?"

Heidi laughed. "I don't know. Just stress from school, jealousy over new friends, Edward leaving his dirty clothes on the floor." I laughed with her. "Or, maybe you'll just have lots of sex."

"I hope it's just the sex part." I said. "Edward and I are pretty good about fights, though. We usually work things out pretty quick."

"That's good, Bella. You guys are a great couple; so mature." She said, as we pulled up in the school parking lot. I really appreciated that she saw that in us. I gave Heidi a hug after we got out of the car, and walked over to join my dad and Edward, who was holding Robbie on his leash.

Edward reached out for my hand, automatically when he saw me. I smiled and took his hand, walking over to the bleachers. I thought it was cute how he just needed to touch me. Emmett and his team were stretching, so we took Robbie for a walk.

"How was your ride with Heidi?" Edward asked me, squeezing my hand. "Everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I think she was giving me the chance to talk to her about sex if I needed to." I told him, making him smile.

"My favourite topic." He said. I laughed, shaking my head at him.

"And she was just saying that our move to Seattle is going to be good for us. You know, for us to have privacy." I told him. "But she said we may face some new challenges."

"I think that would be true no matter where we lived." Edward said. "I mean, I get jealous of guys that look at you when we travel. We have misunderstandings, sometimes. But, I think that's normal."

I smiled just listening to Edward. He always had such a positive outlook on life and especially our relationship. "But the best part about us, Bella, is that we love each other so much. We're going to have a long and happy life together. And this year is just the beginning."


	537. XRated

**A/N - Happy Monday! I'm so happy that a lot of you are interested in a sequel. Make sure to put me on Author Alert some time in the next month, and you'll get a notification when the new story is posted. But, I'll be keeping you up to date, anyway. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 357 - X-Rated

We all watched Emmett's practice, Edward and I, my dad and Heidi, and the Cullen clan. It was nice to see Emmett back on the field. I knew how much he loved playing, and how hard it was on him sitting out and wearing a sling. But Carlisle had given him the go ahead to get back into the game, under the orders of trying to be careful.

It was fun having Heidi here, and her and Edward talked a lot about different plays and strategies. It was always a turn on to me when Edward talked about things he was knowledgeable about. I couldn't wait to get my boy alone.

Esme had brought sandwiches for lunch, and I thought it was nice to spend time with the family. But, honestly, I was just really glad that lunch was taken care of. I wanted to get home with Edward, and I didn't want to have to worry about food, not until I made dinner, anyway.

Jasper offered to take Robbie for us this afternoon, and I was thrilled. Edward and I were about to have ten uninterrupted hours alone together and I couldn't wait to get started. After my dad and Heidi left for work, Edward and I headed back to my house.

The minute we were in the door, Edward's lips were on mine. I loved that he felt that uncontrollable urge to always be kissing and touching me, because I felt the same thing for him. "What do you want to do first?" He asked, against my lips and in between kisses.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "How do you feel about watching our video?" I asked him. Even though we had planned to wait until after dinner, I was really excited to watch it with him. He groaned, biting at my lips. I was going to take that as a yes.

"Hop up." He said, setting his hands on my bum. I did as I was told and wrapped my legs around his hips. I leaned in and kissed his neck as he carried me up the stairs. He set me on the bed, before going over to his duffle bag and getting out the DVD.

Edward passed the video to me and I blushed, just holding it. I felt dirty and embarrassed, but really excited at the same time. I didn't even look at the movie. Edward brought my laptop over, and set it at the foot of the bed. He opened the disk tray and turned to take the video from me.

But, when his eyes met mine, he immediately sat down on the edge of the bed beside me. "Nervous, or changing your mind?" He asked as he set his palm on my hot cheek. "We don't have to watch it, Bella. There is no pressure whatsoever."

"I know. Thank you for being so cool about this." I said, turning my head so I could kiss his palm. "But my curiosity is killing me." I admitted, making Edward laugh.

"Okay. How about we start watching and if you don't like it, we'll shut it off." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

I smiled and nodded. "Deal." I said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, angel." He whispered. He put in the DVD, and then got up to turn out the lights. I laid on my stomach, propping my head up with my hands and resting my feet on my pillows. Edward came to lay beside me, wrapping his arm around my back. "Ready?" He asked, and I bit my lip.

"Ready." I said, moving the arrow over to the play button, and clicking it. The movie was called 'Playtime,' which I thought was hilarious, and I laughed a little when the title flashed on the screen. Edward chuckled beside me, and leaned over to kiss my cheek.

The movie started with a 'babysitter' sitting on the couch with books on her lap as if she was doing homework. She was a gorgeous woman with long blonde hair, tied in pigtails. She was wearing a really short black skirt, a pink cardigan and a skin tight white tank top, giving us a great view of her obvious breast implants.

I looked over at Edward to see if he thought she was pretty, but he was already looking at me. Edward hit pause on the movie and started rubbing my back. "Bella, you're chewing on your lip." He said, making me smile. I honestly hadn't realized that I was. "And you are a hundred times more beautiful than this girl, so don't even think it."

I dropped my head down and started laughing. I guess Edward knew me really well. And I felt really relieved when he said that. I didn't think I was the jealous type, but I figured more than anything, I felt a little bit insecure about my body when I compared it to 'Tori's.'

I peeked up and Edward and he was smiling at me. "We're not going to watch this if it's going to make you doubt yourself." He said, leaning in to give me a kiss. "You have an insanely perfect body, Bella. You are damn sexy, and I love every single part of you. I have every intention of proving it to you, too."

"Mm." I hummed. "Thank you, baby. We can watch some more. I'm fine."

"You sure?" He asked, and I nodded.

"But just so you know, when we have kids, we are not leaving them with Tori." I said and Edward laughed.

"Sounds good to me." He said. He pressed play again, and I smiled when Tori leaned over to pick up the phone. She made a call to her boyfriend and invited him over, all while twirling the phone cord around her fingers and licking her lips.

The acting in this movie was atrocious, but I figured that it wasn't really the point of the movie anyway. The minute the boyfriend showed up, they started making out, right against the wall. He was pressing his hips into hers and I was picturing Edward's hard body moving against me.

Edward moved his hand down to my bum, giving it a squeeze. I figured that he was getting turned on, but so was I. We watched as the couple moved over to the huge couch, and the boyfriend tugged off the babysitter's cardigan. They started touching and rubbing each other, and I found myself getting more and more turned on, especially by the sounds of pleasure they were making.

The couple undressed each other, roughly, quickly, and when we got a full frontal shot of the boyfriend, I covered my eyes and laughed. I had never seen a naked man, except for Edward. My innocence was obvious in that moment, and Edward laughed, pulled me closer to his body.

"You can look." He whispered in my ear, and it was hard to hear him over all the moaning coming from my laptop speakers. I peeked back at the screen and the boyfriend had his face buried between her legs. She had her head thrown back, and I wondered if I looked that blissful when Edward did that to me.

I noticed Edward adjusting his hips on the bed, and I knew he was getting as turned on as I was. I reached over, setting my had on his cheek and turned his head. I leaned in and pressed a hard kiss to his lips. He smiled as I pulled back, and reached over to pull my tank top off.

He reached over and unclasped my bra, before leaning over to press kisses to my chest. I could feel his hands working on my cut offs and smiled when his got the zipper down. I sat up and pulled my shorts and panties off. Edward pulled his t-shirt off and leaned back against my pillows, with his legs open, knees bent.

"Come lean against me." Edward said, reaching his hand out. I sat with my back to his chest, and Edward leaned down to kiss my shoulder. "Open up your legs." He whispered, as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I let my legs fall open and lean against his legs.

We were both still watching the movie from this position. The boyfriend had lifted the babysitter up and turned her around, bending her over the side of the couch. Edward and I had only ever made love to each other, face to face.

We kept watching, as Edward slid his hands up and down my inner thighs as we watched the couple have sex on every surface in the room, the couch, the coffee table, the bear skin rug.

Edward slid his hand down in between my legs, letting his fingers swirl around. I groaned and dropped my head back. "You're really turned on, Bella." He whispered in my ear. "You like this, sexy girl? You like how he's taking control of her, and just taking what he wants?"

I shut my eyes. I felt like I was in sensation overload. There was an x-rated video playing in front of me, Edward was whispering dirty things in my ear, and he was touching me, one hand between my legs, and the other pinching at my nipple. I could feel how turned on he was, pressing against my back.

I felt myself letting go, and I cried out. Edward moved his hands up and wrapped them around my stomach. "You are so sexy, Bella." He whispered, kissing my neck.

I rolled over and got up on my knees, wrapping my arms around Edward's neck. "You are the sexy one, Edward." I said, bringing my lips to his, and starting a very long and heated make out session. Edward was rubbing his hands along my sides and I was incredibly turned on again.

I sat back and unzipped Edward's shorts. He lifted his hips for me and I yanked them down. I leaned in and took him in my mouth. "Ah, Bella." He groaned, dropping his head back, and hitting it on the headboard.

I was such a boost to my confidence, both that Edward didn't try and stop me this time, and that I was making him feel good. He was humming and mumbling, and I was trying not to smile. "Bella, baby." He warned, so I let him go, using my hand until he came. I grabbed his t-shirt and wiped off his chest, before snuggling up to his warm body.

Edward wrapped me tightly in his arms, and we both laughed when we looked back at the computer screen, and the porn stars were still going at it. Edward leaned down to kiss my lips, before whispering in my ear. "Why should they have all the fun, right?"


	538. You're Sexy When You Laugh

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing! The anniversary is going to go on for a couple more chapters because I am having way too much fun writing it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 538 - You're Sexy When You Laugh

So far, watching the x-rated movie was proving to be quite the turn on for Edward and I. I was happy that Edward had let me put my mouth on him, with no argument whatsoever. I still moved when he asked me to, and I wouldn't fight him on the issue, because I knew it made him uncomfortable. And today was not about pushing boundaries, it was all about having a lot of fun and celebrating our engagement.

We were both temporarily sated, but things were building back up in a quick hurry. We had pretty much given up watching the movie, but the sounds of sex were still in the air, and that was a turn on by itself.

Edward was currently sucking on the inside of my thigh, trying to give me another hickey. He knew he was restricted to areas that would be covered by my bridesmaid dress. I was leaning against my pillows with my eyes closed, running my fingers through Edward's hair.

Edward hummed and kissed his way up my body until he got to my lips. He smiled against my lips as I opened my eyes. "I thought you'd fallen asleep on me." He whispered, making me giggle.

"You can't tell me you don't see the difference between savouring a moment and sleeping?" I asked, teasing him.

Edward chuckled and pressed a kiss to my lips. "How about I really give you something to savour?" He asked in his sexy voice.

"Yes, please." I said, giggling.

"You are so sexy when you laugh, Bella." He said, pressing a big, sloppy kiss to my lips, which only made me laugh harder, as I tried to wipe my face. "Don't wipe my kisses off." He laughed, pressing wet kiss after wet kiss all over my face.

I was laughing so hard, I could hardly breathe, and Edward had started laughing with me. "Edward, I have to pee, now." I said, still laughing. We were the most unsexy couple, ever. But, we had to be the happiest.

"Go, then." He said. "I'll just be the naked man in your bed, waiting to make love to you. Take your time."

I laughed, as I slid out of bed and walked to the door. Edward whistled at me, and I turned to blow him a kiss over my shoulder, before slipping out of the room and into the bathroom. I quickly used the bathroom, and looked at my reflection in the mirror as I washed my hands. I still had a goofy smile on my face and my cheeks were flushed. I looked truly happy, and I knew that my amazing fiancé had everything to do with it.

I walked back into my room and I noticed that Edward had closed my laptop and set it back on my desk. "Were they still going at it?" I asked him, pointing at my laptop, before I crawled into bed with him.

"They were." He said, pulling me into his arms, and kissing my cheek. "I hope you don't mind that I shut it off, though. I want to hear the sounds that you make."

"That was sexy, Edward." I said, running my fingertips up and down his arm.

He laughed. "I'm not that sexy. I'm hungry." He said.

"Are you really?" I asked him, smiling.

"Starving." He admitted.

"Okay. Let's go downstairs and have a snack." I said. I got up and slipped on some black cotton boy shorts and a white tank, and I tossed Edward a pair of white boxer briefs from my drawer.

"No naked snacking?" He asked as we walked down to the kitchen, together.

I laughed. "Nope. That can wait 'til we get to the apartment." I said. "We won't even need clothes, then."

Edward got us both a glass of orange juice, while I sliced up some cheese and fruit and put in on a plate with some crackers. I walked out to the backyard and sat on the deck steps. Edward sat down beside me, and looked around.

"No one can see us, right?" He asked, making me giggle.

"No. The fences are pretty high, but we are dressed." I told him, picking up a slice of cheese and bringing to his lips. "I'm always thinking ahead." I smiled as I watched his jaw flex while he chewed. He was so sexy.

He chuckled. "You look like you want to eat me, Bella." He said, making me laugh. "You're drooling."

I giggled. "I am not." I said, automatically reaching up to check that I wasn't.

"I'm just teasing you." He said, picking up a slice of strawberry. He brought it to my mouth and rubbed the juices along my bottom lip, before leaning in to lick them off. I held his head to mine and started kissing him hard.

We pulled back and smiled at each other. "I think we have unfinished business in the bedroom." He said, winking at me.

"Well, we do, but someone needed a snack." I said, shoving a piece of cheese in my mouth.

"I'll make it up to you." He said, rubbing his hand along my thigh. We sat together eating for a while until Edward brought up the porn. "So, uh, did you see anything you wanted to try? You know in the movie?" He asked, almost sounding nervous for bringing it up.

"Not really." I told him honestly, and then laughed because he looked shocked by my answer. "Seriously, I didn't. That was all just sex. It's obvious that they don't love each other." I shook my head and giggled. "And I might have been too busy watching how her fake boobs hardly moved."

Edward laughed, reaching over to softly caress my boob with his fingertips. "I love watching how your boobs move when we make love. It's very, very sexy, Bella." He said, making me blush lightly.

I smiled over at him, and took his hand in mine. "Oh, but I did like the sounds." I admitted, and Edward nodded his head in agreement. "What did you see in the movie that you want to try?" I asked him, because I knew he wouldn't have brought it up if he hadn't seen something.

"We don't have to do anything like that, Bella." He said, avoiding the question.

"Baby, I want to know." I said. "Tell me. Because if you don't say anything, it's never going to happen. At least if you tell me, you might have a small chance of getting me to agree to it." I teased, making him laugh.

"Just a small chance?" He asked, pouting out his bottom lip.

"Tell me." I whined.

Edward chuckled, and shook his head, rubbing his palms down his legs. "Uh, well, did you see when she was laying on the couch and he was standing up, holding her legs while they, uh, did it?" He asked.

"Yes, I saw that." I said, getting to sit on his lap. "Why are you so nervous?" I asked him, before pressing a kiss to his lips. "You know you can talk to me about anything."

"Because I don't want to make things weird for us." He admitted, running his hand up and down my leg.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a hug. "That would never happen." I said. "I know you're a teenaged boy." I teased, looking into his eyes and winking. He laughed and shook his head at me. "Plus I'm the one that wanted to watch the movie in the first place."

"So." He said, trailing off. I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to finish, but he didn't say anything. We both started laughing, and I dropped my head on Edward's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a squeeze.

I looked back up at his face. "Let's go try it." I said. "If you think you can hold me up."

"If I can hold you up?" He asked, as we walked back into the house. "Bella, I carry you everywhere."

I reached up and squeezed his biceps. "Oh, I know. Your buff, muscular quality is very impressive to me, you know." I said, making him laugh. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips, before scooping me up bridal style and carrying me up to my room.

We undressed each other, and Edward leaned down to kiss me, before he started walking me towards the bed. Edward's hands explored my body, and he had me moaning and squirming in no time. "Ready?" He whispered, and I nodded, breathing to heavily to answer.

He got the condom on, before reaching over to grab my ankles and pull me to the edge of the bed. He did it fairly fast, and I gasped, surprised that he did it, and even more turned on by his dominant actions. He held my legs open and made love to me while he stood up, and I was only half on the bed, gripping onto the sheets. It felt insanely good, and I couldn't get over how gorgeous Edward looked with his muscles straining. This was an amazing afternoon.


	539. Presents and Pasta

**A/N - So, review reply is working, again! I love being able to talk to you all! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 539 - Presents and Pasta

Edward and I were snuggled together on the bed and Edward had his head resting on my chest. I could tell he was exhausted, and he seemed to be right on the verge of falling asleep. I was tingling everywhere, and was way to excited to sleep. I was running my fingernails over Edward's scalp and he was humming lightly.

"Stop trying to make me fall asleep." He mumbled. "That feels way too good."

I giggled. "I like making you feel good." I said, leaning down to kiss his hair. "I love you, baby."

"Love you, too." He said, softly. I peeked down at his face and I could tell he was out. I smiled to myself. This afternoon was amazing so far, and I hadn't even showed him the apron, yet.

I let Edward sleep, and I went over in my mind what I was going to make him for dinner. I decided to make him some pasta with homemade meat sauce. My man was working up quite the appetite this afternoon, so I wanted to keep him fed.

At around three thirty, Edward opened his eyes, and looked around. "Did I fall asleep?" He asked, making me giggle.

"You did, handsome." I said, smiling as he sat up and stretched his sexy body. "I think I'm wearing you out."

He laughed. "Never." He got off the bed and pulled on his shorts, sans underwear, and it made me smile. I have no idea why, but I found that to be incredibly sexy. He leaned over to kiss my lips. "I'll be right back."

He walked out of my room to the bathroom, and I got up, getting redressed in lace panties and white tank. I pulled the lingerie box out of Edward's duffle bag and sat back on the bed waiting for him.

"Oh, presents." He said, smiling as he sat at the foot of my bed.

I passed it to him, giggling as he tugged the ribbon off of the box. He smiled, lifting the apron out of the box. "You bought me lingerie?" He asked, making me laugh. "I'm just teasing. What is it?" He lifted it up upside down.

I got up and took it from him, slipping it on. "It's an apron." I said, twirling around, so he could see the back.

"Shit, baby. That's sexy."

I bit my lip. "I'm glad you like it. I was going to wear while I made your dinner."

"Best present, ever. Thank you." He said, reaching out for my hands, and pulling me towards him. "You are so beautiful, baby."

I smiled, as I sat down on his lap. "I'm glad you like it." I pressed a kiss to his lips. "It combines your two favourite things: aprons and lingerie."

Edward hummed, kissing me again. "You forgot my favourite thing of all: you."

"Aren't you a sweet talker?" I asked and he smiled.

"You know I am." He laughed, pulling me back on the bed. He rolled me over, before slipping off of the bed. He grabbed a small box from the duffle bag and passed it to me. I sat up, smiling, and opened the box.

"Oh, Edward." I said. Laying in the box in some tissue paper was the antique cat candleholder that I had fallen in love with last week when Edward and I were shopping for Heidi's bridal shower gift. "I love it. Thank you. When did you get this?"

I looked up at Edward's face and he smiled at me. "When you went to lingerie shopping." He said. "I want you to have everything you desire, baby. That is my only goal in life."

"Aw, Edward." I said, going over to wrap my arms around his neck. "I don't need anything but you. I love you."

"I love you, too, gorgeous." He whispered, kissing my neck and shoulder. I groaned, just getting into it, when the doorbell rang. "Crappy timing." Edward laughed. "I'll go get it. I don't want anyone else laying eyes on you in that sexy little number." He kissed me before running down the stairs.

I got up and walked over to my mirror. I took the apron off and pulled off my tank top. This lingerie was going to knock Edward's socks off with nothing but lace panties underneath. I tied the apron back on and took the braid from my hair, running my fingers through my wavy hair. I put on some lip gloss, ran some grey eye shadow over my lids, and swept on a quick coat of mascara.

I just finished when Edward walked into the room. "Wow." He said, his eyes wide, as he stopped in his tracks. "Bella Swan, I do believe you have taken my breath away."

I giggled at how old fashioned he sounded. He walked up to me and took my hands, holding them out to the sides. "I honestly don't think you've ever looked more beautiful."

I pressed my lips together and tried not to cry. He sounded so sincere when he said it, and I truly believed him. "May I take a picture of you?" He asked. "I mean you can say no if you want, but baby, I never want to forget this."

"Um, okay." I agreed, blushing a little. I was honestly a little bit overwhelmed by his reaction.

Edward smiled at me, and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "I love you." He whispered. He walked over to my desk and picked up my camera. He snapped a picture of me, and smiled when he looked down at the screen. He turned the camera to show me and I blushed.

The apron was see through, and I had a shy smile on my face. Honestly, I was surprised by how sexy I looked. My eyes were smoky, and my lips were shiny, and my body looked pretty good in the apron. It made my boobs look bigger than they were, too.

"Do you see how I see you, Bella?" He whispered, before he placed a kiss to my lips. "You are amazing."

I smiled and looked up at his face. "Thank you, baby." I said. "You make me feel beautiful."

"I'm glad to hear it, gorgeous." He took my hand and led me downstairs. "A surprise was delivered for you." We walked into the kitchen, and I smiled. There was a huge flower arrangement on the table; like the kind you see at fancy weddings. There must have been four dozen roses, all creams and pinks and peaches. It looked so delicate; so perfect.

And that got me crying. I was thankful to be wearing my waterproof mascara. "No, no, no, baby. Don't cry." He said, as he wrapped me in his arms. I pressed my cheek against his bare chest, as he rubbed my back.

"I love them, Edward." I cried. "Thank you."

He chuckled, rocking us back and forth, slowly. "You are so welcome, baby. They remind me of your gorgeous skin, always flushed and so soft." He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. "I love you, sweet girl."

I basked in Edward's warm arms for a minute longer before wiping my eyes, and going over to the fridge to start dinner. Edward offered to help, and even though I had wanted to spoil him, I loved teaching him new things.

I started browning the ground beef, and Edward got a pot of water to boil. When he complained that I was giving him the easy jobs, I gave him an onion to chop. He massacred the poor thing, and had cute little onion induced tears rolling down his cheeks, but my boy got the job done. We added the onion to the beef, then a large jar of tomato sauce, a little oregano, basil and garlic powder, and we had a nice meat sauce. I let it simmer while the fusilli boiled, and Edward and I set the table.

"This smells amazing" Edward said, as I drained the pasta. He came up behind me and cupped my bum cheeks in his hands, giving them a squeeze. He pressed a kiss to my bare shoulder, and then my cheek. "You are so talented."

I served us both a plate of pasta and then scooped sauce over top. We sat down, side be side, to eat. Edward had his left hand high on my thigh while he ate. He was moaning after every bite, and it was making me laugh. We laughed through our dinner, and I was in hysterics by the time Edward was scraping his plate clean. It was nice that we could have so much fun together.

We put the leftovers in the fridge, our dishes in the sink to soak and then went back upstairs, hand in hand. Edward slowly untied my apron and lifted it off over my head. He gently let his fingers explore my body, and then pulled my panties off. He unbuttoned his shorts, stepping out of them when they fell to the floor and slowly walked me over to the bed.

Edward and I laid in bed, just touching, kissing, holding, rubbing and caressing. I felt so loved by his gentle actions. It didn't always have to be about sex for us to feel connected. We had built our relationship on moments like this one. Edward's sweet and caring nature was what I had fallen in love with and I was thoroughly enjoying it, tonight.

Edward sucked on my earlobe, before he whispered in my ear. "Happy anniversary, Bella. Thank you for saying yes."


	540. What Are You Waiting For

**A/N - Happy December...the happiest month of the year! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 540 - What Are You Waiting For

Edward and I must have cuddled for hours, and I enjoyed the feeling of his lips and hands on my skin. "What do you say we get dressed and go for a walk?" He suggested making me smile. It appeared that snuggling brought out the super romantic side of Edward.

"I think I would love that." I said, kissing his lips. I got out of bed and pulled on some navy blue sweatpants a white bra and a white tank top. Edward was laying on the bed watching me with a smile on his face.

"I like those sweats, baby." He said, making me laugh. I could be wearing lacy lingerie, an oversized sleep shirt, or sweatpants, and Edward would be happy. He was very easy to please.

Edward got up and pulled on his underwear, shorts and t-shirt. He took my hand and we walked downstairs to put on our running shoes. "You know if you want to run with your brothers in the mornings you can go, right?" I told him. "Don't think you have to give that up for me."

"Thank you, babe. If we're at my house, I'll go with them, but when I'm here, I'm here." He said and I smiled. Edward had a very good balance in his life, and I was glad that he seemed to handle things without ever getting too stressed.

We started our walk holding hands, and walking up the street. It was around eight o'clock in the evening and the setting sun made the sky a beautiful pink colour.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" Edward asked me, squeezing my hand. "Any plans?"

"Oh, shoot." I said, as I stopped walking.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked. He brought my hand up to press a kiss to my palm.

"I'm having lunch with Vanessa at the diner tomorrow." I told him. "I'm sorry. I forgot to mention it." Vanessa and I had made the plans on Sunday, but with all the excitement from the bridal shower and our anniversary, I had forgotten to tell Edward.

"Baby, I know I'm a clingy guy, but you can go out with your friends." He said, smiling at me.

"I know that." I laughed. "But we practically live together. We do everything together. I just want to keep you in the loop."

Edward leaned down to kiss my lips. "I love you." He whispered. "We should hang out with our friends more." He said, swinging our arms as we walked.

I smiled, thinking of all the great people we had met this summer. They were all so important to me. "What do you have in mind? A big end of the summer bash?"

"Oo. That's good, Bella. I like the way you think."

I giggled. "Well, maybe we could do a big bonfire, like the one that Jake and the guys had earlier in the summer. And we have our families there, too. Just everyone we love, all together in one place."

"Love that plan, baby." Edward said. We got to the diner and Edward held open the door for me. "Want a milkshake?"

I laughed. "Okay."

"Strawberry?" He asked, and I agreed. After Billy made up our milkshakes, Edward took my hand, leading us back outside.

"I like that you want our families to be at the bonfire. I know Em really wants to see what a bonfire's like, and my mom and dad will probably only let him come if they're there." He said, continuing our pre-milkshake conversation.

"So it will be like a going away party, but we're not going to call it that." I said.

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his side. "It will be a celebration to mark the end of an amazing summer, and remind us what we have to look forward to every year. No tears."

I laughed. "I can only promise that I'll try not to cry." I said, and Edward laughed with me.

"That's all I ask." He said. We got to the park and sat on a bench, side by side. "Baby, I don't want to upset you now, but when are we going back to Seattle?"

I turned my head and kissed his shoulder. "I'm alright." I said. I reached over and took his hand. "I was thinking next Saturday, actually. A week after my dad's wedding. We can drive up and unpack, and that gives us three days before school starts to get groceries in the cupboards and fridge, go to the university for books, and just get settled."

"Okay. Sounds good." He agreed. I looked up at his face and smiled at me. "Now, how about that wedding date? We never did get to it."

I giggled. "It's not my fault you wanted morning sex."

Edward threw his head back and laughed. "Bella. It is totally your fault. You are so irresistible."

"Okay, okay. I'm sexy." I said, and Edward laughed harder. He leaned in for a kiss and I smiled against his lips. "Wedding date."

"Do you even remember what I suggested?" He asked. "I know I just yelled out a random date."

"You said July twenty seventh." I told him. "But I was thinking, maybe the sixteenth or the twenty third. They're our special days."

"What about July twenty third, next year? That will be exactly one year since you accepted my proposal."

"That's perfect, Edward." I got up and set my milkshake on the bench before running out into the grassy area of the park. I heard Edward's laughter behind me, and smiled when I felt his arms wrap around me. He leaned in and kissed my shoulder.

"So, you got excited that we picked out a wedding date, you felt the need to just run? Or, you're practicing being a runaway bride?" He asked, making me laugh.

I turned in his arms and stood up on my toes to kiss his chin. "The first one." I said. "I think."

Edward laughed, reaching down to slap my bum. It made me smile because he was definitely lightening up about the spanking thing.

"I'm just kidding." I said, setting my hand over his heart. "I will never leave you. I own your heart and you own mine."

"Darn right." Edward said, winking at me. "Come on. We have a long way to walk yet, and only your half of a milkshake to sustain us for the trip back."

Edward and I held hands on the walk back to my place, and he had my milkshake finished in two blocks. He was such a guy. We went up to my room, and Edward started undressing himself, making me smile.

I grabbed my cell phone and called Jasper to check on our baby. Apparently he was already sleeping on Jasper's bed after a full afternoon of playing, eating and even more tricks. I thanked Jasper, and hung up the phone.

"How's my baby boy?" Edward asked, as he tugged my sweatpants down over my hips and down my legs.

"He's being very well taken care of. Just like his mommy." I said, smiling. Edward chuckled, pulling my tank top off, and unclasping my bra.

"Well, Robbie's mom is about to be even more spoiled." Edward whispered, before he kissed my lips.

"How is that even possible, Edward?"

"I'm going to give you a massage, gorgeous." He took my hand and led me over to the bed. I laid down on my stomach and rested my head on my hands.

"You know, Bella," Edward said, as he straddled my thighs, "I'm thinking of taking up photography." I smiled, but then moaned as he started rubbing my neck and shoulders.

"Are you going to join a photography club at the university?" I asked, smiling at the mental image of Edward with a camera and long lens hanging from his neck.

"Oh, no." He chuckled. "The kind of photography I'm interested in is private."

"Private?"

"I would love nothing more than to start a personal collection of photographs with my lovely bride to be as the only subject." His hands slid down my spine to my hips, and he gave them a gentle squeeze. "You are the most captivating woman in the world, Bella. The photo I took of you this afternoon in your apron gave me the idea."

I rolled over to my back. "So, let me get this straight?" I asked, smiling up at Edward's gorgeous face. "You want to take sexy photos of me?" He nodded. "And we're the only ones that would see them?"

"Absolutely." He said, sliding his hands up my stomach until he reached my breasts, caressing my skin with his thumbs.

I smiled, lifting my arms up and tangling my fingers into my hair. "What are you waiting for?"


	541. Happiness and Hormones

**A/N - Happy Friday! This chapter covers the end of Monday, August 23 and the start of Tuesday, August 24, 2010. Thanks to everyone for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 541 - Happiness and Hormones

Edward flew off the bed and grabbed my camera. I had agreed to let him take some pictures of me. I should have been embarrassed, like I was this afternoon when he took the photo of me wearing the lace apron.

But, I felt so sexy, so loved, and so beautiful when Edward had asked to take the photos. We loved each other. We were exploring our sexual natures; discovering what turned us on, what we liked and fantasized about.

I was starting to gain confidence in the bedroom. I could please my fiancé. I turned him on. So, when he had shared his desire to capture some images of me naked, or in lingerie, I felt empowered.

Edward turned the camera on, as he straddled my thighs, again. "Baby, are you sure you're okay with this?" He asked, double checking.

"I trust you, Edward." I said. "And I love you. So, yes. I'm sure."

He smiled, rubbing my side, and giving me goosebumps. "I love you, too, sexy girl." He stood up on his knees and pointed the camera at my face and chest, snapping a couple of shots.

I reached up for the camera. "Can I take one of you, too?" I asked. "You are so gorgeous."

Edward laughed as he passed me the camera. "Gorgeous, huh?"

"Oh, yeah." I said, pointing the camera as Edward's sexy, naked body. "Look at those chiselled abs." Edward flexed for me, and started doing a whole bunch of crazy poses, still straddling my legs. I was laughing so hard, I could barely focus the camera.

Edward laid down beside me, and took the camera from my hand. He nestled his head right next to mine and held the camera up in the air to take a shot of us together. I turned my head to kiss his cheek and he snapped another one. He leaned over me, slightly squishing me into the pillow to set the camera on the nightstand.

Edward sat back up and laughed. "Oops. You look smooshed."

"I don't mind be a smooshed by a sexy man like you." I reached up and pulled his face to mine so I could kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you, too, angel."

I snuggled up to Edward's chest and closed my eyes. I loved being engaged to this man. He was so loving, fun and enthusiastic. He energized me. He made me want to be a better person, to grow and to be happy. Edward Cullen was my world, and I couldn't have been more content with my life right now.

I woke up on Tuesday to Edward doing his best impression of a Koala bear. His arms and legs were wrapped around my body, his chest to my back. And he was snoring in my ear. It was adorable, but I was so hot that I was sweating, and to top it all off, I needed to pee.

"Baby, wake up." I whispered. He groaned, so I knew he heard me. I wriggled a little, trying to escape the hold of a man over fifty pounds heavier than I was. "I need to pee, babe."

Edward let me go, and kissed my cheek. "Hurry back, sexy." He mumbled. I giggled as I slipped on a nightshirt. Edward's back was bare, and I could see his bum, as the blankets were pulled off of him. He was so hot.

I snuck across the hall and used the bathroom. I brushed my teeth before trudging back to my room. It was still early and I planned on snuggling with my fiancé for another hour before we got up for breakfast.

Edward had rolled onto his stomach and had his arms up over his head. I pulled the covers off of him and straddled his legs. I leaned forward and kissed his sexy bum cheek. I worked my way with kisses from his bum, to the small of his back, and up over the defined muscles in his back.

"That feels nice." Edward said. I smiled, laying down on his back. "You're so light, baby. How can such a big heart and soul fit in such a tiny body?"

"I don't know." I said, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you, too, gorgeous." He said, making me smile. "Can you believe we have a wedding date?"

I giggled, sliding off of Edward's back to lay beside him. "We do. I'm so excited."

"Wait until we tell my mom." Edward said and I laughed. She was definitely going to freak out. Edward wrapped his arms around my back, pulling me to his chest. "I can't wait for forever with you."

I pressed my lips to Edward's. "Me, too." I whispered.

We eventually got up and showered and dressed for the day. "I think you look so sexy in those short little jeans." Edward told me as I put my hair in a messy bun.

"A fan of the Capri pants, huh?" I asked, smiling as Edward walked over and slid his hands into my back pockets.

"A big fan." Edward said, kissing my lips. "You have a gorgeous body. One that I plan on tasting and kissing and touching and squeezing."

I giggled as he emphasised each word with a bum squeeze. "You'll have to wait until tonight, lover boy."

Edward and I went downstairs and joined my dad and Heidi for breakfast. My dad was sitting at the table reading the paper. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Good morning, daddy." I said.

"Good morning, kiddo." He smiled at me as I sat beside him.

"So, five days until you're a married man." Edward said, making my dad laugh. "You getting excited?"

"Very excited." My dad told him.

Heidi laughed, walked in over to kiss the top of my dad's head. "He has to say that."

"Looks like a wedding in here, now." My dad pointed over at the flowers Edward had ordered me for our anniversary, and I giggled. My Edward was so perfect.

"So, I know you're postponing the honeymoon for a week, but any plans for the wedding night? You need Bella and I clear out of here?" Edward asked, making us all laugh.

"Actually, we think we might go get a hotel for the night, so you kids can stay here." Heidi said, winking at me. I knew she had a bunch of new lingerie that she was excited about.

"You guys coming to football this morning?" I asked them.

"We can't go today." Heidi said. "We have a couple of appointments: picking up your dad's dress uniform from the cleaners, and then we're going to get him some new shoes in Port Angeles."

"Aw, daddy. You are going to so look handsome." I said, squeezing his hand.

After breakfast, Edward and I headed over to the football field. I was surprised to see Jasper sitting by himself on the bleachers. He was holding Robbie, and smiled when he saw us.

"Hey, buddy." Edward said, sitting down beside his brother. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, mom and Alice are having a girls' morning." He said. "And Em and Rose had a fight this morning on the phone, so Rose and Maria stayed home."

"Oh, no." I said. "Is Emmett okay?"

"He's really grouchy." Jasper said. He passed me my kitten and I snuggled my face into Robbie's soft fur. "I wasn't even sure if he wanted me to come today or not."

"Do you know what the fight was about?" Edward asked his brother.

"Um, I think sex." Jasper said, his face turning red just from saying the word. "That's just based on what I overheard. He won't talk to me." Edward wrapped his arm around Jasper's shoulders. "He looked like he was going to cry on the drive to practice."

"So, why didn't Maria come?" I asked him.

"Oh, I guess she figured her sister needed her, or something." Jasper said. "I don't really understand girls." He chuckled, making me smile. "But she said that she's not mad at me and that she's going to make me some cookies, I guess. So, that's cool."

"We'll figure it out, Jazz." Edward said. "Emmett's got to cool down a little. He's letting his hormones control him too much. There's a gentleman in there somewhere."

"I think he talks before he thinks." Jasper added. "I don't think he meant what he said."

I looked out in the field and the guys were running drills. I really hoped that Emmett and Rose could work through this fight. They were so great together. But, Edward was amazing with his brothers and very good at giving advice, so I knew that if anyone could help, it would be him.


	542. Texting, Talking, Teaching

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 542 - Texting, Talking, Teaching

After practice, Emmett came jogging over to us. His eyes were red, and it broke my heart. I had never seen him cry at all this summer. He didn't seem to be the crying type, so I knew he had to be feeling pretty horrible.

Edward stood up and pulled Emmett into a tight hug. It shocked me when Emmett started sobbing into Edward's shoulder. "I think I lost her." He whispered. Just seeing him so sad made the tears flood to my eyes.

"We'll work it out, Em." Edward said.

Emmett came to sit over on the bleachers. He wiped his eyes roughly and shook his head. "Hey, Bella." He said, shrugging at me, and giving me a weak smile.

"Hey, Emmett." I said, getting up to kiss his cheek. "Don't give up on her, yet." I passed the kitten to him, and he nodded at me.

Edward reached into his pocket and passed me his keys. "You can take my car to go meet Vanessa. I'll get a ride home with the guys." Edward wrapped me in a hug. "Don't cry, sugar. I love you. He'll be okay."

"Okay. I love you." I said, kissing his chin. I gave all the boys one more hug, before heading over to the parking lot.

I felt so sad for Emmett, but all couples had fights. Even Edward and I had a few misunderstandings over the last few months, and we were okay. Still, I hated to see him so upset.

I drove to the diner and ran to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face and then put on some lip gloss. I walked out to the diner and sat down at a booth in the back corner waiting for Vanessa.

Billy came over and I ordered a coke. "Where's Edward?" He asked. "You two are usually inseparable."

I laughed. "That is true. He's with his brothers and I'm meeting a friend."

"Glad to hear it." Billy said. "I've never seen Edward happier than he's been this summer. And I think it's all because of you."

"Aw, that's sweet. Thank you, Billy."

"Anything to get a pretty girl to smile." He said, giving me a sympathetic smile. I hadn't thought about it, but I probably still had red eyes. "You give me a call when you're ready to order." He said, winking at me, and I nodded, smiling at him. He was a nice guy.

I was here a little early, so I pulled out my cell phone to text Angie. I had loved having her here a couple of weeks ago, but I missed her so much. _'Just had an amazing one month engagement anniversary with Edward. How are things with the adorable Benjamin?_' I typed.

I had just pressed send when I got a text from Edward. _'I'm sorry that I didn't walk you to the car. Just wanted to make sure you made it okay to the diner?' _I smiled. This man could not be any more perfect.

I typed him back quickly so he didn't worry. _'I am sitting at a booth waiting for Ness. Billy is flirting with me though. Good thing you put a ring on my finger. He's a sweetheart. ;) How's Emmett?'_

'Don't tease me, my bad girl. Em is hanging in there. Have a great lunch, baby. Come over when your done? Love you. E'

I heard the bell on the door and looked up. Vanessa was here, and she looked adorable in a white sundress covered in black polka dots. I shot Edward back a quick message, _'Yes. Love you,' _before I tucked my phone into my purse.

I got up and gave Vanessa a hug. "Hey, Bella. You okay?" She asked, tossing her long curly hair over her shoulder.

"I'm fine. Edward's brother was upset this morning, and you know how hard it is to see people you love sad." I said, waving Billy over. We both ordered the chicken strips and fries, but Vanessa wanted gravy over her fries.

"Okay, so sex talk." I said, making Vanessa giggle. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, my problem is that Jake is so sweet and protective. He's like another EJ and I already have a brother." She said. "I mean, I love that about him, really I do, but Jake is so hot and muscular and, mm, I just want him to throw me down and make love to me."

I smiled. "I understand that feeling." I told her. I adored Edward's strong body, especially when he took control in bed.

"And it's not like I'm a virgin. So, I don't even know why he won't do it with me." She said, stopping when Billy walked up with our food. She watched him over her shoulder before the coast was clear. "How should I seduce him?"

"Well, can I ask how much experience you have with sex?" I asked. "I mean, if you don't mind telling me."

"I don't mind, Bella. Girlfriends share everything." She said, making me smile. And she was right. "Um, I was fifteen, and I was with this guy that was way older than me. I met him at the beach. EJ was away at a competition, and I mean, I didn't really know the guy that well, but I was young and someone was paying attention to me for me, not because I was EJ's little sister.

"Anyway, we did it in the back of his car, and I was scared and it hurt, and EJ beat the hell out of him when he found out. My alcoholic aunt found out and called me a slut and grounded me for forever." She shook her head.

I found myself tearing up just listening to her story. She reached over and took my hand. "Bella, don't cry. I'm okay. It was three years ago. This might sound really weird to some people, but EJ actually slept in my bed with me for a month, holding me while I cried. He kept telling me how special I was, and that one day I would find a guy that would see that in me."

Vanessa was so lucky to have such an amazing big brother. EJ saved her from a life of self loathing, and got her through what I assumed to be years of verbal abuse from their aunt. I understood why they wanted to come up here and start a new life.

And Vanessa was so amazingly resilient. I was so proud of her for becoming the wonderful young woman she was.

"Jake sees how special you are." I said, smiling. "Maybe that's why he wants to take his time. I mean, it may not be your first time, but it will be your first time with him, and his with you. That is very sweet."

Vanessa giggled. "It is. But I would still like to get into his pants." She said, winking at me. "And, um, I also don't know a lot about condoms and stuff."

"Well, after we eat, let's go to my place and I'll show you what Edward taught me." I suggested, making her smile.

We ate our lunch, and talked about how maybe Vanessa and Jake should start with foreplay, just getting used to being together in a sexual manner. Vanessa looked thrilled by the idea.

After lunch, Vanessa and I took Edward's car to go back to my place. I wanted to teach Vanessa about condoms, so we went into the kitchen to find a banana. I couldn't believe we didn't have any. My dad must have taken the last one in his lunch. I looked in the fridge and found a cucumber.

I held it up and shrugged my shoulders, making Vanessa laugh. "I'll bet Jake is that big." She said, making us both blush and laugh on the way up to my room.

Vanessa and I crawled on my bed and I reached over to my drawer, grabbing three condoms. I walked her through, step by step, what Edward had taught me. We took the condom off and Vanessa gave it try. She was a quick learner.

"You should ask Jake if he'll let you practice on him." I suggested making her laugh. "Well, it is a good way to see him naked."

She smiled and laid down on my bed. I laid beside her and she took my hand in hers. "It doesn't hurt the second time, right?" She asked, looking over at me, and sounding very vulnerable.

"It shouldn't. As long as you're relaxed and turned on and Jake goes slow." I said, squeezing her hand. "You love him, Ness. And I think he's been in love with you from the moment he met you. You guys will be fine."

"Thank you, Bella. For listening and just, for everything." She said, smiling at me. "So, do you and Edward do it a lot?"

"We didn't have sex until after we were engaged. We were definitely not ready. But, now, we like to call ourselves bunnies." I told her, making her laugh. "I feel so loved and connected to him when we make love. It's amazing, every single time."

"Jake makes me feel that way when he holds me." She said. "I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when we have sex."

I smiled. "Just multiply that feeling of love by a thousand."

She grinned from ear to ear. "Wow."


	543. My Advice

**A/N - I am having the busiest weekend, ever, but I'll always make time to write! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It is still Tuesday, August 24, 2010 in this chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 543 - My Advice

I drove Vanessa back to the diner to pick up her car. She gave me a huge hug, thanking me for all the help. "So, next week, Edward and I are having an end of summer bonfire. You in?"

"Like I would turn down a beach party." She laughed. "Call me with the deets. Love you." Vanessa got back in EJ's muscle car and waved at me as she pulled out.

I really liked her spirit and I felt so much closer to her after our time together this afternoon. It was always an amazing feeling to make a new friend, but that kind of friend that you could tell anything to were few and far between. And I felt that bond with Vanessa.

I got in Edward's car, and drove over to his house. As much fun as I had, I missed my best friend, my fiancé. I hopped out of the car and ran up to the house. I walked in and found Edward, Alice, Jasper and Esme sitting in the family room. I said hi to everyone, happy to be back with the Cullens.

"Bella." Alice called out, getting up off of the couch and running over to give me a hug around the hips. "It seems like forever since I've seen you."

Edward peeked over the couch at me and winked, making me smile.

I ran my fingers through Alice's hair. "I know. It's been two days." I agreed.

"Are you going to hang out with us this afternoon?" She asked, looking up at me hopefully.

"Absolutely." I said, taking her hand and walking over to sit by Edward on the couch. "Hey, babe." I whispered.

Edward reached over to grab a blue daisy off of the coffee table. He passed it to me, and then leaned in to kiss my lips. "How was lunch?"

"It was great. Vanessa is awesome." I said, making him smile.

"Glad you had a good time, sugar." He said, before leaning in to whisper in my ear. "Can you come upstairs with me for a minute?"

I nodded. "Alice. I'm going to be right back." I said, as I leaned over to kiss the top of her head.

"Promise?" She asked, batting her eyelashes at me.

"Promise." I got up and Edward and I went upstairs to his room.

Edward and I laid on his bed and snuggled close together. He pressed a kiss to my lips. "So, you had a good afternoon?" He asked.

"Vanessa and I were putting condoms on a cucumber." I admitted, making Edward laugh, his eyes wide with surprise.

"What?" He asked, still laughing. "You? My shy, innocent little girl? And a cucumber?"

I giggled. "We didn't have any bananas."

"God, I love you." He chuckled, leaning in to kiss me.

"I love you, too. So, did you call me up here to snuggle, or…"

"Well, that, and Em wanted to talk to you when you got here." He said, rubbing my back. "He said he wants a girl's take on this."

"Aw, of course. How is he?" I asked, worried about my future brother in law.

"He screwed up. And it happens. But he's scared she won't forgive him." Edward said. I kissed Edward before getting up. Edward got up and followed me to his brother's room. "Thank you." He whispered in my ear, making me smile.

The boys thought I was doing them a favour, but I was so grateful that they trusted me enough to confide in me, and ask for my advice when they needed it. I loved the Cullens, and I was honoured to be included.

I knocked on Emmett's bedroom door. "It's Bella." I said, and in a few seconds, he opened the door. His eyes were still red and he was only wearing sweatpants and a black tank. He honestly looked sick.

I stepped in his room and he leaned down to give me a hug. "Can you tell me how to fix this?" He asked quietly, desperately.

I patted his back, before pulling back out of the hug. Edward went over to lay on Emmett's couch, and shut his eyes. It was like, he was there, but he was giving Emmett and I some time to talk alone.

I sat down at the end of Emmett's bed and he followed me over, sitting with his back against his pillows. He banged his head into his headboard. "So, she isn't picking up her cell phone, and when I call the house, Maria keeps telling me that Rose doesn't want to talk to me right now."

"She probably just needs some time to think." I said. "When Edward and I have fights, I usually walk away from him. He hates it, Emmett. It drives him crazy. But sometimes a girl needs to go over things in her head, before she's ready to talk about it."

"But, that's just it." Emmett said, shaking his head. "I don't want her to think about what I said. I want her to erase it from her memory."

"Can I ask what you said?" I asked. I phrased it as a question, in case he didn't want to tell me. I wasn't about to pry. I wasn't here for gossip. I was here to help, if I could.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I just assumed Edward would have said something." He said, and I shook my head in the negative. Edward and I told each other everything, but he didn't betray his brothers' confidences. He was amazing, and I loved that he had that bond with them.

Emmett let out a deep breath. "'Kay, just, Bella. I don't want you to think I'm a pervert or something."

"I won't." I promised. He was seventeen. I was fairly certain that he had sex on the brain most of the time.

"Rose doesn't want to have sex with me." He said. "She says it's because of dance, and she doesn't want to get pregnant." He let out a deep breath. "Anyway, we were talking on the phone this morning, and I was flirting with her, saying a bunch of dirty stuff, which I'll leave out and save us both the embarrassment. And out of nowhere, she said that she wanted us to cool down.

"I mean, we hardly do anything now, so I didn't know what she meant by that." He continued. "And then I just said, 'Whatever. We'll both just be virgins until you retire from dance.'" Emmett banged his head on his headboard, again. "I'm so stupid. I'm not an asshole, but I got frustrated. What kind of boyfriend says that to his girl?"

I let out a deep breath. I could understand why Rose was upset. It probably sounded to her that he was giving up on her. "Okay." I said, reaching over and patting the top of Emmett's foot. "First of all, I'm fairly certain that Rose does want to have sex with you, too. I don't know when she'll be ready, but I'm sure she does."

Emmett raised his eyebrows at me, as if in doubt and I nodded my head. "Girls get turned on, too, Emmett. But she's really scared. I'm assuming that she's telling you that she wants to cool down, because every time you guys start, um, going at it, she feels like she has to be the one to stop things. Or she doesn't want to keep talking about why she wants to wait."

"That makes sense, actually." Emmett said.

"What she needs from you is to support her. Rose is a lot like me, and I love reassurance. We're young, and this love stuff is all new to us. There is all this pressure on TV and the internet to rush into sex, but if she's not ready, then it's not going to work out, because there are so, so many emotions tied into it.

"Tell her that you love her, and that if she wants to wait until she's fifty, you'll be right there with her until she decides she's ready."

"Fifty?" Emmett asked, making me laugh.

"Trust me. She wouldn't wait that long." I said, making Emmett crack a smile for the first time all afternoon.

"And her concerns, by the way, are still very real. They aren't excuses. So you need to make sure to talk about that, too. You're not ready to be a dad, Emmett." I reminded him.

"I know, but…" He started.

"You guys need to set some boundaries." I said. "Have a code word, or something that either one of you can say when you're fooling around. And if someone says it, that's it. You both stop. No blame, no pressure. Or, you could just always leave your underwear on. Something that makes Rose feel more at ease with you in bed."

"You are a genius, Bella." Emmett said, smiling. I looked over at Edward and he was smiling at me. I guess he approved of my advice.

"I'm not, Emmett. I'm just a girl. And girls like to talk about everything." I said, getting up. "Apologize for getting upset with her, and then sit beside her, hold her hand, touch her face, stroke her hair, and talk. Be sweet, like I know you are."

Emmett looked hopeful for the first time all day, and I felt so good that I could help. He pulled me into a tight bear hug and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, sis."


	544. Family and Friends

**A/N - Happy Monday! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 544 - Family and Friends

Edward and I went back downstairs to hang out with everyone, especially Alice, just like I promised. "You are amazing." Edward whispered in my ear. "Thank you for that." I was glad that I could help Emmett get a better understanding of how teenaged girls thought.

Alice, Jasper and Robbie were laying on the couch watching Sponge Bob Squarepants, so Edward and I sat with them. Edward pulled my feet up onto his lap and started rubbing them. I shut my eyes, just enjoying his touch.

Jasper and Edward were talking about driving and sports and what kind of cookies Maria was going to make. Alice kept shushing them for interrupting her show. I smiled, just enjoying the sounds a full house.

I heard footsteps on the stairs and I opened my eyes to see Emmett run into the family room. He looked freshly showered and was dressed up in nice jeans and a black polo shirt. "I'm going out." He called.

Esme walked into the family. "Honey, dinner's ready in about an hour." She said, looking concerned.

"I'll probably miss dinner, but I'll heat something up later, okay?" He said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked nervous.

"Are you going to Rose's?" Esme asked, patting Emmet's hand.

"I've got to talk this out with her. I feel like I can't breathe."

"Okay, sweetie." Esme said, giving her son a hug. "Take your time."

"Good luck, buddy." Edward said, and Emmett let out a deep breath and nodded his head, looking like he about to go into battle. He walked out the front door, and I closed my eyes again. I was worried about him. I hoped that Rose would let him apologize, even if she didn't want to talk to him tonight.

"Is Em still sad?" Alice asked. "He hasn't left his bedroom since he got home from practice until now."

"Yeah." Edward told her. "Sometimes people have misunderstandings."

"What's a misunderstanding?" She asked, and I smiled. She was the cutest. She loved big words, and I was sure she would be using it in her vocabulary in no time.

"Just a disagreement." Edward said.

"And Em had a disagreement with Rose? But, I like her." Alice said, pouting. "Is she not going to be my friend anymore?"

"She'll be your friend, princess." Edward said, reassuring her. "But we need to give Em a little bit of time to sort this out, okay?"

"Okay." She agreed, before laying her head on Edward's shoulder.

Carlisle walked in the front door, home from work, and came into the family room. "Hey kids." He said, looking around at us all. "Why is everyone so glum?"

"Emmett had a misunderstanding with Rose, and he's sad, but Edward says she's still going to be my friend." Alice filled in her dad, as she hopped off the couch to go give him a hug.

Carlisle kissed her forehead, and came over to sit with us, Alice crawling on his lap. Esme came out of the kitchen and came to sit beside her husband. "I missed you, beautiful." I heard him to whisper to Esme. They were so cute, together.

Edward kept rubbing my feet, even though his parents were in the room. I was actually surprised that I wasn't embarrassed, but it just went to prove that I was truly comfortable here with the Cullens.

"What's wrong, Jazz?" Carlisle asked his youngest son, who had yet to say anything.

"Oh, uh, nothing, dad." He said, even though his cheeks turned pink. He looked down at the kitty, who was sleeping in his lap.

"Maria's not here." Carlisle mused, making Edward chuckle. I smiled and looked over at Jasper.

"She's not." Jasper said, shrugging. "Huh. So, I guess that's what wrong." He said it as if he had just figured out why he had spent the last few hours on the couch watching cartoons.

Carlisle chuckled. "My boys are all grown up, huh?"

"And I didn't have my girl for a couple of hours today, so don't mind me." Edward added, patting my feet, making everyone laugh.

"Ah, we're used to you." Carlisle teased, and Edward laughed. Edward certainly didn't hide his feelings, or his affectionate behaviour towards me. It made me feel so incredibly loved.

We had dinner, which was quiet without Emmett. I could tell that Edward was worried about him, as he kept looking at his watch. Emmett had left two hours ago to go talk to Rose. I hoped it was a good sign.

We decided to play scrabble as teams: Carlisle, Esme and Alice against Edward, Jasper and I. We played for about an hour, until we heard the front door close, and Emmett's footsteps going up the stairs. "I'm home." He called.

I pressed my lips together when I heard Edward swear under his breath. We all wanted the best for Emmett. Carlisle got up, and excused himself from the game, before going upstairs.

"Come on, Alice. It's time for your bath." Esme said, as she packed up the game. She looked a little stressed, and I could tell that her happiness was tied to that of her children.

"I'm going to call Maria." Jasper said, getting up and running upstairs to his room. At least he would find out what was going on.

So, Edward and I were left alone in the family room. "That wasn't a good sign, was it?" I asked Edward as I climbed onto his lap and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "Shouldn't he have come in here and given us a big smile, saying Rose forgave him?"

"We don't know anything for sure, yet." Edward said, rocking me back and forth. "So, are we sleeping here, tonight?"

"Yeah." I pressed a kiss to his lips. "I like your big bed."

Edward chuckled. "Oh, yeah?"

"Oh, yeah." I giggled. "I love it, actually. But I like the big boy in the bed, even more."

"The big boy? Is that what you're calling it, now?" Edward asked, picking up my hand and setting it on his crotch.

I dropped my head on his shoulder and started laughing really hard. Edward was laughing with me, and I lifted my head up to kiss his lips. "You want me to name it?"

Edward wrapped me tightly in his arms and squeezed me tightly. "No, I'm just teasing you." He said, kissing my cheek. "But if you were going to name it, hypothetically, what would you…"

"Edward." I whined, making him laugh. "I'm not doing that. It's such a guy thing to do."

He laughed harder. "No it's not. Everybody does that."

"Have you named my boobs?" I asked him, quietly, and he nodded his head. I was sure I was blushing as I covered my mouth with my hand, and giggled. "Are you serious?"

"Vicki and Tanya." He said, as if it was totally normal.

"Who are Vicki and Tanya?" Emmett said, coming to flop on the couch beside us, scooping up Robbie. I hadn't even heard him come in. It looked like he changed back into his sweats. And it was amazing to see a smile on his face.

Edward laughed, and I rolled my eyes. "Just friends of Bella's." Edward said, so seriously, I almost believed him. "So, what the hell happened tonight? I'm invested in this. Don't leave me hanging, bro."

"Sorry, I had to take a leak, and then get out of those stiff jeans. Then, I got cornered by dad." Emmett explained, laughing. "Oh, and I now have my own condom shoebox, Eddie." He said, winking.

"Good." Edward said, then he laughed. "Just wait until grandpa finds out about this. You are in for some embarrassing little conversations."

"Okay, okay. So here's what happened. I ran to the store and picked up some lilacs. It's kind of our thing." Emmett said, and it made me smile. "So, at first she didn't want to talk to me, but Maria, being the little cutie pie that she is, let me in. I owe that kid." He mused.

"Anyway, I went to go sit with Rose in her room and we sat together on the carpet. She let me hold her hand, and I swear I did all the talking. I was rambling on and on and on, and I'm sure I mixed up some of your advice, Bella, but I just laid it all out there. I told her how much I loved her, and that how even though we're young, I knew that we were meant to be together. So, we could wait until we were ready."

"Aw." I said, smiling over at him.

Edward squeezed me close to his chest, and Emmett chuckled at my response. "Yeah, that's what she said." Emmett said. "Well, that, and I got a little action. But, I won't kiss and tell."


	545. Pudding and A Cucumber

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I loved your reviews, yesterday! Enjoy!**

Chapter 545 - Pudding and A Cucumber

Edward just laughed, and shook his head at his brother. Emmett was back to acting like his old self, again, and it was an amazing feeling. The air just felt lighter in the room. The whole family was so worried about him, and I was beyond happy for Rose and Emmett.

Jasper came downstairs, and I got up to go heat Emmett's dinner. Esme had made him a plate of food and put it in the fridge for him. I thought I'd leave the boys to talk for a bit. I smiled as I heard them laughing from the other room. They had an amazing bond, and such an ease with each other.

"Emmett. Dinner." I called from the kitchen. I giggled when all three boys wandered into the room. Emmett sat and the island and dug in to his meal right away, mumbling out a thank you as he ate.

Edward and Jasper sat at the island looking at me. I started laughing. "You guys look like you want dessert." I told them, and smiles appeared on their faces instantly.

"I love you, baby." Edward said, winking at me.

"Oh, stop sucking up." Emmett said, and Jasper laughed.

I laughed as I walked over to the pantry and found a couple of boxes of instant vanilla pudding powder. "Is your mom saving this for something?" I asked the boys, and they all looked at me, clueless.

I got out a bowl and some milk and whipped up the pudding. I grabbed a handful of chocolate chips and stirred them into the pudding. "God, baby. That looks awesome." Edward said.

"Thank you." I said, smiling as Edward hopped off of his chair and came over to kiss my lips.

"That's his way of getting you to give him the spoon to lick." Jasper said. Emmett laughed, nodding in agreement, as he finished his dinner. I popped the beaters out of the mixers and gave one to Emmett and one to Jasper, and then I gave my fiance the spoon. He looked pretty smug. Hey, I could play favourites.

"Is that pudding?" I heard from behind me as I grabbed some bowls from the cupboard. Carlisle. I giggled. I guessed that no matter old guys got, they still liked food.

"Bella put chocolate chips in it." Jasper said, as Carlisle sat beside him at the island.

I gave each of the guys a big scoop of pudding and they literally had it polished off in fifteen seconds. I laughed at them as I savoured my dessert, leaning against the kitchen counter. I loved this family, my soon to be in-laws.

Carlisle offered to put the dishes in the dishwasher, and Emmett and Jasper went up to their rooms, after hugs goodnight. Edward fed Robbie and cleaned his litter box while I finished my pudding.

"So, how's the life of an engaged couple?" Carlisle asked, making me smile.

"It's amazing." I said. "So good, in fact, that I think I'll follow through and marry him."

Edward laughed, coming over to wrap his arm around my shoulder, and kiss my temple. "Well, that's good to know."

"Goodnight, kids," Carlisle chuckled, before heading upstairs. "Thank you for the pudding, Bella." He called out.

"You're welcome." I yelled.

"I want to take you upstairs, now." Edward whispered in my ear. "I need to show you how much I missed you this afternoon."

"You just want to hang out with Vicki and Tanya." I teased, hopping off the barstool and running to the stairs. Edward laughed, running up behind me with Robbie in his arms. When we got to his room, Edward tucked Robbie in.

"Bella, I think like seventy five percent of people name their body parts." Edward said, walking over to me and pulling off my tank top.

"Is that a fact?" I asked, pulling Edward's t-shirt up and pressing a kiss to his chest.

"Yeah, I think I read it on the internet somewhere." He added, making me giggle. He chuckled. "I have no idea how we even started talking about this."

I laughed as I pulled off my jean capris. "You started it. You wanted me to name your, um, you know, your cucumber." I was blushing bright red. I could feel my face on fire.

Edward started laughing really hard when I said that. He pulled off his shorts and took my hand, leading me to the bed. We laid on our sides and Edward pulled me close. "I love you, sugar. Why are you so embarrassed?" He asked, setting the back of his fingers on my hot cheek.

"Because we're talking about body parts." I said, shrugging. "And I love you, too."

"Glad to hear it. And, Bella, baby, I'm just fooling around." He said. "I missed you, and I guess I went a little crazy without you."

"Aw. You're not crazy." I said, rubbing my hands over Edward's chest. "And I really missed you, too."

I giggled a little to myself as I slid my hands down the front of Edward's body. "What?" He asked, smiling at me.

"Looks like Jason is awake." I said, as I kept rubbing Edward's body.

He burst out laughing, burying his face in my chest. "Jason?" He asked, looking up face. "You named my penis, Jason?"

"Not good?" I asked, giggling and blushing because he said penis. "I think it's a great name."

Edward kissed my lips. "You know what? We're not doing this." He said. "I don't want to hear another man's name while I'm in bed with you." I giggled some more, because I was fairly certain that Edward was getting jealous of Jason. "No more Tanya or Vicki or Jason. It's just us. Deal?"

"Deal, my hot and sexy lover." I said, trying to get him to relax. The names didn't bother me at all and if he wanted to name my boobs, I was fine with it, but if he didn't want to, then I was okay with that, too. "Make love to me."

"With pleasure, gorgeous." He whispered, as he finished undressing me.

Edward and I made love, slowly, quietly, gently. I loved that his bed was so big. We could spread out and roll around. It was heaven. Edward leaned over my body and started pressing little kisses on my face and chest.

"I love this body." He murmered against my skin. "And it's all mine."

I hummed, enjoying his soft touch and possessive words. I buried my fingers in his soft hair. I loved my life. "I love you, babe." I said, as he kissed his way up to my lips.

Edward smiled. "I love you, too, my sexy, gorgeous, funny, smart bride to be. I wish I had some more of that pudding you made tonight. I want to lick it all off of you."

"You're such a dirty boy." I said, giggling. "And I love it."

"Maybe I should go clean up." He suggested. "Would you like to have a shower with me, beautiful?" He smirked, and then winked at me. "Maybe we can try to act out your fantasy?" He leaned in close to my ear to whisper. "Shower sex."

I bit my lip. "I guess we can try." I was really, really excited, but nervous at the same time. I had no idea how the logistics of shower sex worked out, but if Edward was involved, then I knew it was going to be fun.

Edward wrapped me in his arms and held me close to his chest. He pressed a couple of kisses to my lips. "Are you nervous?" He whispered, rubbing my arm with his hand.

"I just can't figure out how it's going to work." I said. "But I really want to try it." I reached up, threading my fingers through Edward's hair, pulling his lips to mine. He smiled against my lips, before deepening the kiss.

There was no greater turn on to me, than kissing my fiancé. The sounds he made, the softness of his lips and tongue, and even his taste. I could have kissed him forever, and it still wouldn't feel like enough.

Edward pulled back. "Do you remember when we made love against the wall?" He whispered, and I nodded, still stealing kisses. He chuckled. "We'll try it like that, only we'll be wetter."

I giggled. "Sounds fun." I said, running my fingernails up and down his back. "But what about the condom?"

"I'll put it on before we get in the shower." He said, his hands exploring my body.

"I need you, baby." I breathed, in between kisses.

Edward smiled at me. "Okay. Let's go live out this fantasy."


	546. I'm Your Girl

**A/N - This is the very end of Tuesday, August 24, 2010. Days sure last in this story...I wish my life was this exciting! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 546 - I'm Your Girl

Edward grabbed a condom on our way onto the bathroom. I turned the water on in the shower and when I turned around, Edward was leaning against the sink, smiling at me, wearing nothing but a condom.

"You are so beautiful." He said, making me laugh.

"And you are so sexy, Mr. Cullen."

"Why, thank you, baby." He said, walking over to me, slowly, almost predatorily. He set his hands on my bum and lifted me up. He twirled me around and then sat me on the countertop.

"Aren't we supposed to be in the shower?" I giggled.

"I want to taste you, first." He said, leaning in to lick, then suck on my nipple.

"Ah, Edward." I breathed. He knew my body so well, and he knew exactly what to do to make me relaxed and turned on at the same time.

He kissed his way up to the crook of my neck. "I'm going to make you a promise." He breathed. "The night of your dad's wedding, and after all the pictures are taken, I'm going to undress you slowly, and then give you a huge hickey right here." He licked my neck, and instantly gave me goosebumps.

"Edward." I whispered. I couldn't really form a cohesive thought. But there was a huge part of me that just wanted to feel him sucking on my throat, right now, photos be darned. But, I wouldn't do that to my dad.

Edward had been a good boy, and kept his little love bites to hidden places, but I knew he was dying to just let loose, and not be limited to a small part of my body. I couldn't wait for Edward to let out the vampire inside of him.

Edward slid his hands along the outside of my thighs. "Let's get in the shower." He whispered, before sucking on my bottom lip. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

Edward walked us over to the shower and carefully stepped in. He set me down under the stream of warm water. Edward grabbed his body wash and squeezed a large amount into his hands, rubbing them together.

He set his hands on my shoulders rubbing my arms and chest with his soapy hands. I was just going to tell him that I had some of my strawberry body wash here, but he must have read my mind. "I want you to smell like me." He said, in his possessive voice. I must have moaned a little, because there was nothing sexier than that.

"You like that, Bella?" He asked. "That you're my girl, baby?"

"Yes, Edward. I'm your girl."

"Mm. Good girl." He whispered, leaning in to press a kiss on my lips. He slid his hands down my body. "I'm going to pick you up, baby. Hang on to me, tight, okay?" He whispered in my ear and I nodded.

I held onto Edward's shoulders as he lifted me up, his hands just under my bum cheeks. He leaned my back into the side wall. The water from the shower was hitting his right shower and was creating a mist in the air. It was steamy and hot, and I was so turned on.

Just the strength that Edward was using to hold me up was beyond sexy, and he was now breathing from his mouth. "Ready, baby?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Hurry, babe." I whispered. Edward had kept me waiting, and I felt so desperate to feel him inside of me.

Edward smiled at my face. "I love you." He said, looking into my eyes, as he lowered me down.

I gasped as our bodies joined together. My heels were digging into Edward's bum, and my nails were likely close to breaking the skin on his shoulders. "Uh, baby." I breathed, as he moved in and out.

"Bella, you look so beautiful. You have tiny little water droplets on your eyelashes."

I had no idea how he was forming complete thoughts, let alone talking right now, and holding me up, all at the same time. I licked my lips and smiled at him. It was the best I could do. Edward leaned in and started licking the water from my skin. It felt amazing, and yet again, reality was better than a fantasy where Edward was concerned.

"Come on, baby." Edward breathed. "Let go, Bella." He looked like he was starting to get tired, and I couldn't blame him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and tried not to scream. Edward leaned into my body, pushing me into the wall, his face pressed against my chest.

He was panting for a minute before he pulled back to look at my face. I couldn't help but smile when I saw his face. He was beaming. "Shit, Bella." He chuckled. "That was amazing."

I laughed. "You are amazing." I said, kissing his lips. Edward set me down and I had to hold onto him to stay on my feet. I felt boneless.

"Are you okay?" He asked, smiling at me.

"I feel incredible, Edward." I said, smiling back at him.

"Good. It was your fantasy, so I'm glad it lived up to your expectations." He chuckled. He took the condom off and leaned out of the shower to throw it away.

"It was way better than I thought it was going to be." I said, grabbing his body wash and rubbing my hands over his body. He groaned a little and I smiled.

"Why are you setting such low standards for me?" He teased, before kissing my lips.

"I'm not. I set them high, and you still surpassed them all." I said, pinching his bum. "You are so sexy, Edward."

He chuckled. "Mm." He hummed, pulling me closer to his body. "I love it when you say things like that to me."

"That you're sexy?"

"Yeah. I love hearing what you're thinking." He said, kissing my lips. "Especially when it's about me."

I laughed. "Well, I'm thinking that we need to go lay on the bed, because you are such a talented lover, I can hardly stand up."

Edward laughed. "You are so good for my ego." He shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me, before scooping me up in his arms and walking over to his bed.

I giggled. "Baby. I'm dripping wet."

"Well, you said you were tired." He laughed, laying me on the bed. He crawled beside me and rubbed my stomach over the towel. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled his dripping body on top of mine. He smiled at me, before he started in with the kisses.

I leaned my head back to take a breath, and giggled as he kissed and licked my neck. He was laughing against my skin. I had never had more fun in my life than I did with Edward. Even little things like laying in bed with him were moments I would never forget.

"I love you." I said between giggles.

"Oh, Bella." He said, pressing another kiss to my lips. "I love you so much, baby."

I reached up and rubbed Edward's strong, sexy arms. "You think your muscles could hold me up, again?"

"In the shower?" He asked, chuckling.

"Yeah. I'd like to try that, again."

"My muscles could definitely hold up this tiny, sexy, gorgeous body, again." He said, tugging open the towel. "But, not right now. I'm exhausted." He let his fingers explore my body, slowly.

"Mm, baby." I sighed. "I'm exhausted, too. Let's go to sleep." Even though I was drenched and my hair was tangled and needed to be combed, I was so tired.

Edward hopped out of bed and flicked off the lights, before coming back. He grabbed a blanket from the end of the bed and pulled it up over us. He wrapped his arms tightly around my naked body, and snuggled his face into my chest.

"Mm. You smell like me." Edward murmered and I giggled.

"Well, you made sure of that, didn't you?" I said, running my hand through his wet hair.

"Darn right." He whispered. "You're my girl."


	547. Sweat

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Today's chapter is the start of Wednesday, August 25, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 547 - Sweat

I woke up on Wednesday to a meow. I smiled and opened my eyes. Robbie walked over to snuggle against my bare chest. "Hey, baby." I said, quietly. "Where's daddy?" Robbie meowed again, making me giggle. I loved how this kitten seemed to answer me when I talked to him.

I knew if Edward was here, he would be snuggled up to my back. "Did daddy go for a run with his brothers?" I asked him, and he purred. I stroked Robert's back, while he slept.

I reached up to run my fingers through my hair, but I couldn't. My hair was a complete mess, a giant knot. I guess that's what happens when you go to bed without brushing out your hair, and leaving it wet. I had no idea what I was going to do with my hair, today.

I closed my eyes for a minute and thought about last night. Edward had made love to me twice. Once, soft and slow in his bed, and then again in the shower. I hummed just thinking of his gorgeous face, his eyes locked on mine. He was so strong, and I loved that he could hold me up in the shower.

I smiled as I thought of how much fun Edward was. He was spontaneous and crazy, and did things just to make me laugh and smile. He was truly my soul mate.

I sat up and saw a note at the foot of the bed. I picked it up, and smiled as I read it.

_'Good morning, gorgeous. Went for a jog with Em and Jazz. I'll be back soon, lover. ~Edward.'_

But the best part of the whole note was the picture that he had drawn at the bottom. It was like stick figure pornography. He couldn't draw to save his life, but I could tell that he had drawn us in the shower. There was a stick man with spiky hair, that was obviously Edward. He was holding a girl, me, with long hair; my legs straight out on either side of his waist. He even drew boobs on me.

I couldn't hold back my laughter. I loved my fiancé. He was sweet, but flirty, loving, but dirty. Edward was the perfect combination.

I folded up the note and tucked it in my purse. I wanted to keep this in my journal, with all my pressed flowers and movie stubs. But, mostly, I didn't want Alice to find it. I did not want to be the one explaining that picture.

I tucked Robbie in under the blankets, walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My cheeks were still flushed but my hair was a complete disaster. I decided to just hop back in the shower and wash it. Plus, I hadn't had a chance to shave my legs last night. I was caught up in the throes of passion, so I had a good excuse.

I wet my hair and decided to use Edward's shampoo. He seemed to get turned on when I smelled like his bath products, so I figured I would surprise him. I had just lathered up my left leg with shaving cream when I heard the bathroom door open.

"Baby?" I called out.

"Yeah. Didn't get enough showering last night?" He asked, as he pulled the curtain open, just wide enough to sneak in with me, and stand behind me.

I laughed. "I'm sure you saw my hair this morning. It was a disaster so I decided to wash it."

Edward set his hands on my hips, and leaned forward to kiss the middle of my back. "You looked beautiful this morning when I left." He leaned in close to my ear. "Like a pretty girl that just had amazing shower sex the night before."

I hummed, and then giggled, when Edward pinched my hips. "How was the run?" I asked, as I started shaving my leg.

"Good, it's already getting hot out there, though. So I probably stink." He chuckled.

I peeked over my shoulder at him, and he was shampooing his hair with his eyes closed. "You don't stink." I said. "You smell really good, actually."

"Really?" He asked, making me giggle.

"I like how you smell when you sweat." I admitted, setting my leg down and pushing Edward out of the way a little to rinse my leg.

"Really?" He said, again.

"I'm not crazy, you know. I read it in a magazine once. A lot of women are attracted to the smell of sweat. Like it's an actual turn on." I explained, lathering up my other leg. "I thought it was gross at the time, but now I totally understand."

Edward chuckled, dismissing Cosmo magazine's research. "So, you don't like my cologne?"

"I'm not saying that." I said. "I love your smell. Even when you wear cologne and deodorant, you have a spicy smell that's all you."

I set my razor down on the shelf and turned to rinse my leg. I wrapped my arms around Edward and kissed his chest.

"So what you're saying is that I'm an aphrodisiac to you?" He asked, running his hands down my back, to my bum, giving it a squeeze.

"Very much so." I admitted. We finished our shower, and I scrubbed Edward's back for him, well, that and a few other places. We got ready for the day together, before heading downstairs for breakfast.

After Carlisle went to work, we all went over to the football field for Em's practice. I was thrilled to see both my dad and Heidi there, as well as Rose and Maria. Before running to change, Em gave Rose a kiss and a quick slap on the bum that he thought no one noticed, but everyone did.

I gave Rose a hug and kissed her cheek. "Thanks for your help, Bella." She whispered. "Emmett said that you explained girls to him?"

I laughed. "I'm just happy that you forgave his slip of the tongue." I told her. "He loves you, Rose. Yesterday almost killed him."

"I know. I understand how he feels, too. But, we're still waiting for now." She said.

"I'm glad you're so mature." I said.

Rose smiled. "Well, one of us has to be. And we both know it's not Em." She laughed. "But I love that about him. He's very passionate about the things that make him happy."

I smiled. Rose and Emmett really did make a good match. They complimented each other very well.

We walked over to the bleachers and I smiled when I saw Maria passing out cookies. Jasper was clutching his own giant freezer bag of cookies; his name was written on the label in blue marker and was surrounded in heart stickers. Her innocence was priceless, but her commitment to Jasper was beautiful.

I climbed up the bleachers to give my dad a hug. Edward was sitting beside Heidi, and they were already talking football, again, just like on Monday. I thought it was adorable.

"Hey, kiddo." My dad said, reaching for my hand and patting the back of it.

"How did shoe shopping go, yesterday?" I asked him, making him smile.

"Horrible, like it always is, but I found a shiny pair that aren't too uncomfortable." He said, making me laugh.

"Oh, daddy. You'll be fine." I said, squeezing his hand.

"I was thinking of skipping town tomorrow. You want to join me?" He asked, making me smile.

"Skipping town, two days before your wedding?" I teased. "What will the bride to be think?"

Heidi looked over at me and smiled. "She thinks that it will be nice for her hubby to be and her future step daughter to spend the day together."

Edward smiled at me and winked, so I had a feeling they had already filled him on while I was talking to Rose. "I would love to spend the day with you, dad." I said, giving him another hug. "Where are we headed?"

"Out of town." He said, smirking at me. It looked like I was in for a surprise. I was really excited that my dad had planned some time to spend with me, just the two of us before the wedding. He made me feel so special.

Football practice was great. Heidi and Edward were filling us in on all the strategies and I was so proud of Emmett for being so committed to such a complex and confusing sport. When the team ran into the school, my dad and Heidi got up to head to work, their last shift before they took two days off before the wedding.

Edward took my hand and led me to the car. "Looks like I'm going to have to get my fill of my Bella, today." He whispered in my ear, before sucking on my earlobe. I smiled. I couldn't wait.


	548. Take Charge

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 548 - Take Charge

"Let's go to the beach." Em yelled, as he ran over to join us at the cars. He looked so excited to have his girlfriend back; he had his zest for life back.

"Mm." Edward whispered in my ear. "The beach. I can't wait for that scenery."

I giggled, slipping my hand under Edward's t-shirt to rub his abs. "Neither can I." I said, making him smile.

Edward and I drove over to my place so I could get my bathing suit. I was carrying Robbie and walking up the stairs behind Edward. He started laughing when he walked into my room, and I had no idea why. I looked at my bed and my face turned bright red. Vanessa and I had left the cucumber on my bed, and it still had a condom stretched over it.

"Don't be embarrassed, Bella." He whispered, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I just think you're adorable."

"Just adorable?" I asked, batting my eyelashes at him. "Not sexy?" I passed Robbie to Edward and pulled my t-shirt off, tossing it on the bed. Edward set the kitty down and he walked over and curled up on my shirt. So cute.

"Oh, you're plenty sexy." He said, sitting on the bed. He frowned and lifted his hip and pulled the cucumber out from underneath his hip. We both laughed, as Edward tossed it into my garbage can. "And that was just a little awkward." He laughed.

"I'm sorry." I said, biting my lip. "Let me make it up to you." I reached behind my back and unclasped my bra. I slowly sauntered over to him, with a coy smirk on my face. "To bad we aren't going to a topless beach." I teased.

"Yeah, you're not setting foot on a topless beach." Edward said, reaching out to put his hands on my hips.

"No?" I asked, trying to get his jealous side to shine through, again.

I smiled as he slid his hands up my sides and cupped my breasts. "These, Bella." He said, firmly, in contrast to his soft touch. "Are mine."

I hummed. He fell into my trap. That was exactly what I wanted him to say. Edward laughed. "But, my sweet, shy, little girl, you had no intention of going to a topless beach, did you?"

"Figured me out, huh?" I asked, sitting sideways on his leg.

"Oh, I know you like it when I act like a crazy, controlling fiancé." Edward said, making me laugh. "Now, how about I show you how much I like it when you act so innocent?"

"Mm." I moaned, before I leaned in to kiss his soft lips. I tried to lean into his chest and push him back on the back, but he used abs to stay sitting up.

"Oh, no you don't." He chuckled. "You want me in control, right?" I nodded my head. "Good girl, baby." He said, leaning in to lightly bite at my jaw.

"Ah, baby." I breathed. I closed my eyes to enjoy the moment, and screamed a little when Edward flipped us over, unexpectedly.

He chuckled. "You okay, honey?" He asked as he unzipped my shorts, kneeling at the side of the bed.

I laughed. "I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting that."

"Lift up." He said, as he pulled off my shorts and panties at the same time. He picked up my left leg, and pressed a kiss on the inside of my knee.

"Mm, baby. We have to go to the beach." I mumbled, enjoying his kisses as they moved up the inside of my leg.

"We'll go to the beach, but I want to make you feel good, first." He breathed. Edward wrapped his arms around my hips and pulled me to the edge of the bed. Edward leaned in and started licking, kissing and sucking at the sensitive skin between my legs.

I cried out, reaching down to hold onto Edward's hair. I was squirming, but I couldn't move, because Edward had such a tight hold on me. I felt so good. I loved that he was taking control like this.

My chest was heaving, and I was trying to catch my breath, when Edward finally crawled onto the bed beside me. I hummed and snuggled into his body, pressing kisses onto his chest.

"My god, Edward." I whispered, making him chuckle. He rubbed his hand up and down on my back. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, baby girl." He said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "You ready for the beach?"

"I can't move." I said. "I'm all tingly."

"Aw. I'm sorry." He said, tipping my chin up so he could kiss my lips.

"Oh, don't apologize for that." I giggled. "You make me feel incredible, baby."

"I'm glad." He said, making me smile. I rolled over on top of Edward, straddling his body, and wriggled my hips. He hissed a little and I could feel how turned on he was.

He smirked at me, as I started moving my hips. Edward held onto my hips and pushed us closer together. We were both groaning, and I dropped my head down on his shoulder, after letting go.

Edward started in with the sweet kisses, on my hair, my forehead, my closed eyelids, and cheek. I loved my 'take charge' Edward, but nothing in the world was better than 'sweet and caring' Edward.

Edward's phone vibrated in his front pocket and I groaned. I was situated on his hips just right to feel it. Edward chuckled, rolling over to his side, so he could reach into his pocket. He pulled out his phone, and brought it up to his ear.

"Hey, Em." He said, winking at me. "Yeah, we'll be right there. Just feeding the kitten." He chuckled. "Okay, bye." He hung up and set his phone on the bed. He pulled me into his arms and gave me a tight squeeze. "Mm, Bella. You are so irresistible. I don't want to let you out of this bed."

I giggled. "We're being missed." I said, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"I know, but you're going to be spending the whole day with your dad tomorrow, so I'm being selfish, today." He said, kissing my lips. "I'm allowed."

I laughed, before sucking on his lip. "You are allowed." I said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, angel." He said. "Even though I'm being a baby, I'm happy that you're spending time with your dad."

I giggled. "You're not being a baby. But, yeah. I'm excited to spend this time with him before the wedding." I said.

"You still doing okay with the wedding?" He asked. "You seem happy."

"I am happy, Edward. And you are such a huge part of that." I said, kissing him. "Oh, my god." I said, sitting up fast.

"What's wrong?" He asked, picking up my hand and rubbing circles into my palm to calm me.

"I told your dad that I would write a speech for the wedding. You know, because I'm the maid of honour." With everything going on with the bridal shower, I had forgotten all about it.

"Okay. Why don't we work on it together at the beach?" Edward said, calmly. "Don't worry so much, gorgeous. I like to see a smile on your pretty face."

So, naturally I smiled, and Edward chuckled. "Come on, you." He said, getting up off the bed and stripping naked. "You need to get dressed before I lose control."

He pulled on his black board shorts that he had left here, while I put on my bathing suit, and a tank top. I grabbed a notebook and a pen, and Edward fed the kitty. We went down to the car, Robbie included, and drove to the beach.

Edward took my hand and we walked down to join the Cullens and Hales. Thankfully, Esme had brought lunch. She had packed a great salad, and Edward laughed at me as I ate cucumber slices. He shook his head, smiling, when I winked at him. I was trying to flirt, but I knew I wasn't good at it.

Rose, Maria, Emmett, Jasper and even little Alice were all out on the beach throwing the Frisbee around, and Esme was playing with Robbie. I pulled out my notebook and pen and laid on my stomach, kicking my feet. I had no idea what I wanted to say.

"Just tell them how you feel, honey." Edward said, sweetly as he came to lay beside me on his stomach. He tucked a little blue flower behind my ear and kissed my cheek, making me smile.

I tapped my pen on the paper, thinking of my dad and Heidi. I loved them both so much, and I felt so lucky to have them in my life. I started scribbled away in my notebook, as Edward rubbed my back. It was short and sweet, but I had written from the heart. I was actually excited to give my speech at the wedding in three days.

"That is beautiful, Bella." Edward said after he read it, leaning in to kiss my lips. "Your dad and Heidi are going to love it."


	549. If You Say So

**A/N - Happy Saturday, my favourite day of the week! Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing! I truly love you all for your encouragement and support in my writing! Enjoy! **

Chapter 549 - If You Say So

I took off my tank top and Edward and I ran out to the water, hand in hand. We got into a water fight with Emmett, and started splashing each other with cold water. We were all laughing and screaming and just having an amazing time.

I splashed Emmett really good, getting his hair wet. He laughed, but ran over to me and picked me up around the waist. "Help." I yelled out, kicking and laughing, as Emmett carried me out deeper.

Edward had Alice on his shoulders, so he couldn't get to me fast enough. Emmett dropped me in the water and I went under for a second. I came up completely drenched. Edward was right there, wrapping his arms around me.

"You okay, my little mermaid?" He asked, leaning down to kiss my salty lips.

"Fine." I smiled. "Just a little cold."

"I can see that." Edward whispered, looking down at my chest. I dropped my jaw in mock shock and Edward laughed.

"You're such a guy." I said, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest.

"I thought you loved that about me." He said, winking.

I reached around him and pinched his bum. "I love _that_ about you." I said, pulling his head down so he would kiss me, again.

"It sucks that Forks doesn't have a pool." Maria said.

Jasper was standing behind her, and had his arms wrapped around her shoulders. He was resting his chin on her head and she had a huge smile on her face, even though she was complaining. It was so adorable. She was completely in love with Jasper, who was trying to keep her warm, but not touch her inappropriately.

"Bella and Edward's complex in Seattle has an outdoor pool." Emmett said, smiling. "We have to convince your parents to let you guys come up sometime."

"Yeah, the door is always open." Edward said, rocking us back and forth slowly. I was really looking forward to having people over at our own place.

We played around in the water a little more before heading back into the beach. I smiled when I saw Esme with the camera. She must have been taking pictures of us in the water. Edward walked over to his mom and kissed her cheek. She laughed, as she swatted at his bum.

"Are you trying to get me wet, Edward?"

"Maybe." He laughed.

After hanging out in the hot sun until we were dried off, we headed back to the Cullen's house. Edward and I dropped off Maria, and Emmett dropped off Rose. Jasper rode back with Emmett, so Edward and I had a few minutes alone.

"What am I going to do without you, tomorrow?" He asked, making me smile.

"Miss me." I said, reaching over to rub his thigh.

"Guaranteed." He said, glancing over at me. "Are you going to miss me?"

I giggled. "Of course I am. I love you." I said, letting my hand move up between his legs. "I'm going to miss this, too."

Edward laughed, as he reached down to move my hand back to his knee. "Well 'that' is going to miss you, too. Especially, this." He said, reaching his hand between my legs, and lightly stroked me with his thumb.

I leaned my head back on the seat and groaned. Edward started rubbing my thigh. "Ah, ah, Bella." He scolded. "No sexy sounds. I'm in swim trunks, and I believe we've talked about how they leave nothing to the imagination."

I laughed, shaking my head. "You're amazing, baby." I said, turning in my seat to look at my man. "With my dad's wedding coming up, I'm getting more and more excited for ours."

Edward's face lit up when I said that. He loved wedding talk. A lot. "I'm excited for our wedding, too." He said. "I can't wait to make you a Cullen."

"I can't wait to see you all dressed up, and standing at the end of the aisle." I said, making him smile. "Do you think you're going to be nervous?"

He chuckled. "Probably." He said, smiling over at me. "Not to marry you, but just the ceremony, you know."

"I know. So many people looking at us." I agreed.

"You know, we could still elope." He teased.

I smiled. "You keep bringing that up." I said, picking up his hand and kissing his palm. "You really want to do it?"

"I want to marry you, Bella, and I would do it right now if we could, but I want you to have memories that you will never forget. The big white dress, Charlie walking you down the aisle, both our moms sobbing, Alice as the flower girl."

I felt myself tear up a little. I loved when Edward said such romantic things to me.

"And then Em will make some crazy best man speech, and Angela will fly in to be your maid of honour." He continued. "But the best part is that I'll get to call you my wife. I love you, baby."

"Aw, Edward." I said, sniffling, and wiping my eyes as he pulled up to the house. "I can't wait for that day."

"July twenty third." He said, smiling at me. "Just under eleven months away, gorgeous." He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned in to kiss my lips.

"We should tell you family tonight at dinner." I suggested, making Edward smile.

"Okay." He agreed. "And you can tell your dad tomorrow, if you want."

"Yeah. I think I will." I said, kissing him, again. I sat back in my seat and frowned.

"Where did that pretty smile go?" He asked, rubbing my bare thigh.

"Angie." I said, pulling my phone out of my purse. Still no text. "I sent Ang a text yesterday from the diner, before I met Vanessa, and I still haven't heard back from her?"

"That's weird." Edward said, furrowing his eyebrows. "Does she usually write you right back?"

"Yeah. And if not right away, at least before bed. She never ignores me like this." I said, shaking my head. "I hope nothing's wrong?"

"Why don't you give her a call?" Edward suggested.

I dialled Angie's number right then and it the call went straight to voicemail. I hung up. "Voicemail." I said to Edward. "I hate this. I hate that she's not close to me. I feel so helpless."

"Okay, baby." He said. "Let's go inside, and we'll go up to my room. You can call Angela's mom and check on her. If we can't get a hold of anyone, we'll fly down there."

I was worried about my best friend, but my heart couldn't have been more full in that moment. Edward was the most thoughtful, caring, supportive, understanding and loving man, I'd ever met. I truly appreciated how he didn't just tell me that it was probably nothing and not to worry.

I kissed his lips. "I love you." I whispered. "And thank you, baby."

"Of course, gorgeous." He said. "Let's get inside." Edward got out of the car and came around to take Robbie's carrier. I grabbed my purse and Edward's hand and we went inside.

"Dad's bringing dinner in about an hour." Esme called as we walked in the house.

"Okay, we'll be right down." Edward said, as he passed Robbie's carrier to Jasper in the family room, before we went upstairs.

I was really nervous all of a sudden. I know I didn't hear from Ang all the time, but whenever I called her, or wrote her, she was always quick to reply. Edward wrapped his arms around me and gave me a tight hug.

I let out a deep breath and called Angie's house. Her mom answered the phone, sounding happy to hear from me. "Hi, Chelsea." I said. "I'm actually calling to check on Ang. She's not answering her cell and I'm worried about her."

"Oh, honey. Don't upset yourself. Ben took her camping for a few days before they head back to Tucson for classes. She'll actually be home tonight. I have her call you when she gets in, alright?"

"Thank you so much. Love you, Chelsea." I said, before hanging up and after our goodbyes.

I turned to smile at Edward. He was sitting on the side of the bed waiting for the news. "Well, the beautiful smile tells me that Ang is okay?"

I smiled and straddled Edward's legs, before leaning in to kiss his lips. "She's camping with Ben." I said, before deepening the kiss. I pulled back and Edward smiled. "I love you so much, Edward. You are the best."

He chuckled. "Well, only if you say so." He said, winking at me.


	550. Wedding Dates

**A/N - Happy Sunday! Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 550 - Wedding Dates

"Baby?" Edward said, rubbing my back. "We're getting married on the twenty third of July next year."

I giggled. "I know."

Edward spanked my bum lightly, making me laugh harder. "I wasn't finished."

"Sorry, babe. Continue." I said, kissing his lips.

"What if that date falls on a Wednesday, or something?" He asked. It was funny that I hadn't even thought of that. I got off his legs and walked over to his desk, pulling his Jazz guitar wall calendar off of the nail and bringing it over to his bed.

"I don't want to change the date, even if it is in the middle of the week." I said, as I flipped to the end of the calendar for a look at 2011. My eyes scanned for July and I laughed. "It's a Saturday." I said, looking up at Edward's face. "Can you believe that?"

"Really?" He laughed. "That's perfect." He leaned in to kiss my lips.

"It was meant to be." I mused, kissing him, again. "I love you."

Edward and I went downstairs to join the family for dinner. Carlisle brought home Chinese food, because Esme had spent the day out at the beach with us, and didn't get a chance to make dinner.

Emmett was telling his dad all about football practice, and I smiled as I watched how interested Carlisle was in what his son was telling him. He didn't just nod and act like he cared. He truly did. Carlisle was an amazing father and it was no surprise to me that all his children had turned out so well.

After everyone had talked about their day, Edward cleared his throat, and everyone looked over at him. "Bella and I have an announcement to make." He said, and Esme's face lit up. It almost like she had this magical mom power. She was anticipating the news and was already excited.

Edward squeezed my hand and nodded at me so I would tell them the news. "We picked our wedding date." I said. Esme squealed, clasping her hands to her chest.

Edward laughed at his mom's reaction. "July twenty third. Next summer." He added. Esme started crying and Carlisle leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Congratulations." Carlisle said, smiling at us.

"Why the twenty third?" Emmett asked.

"That was the day that Edward proposed to me. So we figured since that date was already special, we'd have the wedding a year later." I said.

"That's cool." Jasper added.

"Oh, kids." Esme got up from her seat and came over to wrap her arms around us both at the same time. "I'm so excited for you two. I love you." She kissed Edward's cheek, and then mine.

"I love you, too, mom." Edward said. "But don't cry, yet."

Esme giggled. "Edward. My first born son is all grown up and getting married. I'm allowed to cry."

"Okay." He chuckled. "You can cry."

Esme ran her fingers through Edward's hair and patted his cheek, before she turned to face me. "You're going to take such good care of my baby for me." She said, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

I giggled. I couldn't believe how she was taking the news. "I will take very good of your baby." I promised.

"She already spoils me." Edward said, winking at me.

"Just imagine what she's going to be like at the wedding." Emmett said, making us all laugh.

We all sat together in the family room and watched a movie. I adored being a part of this family. They were always spending time together. It was amazing.

We were about halfway through the movie, and I got up to use the use the bathroom. I checked my phone before I went back downstairs. I smiled when I saw a text from Angie.

'I'm home, girl. Sorry for worrying you. I have HUGE news. Call me when you get this. Love you!'

I sat on Edward's bed and called my best friend. I couldn't wait another second to hear her news. "Bella." She said, as soon as she answered.

"Hey, Angie. I'm so glad to hear your voice." I said. "How was camping?"

"Awesome. I took tons of pictures. I'll e-mail them to you. But guess what happened last night?"

"What happened?" I asked, smiling.

"Ben made a fire and we roasted marshmallows. We were snuggling under the stars. It was so beautiful. And then Ben pulls a ring out of his pocket."

"Oh, my god!" I said.

"Bella. I'm engaged!" She screamed. I squealed with her, and we both started laughing.

"I want to hug you, Ang. I'm so excited. Congratulations."

All of a sudden Edward ran into his room. He looked panicked, and I had to giggle. He always came to my rescue. He must have heard my scream. I was such a lucky girl. Had there been a spider in the bathroom, Edward would have been there to squish it for me.

"Are you okay?" He asked and I nodded, smiling at him. He came and sat on the bed and I climbed onto his lap. Edward ran his hand up and down my thigh.

"Is everything okay over there?" Ang asked, and I laughed.

"My screams of excitement brought me a knight in shining armour." I told her making her giggle. "Baby, Angie's engaged." I told Edward.

"Oh, that's great. Congrats, Angela." Edward said into the phone, making us all laugh.

"Do you guys have plans on New Years Eve?" Ang asked and I screamed, again. Edward laughed, patting his hand on my bum.

"No way. Already?" I asked, giggling.

"Bella. We're waiting until we get married to have sex. I can't wait too much longer. He's so hot." She explained, making me laugh.

"Good point, girl." I said. "Edward and I picked July twenty third next year."

"Aw. Congratulations, Bella. Can you believe us? Marrying the first guys we ever dated?"

"I can believe us. We waited for the right boys." I said.

"Okay, I'll call you back with all the details, girlie. We're going out for a celebratory dinner with our families and I have to shower all the camping off of me." She said.

"Alright. I love you, Angie. I'm so excited for you." I said.

"Love you, too, Bella." She said, before hanging up.

I hung up and tossed my phone to the end of the bed. "Angie's getting married before us." I said, and Edward chuckled.

"Oh, yeah?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my lips. "When are we heading down to Arizona?"

"New Year's Eve." I said, and he smiled. "Is that going to work? I mean I know you guys all travel over Christmas break?"

"Baby. We'll make it work. She's your best friend." He said, laying us back on the bed, and wrapping me tightly in his arms. I leaned in and kissed him. "If we have to fly out just for two days, and then rejoin the family where ever they are, we'll do it."

"Thank you, baby." I said, sucking on his bottom lip. He hummed, but then smiled. I smiled back at him. "You're perfect. I'm glad you picked me."

Edward chuckled. "Picked you, huh?" He ducked his head down to kiss my neck, and down my chest. "I'm the lucky one, sexy girl. You picked me out of the crowd."

He reached down and pulled off my shirt, before fumbling with my bra. I couldn't blame him for not getting it on the first try. I was yanking his shirt up at the same time. He started laughing, and just pulled his shirt off for me. It looked like we were going to have a little fun tonight.


	551. Pink Cheeks and All

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing! This chapter takes place on Thursday, August 26, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 551 - Pink Cheeks and All

Edward and I spent the rest of the evening kissing, loving and enjoying each other's company, considering I was going away with my dad the next day. I fell asleep with my cheek pressed to Edward's warm chest, and a smile on my face.

I woke up at six thirty on Thursday morning to a kiss on my lips. "Baby." Edward whispered. "Your dad called. He's going to pick you up in an about an hour."

I groaned and snuggled up to him. "But I'm still tired." I grumbled, pressing a kiss to his chest.

Edward chuckled. "Come on, gorgeous. Let's get you in the shower." I felt him lift me up out of bed. He actually carried me out of bed. I opened my eyes and looked up at his handsome face. I giggled, and he looked down at me and smiled, as we walked into the bathroom.

"You're mean." I said, when Edward set me on the counter by the sink. I felt a little awkward considering I was completely naked, and Edward was already dressed, but I was too tired to care.

He chuckled, leaning into the shower to turn on the water. "I'm not mean. I just think that the sooner you leave, the sooner you'll get home."

"I just can't believe you didn't let us snuggle this morning." I pouted. "And you're already dressed, so you aren't going to shower with me."

Edward laughed, again. "You're being a really bad little girl, aren't you?" He asked, as he walked over to me. I bit my lip, a little surprised he was going to play with me. "Mm. Now you look so innocent." He hummed, setting his hands on the outside of my thighs.

I laughed. I just loved him so much, so I told him and it made him smile. "I love you, too, Bella." He whispered, leaning in to press a kiss to my lips. He let his hands explore my body a little, before he pulled back. "You'd better get in there, honey. Or you're going to be late."

I playfully frowned at him as I hopped off the counter and walked into the shower. He chuckled. "We'll sex it up tonight when you get home." He said, as I closed the shower curtain.

"Sex it up?" I laughed, and Edward joined in. "That sounds both exciting and a little intimidating."

"It was supposed to sound fun." He said, making me smile.

"Alight, then. I guess we'll sex it up tonight." I said, making Edward laugh.

I finished getting ready, putting on a black tank and some cargo shorts and pulled my hair back into a braid. I sat on Edward's lap and we kissed a little until I heard the doorbell ring downstairs.

"Okay, sugar." Edward said, standing us up. "Have a great day with your dad, and I'll see you tonight."

"I love you, handsome." I said, pulling his head down for another kiss.

"I love you, too, sexy." He took my hand and we walked downstairs.

My dad was at the door talking to Carlisle. Jasper was holding Robbie, so I walked over to give my baby a kiss on the head, before I left.

"Hey, Bells." My dad said, excitedly, pulling me into a tight hug. "You ready for a fun day?"

"Absolutely." I said, kissing his cheek.

I turned to kiss Edward goodbye and he smiled at me. Edward kissed my lips, and reached down to pat my bum. I laughed, reaching out to grasp his hand. I gave it a squeeze, before following my dad out the door. I got in my dad's truck and I waved at Edward, who was standing at the front door, looking way too sexy for his own good.

My dad pulled out onto the highway and he headed south. "Heidi made us chocolate chip muffins for breakfast." He said, reaching over and patting the Tupperware container between us. "You haven't eaten, have you?"

"I haven't." I said, smiling. "She spoils you, daddy."

"She does." My dad said. "Don't worry about me, kiddo. She'll keep me fed while you're back at school."

I laughed, passing him a muffin and then taking one for myself. "That actually makes moving a lot easier for me." I admitted and he smiled, nodding his head. "So, where are we skipping town to?" I asked, changing the subject to happier topics than the end of the summer.

My dad laughed. "We're heading down to Lake Quinault." He said. "It's only an hour south of town. Has Edward taken you there?"

"No, I haven't been there, yet." I said, excitedly. "I love seeing Washington. It's such a pretty state."

"It's really great. We'll have to work on making sure you've seen the whole state." He said, making me smile.

"I'd love that, daddy."

We drove the rest of the hour to the lake, laughing and just talking about anything and everything. The lake was beautiful, and there were huge, towering pine trees everywhere.

After I ran to the bathroom, I met my dad back at the truck. He had the tailgate down and was sitting on it, holding my hiking boots, with a pair of socks stuffed into one boot. I laughed. I loved how he brought me my boots. I hopped up on the tailgate beside him and pulled on my socks.

"We're going to hike up to the world's largest spruce tree." He told me proudly. "It's a Sitka spruce and it's a hundred and ninety one feet high."

"Wow." I said, smiling as I double knotted my boots. My dad hopped down and then took my hands helping me off the back of the truck. As we walked to the trailhead, my dad talked about all the trees, or 'Rainforest Giants,' in the park. My dad was as much a tour guide of Washington as Edward was. I thought it was cute.

When we got to the tallest tree, I was amazed. It was tall. I craned my neck back to see to the top, but couldn't. "Pretty great, isn't it?" My dad said, smiling.

"It's beautiful." I said. "Hey, go stand by the base of the tree and I'll take your picture." My dad chuckled and went to go stand by the tree. The roots were so huge, it almost looked like it was coming out of the ground. I snapped a couple of pictures of my dad. He looked so cute.

"Okay, your turn." He laughed, coming to take my camera. I giggled and walked up to the huge tree. I wrapped my arms along the truck, giving it a hug, and they went only about a tenth of the way around. My dad laughed after he took the picture.

We kept hiking for the rest of the morning, stopping to look at beautiful streams, and waterfalls, and so many trees. My dad and I took a break, sitting at one the brilliantly placed benches with a spectacular view.

"So, Edward and I picked a wedding date." I told him, bringing my knees up and wrapping my arms around them.

My dad smiled at me. "Oh, that's great. When's the big day?" He asked.

"July twenty third, next summer." I said, smiling even as I said it.

My dad leaned over and pulled me into a hug. "You are going to make a beautiful bride, Bells." He said, making me giggle.

"Thank you, daddy. But that is if I live through wedding planning with Heidi, mom and Esme." I giggled. "When Edward told his family last night, Esme cried. A lot."

My dad chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Have you called your mother, yet?"

I giggled. "No. She'll probably fly up here immediately and start dragging me to wedding dress shops in Seattle."

"Ah, that should be a good time. Just make sure to get what you want, and not what she picks out." He said, making me laugh. He really knew my mom. "But make her buy it for you." He teased, bumping my shoulder with his.

I laughed, as I got up off the bench. We walked back to the town sight and my dad I stopped for hamburgers at the Quinault Mercantile. We ate our lunch at an outdoor picnic table, and I snapped a picture of my dad when he got mustard in his moustache.

After lunch, my dad unpacked two lawn chairs, fishing rods and his tackle box, and we went to sit by the lake to do some fishing. We had an amazing afternoon, sitting and talking. I told him about Angie getting married.

When he asked what the rush was, I told him that her dad was a pastor and she waiting until marriage. We both laughed as we blushed. I was just like my dad, pink cheeks and all.


	552. Closeness

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! It is still Thursday, August 26, 2010 in the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 552 - Closeness

Fishing with my dad was great. We didn't catch anything, but then again, we weren't really trying. We were just enjoying being together and talking and taking pictures of each other. I loved every second of it.

At around five, we packed up and went to the Salmon House Restaurant for dinner. We share the cheesy garlic bread, and each got a plate of their spaghetti and meatballs. The food was amazing, and we laughed at each other, as we got sauce all over the place.

At around six, we stopped at the gift shop. I thought it would be funny to buy Edward a t-shirt as a souvenir, considering he always did that for me. I found him a black t-shirt with a white silhouette of a spruce tree on it. It was nice, not tacky, and he would actually be able to wear it. I found the kids some chocolate covered almonds they were selling as 'bear poop' and my dad got Heidi a fishing lure she had been looking for, which I thought was adorable.

We started the drive back home. "So, dad. What's the plan for tomorrow?" I asked him.

He chuckled. "Well, Heidi is going for a massage in the morning, and I thought when she get's home, we could all decorate the backyard. I was thinking the guys will bring in the archway and set up the chairs, and you girls can do flowers and bows and make it pretty."

"Aw. I love it." I said, smiling over at him.

"And then Carlisle is taking us all out for a nice dinner at the Lodge to celebrate." He continued.

"That's sweet, dad."

"Yeah, he's a great guy." My dad said, smiling. "But, uh, Heidi is staying at her house the night of the wedding with her parents, so you think you want to stay home with your old dad on Friday night?"

"Of course I do, daddy." I said. "We'll play horseshoes."

He smiled widely at that. "Sounds good. But I guess, I'm going to the Cullen's to get ready and you, Heidi and all the girls will be at our house."

"I'm so excited for you dad. It's going to be a great day." I said. I think all the emotional tears had passed, and now I was just really looking forward to celebrating. I said that, but I was sure on Saturday, I would be teary eyed, again.

We got back to Forks at around seven thirty in the evening. My dad dropped me off at the Cullens' so he could spend the evening alone with Heidi. I thought it was romantic. Plus, I had been without my fiancé for twelve hours, and I was dying to have his lips on mine.

"I love you, daddy." I said, giving him a hug in the truck. "Thank you for inviting me to the lake today. I had an amazing time."

"Anytime, kiddo." He said, kissing my cheek. "I love you, too. And I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

"Wouldn't miss it." I said. I hopped out of the truck and closed the door. I waited as my dad drove down the driveway and waved to him.

I heard the front door close and I looked over my shoulder, smiling, when I felt arms around my stomach. Edward hummed into my ear and I savoured the feeling of his body pressed into mine.

"You feel so good in my arms." He whispered. I tipped my head back and he leaned down to kiss my lips. "I missed you. How was your day?"

"It was amazing, Edward." I said. "We went to Lake Quinault."

Edward was softly rubbing his hand on my stomach. "It's beautiful there." He whispered. "Did you see the world's largest spruce tree?"

I giggled. "We did." I said, smiling. "Which reminds me." I turned around to wrap my arms around Edward's waist. "I brought you a souvenir."

He chuckled. "A pinecone?" He asked, making me laugh.

"Well that would have been a good idea." I giggled. He smiled at me, reaching up with his right hand to brush away a strand of hair that had escaped from my braid.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered, effectively ending all jokes and teasing. It was just Edward and I, now. We weren't meant to be apart and twelve hours was so long for us. Edward leaned down to kiss my lips. I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck, and I hummed as Edward deepened the kiss.

I always got lost in these moments. Just Edward's touch, kisses, taste and sounds. He was such an amazing kisser and he had a way of making me feel the only woman on earth. I knew he missed me, because I missed him, too. But he was showing me; reconnecting with me. And I felt so special.

He pulled back slowly and smiled. "Do you want to go upstairs for a while?" He whispered against my lips.

I smiled and gave him a quick peck. "I would love to."

Edward took my hand and led me up the stairs to his room. I set my purse down on his desk and then let Edward pull me toward his bed. "I missed you." I whispered as I pulled his black t-shirt up so I could taste his chest.

He hummed, and pulled his shirt off for me. I let my hands explore his bare chest, and smiled when he did. He sat down on the bed and I sat on his lap, leaning in to kiss him again. It seemed that we were going the slow and passionate route. We were going to savour every moment.

Edward had his hands on my bum and he slowly slid them up my back. He reached back down and pulled my tank top up. I lifted my arms for him, and he smiled at me, before pressing another kiss to my lips. He took my bra off, and dipped his head down to kiss my chest.

I groaned and Edward chuckled. He loved that he could make me react. So cocky. "Mm." He said, squeezing me close and rolling us over on the bed. "I missed this gorgeous body, and the sweet girl inside." I giggled, and Edward smiled. "And I missed your beautiful laugh."

I smiled. "Thank you, handsome." I said, running my fingers through his soft hair. "I've missed how you feel inside of me." I admitted blushing at my boldness.

"Mm. I've missed your blush." He whispered, kissing my hot cheeks. "But, I've really missed how sexy you are you when you tell me what you want. Bella, my angel, you are just everything to me."

I felt a tear slip from my eye. I was embarrassed by it, because we were flirting, and it was a stupid time to cry. But, I could feel how amazing our connection was and I never knew how to express it.

Edward smiled at me, in that loving way, and wiped the tear from my temple. He sat up and pulled me onto his lap. I set my forehead on his bare shoulder and he rubbed my back. I smiled as I felt him tug the elastic from my hair. He started unbraiding my hair.

I loved the feeling of his fingers in my hair, and I thought back fondly to our camping trip in June, the first time Edward had ever taken my hair down. I loved his sweet, sensitive side. He ran his hand from the crown of my head all the way down my back and kissed my forehead.

"You okay, baby?" He whispered, and I nodded.

"I just love you." I said, lifting my head to look into his eyes. I leaned in to kiss him, and he smiled against my lips, making kissing him very hard to do.

"I love you, too, Bella." He said, chuckling as I kept trying to kiss him.

"Stop laughing." I said before I nipped at his bottom lip. "I want you."

"It's almost impossible not to smile when I'm with you." He explained. I gave on up on his lips and moved down to kiss his neck and shoulder. I was tasting and nipping at his skin between kisses and his laughter soon turned to moans of pleasure.

Edward laid us back on the bed, and his fingers went to work on ridding me of my cargo shorts. I wriggled out of them and then groaned when Edward squeezed my bum cheeks in his hands. He pushed my hips forward, so I could feel his hard body.

"Ah." We moaned at the same time. I smiled and looked into his eyes and he was already looking at me.

I reached in between us and rubbed Edward over his khaki shorts. "Okay." He finally moaned, letting go of my bum, and undoing the fly on his shorts. He yanked his shorts and briefs down, kicking them off of his feet. My hands went right back to work, on his bare skin this time and Edward seemed incapable of words.

He reached down to take my hands in his and bring them up to his lips. He kissed my hands and then began a trail up my arm. He kissed my lips and smiled against them. "Let's get you out of those panties." He whispered and I shivered a little.

He pulled them off of me and I rolled onto my back. Edward let his fingers explore for a minute, before leaning over to his nightstand. He was on top of me in no time and I wrapped my legs around his hips, holding him inside of me, and savouring the feeling of closeness to my fiancé that I had missed all day.


	553. I Need You

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 553 - I Need You

I was laying in Edward's bed, with his sheets wrapped around me, waiting for him to come back to bed. It was still early in the evening, and I wanted to talk to him about his day. I missed him so much when we weren't together and I loved to share everything with him.

He walked out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel and it made me smile. I was a very lucky, lucky girl. He smirked at me, like he always did when he caught me staring at his sexy body. I loved his confidence. It only made him more attractive to me.

He dropped his towel on the floor, giving me a gorgeous view of his body, before he walked over to his dresser to pick up a single yellow rose he had laying there. I honestly hadn't seen it. But who could blame me. Edward had just made love to me, so I wasn't being very observant.

"Your flower, baby." He said, lifting the sheets and climbing back under the covers with me. I brought the rose up to my nose and took in a deep breath. It smelled so sweet, it made me smile.

"Thank you, Edward. I love it." I said, leaning over to kiss his lips.

"Of course, babe." He said, smiling as I started tracing the rose over his jaw, down his neck, and across his collar bones.

"That's almost as soft as your fingertips." He said, making me laugh. Edward leaned in for a kiss and I smiled. "I love you. Tell me all about your day, gorgeous."

I set the rose on the nightstand before snuggling up to Edward. He set his head down on my chest and I wrapped my arm around him, lightly scratching his back. I told him all about the hike, fishing and the great food my dad and I shared today. Edward would laugh, or nod his head as I spoke, clearly enjoying my story.

"It was a great day, Edward." I said, smiling as he looked up at my face. "I'm so glad he suggested it."

"I'm happy for you, baby." He said, reaching down to rub my bare hip, as he pressed a kiss to the top of my breast.

"Thank you." I said, threading my fingers into the hair on the back of his neck. "So, tell me what you got up to without me today."

Edward laughed, resting his head back on my chest. "Well, mom made us a huge breakfast; waffles, fruit, bacon. It was good. But I missed having you beside me."

"Aw." I said, kissing his hair. "So you ate. Then what happened?"

"Then we all played with Robbie for a while, before we went to Em's football practice." He said. "Again, it wasn't the same without you. And I swear, even Mackensie was looking for you."

"Dale?" I asked, laughing, thinking about the football player on Emmett's team that had flirted with me on the first day of practice.

Edward peeked up at my face. "Stop thinking about other men when we're naked together." He teased, making me laugh harder.

"You brought him up." I defended.

Edward laughed. "That's it." Edward said, disappearing under the sheets. I giggled as he started kissing my stomach, and then my hip bones. He ended up between my legs and had me groaning in no time. He kissed his way back up to my lips and smiled against them.

"Who are you thinking about, now?" He asked, rubbing my arm, softly.

"You, baby." I said, making him smile wider. "Only you."

"Good girl." He whispered, kissing my lips.

"Are you done with being jealous?" I asked him, running my fingers through his hair.

"Maybe." He said, chuckling.

"You know you don't have to be jealous, though, right?" I said, pulling him close so he laid his head back down on my chest. "I only have eyes for you, handsome."

"Yay." He said softly, looking up at my face. I started giggling at how cute he was.

"Okay, you. So, what happened after football practice?" I asked, rubbing his back, again.

"The guys and I went for lunch at the diner." He said. "But, they brought their girlfriends, so I was left sitting there watching them kiss and be snuggly. And there I was all by myself, eating my hamburger. There was no really sweet girl to steal fries from my plate."

I laughed. "Aw, my poor Edward." I said, kissing the top of his head.

He chuckled. "Is it pathetic to admit that I stared at your photos on my cell phone all day?"

I smiled. "No, it's not pathetic. It's adorable. I love you."

"I love you, too, baby." He said, pressing a kiss over my heart. "But, the afternoon was fun. Em and Rose went to her place, and I took Jasper to the parking lot at the school, and let him try his hand at driving, again. Maria was in the backseat and she was so cute. She was like a little cheerleader for him."

"I love them together, you know. I think they priceless." I said, smiling.

"Yeah, they are very smitten with each other." He agreed, chuckling. "But, honestly, I think she was making him nervous in the car. He was pretty tense and was a little touchy with the pedals."

"Aw. Poor Jasper." I said.

"Yeah, impressing your girlfriend is a pretty big deal for guys." Edward said.

"Well, I'm impressed by you." I told him.

"Really?" He asked, looking up at me, clearly very proud of himself.

I laughed. "Baby, I'm marrying you." I said. "I couldn't be more impressed."

Edward chuckled and kissed my lips. "I love you, pretty girl."

"I love you, too." I whispered, kissing his lips. "So what happened after driving with Jasper."

"Oh, we came home and I just bugged my mom for the rest of the afternoon, following her around the kitchen. She was giving me snacks while she made dinner." He bragged, making me laugh.

"So, you reverted to being five years old while I was gone?" I asked, teasingly, and he laughed, rolling us so I had my head on his chest, and he was running his fingers through my hair.

"Maybe." He laughed. "So, anyway, we had dinner and then I watched a baseball game. But, the best part of the whole day, was when I heard your dad's truck pull up outside."

"Aw, Edward. You are so romantic." I said, kissing his chest and running my fingers through the hair under his belly button.

"No, I'm just pretty pathetic." He chuckled. "I need you."

"You've got me, handsome." I said. "Oh, except for tomorrow night." I told him, biting my lip.

"What?" He asked, looking down at my face.

"It's the night before the wedding and Heidi is staying at her place with her parents. So, my dad asked me to hang out with him. We're going to play horseshoes."

"Aw, well, in that case, I think I'll live." Edward said, laughing. "Barely."

"Oh." I said, sitting up. "Your souvenir."

Edward chuckled as I crawled out of bed and he even spanked my bare bum. I looked over my shoulder at him and he shrugged. "Sorry, baby. Couldn't resist." I hopped off the bed and rummaged around in my purse. I pulled the t-shirt out, as well as my camera, so I could show Edward the pictures I had taken today.

I held the shirt by the shoulders and showed it to Edward. "What do you think?" I asked him, smiling.

"I love it, Bella. And I appreciate the irony of the t-shirt souvenir." He said. "But it's blocking your body."

He winked and I laughed, tossing his shirt to the end of the bed. "You are such a guy."

I crawled back in bed with him and we leaned against the headboard to look through my pictures. Edward chuckled when he saw the photo of me hugging the tree. "Were you imagining that was me?" He whispered in my ear.

I giggled. "Um. Of course I was." I said, looking over at him. I burst out into laughter when I saw the look of doubt on his face.

He laughed, wrapped me in his arms and pressed a kiss to the side of my head. "You are a horrible liar. But, I still love you."


	554. Twelve Hours

**A/N - This chapter covers the end of Thursday and the start of Friday, August 27, 2010. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 554 - Twelve Hours

Edward and I didn't leave his bed for the rest of the evening. It was nice just hanging out and talking to each other, too. It didn't always have to be about sex, although that was fun, too. I just liked having my arms wrapped around him, and having his body pressed to mine.

At around ten o'clock, Edward pulled on his underwear and went downstairs to get the kitten from the kids. Edward set him in my arms and he snuggled up to my chest. It felt so good to have my little fluff ball back in my arms. "Hey, Robbie." I said, smiling when he answered with a meow. "Did you have a good day without mommy?"

"It was okay." Edward said in a baby voice. "But I like to listen to my mommy's heartbeat when I sleep."

"Aw, Edward." I giggled. "That was cute."

Edward laughed, leaning in to kiss my lips. "Should we get some sleep?" He whispered, pulling me close to his body. "We've got a busy day tomorrow setting up a wedding."

"We do." I said, smiling. "And I want to get as many Edward cuddles in as I can."

"Oh, you'll have a lifetime of Edward cuddles if I have my way." He said, smiling. He hopped out of bed and shut off the light, before climbing back in with me.

"What about Robbie?" I asked, stroking his gorgeous orange and white fur.

"He missed you. Let him stay in bed with us." Edward said, stretching his arm across my body to hold onto my hip. He tucked my head under his chin and let out a contented sigh. "I love you, Bella."

I smiled as I laid my head on Edward's shoulder. "I love you, too, Edward."

I woke up on Friday morning before Edward. I had to laugh, as Robbie was flopped over Edward's throat like a scarf. It was so cute. I reached over to the bed side table for my camera and snapped a picture of them.

Edward groaned and opened his eyes at the flash. He tried to move and then laughed, looking down at the kitten on his neck. "What is he doing?" Edward asked, reaching up to pet Robbie.

"He's keeping you warm." I giggled. "That, or he's trying to protect you from love bites."

"But, I want love bites." He said, picking up the kitty, and passing him to me, as he sat up. Robbie started meowing really loudly. He did not want to be moved.

I brought my kitten up to my chest and rocked him back and forth like a baby. "You're okay." I whispered, kissing his paws.

"My naked fiancé with a kitten. Can I get a picture?" Edward asked, smiling at me.

"But, baby, I'm sure my hair is a mess." I said, smiling at Edward.

"Your hair is beyond sexy right now. It still has a lot of the wave in it from your braid. You look perfect." Edward said, smiling.

"Okay, but I reserve the right to erase it if I look horrible." I agreed.

I'm almost positive that I had never seen a bigger smile on Edward's face than in that moment. "Okay, say sexy." He said, bringing the camera up to take a picture of me. I laughed, and Edward kept snapping. I put my hand up so he would stop.

"Come here. I want you to see how gorgeous you look." Edward said, reaching out his hand.

Robbie and I went to sit beside Edward and I leaned against his chest. He scrolled through the pictures he took, and I smiled as I looked at them. I looked so happy, and not at all embarrassed, which was surprising to me, considering that my naked breasts were in full view.

I peeked up at Edward's face and he was looking at me. "You are so incredible, Bella." He said. He reached out and turned my head, so he could place a kiss to my lips. "I love you."

He slid out of bed and went over to his laptop. "Are you putting the pictures on the internet?" I asked, making Edward laugh.

"What did I tell you?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at me. "Your body is for my eyes only."

"I know, I know." I said, smiling at him.

"I'm going to save the pictures to a private file and then I'm going to erase them off of the camera. Just in case someone looks through it." Edward explained, making me smile. "We still have the pictures that we took of each other on Monday on here."

I smiled thinking of our anniversary. It was the day that Edward had first asked if he could take photos of me, either topless or in lingerie. I was surprised that I was so comfortable with it, but really, I shouldn't have been. Edward was always patient with me, and so encouraging.

I set Robbie on Edward's bed and covered him with the sheets. I pulled on Edward's new shirt, from Lake Quinault, and walked over to lean on his shoulders to look at the screen.

"How do I look?" I asked, smiling as Edward reached back to set his hand on my bum.

"You look like a sexy angel." He said, turning his head to kiss my lips. "Look." He said. He flipped through all the photos from both Monday and today. Seeing the photos so much larger, made the blood rush to my face. Seeing myself naked on the screen, was an interesting experience to say the least.

Edward turned in his chair and took my hand, pulling me onto his lap. "Is this not okay?" He asked, setting his palm on my warm cheek, and leaning in to kiss my other cheek. "Because if it makes you uncomfortable, I can erase them."

"No, no, baby." I said, leaning in to kiss him. "I actually love how I look in those pictures." I admitted, and Edward smiled.

"Why are you blushing?" He asked, running hand along the side of my thigh and sounding like he wasn't sure I was alright.

"It's just different seeing myself that way." I said, running my fingers through Edward's messy hair. "You know, in sexy poses, and stuff. But, I love them. I look like an adult. I look so happy and so in love with the man behind the camera."

Edward smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. I'm happy every time we're together because I get to look at that face." He said, pointing at the screen. It was a shot he had just taken, and I had my hand out, pretty much blocking the view of my body, but the smile on my face was so genuine. I looked as happy as I felt.

I leaned in to kiss his lips and he smiled. "Thank you. I love you." I whispered. "Now, I'm going to the bathroom. As soon as you erase those pictures off of the camera, come join me."

"Mm. Yes, ma'am." He said, nipping at my bottom lip.

I stood up and pulled his new t-shirt off, tossing it over his shoulder. He smirked at me, and turned in his chair, so he could watch me walk into the bathroom. I blew him a kiss at the door, and he puckered his lips at me. He looked so gorgeous when he did that, that I wanted to run back into his arms and kiss those sexy lips for real. But, by darn bladder stopped me.

I quickly used the bathroom, and then stepped into the shower, wetting down my hair. I smiled when Edward stepped in and wrapped his arms around me. Edward and I had just spent twelve hours in his bedroom, after twelve hours of being apart. It was amazing. I loved that we weren't interrupted, and were left to just reconnect.

We just touched and caressed in the shower, keeping things sexy, but fairly innocent. We got dressed for the day, me in jean capris and a yellow tank, and Edward wore his new t-shirt and his camo shorts, just for me. He looked gorgeous and I was happy that the shirt fit him.

We went downstairs to join the family for breakfast. "So, they've left the love den." Emmett said, making everyone laugh. I'm sure I blushed, but his comment didn't bother me.

"I like your shirt, Edward." Esme said, bringing over pancakes.

"Yeah, it's great. Bella brought it back from Lake Quinault for me." Edward said, proudly, leaning over to kiss my cheek.

We shared a great breakfast, together. While I was eating, I was trying to figure out what to get my dad and Heidi for their wedding. I knew they didn't want or need anything, as my dad had mentioned on the drive home from the lake the day before, but I still wanted to do something to show them that I cared.

I stayed in the kitchen to help Esme clean up, while the guys, with Alice in tow, all ran to the rental company to pick up the chairs for the wedding. "Esme." I asked as we loaded the dishwasher. "Do you know where my dad and Heidi are staying for their honeymoon?"

"Lake Crescent Lodge." She said, smiling. "Carlisle and I booked them a private suite as our wedding gift."

"That's so sweet." I said, smiling. "Do you think you could call the hotel and order them a bottle of champaign, chocolates and roses to be delivered to their room from Edward and I?" I asked. "I would do it, but I'm a minor." I giggled, and Esme laughed.

"I think that is a beautiful gift, Bella."


	555. She's Mine, Now

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 555 - She's Mine, Now

After we cleaned up the kitchen, Esme called the hotel for me and placed the order for the champagne, chocolates and roses for my dad and Heidi. I was so excited that I could do a little something for them. The order cost me two hundred dollars, but I figured how often does a girl's dad get remarried? My dad deserved to be spoiled.

Esme and I, with my kitten in his carrier, got in the car to drive to my dad's house. I made Esme stop at the bank so I could get her the money for my gift. She kept telling me not to worry about it, but I couldn't ask her to do that.

When we got to my house, my dad wrapped me in a tight hug. He was standing in the front yard with the lawn mower. The lawn looked great, and I loved that he was doing his best to make the place look perfect for Heidi.

"Heidi's got rolls of pink ribbons and a bunch of white table clothes on the kitchen table." He told Esme and she nodded excitedly. I could tell how excited she was to help decorate. "Randell and Mary should be over at around lunchtime, and Dee should be home in about an hour."

I kissed my dad's cheek and he smiled. "It's going to be amazing, daddy." I said, making him chuckle.

Esme and I went in the house, and I put Robbie in the living room to play, before going into the backyard. Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle were all unloading white folding chairs into the yard. They had laid three long, rectangular tables along the left side of the yard. Once they were set up, one would be for gifts, one for the cake and guestbook, and the last one for food.

There was also an archway set up at the back of the yard. Heidi was going to walk out from the backdoor and down across the yard to my dad. Once everything was set up, I was sure it was going to look fabulous.

I smiled as I watched Alice dancing around the backyard. I was sure she was thrilled to wear her pretty new dress that she had got in Seattle two weeks ago. She was going to make a beautiful flower girl at mine and Edward's wedding next summer.

After setting down a stack of chairs, Edward came over to me and kissed my lips, and his mom's cheek. "We just have a few more chairs to unload, and then Em and I are going to take the truck back to the rental place to pick up my car." He told us, setting his hands on his hips and looking out at the yard. "I think it's going to look great."

"It's going to be beautiful." Esme added, making me smile.

"Thank you, baby." I said, setting my hand over his heart. "I love you."

"I love you, too, honey." He said, leaning in so he could kiss me, again.

"Hey, slacker. Get down here." Emmett called out, making Esme and I giggle.

Edward just shrugged his shoulders and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. "I'll see you in a few, baby. I love you." He said, before turning to run back into the yard with his brothers. He grabbed Emmett into headlock and started scrubbing his brother's head with his knuckles.

Esme shook her head at her boys, but had a huge smile on her face. "He's such a gentleman with you." Esme mused, making me smile. "It's just wonderful to see him so in love."

"He's amazing." I agreed, laughing as I watched the boys fooling around.

Esme was right. Edward was so loving and careful with me, but he was also the master of dirty talking and, now, naked photography. I loved that our relationship had so many layers.

But the best part, was that even though Edward and I did get a little kinky in bed sometimes, it was always done in a respectful manner. I couldn't have been more satisfied with our love life.

My dad, Carlisle and Jasper set up all the chairs. There were five short rows of four chairs on either side of the aisle. So, we had forty chairs, but honestly, we probably wouldn't need them all. It was nice that the wedding was small, as it gave it an intimate atmosphere.

Esme and I got the ribbon and went to work on the archway. We started at the top and wound the ribbon around the arch. "I think we should go get some ivy, and some pink and white peonies for the top." Esme said, standing back and looking at our work. "We'll add that as a finishing touch in the morning, so it looks fresh."

"I think Heidi's going to like it." I said, smiling.

"I love it." I turned around and smiled when I saw my beautiful soon to be step mom. She looked really relaxed, and her nails were done in a beautiful French tip manicure. She pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. "It's really starting to look like a wedding out here."

"It does." I laughed.

Heidi gave Esme a hug. "Thank you for the massage gift certificate. It was amazing."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Every bride deserves to relax before her big day." Esme said, smiling. "Oh, and we were thinking of putting a few peonies at the top of the arch with a touch of ivy tomorrow morning. What do you think?"

"That sounds beautiful." Heidi said. "I'm glad you have an artist vision." She laughed.

"I think it might just be because I've been looking through bridal magazines." She admitted, biting her bottom lip. She looked over at me with a guilty look on her face that made me burst out in laughter.

Heidi looked over at me, smiling. "Oh, your dad told me that you and Edward picked a wedding date. Congratualtions, honey."

"Thanks. And we told Esme about thirty six hours ago." I laughed.

"Oh, I bought those magazines the day Edward proposed to you, sweetheart." Esme confessed, making us all laugh. "But, it came in handy for today, right?"

Heidi giggled. "Well, if we're making confessions, Bella, I went out and bought a bunch of wedding dress magazines that night, too." She said, making me laugh.

"Aw. You girls are the best moms ever." I said, pulling them into a group hug.

"Oh, can I get in on all this love?" I heard Edward ask from behind me. I giggled as Edward wrapped his arms around my stomach, and kissed the top of my head.

"We're talking about wedding planning." Esme said. "But, I guess it's your wedding, too."

Edward laughed. "You guess, mom?" He asked, sounding surprised. "I knew this was going to happen. You've replaced me with Bella." I giggled, and Edward chuckled and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "I might just have to run away with her and keep her all to myself."

"Oh, don't you dare." Esme said, reaching up to pat Edward's cheek. "She's mine, now."

I laughed. "I feel so loved, right now." I said, laughing when Edward pinched my sides. "But, enough about me. Baby, you set up the tables, and I'll put on the tableclothes."

"Mm. A sexy slave driver." Edward said, and Esme and Heidi laughed at him, before they started tying ribbons on the chairs.

I blushed and took his hand, pulling him over to the tables. "I'm just going to run in and get the table clothes." I said, turning to go into the house. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back over to him for a quick kiss.

"I love you, gorgeous." He whispered, making me smile.

"I love you, too." I said, before running in the house. I smiled when I saw Jasper and Alice watching TV in the living room, and playing with Robert. "Hey, guys." I said. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"I'm hungry." Alice said, running up to me and wrapping her arms around my waist.

I ran my fingers through her soft hair and smiled down at her cute face. "Ali, dad went to go get pizza with Bella's dad, remember?" Jasper asked.

"Oh, yeah." She said, giggling.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Okay, I'm just going to go put out the table clothes, and I'll be right back." I told her.

I went outside and I smiled when I saw Edward and Emmett setting up the tables together. I walked over to them and smiled. "Looks good, boys." I said, setting the tableclothes on the end table.

"That's because I helped." Emmett said, laughing. I gave him a hug and around the waist and he squeezed me back. "Thanks, sis."

"Anytime." I told him. Emmett ran into the house, and Edward came over to wrap me in his arms. "You did well, my handsome servant boy." I teased, making Edward throw his head back and laugh.

"I'm glad you approve." He said, smirking at me. "Maybe I'll get rewarded later."

I giggled. "There is no maybe about it."


	556. Stubborn

**A/N - Happy Saturday! I am such a busy girl; so much hustle and bustle, and very little sleep, but know that I am reading and loving all of your reviews! Thank you all so much! I truly love you all for your support! Enjoy!**

Chapter 556 - Stubborn

My dad and Carlisle brought home pizza. Randell and Mary had shown up just in time to join us for lunch, and I had twenty dollars in my pocket from my gramps. We were all spread out all over the house to eat, some in the living room, some at the table, and Edward and I sitting on the counter in the kitchen.

"I can't believe that you're all set up already." Mary said, smiling at Heidi.

"I know." Heidi giggled. "I guess with this many people, a lot gets done, quickly."

I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder and just watched my dad with Heidi and her parents. He looked so completely relaxed and comfortable. They were made for each other and it made me so happy.

Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulder and gave my arm a light squeeze. "You okay?" He whispered and I nodded, looking up at his face.

I smiled at him, and leaned in to kiss his lips. "I love you." I whispered, back and he smiled.

"Okay, so I was thinking we should clean the house from top to bottom. Who wants to help?" Heidi asked, laughing.

"I'm in. I volunteer Bella and I for the upstairs rooms." Edward said, making me laugh. My dad raised his eyebrow at us, and I laughed harder.

I hopped off the counter and went to give my dad a hug. "Relax, daddy." I said, smiling. "Go watch some TV." I suggested. "You're getting married tomorrow."

Edward and I went upstairs and he pulled me into my room, locking the door. "We're finally alone." He breathed, pushing me against the door, and leaning in to kiss the side of my neck. I hummed as his fingers worked quickly on the button and zipper of my capris.

"Baby, we need to clean up. Change the sheets." I breathed, gasping as he slid his hand into my panties.

"We will." He said, tugging my pants down over my hips. "Can I make love to you?" He asked, already undoing his shorts.

"Yes. But really, really fast." I said, pulling his shorts and underwear off.

Edward started laughing. "You want a quickie?" He asked, making me giggle.

"Yeah." I said, smiling as Edward started walking me backwards to my bed. I sat down and Edward passed me a condom. I smiled up at his face and put it on his sexy body. Edward smiled down at me, before leaning over to kiss my lips.

He sat on the bed and took my hands. "Get on my lap, baby." He whispered. I straddled his legs, and set my hands on his shoulders.

He laid back on the bed, allowing me to take control. I was sure he didn't want to rush anything, and with me asking for fast sex, he gave me the power to choose how quickly I moved. He was so incredibly amazing…all the time.

We tried to keep our groaning down, as we both had our entire families downstairs. This was probably the stupidest, riskiest thing I had ever done. But, that only made it all the more exciting.

Edward moved his hands up to my hips and helped me move when I got tired. I let out a deep breath and dropped my head down on Edward's shoulder.

He chuckled, rubbing my back. "How was that?" He asked.

"Perfect." I said, resting my chin on his chest and looking up at his gorgeous face. "But, now we have to work twice as hard to get these rooms cleaned up."

"Mm. My sexy slave driver is back." Edward teased, making me laugh. "I'll change your sheets and tidy up in here." He offered, making me smile.

"You sound so sweet, but I know it's just because you don't want to clean the bathroom." I teased, making Edward laugh.

I groaned at the feeling of his laugh. I was still straddling him, and it felt amazing. "Oh, god, Bella. Don't start with the sounds, lover." He said, sitting up and rubbing my arms. "If the whole family wasn't downstairs, I'd help you make all kinds of pretty noises."

I smiled at him, leaning in to kiss his lips. "Oh, really?" I asked, running my fingers through his hair, damp with sweat, just above his sideburns.

"Really, gorgeous." He said, nipping at my bottom lip. "How about a rain check for tomorrow night?"

I smiled, happy to get my way. "Deal." I said, getting up off of him. I walked over to get my capris back on, and Edward chuckled.

"You look cute without pants." He said, smiling at me.

I laughed. "Yeah, that was weird that we left our shirts on, wasn't it?"

"That's the definition of a quickie, baby." He said, getting up to get redressed. "We take just enough off to get the job done."

I laughed, running my brush through my hair, before pulling it up into a ponytail. "Look at the things I'm learning." I said, making Edward laugh. "I'll be in the bathroom." I called over my shoulder, opening the door.

"Your second home." Edward yelled back, making me laugh. I loved that we could tease each other. It made our relationship so much fun.

Edward and I had the upstairs area cleaned up in about an hour. Edward carried the laundry basket downstairs for me, so I could put a load of bed sheets in the wash. Edward leaned against the kitchen counter and let out a deep breath as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Whew. That was hard work." He said, making Heidi and I laugh.

"You're not fooling anyone, Edward." Heidi said, walking up to him to pat his cheek. "But we all still love you, sweetie." Thankfully Heidi and I were the only ones in the room, and she was such an awesome step mom.

Edward chuckled, shaking his head. "Hey, I cleaned." He said, defending himself. I walked up to him and he wrapped me in his arms.

"Yes, you did. And you did an amazing job." I told him, making him smile.

The Cullens all headed back to their place to get changed for dinner at the lodge and Randell and Mary went to get unpacked at Heidi's place. Edward kissed me at the door and promised to be back ASAP.

I washed my face and freshened my makeup, before going into my room to put on my pretty purple ruffled dress that Edward bought me in Florida. I pinned the front of my hair back, and then went downstairs to wait for everyone.

I may have heard some questionable sounds coming from my dad's room, so I thought it was safest for me to wait in the living room with the TV turned up. I obviously couldn't judge, as Edward and I had gone at it the minute we were alone.

I heard the doorbell and I hopped up to get the door. Edward was standing there in a hunter green polo, that hugged his narrow waist and black dress pants. He looked amazing. And he was holding a pretty pink rose.

"Wow, Bella." He said, smiling. "I haven't seen you in that dress since, uh, was it Colorado?"

I giggled. "I have no idea, handsome." I admitted, setting my hand on his arm. "How do you remember these things?"

"Because I love you." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Thank you, baby." I said, taking his hand and leading him into house. I put my rose in water, and Edward and I went to sit in the living room to wait for the rest of the Cullens.

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I snuggled my face into his shoulder. "My mom told me that you got your dad and Heidi a gift?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah. I had her order a bottle of Champagne, some roses and a box of chocolates for their room at the Lake Crescent Lodge." I said, smiling up at his face. "Both of our names are on the card."

"Very nice choice, baby." He said, smiling back at me. "How much do I owe you for my half?"

"No, Edward. I already paid for it." I told him. "Don't worry about it."

Edward playfully frowned at me, before kissing my lips. "My name is on the card, Bella." He whispered, before kissing me, again.

I giggled. "Never mind." I said. "Just kiss me."

"Oh, my little stubborn girl." He said, sucking on my bottom lip. I groaned and he smirked. "Fine. I'll find out on my own."


	557. Sentimental Moments

**A/N - Happy Sunday! This chapter takes place at the end of Friday, August 27th, 2010. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 557 - Sentimental Moments

When the Cullens and Clarkes got here, and my dad and Heidi finally came downstairs, I was forced to leave my kitten alone for the first time in my life. I set him up on the couch with a blanket and some toys, and Edward brought his litter box down for him.

"You'll be okay, kitty." I said, squeezing him to my chest to give him a little hug.

Edward took Robbie from me and kissed his forehead, making the kitty meow. Edward chuckled and set him on the couch, before wrapping his arms around me, rocking me back and forth. "You'll be okay, Bella." He whispered, making me smile.

I was worried about my baby, but he was already asleep. Apparently, Robert was growing up and seemed fine with being left alone. We all went to the Lodge for dinner. I sat between my dad and Edward. The best seat in the house.

My dad seemed so excited, and maybe just a little nervous for the big day tomorrow. I was still really excited, and luckily, not emotional, yet.

Carlisle stood up and clinked his glass, making my dad chuckle. "I'm not going to give my big best man speech now." Carlisle joked. "Because it is amazing and should be heard by as many people as possible."

Randell thought that was hilarious, and he couldn't stop laughing. I loved his laugh. It was so happy sounding and it made me laugh. Edward was absolutely beaming at me, chuckling as he watched me laugh. He picked up my hand and kissed the back of it.

When our laughter died down, Carlisle continued his speech. "I hope I'm this popular at the wedding." He added. "Anyway. I just wanted to congratulate my best friend Charlie, for finally a finding a woman to put up with him. Who would have thought that they would have been working side by side in the same office for years?"

My dad laughed and Heidi rubbed his back, giggling. "I think we have the beautiful Bella, this family's little matchmaker to thank for talking some sense into her dad." Carlisle continued, making me blush. My dad leaned over to kiss my cheek and take my right hand in his.

"So, a toast to Charlie and Heidi on your wedding tomorrow. And a toast to the Swan family, now up to three. Congratulations, and we love you." We all applauded Carlisle's toast, and my dad and Heidi. It was a nice moment.

Randell stood up next. "I'd also like to add that I'm very excited about my little sweet potato getting married. Not only am I finally getting myself a son, Charlie, but I'm gaining a beautiful granddaughter to spoil." He said, making me smile. "I couldn't be a happier, prouder father. Congratulations." We all applauded Randell, and Heidi gave her dad a hug.

The rest of dinner was nice, and when Edward was finished eating, he wrapped his arm around the back of chair, leaning in close to me. I loved that he was soaking up every last second with me before we spent the night apart.

We had only been apart one night since our engagement, and it had been miserable for me. I had hardly slept. But, I was sure that Edward would more than make up for our night apart tomorrow after the wedding. I was already looking forward to my love bite that Edward had promised me.

After dinner, Edward leaned down to give me a nice long French kiss, right in front of the restaurant. I should have been embarrassed, but I needed this too much to complain. Edward pulled back slowly, smiling as his eyes met mine.

"I love you, so much Bella." He said, softly. "Have a good night, angel. I can't wait to see you in that pretty dress, again."

I giggled, remembering last Saturday when I had first shown Edward my bridesmaid's dress. He had done some very naughty and delicious things to me, claiming that his actions were just a preview of what was going to happen after the wedding when all the guests had left.

"I love you, too, Edward." I whispered. "I can't wait for you to take the dress off of me."

"Mm." Edward hummed. "You love to tease me." He reached down and spanked my bum, softly. "Have fun with your dad."

I gave my boy one last kiss before getting in my dad's truck with him. "You think you can handle being away from Edward tonight?" My dad asked, making me laugh.

"Of course I can, daddy." I said, reaching over to pat his hand. "It's Edward that I worry about."

My dad laughed. "It's nice that he's so committed to you. That makes me happy, Bells." He said. "He'll always take care of you."

"Aw, daddy." I said. "Don't get too sentimental on me, tonight. I've been doing really good so far. You know, not crying."

He laughed. "I'm sorry." He said, squeezing my hand. "Only happy talk."

We pulled up to the house and I ran in to check on Robbie. He was still fast asleep on the couch. He had done so well. I went upstairs and pulled on a pair of sweat shorts and a tank top, before meeting my dad downstairs. We went out into the backyard to play horseshoes. We played a few rounds, laughing and having fun until it got dark.

My dad I went to sit down in the folding chairs, set up for the wedding, looking at the archway. Our backyard looked so different, so pretty, all decorated for the wedding. "Well, can you believe I'm tying the knot tomorrow, kiddo?" He asked, chuckling.

"I can. I'm so happy for you and Heidi." I told him. "I was watching you two together, today, and I don't think you could have found a better match."

"That really means everything to me, Bells. If you and Dee didn't get along, then we wouldn't be having this wedding. You are my only child, my beautiful little girl." My dad said, wrapping his arm around me and kissing me on the top of the head.

It was such a sweet moment, that I didn't want to point out that I wasn't a little girl anymore. But, I figured, I'd let my dad have his sentimental moment. I figured he was allowed, every now and again.

I rested my head on my dad's shoulder and we just sat together, quietly, enjoying the warm, still, night air. I just closed my eyes and soaked it all in. My dad would always be mine. He would always love me, and I would always love him back.

Just because he was getting married, and I was engaged, we still had an unbreakable bond with one another. And I was so grateful to have gotten so close with my dad over the last four months. I would never, ever regret this move.

"Well, kiddo. We should probably call it a night, huh?" My dad asked me, patting my arm.

"I think so." I said, standing up and stretching my arms over my head. "You've got a big day tomorrow."

My dad chuckled, and we walked into the house together. I picked up Robbie and took him up the stairs with us. I gave my dad a hug in the hallway upstairs, and he kissed my cheek. "I love you, Bells." He said, looking a little teary eyed. I could tell how much this evening had meant to him.

"I love you, too, daddy." I said, smiling. I turned and went into my room. I leaned against the door and wiped a couple of stray tears from my cheeks. I was so happy for my dad, that I couldn't help but cry.

I tucked Robbie in his bed, slipped off my clothes and pulled on my Texas t-shirt, before crawling into bed. I grabbed my phone and smiled when I saw a text from Edward_. 'Goodnight, my beauty. I hope you had a fabulous night with your dad. I love and miss you, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow.'_

I leaned my head back into the pillows and smiled. I loved my Edward. He was amazing in every way. I typed him back. _'Goodnight, Edward. I love you so much and I miss your strong arms wrapped around my body.'_

I giggled when Edward immediately sent me a text back. It was a photo message; a picture of Edward's arm flexing. Mm, I thought. Those were the strong arms that I was talking about.

I laughed. I think that was a hint for him to see my body. I held my phone up and snapped a picture of myself in my t-shirt, and sent it to him.

He texted back right away. _'Covering up that pretty body should be a crime.'_ I giggled. Edward was really loving the nude photography lately. He was getting spoiled.

I pulled my t-shirt up to my hips and took a shot of my bare legs for him. _'Mm. Baby. I love your sexy legs. You are so beautiful.'_ I smiled. Edward was amazing.

I wanted to keep texting him, but I was so tired. _'Thank you, baby. I'm falling asleep. I love you.'_

'Sorry to keep you up, honey. I love you, too. Night.'

I set my phone on my bedside table and snuggled under my blanket. I was cold, even though it was August, because I was so used to Edward's warm body pressed against my back. I missed my fiancé, but I'd have him back in my arms soon. Tomorrow was going to be an emotional day and I was so lucky that I would have Edward standing by my side.


	558. Happiness

**A/N - Charlie and Heidi's wedding day is finally here: Saturday, August 28, 2010! But, you all know me well enough by now...it will take me a few chapters to write it! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Enjoy!**

Chapter 558 - Happiness

Saturday morning. My dad was getting married today. I rolled out of bed and picked up Robbie. "Hi sweetie pie." I whispered, snuggling him to my chest. He meowed and I kissed his little nose. "I'll bet you miss your daddy." I whispered. "I miss him, too. But he'll be back soon."

I set Robbie in his litter box and got up to get him fresh water and some breakfast. I pulled on some yoga pants and ran to the bathroom. I came back to grab my baby, and brought him downstairs to make my dad a special wedding day breakfast.

I set Robbie on the couch and then came into the kitchen to fry up some bacon, and start the French toast. I wanted to spoil my dad today. My dad came downstairs, freshly showered, but wearing jeans and a plaid shirt.

He came over to me to give me a big hug. When he kissed the top of my head, I felt the tears well up in my eyes. I was trying so hard not to cry today, but when I felt how much my dad loved me, it made me a little emotional.

I looked up at his face and he blinking back his own tears. He reached up to wipe my cheeks, and chuckled a little in embarrassment. "We're just getting it all out now." My dad joked, making me laugh. "No tears at the wedding, okay? It's going to be a fun day."

I stood up on my toes and kissed my dad's cheek. "Deal." I agreed. "I love you, daddy."

We had a great breakfast together, just laughing and talking. I was happy we got our tears out of the way. A wedding was a happy occasion and no one deserved that happiness more than my dad.

I was just washing the dishes when Esme and Alice came by. She gave both my dad and I hugs, before she put my dad to work, sending him out to the car to get all the boxes of flowers and bouquets and bring them into the house.

Alice ran up to me and gave me a hug. "Hi, Bella. Guess what?" She said, smiling up at my face. "We get to wear our Seattle dresses, today."

"We do, Alice." I said, smiling back at her pretty face. Esme had already styled her hair. She had a side part in her hair and a braid woven into her short hair. The ends were curled and she looked beautiful. "And I love your hairstyle."

"Thanks. Mom helped." She said, making me laugh. She was just so cute. "Oh, and guess what else?"

"What's that?" I asked, smiling at her.

"Edward told me to give you this." She said, passing me a little white daisy. It was one of the ones that grew along the side of the Cullen's driveway. But I loved it as much as the really expensive bouquets he sent me. The flowers weren't important. It was the gesture, and the fact that he never forgot to give me one. It proved to me that I was always on his mind.

"Thank you, Alice." I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Okay, munchkin. Do you want to go in the living room and keep Robbie company while I go have a shower?"

Her face lit up, now that she had a job to do. "Yay." She said, turning and running into the living room. I smiled after her. I think having the kitten in the house was a good thing for Alice. Otherwise, a morning of watching other people getting ready might be boring for her.

My dad came into the kitchen, setting a huge box on the table. He let out a deep breath and turned to me. "Okay, kiddo. I'm heading over to the Cullen's to get ready. I'll see you back here at one." He said, before giving me another hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too, daddy." I said, squeezing him tightly.

I waved at him from the doorway and smiled when I felt Esme's arms wrap gently around my shoulders. She pressed a kiss to the back of my head. "Are you doing okay, sweetie?" She asked me, letting go of me and taking my hand. She led me to the kitchen table and we sat down. She took my hand and squeezed it. I adored the fact that she was giving me an opportunity to talk if I needed it.

"Actually, I'm doing way better than I thought I would be." I admitted. "If I cry, it's not at all because I'm sad. I am just so happy for my dad."

"I'm so glad to hear that." She said, smiling at me. "Edward's worried about you."

I smiled when I heard that. He was amazing. "I wish he wouldn't worry. I'm fine." I told her. "But I do miss him like crazy. I honesty find it hard to sleep without him holding me, now."

She giggled, obviously loving how the conversation had changed to girl talk. "I'm the same way. Isn't it funny, that before we meet the love of our lives, we have no idea what we were missing?" She asked.

"It's true. Edward is everything to me, now." I told her, and she reached up to wipe under her eyes. "My dad told me last night that he was happy that I had Edward to watch over me, now."

"Oh, Bella." She said, leaning forward to give me a hug. "We have so much happiness in our families, don't we?"

"We do." I agreed before standing up. "But if I don't get in the shower, I'm going to miss my dad's wedding."

"Okay, I'm going to go outside and finish the archway while you get ready." Esme told me. "Will you let me style your hair?"

"I would love that." I smiled. I had never had someone do my hair for me, with the exception of Angie's mom. And of course Alice and her friends. The idea thrilled me.

I went upstairs and I grabbed some body lotion, navy blue lace panties and a black tank to take with me into the bathroom. I checked my phone first and burst out laughing when I saw the photo Edward had sent me. It was his face with his lips puckered up. Under it, he had written _'Your good morning kiss.'_ It was official that Edward got sweeter and sweeter with each passing day.

I pulled my nightshirt off and snapped a topless photo for my fiancé. It was the most risqué test message I had ever sent, but I was nothing but excited about it. I bit my lip as typed some text to go with the photo. _'I want those lips right here.'_ I was blushing as I hit send.

I ran across the hall into the bathroom and turned on the shower, nice and hot. I smiled to myself. I was grateful for Edward's adorable distractions. First the flower that he entrusted his baby sister to give me, and then his gorgeous lips. He probably figured I'd be emotional today, and he was doing his best to make me feel better. And it was working.

I showered, shaved my legs and lathered up with body wash. Even showers weren't as fun without my Edward. I dried off, lotioned up, brushed my teeth and got dressed. I dried my hair, but didn't do anything to it, leaving it for Esme to work her magic.

I went back in my room and made my bed, before checking my phone. _'Bella, that is a phenomenal photo. But what a bad girl to send that to me when I can't make good on your request.'_

I shivered as I read his message. I craved his touch. But I could only imagine how our time apart would benefit our reunion in bed. _'I thought you liked a tease?'_ I sent back. I had to say, I was thoroughly enjoying our text exchange.

Esme knocked on my door and I let her in. She heated up my curling iron and combed my hair. She had brought over some of her own hair products and ran something cream through my hair. It smelled amazing.

I smiled into the mirror at Esme as she curled my hair. She smiled back at me, and I truly felt all the love she had for me. She pulled my hair into a loose bun at the nape of my neck, letting some curls escape. I had never seen myself look more elegant. I loved it.

"I'm going to have to hire you as my personal stylist." I told her, making her laugh. "I love it, Esme, thank you."

"Oh, you are so welcome, sweetie." She said, smiling. "This is what I missed out on having three boys. Do you understand why Alice is so spoiled?"

I laughed. "Well, you can do my hair for me anytime you want." I assured her. "This is beautiful. Will you do my hair for me on my wedding day?"

I probably shouldn't have said that, because it got Esme crying. She pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my cheek. "I would be honoured, Bella." She whispered.

I heard the front door and I smiled when Heidi and Mary peeked into my bedroom. I jumped up and ran over to give them hugs. "Happy wedding day." I said, making her scream in excitement, and then laugh.

Everyone loved how Esme had styled my hair. Heidi sat down for Esme to do her hair next. I stood in my mirror and put on my makeup, including my waterproof mascara, smiling as I listened to Esme and Mary giving Heidi advice on marriage. Even Alice came upstairs with Robbie in her arms and climbed onto my bed. It was so nice spending time with the girls on such a special day.


	559. Husband and Wife

**A/N - Thank you for reading and reviewing! ** **So glad you all seemed to like the last chapter! Let's get to the wedding! Enjoy!**

Chapter 559 - Husband and Wife

At around eleven thirty, the doorbell rang and I ran down to get the door. It was Edward, holding a box of pastries. He was wearing a dark charcoal suit with a white shirt and a black tie. I had seen Edward look all kinds of gorgeous, but by far, this was the sexiest look he'd ever pulled off.

"Bella, you look incredible." He breathed, almost looking like he was in shock.

"Thank you, handsome. You look perfect." I smiled, looking down at myself, still dressed in yoga pants and a plain black cotton tank top. It was true that I wasn't wearing a bra, but I didn't even have my dress on, yet.

"You look like angel, Bella. A very sweet and sexy angel." He said, smiling widely at me. He leaned in to kiss my lips. "Your hair looks like it would at our wedding. It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it." I giggled, because he was so adorable, and because I had missed him so much overnight.

"Anyway. All the guys are here, in the backyard, to greet the guests as they arrive. But we just wanted you girls to have something to eat."

"Aw. Thank you so much, Edward." I said, taking the box from him and setting it on the table in the front entryway. "You are just so sexy in this suit." I whispered, running my hand softly down his tie.

Edward chuckled, leaning down to kiss my lips again. "Are you going to show me how much you like it tonight?" He whispered in my ear.

"Mm. Definitely." I sighed. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too, sexy girl. But I really enjoyed the photos you sent. Very, very nice." He said, stealing another quick kiss on my lips. He set his big warm hand on the curve of my hip. "Besides the food drop, I wanted to check on you. Are you doing okay?"

"I'm doing good. A few tears, but we're all hanging in there." I said, making him smile.

"Enjoy today, baby. And I'll be right in the front row to pass you tissues if you need them, okay?" He said, running his hand up my side.

"Thank you, handsome. I love you."

"I love you, too." He said, kissing me, again. "Save me a dance, huh?"

"Absolutley." I agreed, smiling, as I watched Edward walk out the front door. He looked over his shoulder and winked at me, before going around the house to the backyard. I had the best fiancé ever. He was so sweet to always be concerned about me. I loved that man.

I took the pastries upstairs and we all sat on my dad's bed to eat. I was glad that Alice wasn't dressed yet, as she got cherry filling on her t-shirt and all over her face. Heidi started to look a little nervous once I told her that my dad was here, and that the guests would be arriving soon. But, it was completely understandable, and she was still laughing, so I knew she'd be okay.

After Esme cleaned Alice up, we all got into our dresses, helping Heidi into hers last. She looked so beautiful, her hair done in long loose curls. She said, because she wore her hair up for work all week, she wanted it long for the wedding.

Esme took a bunch of photos of us, and Mary had started to tear up a little. Her only child was getting married, so I could completely understand that she would be emotional.

I quickly used the bathroom and fed Robbie. I was less worried about leaving him in the house when I was just going to be in the backyard. Plus he had done so well last night. I walked downstairs to join everyone, and smiled when I saw Carlisle and Randell in the kitchen with everyone.

"Alright. We've got our beautiful Maid of Honour." Carlisle said, coming over to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I smiled as Esme passed me my bouquet of three white peonies and kissed my cheek, before she took Alice's hand and walked out the backdoor to take their seats. Mary gave Heidi a tearful hug, before taking Carlisle's arm and heading out to the yard.

So, it was just Heidi, Randell and myself left in the kitchen. Heidi had tears streaked down her cheeks, but she was smiling. I walked up to the wonderful woman that was going to be my step mom in about a half hour and took her hand.

"I love you, Heidi. I couldn't be happier to have you in my life." I said, making her smile.

"Thank you, sweetie. I love you, too." She said. "Come on. Let's go knock 'em dead." I laughed, loving her sense of humour.

I walked to the back door and looked out. Everyone was looking at me with beautiful smiles on their faces. I saw Edward in the front row, absolutely beaming at me. I blinked and some tears dropped from my eyes when I looked at my dad in his dress uniform. He looked so handsome, and so happy. I looked over at Carlisle and he nodded his head, my cue to walk down the aisle.

I let out a deep breath and walked out onto the deck. I took the stairs carefully, not wanted to ruin the elegance of the ceremony by falling on my face. I walked down the aisle, smiling at my dad. He reached up and wiped a tear from a eye. He looked so proud of me, even thought this was his wedding.

When I reached him, he pulled me into a tight hug, kissing my cheek. "You look beautiful, kiddo." He whispered.

"And you look so handsome, daddy." I said. He finally let me go, and I took two steps over to stand in my place. I looked at Edward, sitting next to Mary, and he was smiling up at me from his seat. He mouthed the words 'I love you' at me and it made me smile.

Everyone stood as Heidi and her dad walked out onto the deck. She was absolutely glowing as she walked down the aisle. I looked over at my dad and he couldn't seem to stop his tears. So much for our no tears promise, I thought with a smile.

Carlisle was patting his shoulder, which I thought was such a sweet gesture. I felt Edward grab my hand, and I smiled at him when I noticed that he was slipping me a tissue.

Heidi reached the end of the aisle and my dad looked thrilled. Randell shook my dad's hand, before going to sit down. Heidi passed me her bouquet before facing my dad and standing hand in hand with him under the archway.

The justice of the peace conducted the ceremony and my dad and Heidi exchanged their vows, never taking their eyes off of each other. It was a fairly short ceremony, but I loved it. Esme, who was sitting with Alice, Jasper and Emmett was snapping what must have been hundreds of pictures.

When my dad and Heidi were pronounced husband and wife, everyone applauded as they kissed. It was official. I had a step mom. Heidi turned to take her bouquet back from me, and surprised me by pulling me into a hug.

"I love you, my beautiful daughter." She whispered. "Thank you for sharing your dad with me."

I cried into her shoulder. She had caught me off guard by her heartfelt words. My dad wrapped his arms around us both and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "I love you, kiddo."

I wiped my eyes as I pulled back, smiling at my dad and step mom. "I love you, both, too. Congratulations."

Heidi smiled at me and wiped my cheek before taking my dad's arm and walking down the aisle with him. Carlisle walked up to me and linked his arm with mine, leading me down the aisle after my dad and Heidi. He smiled at me, supportively, and I loved that my future father in law was here for me, too.

The next half hour was a hodgepodge of hugs, kisses, compliments and congratualtions. But the best part, was that Edward had his arms wrapped around me the entire time. I loved that he was there for me, wiping my tears, and holding me close to him.

Plus, he smelled amazing. He must have doubled the amount of cologne he usually put on, but it was such a sexy scent, that I couldn't get enough. And that suit. I still couldn't get over how gorgeous he looked. He was like James Bond, or something. I couldn't wait to take that suit off of him, though.

Carlisle and the boys moved the chairs into small groups around the yard, clearing the lawn for a makeshift dance floor. I hadn't noticed, but the guys had brought the food and set it up on the table. We just had meat plates, cheese plates and veggie plates set out, making the wedding nice and casual. But there was a lot of it.

The first dance between my dad and Heidi was beautiful. They danced to a song by Heidi's favourite band; "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon. The lyrics to the song, about a man who fell in love with his friend, but hadn't acted on his feelings, fit my dad and Heidi to a tee.

Edward held me close to his chest and rocked me back and forth to the music while we watched them dance. I smiled. My dad looked so happy. I knew that this was only the beginning of a beautiful marriage.


	560. Blessing

**A/N - Thank you so much to everyone for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 560 - Blessing

The wedding reception was going so well. I danced with my dad, while Heidi danced with Randell. My dad held me close and we just swayed back and forth to the music of "My Girl" by the Temptations. My dad and I were so alike, in that neither of us were strong dancers, but it didn't matter, because the moment was about us.

My dad told me that he and Heidi had been working on a song list and Edward had put all their favourites on a CD for them last night, because to quote my dad, "we don't know anything about that kind of thing." I had no idea Edward was doing that for them. He was so sweet.

The rest of the afternoon was spent dancing with everyone there. I danced with Carlisle, Randell, Emmett, a blushing Jasper and most of the Forks Police Department; Jake, Paul and Alec. Apparently Maids of Honour were quite popular at weddings. Luckily Edward was kept busy dancing with his mom, Heidi, Mary, Alice, Vanessa, Rachel and Siobhan.

But as much fun as I was having with everyone, I only wanted one man's arms around me: Edward's. And he felt the same way, wrapping his arms around me the second that Alec let me go. Alec laughed, slapping Edward's shoulder.

"Gotcha." Edward whispered in my ear, making me giggle. "Just a warning, I'm not letting you go for the rest of the afternoon."

"Good. I don't want you to." I told him, groaning a little when he pressed a soft kiss on the side of my neck.

"May I have my dance, now?" He asked, taking my hand and twirling me around.

"Of course." I said, smiling. Edward had taken off his suit coat, but still looked gorgeous in his white dress shirt and tie.

"Do you want to try our waltz?" He asked, making me smile. I remembered learning it back in June. Edward had taught me how to dance, right here in the backyard, our bare feet in the grass.

"Absolutely." I said, making him smile. I slipped off my shoes, making Edward laugh, before he took my hand and led me onto the 'dance floor.' I set my hand on Edward's shoulder, he set his hand low on my hip and took my right hand in his. His eyes met mine and he held them in his warm gaze.

We moved around the yard, with Edward confidently leading me. I only stumbled a few times, but when I did, Edward smiled at me supportively, and kept us going. "You look so beautiful when you dance, Bella." Edward told me.

I laughed. "You always look beautiful." I said, making him chuckle.

"That should have been my line." He said and I laughed.

"No way. You get all the awesome lines." I said.

Edward leaned down to kiss my lips. "They're not lines, baby. I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too, handsome." I said, rubbing my hand on his chest.

The song was over and Edward wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. "Mm. You did so good. Just think. Next year we'll be dancing at our own wedding."

I smiled. "I can't wait." I said, stealing another kiss. "But, I think I need more lessons."

"It would be my pleasure." He said, winking at me.

He took my hand and we walked over to my dad and Heidi. "You guys looked really good out there." Heidi said, smiling.

"Edward taught me how to dance." I bragged. Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "But, obviously I don't remember the whole lesson." I giggled. "Plus, I was a little distracted."

"Oh, who can blame you. Your fiancé looks rather dashing, today." Heidi said, making Edward chuckle.

"Thank you." He said, his cheeks a little pink. It was cute that he still blushed when someone complimented him.

"He's gorgeous." I agreed.

Carlisle walked up to us and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "You ready to give our toasts?" He asked, and I nodded my head. I guess I was as ready as I would ever be. He extended his elbow and I took his arm, following him up to the wedding cake.

As Carlisle poured me a glass of ginger ale, I looked out at all our friends and family. Edward was leading my dad and Heidi over to us, so they would be right in front of us for the speeches.

"You ready?" Carlisle asked, with a smile on his face. I nodded and let out a deep breath. "Alright, can I everyone's attention." Carlisle said, loudly. "The lovely maid of honour, Bella, would like to make a toast for the new couple."

I could feel my cheeks burning, but when I looked up, Edward was smiling at me. So, were my dad and Heidi. I could do this. I cleared my throat.

"Um, thank you to everyone for being here. Today is an important one for my family and I, and it means a lot to us that you wanted to share it with us. When I first saw my dad with Heidi at a Forks PD barbeque this summer, I knew he was falling for her. I am so grateful to him for taking a chance and following his heart. Because he did, asking Heidi out for breakfast and a high school baseball game, I now have an amazing step mom."

My dad chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Heidi's shoulders. She wiped some tears from her eyes. "Heidi, you are a wonderful woman. Not only do I look up to you, but I love you and trust you. You are like another best friend to me, and I cannot imagine my life without you, now. You make my dad so happy. You take care of him, you love him. This wedding is a blessing to our family. So, congratulations to my daddy and my new step mom."

"Here, here." Carlisle said, as everyone applauded my speech. My dad and Heidi got up to give me hugs and I love yous. I guess public speaking wasn't too bad when you were in front of people you loved.

"Thank you, Bella." Carlisle said, smiling at me. "Now, as the best man, I'd like to toast my very best friend and his beautiful new bride. For the last fifteen or so years, Charlie and I have spent almost every Sunday on a small fishing boat together. So, I suppose I can take some of the blame for him being single so long."

I giggled at that one, and I looked up to see the crowd all smiling and laughing. Carlisle was a great speaker.

"I figure that part of the reason Charlie was a bachelor for so long was that he took the old adage 'plenty of fish in the sea' a little bit too literally. He could tell you a hundred differences between a brown trout and brook trout, but he didn't see the love of his life right before his eyes.

"But, it was obvious to everyone when that changed. Heidi and Charlie have worked together for years, so we know she didn't date the boss for better vacation days." He continued, making Heidi laugh.

"You figured me out." She added, from her seat, and my dad laughed.

"But, all kidding aside, Charlie and Heidi, Esme and I love you both very much, and we wish you a long and happy life together. Together with Bella, and next summer when you take Edward off of our hands, your little family has grown so much, with so much love. So, everyone raise their glass to the Swans."

Everyone laughed and applauded and my dad and Heidi stood up to give Carlisle a hug. Edward came over to me and pulled me into his arms. "You were amazing, baby." He whispered, kissing my lips. "Just like I knew you would be."

"Thank you, Edward." I said, smiling up at his handsome face.

"Okay, who wants cake." My dad said, and everyone gathered around the gorgeous chocolate cake, with the cute police officer wedding topper that Heidi and I had picked out. My dad covered Heidi's hands and they cut the cake together. My dad gently set a piece of cake in Heidi's mouth and she smiled at him. She took a small piece of cake and squished it against his lips, making everyone laugh.

My dad laughed, and everyone clapped. He put his hand behind her head and pulled her face to his lips, placing a chocolate kiss on her lips. She giggled when she pulled back, and Esme got a photo of her with chocolate icing on her face. We all ate our cake, while we watched my dad and Heidi open their gifts. They got a bunch of great gifts, mostly things for the house and gift cards.

At around five o'clock, my dad came up to me and give me a hug. "Okay, Bells. We're going to head out." He said. "We'll be home tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay, daddy. I love you." I said, kissing his cheek.

"I love you, too, kiddo. Thank you for giving a speech. That really meant a lot to me." He said, making me smile.

Heidi came over and kissed my cheek. "I love you, Bella. Thank you for everything. You helped make the day perfect for us."


	561. I Was Home

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I love hearing from you. It really keeps me motvated. Enjoy!**

Chapter 561 - I Was Home

Heidi stood on the deck and threw her bouquet into the crowd. Siobhan caught the bouquet and Paul and Jake started teasing Alec. He just smiled, and I had a feeling that he was ready to settle down with his beautiful girlfriend. They really were a perfect match, and I would be so happy for them if they did.

We all applauded my dad and Heidi as they went into the house. Edward kissed the top of my head. It had been an emotional day, but my dad's wedding was beautiful and I had loved every moment of it.

Most of our guests slowly filtered out until we were just left with the Cullens and Clarkes. We all cleaned up the yard, stacking the chairs and folding the tables. Apparently Carlisle was going to take them back to the rental place the next morning.

Randell and Mary left, giving me hugs and kisses. They were heading back up to Sequim tonight, and wanted to get home before it got dark. "Welcome to the family, Bella." Mary said, giving me a big hug, before turning to hug Edward.

Randell slipped me my twenty dollars, and I laughed. "Thank you, gramps." I said, making him chuckle.

"I love the sound of that, honey." He said, making me smile. I loved that I could be a granddaughter for him. He seemed so happy.

Esme brought the leftover food and cake into the house and packed it all into the fridge for me. "Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?" Esme asked me, her arms around me tightly.

"Um, I'm really tired. I think I'm just going to have a nap, actually. But, I'll see you tomorrow morning." I told her. "Thank you for everything you did today. We couldn't have done it without you."

"Oh, sweetie." She said. "I loved helping."

Edward and I said our goodbyes to everyone, even little Robbie who was having a sleepover with Uncles Emmett and Jasper and Aunty Alice. When Edward shut the door, he smiled at me. "Well, sexy girl, should we head upstairs for a little reunion fun?"

I giggled. "I hope I don't fall asleep on you." I said, smiling when he lifted me up and carried me upstairs.

"Oh, I think you'll have fun." He said, winking at me. He set me on the bed and shut the door. He climbed onto the bed and laid over top of me, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I've been waiting for this moment for weeks." He said, kissing his way over my cheek and down my neck.

I groaned as Edward started licking, sucking and biting at my throat. It felt so good. I closed my eyes and just took in the moment. His weight on my body, his amazing smell, his hand, which had dipped under my dress, and was rubbing my hip. Just everything was perfect.

"Uh, baby." I breathed, reaching up to run my fingers through his perfectly styled hair.

"Mm." Edward hummed into my neck, before kissing his way back up to my lips. He looked into my eyes and smiled. "I love you, gorgeous." He said, pressing three or four sweet kisses to my lips.

"I love you, too, baby." I said, rubbing my hands along his shoulders.

"You look tired, sugar." He said. "Do you want to take that nap?"

"But, we were going to have reunion fun." I said, before yawning.

Edward chuckled. "Why don't we get some sleep so we're well rested?" He asked, rolling to my side. He wrapped me in his arms and pulled me tightly to his chest. This was what I had missed last night. I was home. He kissed my forehead and I was out almost immediately.

I woke up to the smell of Chinese food, and I was cold and alone; no Edward in sight. I looked at my clock radio and it saw that it was seven o'clock PM. I slid out of bed and ran to use the bathroom. I looked in the mirror at my neck, and right where Edward had promised, he had given me a little love bite.

I wandered downstairs, still in my dress, and found Edward in the kitchen. He was standing at the counter, with his back to me, filling two plates with Chinese food from about five different cartons. He was still in his suit pants and white dress shirt, but he had rolled up the cuffs to his elbows, and had bare feet. He looked gorgeous.

I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. Edward hummed, bringing his left hand down to rub my arm. "That smells really good." I said.

"I was starving when I woke up." He said, turning in my arms, so he could lean in and kiss my lips. I noticed that his tie was undone but still hanging around his neck. "I hope you don't mind that I ordered dinner for us."

"Oh, of course not, baby. You take such good care of me." I said, making him smile. "And I'm glad you're still in your suit. Ever since I saw you in it, I've been fantasizing about taking it off of you."

Edward smirked at my confession. "I love your dirty mind." He said, making me laugh. He reached down and patted my bum. "Let's eat."

Edward carried our plates to the living room and we turned on the TV. Edward found a sitcom, and we just sat on the couch, leaning again each other and eating our dinner. I would smile every time he laughed.

We were completely relaxed, even though we were dressed in formal clothes. To me, the moment felt like a little preview of what our life was going to be like once we moved to Seattle next weekend. Just Edward and I; happy.

When the commercial came on, I rubbed Edward's leg. "Baby, my dad told me that you made the mixed CDs for the wedding." I said, smiling at him. "Thank you. That was really sweet."

"You know I would do anything for you." He said. "And your family is an extension of you. So, really, it was no problem." He laughed. "Plus, what the hell was I going to do without you last night, anyway?"

"Aw. Edward. I love that you love me so much." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"Of course I do. You are everything to me, Bella. Never ever forget that." He said.

I felt my eyes well up with tears when he said that and I quickly brought my hand up to wipe my cheek. Edward took our plates and set them on the coffee table, before lifting me onto his lap. "Hey, hey. Don't cry, baby. Are you okay?" He asked, gently rubbing my back.

"I'm fine." I said, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and burying my face into his neck. "Sometimes it just hits me. That's all."

"What hits you?" He whispered, holding me close to his chest.

"That you love me so unconditionally. You are such an amazing man and I feel so lucky that you chose me, of all the girls in the world." I said, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw.

"Oh, Bella, Bella, Bella." He said, squeezing me tightly. "Love is a very powerful emotion. And I promise you that I'll love you this much forever."

I leaned back to look at his face. "I'm sorry that I'm so emotional." I said, wiping my cheeks.

"It's okay, baby girl." He said, rubbing my arm. "It was a big day for you."

"But I wanted us to, um, you know, make love." I said, biting my bottom lip.

"Do you still want to?" He asked, smiling at me, and making me laugh. "And there's that pretty smile." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Yes." I said, running my fingers through his hair. "I still want to."

"Then why are we still downstairs?" He asked, making me laugh. I got up off of his lap and ran to the stairs. Edward laughed, and started chasing me. "Always running away." He called from behind me.

I got to my room and turned around to watch him jog in. He pulled his tie off of his neck and held it up. "Do I need to tie you up so you don't get away?"

I smiled. "Maybe." I said, batting my eyelashes and holding my hands out in front of me, with my wrists together. Edward chuckled as he bound my wrists loosely with his tie. He looked into my eyes to check that I was okay and I nodded at him. I trusted him with my life. This was nothing.

"Mm. You look so sexy in this dress." He said, walking around me in a circle, tracing his fingers over my stomach and lower back. "It's a shame I'm going to have to take it off.

I felt my breathing pick up. I loved when Edward took charge like this. He was so sexy. He stood behind me and leaned in to kiss along my shoulder. I felt his fingers on my zipper, and smiled as he slowly pulled it down. It fell from my body to pool at my feet, leaving me in just my blue lace panties and nothing else.

"Oh, Bella. You are gorgeous." Edward breathed, tracing his fingers down my spine, right to my bum. I shivered in anticipation. We were going to have some fun tonight.


	562. Hurry

**A/N - Happy Friday! Just a reminder that I will be posting two chapters tomorrow, and not one on Christmas day, so make sure you don't miss one. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 562 - Hurry

Edward set his hands on my bum cheeks and gave them a little squeeze. "I love your little bum." He whispered in my ear. "It's so perfect. I love this curve." He said, running his hand from my lower back to my bum. "It's beautiful." He got down on his knees and placed a kiss right on the small of my back.

I groaned a little, just savouring his lips on my bare skin. Edward set his hands on my hips and dipped his fingers into the waistband of my panties, slowly pulling them down my legs. I felt Edward bite my bum cheek, just lightly, and I dropped my head back. He was teasing me.

"Baby." I breathed out. I needed him to touch me, to hold me.

"What, Bella?" He asked. He kissed the backs my thighs.

"Touch me." I whined. "Hurry." I was feeling a little desperate. Downstairs, I was overcome by my emotions, and the power of how much Edward loved me. But, now that we were upstairs in my room, I was so turned on.

Edward's touch was so arousing and I needed him. I needed him to make love to me. And having my hands tied up, was taking away my ability to hold him and touch his body And on top of that, I was standing up, and my bed was so close, just a few steps away. We should be laying on it, with Edward moving on top of me.

Edward chuckled. "I'm not going to hurry, Bella." He said, reaching up to set his hands on my hips. "But I will touch you."

Edward stood up, still behind me, and pulled my body back into his. He wrapped his arms around me letting his palms explore my hips, sides, stomach, ribs, arms and breasts. I leaned my head back on his chest, just enjoying this skin on skin contact.

"Yes, baby." I hummed as he cupped my breasts in his hands. He squeezed his hands a little and I felt my knees get weak.

"You like that, don't you?" He asked, still massaging my breasts, his palms brushing against my nipples. I was just groaning and humming; completely incoherent. "Should we lay you down, sexy? I don't know how much longer you can stand up."

"Yes, baby." I said, again. It seemed that those were the only words I could get out right now. Edward chuckled, seeming to like that he could affect me this much.

"But, first, I believe you put in a request to take this suit off of me." He said, walking around to face me.

I smiled reaching my hands up to the buttons of his dress shirt. My wrists were bound, but I was still easily able to unbutton his shirt. Edward slid his shirt off of his arms, and I leaned in to kiss his bare chest. It was his turn to hum. I started licking his delicious skin, and Edward set his hands on my back, holding me close to him.

"Mm. Good girl, baby." He said, smirking at me. "But, you seem to have forgotten half of my suit."

"Well, we can't have that." I said, smiling at him. I slid my hands down to cup him over his suit pants, rubbing my fingers back and forth over his groin. He groaned and dropped his head back.

"Yeah, baby. That feels so good." He breathed. I smiled that the balance of power had shifted so quickly.

"I'm glad I can help you out." I said, undoing his fly. His pants fell to his ankles and I smiled when I saw his black boxer briefs. I started caressing his body, again. "You look so gorgeous, Edward." I said. I slid my hands up to his waistband. "Baby. Take these off." I said. With my hands tied together, I couldn't take his underwear off.

"Yes, ma'am." He said, slipping his briefs off. I smiled at him and got down on my knees in front of him. I brought my hands up and opened my mouth, sucking on him lightly. "Shit, Bella." He breathed.

I leaned back and smiled, looking up at his face. "I will never get over how innocent you look when you're doing that." He said, leaning down to take my hands and help me up off of my knees. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, giving me a big hug. "You are an incredible woman, baby."

"I'm glad you think so. Are you going to make love to me, yet?" I asked, looking up at gorgeous face. "I don't know how much longer I can wait."

He smiled down at my face. "I might want to play with you a little more, first." He said, leaning down to scoop me up and set me on the bed.

"Edward. This is torture, or something." I whined and he chuckled.

"I'm going to make you feel so good." He said, crawling onto the bed at my feet. He ran his hands slowly up the outside of my shins. "Look at these sexy legs." He said, setting his hands on my ankles. He pulled my legs apart and licked his lips. I groaned and dropped my head back on the pillow. I knew what was coming. My chest was already heaving with short breaths and he hadn't even touched me yet.

"Keep breathing, lover." He whispered, as he laid down on his stomach and buried his face between my legs. My legs were bent and my bare feet were on his shoulders. I was screaming and moaning, and I was sure I had never been louder. Edward had worked me up so much, that I was incredibly sensitive and every touch of his lips, teeth and tongue almost felt electric.

He kept going, and I had my hands fisted in his hair. If I didn't have anything to hold onto, I think I would have exploded. Edward brought me over the edge twice, before kissing his way up my body to my lips. I had my eyes closed and I was at a loss for words.

"How was that for torture?" He whispered, biting at my bottom lip.

"Mm. The best kind, babe." I said, my voice sounding breathy and weak.

"Let me untie your hands." He said, unwrapping his black tie from my wrists. It was on fairly loosely, so it wasn't uncomfortable for me, but Edward was always so respectful of me, making sure I was comfortable.

He picked up my right wrist and placed a few light kisses on it. He did the same for my left. "Are you okay, angel?" He asked, lightly running his fingertips up and down my arm.

I smiled and turned my head on the pillow to look over at him. "I'm amazing, Edward." I said, pursing my lips so he would kiss me. He chuckled, before kissing me. I brought my hands up to his hair and tried to finger comb it. I had really made a mess of it while I was tugging at it.

"You want some more lovin'?" He asked, inching down on the bed so he could kiss my left breast.

"Yes." I answered without even thinking about it. Edward chuckled at my fast answer.

"That's my girl." He said, getting up on his knees and leaning over me to grab a condom.

Edward laid down on top of me and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He leaned in and softly rubbed his nose against mine, smiling at me. His eyes were sparkling, his cheeks were flushed and he just looked gorgeous.

"I love you, Bella." He whispered, making me smile. He always made sure that he told me that every time we got physical. Our love making was exactly that. An expression of our intense love for each other. It wasn't just sex.

"I love you, too, handsome." I told him back.

Edward made love to me, while I rubbed his back, bum and shoulders. It felt sensual. We both wanted the other to feel good, loved and relaxed. And I think we definitely succeeded.

We were snuggled in each other's arms, trying to get our breathing under control. "I'm starving." Edward said, making me laugh.

"Me, too." I agreed.

"There's more Chinese food in the kitchen."

"Let's go pig out." I said, sitting up. Edward chuckled and we both slipped on our underwear before heading back downstairs. We sat on the counter, which seemed to our favourite new place to eat, and fed each other Chinese food.

"So, I hear I owe you a hundred bucks." Edward said, casually, before he popped a piece of sweet and sour pork in his mouth.

My jaw dropped. "Edward. I'm so mad at you." I said, in mock seriousness. I tried to hold back my smile. I told him that I didn't want him to pay for half of my dad and Heidi's wedding gift and he went out of his way to find out how much I had spent. But I was expecting it, so I had to give him a hard time about it.

"Why are you mad?" He asked, reaching over to squeeze my knee, making me laugh. "You knew I was going to find out, Bella. It's how I am. I have a thing about money. And it was only a thirty second call to the hotel."

"I know you're weird about money and I blame your grandpa Masen for that." I said, making Edward chuckle. "He taught you to pay for everything. And while I think it's sweet, I'm making an exception this time. I will not take your money."

"Fine." He said, shrugging his shoulders. I raised my eyebrows at him, and he chuckled. He wasn't going to let this go.


	563. Cake

**A/N - Happy Christmas Eve! Here is the first of the two chapters I'm posting today for this story! It takes place at the end of Saturday, August 28, 2010. Thank you all so much for reading and for your amazing reviews! Enjoy!**

Chapter 563 - Cake

After we ate, again, Edward went into the fridge and cut us a small piece of leftover wedding cake. He hopped back up on the counter and broke a piece off with his fingers. "Do you want to practice?" He asked, making me smile.

"Feeding each other cake for our wedding?" I asked. I bit my lip. This was so exciting.

"Yeah." He said, smiling back at me. "Like every time we have cake, we should practice. What do you think?"

I giggled at his carefree attitude. "Yes. I want you to feed me cake for the next year. I'd be crazy not to accept that deal."

"You would be crazy." He said. "Now open those pretty lips for me." I opened my mouth and Edward traced the cake over my bottom lip, before setting it in my mouth. I licked my lips and Edward smiled, his eyes not leaving my mouth.

"Is that how you're going to do it?" I asked. "At the wedding, in front of everyone?" I chewed my cake and swallowed it.

"No." He said, and we both laughed. "Let me try, again."

He broke off another piece of cake and brought it up to my mouth. I grabbed his hand and ate the cake from his fingers, before licking and sucking the chocolate off. Edward groaned and dropped his head back against the cupboards, his eyes closed.

He chuckled and lifted his head, peeking at me, with one eye open. "That was good." He said. "Yeah, let's do that one."

I laughed at him. "Can you tell me why you're so turned on by that?" I asked him, reaching between his legs to caress him.

"God, baby." He breathed, picking up my hand and bringing it up to his lips to kiss my palm. He chuckled. "Sorry, what was the question?" He asked, looking a little embarrassed.

"Why does it turn you on when I suck on your fingers?" I asked him, again.

"It's just automatic." He said. "I think watching you suck on my fingers triggers something my male brain. Like, my mind is picturing you sucking on something else."

I giggled, covering my mouth. I could feel my face flush when he explained that. "I guess that makes sense." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Ah, guys don't make sense, Bella." Edward laughed. "I'm just lucky that you put up with me."

"Aw, baby. I love putting up with you." I said, teasingly. Edward laughed, reaching over to tickle my stomach.

I slapped his hands away from my stomach, and he laughed. "Feed me." He said, making me laugh.

I grabbed a piece of cake and brought it up to his lips. He opened his mouth and I brought the cake right to his lips. He was just about to close his lips around it, and I yanked it back, popping the cake into my mouth.

Edward's eyebrows shot up and he looked so shocked. He started laughing when I giggled. "You're lucky I love you." He said, and I laughed harder. "So, what you're telling me is that you want me to eat my own slice of cake on our wedding day?" He asked, winking at me.

"No, no. I want to feed you. Really. I just couldn't resist." I said, laughing. "Let's try it, again."

"I don't know, Bella?" He said, smiling widely. He looked so happy, that I couldn't help but feel that same way.

"Let me feed you the cake, and I'll make it up to you when we go upstairs." I said, making him laugh.

"You don't need to bribe me with sex." He said. "But I'm definitely curious as to what you had in mind."

"Here." I said. I picked up the cake and brought it to his mouth. He ate it slowly off my fingers and hummed.

"Cake tastes so good off of your sexy fingers." He said, smirking at me. "I wonder where else I could eat it from?"

I laughed. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Very." He said, as he hopped off the counter. "Lay down on the counter."

"What?" I asked. I swear I had the kinkiest fiancé, ever.

"You heard me, sexy." He said. I was only wearing panties and nothing else, but I figured I'd play along. I laid back on the counter, shivering a little as the cool tiles pressed against my back.

Edward picked up the cake and rubbed it on my stomach, and up between my breasts. I laughed at him, because I couldn't believe he did it. "Now there's how I want to eat my cake." He said. I rolled my eyes at him and he laughed.

He leaned in and started licking the cake off of my stomach. I was laughing, because it tickled, trying to pull his head off of my body by his hair.

He laughed, looking up at my face. "Do I need to tie you up, again?" He asked, grabbing both of my wrists with one hand.

I hummed. "Mm. Maybe you do." I said, making him laugh.

"Stop distracting me and let me eat my cake." He said, leaning in to lick his way up my body. I was laughing and squirming the whole time, and Edward was laughing so hard, he could hardly eat.

He finally got most of the cake off of my skin, and I sat up. "Come on, handsome. Let's go have a bath. You've got to clean up your mess." I said, pointing at the icing still on my skin.

"With pleasure." Edward said, grabbing my knees and spreading my legs. He walked up close and I wrapped my legs around his hips and my arms around his shoulders. He carried me upstairs to the bathroom and set me down. I filled the tub with hot water and our favourite bubble bath.

We undressed and got into the tub together. I sat on Edward's legs and snuggled up to his chest. "Are you tired, baby?" Edward asked, running his hands over my body.

"Sort of." I admitted. "But, I'm mostly turned on."

Edward chuckled. "You're almost as bad as me." He teased and I slapped his shoulder, making us both laugh.

Edward kissed the top of my head. I turned my face to kiss his lips. "I love you." I whispered, before kissing him, again.

"I love you, too, gorgeous." He said, running his hand up down my stomach and chest where he had spread the icing on me downstairs. "So, speaking of weddings." He started, making me smile. "What do you think our wedding song should be?"

I smiled, looking into his eyes. "No idea." I said, and he laughed. "No, I really don't know." I told him, honestly. "What about something bluesy? You like the Blues."

"Well, if it was my wedding, then yeah. For sure. No question." He said laughing.

"It is your wedding, Edward." I told him. "Despite your mom's effort to take over."

He chuckled. "It's our wedding. Not just mine." He clarified.

"I know, but I love you. And you're the one that knows about music, not me. Plus, I've really gotten into the music you like, this past summer." I said, making him smile.

"I'm glad, Bella." He said. "Are you sure you don't have something in mind?"

"Edward, unless you want to be dancing to the hits of N'SYNC at our wedding, I think it's best that you decide." I said, smiling.

Edward leaned his head back and laughed. "We'll play some N'SYNC for you that night." He said, making me smile. "But, for the first dance, I was thinking about this beautiful bluesy song by Tom Waits. It's called 'Little Trip to Heaven.' I think of you every time I hear it."

"Aw, Edward. That is so sweet." I said, truly touched. "How come I've never heard it?"

"Because I save a certain play list for when we're apart. And every time I listen to it, it makes me feel closer to you when I can't hold you." He explained. "But, I guess it's time for you to hear it."


	564. Fast

**A/N - Merry Christmas...this is your chapter for Sunday, a whole day early! This chapter takes place at the end of Saturday, August 28, and the start of Sunday, August 29, 2010. Thank you all for your support! Enjoy...talk to you all on Monday!**

Chapter 564 - Fast

I pressed my lips together and looked up, trying to stop the tears. Edward had just shared with me, something so personal to him, the song he had chosen for our first dance at our wedding.

I would never, ever question Edward's love for me. It was so intense that it was almost overwhelming. He was the sweetest, most sentimental man I had ever met, and I was sure if looked for the rest of the life, I would never find anyone as perfect as he was.

He leaned in to kiss me. I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks, but I didn't want to cry. I wanted to celebrate this man that had his lips pressed to mine. I loved Edward so much, and I planned on showing him.

I hummed and brought my lips back to his, deepening the kiss. I slid my hands over his strong shoulders, and he brought his down to my hips. It felt like one of those moments where we could get caught up, and just start making love.

I could feel how turned on Edward was against my thigh, and I wanted him so much. I brought my hand down to rub his body and he groaned. "Baby, do you want to take this to your room?" Edward breathed, his hand moving up and down on my side.

"No." I told him, honestly.

"Honey, I know." He said, shrugging at me. "But, we need to be safe." I nodded, because I knew that, too. Edward wanted to have bathtub sex with me. But, before we started making love back in July, we had talked about it, and decided to use both birth control pills and condoms every time. Neither one of us was ready to be a parent.

Edward reached up and wiped my cheeks. He smiled at me, giving me a quick kiss to the lips. We got out of the tub and quickly dried off, before running across the hall to my room.

"So, do you have any crazy positions in mind?" I asked him, as I crawled onto my bed, and waited for Edward to put on a condom.

He chuckled. "Not this time." He said, climbing onto the bed with me. I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my chest against his. "I just want to make love to you."

"Slow or fast?" I asked him, scratching his back.

"How do you want it, angel?" He asked, smiling at me, as he tucked a loose curl behind my ear.

"Fast." I admitted, blushing a little.

Edward set his palm on my cheek. "Don't be embarrassed. I love that you can tell me what you want, Bella. It's such a turn on to me."

He leaned in and started kissing me like he had been in the bathtub. He was building the mood back up. I started moving my body against his, and Edward responded. He rolled over on top of me, still kissing my lips.

He started slow until we got comfortable, before he sped up. Every time Edward and I made love, I felt incredible, but this was on a whole different level. Neither of us lasted very long, because the pleasure was so intense, but it was definitely worth it.

Edward dropped his head down on my shoulder. He took a few deep breaths before he chuckled. "What?" I asked him, smiling, as I rubbed his back, sticky with sweat.

"That was insane, Bella. I feel so good." He said, kissing my neck. "How about you? That wasn't too rough?"

"Mm. Edward. I don't think I can move. That was incredible, baby." I said, closing my eyes. "You are a very talented lover, my gorgeous Eduardo." I said, teasing him with his soccer player name that Uncle Liam game him.

Edward laughed, and I felt him press another kiss to my lips. "As are you my sweet Isabella." He said, with an Italian accent. I opened my eyes and giggled at him. He was so fun. He got out of bed and leaned over me to kiss my forehead. "I love you. I'll be right back."

"Love you." I slurred, rolling over on my side. I heard Edward chuckle, and I smiled at the sound of it. I vaguely remember Edward wrapping his arms around my stomach, and kissing my shoulder, but after that, I was out like a light.

I woke up to a back rub. I could smell our massage oil, and it made me smile. The sun was filtering in through the curtains and I could feel Edward's weight on my thighs. I groaned and stretched my arms up over my head.

"Oh, my sleeping beauty is awake." Edward said, making me smile. "I wore you out, huh?" He teased, lightly spanking my bum over the covers.

"You know you did, Edward." I said, wriggling so I could roll over to my back. Edward leaned over to kiss my lips. I loved waking up with this man.

After a little more fun with the massage oil, Edward and I got up and had our shower, before getting dressed. We were going to eat breakfast at Esme's, so we tried behave. Of course, we had time for a little make out session, but, honestly, no woman on earth would blame me for wanting kiss Edward.

We were just going to leave, when Edward's cell phone rang. "Hi, mom." He said when he picked it up. "Yeah, we're just leaving. My suit? Yeah. Okay. See you in few." He smiled. "I love you, too, mom. Uh, huh. Yeah. I'll tell Bella. Okay. Bye."

"What's up?" I asked him, wrapping my arms around his waist and kissing his chest.

"Mom said I have to drop my suit off at the dry cleaners on my way over." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "Oh, and she said to tell you that she loves you." He chuckled.

"Aw, Edward. That is so sweet." I said, smiling.

"It's just more proof that I'm being replaced." He said, making me laugh.

"You are so cute." I said. I stood up on my toes to kiss his chin. "Your mom loves you, baby. You're spoiled and you know it."

"I know." He laughed.

"Plus, you're my favourite Cullen, anyway." I said.

"Well, in eleven months, you're going to be my favourite Cullen." Edward said, making me smile. This boy really wanted to marry me. And I loved it, because I felt the same way.

We went upstairs to get all the pieces of Edward's suit, finding his tie under the covers in my bed. I picked it up and slid it through my fingers. Edward smirked at me and I smiled.

"Oh, don't look too smug, handsome." I said, tossing the tie over his neck and tugging both ends to pull Edward towards me. "The next time we fool around, I want to try tying you up, again."

The last time I had tried tying Edward to the bed, almost two weeks ago, I had felt really insecure having all of the control. But, Edward and I had moved forward so much in our physical relationship since then. I was definitely more comfortable with sex, now.

Edward smiled at me. "You can do anything to my body that you want, Bella." He said. "As long as you feel comfortable. You know that's the only thing I care about."

"Thank you, baby." I said, smiling as he wrapped his arms around me and leaned in to kiss me.

"I want to get back in bed with you and show you how much I love you." Edward whispered in my ear, making me giggle.

"Baby, I might be crazy to say this, but we need to go. Your whole family is waiting for us to have breakfast." I said, laughing when Edward buried his face into my neck and started placing tiny little kisses on my skin. "Edward." I whined.

He pulled back and laughed. "You are just too tempting." He said, winking at me. "We're going to pick this up later, okay?"

I bit my lip and looked into his eyes. "You have yourself a deal, Mr. Cullen." I said.

We headed out to the car and drove to the drycleaners. Edward dropped off his suit and I slipped his pickup tag in my purse. I noticed the woman behind the counter glancing at my neck.

My love bite. Had this been earlier in the summer, I would have blushed and been embarrassed about someone seeing it. But, now that I was engaged, it didn't matter to me what anyone thought. I had a man in my life that loved me. I was proud to show that off.

We drove over to the Cullen house and were greeted with big hugs from Esme and Alice. "Come on, guys." Alice said, grabbing our hands in hers. "Mom just served breakfast." I smiled at Edward as we were pulled into the kitchen. This was our last Sunday in Forks, and I was going to enjoy every second of it.


	565. Bribes

**A/N - And, I'm back! I hope everyone had a great Christmas, and got at least one Twilight related gift! I got 3! So, Edward was under my Christmas tree! It is Sunday, August 29, 2010 in the story. Thank you all for reading and for the great reviews! Enjoy! **

Chapter 565 - Bribes

Edward and I sat down at the kitchen table with Carlisle. Alice climbed up on Edward's lap, and after Esme brought us our plates, stacked with waffles, fruit and a couple slices of bacon, she sat down beside me.

"Wow. Thank you." I said, reaching over to squeeze Esme's hand. "I love your breakfasts." I told her. She was beaming at my compliment and I was happy to make her smile.

"So, how's the maid of honour, today?" Carlisle asked, making me giggle.

"Still tired." I told him. "It was an emotional, but a really good day." I left out that the other main reason I was exhausted was his oldest son. But, when my eyes flicked over to Edward, he had that darn smirk on his face, again. So, so sexy. But the kitchen table was not the place for it. He'd need to be spanked later.

"Has your dad called you, yet, today?" Esme asked.

"No." I told her. "But I'm assuming he's busy." Carlisle and Esme chuckled, quietly. "He said that they'd be home this afternoon, though."

I loved my dad so much. And I was such a lucky girl. He postponed his honeymoon a whole week, just so he could spend time with me this week, the last few days of summer vacation.

"Why is your daddy busy, Bella?" Alice me, here cute little eyebrows all scrunched up. "I thought he went on a holiday?"

I looked at Edward's face and he smiled at me over Alice's head. He wasn't going to help me out at all. Another spanking for my fiancé. "Oh, they went to Port Angeles. And knowing Heidi like I do, they're probably shopping." I said.

"I love shopping." Alice said. "Mom said that we're going to come visit you and Edward in Seattle a lot. When we're there, are you going to take me shopping?"

I smiled. I appreciated that Esme was helping Alice accept the fact that summer was coming to an end. And it seemed that Alice was doing alright with the idea. "Of course. You're my best friend. And that's what best friends do, Alice. They go shopping. A lot."

"Yay." Alice cheered. I loved seeing this little girl so happy. It warmed my heart. Edward squeezed his baby sister to his chest and kissed the top of her head. She was spoiled, but she deserved to be. All little girls deserved to be.

Emmett and Jasper came downstairs, laughing with each other. "Oh, hey guys." Emmett said, giving Edward a high five and wrapping his arm around my shoulders from behind to give me a quick hug. Jasper gave Edward a hug and then me. He was holding Robbie in one arm, and it made me smile. I was fairly certain the kitten was just as spoiled as Alice was.

"How was the baby?" I asked the boys about Robbie.

"Oh, he was purr-fect." Alice giggled. Edward laughed, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Jasper taught me that last night." She told us proudly.

Jasper chuckled quietly, smiling at his little sister. I loved that all of her brothers spoiled her. It was priceless.

"Why don't we all go for a nice little hike this morning?" Carlisle suggested as we ate breakfast. "And then maybe we could hit the bowling alley later in the afternoon and play a frame or two."

I smiled, loving the idea of a day with all the Cullens. Everyone sounded excited about it. "Do you have anymore of that great trail mix?" I asked Carlisle. When we went camping in June, Carlisle always had this delicious trail mix in his backpack.

"As a matter of fact, my dear Bella, I do." He said, making me laugh. "I do not hike without it. And I whipped up a new batch last night hoping that I could get everyone on board."

Emmett laughed. "So you were planning on bribing us?" He asked.

"Absolutely." Carlisle chuckled. "And it works every single time."

"That's a great parenting tip." I said, making Esme and Carlisle laugh.

After breakfast, we all put our dishes in the dishwasher, and Edward fed the kitten, and changed his litter box. I was starting to get used to leaving Robbie alone, which I figured was a good thing, as we would have to leave him when we went to class next week.

Carlisle brought his backpack full of trail mix and we all headed out to the cars. We took Emmett and Jasper with us, and Alice rode with Carlisle and Esme. Edward followed Carlisle, and I smiled when I saw we were driving up to Lake Crescent. Edward and I had been up there quite a few times this summer and it was absolutely gorgeous.

"So what are we doing this week, Ed?" Emmett asked as we drove. "Like before I have to put hundreds of miles on my truck to come bug you for the weekend."

"Well, I guess we'll go watch you play football every morning, and then it's up to you guys after that, bro." Edward said, making me smile. He was so sweet with his brothers.

"Well, I think I'd like to go up to Port Angeles again, sometime this week. You know, get the hell out of Forks."

"Yeah, sounds good, man." Edward said. "What about you, Jazz?"

"Maybe we could try boarding, again, on the ocean?" He suggested quietly.

"Okay, so we've got Monday and Tuesday." Edward said. "Keep brainstorming."

"Oh, I've got one." Emmett said. "Why don't we just do nothing on Wednesday. Just hang out at home and watch movies, play video games. Just nothing. And maybe Thursday, we could do a triple date, again."

"I love that." I said, turning in my seat to peek over at the guys. "Did Edward tell you what's happening on Friday night?" I asked them.

"No." Both guys said at the same time. They looked pretty anxious to find out what I was going to say.

"Edward and I are throwing a bonfire down at the beach." I said, making the boys cheer and high five in the backseat. Edward reached over and squeezed my knee. I looked up at his face and he smiled at me and then winked.

"Wait a minute." Emmett said, looking sceptical. "Is mom actually going to let us go?" I knew Esme was very strict about beach parties and her teenaged sons, but I was sure she would let them come, especially because she would be there, too.

"We haven't asked her." Edward said, honestly. "But, you're going to be there. I'll make sure of it."

"Wicked." Emmett said, smiling. I was excited to spend time with the boys this week. What a great way to spend the last few days of summer vacation: with the people we loved. My dad and Heidi were on the day shift for this week, so we'd have to squeeze in a few dinners and few late night games of horseshoes, too.

Edward parked beside his dad on the other side of the lake than we usually did. There was a huge wooden sign that read 'Pyramid Mountain Trail,' on the side of the gravel parking lot.

"We're here." Edward said, excitedly. "And we're climbing a mountain."

"Are you going to volunteer to carry me?" I asked him.

"You know I will, baby." Edward said.

"Ugh. So much flirting." Emmett said, before getting out of the car. Jasper just laughed, but followed his brother's lead, and got out of the car, too.

"Mm. We're finally alone." Edward said, making me laugh. He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned in for a kiss. "I love you, gorgeous." He whispered.

"I love you, too, handsome." I said.

"So, are you up for all of these plans this week?" He asked.

"Definitely." I said. "I adore your family."

"Well, they love you, too." He said, before stealing one more kiss.

We got out of the car and met up with the Cullens. Carlisle was adjusting his backpack and smiled when we walked over. "If anyone needs to use the port-o-potty, you'd better take your chance now."

Everyone looked at me and I laughed. I had certainly built up a reputation for myself. I just shrugged and ran to use the bathroom. I had to hand it to the Olympic National Park. They had a lot of bathrooms. I'm sure all the women hikers in the state appreciated it, too.

I walked back over to Edward and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I was so looking forward to the hike with the Cullens this morning. It was going to be great.


	566. Mountain Trail

**A/N - Thank you all so much for your sweet reviews! I'm the luckiest author, ever! Enjoy!**

Chapter 566 - Mountain Trail

As we started up the trail, Alice took my left hand and started chattering about how her new dance class was starting in two weeks. She was taking ballet again, but she was moving up a level and she was very excited about it. Bree was going to be in her class, again, too.

I adored Alice so much. She looked so serious as she was talking about dance. She was only seven and she was already dedicated to ballet. I would love to see her continue with it like Rose had.

"Hey, princess." Edward said. "There's a squirrel up in that tree." Edward let go of my hand and came to scoop Alice up. He pointed up to the side of pine tree and there was a big grey squirrel with a huge fluffy tail. "Do you see him?"

"Aw." She said, with a huge smile on her face. I snapped a photo of Edward holding Alice, and then one of the squirrel, who was posing for me. "He's so cute. What do you think his name is?"

"Um, Acorn?" Edward suggested, making us all laugh.

I stood beside Edward and rubbed his back. He was so adorable. The squirrel ran down the tree and into the ferns and low lying plant growth, so we couldn't see him any more.

Edward set Alice down and took her hand in his left, and mine in his right. "Edward, do you think Acorn is hiking to the top of the mountain, too?" Alice asked, seriously, looking up at Edward's face.

"He's probably following you, princess. He thought, what a cute little girl. I'm sure she wants to be my friend." Edward told her, making her smile so widely. My Edward was going to be an amazing daddy.

We kept walking up the trail. It wasn't too steep, but there was a definite incline. Edward had his backpack on and was carrying my water for me. We were about forty five minutes into the hike, Alice now being carried by her dad, when I stopped Edward. "I'm thirsty." I said, making him smile.

"Ooh, a moment to be alone." Edward whispered in my ear.

I laughed. "What is about the woods that gets you so turned on?" I asked, making him chuckle.

He took his backpack off and pulled my water bottle out for me. I took a big drink, savouring the cool water as it poured over my dry mouth.

"I don't know. I think it's just that it feels so secluded out here." He said, smiling at me. He took my water bottle from me and took a quick swallow. "That, or it brings out the animal in me."

I laughed. "Well, either way you look at it, it's pretty sexy." I told him. He smirked. I should have probably stopped feeding his ego so much, but it was so easy to do. This man was so impressive to me. I loved everything about him.

"Baby, I wish we could sneak behind one these trees and I would make you feel so good." He whispered as he stepped closer to me. He leaned down and pressed a slow, soft kiss to my lips. I hummed into the kiss and Edward groaned in reaction.

"When we get home, we're going to your room for a few minutes." I breathed as I pulled back from the kiss.

"Just a few?" Edward asked, pressing a couple more sweet kisses to my lips.

I laughed. "Which reminds me." I said, reaching my hands behind Edward and squeezing his bum. I brought my hand back and slapped his bum twice.

Edward laughed. "What was that for?" He asked. "I've been a good boy."

"No you haven't." I said, taking his hand as we started walking to catch up with the family. "Both of those spankings were for your behaviour at the table this morning."

"What?" He laughed, looking very amused. "I just sat there and ate my breakfast. I don't even think I said anything."

"Exactly." I said, winking at him. "The first spanking was because you gave me one of your sexy looks at the table when I said that I was tired."

Edward started laughing really hard. "Bella. You can't deny that I'm part of the reason that you're tired. We made love twice last night."

I smiled at his face. "Oh, I'm not denying it. I enjoyed every minute of last night with you. But we don't need to talk about it at the breakfast table."

Edward chuckled. "Point taken." He said, winking at me. "Why did you spank me the second time?"

"Your baby sister asked a sex question about my dad's honeymoon and I had to come up with an explanation on my own." I told him.

Edward laughed. "Yeah, that's not my strong point." He said, making me smile. "Speaking of, when she gets older, I'm glad she has you to talk to about that stuff. You know boys, and stuff."

"Aw, that's sweet." I said. "I would love it if she would feel comfortable enough to come to me."

"Well, she won't be dating until she's at least thirty, but after that, maybe you can give her advice and stuff." Edward said, seriously.

I laughed and Edward frowned at me. "What?" I giggled. "She's a beautiful girl. You might be able to baby her until she's sixteen, max. Then, you might have to suck it up and meet the boyfriend."

"So, I've got about eight years, huh?" Edward asked. "Well, at least we'll be back in Forks by then. I can keep an eye on her."

"Well, we might have a baby by then." I said. "You might be busy with your own daughter."

Edward flashed a huge smile at me. "That would be incredible, Bella." He said. "But, we can just have Alice over to baby sit. Keep her out of trouble."

"And away from all the sixteen year old boys?" I asked him.

"Exactly." Edward said, smiling at me.

We caught up with the family. Emmett and Jasper were up ahead and Carlisle, Esme and Alice were walking behind.

"Pee break?" Carlisle asked, making me laugh.

"No. Bella just stopped for a drink of water." Edward said.

"But, now that you say that, I'm probably going to have to go." I said, making everyone laugh.

"We can't, Bella." Alice said. "The only bathroom is at the bottom of the mountain."

"Maybe some trail mix would distract you?" Carlisle asked, pulling out a few Ziplock bags from his backpack and passing them out.

"Mm." I hummed after eating a small handful. "So good, Carlisle."

"Are you marrying me for my dad's trail mix?" Edward asked, making us laugh.

"That may be a part of it." I said.

Carlisle chuckled, and shook his head at us. Edward leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I think you need to be spanked." He pulled back and winked at me. Honestly, that may have been the sexiest thing that Edward had ever said to me.

In the past, Edward hadn't been comfortable with the idea of spanking me, even though I told him that I wanted him to. But it was clear that it wasn't just me getting more comfortable in the bedroom; Edward was, too. There was nothing wrong with a little spanking in bed, if the intention was sexual. And I think that Edward was starting to see that.

It took us about two hours to get to the top of the mountain. But the view was incredible and totally worth the climb. I loved Lake Crescent. I was so glad that my dad and Heidi got to honeymoon here. The Lodge where they stayed was across the lake, but the view was pretty no matter you looked out from.

The hike down went a lot quicker, about an hour and a half. Emmett gave Alice a piggy back ride for about twenty minutes, as she was getting tired. Edward looked at me and smiled.

"You want a ride?" He asked me, smiling. He winked and I swooned. I would do anything he asked. Edward crouched down and I climbed onto his back, my arms wrapped around his neck.. My legs around his hips.

Edward reached back and set his hands on the back of my thighs. I leaned my head in and licked the shell of his ear, as he carried me down the mountain. He hummed and I could tell that he was getting turned on. I always had a good time hiking with Edward, but when we got back to his bedroom, the real fun would begin.


	567. Bad Girl

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Just a reminder that this story is rated M for a reason. Wink, wink. Enjoy!**

Chapter 567 - Bad Girl

We all drove back to Forks and when we got to the house, Carlisle ordered pizza. We had about thirty minutes until the food arrived. Edward took my hand and pulled me upstairs to his room.

He shut and locked his door. "Mm. My sexy girl." His said, as he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I just can't keep my hands off of you." He let his hands move up and down on my back, and then down to my bum.

"I'm glad." I said, slapping my hands down on his perfect bum. "I love your hands on my body. I want them everywhere."

"Mm. That spanking reminds me that I owe you one." Edward said, making me smile.

"Yes, please." I said, looking up into his eyes. "Do you want to turn me over your knee?"

Edward chuckled, looking a little nervous. "Um, no, not really."

"Okay." I said, slipping my hands under his t-shirt and sliding them up his chest. I wasn't going to push my luck with him. I wanted him to be comfortable. "Do you want to make love?" I asked. "Like another quickie?"

Edward chuckled. "I love that you are so horny." He admitted. "It makes me feel like less of a pervert for always thinking about having sex with you."

I laughed, as I worked on taking off his shorts. "I'm flattered that you think about me like that." I said. I yanked down his boxer briefs. It was pretty obvious that he was thinking about sex right now.

Edward pulled his t-shirt off first, and then mine. He buried his face in my cleavage, before he took off my bra. He licked my skin and I groaned. "You taste salty." He whispered, before blowing on my wet skin, instantly giving me goosebumps.

"I'm sweaty from the hike." I said.

"Well, you taste phenomenal. I wonder where else I should taste?" He said, walking me back to the bed. I fell back and Edward went to work on my shorts. He took them off, along with my panties and instantly dropped down to his knees. He buried his face between my legs and started licking.

I felt like screaming, so I grabbed one of his pillows and covered my face with it. Edward was humming and the vibrations sent me over the edge. I tossed the pillow off of the bed and took a deep breath. Edward gently rubbed his palms up and down on my bare thighs, trying to relax me. I loved his sweet gentle touch, especially after he did something so sexual.

"My god, Edward." I breathed, as he got up and came to lay on the bed beside me.

"I love tasting you, baby." He whispered in my ear. If was trying to turn me on, again, it was working. A lot.

I was still breathing heavily, loving that I had such an incredibly talented fiancé. Edward chuckled, looking very proud of himself. But in all honesty, he had every right to be. He was good at everything he did.

He was rubbing his palm softly up and down from under my breasts to just below my belly button. It was soothing, but arousing at the same time. His touch was exciting, but the gentle nature of his actions were meant to calm me, just like when he had caressed my thighs, only moments before.

"You are beautiful, Bella." He said, looking down at me with a sexy smile on his face. "Especially right after you come like that."

I felt my cheeks flush a little at his compliment. Even though Edward and I were embracing our sexual natures, lately, I was still a shy girl at heart. And my darn blush always showed up at the most inopportune times.

Because when I blushed, Edward would worry that I was uncomfortable. But, I wasn't. I was just not used to seeing myself as someone sexual. I could act on my feelings, but talking about it was always a little embarrassing for me.

As if on cue, Edward's smile fell. He set his hand on my warm cheek and leaned in to press a soft kiss to my lips. "Are you okay, baby?" He asked so sweetly that I couldn't fault him for interrupting the sexual tension.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought his face back to my mine. I nipped at his top lip, hoping to salvage the mood. He chuckled a little but pulled back so he could look into my eyes. "Bella." He said, smiling. I could tell he was still worried about me.

"I'm better than okay, hottie." I said, trying to pull him back so I could resume my attack on his lips. "I want you to make love to me." I leaned in and bit his bottom lip, giving it a little tug.

He groaned. I knew his weaknesses. He loved biting. He pressed a few long kisses to my lips. "I want you, too, baby." He whispered, his hand trailing back down my body, stopping to trace a circle around my nipple with his thumb.

I moaned, dropping my head back on Edward's bed. "Yes, babe." I gasped. "Just like that. Touch me, Edward. I need you inside of my body."

I was hoping that a little dirty talking of my own would make Edward forget my vulnerabilities and instead focus on my desires. I was shy, but I was turned on. And when I was, I could say things that I normally wouldn't be able to.

It worked.

Edward groaned. And it sounded so sexy, so untamed, that I had to concentrate to breathe. He brought his mouth down hard on my lips, parting them with his tongue. I met his tongue eagerly with my own, licking it, tangling them. That kiss was nothing but pure passion.

Edward pulled back, but in seconds, his mouth was back on my skin. He was kissing and licking and sucking his way down my neck until he landed at my breasts. He reached up, squeezing and pinching my left nipple with his hand, while his mouth laved the other with attention.

"Edward." I whined, when he pulled back. I could hardly focus on speaking. His touch had successfully driven me wild. And even though I could still feel my body tingling, I missed his touch.

"Condom." It was the only word he could get out. His chest was rising and falling as quickly as mine, as he yanked out the drawer of the bedside table and quickly opened the packet. He clearly didn't want to be away from me, either.

He rolled it on his hard body, and then all but jumped back into bed with me. I giggled, and Edward wrapped me in his strong arms. He kissed my lips, and then looked into my eyes, like he always did before we made love.

It was incredibly important and special to me. He never just took me. Even though we were pretty worked up, Edward always made sure I was comfortable before he moved forward.

I smiled at him and nodded my head, before kissing him, again. He rolled us over so I was on top of him. I straddled his hips, setting my hands on his shoulders, and we both groaned as he slid inside of me. Edward reached down, holding my hips, and moved me. I was moving pretty quickly and erratically. This felt too good.

And just when I thought the moment couldn't get better, Edward brought his left hand down on my bum cheek. He actually spanked me without being asked. I was so proud of him. And the best part was, he didn't look guilty for doing it either. He just looked turned on.

"You're my bad girl." He said, slapping my bum, again. I moaned, loudly. Having him spank me, while we were having sex, all at the same time that Edward was talking dirty to me was almost enough to bring me over.

I responded by moving faster against Edward. "I'm such a bad girl, Mr. Cullen. I'm your dirty little girl." I managed to say. I was having a hard enough time trying to think, let alone speak.

Edward responded by slapping my other bum cheek. I squeaked in surprise. I loved this uninhibited Edward. He was beyond sexy.

"Come on, sexy." Edward breathed. He looked like he was concentrating so hard. I didn't want to keep him waiting. Edward spanked me once more and it brought me over the edge, triggering his release.

I dropped my head down to his shoulder, pressing sweet kisses there. Edward wrapped his arms around my tired body and held me to his chest. We were still joined together but I couldn't move.

Edward started petting my hair, softly, sweetly. "Are you alright, baby?" He asked, quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"Mhm." I hummed, too tired to talk. That was wild, fast and exhausting sex. I just wanted to fall asleep, but I knew we couldn't. The pizza would be here any minute, and the Cullens were all downstairs.


	568. Dirty

**A/N - I finally saw 'The Immortals' last night, featuring our gorgeous Kellan Lutz. He was beautiful! Oh, and the movie was good, too! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 568 - Dirty

I think that I could honestly say that was the best sex of my life. It was a little rough, a little kinky, but completely perfect. Edward was still sweet and loving, but insanely sexy at the same time. I was in complete bliss.

Edward had his hands on my bum cheeks, and was caressing them softly. We were both just laying quietly for a few minutes, trying to get our heads together. I think we were both a little overwhelmed, but in a good way.

"I think I love it when you talk dirty." Edward finally said, making me giggle. I propped myself up and looked at his face. He smiled at me, and winked. I leaned in to kiss his lips.

"Well, I know I loved it when you spanked me." I said, making him chuckle and shake his head.

"That wasn't too much?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows a little bit. "Too hard?"

"God, Edward. That was incredible." I said. "You can spank me whenever you want."

Edward laughed, and it made me smile. "You really are a dirty girl, huh?" I bit my lip and batted my eyelashes at him innocently, making him laugh harder. "You're perfect, you know that? I love you, baby girl."

"Mm." I hummed, before my pressing my lips to his. "I love you, handsome." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair.

"You want to go have a shower with me?" He asked. "I'm sweaty."

"It has to be a five minute shower, just to rinse off." I said. "No fooling around."

"God, I love it when you tell me what to do." He said, sitting us up. "It's so sexy, Bella."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, leaning in to nip at his neck. "Well, I think I'm going to tie you up tonight."

"Mm. That sounds amazing, Bella." He said, rubbing my back. "Are you going to talk dirty to me, again?"

"If you're a good boy for the rest of the day." I said, and he chuckled.

"Well, we know that's not going to happen." He said, making me laugh. That was completely true. He hand no will power at all.

"Hey, love birds. Pizza's here." Emmett called through the door after knocking.

"Thanks, bro. We'll be down in five." Edward yelled back. I giggled and ran into the bathroom. Edward laughed, before he followed me. We had a three minute shower, quickly rinsing off our sweaty, post loving making bodies.

We still had a lot of family time ahead of us today, so we couldn't go downstairs looking like we had before we had gotten in the shower.

I touched up my make up and we got redressed, before going back downstairs for pizza. Everyone was in the dining room, when we joined them. Edward and I sat down and grabbed a slice of pizza each. Emmett looked at us and laughed, Edward raised his eyebrows at him, and Emmett, just shrugged.

They just had a conversation without saying anything. It was cute. Emmett was totally teasing us about our midday romp. The boys must have learned that technique after little Alice was born. They were pretty good about censoring their conversations around her.

"Ed. Tell mom about Friday." Emmett said, thankfully changing the subject.

"What's on Friday?" Alice asked. She looked so cute with pizza sauce on her chin.

"Bella and I wanted to have a bonfire." Edward told his parents. Right away, Esme started to open her mouth. I knew she was going to have trouble with the idea, but I was hoping that once we explained that we only wanted friends and family together, she would approve.

"Esme. We thought it would be a fun way to celebrate an amazing summer." I said. "Instead of doing something sad like a going away party, we figured that having everyone we loved, just family and friends, together on the beach would be amazing. It wouldn't be about us leaving, just a night of laughter and food."

Esme got up from her chair and came to wrap her arms around Edward and I. She kissed both of our cheeks. "That sounds beautiful." She whispered, reaching up to wipe a couple of stray tears from her cheeks.

It seemed that was the reaction everyone was waiting for. "Woo." Emmett said, reaching across the table to high five Edward. "We're going to a bonfire."

"Do I get to come?" Alice asked, looking up at Edward.

"Of course you do, princess." Edward said, making her cheer. Edward looked over at me and smiled. "Maybe we should ask your dad if we need a permit, huh?"

I laughed. "Yeah. We'll bug him when he get's home." I said. "But I'm sure he'll give us the permit."

"Daddy's girl." Emmett said. I nodded my head in agreement. That was the truth.

We all finished our pizza, and luckily Esme had blinked away her tears. I didn't want to cry, or get upset about summer coming to an end. Just because Edward and I were going to school, we were still so close to home that, hopefully, nothing would change too much.

And in all fairness, Edward didn't sleep at home every night anymore. And I wasn't at home with my dad every night, either. When Edward and I became engaged, things already started changing.

We were a couple now. We made decisions together. We were starting to become less dependent on our families, and more on each other. Honestly, the more I thought about it, the easier this move was going to be. I was less and less hung up on the sadness of the goodbye, and getting more and more excited for the new adventures that we would face, together.

My phone rang and I smiled when I saw that it was my dad. I got up from the table and walked into the family room. "Hey, daddy." I said, picking up Robbie from the couch and setting him on my lap.

"Hey, kiddo." He said. He sounded so happy. I was thrilled for him. "We're just getting home."

"That's great, dad. I'm at Edward's. The whole family is going to head over to the bowling alley, soon. Do you want to join us?"

I heard him asking Heidi if she wanted to go bowling and of course, she said yes. She was so amazing. "Yeah. That would be great, Bells. We're just going to head home and drop off our bags, then we'll be right over."

"Okay, dad. Love you." I said, before hanging up.

I picked up my kitten and snuggled him to my chest. "How was your morning, Robbie?" I asked in him in a baby voice. He meowed at me, and I kissed his little face.

"Hey, why are those lips not kissing my face?" Edward whispered in my ear from behind me. He kissed my cheek, before hopping over the back of the couch to sit beside me.

I smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his lips, before turning back to the kitten and snuggling my face into the soft fur on his tummy. "Widdle wobbie missed his mommy." I said to Robbie making him meow at me, again.

"Mm, Bella." Edward whispered in my ear. "I think I want you to baby talk to me in bed tonight."

I started laughing and Robbie meowed, again. "You're a dirty boy, Edward Cullen." I said, leaning in to lightly bite his sexy jaw.

"You like that I'm dirty." He said, draping his arm over my shoulder.

"Who's dirty?" Emmett asked, laughing at us, as he walked into the family room and flopped down beside Edward. "Edward? Yeah. I believe that. It's always the quiet ones. Right, Jazz?"

"Shut up." Jasper said, punching his brother hard on the arm, as he walked over to the other side of the couch.

"Boys." Carlisle said, walking into the family room, carrying his sweet little Alice.

"Em deserved it." Edward said. Emmett reached up to mess Edward's hair. Edward slapped Emmett's hand and they both laughed.

"Bella, sweetheart. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you're going to have kids one day, have girls." Carlisle said, making me laugh.

"A house full of Alices. You think you could handle that, Ed?" Emmett said, laughing.

"Hey, I'm good." Alice said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Right, daddy?"

"That's right, sweetheart." He said, kissing the top of his daughter's head. I smiled watching them. I hoped we did have a little girl. I would love to watch Edward spoiling our baby. He was a natural.


	569. Alleys and Gutters

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing! It is still Sunday, August 29, 2010 in the story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 569 - Alleys and Gutters

The doorbell rang and Esme let my dad and Heidi in. I hopped off the couch and ran to give them both tight hugs. "Welcome home, Swans." I said, giggling, as they both kissed my cheeks.

"Thank you, Bells." My dad said, smiling at me.

Edward walked up to us, and reached out to shake my dad's hand, before Heidi pulled him into a hug, and kissed his cheek. "Thank you both so much for the amazing gift." She said, hugging me, again. "We were so surprised, and very touched."

"It was all Bella." Edward said, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders. He pressed a kiss to my head and I smiled. He was an angel.

We all headed over to the bowling alley and played a few games. Edward whistled at me when I bent down to roll the ball between my legs down the lane. I giggled as I tossed the ball and then turned around to smile at him.

"Gutter ball." Emmett yelled out, chuckling.

"Sorry, baby." Edward said, making me laugh, as I grabbed another ball. I didn't care about the score. I just liked the idea that Edward was looking at my bum. I rolled the ball again and hit the pin on the very far left.

I hopped up and down. "I got one." I said, smiling. My dad, Heidi, Esme and Carlisle all applauded me, making me laugh. I loved my family.

Edward got up out of his chair and kissed my lips. "Great job, sexy girl." He said, reaching down to spank my bum. I had to laugh. Edward seemed to love spanking me now. I figured that I had created a monster. A very sexy monster.

It was Edward's turn, so I sat down beside my dad and he wrapped his arm around me and leaned in to kiss the side of my head. I loved having my dad home. Just being with him made me feel so loved.

Edward knocked down all the pins, but two. I cheered for him and applauded and he turned around and winked at me. I felt so special. He grabbed another ball, and I took a moment to appreciate his perfect, sexy bum in his khaki shorts, as he bowled. He knocked down the last two pins and I jumped up to give him a hug. Edward leaned in and kissed my lips.

"You are perfect at everything, aren't you?" I asked, as we walked back to our seats.

"Maybe." He said, chuckling. "I didn't get any complaints this afternoon in bed." He whispered in my ear.

I giggled. "And you won't."

"Good girl." He whispered, as we sat down.

"Aren't you supposed to let your girl win?" My dad teased Edward. And, we both laughed.

"I'm trying." He said, honestly. "That could have been an easy strike."

I slapped Edward's thigh and he laughed. "Don't hold back for me." I said. "You'd have to roll all gutter balls to lose to my one point. Show off for me."

"Sounds like a plan." Edward said, lifting my hand to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss to the back of my hand, as I laid my head on his shoulder.

The rest of the games were fun, and Edward even stood up behind me and tried to guide the ball for me. We hit three pins, so I was pretty excited. Plus I got a kiss from my gorgeous fiancé, so it was a win/win.

We all decided to just have dinner at the bowling alley. I asked my dad about the permit for the bonfire on Friday and he promised to work it all out for me. I knew he would, too. I had the best dad, ever.

As we ate dinner, Alice said the cutest thing. "Did you have a good time shopping, Heidi?" She asked. "What did you buy?"

Heidi laughed and then looked over at me. "On your holiday last night." I added, hoping to fill her in.

"Oh, we had a great time. I didn't buy anything, though. Just window shopping." She said, winking at me.

"Well, that's no fun." Alice said. I giggled and wrapped my arms around her, giving her a tight squeeze. I loved this little girl.

After dinner, my dad and Heidi headed back home. I gave my new step mom a hug. "I'll stay at Edward's tonight if you want to continue the honeymoon." I whispered in her ear.

She giggled. "And, another great gift from you." She said, making me smile. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, too, mom." I said. I meant to make her smile, but she actually teared up when I said it. "Aw. Don't cry." I reached up to wipe her cheeks. "You've got to be sexy tonight, not sentimental."

She laughed, and gave me another hug. "I owe you." She said. "I'm going to take you lingerie shopping this week."

I laughed. It seemed that lingerie shopping was mine and Heidi's go to activity. She was the one that had taken me the first time I had ever gone for a baby doll for Edward's birthday. "A mother daughter shopping trip?" I asked her.

"Bella. Stop trying to make me cry." She laughed.

My dad came over and wrapped both of us in his arms. "My beautiful girls." He said, making me tear up. Darn it. I was doing so good, too.

"Goodnight, daddy." I said, wiping my eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too, kiddo. See you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely." I agreed. I waved at them as they left, and smiled when I felt Edward wrap his arms around my waist from behind me.

"Are they making you cry?" He whispered, before kissing me right under the ear.

"Yeah." I admitted, giggling as I reached up to wipe my cheek.

"Maybe I'll have to distract you when we get home." He said, making me smile.

"Mm." I hummed, before I realized it was a trick. "Oh, no you don't, Edward Anthony Cullen. I'm tying you up tonight." I said. I blushed as a couple of teenaged boys walked by and snickered. I guess I forgot to use my inside voice.

Edward chuckled and kissed my warm cheek. "Don't worry about them. They're just jealous. Any man would kill to be in my position." He said, reassuring me.

"Still." I said, red faced, as Edward took my hand and led me to the arcade.

"Why are you blushing?" Emmett asked, looking up from a pinball machine. "Did you run into Jasper's friends?"

"Oh, my god. Those were your friends?" I asked Jasper, even more embarrassed, now.

"Yeah. Didn't you see Mike?" He asked.

Mike as in Jasper's best friend from his baseball team. The one from the sporting goods store that enjoyed tying my hiking boots. I knew he had a little crush on me. The last thing I wanted was for him to hear me talking about what Edward and I did in bed. Talk about embarrassing.

I groaned and covered my face with my hands. Edward chuckled and wrapped his arms around me. "What's the big deal?" Emmett asked, chuckling a little, based on Edward's reaction.

"Oh, Mike might have overheard something Bella said." Edward filled in the boys. They both chuckled at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"So, Bella's the dirty one?" Emmett asked, making me blush harder.

"You know what? Maybe it's not too late to go get a ride home with my dad." I said, wanting to run away and hide with my head under a pillow. I turned and started walking out of the arcade

Edward laughed. "Baby." He said, running up behind me. He took my hand and turned me around, before leaning in for a kiss. "Don't worry so much."

I smiled up at his face, because, honestly, looking at Edward's face, it was impossible not to. "I just corrupted the minds of two innocent fifteen year old boys." I said, exaggeratedly pouting out my bottom lip.

Edward chuckled. "There is no such thing as an innocent fifteen year old boy, Bella. They always have their minds in the gutter." He said.

"So, no different from a nineteen year old boy?" I asked, winking at Edward.

He chuckled. "No different at all."


	570. Your Promise

**A/N - Happy New Year's Eve! I can't thank you enough for all the support you have given me over the last year! It truly does mean the world to me. So, thank you, thank you, thank you! Enjoy!**

Chapter 570 - Your Promise

We all played in the arcade for a while. I had fun being one of the boys. Jasper showed me how to play a car racing game, which became my favourite. It was like Mario Kart without Mario. We raced each other about ten times, while Edward and Emmett played air hockey. Carlisle left us a ton of quarters before he and Esme took Alice home.

"Jazz. The foosball table is finally free." Emmett called from behind us. As soon and Jasper and I finished our race. We got up and ran over to join Edward and Emmett. I stood beside Edward and held onto two of the handles.

"Okay, so what do I do?" I asked, smiling. I was having so much fun today.

"You just try to get your little soccer players to kick the white ball into the goal, which is this one." Edward said, pointing to the left side of the table. Edward set his large hand over mine and turned my wrist to make the plastic players move.

I savoured his warm skin on the back of my hand. It was probably wrong of me to be thinking about his hands on other places on my body, but I couldn't help it. Edward's touch just ignited so many feelings in me.

"And you try to keep the ball from going into your goal." Emmett added, spinning his little players really quickly, as he laughed. He was trying to intimidate to me. It was working.

I braced myself as Emmett dropped the ball, and I still wasn't prepared. This game was so fast paced. I sort of just stood there, holding the handles. Emmett scored the ball and Edward chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"I have no idea what just happened." I said, making the guys laugh.

"You'll get it." Edward said, lightly squeezing my hip. Emmett dropped the ball again and I twisted my little soccer players around, sliding the bar back and forth, without any real rhyme or reason. I just wanted to help team blue. One of my plastic players tapped the ball ahead, and Edward said, "Good girl."

I smiled at the compliment. I knew it was meant to encourage me in the game, but in my mind, 'good girl' rolling off of Edward's lips always made me think of sex. Come to think of it, I had a very dirty mind.

We played foosball for about a half hour. My favourite part was when Edward would stand behind me, to reach another handle and he would brush his body along my bum. I was starting to really like this game.

We all used the rest of our Carlisle given quarters to raid the vending machine on the way out of the arcade. The guys used my purse to carry all of their gummy bear loot to the car. It helped to have a girl around.

We pigged out in the car on the way home. I was laughing so hard at Emmett, because he had his cheeks stuffed with candy and he was still trying to talk. He looked so adorable. I pulled my camera out from under all the candy to snap a picture of my amazing soon to be brothers in law, laughing in the back seat.

When Edward was stopped at a red light, I took a picture of him with a gummy worm hanging out of the side of his lips. I was having such a great time with the boys. I truly felt like a Cullen, and I loved it.

When we got home, Edward fed Robbie and cleaned his litter box, before we took him upstairs to bed. He was asleep in my arms by the time we got to Edward's room. I kissed my kitten's nose and tucked him into his blankets for the night.

Edward walked up behind me and set his hands on my hips. "Well, sexy girl. Are you ready to make good on your promise?" He whispered in my ear.

I giggled. Edward wanted me to tie him up, so I feigned innocence. "Which promise is that?" I asked, teasingly. "My promise to marry you?"

Edward chuckled. "Mm. That's a good one." He said, sliding his hands up to squeeze my boobs over my shirt. I groaned, leaning my head back on Edward's chest. "But I was thinking about something we could do right now in bed."

I brought my hands up and cover his hands that were still on my chest. He was pushing my boobs together, massaging them. It felt so good, I almost didn't want to tie him up.

"I love your hands, Edward." I hummed, letting him keep up his massage. "Baby, don't stop."

"I'll never stop, Bella. If you don't want me, too, lover." He whispered. He pulled my shirt up and I lifted my arms, so Edward could undress me. I leaned back into his body, and he resumed his gentle squeezing.

"I love you, baby." Edward whispered in my ear, before leaning in to kiss and suck along the top of my shoulder. "You're amazing. So, so beautiful." He kept kissing up my neck, and back over to my shoulder.

He had stopped squeezing my breasts, and was now just holding them in his hands. I loved his strong body behind me. It was such a contrast to the sweetness and gentleness of his actions. He was the amazing one.

I reached behind me to rub his hip. "It's my turn to make you feel good, Edward." I whispered.

He hummed and smiled at me as I turned around in his arms. "I will never say no to you, Bella." He whispered back, walking me over to the bed.

I climbed on the bed, with Edward right behind me. We slowly undressed each other and laid down on the pillows. Edward rolled over and we kissed each other. Nothing else, just kissing and a little exploring with our hands.

I pressed a nice hard kiss to Edward's lips, before I slipped out of bed. "Where are you going, babe?" Edward asked, propping himself up on his elbow. He was smiling at me, and he looked so beautiful.

"You wait right there." I said, smiling back at him.

"Yes, ma'am." He said, winking at me.

I went to his desk and turned on his stereo. It was quiet, and obviously set to blues music. It gave the room some atmosphere; sexiness. I loved it. Edward smiled wider, obviously enjoying the show, as I walked around the room naked.

"You are just incredible, Bella." I heard him say, as I opened his closet. I smiled to myself, loving that he encouraged me so much. I pulled out my blue satin baby doll that I was just thinking about a few hours earlier. I wanted to look pretty for Edward.

I slipped the nightgown on over my naked body, before grabbing a tie that was draped over the shoulder of one of his suits hanging in the closet. I turned around and looked at my fiancé. He was lying naked on his side. He looked gorgeous, so I told him that.

"Why, thank you, beautiful." He said, winking at me, again. "I love the way your body looks when you're wearing satin. It skims your curves."

I smiled, feeling confident with my decision. I crawled on the bed and straddled Edward's legs. I pushed his left shoulder so he would lay on his back. "Give me your hands." I said, quietly.

Edward immediately held out his hands, his wrists pressed together. I wrapped the tie around his wrists and tucked the end in. He wasn't really tied up and if he pulled his arms apart, he would be free. That made me more comfortable.

Edward reached his hands up, and cradled my chin in his hands. "Are you doing alright?" He whispered, almost as an aside, trying not to interfere in the mood.

I smiled at him and nodded my head. "I love you." I said, reaching up to hold his hands.

"I love you, too, angel." He said.

I got off of the bed and slowly started to sway to the music. I twirled around, giggling when I looked back at Edward. I wanted to give him a little show, and I knew that I wasn't a very graceful and talented at dancing, but I thought he'd appreciate the effort.

"I love your laugh." He said, laughing along with me. "You look so happy."

"I am happy." I said, twirling my way over to the nightstand. "And I'm so in love with you." I added, as I took a condom from the drawer. "And I need to make love to you."

"God, yes, baby." Edward said, adjusting his hips on the bed. I could tell that he wanted to sit up and take control, but he was letting me try and gain confidence, and I loved him for it. I straddled his legs again, and rolled the condom on his body.

He was groaning, and I loved it. I straddled his hips, joining our bodies. I set my hands on his shoulders and swirled my hips. I really missed Edward's hands on my bum, my sides, my breasts, while we moved. But Edward could barely keep his eyes open, and I loved that I could make him feel so good, all by myself.

I kept moving until we both found our release. It was intense, but so special. Edward lifted his arms and I ducked my head under his bound wrists, laying my head down on his chest. He set his hands on the small of my back, lightly rubbing his fingers over the satin nightgown. I felt him press a kiss to my hair and I smiled, completely content.


	571. I Do

**A/N - Happy 2012! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 571 - I Do

I woke up on Monday morning with a smile on my face. I will admit that I was very proud of myself. I had taken control in the bedroom. It was understated, and nothing too crazy, but I think both Edward and I enjoyed ourselves.

Last night, Edward had untied his hands, before shutting out the light and climbing back into bed with me. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close to his chest. I loved the feeling of his strong arms holding me. It made me feel safe and cared for.

"You did so good, Bella." Edward whispered, kissing my forehead. "Did you like that?"

I smiled and tipped my head back to look up at his face and kiss his chin. "I had fun with it." I said. "I felt good being in charge for a few minutes. But, I love when you hold me. You're so strong and masculine."

Edward chuckled. "So, you've noticed." He teased, making me giggle.

"Yeah. You've got certain parts that give it away." I said, teasing him, too. Edward laughed, shaking us a little.

"Oh? And what parts are those?" He asked. He knew I was too embarrassed to say the words out loud. I even blushed when he said penis.

"Edward." I whined, and he laughed harder.

"I'm just teasing you, angel. But one day before you turn thirty, I'm going to get you to say it." He said, making me smile.

"I'll just go back to calling it Jason." I said, making Edward gasp in mock horror. I giggled, and he slapped my bum cheek. I hummed. I loved the feeling of his hands on me. And when he spanked me, he was really in charge.

"What did I say about that?" He whispered into my ear, before nipping on my earlobe.

"You said something about being insanely jealous when you heard other names on my lips." I said, sliding my hands down his back. When I reached his bum, I gave it a squeeze.

"Damn right." He said, kissing my neck.

I slapped his bum. "Did I get you all worked up?" I asked, giggling.

"Oh, you were trying to, weren't you?" He chuckled. "You're my little vixen."

"I am your vixen." I said, sucking on his bottom lip.

He chuckled. "And you don't get tired, do you?"

"I'm sorry." I said, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair. "Am I keeping you up? Did you want to go to sleep?"

Edward kissed my lips. "Never. I want to stare at you forever, touch you all the time. If I didn't have to sleep, I wouldn't." He said, making me smile.

"Aw." I said, kissing him, again. "That's sweet. I love you."

"I love you, too, gorgeous girl." He said. "Now close those pretty little eyes, and get some sleep."

"If I have to." I sighed and snuggled my face into his chest.

"You do." He said, rubbing my back. I smiled and kissed his chest, finally falling sleep.

Edward wasn't in bed with me in the morning. He was sitting at his desk on his lap top. And he was wearing grey boxer briefs. "Good morning." I said, slipping out of bed. I was still wearing my baby doll.

Edward turned around in his chair and smiled at me. "Good morning, lover." He said, winking at me. "Come here." He said, holding out his arms.

"Just give me two minutes." I said, running into the bathroom. Darn bladder. I heard Edward chuckle behind me. I quickly used the bathroom and brushed my teeth, before coming back out into the bedroom.

"Can I have you, now?" He asked.

"Yes." I said, crawling onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. "What you doing online?" I asked, looking at his iTunes account on the screen.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hear the song I had in mind for our wedding day?" He asked, pressing kiss after kiss on my temple.

"I would love to, baby." I said, smiling widely. I was still so touched that Edward had a playlist that he listened to when we were apart.

"Okay, you can say no if you don't like it." He said, almost looking a little nervous to play the song for me.

I kissed his lips. "I'm going to love it." I said, reassuring him. "What's it called, again?"

"'Little Trip to Heaven' by Tom Waits." Edward said, leaning us forward to press play on his laptop. I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder and listened to the song. Edward softly rubbed my bare hip as we listened to it, and unsurprisingly, I had tears pouring down my cheeks.

Edward started singing the lyrics to me about half way through. It was a pretty simple song, but it was absolutely beautiful. It was primarily piano and saxophone music, giving it a bit of a Jazzy feel. I loved it.

I looked up at Edward's face when it was over and he pouted out his bottom lip at me. "Made you cry, huh?" He asked, smiling at me, as he reached up to wipe under my eyes with his thumb.

"It's perfect, Edward." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips. "I love it."

"Do you really?" He asked. "Because I don't want you to pick just because I like it."

"I think it's beautiful. It reminds me of you, too." I said. "Play it, again."

Edward chuckled and started the song, again. He stood up from the chair, and I slid down his body. "Let's try dancing to it." He said. "We'll see if feels right."

I giggled, as we started box stepping around the bedroom to the song. I was only wearing my baby doll and no panties, which Edward figured out about half way through the song. His hands had started exploring and in about two seconds, he had the lingerie off of my body.

He lifted me up and walked me to the bed. He laid down on top of me and buried his face into my neck, pressings kisses there. "Should we see if it's a good song to make love to?" He whispered in my ear.

I groaned. Edward always said the sexiest things to me. "Yeah." I breathed, scratching his back. "Turn the song up and put it on loop." I said, gasping when he nipped at my bottom lip.

Edward got up and turned up the song, grabbed a condom and then climbed back into bed with me. I pressed my body to his and we made out for a little while. Tom Waits was very good kissing music, I decided.

Edward rolled onto his back and slipped the condom in my hand. It was such a smooth move, that I started laughing. Edward was entirely too sexy, and I wasn't at all cool. So, of course I didn't know how to react.

He laughed, like he always did when I laughed. "Not cool?" He asked, lifting his head to press a kiss to my lips.

I giggled. "No. Actually, that was really cool." I said, kissing him back. "I'm just too dorky to go with it."

"Aw, baby." He said, reaching up to cradle my cheek in his hand. "You're not dorky. You're sexy. I love your little giggle. It priceless."

"Well, I love you." I said, tearing open the condom packet. "And I want to show you how much."

"See." Edward said, winking at me. "You're sexy."

I sat up and rolled the condom onto Edward's body. "I still think it's cute that you can look at it and touch it, but you won't say penis." He mused.

I blushed and giggled, and Edward laughed. "Stop trying to ruin the mood." I said, laying back beside him. "You're supposed to me making love to me to our wedding song."

Edward smiled at me, as he rolled over on top of me. He lifted my knees up to either side of his hips and then slowly slid inside of me. We both groaned, and Edward started in with the kisses to my neck and chest as he moved his hips.

"So, you want to play this song at our wedding?" He asked, as he moved his hips.

I looked into his eyes and smiled. "I do."


	572. Embarrassed

**A/N - Happy Monday! It is Monday, August 30, 2010 in the story. Thank you all so much for reading and for your amazing reviews! Enjoy!**

Chapter 572 - Embarrassed

So apparently talking about our wedding and whispering words like 'I do' were real turn ons for Edward. He groaned when I said it, and started moving faster. It felt so good I cried out.

"Ugh. Edward." I breathed.

He covered my mouth with his lips, giving me a soft peck. "Shh, baby girl." He whispered. But, I couldn't stop moaning. This felt entirely too good.

Edward chuckled at my lack of self control, but didn't stop his hips. I was hanging onto his shoulders and he had his hands on my hips, tucked under my bum, pulling me closer to him with each thrust.

Edward pulled me over the edge, leaving me panting and sweaty and exhausted, even though I had just woken up. "Wow." I whispered, rubbing Edward's back.

Edward chuckled. "So, that would be a definite yes on the song?" He whispered, before kissing my neck.

I laughed. "God, yes, Edward." I said, slowly running my fingertips up and down his spine. "It's perfect for the entire wedding day: dancing, kissing, making love."

"Mm. My favourite part." Edward said, looking into my eyes and smiling.

There was a knock on the bedroom door. "Guys. Are we still going to Port Angeles today?" Emmett yelled through the door. "Or are you two still a little, uh, busy?"

"We'll be down in a half hour." Edward called back.

Edward dropped his head down on my shoulder and started laughing. I was glad someone saw the humour in the situation. "See, you're too loud." He whispered in my ear. I knew that he was only teasing me, but I felt really self conscious in the moment.

I felt my face heat up at the thought of Emmett hearing us. "How is this my fault?" I asked, slapping his shoulder. I was so embarrassed. I pushed his shoulders, making him roll back, so I could sneak out from underneath him. Edward looked shocked, like he wasn't expecting that reaction at all.

"Bella." Edward called after me, as I walked quickly to the bathroom and closed the door. His voice sounded desperate. He didn't want me to make a big deal about it. And I understood completely.

Emmett always teased us. I mean, he was seventeen, so risqué jokes were pretty common place with him. But, for some reason, this morning, I took it personally. I didn't mean to be loud when Edward and I made love, but he always made me feel so good, I got caught up in the moment.

I stepped into the shower and turned the water up really hot. I could feel the tears burning at the back of my eyes. I felt embarrassed for overreacting. I had probably made Edward feel bad, too.

I heard the bathroom door open. "Bella?" Edward asked softly after a few long, tense, quiet seconds. "I'm sorry."

That apology made the tears come. I loved this man. I was the one that overreacted and he didn't need to apologize to me.

"Bella?" He asked, again. He pulled the shower curtain open just enough to peek into the shower. I looked over at him, our eyes meeting. He looked so guilty. I covered my mouth with my hand to hold back the sob.

"God, baby." He said, stepping into the shower. He was still wearing his grey boxer briefs. "Come here." He said, pulling me into his arms. I laid my head on his chest, and tried to get my breathing back under control.

"I'm so, so sorry, Bella." He whispered. "Don't cry, okay? Bella, please."

"I'm sorry. I'm just embarrassed." I whispered, reaching up to wipe my eyes.

"It's okay, honey. I'm sorry for what I said out there. I was teasing. Well, trying to." He chuckled humourlessly. "Obviously not very well. And, Bella. You're not too loud. I love hearing you when we make love. It's so sexy to me. It's nice to know that you like what I'm doing. That I can make you feel good."

Edward was rambling, and it was cute. It was one of his endearing qualities. He never wanted me sad and tears made him nervous.

I peeked up at his face and he smiled at me, looking a little weary, like he wasn't sure if he should be smiling. "I love you." I said, hoping it was the quickest thing to say to make him feel better.

He smiled, wider. "I love you, too, honey." He said. "Did I make you feel embarrassed?"

"I just don't want everyone to hear us. Like what if I was so loud that Alice heard me? I feel really bad. Like I just come into your house and corrupt your family." I wiped another stray tear.

Edward set his hand on the back of my head and held me to his chest, again. "You are the last person that would ever corrupt anyone." He said. "You are the sweetest person that I know, angel. And all of the Cullens love you, Bella."

"I'm sorry, I just, I don't know what's wrong with me." I explained.

"Whenever you tie me up, beautiful, like you did last night, I find that you get a little self conscious." He said. "I mean, you seemed comfortable when we were doing it. I'm just thinking out loud here."

"I don't know. Maybe." I said, leaning in to kiss his chest. "I just feel really stupid right now, Edward. We were having such a good morning."

"You're not stupid, Bella." He said. "Far from it. And you're allowed to have feelings. But, can you do me a favour?" He asked.

I smiled at his face. "What's that?"

"Before you run to the bathroom, just turn and say, 'Edward. I'm not mad at you. I'm just embarrassed.'" He said, making me laugh.

"Aw. I feel bad, now." I said.

"Don't, baby girl." He said. "Why don't we just have a little fun in here? I'll cheer you up."

I laughed, shaking my head at my always horny husband to be. "We have to be downstairs in a half hour." I said as I pulled down his soaked underwear.

"You're more important to me than the time." He said.

We fooled around a little, while we showered and washed our hair. Edward showed me how amazing his hands could be. And, by the time we got out of the shower, I couldn't remember why I had been upset.

I scrunched my hair to save time and just did a quick makeup job. I got dressed in black shorts and a white tank. Edward pulled on his worn jeans and a black t-shirt. I had no idea how it was so easy for him to look so sexy.

I saw my journal on the nightstand, open to a blank page. I smiled when I picked it up. Edward had drawn me a little flower with yesterday's date underneath it. He had written a little note under it.

'_I'm sorry I didn't get you a real flower today. I was a little tied up. Wink, wink. I love you, beautiful.'_

"I did that last night before I fell asleep." Edward said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my shoulder. "I feel bad." He said.

"Don't feel bad. This is so special to me." I said. "You don't need to always spend money on me. If you want to draw me flowers, I'll love them just as much."

I set the book down and turned around in his arms. Edward leaned in to kiss my lips. "Let me spend money on you." He mumbled against my lips, before kissing me, again. "I'm going to spoil you, today."

I giggled. "I think you already have." I said, thinking about our morning, minus my little embarrassing moment.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything, yet, my beauty." He said. I slapped his bum, and Edward responded by pushing his groin against my body.

"Are you going to start something with me, right now?" I teased, making him laugh.

"I would love to start something with you, gorgeous. And I think tonight, I'm going to both start and finish it."

I smiled. "I love the sound of that, sexy boy." I said. "Thank you for this morning."

Edward smiled. "I'm just happy that you liked the song, and that you're smiling, right now." He said.

I was just happy that we were teasing each other, again. I still felt a little crazy for overreacting when I thought Emmett overheard us having sex. But, Edward had done a great job in comforting me. I was ready to have another great day.


	573. Day in Port Angeles

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I was so happy with the response to the last chapter! You are all awesome! Enjoy!**

Chapter 573 - Day in Port Angeles

Edward and I went downstairs and had some toast and cereal in the family room as we watched cartoons with Alice and the boys. I was looking forward to going to Port Angeles with the boys.

"Are Rose and Maria coming with us today?" Edward asked, before taking a bite of his toast.

"I called Rose last night and her and Maria are getting their hair done today with their mom." Emmett said. "So, no. They're not coming."

"Aw. That's too bad." I said.

"Yeah. It sucks." Emmett added. He tipped his bowl back and drank the milk from his cereal bowl.

"Well, just think how beautiful they'll look when you see them next." I said. "New haircuts make a girl feel pretty."

Jasper smiled and looked down at his Cheerios. I could tell he was thinking of Maria, and it was so cute.

We left Alice in charge of Robbie before heading out to the car. The drive to Port Angeles was fun, as we all sang along to the radio. I loved spending this time with the boys. And I knew how important it was to Edward, too.

Emmett hadn't said anything about this morning, overhearing Edward and I having sex. I was starting to wonder if he really hadn't heard anything, at all. Or, another possibility came to mind. Maybe Edward had said something to Emmett about it; told him not to tease me. But, either way, I was glad that it wasn't an issue and we were all able to have fun.

On the drive up, we decided to rent bikes like we had when we were camping in June. I loved biking, so I was really excited. I had to get my own bike one day. Edward parked in front of Sound Bikes and Kayaks and we all went in. We rented four bikes.

They charged by the hour, so I didn't think we'd ride too long, but apparently Edward and Emmett had a route in mind. Edward bought us each a bottle of water, before we started our ride.

We drove up Front Street, along the pier, giving us a great view of the Strait. I loved the bike I was riding. It was metallic purple and silver and I thought it was so cool. "It's pretty, isn't it?" I asked Edward as he drove up beside me.

"You're pretty, but the bike is very nice." He said, making me smile as his cheesy line. I loved them. "You're legs look incredible when you ride." He added, making me blush.

"Stop flirting with me." I said, making him laugh. "I'm going to fall off the bike."

"Well, I don't want that." He said. "Should I just pull behind you so I can watch your bum?"

"Edward." I said, giggling.

He laughed as he pulled up close to me and set his hand on mine over the handlebar, giving it a soft squeeze. "Love you, baby." He said.

"I love you, too, babe." I said.

We rode for about two hours, looking up and down the streets of Port Angeles. It was actually a really pretty little town. It almost felt like a second home, considering it was so close to Forks, and we were up here so much.

At around noon, we returned our bikes to the rental place, and then walked up the street for pizza at Domino's. I ran to use the bathroom and freshen up my makeup after the bike ride. When I came out, I slid into the booth beside Edward.

"We ordered one Hawaiian and one Chicken Bacon Ranch." Edward said, before kissing my cheek, and making me smile.

"That sounds good." I said. "Are we going to be able to eat it all?"

All three boys looked at each other and laughed, as if I was crazy for even asking such a thing. The waitress came over with two orders of cheesy bread and a pitcher of coke. I laughed. "Really?" I knew they were teenaged boys, but still. This was a lot of food.

"Bella. The trick is to stretch your stomach before the food comes." Emmett explained, as if that was a totally logical explanation. "If you try to eat when you're hungry, you'll never be able to eat anything."

I giggled and looked at Jasper. He just shrugged and laughed. "It seems to work." He added, and Edward and I laughed.

We all dug into the cheesy bread, and after two pieces, I was already feeling full. I smiled as I watched the guys eat. It was sort of like a side show at the fair, but I would never say that out loud. They were adorable.

The pizza came, and I had to laugh at how they ordered the biggest pizzas available. I ate a slice of Hawaiian and then sat back to watch the guys eat. "Are you seriously giving up?" Emmett asked me, making me laugh.

"I'm full." I said, holding my hands on my stomach.

"Oh, come on. I thought you were going to be a Cullen?" Emmett teased.

Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Just ignore him." He whispered, making me smile.

"Okay, let me try your crazy salad dressing pizza." I said, picking up a slice of the chicken bacon ranch. I took a bite and hummed. "This is actually really good." I said.

"Darn right." Emmett said.

As we ate, we decided that we would head to the mall this afternoon. Jasper wanted to get some new jeans for school and Emmett wanted to go to the music store. Edward looked pretty excited about the trip to the mall, so I figured this was where the spoiling came into play.

The guys did pretty good finishing off the pizza. We ended up bringing a couple slices with us. But I was sure the guys would eat the leftovers in the car on the way home.

We headed out to the car and I sat in the backseat with Emmett while Edward drove to the mall. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I'm really sorry if I embarrassed you this morning, Bella. I didn't hear anything. I promise; just music."

So, Edward did have a talk with his brother this morning. I really appreciated that he did that for me. The Cullens were all good boys, and I knew that Emmett didn't mean to hurt my feelings.

Emmett really was a good guy. He just liked to laugh. And he was still learning about girls. He was making mistakes, but he was definitely learning from them. These experiences were going to make him into a great man.

I turned and kissed his flushed cheek. I think he was actually really embarrassed about the whole situation, too. "Thank you." I said, honestly, smiling at him. He smiled back at me, and everything felt like it was back to normal. I was so glad that things weren't weird with us, because I loved Emmett like a brother. He was very important to me.

We got to the mall and walked together through the stores. We walked past a clothing store and I saw a really pretty white denim jacket. I stopped and looked at it, and Edward smiled at me. "Try it on, gorgeous." He said.

I slipped it on and it fit like a glove. I loved it. "It's really pretty." Jasper said, making me smile.

"Thanks." I said.

"Okay, baby. Take it off." Edward said, holding the jacket so I could slip my arms out of it. He walked into the store and right up to the cashier. I shook my head at him when he looked back at me and he winked. My fiancé was going to spoil me.

We worked our way through the mall, and Jasper found two pairs of jeans and a t-shirt for school, Emmett got a new CD, and Edward got an iTunes card, and then bought me two pretty tops. One was a purple, floral wrap top and the other was a cute grey cable knit sweater with a boat neck. I loved them.

We stopped at a card shop and I got Angie and Ben a 'congratulations' card for their engagement. I found a gorgeous gold picture frame and I decided to send them their Fourth of July fireworks photo in a frame. They looked so in love in that photo.

I wished I could be there with my best friend to help her plan her wedding. But the wedding was in only four months, and Edward and I had school to get back to. But, I was going to make sure that Ang and I had a ton of video chats, so I could help her as much as I could.

Edward kissed the side of my head and wrapped his arm around me. "She's going to love it, baby." He whispered. He always knew when I needed a little hug. I didn't know what I'd do without Edward. And luckily I wouldn't have to find out.


	574. Confirmation

**A/N - It is still Monday, August 30, 2010 in the story. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I truly do appreciate it! Enjoy!**

Chapter 574 - Confirmation

"I just got a text from dad." Edward said, after having pulled his vibrating phone from his back pocket. "Barbeque tonight at our place. Charlie and Heidi are coming."

"Aw. Yay." I said, squeezing Edward's arm. "That sounds fun."

"It does." He agreed, leaning down to kiss my lips. I was excited to spend time with my dad, again, tonight. "And my princess Alice has put in a request for the apple turnovers from Bella Rosa."

"She knows she can get anything from you." Emmett said, as we walked back out to the car with our bags from the mall.

"And she always will get anything she asks for." Edward said, making me smile. That little Alice was such a lucky girl to have her big brothers. They all loved her so much.

We loaded our bags into the trunk, and after stopping to pick up the dessert for the barbeque, Edward ran into a flower shop. I smiled to myself. My man spoiled me so much. He came out with a bouquet of a half dozen red roses, surrounded by white baby's breath. It was gorgeous.

"Oh, Edward. They're beautiful, babe." I said, when he passed me the bouquet. "Thank you. I love them." I buried my nose in the roses and hummed. They smelled amazing.

"You are so welcome, baby girl." He said, leaning down to steal a kiss. I smiled against his lips and kissed him, again. "I love you."

"Mm. I love you, too." I said. I will admit to feeling very swept off my feet in that moment. I couldn't get the smile off of my face. Edward was so good to me.

We started the drive back to Forks. We all had a slice of left over pizza to tide us over until Carlisle made dinner. I fed bites to Edward as he drove. I sat back in my seat and watched his sexy jaw as it flexed while he chewed.

I was so turned on by everything about this man. We had spent a day with the boys, so everything had been pretty PG with us. I couldn't wait to get Edward alone tonight. He had promised to both start and finish something with me. I couldn't wait.

We got back to Forks and Emmett and Jasper went upstairs to call their girlfriends and invite them over to the barbeque. Edward and I took the pastries into the kitchen and gave Esme hugs.

Edward went into the living room to hang out with Alice and Robbie, leaving me with his mom. "Did you guys have a good day?" She asked, smiling at me.

"It was great." I said, smiling. "How was Alice with the kitty?"

"Oh, she loves Robbie. We're probably going to have a get the kids a pet." Esme said. "I've really enjoyed watching them all with the kitty. Especially Jasper."

"Yeah. They've all really taken to him." I agreed, looking out the kitchen window trying to work up the courage to talk to Esme about my embarrassing incident this morning. I took a deep breath and let it out. "Um, Esme. Can I ask you something a little bit embarrassing and totally off topic?"

"Oh, of course, sweetheart." She said, taking my hand and leading me to the kitchen table.

I could feel all of the blood in my body rush to my cheeks and I knew that I was beet red. How did you ask your fiancé's mother if anyone in the family had heard you having sex with her son?

"Bella, honey. If something is bothering you, you know you can talk to me." Esme was the best. Hands down.

"Uh." I started. "I got a little bit loud this morning, if you know what I mean, and I'm worried that Alice might have heard us." I wasn't looking at Esme, instead fixating on my interwoven fingers.

"She didn't, Bella." Esme said. "She was downstairs with me first thing this morning. I overheard Edward talking to Emmett about it, so I sort of know what's going on."

"I feel so bad, though." I admitted. "I'm not usually like that unless we're alone. And I know with Alice in the house, I have to be careful."

"Sweetheart." She said, reaching over to pat my hand. "Don't beat yourself up. I appreciate so much that you and Edward are conscious of Alice. But, really, you can't hear much in the hallway. Trust me. I wouldn't have four kids if I stopped having sex with my husband after Edward was born."

I laughed with her. She made a valid point. "You learn to be quiet and lock bedroom doors." She continued. "And as much as it pains me to admit it, I think having your own place will be good for you two. You're young, you're experimenting and you're learning about each other. You won't need to worry about people overhearing you."

"Thank you, Esme." I said, leaning over to give her a hug. "I'm sorry for getting so embarrassed. I just worry. I love you all so much and I don't want to cause any problems, you know?"

"You're such a good girl, sweetie." She whispered, patting my back. She sat back and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Oh, Esme. Don't cry."

"I'm sorry. I just feel so lucky that I'm going to have you as a daughter in law." She said, smiling widely at me. "I just love you."

"I love you, too, Esme." I said, smiling.

I was the lucky one. Edward had reassured me this morning, Emmett told me that he didn't hear anything, and now I had Esme's confirmation. I could let my embarrassment go, now. Just because Edward and I were making love a lot now, it was still a fairly new step for us. And I was still adjusting to all the emotions that went along with it.

Carlisle walked into the kitchen, wearing jeans and t-shirt, obviously having changed after work already. "Am I interrupting?" He asked, smiling at us.

"No. Not at all." I said, standing up from the table. "Thank you for inviting my dad, tonight."

"Oh, of course, Bella." Carlisle said, smiling. "We're trying to keep everyone together this week." He explained, making me smile. Best. In laws. Ever.

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

"No, sweetheart. Go sit down with the kids." She said, making me smile. Edward would always be a kid to her. I loved it.

I went into the living room to join Edward and Alice. They were both sitting on the floor at the coffee table working a jigsaw puzzle. It was adorable. One of my favourite things in the world was watching Edward with Alice. They seemed to have an amazing bond with each other.

I walked in and sat on the couch behind them, picking up Robbie who had been sleeping, curled up on the cushion. "Wow. That's a big puzzle, Alice." I said, as I reached over to rub Edward's shoulder. He looked over and smiled at me.

"It's a thousand pieces." Alice told me, proudly. "And it's a picture of the ocean with lots of fish in it."

"It looks like it's going to be beautiful." I told her.

"Yeah. Edward said we should put the edge together first, because all of those pieces have one flat edge." She said.

"He thinks he's pretty smart, huh?" I asked as I ran my fingers through the hair on the back of Edward's head.

Edward and Alice both laughed. "I am smart." Edward said. "Especially with puzzles."

"It's true, Bella." Alice told me, seriously. "Edward was the one that showed me how to do puzzles."

"Well, then, he must be smart." I said.

I sat and watched 'the kids' work on the puzzle for about ten minutes. I was enjoying my kitten in my arms and Edward's left hand playing with my toes as he worked on the puzzle with his sister.

Emmett and Jasper came down to watch TV while we waited for dinner. I was excited when my dad and Heidi came over. My dad was carrying a Tupperware container of what looked like macaroni salad. He leaned down over the back of the couch and kissed the top of my head, before taking the food into the kitchen.

Heidi came to sit beside me and leaned over to whisper in my ear. "What do you say to dinner with our guys and then shopping tomorrow night, just the two of us?"

I smiled. "I'd say that sounds amazing. I'm in."


	575. Long Hair and Loud Sex

**A/N - Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 575 - Long Hair and Loud Sex

When Rose and Maria got to the house, I watched the boys compliment them on their new hair styles. Rose has a few long layers in her hair and Maria now had long side swept bangs. They both looked gorgeous.

Emmett pulled Rose's hand, leading her out to the front deck, I could hear her laugh as he shut the front door. He clearly missed his girlfriend, today. Jasper leaned down to kiss Maria's cheek and she giggled. I adored young love. They were so innocent, but their emotions were completely pure and honest.

"Just looking at how beautiful they look, my hair feels icky, now." I said to Edward.

"Really?" He asked, running his fingers through the hair by my face. "I love your hair. It's so long and sexy."

"What would you say if I chopped it all off?" I asked, smiling up at his face. I never would, I just wanted to know what he would say.

"Well, I'm sure you would look beautiful." He said. "Um, I guess it would show off your pretty face." I had totally caught him off guard with the question. And his reaction was so cute. I knew he loved my hair, almost as much as I loved his.

I laughed. "I'm kidding." I said, giving his bum a quick squeeze, when no one was looking. "But I should probably get a back to school trim."

"Oh, you're going to get it, tonight." He whispered in my ear. I starting laughing harder, as Edward reached down to tickle my sides. I hoped I was in for a little bit of a punishment. 'Controlling Edward' in bed was one of my favourite things in the world.

We all went into the backyard, and the Cullens, Swans and Hale girls all had a great barbeque. And the food was amazing. Carlisle made the most delicious burgers, like always. And, I was so proud of my dad. Apparently, he had helped Heidi make the macaroni salad they had brought tonight. He was learning to cook. I made a big deal of complimenting him while I ate it.

"That was amazing, daddy." I said, after my last bite. "You're making a good cook out of him, Heidi."

My dad and Heidi laughed. "You're going to give him a big head." Heidi said, patting my dad's leg.

"Aw. He deserves it." I said, leaning over to give him a hug. "I love you, dad."

"I love you, too, kiddo."

"See, you need to cook more, Charlie." Esme said. "Look at all the attention you're getting."

My dad laughed, and it made me smile. Carlisle was right. It was nice having everyone together. That was the very same reason that we wanted to have a bonfire with everyone we loved. Edward and I were going to have to call everyone and invite them this week.

The night went really well. We all just sat around in the yard talking. Heidi was asking the boys what courses they were signed up for in the fall. Jasper said that he was looking forward to his art class. And Maria added how excited she was that her and Jasper were going to be in the same science class.

Emmett had a mechanics shop this semester, and he seemed thrilled about it, and Rose was most looking forward to cosmetology. And I couldn't wait to hear all about their classes when Edward and I came home on the weekends, or whenever the kids phoned or e-mailed us.

"Bella. Can you believe I'm going to have a boy teacher for grade three?" Alice asked me. She sounded so disgusted. It was adorable. "A boy."

I laughed. "Lots of teachers are boys, Alice." I told her.

"Well, I've never had a boy teacher before, so I'm not too sure about it." She said. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and pouted.

"His name is Mr. Brennan." Esme said. "He's just new to the school. I think he's right out of college."

"Ah. He took my job." I said, half joking, half serious. I knew I wouldn't back in Forks for about five years, but if all teaching jobs in town were being filled will young teachers, I had no idea what I was going to do for work when Edward and I moved home.

"Maybe he'll get fired." Alice said, giggling. "And you could be my teacher."

"Aw. I'm sure he's going to be a great teacher." I said, hoping to reassure her. Plus, didn't eight year old girls start getting crushes? I wondered if Alice would come home telling us how handsome her new teacher is.

Emmett got up to take the girls home, and my dad and Heidi decided to head home, as well. "I'll see you tomorrow night for dinner, dad." I said, giving him a huge hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Bells." He said.

We said our goodbyes to everyone and then went up to Edward's room with Robbie. Edward flopped on the bed with the kitty, while I printed Angie and Ben's photo.

"Emmett apologized to me this afternoon." I said as I took the back off of the frame.

"Yeah, he felt pretty bad." Edward said, as he moved a toy around in front of Robbie.

"I talked to your mom about it, and she said that Alice was downstairs this morning, so she wouldn't have heard anything. And Emmett is such a sweet guy. Everything is all worked out." I said, smiling over at Edward.

"I'm glad." He said. "The last thing in the world that I want, is for you to feel uncomfortable over here, or with my family."

I set the frame down on the desk and crawled on the bed with my boys. Edward smiled and wrapped his arms around me as I laid back on the back. Robbie crawled into my hair and laid down, making me laugh.

"It looks like all the boys love your long hair." Edward said, laughing.

"I'm not cutting it." I said, again.

"Which reminds me, I think you need a little punishment for teasing me." Edward said.

I bit my lip and hummed. I was so turned on, which wasn't at all surprising. I shivered in anticipation, as Edward lifted Robbie off of my hair, and set him on his blanket. Edward pulled his shirt off and walked back over to the bed.

"Mm, baby. You look so good on my bed." He said, walking over to me. He reached down and unbuttoned my shorts, before shimmying them off. He pulled my tank top up and I pulled it off over my head and arms. "You're stealing my job, sexy." He said, making me smile. "I like undressing you."

"Well, then get to work." I said, smiling.

He kneeled on the bed and wrapped his arms around me to unclasp my bra. He dipped his head down to tease my skin with soft kisses that had me humming. "I love you so much, baby." He whispered.

I smiled. "I love you, too." I said, running my fingers through his hair.

Edward kissed down my body, over my panties, down my legs and back, again. It seemed that my punishment was going to be teasing. Edward was going to take things slow…too slow, tonight. And that was going to be torture. Slow. Sweet. Torture.

I moaned a little, and Edward smiled up at my face. "Would you feel more comfortable if I turned some music on?" He asked, obviously not wanting me to feel embarrassed, again, like I had been this morning.

"Yeah." I agreed. Edward winked at me before going over to turn on his stereo.

"Just think, baby." He said, as he took his jeans off. "This Saturday night, we'll be in our own apartment and you can be as loud as you want."

I giggled. "You like it when I'm loud, huh?" I asked, propping myself up on the bed to look at him as he pulled his underwear off.

"Oh, I love it, babe." He said. He got back on the bed with me and leaned in to kiss my lips. "And then you can prance around the apartment in your panties and make us that chocolate chex mix stuff."

I started laughing really hard, pressing my forehead against Edward's shoulder. "So, when you fantasize about us in our apartment, you want me to cook for you half naked and then have loud sex?" I asked, clarifying what he'd just admitted to me.

He chuckled a little, and when I looked up at his face, his cheeks were lightly flushed. "Is that wrong?" He asked. "Because it sounds perfect to me." I shook my head. Such a guy. "Why, how do you imagine life in the apartment?" He asked.

"Well, I picture myself on the bed, naked; your strong hands rubbing my back with massage oil." I said. "You had just washed the dishes for me while I had a nice long bubble bath."

Edward laughed. "Why don't we combine our fantasies? You cook half naked, and I'll wash the dishes and rub your back. And the massage will lead to loud sex." He said.

I smiled. "That sounds perfect."


	576. Easy To Please

**A/N - Thank you all so, so much for reading and for your great reviews! This is the end of Monday, August 30 and the very start of Tuesday, August 31, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 576 - Easy To Please

Edward and I started making out, again, obviously getting started on our apartment fantasies a little early. Edward started kissing and nipping at my shoulder. "Hey, you forgot about my punishment." I said, scratching his back, lightly.

"I was going to tease you and make you wait for the good stuff, but I don't think I can wait." He said, making me laugh.

"Can I get a little spanking?" I asked.

"Mm. My dirty girl." Edward said, rolling us over to our sides. He brought his hand down and rubbed my bum cheek, before slapping it lightly.

"Ugh." I groaned, pushing my hips forward. "I love you, Edward." I breathed.

"I know." He said, kissing my lips, again. "I love you, too. Let me show you, lover."

Edward pulled my panties down and while I kicked them off of my feet, he reached over to the nightstand for a condom. It took Edward and I months to get comfortable enough to have sex.

But now that we had started, I valued this part of our relationship so much. It was almost like I couldn't go a day without feeling Edward inside of me. The connection that I felt to Edward while we were making love was indescribable. I just felt so close to him, so loved.

And while we might be teased for being bunnies, or always going at it, it was for more than just the satisfaction of having sex. It was a celebration of our love for each other. And I honestly felt that way every single time.

Edward smiled at me, and I smiled back before he rolled over on me and slid inside of me. I groaned and pressed a kiss to Edward's shoulder. Edward moved his hips steadily against mine as he leaned down to kiss my lips.

"You're so amazing, sexy." He whispered. I smiled at him, before I closed my eyes and dropped my head back on the bed. I felt so tingly, so full. Edward was such an amazing man. And I was a very lucky girl.

I felt Edward's kisses trail down my neck and over to my shoulder. I loved his lips. Almost as much as his hands. He was holding himself up on his left forearm, but let his right hand move over my body, caressing my breasts, stomach, hip.

I gasped when I felt his hand between us, his thumb caressing my delicate flesh right above where we were connected. I lifted my head to meet Edward's eyes. He winked at me, looking so smug. He knew he was a talented lover. He was so, so well researched. But, not only in books, and online, he knew my body. He knew what turned me on.

I wanted to cry out as I came, but instead, I resorted to the old 'bite Edward's shoulder' method to keep myself quiet. He groaned at that, pushing harder against me, and making me come a second time. I dropped my head back on the bed. I was completely spent and I could feel my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.

"Shit, Bella." Edward breathed into my ear after he rolled to my side. I think he was breathing as heavily as I was.

I giggled. "Yeah." It was all I could get out.

Edward caressed my stomach with his fingertips, tracing invisible patterns on my skin. It was sweet and an amazing contrast to what had just happened. Neither of us said anything for a couple of minutes. I could feel Edward's eyes on my face and it made me smile.

I turned my head and looked over at him. He was smiling back at me. "Love you, baby girl." He said.

"Oh, Edward. My god." I said, stretching my arms over my head, smiling as Edward chuckled. "I love you, too. That was incredible."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." He said, his smugness back in full force. He was lucky that I loved his cocky side. "Do you think you can stand up?" He asked, squeezing my hip.

I groaned. "Why do I have to stand up?" I all but whined.

Edward chuckled. "I thought maybe we could take a shower together."

"Can't we shower tomorrow morning?" I asked, my eyes closed, again.

I felt Edward's hair tickling my breasts as he pressed kisses on my stomach. "Well, we could." He said, softly against my skin. "Or, we could shower now and sleep in tomorrow morning."

"Mm." I hummed, loving the sound of that.

"And all you have to do is stand there. I will wash your pretty hair, soap up your sexy body, and I'll even shave your gorgeous legs." Edward added, resting his head on my boobs.

I laughed, and he smiled. "Wow." I said. "You're going to spoil me rotten."

"You, spoiled?" He asked. "Nah."

I giggled. "What if I start expecting that treatment all the time?"

"Well, I could spank your delicious ass to keep you in line." He said, making me moan.

"Yes, please." I said, making Edward laugh.

"Come on, gorgeous girl." He said, sitting us up. "I want to get you all lathered up with my soap."

I giggled, as Edward stood up and then leaned over to scoop me up in his arms. I held onto his neck and kissed his cheek as he carried me into the bathroom. "Don't shave, tonight." I said, enjoying the feeling of his five o'clock shadow on my lips.

"Fine with me." He said, setting me in the shower. I smiled, loving that he did everything I asked of him. And true to his word, he washed my hair and body. I did, however, shave my own legs, while Edward washed his hair, well mostly.

He leaned over my back and starting kissing up my spine. His wet lips felt so good on my skin. And then he starting licking the water from my back. "You taste so amazing, baby." He whispered.

"Baby." I said, smiling to myself. "I have a razor in my hand."

"Let me finish for you." He said, kissing my left shoulder blade, before reaching to take my razor. He didn't even wait for an answer. But, he knew that I would do anything he asked of me, too.

Edward got down on one knee in the shower, patting his thigh so I would put my foot up. I giggled. "I've already said yes." I teased, referring to his proposal, as I turned and set my foot on his knee.

"You have." He said, running the razor from my ankle up to my knee. "And it was the most amazing moment in my life." He looked up at me from my leg and smiled. "You are really mine."

"You are going to make me cry." I said, smiling down at him.

"Well, I'm going to have to work really hard to make you laugh, then." He said, lifting my foot up to his lips. He kissed the top of my toes, before sucking my big toe into his mouth. He had only done that once before, and I remember it being a complete turn on to me.

But this time, it tickled and I laughed. Edward smiled. "You're too easy to please, Bella." He said, setting my foot back on his leg. "I thought you were going to give me a challenge."

"All you have to do is look at me, and I'll smile." I said, honestly.

Edward smiled as he finished shaving my leg, before standing up. He pulled me close to his body and kissed my forehead. "Ready for bed, gorgeous?"

"Like an hour ago." I teased, making Edward laugh. We dried off, brushed our teeth and I braided my hair, before crawling into Edward's amazingly comfortable bed. Edward wrapped me tightly in his arms and hummed me to sleep.

I woke up to kisses from my handsome fiancé. He was pressing kiss after kiss on my lips. I smiled as I opened my eyes. He chuckled and kept kissing me. "You're so pretty." He said, before pressing a harder kiss to my lips.

He pulled back and I was breathless. "Thank you." I said.

"You're welcome." He said back, winking at me.

"And not that I don't like looking at your handsome face, but why am I awake?" I asked, making Edward laugh.

"We have to go to football practice." He said.

"Wait. Why didn't we go to practice yesterday?" I asked, sitting up against the headboard. Football hadn't even crossed my mind yesterday. "It was Monday, right?"

"Cancelled. The coach became a grandpa." Edward said, making me smile.

"Aw. That's sweet." I said, smiling as Edward laid his head down on my lap.

I ran my fingers through Edward's hair and closed my eyes. Only four days left in Forks. And we were going to live each one to the fullest.


	577. You Said It

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 577 - You Said It

Edward and I finally got out of bed, and got dressed. Edward wore his sexy white board shorts and a navy blue t-shirt he found at the back of his dresser drawer. I laughed at how excited he looked when he found it.

"I haven't seen this since I came home for spring break." He said, making me laugh, harder.

"Well, maybe it's your lucky day." I told him, pulling on a black skirt and purple tank over my bathing suit.

"I just woke up to the most beautiful woman on the planet." Edward said, picking up Robbie. "Everyday with you is my lucky day."

"I seriously love you, Mr. Cullen." I said, walking up to him to kiss his bicep.

"And, I seriously love you back, the almost Mrs. Cullen." He said, winking me. "You want to head down for breakfast?"

"Um, I think I want to fill out Angie's engagement card first, so we can drop her parcel off at the post office after practice." I said.

"Okay." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips. "I'll go feed the baby."

I smiled. I loved the sound of that. "I'll be right down." I said, sliding my hand into the back of his swim trunks to give his bum a squeeze. Edward laughed at me. "What? I kind of like that you are commando under there."

"Well, I like that you like it." He said.

"I _am_ your dirty girl." I said, smiling up at his face.

"That you are, sugar." Edward left to go downstairs and I sat at the desk.

I picked up the frame and smiled, looking at my best friend. Besides the technicality of DNA, Ang was my sister. And I loved her with my whole heart. I was incredibly proud of her and so happy for her.

So, I opened the card and told her exactly that. I knew it would make her cry, but I had tears on my cheeks as I wrote it, so I guessed we were even.

Angie and I had come a long way in our lives in the last year. It was our first year apart from each other, ever. And maybe we needed that distance to actually open our eyes and see what else was out there in the world. We were so close, I don't think we really allowed ourselves to see the beautiful relationships that we could make with other people. That wasn't to say I didn't value my sisterhood with Ang, but life was so good now. For both of us.

I quickly checked my e-mail and smiled when I saw the new photos Angie had sent. They were from her and Ben's camping trip…the night he proposed to her. My favourite picture showed Ang with the biggest smile on her face, tears in her eyes, as she held up the ring to the camera. She looked so happy.

I flipped through the pictures, crying along with Ang and Ben, as I looked at them. They were perfect for each other. Ben was going to take such good care of my girl.

I looked up when the bedroom door opened and smiled when I saw Edward. One look at my tear streaked face and he was right over at my side. He wiped the tears from my cheeks, and leaned in to kiss my lips. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Oh, Angie just sent the photos of her and Ben's camping trip. The night they got engaged." I said.

"I completely understand." He chuckled, making me smile. He took my hand and pulled me up. He sat down in the desk chair and I sat on his lap. He looked up at the computer screen and smiled when he saw the photo of Ang.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" I asked, resting my head on Edward's shoulder, as he looked through the pictures.

"She's a very pretty girl." He said. "But her happiness in these pictures really makes her glow. You can see how in love she is. Ben's a lucky guy."

"He's very lucky." I agreed. My Ang was the best.

"You look at me that way, Bella." Edward said, wrapping his arms around me tightly, before he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "And I have to tell you, it's an incredible feeling."

I looked up at his face and smiled. I had the perfect man for me. He always knew what to say. I pressed a big, sloppy kiss to his lips and he laughed. "I love you."

"I love you." He said, lightly spanking my bum. "Are you ready to go? Everyone just left."

"Yeah." I said. "Just let me wash my face." I climbed off of Edward's legs and ran to the bathroom. I washed the tears from my cheeks and took my braid out from my hair, finger combing my wavy hair.

"Mm. Bella. That hair." Edward all but growled at the door. I giggled. He really, really loved my hair. He walked over to me and threaded his fingers into my hair. "You are so sexy, baby. Let's skip practice." He leaned down and started sucking on my neck. He flipped up my skirt and his fingers slipped into my tankini bottoms.

I started laughing and wriggled back from his grabby hands. "No." I said, still laughing, as I snuck out of the bathroom door and into the bedroom. "Your brother wants us there."

Edward ran after me and wrapped his arms around my stomach. "Well, I want you in here." He whispered into my ear.

"Baby." I whined. "I only have so much will power."

"Mm. I like to hear that." He said, sliding his hands up to caress my breasts. My stomach rumbled and Edward laughed. "Aw. You're hungry. Let's go get you some breakfast. Then you can go watch the big sweaty guys run around in tight pants."

I laughed as we walked downstairs to the kitchen. "Why, Edward Cullen. Are you jealous?" I asked.

He just laughed, but didn't answer. I think I was going to have to show him how much I appreciated his sexy body tonight. Or, could I do something now?

I sat at the kitchen table, and let Edward heat my breakfast for me. He had his back to me watching the waffle through the microwave door. And because he wasn't looking at my face, I figured I could go through with my plan. I cleared my throat.

"Baby, you know the only, um, you know, penis I want to see in tight pants is yours, right?"

I thought I'd make a gesture to Edward. He knew how much I hated that word, but I was willing to sacrifice my embarrassment just to prove to him that it was him that I loved and not some burly teenagers. Because I think that he really was jealous.

Edward spun around with huge smile on his face. That was what I wanted to see, and I was glad that I could bring that sexy smile to his lips. He chuckled. "You said it." He said, sounding way too excited about one word.

The microwave beeped and he took out my waffle, coming over to sit beside me. He set my plate down and the gently cupped my cheek in his hand. "You're so red." He said, leaning in to kiss my lips.

"Well." I said, as if that was a real argument.

"I'm proud of you." He said, cutting my waffle for me and bringing a piece to my lips. I opened my mouth and chewed once he pulled the fork back. "I thought for sure I'd have to wait until we were married."

I covered my mouth and laughed. "That's how much I love you." I said, sounding a little muffled with my hand over my mouth.

"Well, I love you, too." He said, feeding me more of my breakfast. "But, now I'm trying to figure out if I have any tight pants to model for you." I giggled. He was the best. "Oh, wait. I think I still have my baseball pants from high school." He said, looking pretty proud of himself.

"Finally. I'm going to get a fashion show." I said, smiling.

"Mm. Maybe I'll even get my own personal cheerleader." Edward said, smirking at me, and obviously picturing me in some kind of skimpy outfit.

"Does baseball even have cheerleaders?" I asked.

"No, but I was hoping you might want to change that." He said, winking at me.

"Of course." I said, going along with his fantasy. "I wish I could have watched you play in high school. I would have been Maria level of excited."

Edward laughed. "I think my dad has some home movies."

"Oh, we are so watching those." I said, leaning forward to kiss him. "I want to see that hot bum in action."

I adored looking at baby pictures of Edward, so I was really excited to get a chance to see him when he was a teenager. We knew so much about each other, but I still had so much to see and learn. And I knew that Esme would be more than happy to play the movies for me. Plus, I wanted to get my hands on those photo albums, again.


	578. Public Beach

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 578 - Public Beach

Edward and I hurried off to the football field. We made it there only ten minutes after practice started. I was glad we didn't miss much, just warm ups. I smiled when I saw Jasper holding Robbie. I loved that the kids wanted to bring the kitty with them.

"Sorry we're late." I said to Esme, sitting down beside her. "I wanted to get my card and gift for Angie and Ben's engagement put together this morning."

"Oh, don't worry about it, honey." She said, squeezing my hand. "Emmett's just happy that you guys come to watch him."

"Of course." I said, smiling. "I love being here."

Em's practice went well. The boys were kicking today, and I was so impressed at how accurate they all were kicking the balls through the goal posts. Emmett did such a good job, and it made me smile to hear him laugh with the guys. He was definitely in his element.

And my favourite part of practice was how Edward sat behind me and played with my hair for the entire practice. I think he was trying to braid it, or something, as I could feel him gently tugging it, but then he would finger comb it, again.

He would move my hair over my shoulder and then rub my shoulders for a while, before going back to playing with my hair. He was still talking to everyone, participating in the conversation, but he didn't take his hands off of me for the entire two hour practice.

I definitely loved the all the attention from him. After practice, Edward and I ran to the post office. I addressed the package and sent it off to Arizona for Ang.

Edward and I drove to the ocean to wait for the family. Jasper had chosen body boarding at the beach as something he wanted to do with Edward for our last week here. I adored that Edward let his brothers choose. He was an amazing man.

Edward and I laid down on our towels in the sun. We were on our backs, holding hands and just getting in a quick end of summer tan, before everyone else came to join us. They were stopping for lunch, and Jasper was going to drop the kitty off back home.

"What am I going to do without you this evening when you go shopping?" Edward asked, turning his head to look over at me.

"Think about me." I said, smiling.

"Done." He said, smiling back. "What else?"

"Finish your puzzle with Alice." I said, making him chuckle.

"You are so much cooler than me." Edward said.

"I know." I said. "But, I'm willing to put up with you." I teased.

Edward laughed and then rolled over to hug me to his chest. "Why, thank you." He said, before kissing me all over the face. I snuggled my face into his neck, wishing we were somewhere a little more private. "I wish we were in my bed." He whispered.

I laughed. "You just read my mind, I swear." I said.

"We're thinking alike." Edward said. "Now, we just need to start dressing alike, and we'll be an old married couple."

"We should get matching track suits." I said, making him laugh.

"Oh, yeah. For sure. Let's do it." He said. He was smiling, but I was fairly certain that he was dead serious. "Are you going to run with me in the fall?"

"No way." I said. "My job is to just sit there and look pretty. I'm not going to get all sweaty."

Edward smirked. "I happen to think you look very pretty when you're sweaty." He said. "In fact, I think I might make it my personal mission to make you sweaty tonight. Very sweaty." He laughed. "But, I suppose if you don't want to get sweaty with me…"

I laughed and brought my hand up to cover his mouth. "I suppose I can make an exception for you." I said.

He stuck his tongue out and licked my hand so I uncovered his mouth. "Ew." I laughed and Edward laughed with me.

"Since when do you not like being licked?" He asked, raising his eyebrows up and down at me. "I think I have a pretty talented tongue."

I was actually blushing, but mostly because I was turned on by his words. "Show me." I said, leaning my head up to kiss his lips.

Edward smiled, before leaning in to lick my bottom lip. I hummed as Edward started French kissing me. He was definitely showing me how talented his tongue and lips were. I was completely lost in the kiss until I heard Emmett.

"Public beach." He called out from behind us.

Edward sat up and I covered my face with both hands. I was laughing, though, so at least I didn't die of embarrassment. Darn Edward. He was way too appealing. Edward pulled my hands from my face and leaned in to kiss my lips softly.

"Sorry. I take full responsibly for that." He said. I sat up and kissed his lips, again.

"It's okay. I enjoyed that." I said and Edward smiled. I stood up to go join the Cullens for lunch. I looked down at Edward who was still sitting on the towel. "Oh, and by the way, you more than proved how talented your tongue is."

Edward laughed and stood up with me. He took my hand and we walked the ten feet over to Esme and the kids. "So, does that mean you're going to go running with me?" He asked.

I giggled. "I'll try it."

"I'll take that." He said. "It's a deal."

We all had sandwiches for lunch before going over to rent body boards. Quil was working today, and EJ was sitting on the counter, eating a granola bar.

"Hey. It's my favourite customers." Quil said, hopping over the counter to come give me a hug and shake Edward's hand.

"Hey, buddy." Edward said. "EJ."

"How's it going, man?" EJ asked, while Quil got our wetsuits and boards.

"Good. Place seems a little empty without your sister." Edward said.

"Oh, no kidding. She's always been my little shadow, watching me from the beach. And, I liked that because I could keep an eye on her. But, now she's actually got a day job." EJ laughed, shaking his head. "She grew up before I did."

"She's started already?" I asked, smiling. I was so happy for Vanessa for getting the receptionist job at Alice's elementary school. This was going to be so good for her.

"Yeah, they called in her in for a few hours a day this week to get trained on phones and computers. Stuff like that." EJ said, smiling. I could tell he was proud of his baby sister.

"Good for her. I can't wait to hear all about it." I said. But, in all honesty, I was more excited to hear how her and Jake's physical relationship was progressing. I knew Vanessa wanted to move forward with Jake. But because she was young and had been hurt in the past, so Jake was taking things slow with her. Plus, he was a total sweetheart.

"Hey, guys. Bonfire this Friday night." Edward told Quil and EJ, as we pulled our wetsuits on. "Spread the word, okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Vanessa has been talking about it since you two hung out." EJ said to me. "She's between a tie dyed dress and a mesh hoodie and shorts." He said, rolling his eyes, like all big brothers would. Guys. They just didn't get the importance of fashion.

"Awesome." I said. I was actually really excited for our bonfire.

Edward zipped my suit up and spanked my bum, before we all headed out to the ocean. Jasper, Emmett and Edward all started racing each other as they paddled out on their boards. They were all so cute.

Jasper was laughing so hard, and I was so glad that he was having fun with Edward this afternoon. I think us leaving was going to be the hardest on him. I was going to make it my mission to make this move as seamless as possible.

Maria, Rose and I held onto our body boards and floated in the water. "I swear, I would only ever wear this wetsuit because Emmett wants me to." Rose said, making us laugh.

"I know." Maria agreed. "Spandex is not my thing."

I definitely considered the girls to be my friends, now, too. They were not just the girlfriends of Edward's brothers. "The things we do for our guys." I said, making the girls laugh.

And speaking of the crazy outfits I would wear for Edward, I was thinking I might get some kind of cheerleader pompoms for when Edward modeled his baseball pants for me. Tonight's shopping trip with Heidi was going to be interesting.


	579. Things To Do, Places To Go

**A/N - Happy Monday! I seriously can't thank you all enough for your support, even as this story is coming to an end. But not to worry, the sequel is on the way. It is still Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 in the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 579 - Things To Do, Places to Go

The six of us played around in the waves for about an hour. I hung out with the girls for a bit while Edward boarded with his brothers, before we all kind of paired off for a few rides in on our boards as couples.

"Are you having fun?" I asked Edward as we floated together in the water, taking a rest from paddling out.

"I am." He said, smiling. "This is definitely one of my new favourite things to do in Forks."

"Am I one of your favourite things to do in Forks?" I asked, giggling at the shocked look on Edward's face. Honestly, I was surprised my own boldness. But, Edward always made it easy to be myself and feel comfortable.

"Bella, Bella. You never fail to amaze me." He said with a smirk. "There is nothing sexier than dirty words coming from your sweet lips. Oh, and you are my favourite thing to do anywhere, not just in Forks."

I smiled. "You're my favourite thing to do, too, handsome." I swam over to him and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too, gorgeous." He said.

We ended up staying at the beach until three o'clock. Edward picked me a wildflower before we left to head back to my place. Heidi had invited us over for dinner, but I thought it might be fun to surprise her and my dad with dinner. Plus, the sooner we ate dinner, the sooner Heidi and I could go on our mother/daughter shopping trip.

Edward and I stopped at the grocery store for some ground beef and an onion. I decided to make a meatloaf for dinner. When we got home, I put my gorgeous fiancé to work peeling potatoes for the mashed potatoes that I was going to serve as a side dish. I mixed up the beef, an egg, cracker crumbs and the minced onion. I put it in a loaf pan, topped it with ketchup and a little brown sugar, and tossed it in the oven.

I looked up and saw Edward smiling at me. "What's up?" I asked him, going over to wrap my arms around his waist.

"Nothing. I just like watching you in the kitchen. That's all." He said, making me smile. He leaned down to kiss my lips. "You're beautiful."

"Thank you. And you look pretty handsome chopping those potatoes." I added.

He laughed. "Well, I am working pretty hard at it."

I giggled. "I appreciate that." I said, standing up on my toes to kiss his chin. "So much so, that I wanted to ask you if you were up to have a shower with me? I want to wash the sea water off of me before I go out tonight." I said.

"Yes." Edward said, and we both laughed. "I am up."

I giggled and blushed. "I can feel that." I said. I could feel how turned on my fiancé was against my stomach.

"I'm sorry." He laughed. "I can't control my body around you."

"I love that." I said, sliding my hand between us, caressing Edward's body. "I love this."

Edward growled a little. It was so hot, very animalistic. "What about dinner?" He asked as we walked up the stairs to the bathroom.

"The meatloaf is going to be in for a while and we'll start the potatoes when we get out of the shower." I said, tugging Edward's shirt up.

"Such a multitasker." Edward said. We undressed each other and climbed into the warm water. Edward wrapped his body around my back and just held me close to his chest. "How is it possible that I love you more every day?"

"How is it possible that you get sweeter every day?" I asked him and he chuckled in my ear. "But, I know what you mean. You know, about loving you."

"Good. We're even then." He said, dipping his hand down from where it rested on my stomach right between my legs.

"Oh, Edward." I sighed. He had such magic fingers. Edward chuckled, but kept working my body. I was so grateful to be leaning against his chest. Edward held me up as I got my breath back. He was incredible.

We finished our shower, and with a little body wash, I made sure that Edward was well taken care of, before I left for the night. I got dressed in a blue sundress, which Edward loved, and pulled my hair into a ponytail, before we went down to finish dinner.

"What smells so good in here?" My dad called out.

"It's Bella." Edward whispered in my ear. I slapped his stomach, making him laugh, just as my dad and Heidi walked into the kitchen.

"You guys." Heidi said, smiling. "You didn't have to cook."

"Well, we wanted to surprise you." I said. I loved cooking for my dad, and since we were moving at the end of the week, I wanted to spoil him a little.

My dad came over to give me a hug. "Thank you, kiddo." He said, making me smile into his shoulder.

Dinner with the four of us was amazing. The meatloaf was a hit, and the conversation was even better. I think my dad was trying to keep things normal; nothing about us leaving. Edward and I told them about our day at the beach and my dad and Heidi just talked about work and our bonfire permits. And I loved that.

After dinner, Heidi and I bid our boys adieu, before heading out to Port Angeles. "So, what kinky things are we buying tonight?" Heidi asked me on the drive, making me burst out laughing. "What?" She laughed with me. "I know you pretty darn good by now."

"It's funny you should say that, actually." I said. "Edward was talking about me being his cheerleader, so I thought it might be cute to get some pompoms or something."

"You guys are hilarious." She said. "I love your youthful exuberance. And that you are constantly trying new things together."

"We definitely keep things interesting." I said, smiling as I thought of my gorgeous man. I told Heidi about how I was teasing Edward about cutting my hair short, and she smiled over at me.

"We should go to the salon, tonight." She said. "There's one up here that takes walk ins."

"But, would that interfere in our shopping night?" I asked.

"Bella, it's a mother/daughter night, no matter what we do." She said. I seriously loved my step mom.

So, we went with our impromptu plan and started our night off at the salon. An hour and a half later, we walked out of the salon all new women. Heidi had some dark blonde highlights put into her brown hair, and I went a little wild, getting a dark burgundy streak through my chestnut coloured hair, as well as getting a little trim on the ends of my hair.

I absolutely loved my new hair. I had never done anything exciting with it, and I couldn't wait to show Edward. He had truly brought the confident side out in me, and I knew he would love it.

Our next stop was the costume shop. I was only looking for pompoms but, Heidi found a cheerleader costume for me. It consisted of a very short shiny blue pleated skirt and a matching top. The shirt, which was more like a bra, had little cap sleeves, but not much else in the way of material. There would be a lot of cleavage.

"It's blue, which is good." I said, holding the skimpy costume. That was the official colour of the Forks Spartans.

"Oh, just try it on." Heidi said, making me laugh. "Live a little. And it comes with white and blue pompoms."

"Hurrah." I said, winking at her before I went into the change room. I got it on, and laughed. The top barely covered my nipples, and my bum cheeks peeked out of the hem of the skirt. Yeah, Edward would love this.

I took it off and got redressed, before coming out of the change room. "I don't get to see it?" Heidi teased, bumping my shoulder with hers.

"It's a little skimpy." I said.

"Aw. So, you're not getting it?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm getting it." I said. We both laughed as we walked to the checkout.

We spent the rest of the evening browsing through the shops downtown. I found a new black sports bra, in case Edward was serious bout running this fall. Heidi liked it so much, she got one, too.

I also found a new type of panties: the Brazilian low rise brief. They were cut up high on the back, so half of my bum cheeks peeked out the bottom. I couldn't resist getting them in five colours. My Edward was so spoiled.


	580. Past Curfew

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! This chapter covers the end of Tuesday, August 31 and the start of Wednesday, September 1, 2010! We made it to September! Enjoy!**

Chapter 580 - Past Curfew

I absolutely adored Heidi. She was one of the closest friends that I had and I felt so comfortable with her. I was lucky to have her in my life, and I felt even luckier that she married my dad.

We stopped for ice cream sundaes at ten o'clock, when all the shops closed for the night. "So, have you guys started packing, yet?" Heidi asked, as I brought a scoop of strawberry covered vanilla ice cream to my lips.

"No. I think we'll wait until Friday morning." I said.

"Are you worried?" She asked.

"Just for the goodbyes." I said, honestly, making her nod her head in agreement. "I'm excited for Edward and I to move into our own place. The way I look at it, is that we'll be home so much, I'll be okay with the transition."

"It's going to be great, Bella." She said, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. "I'm proud of you."

I smiled at her, loving her even more in that moment. "Plus, I'm going to need help with the wedding planning." I said, making us both squeal in excitement.

"July is going to come quickly." She said, making me smile. "And you are going to be the most beautiful bride."

"Aw. Thank you." I said, smiling as I thought about Edward standing at the end of the aisle waiting for me. "We're already inseparable, but I think it will be nice to make things official, you know?"

"I understand completely." She said, before eating a scoop of her chocolate and vanilla swirl soft serve. "Your dad and I could have just moved in together, but we figured, we wanted to be in each other's lives permanently, so we should get married."

"I'm so glad you did." I told her, honestly. "I've never seen my dad happier. And I just love family dinners, like we had tonight. I love how all four of us get along so well. It's like a dream come true."

"For me, too, Bella." She said. "I mean, this summer, I married my dream man, who just happens to be my boss and my secret crush and I gained a beautiful daughter, and an almost son in law."

I laughed. "I still can't believe you didn't just ask my dad out on a date." I said, teasing her.

"Hey, did you get off your butt and ask Edward out, or did you pine over him for months?" She said, winking at me.

"Good point." I laughed.

After we finished our ice cream, we got back in the car and headed home. We didn't get back to Forks until almost midnight. It was a late night, but I had loved every second of mine and Heidi's time together.

We gathered our shopping bags and headed into the house. I held back a giggle when we found my dad asleep on the couch. I loved that he tried to wait up for us. I kissed his forehead and gave Heidi a hug before heading up to my room.

I knew that Edward was still here at the house, as his car was parked out front. I smiled when I opened my bedroom door. Edward was fast asleep on my bed. He was laying on his stomach and had his arms wrapped tightly around a pillow. And to top off the look, we was only wearing black boxer briefs, the left leg having rode up, giving me a good look at his incredible thigh.

I set my bags down, stripped out of my dress and bra, leaving me in just a pair of purple boy shorts, and crawled into bed with my man. Edward groaned as I pulled my pillow from his grasp, but seemed to settle as I snuggled up to his body.

"Baby." He mumbled, before snuggling his face into my neck. "Smell so good." He said in his sleep and I had to bite my lip so I didn't laugh and wake him up. He must have been out cold for a while, as he didn't wake up at all.

I was still awake from the excitement of my night out with Heidi. So, I used Edward's steady breathing to lull me to sleep. I guess we'd have to play dress up tomorrow. And I couldn't wait to show Edward my new hair.

I had a fabulous dream that night. I usually didn't remember my dreams unless they were nightmares, but this one seemed so real, there was no way that I could have forgotten it. I dreamed of white twinkle lights, the soft fragrance of roses and Edward in a sexy black tux. It was our wedding day. And more than the physical details, I awoke feeling so incredibly happy.

"God, you're beautiful." Edward said, smiling down at me when I opened my eyes. He was laying on his side, propped up on his forearm.

I smiled wider. "Thank you. Good morning, baby."

"Good morning, gorgeous." He said, leaning in to press a soft kiss to my lips. He brought his hand up and ran his fingers through my hair. "I love your hair, baby. You look so sexy with the colour in it."

"Surprise." I said, making him laugh. "So, you really like it?" I asked sitting up and running my fingers through my hair.

"I love it. It brings out your wild side. The side that I know is in there." He said, winking at me and reaching up to smooth his hand down my hair, but kept going over my bare breasts and then my stomach.

"It was Heidi's idea." I said, flopping back down on my pillow.

"Well, I think you look beautiful." He said, straddling my hips. I may have moaned a little, having missed his body on mine.

"What did you do last night?" I asked, closing my eyes as Edward let his hands explore my chest.

"Hung out with your dad for a bit, helped him clean up the kitchen. Then I went home, worked on the puzzle with Alice for a bit, watched some TV with the guys, before I came back here at around ten thirty."

"Ah." I cried, as Edward lightly pinched my nipples. But he just kept talking as if he wasn't driving me crazy, turning me on beyond belief.

"We watched a little TV, but then I came up here at around eleven." He smirked. "I was hoping to get you sweaty last night like I promised. But someone was out past curfew." He winked at me and I giggled.

"Was I?" I asked, trying to act innocent, but gasped when Edward circled his hips. "Edward." I breathed.

He laid down on top of me, resting his arms on either side of my head. "Can you keep quiet?" He whispered.

"No." I said, smiling at his face, looking into his eyes.

He laughed. "I just want to get you off, quickly. We'll save the fun stuff for when the parents go to work."

"Mm." I hummed. "Can't wait."

Edward started moving his hips against me, again. He covered my mouth with his, and kissed me deeply. He just rubbed against me, both of us with our underwear on. It was like what we used to do before we started making love. And it felt so good.

There was a lot of humming and groaning, before we both let go. I pulled my head back from Edward's lips and dropped back on the pillow. Edward started kissing my cheek, down my neck.

"That was an amazing wake up call." I said, smiling as he lapped at my skin.

"I just wanted to show you how much I missed you, pretty girl." He whispered. He rolled off of me and rubbed my side. "Let's go make your dad breakfast and then we can come back up here. I may have a little fashion show planned for you."

I smiled. "Mm. Well, in that case, I may have a little surprise for you."

"Bella, don't tease me." Edward laughed.

Edward and I got dressed and ran down to the kitchen to whip up breakfast. I made the pancakes, while Edward made coffee and set the table. We were an amazing team. And, apparently we impressed my dad and Heidi.

"Two meals in a row." My dad said, after take a drink of coffee. "You're spoiling us."

I laughed. "You're fun to spoil, dad." I said.

"What are you two doing, tomorrow?" He asked Edward and I. "Heidi and I are taking tomorrow off. We thought you might want to, what do you kids call it, hang out?"

Edward laughed. "We're free all afternoon. We're going on a triple date with my brothers in the evening, but yeah. Hanging out would be great."


	581. Eddie and Isabella

**A/N - Happy Wednesday! It's Wednesday, September 1, 2010 in the story. Thank you all so, so much for your support for the story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 581 - Eddie and Isabella

"You're hair looks nice, kiddo." My dad said, as he strapped his gun belt on at the front door. "Purple suits you." He said, making me laugh.

"It's burgundy, Charlie." Heidi said from the doorway. My dad just shook his head and chuckled to himself.

"Thank you, daddy." I said, giving him a hug. "You guys have a safe day at work. I love you."

Edward and I waved when 'the parents,' as Edward called them this morning, went to work. "Well, little lady." Edward said, after he shut and locked the front door. "We have two hours until football practice. Up for a little show?"

I giggled and I'm sure I was flushed. "Absolutely." I said.

"I love that you're blushing. You've seen it all before, sugar." Edward said as we walked up the stairs.

"Oh, I know. And I love what I see." I said, slapping his bum over his plaid sleep pants he'd slipped on for breakfast.

When we got to my room, Edward grabbed his duffle bag and slipped into the bathroom. I laughed at the way he held it to his chest as if I was going to peek. I locked my bedroom door behind him and pulled the cheerleading outfit from the shopping bag under my desk.

I stripped off my clothes and pulled on a pair of my new Brazilian panties, in blue satin. I figured I'd give him the new panties and the cheerleader outfit all at once. I pulled on the 'shirt' and the tiny skirt. I walked up to the mirror and giggled at myself. I was crazy. But, I was in love. So crazy just came naturally, I figured.

I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, and was just reaching for my lip gloss when the doorknob shook. "Baby?" Edward called out.

"Just a sec." I said, smooshing my lips together. I grabbed the pompoms and then unlocked the door. I set my hands on my hips as Edward opened the door.

The smile on his face was worth all of the embarrassment of telling Heidi about this fantasy and buying this costume in Port Angeles last night. Edward was thrilled. "Go Spartans." I said, shaking my pompoms.

Edward laughed, and came over to wrap me in his arms, pulling me to his chest. "You are as sexy as hell." He said, pulling back to look at my outfit again, same goofy grin on his face. "Shit, baby."

I laughed, but bit my lip as I took in the gorgeous man in front of me. Edward was wearing his full baseball uniform, grey pinstriped and blue. From the jersey, to the very tight pants that went just below his knees, and even the tall socks. He had on grey running shoes and a baseball cap.

Edward was beyond hot, and I was so, so, so turned on. "Baby, you look amazing." I breathed.

"I'm torn between wanting to stare at you, and wanting to show you how much I love this outfit." Edward said, setting his hands on my sides. "Can you do a little turn for me?"

I laughed. "Okay. Sit on the bed." Edward smiled and sat down, his legs spread wide apart. I stood in front of him and did a very slow turn until I was facing him, again.

"Very hot." He said, reaching up to set his big hands on my bare sides, scooting me a little closer. His hands slid back and down until he had his hands on my bum cheeks. "Are you wearing panties?"

"Well, why don't you take a peek?" I suggested, earning a huge smirk from him.

He used his hands to turn me around so my back was to him. I looked over at my shoulder at his face as he lifted my skirt. He hummed, and his eyes flicked up to meet mine. "These are new." He said, tracing the elastic with his fingertip across my bum cheeks.

"I bought them in five colours just for you." I said, winking at him, and making him groan louder. "Yellow, black, green, pink and these blue ones."

"Perfect." He said, ducking his head down to kiss my bum cheek. "Can I take them off?"

I laughed. "No way." I said, stepping away from him, and out of his grasp. "I was promised a fashion show, and it's my turn to stare."

Edward chuckled and stood up. I sat down on the bed and Edward walked over to me, looking down. "I'm just going to be honest, here, and admit that I can see right down your top."

I laughed. "I know. Isn't it slutty?" I said, covering my chest with my pompoms.

"It's amazing, as long as I'm the only man that ever sees you dressed like this." Mm. Possessive Edward. He reached down and pulled my hands from my chest, and set them on his hips.

And of course, being the girl that I was, so in love with his bum, I had to touch it. I dropped my pompoms on the floor and grabbed a hold of his bum cheeks. "You look so hot in this outfit." I said, rubbing my hands all over his bum. "You wanna pretend we're in high school?"

"Yeah." He said, smiling. "Let's say that I was named MVP in the year end tournament, which we won."

"Mm. And I'll be the cheerleader that's had my eye on you all season." I said, standing up to run my hands over his chest. "But I was too shy to say anything."

"But don't think I haven't noticed Isabella." Edward said, winking at me. "So when the game was over, I ran over to you, and just leaned down and planted a sloppy kiss to your lips."

I giggled as Edward leaned in and kissed me. "Then what happened, Eddie?" I asked, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair that was peeking out from under his baseball cap.

"Then, I tell you that my parents are out of town for the weekend." Edward said, chuckling a little. "And I invite you over to just hang out, maybe watch some TV."

"But you have something else in mind, don't you, captain of the baseball team." I said, smiling up at his face.

"Yeah. I ask you if you want to see my room, and you agree, so we've just come upstairs."

"Wow, Eddie." I said, twirling my hair around my fingers. "I love your purple bedspread."

Edward burst out laughing. He leaned in and whispered into my ear. "If we're pretending, let's pretend we're in my room."

I laughed. "Sorry." I said, biting my lip. "I've never been in boy's bedroom before." I said, batting my eyelashes up at him.

"Now, you know I don't believe that, Isabella." Edward said, lifting me up. I screamed and reached to pull my skirt down. "I've heard the rumours in the locker room." He said, setting me on the bed, before standing back up to take off his cap and pull his jersey over his head.

"Those are just rumours, Eddie." I said, biting on my fingertip. "I'm a virgin."

"Mm. Isabella. How about we change that tonight?" He asked, reaching down to trail his fingers from my ankle up my shin, over my knee, along my thigh and right between my legs. I moaned as he ran his thumb over my panties.

"Yes, Eddie. I've been waiting for you." I whispered. Edward toed his running shoes off and then unzipped his pants, yanking them and his boxer briefs down. I gasped and covered my eyes, giggling.

"What, Isabella?" He asked, uncovering my eyes. "Haven't seen a naked man before?"

"No." I said, biting my lip, again. He took my hand in his and set them between his legs.

I stroked him a little, and smiled when he dropped his head back. "God, Isabella." He breathed. We may have been role playing, but it was clear that we were both enjoying ourselves.

Edward moved my hand aside and was about to get in bed with me when I stopped him. "Wear your baseball cap." I said, and Edward smiled as he put his hat back on.

He climbed on the bed and I rolled over beside him, pressing my boobs against his chest. "Isabella. You are the prettiest cheerleader at school." He hummed, before ducking his head down to kiss my chest, as his hands explored my body. He pulled my panties down, but left the skirt on.

"Eddie, I'm nervous." I whispered in his ear.

Edward got up on his knees between my legs and turned his baseball cap around backwards. "Just relax, baby. I'm going to make you feel so good."


	582. Luckiest Man

**A/N - I was so happy to read all of your amazing reviews on last chapter! It was a fun chapter to write, for sure. Thank you. Enjoy!**

Chapter 582 - Luckiest Man

For a guy that was the star of his high school baseball for four years, you would think Edward would wear a baseball cap more often. He looked so sexy wearing his. And right now, he was kissing his way up my body after making me see stars, his hat still on backwards.

Edward pressed a kiss to my lips. "This is fun." I whispered in his ear, breaking character for a minute.

He smiled at me, and kissed me, again. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." He said. "Do you think Isabella and Eddie should go all the way?"

I giggled. "Not today. But I want Bella and Edward to make love, right now." I said, knocking Edward's hat off.

"Mm. I love how you think. Can I make love to my fiancé in her cheerleader costume? Or, is that weird?" He asked.

I laughed. "The last hour was weird. We're weird. So, yes, you can." I said, before kissing his lips.

"Good girl." He said, leaning over for a condom. "I can't believe you bought this outfit for me." Edward ran his fingertips along the low neckline of the cheerleader top. "I swear, I am the luckiest man alive."

I reached up and patted his cheek. "You remember that." I said, and he laughed.

"Why? Are you planning to do something that's going to make me question that?" He teased, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"No." I said, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. "What if I have a bad day and I'm cranky, or something?"

"Aw, baby girl." Edward said, running his fingers along my cheek. "You're allowed to have bad days. Plus, you're cute when you're cranky, anyway." He said, laughing.

I opened my mouth in shock. "Since when have you seen me cranky?" I asked. "I'm always happy."

Edward laughed. "It's rare, but it happens." He said, reaching down to rub his hand on my bum. He patted it lightly. "But, lets get back to the part where I'm the luckiest man alive."

I giggled as Edward rolled over on top of me, kissing my face, my neck, my shoulders. I was so incredibly happy in that moment.

Edward made love to me, nice and slowly. I loved this feeling. Nothing could beat the sensation, both physically and emotionally, of being loved this much by the man that you had given your heart to.

Edward kissed my forehead and pulled me close to his chest. He rubbed his hand up and down my back. "Baby?" He asked and I hummed. "You had a huge smile on your face this morning when I woke you up. Do you remember what you were dreaming about?"

"Yeah." I smiled again, just thinking about my amazing dream. "It was our wedding." I told him. Edward pulled back a little to look into my eyes, a huge smile on his face. "And it was amazing. I was so happy."

"Yeah?" He asked, glowing like he always did when wedding talk came up. "Tell me everything." I giggled and then proceeded to fill him in on everything I could remember from my dream, the flowers, the lights, his beautiful face.

"Wow. That sounds incredible." Edward said. "Write it all down and we'll make it happen, beautiful." He said, kissing my lips, softly, sweetly. "It's going to be your dream wedding."

"Aw, Edward." I whispered, tears in my eyes. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and squeezed him. "I love you."

Edward chuckled, and rubbed my back, until I let go of his neck. "You're an excited little boa constrictor, aren't you?" He teased, stealing another kiss.

I laughed. "I am." I said, leaning in to bite his earlobe. "I love you, so much." I said. "Let's go have a shower." I said.

Edward and I showered and got ready for football practice. I pulled on some navy blue sweat shorts and a white tank top.

"Which panties are you wearing under there?" Edward asked, walking into my room after shaving. "I missed."

I giggled and pulled my shorts down, giving him a peek. "It's another pair of the Brazilians."

"Mm. Neon green." Edward said, smiling. "I love them."

I pulled my shorts up, and turned around, setting my hands on Edward's hips. He was wearing his camo shorts, my favourites on him, and a grey t-shirt. He looked gorgeous. "So, what's the plan for today, handsome?"

"Uh, just practice, then I think Em said just hanging out at home, watching movies, and stuff." Edward said.

"That sounds so good to me." I said, kissing Edward's chin. "A certain sexy baseball player wore me out. I'm exhausted."

Edward chuckled. "I can't wait to snuggle with you on the couch all day."

"Me, neither."

We had a half hour before practice, so I whipped up a batch of chocolate Chex mix for the boys. I knew it was Emmett's favourite and Edward was just talking about me making that treat for him in our new apartment.

"See how lucky how I am?" Edward said, washing the dishes for me. "You are the best, Bella."

"Well, I think we're pretty even, babe." I said, bumping his hip with mine. "Look at you, washing the dishes without even being asked. I'm very impressed."

"Mm." Edward hummed, drying his hands. "I love an impressed girl." He said, lifting his eyebrows up and down. Such a guy.

I took my Tupperware container of Chex mix and Edward's hand, and we headed to practice. As usual, I completely enjoyed myself. Alice sat on Edward's lap and I was reunited with my kitten, who seemed to be under Jasper's care all week.

I didn't mind in the least though. If the kids wanted to keep him for this week, that was fine with me. I knew they took excellent care of him, and they'd probably really miss him once Edward and I went back to Seattle.

I had an idea, but I'd have to talk to Esme, Carlisle and Edward about it first. I thought it might be cool if Edward and I could take the kids to a cat rescue in Seattle, and let them pick out a kitten. Jasper was so amazing with Robbie, and I knew he could give a kitty a good home.

Esme had mentioned that she and Carlisle had been thinking about getting the kids a pet, but I wasn't sure when they planned to do that, and if they even had a kitten in mind. But I definitely thought the move would be easier on the kids this way.

My cell phone rang interrupting my thoughts. It was Vanessa. I smiled as I answered the call. "Well, if it isn't my beautiful, newly employed friend." I said, making Vanessa laugh.

"Hey, Bella. I'm on my coffee break. Please say you're free tonight. I've only been at work for half a week, and I already need a break. You wanna go dancing with me, Jake, EJ and Gianna tonight?"

"Maybe late tonight." I said. "I have a movie and video game date with all of my Cullens today."

"For sure. I can stay up really late. What about nine? She asked.

"Sounds good. Just let me ask Edward." I said, covering the phone with my hand. I leaned in to whisper in Edward's ear. "Dancing with Vanessa and Jake tonight? Nine o'clock?"

Edward smiled at me and nodded in the affirmative. I smiled. I was giddy. I loved my friends. "Vanessa?" I said. "It's a go."

I had to hold my phone away from my ear as she squealed, obviously excited. "Hey, now don't get fired." I teased. Edward looked over at me and smiled.

"Oh, I'm taking my break outside." She said. "I'm an outdoorsy girl raised on beach. It's hard for me to be indoors."

"Understood." I said, smiling at her amazing free spirit. "I'll see you tonight."

"Awesome." She said.

"Oh, and Ness. I want all the details on you and Jake." She agreed, through giggles. Oh, she totally had something to share.


	583. Family and Love

**A/N - Happy Friday! It is still Wednesday, September 1, 2010 in the story! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 583 - Family and Love

After football practice, we all headed back over to the Cullen house with Rose and Maria in tow. I thought it was going to be a fun day, just hanging out, watching movies, playing video games and being kids. I told Emmett about the Chex mix and he gave me a huge hug. I loved spoiling these boys.

So, as planned, we all flopped on the couches in the family room and had a movie marathon. Two action movies, a romantic comedy and one horror slipped in by Emmett. The Chex mix was devoured and Esme brought in sandwiches, cookies and orange juice for lunch.

I savoured the feeling of Edward's arms around me all day, his chest pressed to my back, his hand on my stomach. Every so often, he would press a kiss to my hair, or my shoulder. I loved every second.

Just before dinner, we moved the party downstairs, and started playing video games. When Carlisle got home, I took Edward's hand and pulled him upstairs. Esme and Carlisle were sitting at the kitchen table when we walked in.

"Can I call a family meeting?" I asked, making everyone laugh.

"Of course you can, sweetheart." Esme said, reaching over to pat my hand after we sat down at the table with them.

"Okay, I don't want to be presumptuous, or anything, but I was thinking that maybe Edward and I could get the kids a kitten." I said. I looked over at Edward and he smiled at me.

During a bathroom break between movies, when Edward and I both went up to his room, I ran my kitten adoption idea past him, and he loved it. He thought Jasper would be thrilled. And I got a nice long, sexy kiss from Edward for thinking of the kids.

"I think that's a great idea, Bella." Carlisle said, smiling at us. "The kids have had so much fun with your Robert this summer. They have shown they can be very responsible, and even Alice likes to help."

"I sort of thought maybe when you guys come up to visit in Seattle for the first time, we could take them to a shelter and let them pick out a kitten." I said. "I thought it might make Edward moving out a lot easier on the kids."

"Aw, sweetie." Esme said, getting up to give us both a hug. "I love how much you care about them." She said, kissing the top of my head.

"You can tell them tonight, if you'd like." Carlisle said. I was so excited. I knew all three of them would love to have a pet of their own.. Plus Robbie would be getting a little cousin to play with. I figured, a family couldn't have too many kittens.

At dinnertime, my dad and Heidi showed up with pizza. I was happy to be spending so much time with everyone I loved. This was what families did, and this summer was all about family and love, so it was definitely a nice way to end it.

After dinner, Rose and Maria's mom came to pick them up. We went out back and played Frisbee. Edward even wrapped his arms around me to show me how to throw.

I started laughing so hard when he did it, I could barely concentrate. "Bella." Edward whined, even though he was laughing with me. It was one of those clichéd moments that you saw in movies. I loved it. Edward was just too cute for words.

I finally got myself together and threw the Frisbee, which Emmett caught. Edward wrapped his arms around my stomach and gave me a tight hug. "You are so pretty when you laugh." He whispered in my ear. I turned my head up to look at his face and he leaned down to kiss my lips.

One of my favourite qualities about Edward was that he always told me what he was thinking. Like, he wouldn't just smile when he saw me laugh, he would actually tell me that he liked my laugh, or that I was pretty. It was amazing and always made me feel beautiful.

Esme and Heidi brought out a couple of boxes of fudgesicles and we all sat around at the picnic tables. I squeezed Edward's thigh and I looked up at his eyes. I wanted him to tell Emmett, Jasper and Alice about the kitten.

Edward winked at me, and then cleared his throat. "Okay, guys. Bella and I have a surprise for you." He said.

"What is it?" Alice asked, jumping off the bench and hopping up and down. She looked so excited.

"Well, Bella and I are going back to Seattle this Saturday, but we were hoping that you guys would come visit us the next weekend." Edward continued.

Jasper smiled, and I could tell that he was excited about coming to visit his brother so soon. "Why, what's going on in Seattle next weekend?" Emmett asked, obviously trying to figure out the surprise.

"Bella and I are taking you to get…" Edward started, but then stopped, dragging it out. I was laughing and Alice was bounding around the yard. I couldn't wait to see this girl at Christmas.

"What are we getting?" She asked. "Tell us."

Edward chuckled. "Your very own kitten." He announced.

Alice screamed and started running around the yard. "Really?" Jasper asked. He had the biggest smile on his face. He looked so excited.

"Really." Edward said, reaching across the table to high five both of his brothers.

"Awesome." Emmett said. "We're going to train him to do all sorts of stuff." I laughed. Teenaged boys were such interesting creatures. I loved that they were all so excited about their surprise.

Jasper got up to give Edward a hug. It was so sweet. He turned and wrapped his long arms around me. "Thank you, Bella." He said, quietly.

"You're so welcome, Jasper." I said, kissing his cheek. This was exactly what I wanted. Happy kids. Not sad ones that didn't want us to move, but Cullens that were looking forward to coming to visit us. I think my plan worked.

At eight thirty, after we finished our ice cream, I got a ride home with my dad and Heidi so I could get ready for dancing with Ness. Edward stayed home to get ready.

"I'll be over in about a half hour to pick you up for our date." He whispered in my ear before I left. "Wear something skimpy."

I laughed. "Any suggestions?"

"I trust your judgement." He said, winking at me.

"So, you guys are buying another kitten, huh?" My dad asked, laughing as we drove home.

"Yeah. I just don't want anyone to be sad when we leave on Saturday. I'm trying to distract them." I admitted.

"Are you going to buy me a kitten?" My dad asked me.

"Aw, daddy." I said.

"I'll be his kitten." Heidi said, and both she and my dad laughed.

I blushed and covered my ears. "Ew." I whined, and I heard my dad and Heidi laugh louder. "I'm so glad I'm going out tonight."

Heidi giggled and wrapped her arm around me. "We're just teasing you." She said, kissing my cheek. I had the coolest parents. I loved that they treated me like an adult, though. The three of us had an amazing relationship.

I ran up to my room to look through my closet for something sexy to wear tonight. I pulled out a few different dresses and laid them on my bed. I wanted something soft and flowy. I smiled as I picked up my black and white dress that I had bought for Edward's birthday. It was the shortest dress I owned. And I could wear it without a bra.

I pulled on my new black panties and slid the dress over my head. I brushed out my hair, leaving it long and straight for tonight. I wiped my face and put on fresh makeup, dark liner and shiny lips. I slipped on my black flats so my feet wouldn't hurt.

I heard the doorbell as I spritzed on some perfume. I smiled. I loved that Edward wanted to pick me up for our dancing date tonight. It was so cute, and it felt like back at the beginning of the summer, when we still slept apart.

I hurried down the stairs and smiled when I saw my man standing at the front door. He was wearing dark wash jeans, shiny black shoes, a white polo shirt. And, he was holding a little bunch of pink gerbera daisies. He looked amazing.

Edward looked up and smiled at me. I think he liked what I picked out for an outfit. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, Edward reached out and set his hand on my hip, leaning down to kiss my lips.

"You look beautiful, baby." He said, before passing me the flowers.

"Thank you." I said, smiling at him. I brought the flowers up to my nose, before tracing the petals on my lips. I looked up at Edward, watching his eyes. He was fixated on my lips. I smiled. This was going to be a fun night out.


	584. Overprotective

**A/N - Happy Saturday! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 584 - Overprotective

I had been so captivated by Edward, and his flowers and his obvious desire for me, that I hadn't noticed my dad and Heidi. I looked to my right and saw my dad and Heidi standing in the doorway from the kitchen watching us, with their arms wrapped around each other.

"Have you got a jacket, or something. A hoodie, maybe?" My dad asked me. "You look cold."

Heidi laughed, and slapped his arm. "Charlie, she's a grown woman, now."

"Well, she's still my little girl, Dee." He said, defending himself.

Edward and I both laughed. I tried to play it cool, but I was sure my cheeks were pink. I sort of forgot that I'd have to walk past my dad in this sexy outfit to get to Edward.

"I won't take my eyes off of her, Charlie." Edward said, walking over to my dad to shake his hand. My dad patted Edward's shoulder and I laughed as Heidi rolled her eyes. The two men in my life were overprotective, but I loved that they cared so much about me. I was a lucky girl.

Heidi offered to put my flowers in water, and I gave my dad a hug, before we headed out. "Don't wait up." I teased, and my dad chuckled, but shook his head at me. It was probably a good thing he didn't have custody of me as a teenager. He would have had grey hair already from worrying so much about me.

Edward opened the car door for me and I slid in, happily accepting a kiss on the lips from him before he closed the door and ran around to the drivers side. He got in and started laughing.

"What?" I asked, smiling over at him.

"You look so sexy, baby." He said, reaching over to rub my bare thigh. "I honestly thought your dad was going to send you upstairs to change into sweats."

I giggled. "I know. Really, I was just trying to put on the sexiest thing I owned for you. I sort of forgot about how we had to leave out the front door." I admitted.

"Well, we made it." He said. He started the car and pulled out towards the bar. "And, sugar. I wasn't lying about keeping my eye on you."

"Oh, I know you weren't." I said, smiling over at him.

We got to the bar and true to his word, Edward had his arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders as we walked in. I laughed, looking up at Edward's face. "Baby, I can hardly walk."

"Should I just carry you?" He asked, before leaning down to kiss my lips. "I love you."

I smiled. Who needed to walk in straight line? I had the sexiest man in the room wrapped around me. "I love you, too."

We walked in and I saw Jake and Vanessa at a booth. Jake was taking off his jacket, so they must have just arrived, as well. When Vanessa saw me, she jumped up and ran over to give me a huge hug. I smiled when I saw her. She was wearing a long tie dyed dress that reached her feet. She looked gorgeous.

"Thank you so much for coming out with us, tonight. I've missed you." She said, smiling. "Oh, and I have so much to tell you." She winked at me, and I laughed. I was excited to hear about her and Jake's relationship. Girls like gossip, what could I say?

"What can I get you girls to drink?" Edward asked.

"Something slushy and fruity." Vanessa said.

"Oh, me, too." I said, making Edward smile.

Edward leaned into my ear. "I'm not taking my eyes off you, baby." He pulled back and winked. My baby was so protective. But, I guess I couldn't blame him. This place was packed, tonight.

"And take Jake with you." Vanessa said, making me laugh. She wanted to gossip, right now. Jake shook his head at us and slid out of the booth, going over to the bar with Edward. And true to his word, Edward watched me from the bar. I loved that man.

"So?" I asked. "How are things going with you and Jake?"

She leaned in to whisper in my ear. "We still haven't done it." She said. "I talked to Jake about it, and he said that he still wants us to take our time. But, we're trying new things. Oh, and I followed your suggestion. I asked Jake if he would let me practice on him, you know with the condoms."

I giggled, covering my mouth with my hand. "So, you got him naked, huh?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah. And he is so big, Bella." She said, making me blush. "Like the cucumber was pretty accurate."

"Oh, my God." I laughed. "Too much information."

"What?" She said, bumping my shoulder with hers. "I needed someone to tell. I have to gush. My man is packing."

I was sure I bright red, but I giggled. Vanessa did need someone to talk to, and I was so touched that she chose me. "Fine. Keep going." I said.

"Okay. So, we were hanging out at his place, last night, and I climbed on his lap. We were making out, and I moved my hips against his. And he made the sexiest growling noise." Vanessa said, giggling. "Anyway, so I pulled my t-shirt off and let's just say that Jake has an incredibly talented mouth."

We both giggled together. "Do I even want to know?" We looked up and I smiled when I saw Jake and Edward standing in front of us.

"No, Jake. Probably not." I said, giggling. Edward set my drink in front of me and slid in the booth beside me.

"It's a virgin peach bellini." Edward said, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"Thank you, babe." I said, turning my face to kiss his lips. I sat back in my seat and Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder. He smelled so good. I picked up my glass and took a long drink. I groaned. It was so good.

Edward reached over and tipped my chin up, pressing a long kiss to my lips. He hummed, before sliding his tongue along my lips. I opened my mouth and we started making out, right there at the booth. There was something about the atmosphere here, that made me not care about the embarrassment normally tied to public displays of affection.

Edward pulled back slowly, a huge smile on his face. "You taste like peaches." He whispered, stealing a couple more soft kisses.

"Nice work, man." I laughed and turned around, to see EJ and Gianna sliding into the booth. Gianna looked very sexy, in a black body hugging tube dress.

"So, the golfer's a good kisser, huh, Bella?" She asked, making me laugh. When we had met Gianna last month, she had been our waitress, and she guessed that Edward was going golfing based on his drink order. I guess the nickname stuck.

"He's an amazing kisser." I said, reaching over to rub my hand on Edward's leg. I looked up at Edward and he was smiling at me. He winked, giving me butterflies.

We all sat together, finishing our drinks. "So, I can only say until eight for your bonfire." Gianna said. "I have to work. You know, Friday nights, busy."

"Oh, that's cool." Edward said. "I'm just glad you can be there." I noticed Edward always got a little nervous when he talked to Gianna. I mean she was gorgeous, so I guess that made sense. I was never jealous, because I knew Edward loved me, but it was sort of weird for me at the same time.

"I have to go to the bathroom." I whispered in Edward's ear. He nodded and slid out of the booth and took my hand, leading me to the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" He asked, as we walked through the crowd. Edward knew me pretty well, though, so he could probably tell there was something on my mind.

"Um, yeah." I said, smiling up at his face.

I went into the bathroom and looked at my reflection as I washed my hands. I thought I looked really pretty tonight. I was never going to be one of those voluptuous, curvy girls, like Gianna. I hated getting those feelings of insecurity. It happened to everyone, though, I figured. I didn't want that to get in the way of our night out, but it was nagging at the back of my mind.

I walked out of the bathroom, and Edward took my hand, again. "Come here for a minute." He said, leading me outside. It was loud, dark and crowded inside, and I figured Edward wanted to talk. He hated secrets.

We stepped out front and Edward leaned against the building. I figured I'd just get it out there. "Um, are you attracted to Gianna?"


	585. Insecurities and Full Hands

**A/N - Wow! I was overwhelmed by the response to last chapter! I think I might need to write cliffies more often! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 585 - Insecurities and Full Hands

"What?" Edward asked, looking completely shocked and caught off guard by my question about Gianna. "I love you, Bella. I'm attracted to you."

"I know that, Edward. And I love you, too."

"Then what the hell?" He asked, reaching up and running his hands through his hair.

"Please don't get upset, Edward. I-"

"Well, how am I supposed to react, Bella. Jesus." Edward let out a deep breath and pushed himself off of the wall, taking a couple of steps away from me, before turning back. He shook his head, letting out another breath.

I shut my eyes and dropped my head back against the wall. I felt horrible. Edward obviously interpreted my own insecurity as doubt for how he felt about me. I actually felt like I might get sick.

I felt Edward's hands on my hips and opened my eyes. "Bella. I'm sorry. I'm being an ass." He said, softly. "I just have no idea what you're trying to say to me."

"I just think Gianna's really pretty. I mean, she has a really great body, and I don't know. I guess, I don't feel like I measure up. And on top of that, you just seem to act a little differently around her." I said, hoping that I explained how I felt.

Edward reached up and cradled my face in his hand, before leaning in to press a soft kiss to my lips. "I really sorry if I've ever made you feel that way, Bella." He said. "I feel really bad, actually."

"Why? It's not your fault. I just made this whole thing up in my head. And I ruined our night out." I said, looking down.

"Bella, you haven't ruined anything. You are the only one I care about. Look. Gianna reminds me of Jessica, okay." Edward blurted out. "She's confident and flirty, and I know it's stupid and really insecure of me to feel that way, but when she talks to me, I feel like a little uneasy.

"And I know that is very judgemental of me, and I'm sure she's not at all like Jessica. But it's girls like her that made push away the idea of being in a relationship, again." Edward continued. "So, if I'm acting weird around her, it's not because I'm attracted to her. It's quite the opposite, actually."

I wanted to get mad at Edward for keeping this to himself. He was always on me to talk about things when they bothered me, yet he rarely opened up to me unless I prodded him. But, at the same time, I understood where he was coming from. I knew how hard he had taken his break up with Jessica, his ex-girlfriend from high school.

Honestly, Edward was a very introverted guy. And he was very insecure most of the times we had run into Jessica this summer. I just wished that he would have talked to me about how he felt about Gianna.

I nodded my head, trying to soak in all the information Edward had just laid on me. "I'm so sorry, Bella." He said, pulling me into his arms. He was squeezing me hard, and I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head. It felt desperate. "I hate that my insecurities make you doubt yourself. Because, angel, you are the only woman in the world that matters to me. I promise you that."

I tilted my head back and smiled up at his face. "Thank you for telling me that. Sharing your feelings with me." I said. And I meant it. "I'm truly sorry for making an issue about this, though."

"Baby girl, you know you can tell me anything." He said, and I raised my eyebrow at him. He chuckled. "And as soon as I'm done being a jerk, I'll talk to you about it." He said, and I laughed.

"You're not a jerk." I said, rubbing his back. "I just caught you off guard. I shouldn't have phrased it that way. I was feeling a little insecure, that's all."

"Bella Swan, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on. And you have a very sexy body." He said, making me smile, as he moved his hands from my back, down to my hips. "I feel like I should just take you home and show you how much I adore you. I want to worship you, baby."

I hummed, pressing against Edward's body. "I know how you feel about me, Edward. I never doubted that." I told him. "Just a crazy girl thing, I guess." I said, shrugging my shoulders, trying to laugh it off.

"No." He said, shaking his head. "You're not crazy. Everyone gets insecure. I obviously do."

"Don't change, babe." I said, standing on my toes to kiss his chin. "I love you. You are a sweet, sensitive and caring man."

"I love you, too, sugar." He said. "What do you say? Should we get back inside?"

"Yeah, everyone is probably wondering where we are." I said. "Um, what are we going to tell them?"

"We'll just tell them that we needed some air." He said, patting his hand on my bum. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I always feel good when we talk about things." I said. "So, thank you for that."

"Of course." He said, leaning down to kiss me. "Let's go dance."

Edward took my hand and led me back inside. Edward led me to the dance floor, where EJ and Gianna were locked in a hot kiss. Vanessa was in her own world, just moving to the music. And Jake was holding her hand, looking lost and a little out of place. It was so cute.

Edward wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding my hips in his hands. He was moving behind me, dancing, and I just used his body to move against. I wasn't a hundred percent confident with dancing, yet, but if I had Edward behind me, I didn't really mind it.

"Not dancing?" Edward asked Jake, teasing him.

"I'm waiting for the slow songs." He said, winking at us. I laughed. I could totally relate to how he felt. Until Edward showed to me how to dance, I was just as uncomfortable as Jake was on the dance floor.

Luckily for Jake, the next song was slower. He pulled Vanessa's hand, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. She grabbed his bum with both hands and pushed his body into hers. I had to laugh at the shocked look on Jake's face. Vanessa was a real firecracker. Jake definitely had his hands full with her, that was for sure.

I turned in Edward's arms and set my hands up on his shoulders. Edward smiled down at me as we slowing rocked back and forth. He was so gorgeous, so perfect. Perfect for me. So, I got a little crazy sometimes. It happened. But Edward was always so understanding, so loving, so reassuring.

What was life without a little drama? But we had both let it go, and were determined to have a good night. Edward just look relieved that I was okay and I didn't make too big of deal out of my insecurities.

He leaned down and kissed my lips. "So, what were you and Vanessa talking about, earlier?" He whispered in my ear.

I giggled and shook my head. "Never mind." I said, making him laugh.

"That bad, huh?" He asked, moving his thumbs back and forth on my hips. I bit my lip and nodded my head. Edward smiled. "Sex?" He asked, and I nodded, again, before I burst out laughing.

He laughed with me and I felt so warm, so happy. "Just girl talk, baby." I said, patting his shoulder, and he smiled. "And not to worry. It was all about Jake, anyway."

"And why wouldn't I worry about that?" He asked, winking at me.

"Well, you shouldn't. You're the hottest, sexiest man I know." I said, pushing my body closer to his. He laughed and took my hand, before twirling me around. I screamed and reached down to flatten my very short skirt against my body.

Vanessa giggled at me, and ran over to take my hands, just as the music sped up. "I love your panties." She whisper screamed in my ear. I laughed and covered my face with my hand. "What? They're cute."

"They're new." I laughed. "I have them in five colours."

"Awesome. You'll have to tell me where you got them, later." She said.

She lifted my hands up over my head and started dancing with me. I really wasn't a good dancer, but I tried to keep up. I missed Edward's hands on my body, and as if he could tell, he danced over and set his hand on my stomach. I looked up at his face and he smiled down at me.

Jake followed Edward's lead and wrapped his arms around Vanessa. She giggled and scratched her nails along his arms. Oh, yeah. Poor Jake had his hands full with Vanessa. But, I had never seen him look happier.


	586. Girlie Drinks and Masculine Men

**A/N - Happy Monday! Thank you all so, so much for reading and reviewing! I truly appreciate it! It is the evening of Wednesday, September 1 in the story, and early, early morning Thursday, September 2, 2010. Enjoy!**

Chapter 586 - Girlie Drinks and Masculine Men

EJ and Gianna joined us and the six of us danced, or tried to dance, for the next hour. It was fun, and I was glad that my little freak out about Gianna earlier didn't affect the good time we were having. In fact, Edward seemed a lot more comfortable around Gianna, than he had previously.

Jake bought us another round of drinks, and this time, Ness and I had strawberry margaritas. Edward had a coke and sat beside me with his arm draped over my shoulder. He kept leaning in to drink my margarita from my straw.

I giggled every time he did it. "Why don't you just go order one?" I said, laughing harder when Edward pinched my side.

"Because it's a girlie drink." Edward whispered in my ear, before sucking on my earlobe.

"Guys." I said, and everyone looked up at us. "Is this a girlie drink?"

"Um, yeah." Jake said, smiling at us.

"Anything that's fruity, pretty, sweet and slushy is usually considered to be a girlie drink." Gianna said.

"What the hell?" EJ said. "Why should girls get all the good drinks, and the guys are stuck with the bitter, sour tasting crap?"

"It's all about your image." Vanessa said, sticking her red dyed tongue out at her big brother. "You guys always have to look so tough. You really need to loosen up."

"Well, what do you say guys?" Edward said. "I know I'm a man. Should we order a round of girlie drinks? My treat." I giggled. Edward was so cute and fun.

"What the heck." Jake said. "Put me down for a Tequila Sunrise. I've always wanted to try one of those."

EJ laughed at him. "And I'm letting you date my baby sister?" He said, reaching over to punch Jake's arms.

"You're not letting him. He wants to." Vanessa said, leaning in to kiss Jake's cheek.

"So, tough guy? What are you getting?" Jake asked EJ.

"Get him a Sex on the Beach." Gianna said, smirking at her boyfriend.

"Ew." Vanessa said, making me laugh. "Baby sister, here." I had to laugh, because she reminded me of when I was with my dad and Heidi.

"Great job, men." Edward said. "I'm getting another Strawberry Margarita, considering I drank most of Bella's."

Edward leaned in to kiss my lips. "Do you want anything, baby?" He asked me.

"No, thank you. I'm fine, handsome." I said, and Edward winked at me, before stealing another kiss.

"Ladies?" He asked.

"Mozzarella sticks." Vanessa said, and I gave her a high five. I seriously loved this girl. I wished I could bring her to college with us. She was so much fun.

Edward waved the waitress over and the guys ordered their drinks and the food. Jake added hot wings to the order, obviously trying to look a little more masculine, since the waitress did giggle at the guys.

When our order came over, Edward, Jake and EJ clanked their glasses, before chugging down half of their drinks. I had to laugh. They could drink their girlie drinks, but they had to do it the most masculine way possible.

Edward and I fed each other mozzarella sticks, and shared the rest of his margarita. It was fun and romantic at the same time. Edward was kissing me, and had his hands all over my legs. His touch was turning me on, and by the flush on his cheeks, I could tell he felt the same way.

We went out on the dance floor for a few more dances, before we decided to call it a night. I looked at Edward's watch and couldn't believe it was one in the morning.

I gave Vanessa a huge hug in the parking lot. "I'll see you on Friday, Ness." I said. "Try to get some sleep for work tomorrow."

"Quit rubbing it in." She laughed. "Oh, my god. I just noticed your hair." She giggled. "I love it, Bella. So hot. I'll call you."

"Okay. Thanks. Night." I said.

Edward took my hand and led me to the car. After we got in, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to my lips. I brought my hand up, threading my fingers through his hair. Edward deepened the kiss, and let his hand slide up the inside of my leg.

"Mm. Baby girl." Edward whispered against my neck. "Did you have a good time, tonight?"

"The night's not over, Edward." I breathed. "Take me home."

Edward pressed a couple more kisses to my lips, before he started the car. I reached over and rubbed his thigh. "Bella, honey, we'll be back in your room in five minutes." Edward said, glancing over at me as we drove home.

"I don't know if I can wait that long, babe." I said, biting my lip. Dancing with Edward was foreplay, and he was too overdressed for what I wanted to do with him.

"Take your panties off." He breathed.

My eyes widened and I looked over at him. "Right now?" I asked. "While you're driving?"

"Yeah, baby." Edward said, his eyes flicking back over to mine.

I didn't even think about it. I lifted my hips and reached under my dress to pull off my underwear. I kicked it off of my ankles, my left shoe coming off in the process. Edward pulled up to the last intersection before my house, and came to a stop at the red light.

The streets were completely deserted. It was past one in the morning on a work night. It was dark and cloudy, no moon, tonight. Only the glow of the streetlights illuminated Edward's face, and his eyes looked wild. He threw the car in park and took off his seatbelt.

He leaned over and started kissing me hard. It was almost like he couldn't control himself. I groaned into the kiss, but gasped as I felt his hand slide down the front of my dress. He gave my right breast a light squeeze, before kissing me, again.

I peeked around his head at the light post. "The light's green." I whispered and Edward pulled back and turned his head to look.

"Darn it." He chuckled, making me laugh. "Red lights never go that quickly."

He sat back in his seat and put the car in drive. He reached his right hand over and slid it up my thigh, under my dress and between my legs. I cried out and grabbed a hold of his forearm, trying to get a grasp on the feelings, the sensations that were racing through me as he let his fingers dance.

Edward pulled up in front of my house, just as I lost the battle for control. I groaned and threw my head back against the seat. My chest was heaving and my eyes were closed. Edward was rubbing his hand softly on my thigh.

"Mm. You look so beautiful, Bella." Edward said.

"My god, Edward. That was amazing." I breathed, prying open my eyes and looking over at him, a lazy smile spreading across my face.

"I'm glad to hear it." He said, smirking a little. "Let's get upstairs. I'm not done with you."

I moaned. I adored controlling Edward. Edward got out of the car and came around to my side of the car. He leaned in and slipped my shoe back on my foot and picked up my panties from the floor. I reached for them, so I could put them back on, but Edward slid them in his jeans pocket.

"You aren't going to be needing these." He said, helping me out of the car. I knew I was blushing, as that had to be the single hottest thing he had ever said and did. We rushed inside and up the stairs. The lights were all out, so thankfully, my dad and Heidi went to bed already.

Edward locked my bedroom door before pulling me into his arms. "I love you, sexy." He whispered, kissing down my throat, collarbone and shoulder, pushing the strap of my dress off of my shoulder.

He peeled the other spaghetti strap off and gently pulled my dress down my chest. Edward smiled as he looked at my boobs, and I laughed at him, because he was such a man. But, he was my man and I loved him so much.


	587. Gorgeous and Grumpy

**A/N - Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It is Thursday, September 2, 2010 in the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 587 - Gorgeous and Grumpy

Edward slid his hands down my back to my bum. He lifted me up and carried me the three steps to the bed. He set me down, and then stripped his shirt and jeans off, and he did it pretty darn fast.

I giggled as I watched him, resting my arms over my head. I wasn't at all shy or nervous with him anymore. I was completely comfortable lying on the bed with nothing on, but my dress bunched around my waist. I felt beautiful with Edward.

"Jesus, Bella." Edward breathed, yanking his underwear off. "Look at you." I smiled up at him and he groaned. "You are just gorgeous, honey."

"Why aren't you over here with me?" I asked, licking my lips, trying to seduce him into bed with me. "I believe I was promised adoration and worship." Back at the bar after our discussion about Gianna, Edward had told me that he wanted to take me home and show me how much he loved me.

Edward chuckled. "And you will get just that." He said, before turning to grab my camera off of my desk. "But, first, I see a moment that needs capturing. May I?" He asked, holding up the camera.

"Of course." I agreed without hesitation. Edward knew I trusted him. And I loved that he saw my body as a work of art; something worthy of photography. It made me feel even more beautiful. And I really needed to feel that way tonight, after a touch of insecurity hit me. And I think Edward understood that, too.

Edward smiled at me as he took a few shots. "You are just divine, baby." He said. He pursed his lips at me, giving me an air kiss, and I did it back, only for him to take a picture of my kissy face.

I giggled. "Okay, enough pictures." I said, covering my face with my arms. "Make love to me." My demand came out a little muffled, though.

I heard Edward laugh as he crawled over my body. He grabbed my arms and lifted them off of my face. "What was that?" He asked, tracing his fingers down my arms. I could hear the smirk in his voice, so I knew that he heard me.

I laughed and he brought his lips down to mine, pressing a nice hard kiss to my lips. "I said, make love to me." I whispered.

Edward rolled onto his side, beside me. He traced his fingers softly over my skin. "Which is it, baby?" He asked, before kissing my bare shoulder. "Do you want me to worship you, or make love to you?"

I moaned and rolled over to face him, kiss his lips. "Both." I said, giggling when he laughed.

"Mm. I love when you tell me what you want." Edward said, kissing my lips. He brought his big palm up to my shoulder and started caressing my skin, moving down my chest. "I need to taste you." He whispered as he leaned into my breast. He began teasing my sensitive skin with his tongue, making me squirm.

"Uh. Edward. I changed my mind." I breathed.

"You want me to stop?" He asked, looking up into my eyes. And I loved him because he was dead serious. Even though he was very turned on, which I could feel against my leg, Edward would stop in heartbeat if that's what I wanted.

He respected me, my body, my choices so much. He had waited until I was ready, until I started on the birth control pills. He talked to me about my feelings, his feeling all the time. He made me feel like the most important woman in the world.

"Yes. I mean, no." I said, slapping my hand on my forehead. I was bumbling a little, but Edward had turned me on so much, I couldn't think straight. Edward chuckled a little at me, and it made me smile. "Yes, stop teasing. You can worship me later. But I need you. Right. Now."

"Mm. That's my girl." Edward whispered. He pressed a long kiss to my lips, as he ran his hand down my side, stopping at the outside of my thigh. He pulled back slowly and quickly got up, pulling open the drawer. I used this chance to wriggle out of my dress. I wanted to feel every inch of Edward's skin, body, on me, and this dress was getting in the way.

Edward climbed back on the bed, sitting at my feet. He lifted my right foot and brought it to his mouth. He kissed the arch of my foot, before sucking my toe into his mouth. I groaned. It felt so good, but he was taking his time with me, again. I wasn't lying when I said that I needed him.

Edward kissed the inside of my ankle, before suddenly spreading my legs wide. I gasped and Edward smirked. He leaned in and pressed a kiss right between my legs. I groaned and pulled his hair.

He moved up to kiss my lips and chuckled as he grabbed my thighs and lifted them. I followed his lead and wrapped my legs around his hips.

"Hurry." I whispered, desperately against his cheek as he kissed the corner of my mouth. "Hurry, baby."

"Shh." Edward hushed me as he slowly slid inside of me. We both groaned and I wrapped my arms around Edward's neck. I was holding onto him so tight, he couldn't move very much. "Does that feel good, lover?" He asked.

"God, yes, baby." I sighed.

Edward kissed my lips, cheeks, neck as he moved his hips slowly against me. I felt so warm, hot, actually, from my head to my toes. Edward made everything perfect. I was tingly and breathless, and oh so satisfied.

But unfortunately, it was almost two in the morning. And I was exhausted. I felt Edward press a kiss to my cheek. "Are you awake, sugar?" He whispered.

"I think so." I said, even though my eyes were closed.

Edward chuckled and kissed my cheek. "Goodnight, baby. I love you." He whispered. I groaned and hoped that I didn't just imagine that I told him I loved him, too.

I woke up feeling so exhausted, it felt like I hadn't even slept. I had never been drunk before, but I had to assume that this might be what a hangover felt like. I had a really bad headache, too.

I grumbled as I opened my eyes. I didn't want to get up, but I had to pee and the sun was up so I knew I had to get in the shower and get ready for the day.

I heard Edward's laugh and frowned in his direction. He was sitting at my desk, playing on my computer. "Are you grumpy, Bella?" He asked, chuckling at me. "Whatever happened to the girl that said she was always happy?"

I rubbed my eyes with my fingers. "I have a headache." I said, sliding out of bed and grabbing a t-shirt to pull on. "Headaches don't count." I walked over to press a kiss to his lips. He smelled yummy, so I knew he already had a shower.

"I'm sorry your head hurts, baby." He said, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze. "Do you want me to rub your neck, your temples?"

"That sounds good. I'm going to run have a quick shower. But, then, I'm taking you up on that offer." I said, and Edward smiled.

"Okay, gorgeous." He said, swatting my bum as I turned to walk to the bathroom. I smiled as I showered off the grumpies. I didn't want to be moody, but I clearly was not the type to go to bed that late. Yet, Edward was already up and showered. He didn't need to sleep to function. He was like a Marine or maybe a vampire. I wasn't sure.

But, just thinking about him made me happy. My mind raced as I thought about the fun we had last night. Dancing, laughing and just spending time with friends. It was an amazing night. And that was before we were alone together. I had no idea how Edward did always did it, but he had a way of making me feel like the only woman in the world. My body tingled just thinking about what he did to me last night. I was one lucky girl.

By the time I step out of the shower, my headache was fading. I quickly got ready for the day, slipped my night shirt back on, and walked back into my room. Edward was sitting on the bed waiting for me.

"Feel better?" He asked and I climbed onto the bed with him. He was patting the spot in front of him so I sat with my back to him.

"Yeah." I said, before groaning. Edward had started massaging my shoulders, rubbing his thumbs in hard, tight circles at the base of my neck. "Uh, Edward." I moaned. "Never stop."

He chuckled but kept up his massage. It felt wonderful. There was a knock at the door. "Kids. Breakfast." It was Heidi.

"Thank you. We'll be right there." I said.

Edward slid his hands slowly down my back, before wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me back against his chest. "I love you." He said after kissing my cheek and squeezing me tighter to his body.

I smiled, basking in the feeling of being held so closely to the man I loved. "I love you, too, handsome." I said, turning my head so he could kiss my lips.

We had two day left in Forks and I was bound and determined to get through them with a smile on my face. And I knew that Edward was going to do everything in his power to make the end of the summer a time to remember.


	588. Sentimental Nudists

**A/N - Thank you all so much for the great reviews! It is Thursday, September 2, 2010 in the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 588 - Sentimental Nudists

I got dressed in a tight black t-shirt and some tan shorts. Edward smiled as he watched me get dressed. "You are so sexy." He said, getting up and leaning in for a kiss. I hummed and deepened the kiss.

Edward laughed as he pulled back. "Come on. Let's go eat, before you start something we don't have time to finish."

I laughed and squeezed Edward's bum. I supposed that gave us something to look forward to. Tonight was guaranteed to be fun.

Edward and I went downstairs and I smiled when I saw all the food on the kitchen table. There was a huge bowl of fruit salad, pancakes, bacon, sausages, toast and scrambled eggs. My step mom was amazing and I told her so, as Edward and I sat down with her and my dad.

"Aw, Bella." Heidi said, smiling. "I just want to spoil you kids. Because it might be the last- ."

"No." I said, pointing my finger at her, and stopping her before she said something sad. "You are not allowed to make me cry. You can't get sentimental with me. I'm teetering between being on the verge of a total tearful breakdown and overwhelming excitement. I could fall either way, here."

Everyone laughed as if I was kidding. There were a lot of emotions coursing through me this week. I was more than ready to move in with Edward, I was excited about getting the kids their very own kitten next weekend, and I was looking forward to the future. I was happy. Very happy.

But at the same time, I knew the initial goodbye was going to be tough, especially with Edward's brothers and sister. So, I couldn't afford for anyone to make me cry. I was worried once I started, I might not be able to stop.

Edward leaned in and kissed my cheek, setting his hand on my thigh and giving it a light squeeze. "Bells, no one is going to make you cry." My dad said, still chuckling.

"Okay." I said, sceptically But I looked across the table at Heidi and her eyes were a little glassy. Darn it. I was fine right now, but I had a feeling I might not make it through the next two days without tears. I took a deep breath. I was going to make it through today. That was going to be my mantra. I was going to keep repeating it.

We had a great breakfast, and I was so stuffed, I could hardly move. There were no tears shed. My dad and Heidi talked about their honeymoon as we ate. They were leaving on Saturday morning, after Edward and I left, to drive up to British Columbia for a week of fishing. I was so excited for them. They truly deserved this time together.

At around nine, the four of us headed out to Em's football practice. I loved going and doing things as a family. It was fun having everyone here. And, as usual, Jasper brought me Robbie.

"Hi, baby boy." I said, holding my kitten to my face. He meowed and made me smile. "Are you having a good time with Uncle Jasper?" I asked him. He meowed again and I squeezed him to my chest. I adored my fur baby.

"Such a sexy mom." Edward whispered in my ear.

I giggled and turned my face to kiss Edward's lips. "You want to hold him, daddy?" I asked, passing the kitten to Edward.

"Of course." He said, cradling the kitten to his chest. "Hey, Robbie." Edward said in a baby voice. "You're getting heavy aren't you?" Edward kissed the kitten's forehead, earning himself a meow. "I think Em's giving you too many treats, huh?"

I smiled at my boys and rubbed Edward's back. He was so cute with the kitty. "Aw. He's just growing." I said, smiling. "He can't stay miniature forever."

"Well, I can guarantee you're going to baby him forever, aren't you?" Edward said, looking over at me, and smiling. He winked and I grinned. My fiancé was just too sexy for words.

"I'm going to baby both of you." I told him.

Alice came up the bleachers to sit beside Edward and pet the kitty. We enjoyed watching Emmett during his last summer practice. The boys were really shaping up to be an excellent team. It was clear that most of them were seniors in high school and had played before.

I was so excited to come back to Forks when the football season started. I couldn't wait to go to a game. Angie and I had gone to watch football once in high school back in Phoenix, but only because Ang wanted to see a boy she liked in tight pants.

He was a popular boy, and Ang never ended up ever talking to him, but it had been an experience. We had no idea about any of the rules, but it was a night out of the house and away from homework.

But, now I had Edward, and surprisingly my step mom the football fan, to explain all the rules to me. It was going to be great. And this time, I was actually going to know a football player on the home team.

After football practice, a bathroom break in the school and a kitten pass off back to Jasper, Edward and I were off with my dad and Heidi for an afternoon of 'hanging out.' I was really excited for the four of us to spend some time alone together. Usually, due to my dad's work schedule as the chief, most of our time was spent over meals before someone was in or out the door.

"So, dad." I asked as we walked to the parking lot. "What's the plan?" My dad and Heidi had six uninterrupted hours with us, from eleven to five. That would give me a little time to get changed for mine and Edward's triple date with his brothers and the girls.

"Well, I figured Dee and I would take the two of you fishing, since you'll be living the city lifestyle up in Seattle." My dad said.

I smiled. I had only been fishing once this summer with my dad, when we had gone camping in June. I was excited for this afternoon. I would doing something that my dad loved to do more than anything. I loved when he taught me things.

"Awesome." I said.

Edward and I took his car, and my dad and Heidi took the truck. I guess my dad had all the gear in the back of the pickup, otherwise I would have suggested they ride with us.

As we drove, Edward reached over and rubbed my bare thigh. "So, how are you doing with the no tears plan?" He asked, sweetly smiling at me.

I laughed. "I'm hanging in there." I said. "And even I do slip and cry a little, I want you to know how much I'm looking forward to our life together, our privacy, our own place."

"I know you are, baby." He said. "I am, too. Especially watching TV naked. Or better, yet, watching you watch TV naked."

I burst out laughing. "You seriously have the craziest imagination." I told him, making him laugh.

"You're right." He chuckled. "What was I thinking? We'll be back in college. You know, homework and all that. No time for TV. I'll be watching you study naked."

I laughed, again, and picked up Edward's hand, bringing it up to my lips for a soft kiss on his palm. "You, Mr. Cullen, are cut off from X-rated videos." I told him, making him both blush and laugh.

"What?" He asked, looking a little embarrassed. "Real life people walk around naked, too. It's not just porn stars, you know."

"Nudists." I said, and he smiled at me. "You want me to become a nudist?"

"Only in our apartment with the curtains closed and the door locked." Edward said, matter of factly, as if he was seriously considering this as a plan that we were going to follow through with.

"Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. Closed door nudists." I said. "We'll have to have a sign made."

Edward laughed. "Yeah. I'm the crazy one."

I smiled over at him, resting my cheek on the back of the seat. Edward always had a way to make me laugh. He made me happy constantly. He knew the next couple days would be a challenge, emotionally, and he was doing everything he could to get us through with smiles on our faces.

Edward and I followed my dad and Heidi north for only about ten minutes, before my dad parked at small roadside turnoff just past a sign that read 'Sol Duc River'. I laughed and Edward smiled over at me. "Not too far from civilization, huh?" Edward said. "Or, bathrooms."

I smiled as I got out of the car. Edward took my hand and we walked over to the back of my dad's truck to help him unload the fishing gear. Heidi grabbed a big brown wicker picnic basket from the bed of the truck. What a cute idea, I thought to myself, as I took my dad's tackle box and followed Heidi to the river's edge. This was going to be a great afternoon.


	589. Fishing for Trout and Details

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! I'm a little under the weather, so I apologize for putting this up so late! Enjoy!**

Chapter 589 - Fishing for Trout and Details

Heidi spread out a clichéd red and white checker picnic blanket just back from the bigger rocks at the rivers edge. We all sat in a circle around the picnic basket and shared lunch.

"You know I could have helped you make the food for lunch." I said to Heidi, before taking a bite of her delicious potato salad.

"Oh, really?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at me. "You were out until almost one thirty last night."

I had to laugh. I had never heard Heidi sound more like a mom than she did in that moment.

"She's really getting the parenting thing down to a science." Edward added, making me laugh harder. We were definitely thinking alike now.

"Oh, I am not." Heidi said, waving us off.

"He's right, Dee." My dad said, chuckling quietly. "I almost thought you were going to ground her."

Edward laughed. "I have to take part of the blame." He said. "I kept her out late dancing."

Heidi giggled. "You want me to ground you both?" She teased. "I have a feeling that you would enjoy that too much."

Edward laughed and I blushed. "True." He said, winking at me.

"Okay, okay." I said, hoping to change the subject. "You're only a little momish." I told Heidi, making her laugh. "But, you're well on your way."

"I'll take it." She said. I smiled at her and she patted my ankle. Oh, she was totally a mom.

We cleaned up after lunch and my dad and Edward baited our hooks. When we were camping, my dad cast my fishing line for me, but this time, he taught me so I could do it myself. He showed me both the sidearm and overhead method. He went through them both a couple of times. It was confusing, and very much a science.

"Raise your elbow to a forty five degree angle from your body, move your arm forward and let go of the string when your arm is at a fifteen degree angle." My dad said as if that made perfect sense. "That's the side arm technique."

I raised my eyebrows at him and then we both laughed. "Can I have another demo?" I asked. "Seriously, dad. This is hard."

"Okay." He laughed and reeled in his line, before walking me through the steps, again. Thank goodness he was patient. His wrist and arm looked so fluid as he cast his fishing line. It was the most graceful I had ever seen my dad.

"Bella, you're over thinking it." Heidi said from behind my dad. "Just chuck it out there. You won't know until you try."

"Just don't let go of the rod." Edward added. I playfully frowned at him, and he laughed. Darn that boy and his beautiful face. I couldn't stay mad at him. He winked at me and was instantly forgiven.

"Okay. Let me try it." I said. I mentally went over the instructions in my mind, before giving it an honest shot. The fishing line flung forward and the hook and bait plopped into the water about two feet in front of me in only about three inches of water.

I started laughing, even though I could feel my face heat up. "That was a good first try, baby." Edward said, being an angel.

"It was, Bells." My dad agreed. "You had the technique perfect, you just need to put a little more force into it."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly so I could focus. I tried again, and this time, the line went out farther, although still not as far as my dad's line. I squealed and jumped up and down. "I did it." I said, smiling.

My dad looked so proud of me. I loved that look. It made me happy when my dad was happy. He came over and gave me a hug. "Great job, kiddo." He said, smiling at me. "I knew you'd get it. Just like with shooting. You're a Swan."

My dad went over to rebait Heidi's hook, and Edward walked over to me, all smiles and hotness. He leaned in to kiss my lips. "You're amazing, baby." He whispered against my lips before giving me another soft kiss.

I laughed. "Well, I suppose it did only take me two tries." I bragged.

Edward laughed. "And modest, too, huh?"

"Darn right." I said, reaching down to spank Edward's bum cheek.

My dad came back over and explained that this was the very end of the summer Steelhead season, and if we were lucky, a very early start for Coho salmon, which usually started by mid September.

We stood on the side of the river fishing for about an hour. My dad had caught two fish, but he put them back. "Anyone up for a bathroom break?" I asked.

"I'll go." Heidi said, reeling in her line.

"I'm good." Edward said, winking at me and my dad nodded in agreement. Guys. I knew they were just going to pee out here. They thought they were so special with those things.

Heidi and I got into truck and drove back to my dad's house to use the bathroom. On the way back to the river, we got into the girl talk. "So, I never did hear what Edward thought about the cheerleader costume." Heidi said, making me giggling nervously.

"He loved it." I said, blushing a little, thinking about how Edward wanted me to wear it while he made love to me.

"Oh, come on, Bella. I'm going up north to go fishing for a week with your dad. I'll be seriously deprived of girl talk." Heidi said, making me giggle. "I might me getting a bit momish, but I'm still your friend."

I smiled over at her. "I know." I said. "You're one of my best friends."

"Well, then?" She said, looking like she was going to die with out some gossip.

I giggled. "Okay. He really loved it." I said, making her laugh. "He said, I was as sexy as hell."

"Yeah, guys have this weird attraction to cheerleaders." Heidi said. "I still think you guys are so cute to do things like this for each other."

I smiled. "Yeah, well, I wasn't the only that dressed up." I said.

"What was he? A football player?" She asked.

"A baseball player." I said, smiling, just thinking of how hot Edward looked in his uniform.

"Look at you." She said, smiling over at me. "You're glowing."

I laughed. "I can't help it." I said, setting my hands on my hot cheeks. "I seriously love him so much. Like I don't even know if love is a big enough word. I'm so attracted to him physically, emotionally, intellectually. He's so smart, he makes me laugh all the time. He's so supportive and encouraging."

I looked over at Heidi and she had a huge smile on her face. "I tell him all the time that he's perfect." I continued. "But he always says he isn't. How does he not see what I see in him?"

"Well, sweetheart, do you think you're perfect? Not one flaw?" Heidi asked me.

"No. Of course not." I said, nodding. "I see your point."

"But I'll bet that Edward sees you as the perfect woman."

"He does." I said, smiling. And I felt so lucky that he did.

"I've watched him around you. He is always smiling. Always, Bella. And if it's physically possible, he's touching you. At the very least holding your hand. He steals kisses constantly." She told me. "That boy is head over heels with you. And Bella, it's a beautiful thing."

"I see that, too." I said. "Which is why I said yes to his proposal."

"Well, as a 'mom' I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you'll have Edward as your husband. He is your perfect match, Bella." She said, as she parked the truck back at the river.

I smiled and after I took my seatbelt off, I leaned over for a hug. "Thanks for the girl talk." She said, making me giggle. "Even though I'm sure you left out all the good details."

I laughed harder. Oh, she didn't know the half of it. And she never would. "Come on, mom. Let's go fishing."


	590. Fish Tale

**A/N - Happy Friday! Thank you to each one of you for sticking with the story! And, thank you all for the get well wishes. They are working! Plus, I'm getting a brand new eight week old baby Welsh Terrier puppy today! I am beyond excited! Wish me luck that he let's me get to my computer to write! Enjoy!**

Chapter 590 - Fish Tale

We all fished for the rest of the afternoon, with the exception of a snack break of homemade oatmeal cookies. But, the most exciting part of the afternoon, was when I got a bite on my fishing line.

"Ah. Daddy." I screamed, completely panicked. "Something is pulling my line out. Help."

My dad chuckled and walked over to me. "Good job, Bells." He said, smiling. "Can you reel him in some?"

"Oh, yeah." I giggled. I turned the fishing reel, but the fish felt really strong. "Um, I think it's too big."

Edward chuckled and set his rod down to come stand beside me. "Bella, big is a good thing." He said, and I completely lost it, and started laughing really hard. I must have had the dirtiest mind, ever. Because when Edward said that, I wasn't thinking about fish.

"What is so funny?" My dad asked, making me blush and laugh harder.

"I have the Loch Ness monster on my fishing rod, dad." I said, completely ignoring my dad's question. Edward had the biggest smile on his face. He had a dirty mind, like me. So he knew exactly what I was laughing at.

My dad took the rod from me, and started reeling the fish in. "Wow. You're right, kiddo. You've got a big one here."

I reached down to quickly rub the back of my fingers over Edward's crotch. That was the only big one I was concerned about. I only touched him because my dad and Heidi were focusing on the fish.

Edward wrapped his arms around me and held me to his chest, pinning my arms to my side. "Uh, uh, uh, baby." He whispered. "Not right now." I giggled, and Edward laughed. A girl could not be blamed.

"I think she's a secret fishing champion. And she just hasn't told anyone." Edward teased out loud, rocking me back and forth, and leaning over my shoulder to kiss my cheek.

"Yeah, right." I laughed.

"Could be." My dad said, still reeling him in. "This guy must weigh a good thirty pounds, Bells."

"Very impressive, baby." Edward said, still with a tight hold on me.

"Bells, do you see how you have to tip the rod flat, so he won't break the line?" My dad asked, still teaching, even though he was working hard to bring the fish in.

"What if it gets away?" I asked my dad.

"He won't. I want to get to your picture with him." My dad said. "Now, come here, kiddo. He's under control and almost in. Come reel him in."

Edward kissed the back of my head and let me go. I walked over with my dad and he held the rod, but let me turn the reel. I looked over and Edward and Heidi were standing together smiling at us. Heidi was taking pictures of us, too. And I was glad, because I didn't want to forget today.

"He is heavy." I said. My dad reached around me and helped me bring him in. I couldn't believe how huge the fish was when I saw it. I looked like it was almost three feet long. It was a gorgeous olive green colour with a pretty pink stripe down his side.

"He's a beautiful rainbow trout." My dad said, as he pulled the hook out. He lifted him up. "That's got to be upwards of around thirty five pounds, Bells." There was that proud look, again, on his face.

"Can you hold it up for a picture, baby?" Edward asked, smiling at me.

"Um, I don't know." I said. My dad walked over to me and passed it to me. I let it fall back against my chest, and used both hands under his body to hold him up. It was so, so heavy. "Hurry. Take the pictures." I laughed. I felt like I was going to drop him.

Heidi snapped a few shots of me. "Charlie, get in there with her." She said. My dad came to stand beside me and we smiled for a another photo.

"Okay, dad. Take him." I said. "He's so heavy."

My dad laughed before taking the fish. I leaned in and kissed my dad's cheek. "What was that for?" He asked, smiling.

"Well, you did all the work, dad." I said. "Thanks. I love you." I felt myself starting to tear up. Who would have thought that catching a fish would be such an emotional moment.

"Love you, too, Bells." He said, making me smile through the tears. He carried the fish to the back of the truck to put it in ice and Edward came to wrap his arms around me and pull me to his chest.

"You're going to get all fishy and wet." I said, referring to my wet t-shirt. I reached up and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Aw, baby." He said, leaning in and kissing my forehead. "I don't care about my t-shirt."

"I'm sorry. I was doing so good." I said, pouting out my bottom lip.

"It's okay, honey." He said, reaching up to wipe my cheeks. "You were great with the fish."

I giggled. "Thanks." I said, leaning my cheek against Edward's chest. Edward rubbed my back and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

"Okay, kids." My dad said, from behind me. "What you say we pack up here and head into town for some ice cream. I think Bella caught the biggest fish out here." He laughed at himself before patting Edward on the shoulder. "We don't want to get shown up, right son?"

Edward laughed. "No, we definitely don't want that." He agreed.

I smiled at the men in my life, thinking, again, how lucky I was. My dad was the perfect parent. He loved me so much, and wanted to show me everything he knew how to do. And I loved him so much for it. And of course, Edward was Edward: perfection.

We drove back to Forks, following my dad and Heidi. I had calmed down, and there were no more tears. I just had a miniature breakdown, but I was okay. I took a couple of deep breaths in the car.

"You okay?" Edward asked, reaching over to rub my thigh, again.

"Yeah. I'm good." I said, smiling over at him. "Just temporary insanity." I teased.

Edward chuckled. "Good. But, baby, you don't have to prove anything. If you're upset, you can cry. I'm not going to think you don't to move in with me. I know this is tough, Bella." He said.

"I know. I just want to be happy, that's all." I said, squeezing his hand with mine.

"Okay." He said. "Well, then ice cream should do the trick, huh?"

"Definitely." I agreed, smiling.

Edward parked beside my dad and Heidi at the diner, and I had to laugh. My dad already had three guys standing around the back of the truck, showing them my fish. I could see him doing all the reeling actions with his hands, surely making me sound like I did more work than I did.

Edward chuckled, as he opened my car door and helped me out. "He's proud, Bella. Let him brag." He whispered in my ear before we walked over.

"It took both of us to reel him in, too." I heard my dad say as we walked up to the group.

I giggled. "He was fighter. That's for sure." I added. I heard Heidi and Edward laugh behind me and it made me smile.

My dad wrapped his arm around my shoulders and we stood out in the hot parking lot listening to my dad's old friends telling fishing stories for ten minutes. I never thought I'd admit it, but I enjoyed listening to their exaggerated fishing tales. It was fun, now that I had been through the experience.

We eventually went in and sat down at a booth, all of ordering banana splits. "Half the fun of fishing is talking about it later, Bells." My dad informed me as we ate.

I laughed. "I see that."

"But the guys actually saw your fish." Heidi added. "So, it was no fish tale."

"No, it wasn't. It was a great experience." I said, reaching over and patting my dad's hand. "I'll never forget it, dad."


	591. Girls Don't Get It

**A/N - Happy Saturday! I have a puppy! And he bites everything and everyone in his path! But, he's the cutest little guy, so it's worth it! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 591 - Girls Don't Get It

After our ice cream, Edward and I went back to my place to get ready for our triple date with Jasper and Emmett. I was excited to spend time with the boys. In my heart, they were already my brothers. Even though they wouldn't officially be my brothers in law until next summer.

I had a quick shower, just rinsing the fishing off my body. I would have loved for Edward to join me, but my dad and Heidi were downstairs. I freshened my makeup and curled my hair, before walking back into my room, wrapped in a towel.

Edward was sitting at my desk. He was already dressed in his dark wash jeans he'd worn dancing, and a white polo shirt he'd left over here. He looked so sexy, as always. He looked up when he heard the door and smiled at me.

"Mm. I love that look." He said, standing up and walking over to me.

"Why, thank you, handsome. You look great."

Edward reached up and gave my towel a little tug, letting it drop to the floor. He smiled as he looked down at my naked body. "But, I like this look even more." He whispered before kissing my lips.

I giggled and pushed his shoulder. "Don't start something we don't have time to finish." I said, repeating what he had said to me this morning before breakfast. I turned and walked over to my closet to find something to wear, giggling when Edward wrapped his arms around my body from behind.

"You can't walk around the bedroom naked and expect me to control myself." He whispered in my ear.

"But, I like to tease you." I said, groaning when his started kissing my shoulder. "Baby, what should I wear?"

"What about that new sweater you bought in Port Angeles. You know the crisscross one?"

I giggled. "I love that you have my whole wardrobe memorized. It's really cute." I told him, reaching in the closet for my short sleeved, tan sweater and my new skinny jeans.

"Well, I never forget anything I've seen on your beautiful body."

"That's sweet." I said. "Now be a good boy and go sit down so I can get dressed."

"Mm. Yes, baby." He said. He went to go sit on the bed, leaning back on his arms, as if he was ready for a show. I laughed and walked over to my drawer, pulling on a pair of black lace panties. I put on my black satin bra and then did a little turn for Edward. "Gorgeous." He said, smiling at me.

I smiled as a shimmied on my skinny jeans, laughing at how hard they were to get on. Edward was chuckling as he watched me. I finally got them on, and went to reach for my sweater, when Edward stopped me.

"Can I get a little spin? I want to see that pretty little bum in those jeans."

I laughed and rolled my eyes at him, but turned around anyway. I shook my bum a little and he laughed. "Beautiful." He said. I slipped my sweater on and then put on my perfume and deodorant. I picked up my green heart stone necklace that Edward made for me for our three month anniversary.

Edward stood up and gently took it from my hand. "Let me put it on, baby." He whispered. He brushed my hair over my shoulder and clipped the necklace on. He leaned in to kiss the side of my neck. "You look amazing, honey."

I smiled and turned in his arms, before setting my hands on his shoulders. "Thank you." I said. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said, winking at me. "I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to get those jeans off of you, tonight."

I laughed. "Don't think too far ahead." I teased.

He leaned down for a kiss. "I'll try not to." He said, his hands sliding down to my bum. He gave me a quick squeeze and I laughed.

"Just let me grab my shoes and then we can go, grabby." I said, running over to my closet.

I rummaged around in the bottom of the closet for a pair of heels I had brought up from Phoenix, but hadn't even took to Seattle last year. I giggled when Edward whistled. I peeked over my shoulder and laughed. I finally spotted my shoes. They were red three inch peep toe heels, with a horizontal strap that ran just below my ankle.

I took them over to my bed and sat down to put them on. "Wow." Edward said.

I looked up at him and laughed. "Foot fetish, now?" I teased, before standing up.

"You know I have a Bella fetish." He said, taking my hand and leading me to the stairs.

"Will you carry me down the stairs." I asked. "I haven't worn these in a couple years."

Edward chuckled. "That is exactly what fiancés are for." He said. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he lifted me up by the bum, so I could wrap my legs around his hips.

"Well, then I'm lucky to be engaged to you." I said, kissing his cheek, as we walked down the stairs. Edward set me down at the door. "Bye, daddy. Heidi." I called.

They came over to the door to give us hugs. "Have a good time tonight." Heidi said. "You look great, sweetie."

"Are you coming back here tonight, or going to the Cullens'?" My dad asked.

"Probably Edward's." I said. "But we'll have to come back here tomorrow and pack before the bonfire."

"Okay." He said, giving me a hug. "I had a great time today, Bells."

"Me, too, daddy." I said.

Edward and I went out to the car and drove over to his place to pick up Jasper. Edward was playing with my fingers as we drove, but we were both fairly quiet. "You okay, baby?" I asked, before we made the turn to his house.

"Yeah." He said, glancing over at me with a smile. "I just can't believe we have to pack tomorrow morning. I mean it feels like I was just loading your bags in the car at school on the day of our last exams."

"I know. We've done so much this summer, yet, it feels like it went so fast."

"For sure." He said, as we pulled up to the house. Edward honked his horn and Jasper and Emmett ran out of the house. They were all dressed up for triple date night, too. So cute.

Emmett waved and got in the truck, and Jasper climbed in the backseat. "Hey, guys." He said. I could hear the excitement in his voice.

"Hey, Jazz." Edward said. "Excited?" He asked.

"Um, yeah." He chuckled. "Is it that obvious? Like, is that dorky?"

I smiled. "It's not dorky at all." I told him, looking over the seat. "It's adorable."

Jasper's cheeks turned pink. "Oh, uh, okay. I guess that's good." He said.

Edward laughed. "Relax, bro. You just saw her this morning."

"Oh, yeah. I know." He said, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. "It's just that I was thinking about a good night kiss."

I could have squealed. Jasper was just too priceless for words. I adored Jasper's innocence. Probably because it wasn't too long ago that I was that nervous around Edward. Having just met him in March, I was that shy girl that actually panicked before Edward kissed me for the first time. But our relationship was beautiful, and I wished the same thing for Jasper and Maria. I hoped they stayed together forever.

"Like, I know she's going to expect it, but lately, I've just been kissing her on the cheek, because we haven't really been alone." He continued.

"Are you thinking of going for a lip kiss tonight?" Edward asked him, looking at his brother in the rear view mirror when we stopped at a red light.

"Uh, yeah." Jasper admitted.

"Cool, man. Yeah, just go for it." Edward told him, smiling. Edward was the best big brother. He gave Jasper reassurance when he needed it. It was sweet. They truly had a beautiful bond.

"Yeah, that's easy to say." Jasper said, and we all laughed.

"What?" Edward laughed. "You know how to kiss. You've kissed her before."

"It takes too much concentration." Jasper said, laying his head back on the seat. "I don't want to drool on her."

I couldn't help it and I laughed. Edward reached over and lightly slapped my leg, making me laugh harder. "Just ignore her, Jazz." Edward teased and winked at me. "Girls don't get it."


	592. A Perfect Night

**A/N - Again, I apologize for posting this so late! My puppy is SO needy! haha! Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 592 - A Perfect Night

When we got to Rose and Maria's house, I watched Jasper wipe his hands on his jeans and let out a deep breath. Maria was wearing a knee length plaid skirt and a black polo t-shirt. She looked really cute, and it was clear that Jasper liked what he saw.

She got in the car and leaned over to kiss Jasper right on the lips. It was a soft, quick peck, but it was exactly what Jasper had been stressing out about. Jasper's cheeks flushed bright red, but he smiled back at her.

"Hi." She said, looking pretty proud of herself for making the first move.

"Hi." Jasper said back. "You look really pretty."

"Thank you." She said, before doing up her seatbelt. "You look great, too."

And the ice was broken, and things felt back to normal. They both must have been dying to kiss each other. But, Jasper was right. We had done so many family activities lately, he and Maria didn't really have a chance to kiss.

Jasper and Maria had kissed before, but at fifteen, every single kiss with your first love was earth turning. Heck, every single kiss, every time Edward even looked at me, and touched me, my heart skipped a beat. So, I could completely relate to the kids in that moment.

Maria talked most of the drive to Port Angeles, mostly talking about a new cooking show that she was watching. I swear, in no time, she'd have Jasper cooking with her. I actually figured they'd have a lot of fun with that.

When we got to Port Angeles, Edward and I got out of the car, and I giggled when Jasper and Maria stayed in the car. Edward wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to give me a kiss, obviously giving his brother some time alone with his girlfriend. He was a great brother, but a really bad chaperone.

As Emmett and Rose pulled up beside Edward, the backdoor of the car opened and Jasper and Maria climbed out. They both had pink faces, but big smiles. And here I thought good night kisses happened at the end of dates. But, thinking about it, their way made more sense. Now they didn't have to worry about the kiss all night. They could relax and have fun.

"So, should we go eat?" Edward asked, squeezing my hand.

"Yeah, for sure." Emmett said. He had his arm around Rose's shoulder, and she had her hand in the back pocket of his jeans. I had to smile when I looked at them. I was beyond thrilled that they worked through their problems. And it seemed to have made them stronger.

"Where are we going to eat this time?" Maria asked Edward, as we walked up First Street.

"I was thinking Café Garden." He said. "It's like burgers and stuff, only fancy."

I giggled. Edward was just the cutest. "What makes a burger fancy?" I asked Edward. He reached down and spanked my bum as we walked.

"The nice plate it's served on and the price." Edward said, smiling at me.

We walked into the pretty white building. It had planters all around it, filled with gorgeous hanging plants and flowers. "This is beautiful." I said to Edward.

"Yeah, I thought you'd like it." He said. "We came here for breakfast with my grandparents once last year, but I haven't tried out the dinner menu."

"Experimenting on me?" I teased, while we waited to be seated.

"Never, baby." He said, leaning down for a kiss.

We were seated at a booth, and I was pleasantly surprised by the menu. They had sirloin burgers, but so much more. I ordered a parmesan chicken sandwich with a side salad. And the food was fabulous.

While we ate, Emmett and Jasper told their girlfriends about the new kitten they would be adopting the following weekend. I loved how much excitement the boys wore on their faces. That they loved my idea meant the world to me.

"Aw." Maria said, smiling over at Jasper. "I can't wait to meet him."

"Yeah, we're pretty excited." He said.

"I wish we come to Seattle and visit you guys, too." Rose added.

"Daddy probably wouldn't let us." Maria said, visibly pouting.

"Well, if you and your parents ever do a weekend trip up to Seattle, or, if they want to come with you girls, you're always welcome to stop by." I told them.

As I looked around at our little group of six, I had to smile. I was thinking of the future. If Rose and Emmett and Maria and Jasper stayed together, we would always have this close bond. Sunday family dinners, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Our children would be cousins. We all got along with such ease. I truly hoped for the best.

Edward rubbed my thigh under the table and I looked up at him. "You look beautiful." He whispered, for no reason at all. I smiled and he leaned down to press a whisper soft kiss to my lips.

I had no idea how he did it, but Edward had a way of making me feel like the only person in the room. It was the little romantic gestures that always stole my heart. I truly loved this man more every single day.

The girls and I ran to the ladies room before we left for the second part of the evening. There was a concert on the pier tonight, which was probably why Emmett had chosen to come up here for triple date night. Port Angeles was a great city that way. It had a lot to offer, and we were lucky that Forks was so close.

"So, did you do it?" Rose asked her sister while we brushed our hair. "Did you kiss him?" I giggled, loving that I now knew both sides of the story.

"Yep." Maria said, proudly, and smiling from ear to ear. "Right on the lips."

"That was really sweet." I added, but not betraying Jasper's confidence. "But, you two have kissed before, right?"

"Oh, yeah. But lately, I don't know. I wouldn't really say we've been in a rut, but it's more like things have turned a little too buddy/buddy. You know?" Maria explained, before rubbing her full lips with mango scented lip gloss. "I really, really like Jasper. He has the cutest dimples and the prettiest eyes. I mean, I would say that I loved him, but no one would believe me."

Seriously, I was giddy. Jasper and Maria were too darn priceless for words. "That's why I told Maria to just plant one on his lips the minute she got in the car. You can't always wait for the shy boys to make the first move." Rose said, twisting one of her blonde curls around her finger. "Luckily for me, Em is the farthest thing from a shy boy."

I thought about Edward and I knew that I had the perfect balance. He was modest and sensitive, but he knew what he wanted, and took control. He was the perfect man for me. We all walked out of the bathroom and I smiled when I saw the guys waiting at the table for us, each with a little takeout box in front of them.

"We got dessert." Emmett said, winking at Rose She giggled and leaned in to kiss him. I noticed how he checked out her cleavage and held back a smile by biting my lip.

We left the restaurant, hand in hand and walked to the pier for the concert. Emmett and Rose led the way, followed by Jasper and Maria, with Edward and I in the back. I was in heels. I will admit to walking a bit slow, but, hey, Edward loved my shoes, so I wasn't going to complain.

"What kind of dessert did you buy me?" I asked Edward, caressing his finger with my thumb.

"Chocolate cherry cheesecake." He said, looking pretty proud of himself. "The most decadent item on the dessert menu."

"Mm. Edward. That sounds heavenly." I said. "I hope you don't expect me to share it with you." I teased.

He laughed and it was beautiful. "I'll just taste it from your sweet lips." He said, winking at me. "Plus I'm hoping that the chocolate does it's job as an aphrodisiac."

I was my turn to laugh. "Trying to get me into bed, huh?" I asked, still kidding, but completely flattered.

"Always." Edward said, smirking at me.

The six of us sat down at the pier after the guys pushed two small round tables together. We had a fairly good view of the band, a young, up and coming indie rock group. But they weren't who I was going to be looking at.

Edward opened the container and I hummed just looking at our dessert. It was a chocolate swirl cheesecake covered in gooey, syrupy cherries, and then drizzled with chocolate sauce.

What a way to end a perfect night. Sitting under the stars with amazing company, great music and the best dessert of my life, fed to me on a plastic spoon by my gorgeous fiancé.


	593. Two Person Job

**A/N - My puppy is asleep on my lap, so I'm able to get the chapter up on time. Thank you all so, so, so much for reading and for the fabulous reviews! Enjoy!**

Chapter 593 - Two Person Job

We dropped Maria off at around eleven thirty. She and Jasper had been stealing kisses all the way home from Port Angeles. It was sweet. Jasper walked her to the door, taking one more kiss. These two were insatiable, now.

Jasper walked over to Emmet's truck and Edward pulled away from the curb. "I had an amazing night, Edward." I said, smiling over at him.

"I'm glad to hear it." He said, smiling back at me. "I really enjoyed it, too. But baby, the night isn't over." He raised his eyebrows up and down at me. "Is that chocolate kicking in, yet?"

I laughed. "You don't need to feed me chocolate to get me turned on, babe." I told him. "But I would say it's working."

"Your beautiful cleavage is doing the trick for me." He said, smirking. I giggled and looked down. I didn't have a heck of a lot of cleavage, but this sweater was pretty revealing. "Gorgeous, huh?" He asked and I blushed at being caught.

"If you say so." I said.

Edward parked the car and leaned over to kiss my lips. "I know so, sexy." He whispered. "Now, let's go upstairs and I'll show you how gorgeous you are." I smiled, loving how beautiful he made me feel.

Edward got out of the car and I watched him pick a purple wildflower from the side of the driveway, before he came around to my side of the car. "For you, pretty lady." He said, passing me the flower.

I giggled. "Why thank you, handsome." I said. We walked in the front door and we found Carlisle and Esme waiting up for us in the family room. Robbie was fast asleep in Esme's lap.

"Welcome home, kids." Esme said, smiling. "Where are my other two?"

"Right behind me." Edward said. "You know, goodnight kisses and all."

Carlisle laughed and shook his head. "Edward. You got mail, today." He said, passing Edward a regular boring white envelope. But, by the way Edward smirked, I knew what was inside was anything but boring.

Emmett and Jasper came in the door, and after goodnight hugs, I took my sleeping Robbie, and Edward and I headed upstairs to bed. I tucked Robbie into his blankets and then sat on the bed to kick off my heels. I groaned in relief, falling back on the bed. I wasn't a high heel girl.

Edward chuckled. "You're feet hurt, baby?" He asked, setting the envelope on the bed side table before sitting at the foot of the bed. He picked up my foot and started rubbing the arch.

"Ah, Edward. That feels amazing." I groaned.

Edward chuckled. "This isn't what I thought I'd be doing to make you say that."

I laughed. "Well, you can do the other thing, too." I said, making Edward laugh.

"It will be my pleasure." He said. "Hey, Bella, grab that envelope. It's for you."

I smiled, and reached over to grab the envelope. I tore it open and two gift cards fell out on my chest. I picked one up and smiled. "A hundred dollar gift card to Bath and Body Works?" I asked, looking up at Edward with a huge smile on my face.

"Well, you wouldn't take the money for my half of your dad's wedding gift." Edward said, looking pretty proud of himself. "So I had to be inventive."

I laughed. "I love it. Thank you." I said. "Even though you didn't have to do this."

"Bella." He warned, and I laughed, again. "There's another one, but that one is sort of for me."

I laughed, and picked it up. "A hundred dollars at Victoria's Secret?" I asked, giggling. "Are you in the market for a new bra?"

"That's it." Edward said, climbing over top of me. He pulled my sweater up and started tickling my stomach.

I laughed, slapping at his arms. "Stop." I giggled.

Edward wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me close, rolling us over on the bed. "Mm. I love you." He said, kissing my lips.

"I love you, too, Edward." I said, smiling before stealing another kiss. "And, seriously, though, thank you so much for the gift cards."

"You are very welcome, gorgeous." He said.

"Are we going to go the mall in Seattle this weekend and spend them?" I asked, smiling. I actually couldn't wait to go lingerie shopping with Edward. It seemed that I always bought things for him, but we never had a chance to pick things out together.

"I would love that." Edward said, kissing me, but this time, he deepened the kiss. I hummed and slid my hands up and under Edward's t-shirt, over his back. Edward groaned and pulled back from my lips just long enough to take his shirt off.

I started kissing his bare chest as I moved my hands over his warm skin. He felt so good under my hands. Edward was working on the fly of my jeans and I started laughing. "What?" He asked, smiling at me.

"Oh, I was just thinking about what you said before we left to Port Angeles, about trying to figure out how to get these jeans off of me." I said.

"Yeah, I never really did figure it out." He laughed. "Two person job?"

"Okay. I'll push, you pull." I suggested, rolling on my back, tugging my jeans down over my hips. Edward sat at the end of the bed and pulled on my jeans from the ankles. We were both laughing so hard by the time we got my jeans off, that we could hardly breathe.

Edward rubbed his hands up and down my shins. "Mm. You are so worth the effort." He said, smiling at me.

"Thank you." I said, as I sat up and pulled my sweater off. "Take your pants off."

Edward chuckled. "Underwear, too?" He asked, as he hopped off the bed and pulled his pants down.

"Yes, please." I said, biting my lip, as he did what he was told.

"Do you see the perk of being nudists?" He asked, winking at me. "Think of the time we could save." I laughed and shook my head, loving that Edward made every moment fun.

He climbed back in bed and like magnets, our bodies were curved into one another, all joking over. As I kissed him, he unclasped my bra. I pulled it off for him, and brought my hands down to take off my panties.

Edward set his hands on my bum. "Let me." He said, kissing his way down my body. "I love you in lace." He whispered, tracing his fingers softly over my panties. "It's so feminine and delicate."

I moaned a little and Edward smiled. "We'll have to look for something lacy in Victoria's Secret." He said, gently pulling my panties off. I shut my eyes, so incredibly turned on, and so excited for the weekend.

Edward started in with the kisses. I was in heaven. Edward was a selfless lover. He always made sure I was relaxed and took care of my needs first. I think he liked to be in control, which I loved, so what we did in bed worked for us. And it was amazing every time.

His lips, his fingers, his warm breath. Edward was completely focused on making me feel good. And he was very, very successful. "Baby." I breathed and Edward smiled as he sat up. I couldn't get out an intelligible thought, but luckily I didn't need to. Edward knew what I wanted. He could read me like a book.

Edward rubbed my side softly, giving me goosebumps on my burning skin. He leaned in to kiss my lips, before sitting up to grab a condom. "You okay?" He whispered, making me smile as his consideration.

"Absolutely." I breathed, smiling at him. "You're too far away."

"Mm. Let's fix that." Edward said, lying back down and pulling me into his arms. He set his hand on the back of my thigh, and slid it up to squeeze my bum. "Lift your leg up, baby." He said.

I set my leg on his thigh. He rubbed my thigh with his hand, before pushing it higher, up to his hip. We made love this way. Edward was constantly caressing my back, hips, bum and leg, making the experience even more sensual.

"My god, Edward." I breathed. "That was amazing." I giggled, because I felt tingly everywhere.

He smiled and pressed a kiss to my lips. "Bella, every minute with you is amazing." He chuckled. "But, yeah. That was really, really amazing."


	594. Pride and Packing

**A/N - It is Friday, September 3, 2010 in the story. Thank you for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 594 - Pride and Packing

I woke up on Friday morning feeling really happy. I was excited about our big bonfire tonight. We would have all of our friends and family from Forks there, celebrating a great summer.

But at the same time, I knew this morning was all about packing. Edward and I were going to drive up to Seattle right after breakfast on Saturday, so if we didn't pack now, we wouldn't have time.

I felt Edward's warm hand move softly on my bare stomach. I was on my side and Edward was pressed up to my back. I was so incredibly comfortable, I didn't want to get out of bed.

"You up?" He whispered, and I nodded.

"Yeah. Are you?" I asked.

He laughed. "Yeah."

"We should get up, right?" I asked, honestly not wanting to move, especially when I felt how turned on my fiancé was this morning.

"We should, but I don't want to." He said, making me giggle. Edward pressed a kiss to my shoulder, before squeezing me tightly to his chest. "We should just get the packing over with, then we can focus on the fun stuff."

"Or." I said, rolling over to face him. "We could tackle a little of the fun stuff now."

"Mm." He hummed pressing a kiss to my lips. "You are every man's dream girl. I swear you are always turned on."

I laughed, reaching my hand under the covers to rub Edward's aroused body. He closed his eyes and groaned. "I'm always turned on?" I asked, teasingly.

"God, baby." He whispered. I giggled and, after kissing his chin, I squirmed my way under the covers. I licked his chest, and bit at his right nipple before moving south. I trailed my fingers over his abs until I reached my target. "Ugh, Bella. Shit."

I smiled as I licked. I don't know why, but I felt so incredibly confident today. Edward always pleasured me, and I wanted to make sure that he felt as satisfied as I always did. I honestly loved seeing and hearing Edward in such a complete state of bliss. To quote Edward, it was as sexy as hell.

"Bella, love, stop, baby." He breathed. I pulled back immediately, but instead, took him with my hand until he let go. I kissed my way back to my Edward's lips, and he smiled against mine.

"Good morning." I whispered.

"Well, that's an understatement." He laughed. "Wow, Bella. That was, just, wow."

I giggled. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." I said, running my fingers through Edward's sweaty hair. "Because I did, too."

"Uh." He sighed, before chuckling a little. "I can't even form a thought right now."

"It was that good, huh?" I asked, smiling. I had to admit that I was pretty proud of myself for getting that reaction out of him.

"God, yes." He smiled at me. He reached his hand up and pulled my head down to kiss me. I moaned into the kiss, pressing my bare chest into Edward's shoulder. "I love you, so much." He said, when I pulled back.

"I love you, too." I said, lightly running my fingernails over his chest. "Let's go have a shower, and then get you packed."

"Deal." He said, sitting up.

So, we had a shower together, Edward getting more than a little handsy. But, it was fun. We laughed and kissed and soaped each other up. Seriously, showering with Edward was one of my favourite things to do, ever.

I French braided my hair, because Edward requested waves for the bonfire. We brushed our teeth and then walked into Edward's room. I walked over to dresser to get something to wear, but he walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"Let's pack naked." He whispered in my ear. "I want to just see what it's like."

I laughed, turning around to face Edward. "I can't believe you're trying to turn your shy, innocent, little fiancé into a nudist." I said, setting my hands on my bare hips.

Edward's eyes moved down my body, and he groaned in frustration. "I don't think I can concentrate." He laughed, setting his hands on my side. "You are just too damn beautiful."

I giggled. "So, our dream of becoming nudists is over before we began?" I teased, running my hands over his beautiful chest.

Edward threw his head back and laughed. "I can work on it." He said.

"Okay, for now, we'll try topless." I said, pulling on a pair of Edward's black cotton boxers. "How's that?"

"Still pretty distracting." He said, reaching up to cup my boobs in his hands.

I giggled. "Just get out your suitcases." I said, slapping his bare bum. "Leave out what you're wearing to the bonfire and something for Saturday."

"You pick." Edward said, winking at me before walking to his closet to get his bags. I turned and grabbed his beige cargo shorts, his camo shorts, two t-shirts, one white, one black, and two pairs of underwear. I set the folded pile on his desk and turned around.

Edward was standing in front of the closet holding his condom shoebox. "This is all I need." He said seriously, and I shook my head, giggling at his craziness.

I pulled most of his shirts out of his drawer and set them on his bed. "Do you want me to leave some stuff here, so we don't need to pack when we come home to visit?" I asked him, bringing over a pile of jeans and shorts.

"Yeah. Sounds good baby." Edward said. "I'm not too worried about it. My mom can bring anything I forget, next weekend."

I brought his underwear and swim trunks over to the bed and laughed when I saw him stuffing his clothes into his duffle bag and suitcase. "You are a total boy." I said, dumping everything out. Edward laughed as he shrugged. "Pack your underpants. You can wrinkle those."

We finished packing in about twenty minutes and Edward set his bags and his guitar case by his bedroom door. We got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. And all talk was on the bonfire. Everyone seemed excited. Even Alice told me that she had a dress picked out, and made me promise to wear a dress, too.

"Deal." I said, shaking her little hand. I already had a dress in mind for tonight, anyway, but I was happy to play along. "I'm just going to run home for a bit, and then I'll be back over here before the bonfire." I told Alice. "Should we paint our nails purple for the party tonight?"

"Yeah." She said, sounding really excited, as she bounced in her chair. I was thrilled that everyone looked so happy this morning. It made the idea of moving the next day so much easier on me.

We left Robbie with Jasper, before driving over to my house. Edward and I were going to pack my stuff and put in the trunk on his car, so it was ready to go tomorrow morning. We went upstairs and I smiled when I saw my dad and Heidi in their room when we walked by.

"Hey, kids." Heidi said, walking into the hallway. "We're just packing for our honeymoon."

I smiled, giving her a hug. "We came to pack, too." I said. "See you in a few."

Edward and I walked into my room, and he sat on my bed. I sat across his legs and pressed a kiss to his lips. "You still doing okay?" He asked.

I nodded. "I'm having a fabulous day so far." I told him, smiling. "And it's only going to get better. So that's what I'm thinking about."

"Good girl." He said. "Can I pack your underwear?"

I giggled. "I'm fairly certain that's why you came over here with me." I said, making him laugh. "So, go nuts."

Edward took my suitcases out of the closet fro me, and I packed my clothes, jewellery, bath stuff. I had to laugh at how delicately Edward packed up my panties and lingerie. He was a complete caveman with his clothes, so it was pretty clear that he liked my undergarments.

After we packed, Edward and my dad hauled my bags, and Robbie's kitty supplies out to the trunk. Heidi and my dad had some last minute things to tie up at work this afternoon, but they said they'd meet us at the beach to help set up. I gave my dad a hug, before Edward and I drove back to his place.

Edward reached over and set his hand on my thigh as he drove. "Just think, Bella. In about twenty four hours, we'll be officially living together in our very first place." I smiled. I couldn't wait.


	595. Motives

**A/N - Happy Wednesday! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Chapter 595 - Motives

We got back to Edward's place and Alice greeted us at the door, holding her purple nail polish that I had bought her on the second day of summer vacation. "Hi, Bella. Mom said you can paint her fingernails, too."

I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Sounds like a plan." I said, following her into the kitchen. Edward followed me and kissed my lips softly, before heading into the family room. I heard what sounded like gunshots and explosions playing from the TV, so I figured all the boys were hanging out in there watching a movie.

"Hey, Bella." Esme said, coming over to give me a hug. She had been making sandwiches at the kitchen counter when we walked in. "All packed?" Her eyes looked a little teary and I smiled at her.

"Not allowed." I told her, making her laugh. "I've already given Heidi this talk."

"I'm sorry. I'm trying really hard." Esme said, wiping her cheeks.

"Believe me. So, am I." I confessed. "So, the plan is to focus on kitchen table manicures, then setting up a fabulous bonfire, and having the best night of our lives together."

"You're a smart cookie." She said, smiling at me. "Okay, let's do it."

I painted Alice's nails first. She had such cute little fingers. "Gorgeous." I told her. "You're going to be the prettiest girl at the beach."

"Yay." She said, running into the family room to show off. I smiled as I watched her. I loved that little girl.

I was just about to paint Esme's nails, when my cell phone rang. It was Siobhan. "Hey, girl. I thought you'd be back at work getting ready for school." I said, smiling.

"I am, actually." She said. "Which is why I'm phoning. There's a new teacher here, this guy named Patrick Brennan."

"Oh, yeah. He's going to be Alice's teacher." I said.

"That's cool." She said. "I was talking to him in the staff room this morning. He seems like a really nice guy. He's new in town and I was wondering if maybe he stop by the bonfire tonight?"

"That would be great." I said. "I'm sure Alice would like to meet him, too."

"But, Bella. He's a bit of a flirt." She said, and we both laughed. "I'm laughing, but I sort of have an ulterior motive for inviting him."

"Really? What's that?"

"I want to show him that I have a sexy, muscular cop for a boyfriend." Siobhan said, and I smiled thinking of Alec.

"Is he hitting on you?" I asked her.

"Well, he's acting a little interested." She said. "I think it would be nice to just introduce Alec to him casually. Avoid all awkwardness, instead of waiting for Patrick to make a move and then embarrassing him by telling him I'm in a relationship."

"You're so smart." I said, making her laugh. "Okay. I'll see you tonight."

"Thanks, Bella. I owe you." She said, before hanging up.

"What's going on with Alice's teacher?" Esme asked, taking my hand and starting to paint my fingernails for me. I had to smile. It was such a motherly gesture.

"Oh, apparently he's a great guy, but Siobhan thinks he might be interested in her." I said.

"Well, she is a very sweet and beautiful girl." Esme said.

"Yeah, she's amazing." I agreed. "So, Siobhan wanted to know if he could come to the bonfire so he could meet Alec. You know, send him the message that she's taken."

Esme giggled, just loving the girl talk. She seriously couldn't get enough of it. I decided then and there to phone her from Seattle all the time to fill her in on the gossip going on at school.

"But, Bella, might Patrick not see her invitation to the bonfire as interest on her part?"

"Let's hope she mentions the boyfriend part." I said, and we laughed, together. I just adored Esme. I sat with her while she painted her nails in the same colour to match mine and Alice's.

We walked into the family room, and I sat down on Edward's lap. He wrapped his arms around me, and kissed my shoulder. "Movie's done." He said, rubbing his hand on my hip. "Any preference?"

"Actually, yeah. Carlisle, I hear you have videos of Edward playing baseball in high school?" I asked. "I would love to see him."

"Yeah, I think I have his senior high school championship tournament up here." Carlisle said, getting up to put in a DVD.

Emmett laughed. "You're one of those girls that like men in uniforms, huh?" He teased.

I blushed and laughed guiltily. "Not all men." I said. "Just my man."

Edward wrapped his arms around me tightly. "Mm. You're a keeper." He said. I smiled at him, and leaned down to kiss his lips.

"Okay, Bella." Carlisle said, sitting back down, and turning on the movie. "Here's your fiancé at seventeen. Captain of the team, and honestly the team's best hitter."

I smiled as I listened to Carlisle talk about Edward. He was so proud. It was adorable. I looked up at the screen and saw the whole team dressed in uniform, standing in a line, all cheering on Edward as he walked up to bat.

"Oh, you're so cute." I said, clasping my hands together and holding them to my chest as I watched Edward take the proper stance and swing a few practice swings. Edward laughed behind me, rubbing my hips.

I smiled as he just cracked the ball with the bat. It was clearly a home run, and I revelled in the view of Edward's gorgeous bum in his baseball pants as he ran to first base in the video, and then rounded the bases. I may have had a little flashback to our role playing the other night.

As he ran home, and the crowd was screaming, I watched a smile pull at his lips. He truly loved baseball. It was so clear on his face, even in the video. I loved that he carried on that passion through Jasper, now.

"Good job, baby." I said, squeezing his hands which were still on my hips. The Cullens all chuckled at me. Okay, so maybe I was a little over excited about seeing Edward play baseball, but it was great experience for me.

Even at seventeen, Edward was beautiful. He was a little thinner, but for the most part, he looked the same. One thing I did notice, as the video played, was that even though he was surrounded by a whole team, Edward looked a little lonely.

He would casually glance at the crowd, and then look down at his shoes. But as quick as that emotion would flicker on his face, it was gone and he was smiling and cheering on his team mates.

I took pride in the fact that since I had met Edward, and we had developed our relationship to the beautiful point where we were now, Edward never looked alone. He looked so happy, so content with life. And more than anything, the difference between the boy on the screen and the man whose lap I was sitting on, was confidence.

Edward seemed so sure of the man that he was today. He was smart, he was loyal and he was loving beyond measure. It was amazing what moving out, going to college, and getting engaged had done for him.

I was so proud of my Edward. He was a truly incredible man. And while I enjoyed watching the video, I would rather spend time with my version of Edward. He was my entire world, and I wouldn't have had any other way.

After the video was over, Edward and I headed over to the grocery store to buy food for the bonfire. "So, what did you think of the baseball game?" Edward asked, as we loaded our cart with hotdogs to roast by the fire.

"I thought you were incredibly talented and gorgeous." I said, making him smile. "But, I think you are better now." I said. I wanted him to know how proud of him I was, how much I loved him.

"How am I better?" He asked, looking amused.

"You are more confident, Edward." I said, smiling. "It's funny. You've always told me how happy I've made you. And watching the video, I can see the differences in you from a year and a half ago to now."

Edward nodded his head and smiled. "Thank you." I could tell what I had said had touched him. He leaned down to kiss my lips, before chuckling. "And here I thought you were just watching for my ass."

I smiled back at him. "That, too."


	596. Buildng Our Bonfire

**A/N - Happy Thursday! This story is coming to an end within the next few days, so make sure to put me on Author Alert so you will get the notification for the sequel - "Summer Vacation: Back to Class." It will pick up exactly where this story leaves off. Thank you all so much for reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 596 - Building Our Bonfire

Edward and I picked up our hotdogs, buns, condiments, marshmallows, and a few cases of coke. We dropped all the supplies back off at the Cullen house, before we drove down to the beach with Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper. We were going to build our bonfire.

I smiled when I saw my dad, Jake, Embry, Quil and EJ all standing around on the beach. "Looks like your dad recruited help." Edward said, as we walked hand in hand over to the group.

"This is just so cool." Emmett said, making me smile. "I cannot believe mom is letting us go to a bonfire."

Carlisle chuckled. "Just behave yourself, tonight, and I'm sure there will be more bonfires."

"The beach under the stars, moonlight, fire, heat, my hot girlfriend in a sexy dress." Emmett said, smiling. "I cannot guarantee I'll behave myself."

Edward laughed, and shoved Emmett playfully on the arm. "You're a truly horrible example for your little brother." He said, making Emmett laugh.

Carlisle wrapped his arm around Jasper's shoulders. "Jasper's a smart kid." He said.

"Yeah, until he sees his cute girlfriend a short skirt." Emmett said. "Then, he's going to start thinking with his other head."

"Emmett." Carlisle said, trying to scold him, but I saw the smile sneak onto his face. "I know you see Bella like family, but she is still a lady."

"Sorry, Bella." Emmett said, winking at me.

I smiled. I loved watching all the Cullen boys together, even with their dad. They all had a great bond. They teased and joked and laughed, but still talked about the important things.

"Ah, I like being an almost Cullen." I said. "And I'm with Edward enough to know how guys think." All the guys laughed with me.

Edward laughed, and pinched my side. "Now, you're making me look bad." He said.

"Aw. Come here." I said, reaching up to pull his face down to mine. He smiled and pressed a kiss to my lips. "I like it when you're bad." I whispered, making him chuckle. He took my hand and we walked over to join all the guys.

"Hey, daddy." I said, giving my dad a hug.

"Hey, kiddo." He said, rubbing my back. "Ready to build your first bonfire?"

"Definitely." I said. "I didn't know you knew how to do it."

My dad laughed. "I, too, was once a teenager, Bells." He said, making me smile. "I used to camp out on the beach with friends, had a party or two, myself."

"You know, Bella. Men that become cops were usually the worst as teenagers." Carlisle said, making my dad laugh.

"That true, Jake?" I asked.

"God, yes, Bella." He said, laughing. "I was a wild kid."

"Okay, okay. We want Bella to keep the illusion that her dad is perfect." My dad said.

"Aw. You are perfect, daddy." I said, giving him another hug. "So, what do we do?"

My dad directed our group of ten into gathering rocks to make a circle about six feet wide. EJ, Jake and Emmett all dug down in the sand a little for a base. Edward and his dad carried in two logs from the back of my dad's truck and Jasper and I stuffed the center with kindling. We continued building the base until it was knee high.

Then the fun part began as the guys brought over the taller pieces of wood and made a tee pee like structure. It was about eight feet high, and absolutely beautiful. I couldn't wait to light it.

"Looks good." Embry said to us. "You guys can head out to get your food and stuff, and the boys and I will keep an eye on it for you."

I gave him a hug and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. We'll be back in about an hour."

I decided to go home with my dad to get my dress on. Edward was going to go feed the kitten and load all the food in the car, meeting me back here at the beach to start the bonfire.

I gave Edward a nice long, maybe too obscene of a kiss for the public before I left. But, Edward left to his car with a huge smile on his face, so I was happy. Just parting from him for a half hour was hard, but hopefully the kiss would last us.

My dad and I rode back to the house. "So, parties, huh?" I asked, teasing him about when he was a teenager.

"Believe it or not, Bella. I was quite the Casanova when I was a young man." He said, making me giggle.

"So, all the girls were after you?" I asked, smiling.

"Yep." He said, chuckling. "Your mom was the envy of the high school."

"I'll bet she was."

When we got home, I ran upstairs to slip on my dress. I chose my black strapless sundress with the purple and white paisley pattern. I loved this dress. It was so comfortable, and it was short, so it felt sexy enough for an evening bonfire. I put on my flip flops, and spun in front of the mirror. I loved it.

I took my hair out of my French braid and ran my fingers through the beachy waves, before pulling the sides back. I put on some black eyeliner and purple eye shadow, and a little strawberry lip gloss on my lips to encourage kissing.

I ran downstairs and found Heidi and my dad sitting at the table ready to go. Heidi was wearing black shorts and pink tank top and had her long hair pulled back in a ponytail. She honestly looked really hot, and my dad seemed to agree. He had his hand on her leg when I walked in the room. They were so cute, my honeymooning parents.

"Okay, lovebirds." I teased. "Don't start the honeymoon with your daughter in the house."

Heidi and my dad laughed at me, as they got up and we went out to the truck. We drove down to the beach. I was so excited for mine and Edward's first party that we were going to throw together. I was sure there would be many more in the future.

When we got to the beach, I noticed Vanessa and Gianna had shown up. I ran over and pulled Vanessa into a tight hug. "You made it to Friday." I said, and she laughed.

"God, I have no idea how I'm going to hold down a job. I belong on a beach." She said, smiling.

"You're going to be great." I reassured her. "It will get you through the winter here. Plus, you get like three months off throughout the year. Why do you think I'm going to be a teacher?"

Vanessa laughed. "Good point. I knew you were my friend for a reason."

I felt big, strong hands on my hips from behind. "Can I steal my fiancé for a minute." Edward said from behind me.

"For sure." Vanessa said. "I haven't had Jake's tongue in my mouth in about six hours. I'm going to go fix that."

"Too much info." Edward teased, and I laughed. I happened to like how graphic she was. It was refreshing. She didn't hide her true emotions.

I turned in Edward's arms and smiled when I looked into his eyes. "I don't know how she lasted six hours." I said, making Edward laugh, forty five minutes was too long for me. "Kiss me." I whispered.

Edward groaned and leaned in to press a soft kiss to my lips. I pulled back enough to lick his lips and he smiled before deepening the kiss. I was always lost in my own world when he kissed me. And I adored that he had that power over me. It was very, very sexy.

He pulled back slowly and smiled at me. "You look phenomenal." He said. "And I appreciate the strawberry lip gloss."

I giggled. I knew he would. "For you, beautiful." Edward said, passing me a little white daisy.

"Thank you." I smiled and tucked it into my hair, just above my ear. Edward was wearing his white t-shirt and tan cargo shorts. He looked so sexy, and I felt so lucky that he was mine.

He took my hand and led me over to our wooden bonfire pit, pulling a lighter out of his pocket. "Let's start our bonfire."


	597. A Fire and A Flirt

**A/N - Happy Friday! Okay, so the plan is to go to 600 chapters. It's all planned out...we'll see if I can tame my wordiness! Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing and adding me to author alert for the sequel! You are the best readers, ever! Enjoy!**

Chapter 597 - A Fire and A Flirt

Edward and I walked up to the fire and we crouched down. Edward leaned in to kiss my lips. "I love you." He said, before flicking the lighter. He held the flame to the kindling and then blew on it to get it going. His lips looked so sexy pursed like they were.

"Hot." I whispered. It was one of those moments where you didn't mean to say anything out loud, but it just happened.

"What, the fire?" Edward asked, before turning to blow on the kindling, again. The fire started to take and Edward stood up, taking my hand and pulling me back a little.

"No, you." I said, blushing.

Edward laughed, and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "I love you. And I thought I was the only cheesy one."

I giggled. "It's all your fault, anyway." I said, rubbing my palm on his chest. "You're just too sexy. I can't be held responsible for the stupid things I say."

"That wasn't stupid. It was cute. And if all our family and friends weren't standing behind us, mm, Bella. I can't even tell you what I would do to you." He said, looking pretty turned on.

I giggled. "You can tell me." I said.

"I've recently had this fantasy of us making love on the beach." He admitted, smiling a little shyly at me.

"Mm. We'll have to make that happen." I said. "If we can ever find a secluded beach."

Edward laughed. "We have our whole lives to make it happen."

I saw Paul walking up behind Edward, and he covered Edward's eyes. "Hey, sexy boy. Can I get your number?" He said, in a girl's voice. It was a horrible impression and I burst out laughing. Edward jabbed his elbow back, before turning and giving his friend a hug.

"Thanks for coming, man." Edward said, patting Paul's back.

"Like I would miss a chance to jam. Did you bring your guitar?" Paul asked.

"Yeah." Edward said, smiling down at me and winking. I was thrilled. I had no idea that Edward was going to play tonight.

"Awesome." Paul said. "Hey, beautiful." He said, giving me a hug. "You guys built a nice bonfire."

"Thanks. My dad was the brains behind the operation." I said. "Where's Rachel?"

"Oh, she's talking to Siobhan." Paul said. He slapped Edward on the shoulder. "I'm going to go mingle. We'll play once it get's darker."

"For sure." Edward said. He took my hand. "We should go mingle, too."

I noticed that Rose and Maria were here, both is pretty summer dresses. Emmett had his arm around Rose, his hand on her hip as they walked through the sand. And Jasper couldn't take his eyes off of Maria's legs as they sat together my the fire. He was holding her hand, and she was beaming at him. Oh, hormones.

"Em was right, huh?" Edward laughed, nodding his head towards Jasper.

"Boys." I teased, shaking my head.

"Well, it's not our fault that girls are just so darn appealing." He said. "Especially when they pay attention to us." I giggled. Edward was the best.

We walked around and said hi to all of our friends that had started showing up. I had to laugh when I saw Alec with his arm tightly around Siobhan's waist. They both looked really nice, tonight. Alec was leaning in to kiss her shoulder and neck. He must have heard that Patrick was going to be here. He was marking his territory already.

"Siobhan invited Alice's new teacher so he could meet some people because he's new in town." I told Edward. "But apparently he's a flirt, so she wanted to show off Alec."

Edward chuckled and nodded, but didn't look too happy about having Patrick here. My jealous boy was back. Which was funny, because Patrick wasn't interested in me. He hadn't even met me yet. But, I was still flattered that he was so protective.

"Hey, guys." I said, giving Siobhan a hug.

Alec lifted me off of my feet and gave me a tight bear hug. "I can't believe you're moving tomorrow." He said, kissing my cheek.

I adjusted my dress from the hug, pulling it up a little in the front. "You are not allowed to make me cry, Barrelli." I said, making him laugh. "Just promise you'll come visit us."

"Oh, definitely. Only if you promise the same thing." He said. I agreed. How could I not? I would be here a heck of a lot anyway.

"Edward." Alice said, running over to take her brother's hand. "Can you help me make my hotdog?"

"Of course I can, princess." He said. Edward leaned in to kiss my lips.

"I'll be right there." I said, giving Edward's bum a squeeze. He laughed and winked at me, before walking with Alice over to the bonfire.

"Oh, there's Patrick." Siobhan said. "Bella, stay with me."

Alec laughed and shook his head. "I could take that guy." He said under his breath just before Patrick walked up to us. I tried to hold back my laughter. Alec was awesome.

Patrick was tall, had sandy blonde hair, a huge smile, and a fit body. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with flip flops. "Hi, Siobhan." He said, smiling. "You look great tonight."

"Thank you." She said. "I'm glad you could make it. This is my boyfriend, Alec, and one of my best friends, Bella Swan." Patrick looked a little taken back at the news that Siobhan was seeing someone, but hid it quickly. Siobhan continued. "This is Bella's bonfire. She's actually a student at UW Seattle, studying to become a teacher, as well."

"Nice to meet you, Alec." Patrick said, reaching forward to shake his hand. I rolled my eyes at Alec's overly firm handshake. And I could have sworn he flexed his muscles. Such an alpha male.

"And, Bella." Patrick said, holding out his hand. I reached out to shake his hand and was surprised when he brought my right hand up to his lips. "So, you're planning on teaching at Forks Elementary in the future?"

"I'm hoping to." I said, smiling. "But, I won't be living in Forks full time for about five years."

"Oh, and why's that?" He asked, looking way, way, too interested. And all that was in combination with that winning smile. Siobhan was right. He was a total flirt.

I glanced over at Edward and he was watching me like a hawk. And I could tell he would have been over here with me, had Alice not been sitting on his lap.

"I'm waiting for my fiancé to finish his degree in pharmacy." I told Patrick. "But, then, yeah, we're definitely coming back. Most of our family is here."

Patrick laughed, reaching both hands up to run through his hair. "That's great." He said, shaking his head, still laughing. "I'm the new guy and I'm making an bad impression, already."

"Oh, no." Siobhan said. "You're doing great. I don't know if you've met the kindergarten teacher, Anna. She's so, so sweet. I hope you don't mind Bella, but I invited her tonight, too."

"Oh, that's fine." I said. "The more the merrier." I truly loved Siobhan in that moment. Yeah, Patrick was a little forward, but that didn't mean he was a bad guy. He was new in town, and likely lonely. I appreciated that she thought to invite one of her single friends to meet Patrick. It was sweet.

"Alright, I'll talk to guys later." I said, patting Alec on the arm. Alice had hopped off of Edward's lap and Esme was helping her put her hotdog in a bun. I walked over to my gorgeous man, and sat down beside him in the sand. I reached up and ran my fingers through the hair right above his ear. "Hi, handsome." I said, smiling at him.

He leaned in and kissed my lips. "So, that was Patrick, huh?" He asked.

"Yeah. He's a really nice guy." I said. "But don't worry, I told him I am engaged. Plus, Alec had enough testosterone going to scare him off."

Edward laughed. "I knew I liked Alec."

"Siobhan brought a single friend, so that should distract him." I said, rubbing Edward's thigh. "Will you make me a hot dog, too please?" I asked, batting my eyelashes at him.

Edward laughed. "Now, how could I say no to such a pretty face?"


	598. There For You

**A/N - Happy Saturday! I'm having a hard time getting through these last few chapters without tearing up! These characters are real to me, so I feel as though I'm literally moving to Seattle with them! Maybe I'm crazy! But, because I love them so much, I'll never let them go. (Hence the sequel.) Thank you all for the support. Enjoy!**

Chapter 598 - There For You

My dad and Heidi, the Cullens and Ness and Jake all sat with us while we roasted hotdogs and ate. It was nice having so many people together that we loved. The fire had really gotten big, and was warming us from the evening's cool sea air.

We had quite the turn out, and it was nice to see everyone getting along, and hearing all the laughter out on the beach. Yes, it was the end of the summer, but our family and friends would be with us forever.

It was amazing to me, when I thought about it. I had only known my dad and Edward when I moved back to Forks in May, and now we had a whole beach full of people that I truly loved. I had made some beautiful friendships this summer and I was incredibly happy.

EJ had a stereo and a few mixed CDs that he played. Emmett and Rosie started dancing in the sand, and Edward took my hand and led me over to join them. It was like a high school dance, only we were outside, and I was actually dancing. Okay, so it was nothing like high school. But it was fun.

Vanessa and Jake came to join in, and Maria hopped up and pulled Jasper's hand. Being so shy, I was fairly certain he wouldn't like dancing. Maria kept trying to press her body closer to Jasper's by wrapping her arms around his back. I giggled into Edward's chest when I saw him trying to step back.

"What's funny, sugar?" Edward asked, smiling down at my face.

"Oh, I'm just watching Jasper and Maria." I said, rubbing Edward's back. "Jasper keeps pulling back. He looks so uncomfortable."

Edward looked over at him. "Yeah, well, unfortunately for guys, our feelings of excitement are displayed front and center."

I blushed and giggled. "Poor Jasper." I said.

"Hey, feel sorry for every single teenaged boy." Edward said, winking at me. "We all went through it."

I giggled, pushing my hips against Edward's. "I think you're still going through it." I teased, making Edward groan.

"Well, that would be because my fiancé likes to tease." He said, leaning in for a kiss. "But I love it. Never stop."

The dancing caught on, and my dad came over to dance with me in the sand. "Is this practice for my wedding day?" I asked him, making him smile.

"It's just a dad wanting to spend some time with his little girl before he skips town for his honeymoon." He said.

"I'm so happy for you, dad. I want you to have a great trip." I said, giving him a hug.

"I'll be fishing with my wife." He said. "I think a great time is guaranteed." I smiled. My dad had the best outlook on life. He was always happy, too. Even more so with Heidi in his life now.

As the sun started to set, everyone crowded closer together by the fire. We all roasted marshmallows, and made s'mores. Everyone was talking and laughing. I had to smile when I saw Patrick and who I assumed to be Siobhan's friend Anna together.

She was a cute little brunette, who had a what seemed to be a constant smile on her face. Patrick looked really happy that Anna was laughing at all of his jokes. He made a note to touch her hand as he spoke. I was happy for them.

It looked like Siobhan was taking over my role as matchmaker. But, I was just happy that Patrick wouldn't be causing any problems for Siobhan and Alec, lest Alec actually go to the next stage of marking his territory, and start peeing.

Edward and Paul got up to run and get their guitars. I was so excited. My Edward was talented. I was lucky enough to hear Edward and Paul play together once this summer, and I was thrilled that all of our friends and family were going to get hear them, too. I was a very proud fiancé.

Edward sat down beside Paul by the fire, with his back against a big sun bleached log on the beach. He stretched his legs out and I sat down beside him, running my fingers through the hair on his legs.

Edward set his guitar on his legs and started tuning it. He looked up at me and winked, making me smile. I knew he was going to be playing for everyone to hear, but there was no doubt in my mind that he was singing for me.

The boys started to play their oldies, singing together, and I tore my eyes off of Edward just long enough to look around at all of our friends and family. They were all smiling and clearly enjoying the music.

I couldn't say enough how impressed I was at Edward's talent. He had a beautiful deep voice, and once he started singing, I never wanted him to stop. I was watching his beautiful lips, again. So, so hot.

Watching Edward sing, I wanted to kiss him. And added to that, his large hands, and long sexy fingers playing the strings of his guitar, only served to turn me on even more. I was so, so in love with this man.

When Paul and Edward sang oldies, I noticed lots of our friends singing along. It was such an incredibly fun night, and I was glad that Edward and I had decided to throw this celebration of summer bonfire.

And Emmett was enjoying himself immensely. He was sitting with Rose between his legs, her back to his chest. He had his arms wrapped tightly around her, and was rocking them back and forth to the music. The smile on his face was priceless, and I was glad that Esme had allowed the boys to come to the bonfire. This was going to be a great memory for him.

Jasper and Maria were sitting side by side. Jasper had his arm around Maria's shoulders and she was resting her cheek on his chest. They were so sweet, together. Jasper looked way more comfortable now. I could only imagine how hard it was to be a teenaged boy. So many hormones, a body that betrays you, and feelings that are so strong. I had to say that Jasper was handling himself really well. I was proud of him.

It was getting late and the fire was dying down. Unfortunately, it was time to call it a night. We said goodnight to all of friends, and instead of goodbyes, we made promises to see each other again, soon.

I was fine and tear free and until my dad and Heidi left. They were leaving for their honeymoon first thing in the morning, and since I was sleeping at Edward's tonight, this was our goodbye.

Heidi gave us a Tupperware container of peanut butter cookies for the drive up to Seattle the next day, and gave both Edward and I tearful hugs and kisses on the cheek. She was truly an amazing step mom.

I cried hard into my dad's shoulder and he rubbed my back. I looked up at his face and he had tears in his eyes as well. He kissed my cheek and told me he loved me, making Edward promise to take good care of me. Edward wrapped me in his arms and held me close to his chest, rocking me back and forth, as we watched my dad's truck pull out and head home.

I wiped my eyes and laughed. "Sorry." I said to Edward. "I'm okay, now."

He smiled down at me and kissed my lips. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too." I said. "Let's go home and snuggle." I needed Edward's heartbeat to lull me sleep tonight. And his nice warm, hard body made me feel so secure and calm.

Edward helped Embry and Jake die out the fire with buckets of sea water. Edward wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and I sat waiting for him to clean up. I offered to help, but he kissed my forehead and told me to sit. I truly loved him.

I must have fallen asleep because I woke up when Edward set me in the passenger seat of the car. He smiled at me and kissed my lips. "Go back to sleep, gorgeous." He whispered.

But I couldn't sleep now. I was awake and I wanted to stare at Edward. He looked so beautiful in the darkness, and in the glow of the interior lights of the car. He pulled out of the parking lot at the beach and drove back to his place.

He glanced over at me and smiled when he saw that my eyes were opened. "You're up?" He asked, reaching over to rub my bare thigh.

"You're too handsome not to look at." I said, smiling, as I set my hand over his on my leg. "Thank you for tonight." I whispered. "It was a perfect party. And thank you, for just being there for me. You're amazing."

Edward smiled. "It was a great night. I loved it, and I think all of our friends had fun, too." He said. "And as for being there for you. Bella, I will always hold you and hug you and you kiss you and reassure you when you're sad. Because I love you. And, I know we haven't officially said our vows, yet, but I'm with you through the good and the bad times, okay? You are my life, baby."

I smiled, and brought Edward's hand up to kiss his palm. "You're lucky I'm all cried out." I teased, making him smile. "And I love you, too."


	599. It's Your Fantasy

**A/N - Happy Sunday! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I apologize for any tears in the last chapter, so I'm giving us a fun one! Enjoy!**

Chapter 599 - It's Your Fantasy

Edward and I went back to his place and straight up to bed. I was exhausted, emotional and just wanted to be held. We undressed and crawled into bed together, and true to his word, Edward held me in his arms, gently rubbing my back.

And as comfortable as I felt, I couldn't seem to sleep. This was our last night in Forks and I didn't want it to end just yet. But, Edward was already asleep, which was awful, considering I figured that fooling around might do the trick.

I finally drifted off, but woke up again at two in the morning. Edward was snoring softly, so I felt bad for waking him, sort of, but I had an idea. I shook his shoulder and he groaned but didn't wake up.

"Baby." I whisper yelled. "Edward, wake up."

"What's wrong?" He asked, rolling onto his back and rubbing his eyes. He was still half asleep. So adorable.

"Nothing." I said, kissing his lips. I giggled when he pursed his lips after I pulled back from the kiss. He was definitely going to have to wake up for what I had planned.

He opened one eye and looked up at me. "Why am I awake, then?" He asked.

"Because. I want to go somewhere with you. But you have to be awake, or we can't do it." I said, rubbing his bare chest.

Edward groaned again and sat up to look at the clock. "Bella, honey. You know I love you and I would do anything for you, but it's two in the morning." He said, flopping back on his pillow. "Where are we going?"

I slid my hand down his stomach, and gently caressed his body. He hummed, and closed his eyes. "I'll make it worth your while." I said, giggling. Edward was way too much fun to tease when he was half asleep.

Plus, he did so much for me all the time. He gave me a flower everyday, he bought me gifts for every occasion. And I knew he said I did a lot for him. But, I figured it was time for me to really do something he would never forget. Ever. I was going to make his fantasy come true.

"Uh, baby." Edward said, rolling over to wrap me in his arms. "What has you so frisky?"

"You're hot body." I said, making him smile. "So, you wanna go out with me, right now?"

"Okay." He said, smiling as he sat up. He looked awake now. "If you're not going to tell me where we're going, will you at least tell me what I need to wear?"

"Um, just slip on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt." I said. He really wouldn't be needing his clothes at all with what I had planned.

I got up and ran to use the bathroom. When I came back out, I pulled on my dress and grabbed my purse and a couple of blankets from Edward's closet. "Okay. I'm ready." I said, smiling at him.

Edward was standing by his bedroom door in his black sweatpants, a grey t-shirt and really messy hair. He looked priceless, and still pretty tired. He smiled at me. "Maybe I'd better pee." He said, making me laugh, as he ran to the bathroom. He was out in a minute and ran back over to take my hand.

We snuck out the door and down the dark the hallway and stairs. I grabbed Edward's keys and we ran to the car. I slipped into the drivers side and Edward laughed, getting into the passenger side.

"This is spontaneous." Edward laughed, as I started the car and pulled out into the darkness. "What do you have in mind?"

"You'll see." I stopped at a red light and Edward slid his hand up my thigh. I gasped as his fingers moved over my body.

"Mm. No panties." Edward hummed. "You're a bad girl tonight, huh?"

I blushed as I laughed. "I didn't figure I'd need them where we're going."

Edward laughed. "I think I'm going to like this surprise." He said, rubbing my thigh.

I parked way further down at the more secluded end of the beach. Edward carried the blankets and I slung my purse over my shoulder as we headed down the soft sand. It was dark and we were only lit by the light of the moon.

"The beach?" Edward asked, smirking at me. "A secluded beach?"

I giggled, kicking off my sandals and running ahead of him. "It's your fantasy." I said, laughing. Edward ran up beside me and dropped the blankets, before picking me up, and swinging me around.

"Are you serious?" He asked, leaning in to kiss my lips as he set me down. "You want to have sex on the beach. Like right now?" The smile on his face was priceless.

"Yes." I said, smiling. I grabbed the hem of my dress and yanked it down, shimmying it off so I was left standing on the beach completely naked. I looked up at Edward's face and smirked. I was feeling pretty confident, as this was going exactly as planned.

"God, baby. You are the sexiest girl on earth." He said, stepping forward to set his hands on my sides. "Are you sure?"

"I'm naked, aren't I?" I said, biting my lip.

Edward smiled and pulled his t-shirt off, and I yanked his sweats down, happy that he didn't wear any underwear, either. A breeze blew up off the water and I shivered. Edward wrapped me tightly in his arms and leaned down to kiss my lips.

"I didn't think about the cold." I said, and he laughed.

"Well, I have an idea of what we could do to warm us up, lover." He said, sliding his hands down to squeeze my bum cheeks in his hands. "Let's have some hot sex."

I giggled. "That was sexy." I said, kissing his chest.

"Good." He whispered, setting his hands on either side of my face. He leaned and in and started kissing me. I groaned as he deepened the kiss.

I pulled back and spread out the blanket. I laid down on my back and crooked my finger at Edward. He groaned before joining me on the blanket. He laid down on his side, rubbing my stomach, as he started kissing my lips.

"Baby." He whispered, before kissing me again. "In my fantasy, you were on top."

I giggled. "Well, who am I to get in the way of that?" I asked, shoving Edward's shoulder so he rolled onto his back. I reached over to my purse and pulled out a condom. Edward smiled as I rolled it onto his body, before straddling his thighs on my knees.

Edward was already breathing fast. He reached his hands up to hold my hands, and helped me balance as I moved down onto him, joining our bodies. We both moaned out in pleasure. Maybe it was because we were outside, naked on the beach having sex, and the act was so taboo, so risqué, but this had never felt better.

"Ah, Bella, baby." Edward closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "You feel so good."

I smiled, before rolling my hips, making him groan, again. I let go of Edward's hands and set my hands on his shoulders. Edward set one hand on my hip and let his other hand explore my chest.

I moved as fast and hard and I could, wanting Edward's fantasy to be perfect. He was swearing under his breath, fighting to keep his eyes open. I think I was I succeeding. Edward was loving this.

"God, baby." He said, wrapping his arms around me and pulling my chest down to meet his. "I love you." He breathed before kissing me. He rolled us over, so he was on top. It didn't take long for me to let go. I cried out in shear pleasure and Edward was right behind me.

He dropped his head down on my shoulder and chuckled. "Wow." He said, kissing my neck and shoulder. "Well, that surpassed the fantasy."

I giggled, lightly scratching his back. "I'm glad I could help. I sort of figured, we had a perfectly good beach right here in Forks, so we might as well use it."

"Mm. You are perfect." He said, rolling over to lie beside me. I passed Edward a little purse sized package of tissues to clean up. He laughed. "So prepared." Edward sat up and cleaned himself up.

I giggled as he sat there with a ball of tissues in his hand, like he had no idea what to do with it. I took it from him and stuffed it back in the tissue package and put it in my purse. I was not going to be responsible for leaving a used condom on a public beach.

Edward laid back down beside me and covered us up with the other blanket. I snuggled up to his chest and kissed his chin. It was nice and quiet out here, just lying on the beach with my fiance, naked. I felt peaceful and relaxed.

"Are we going to make it through our goodbyes tomorrow?" I asked him.

"Yeah. We'll see them in a week. And it's not like we're moving to Alaska, or something crazy like that." He said. "Let's just focus on the positive. We'll have our very own bed in our very own bedroom."

I giggled. "I love the way you think."


	600. Now Leaving Forks

**A/N - This is it! The last chapter of Summer Vacation! I can't thank you all enough for sticking with the story for 600 chapters, and therefore 600 days! This story is over a million words long! I truly appreciate the amazing support I've received for my writing as it's developed. Because of this fanfiction, I have met some fabulous people and made some lifelong friends! **

**If you are up for more with my version of Edward and Bella as they continue their journey through love, life and college, you can check out the sequel "Summer Vacation: Back to Class." I should have the first chapter posted within the next few days! I'm so excited to start this adventure. Thank you all, again! Enjoy!**

Chapter 600 - Now Leaving Forks

Edward and I stayed on the beach for a few hours, just snuggled up together, naked on the blankets. I fell asleep in his arms and when I woke up to a bright orange sky with the sun just starting to rise behind us, Edward was asleep.

We were still naked, which I had to say was pretty risky, considering we could have been caught by the early morning joggers, surfers or body boarders that hung out here, especially Jake's brothers and EJ and Ness. Plus, it was a Saturday.

I leaned in and kissed Edward's slightly parted lips. "Babe. Wake up. We need to get dressed." I said, sitting up.

Edward sat up and looked around, as if just realizing that we were guilty of breaking so many laws. Public nuisance, indecency, voyeurism, the list could go on. And being the daughter of a cop, I knew these were crimes that could be faced with jail time. Not that any of the cops in town would arrest us, because they were all my friends, but still. Talk about embarrassing.

He chuckled nervously as he pulled on his t-shirt and then stood up to pull on his sweats. I pulled on my dress and grabbed my purse, while Edward shook out the blankets. He took my hand as we headed back to the car, picking up my sandals as we walked.

I giggled as he pulled out and drove home. "That was a close call." He laughed. "Imagine if you hadn't woken up? My mom would have panicked and called your dad, and your dad would have set up a massive search party. All of our friends would have been called and they would have found us sleeping naked on the beach. Oh, and the search dog would have pulled the used condom out of your purse."

I burst out laughing. "You have quite the imagination there, handsome." I said, rubbing his thigh. "But, we're not out of the woods, yet." I said. "We still have to sneak back into your house and hope no one is up."

Edward chuckled. "Well, I can take comfort in the fact that they can't ground me." He said, looking over at me and winking.

"Well, I suppose I could ground you, now." I said.

"Mm. Are you going to send me to my room to think about what I've done?" Edward asked, smirking. "Because, honey, that is not a punishment."

I shook my head. "How will I ever keep you in line?" I asked, making him smile. I adored our relationship. Life was always fun with Edward.

We pulled up to the house and Edward shut off the car. We snuck out of the car and quietly walked up the front steps. Edward was just about to slide his keys in the front door, when it swung open. I gasped and covered my heart with my hand. Carlisle was standing in front of us dressed in his blue striped pyjama pants and a white t-shirt.

"Well, good morning." He said, looking half surprised, half smug. "Just came to get the paper. Can I ask what you're doing up so early?"

Edward laughed. "This didn't happen." He said, pulling my hand and leading me back upstairs. I heard Carlisle chuckling behind us. We were lucky he was so cool.

When Edward and I reached his room, we flopped back into bed and snuggled up close to each other. "Let's get another couple of hours of sleep, babe." He mumbled into my hair. "We have a long drive and I haven't had much sleep tonight. I was having some kind of vivid sexual dream." He teased. "Maybe we'll look up what it means later."

"It wasn't a dream." I giggled into his chest and rubbed his back. "That was embarrassing, but, I'm almost glad that it was you dad and not the condom search dog." I said, making Edward laugh.

"Me, too." He said smiling, even though his eyes were closed. "Love you, baby. Get some sleep."

I closed my eyes and fell asleep with a smile on my face. I had a great outlook on our move. Edward was right, we were only going to be a few hours away. And like I had told my dad, we would be home so much, he would probably get sick of me.

Instead of feeling sad, I was excited. Very excited. I was starting a life with the man I loved, the man I was going to marry. We were going to have our own place and we were tackling year two of university. The sooner we finished our degrees, the sooner we could move back to Forks.

Plus, I had a wedding to plan to this year. There would be shopping, dress fittings and a ton of bridal magazines. I couldn't wait to start planning with Heidi, Esme, Angie and my mom. Oh, and of course Edward. I smiled to myself. Yes, this was going to be a great year.

Edward and I woke up at around seven, and went to have a shower together. We were both smiling at each other, and it seemed that living out Edward's fantasy on the beach had given me one very happy fiancé.

Edward got dressed in his camo shorts and black t-shirt and I slid on my sweat shorts and a white tank top. I pulled my hair up into a messy bun, and we brushed our teeth together. Edward leaned over to kiss me.

"I'm so excited." He said, smiling at me. "We haven't made love in our new bed, yet."

I laughed. "Now that we've done something crazy like make love on the beach, you have sex on the brain." I teased.

"Bella, I think I've told you that I always have sex on the brain." He said, making me laugh. "I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the Y chromosome. And, maybe the fact that you are the sexiest woman, ever."

I smiled, reaching forward to trace the back of my fingers over his crotch. "Or, it has a lot to do with this little guy."

Edward groaned and chuckled. "Little guy?" He asked, smiling.

"I'm sorry. Big guy." I giggled.

Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close for a hug. "Mm." He hummed. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I said, looking up at his face, resting my chin on his chest. "I was just thinking about marrying you."

"Yeah?" He asked, smiling. "What were you thinking?"

"That I'm going to need to get some bridal magazines." I told him. "And I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be a bridezilla."

Edward laughed. "Aw. No you won't. People only turn into bridezillas when they don't get what they want. You are going to have whatever you wish for. Dream it, and it's yours, Bella. It's going to be amazing."

I smiled. "Thank you, baby."

"Of course." He said. "But just remember, the wedding is going to be great, but the real fun begins on the honeymoon."

I giggled. "Sex on the brain, again."

"Hey, we're going to Hawaii. Just think of all the secluded beaches in Hawaii?" He winked at me and I laughed.

"Yeah. It's going to be great." I agreed, just imagining the fun we were going to have on our honeymoon.

"Okay, let's go eat breakfast and get on the road to start this crazy adventure." He said. I smiled. I was ready to go, too.

Edward and I carried his bags down to the front door, before going in the kitchen for breakfast. All of the Cullens were there, but much to both my surprise and relief, there weren't any tears.

Emmett was still talking about the bonfire. "That was epic." He said, making me smile. "We are so going to have to do that, again."

"Uh, oh. Looks like we've created a little bonfire bug." I said, teasing.

We all shared a nice, normal pancake breakfast, together. Edward was hyping everyone up about the kitten, and Alice was bouncing in her seat, she was so excited. She wanted to name it Princess, but I knew there was no way the boys were going to let that happen, no matter how much they spoiled their sister.

Everyone walked us out to the car. There were hugs, kisses and I love yous all around, and while Esme and I got a little teary, no one cried. "Drive carefully and call when you get there." She said, being an amazing mom.

"Okay, we'll see you in a week." Edward said, squeezing Jasper's shoulder. "Have great week at school. I love you, guys."

I picked up the kitten carrier and got in the car. Edward climbed in the driver's side and we waved as Edward pulled the car out onto the road. I leaned over and honked the horn, before Edward turned out onto the highway.

"Ready, Bella?" Edward asked, smiling over at me. "This is going to be a great year."

As we passed the sign that read _'Now Leaving Forks,'_ I reached over took Edward's hand. "I'm ready."

**The End...To Be Continued!**


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